It’s a beautiful sight to see: a moshpit at a music festival. Even better when it’s during an ACAB anthem called “Pigs Is Pigs.” That’s the fierce energy that Mannequin Pussy brought to their afternoon set at Kilby Block Party, held over three days at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City, Utah this past weekend.
The sweaty enthusiasm was noticed by the band members themselves. “Festivals are a very particular brand of chaos so I don’t think your mind ever really catches up to what your body’s doing,” singer Marisa “Missy” Dabice told Uproxx over the phone after returning to Philadelphia from mountainous SLC. “I felt moments of real elation to be at this incredibly curated festival and to see that people were actually really excited to see us.”
I’m a believer that this elation can be felt at every music festival, if every music festival had at least one punk band on the bill. OK, maybe not EVERY festival — we don’t need another Pete Seeger incident when Turnstile takes the stage at the Newport Folk Festival — but, like, 95 percent of them. Replace the sleepy singer-songwriter playing to an exhausted, sun-soaked crowd with a band like Mannequin Pussy, and everyone’s stamina meter will be replenished.
“I feel like as a performer, you have a responsibility to make them forget about the fact that they’ve already been hearing live music for going on 72 hours,” Dabice said. “In this case [at Kilby], there was just already so much energy in the crowd that we didn’t have to feel inspired too much or anything.” She added, “I think punk fans definitely bring energy and catharsis to a festival where maybe you need to be woken up a little bit for the rest of your day.”
uproxx
Punk bands are a natural fit for festivals. Have you ever seen a poster for a hardcore show? It’s like a mini-Coachella every night at your nearest VFW hall or indie venue (if you don’t have a ticket to see Drain, Drug Church, Gel, Magnitude, and Restraining Order on tour this spring, it’s not too late). They’re also used to playing tight, short sets, something Dabice, along with co-band members drummer Kaleen Reading, bassist Colins “Bear” Regisford, guitarist Maxine Steen, and multi-instrumentalist Carolyn Haynes, take seriously.
“The worst thing you can do at a festival is go over your set time,” she said. “I think that’s original sin number one for festivals. It’s just not respecting that because it fucks up everything. It’s a cruel thing to do, so you have to be really aware of just exactly how much time you need to be able to express what you would normally with a longer set and distill it into a shorter amount of time.”
A high-energy, punk-leaning festival set is not only fun for the crowd (there were so many smiling faces in and around the pit during MP’s self-described “cute, very aggressive” set), but it’s also beneficial for the artists. When asked if there’s a noticeable bump in streaming plays and social media followers following a festival set, Dabice replied, “Yes, I would say almost immediately.”
uproxx
It’s great that punk-focused festivals exist, but the people who attend Sound and Fury and The Fest probably already know Mannequin Pussy, Joyce Manor, and Scowl. It’s important for oft-overlooked punk bands to play before unfamiliar audiences, too; it’s how to grow a fanbase and a culture. So if you’re a booker or know a booker or know a guy who knows a girl who’s third cousins with a booker, demand that they add Anxious, Soul Glo, Mindforce, Meet Me @ the Altar, Pinkshift, and/or Home Is Where to their festival. Hozier will be just fine playing 85 festivals instead of 84 festivals this year. Maybe hold off on booking Mannequin Pussy, though — at least until their new album is out.
“At this point, we don’t necessarily want to be playing live because we’re just sitting on all these new songs and a new set that we are excited about playing but can’t just yet,” Dabice said. “At the same time, we’re not turning down certain things that make sense for us to have some fun.” Next up for MP: New Jersey’s Adjacent Fest on the same day as Paramore, PUP, Jeff Rosenstock, the Linda Lindas, Drug Church, and Gel. Now that’s more like it.
Happy Cheese Popcorn Day, friends. A made-up day that marks the momentous occasion when we decide once and for all who makes the best (widely available) cheese popcorn on the market. But we’re going to do one better, we’re also running three “category” rankings — in parentheticals — for white cheddar, orange cheddar, and spicy varieties. Is it excessive? Indeed!
Trying thirty-seven popcorns not only takes time and gastrointestinal resolve but also a wide array of varieties to sample. To that end, supermarket chains, gas stations, Amazon marketplace, and many other snack purveyors were scoured for their most premium cheese popcorn options. Key factors considered in the ranking include:
Overall first impressions.
Taste/flavor.
Seasoning.
Texture.
Cheesiness.
You may agree or disagree with the views and occasionally snide humor represented herein, but please recall they are singular and should be considered as such. No arguing online. No twitter disputes. This is official and will stand for time immemorial.
37 – World Market White Cheddar – (#14 in White Cheddar) (not available online)
Writer
World Market’s White Cheddar Popcorn is produced by one of my favorite snack havens, World Market, where many a snack has been discovered anew and sampled. Especially in suburban snack and culture deserts, there is extra gratitude attributed to World Market’s mere existence and support of curating new snack offerings – particularly international and regional items one would rarely find at a local chain market. Tragically, World Market’s White Cheddar Popcorn has next to no flavor. The bag boldly claims “delicious fluffy popcorn flavored white cheddar cheese” and those are all true things, minus the delicious part.
On the sunny side, the packaging has a cool travel motif, and the actual popcorn kernels are a nice size. The flavor profile almost has a full butter note, and mixed with a very light seasoning on the popcorn, the combination is just not that cheesy. There’s a smidgen of cheesiness but a smattering could have gone a long way towards balancing out the buttery saltiness of this white cheddar flavor.
Bottom Line:
No lost love for good friend World Market but purchasing another bag of this white cheddar popcorn is unlikely to be in the cards. Admittedly, the output here is a little disappointing considering the high regard for their snack acumen – one would think as much pride and meticulousness would be applied to their in-house offerings. Instead, the impression left is that this was an outsourced afterthought.
Our Last sample in the rankings extravaganza was the Lesser Evil brand and their “No-Cheese Cheeseiness popcorn — made with coconut oil and nutritional yeast instead of the normal cheesy powder or coating. Truly, this popcorn is not cheese flavored, but the intent of the flavor is “cheesy,” so let’s see how it stacks up to others boasting the real thing.
Off the bat, this is the type of popcorn you’d find at a hipster gathering and nowhere with people whose first priority for food is “it tastes good.”
The puffs are a nice size, let’s get that out of the way, so Lesser Evil delivers in texture, undoubtedly. Unfortunately, the seasoning on some of the pieces is a little bit aggressive, where it’s concentrated and a little bit overdoing it — like your short friend with the Napoleon complex. The pieces where there’s only a light sprinkle of seasoning are more palatable. Overall, the Lesser Evil, nutritional yeast-based seasoning is not a favorite flavor, though in less-saturated spots it’s an acceptable undertone.
The popcorn itself has enough flavor sans nutritional yeast to carry off the intent of creating a no-cheese cheesiness. Lesser Evil doing too much.
Bottom Line:
Lesser Evil is one of the lesser favorites, but for those who are vegans, they deliver on the forbidden cheese experience. The flavor profile present doesn’t necessarily have the creaminess of cheese but does display the tang and saltiness often in cheese. Lesser Evil did a nice job creating an alternative to the average cheese popcorn and can be found where you find intriguing alternatives to lots of average items – Whole Foods.
Wholesome Pantry is another regional chain supermarket entry from our friends at Shoprite in the greater Eastern US. Wholesome Pantry is Shoprite’s artisanal, organic food brand, with no artificial this that or a third or fourth. Wholesome Pantry is also Non-GMO and blaise blah, au francais oui oui mon amore. Unfortunately, their white cheddar popcorn is just not great. The dominant flavor is salty, which doesn’t necessarily scream healthier, but perhaps organic doesn’t imply healthy despite the likely inference.
Whole Pantry’s kernels are light and fluffy, you could call them “nice”, so well done on that. The cheese note comes via a powdery seasoning, but the aftertaste is more salty than cheesy, as I mentioned. In the front you taste the cheese, but nothing particularly distinct or delicious.
Bottom Line:
Wholesome Pantry’s White Cheddar popcorn is disappointingly mild and mid. Wholesome Pantry is on the lower rung of the spectrum in this cheesy championship. Nice try, Shop Rite.
Pipcorn products have been spotted on some of the artisanal/organic grocery aisles and Whole Foods of the world. The kernels are ½ the average size, which seems to be what Pipcorn is all about. Their heirloom corn is supposedly delicious, nutritious, and sustainable according to the packaging but truth is told in snacking experience. This is mini popcorn, so with that comes a smaller product and apparently Pipcorn gets the best seeds, so intuitively they make the best popcorn.
Right?
The Tabasco flavor is hot on the spice trail, with a hot lasting heat on the palate. It’s a nice burn though not particularly cheesy. The cheese element here is more of a tang than anything — it’s not too robust and the seasoning is pretty light. Overall, the Pipcorn Spicy Cheddar with Tabasco is somewhat mediocre. The seasoning is pretty dynamic because of the heat and the cheese, but the cheese aspect feels like a subtle undertone – mainly you taste the Tabasco spicy tang. Texture wise, the small kernels are really fun and would be great to sample in other flavors. But Pipcorn’s Spicy Cheddar flavor is not particularly beloved by this reviewer.
Not sure the real Pip, Scottie, would approve.
Bottom Line:
Pipcorn is a great product but Spicy Cheddar guest starring Tabasco is not the jam, jelly, preserves, or marmalade. It’s really not bad, but also not great. See above for where to find other Pipcorn products
Copper Kettle was an Amazon discovery and to get better acquainted the Habanero Cheddar was only a click away. The brand is unfamiliar but the basic cylindrical tube is a classy way to package any snack and since the brand is from Indiana there’s the Midwest snack knowledge at work. Commonly, Habanero is renowned as a high-level hot pepper so you have to expect some pretty good heat and be ready to hydrate, that’s just simple mathematics.
Overall, the taste is unique if you’re new to the combo of cheesy, sweet, and spicy. In the past, Mexican and Persian snacks have been sampled that are fruity and canvassed in chilis, but then you add the cheese here, and it’s another layer of snack intrigue. The flavor is high-key funky, but also strangely tasty.
As far as the flavor itself, it’s a sweet tang because of the spice and caramel mixing together – yes there is a caramel coating underneath the spicy cheese seasoning. Most bizarrely, the dominant taste is almost a fruity flavor, but there’s no fruit involved. The cheesiness factor is just a little bit cheesy, and a faux orange cheddar flavor at that. The texture is nice and crunchy, the layer of caramel supplying a minefield of possibilities for your next dentist visit. The puffs are a nice size, not too many little pieces – lots of big ones, which is like getting the bag without the crumbs on the bottom.
As far as cheesiness, you can discern the cheese in the mix, but it’s not the dominant flavor.
Bottom Line:
Overall it’s Copper Kettle’s Habanero Cheddar is oddly intriguing, and has a palpable heat to it. You can eat a few pieces but not a lot at a time, surely not a handful. The flavor is a conversation piece, if you’re down at the VFW or WeWork, and there may not be too many other snacks in existence that taste identical. No one wants to say it out loud and be that guy, but the Habanero cheddar note is a little vomit-y on the aftertaste with the sweet spicy savory combo. Not in the best way but also… not in the worst way, if that makes sense.
Popocorn Indiana is also one of those whole grain, real cheese, no artificial preservatives, non-GMO-corn type of brands of popcorn – trying to make all the right conscious snacking decisions so you don’t have to. Ironically, the brand is called Popcorn Indiana, but made in Ohio. Perhaps Indiana is seen through the Midwest as the more health-conscious snacking cousin to Ohio, supplying the explanation for the curious brand name of an Ohio-based company?
Rest assured, several research teams are currently seeking validation on these controversial snack queries.
The popcorn itself eats orange cheddar despite the light dusting of white powder. Decently seasoned, Popcorn Indiana’s white cheddar has a light tang of cheesiness though not super cheesy – you might call it medium cheesiness. Popcorn Indiana’s kernels are of moderate size, texture fluffy with a light crunch on the finish.
Bottom Line:
Overall decent, Popcorn Indiana’s white cheddar is not super flavorful — it hits pretty light. If you’re served this somewhere or pick it up from a CVS (there have been multiple sightings as of late), you may be bummed out that you can eat it and not have to wipe your hands somewhere for a while. You can eat quite a bit of Popcorn Indiana’s white cheddar popcorn and not feel bad about yourself, but it may also take that long to start developing a cheesy aftertaste and any sort of cheesy finger residue.
Skinny Pop wasn’t an easily recognizable brand 10 years ago, but like Boom Chicka Pop it’s another one of those pesky brands good-for-you brands like Boom Chicka Pop rampant these days. Now you can find brands like Skinny Pop if you’re someone that lives near an artisanal market with fill-in-the-blank-free everything, a decently curated convenience store, or probably even a Walmart at this point. Skinny Pop uses real cheese which is not a guarantee in 2023 when it comes to healthy snack options. Not only that, Skinny Pop is also from popcorn-persnickety Chicago, so they can’t half-step on flavor — even though they’re catering to a more health-conscious crowd, right?
As expected, Skinny Pop trends a little light in the flavor department, there is cheese powder but very light white cheddar – not brimming with flavor. If you’re fiending for white cheddar Skinny Pop covers your base. Skinny Pop kernels themselves are prototypical, very fluffy and only moderately salty. The cheese element really runs the show here as the featured ingredients.
Bottom Line:
Skinny is not poor, not exceptional but upper middle of the road in a cul de sac of a hipster subdivision in the white cheddar part of town. The cheesiness is not assertive or creamy cheesiness – this is a case of cheesy powder — and because of that subtle lightness, one could inhale a lot of Skinny Pop in a single sitting or standing.
Copper Kettle is a brand you can pick up and put in your Amazon cart and probably nowhere else nearby. It has no real label on the packaging, but we’ll be the guinea pigs anyway and take whatever potential Ls may follow. The cylindrical container is a nice shape when you’re grabbing a handful as well as a clean packaging presentation.
Copper Kettle’s Cheese Corn product is high on the cheesy scale and involves a really substantial coating of seasoning and a consequent moistness. Bite-wise Copper Kettle uses nice size kernels that have good crunchy texture, though there’s a little dampness to some of them because of the saturation of coating. Some of the bites you have to wince from the amount of cheese flavor. The flavor is a little sickening on the taste buds, like when you toss 80% of the noodles and make EXXXTRACheesy Mac & Cheese from a box.
Copper Kettle Cheese Corn’s general flavor is really just that one-note type of cheese without sharpness and tang (which is also a great name for a movie cop duo).
Bottom Line:
Despite being a high-quality product, Copper Kettle Cheese Corn is too cheesy for some people. Some people being the writer of this slog of quasi-encyclopedic cheese popcorn rankings. The main issue attributed to Copper Kettle’s somewhat low ranking is the most important flavor ingredient here – the cheese, which is very basic cheesiness – just salty and cheesy.
Copper Kettle is an interesting take that didn’t hit all the notes but still may pique the interest of snackers satiated by that pure cheese punch.
4700 BC is one of a few unusual entries – completely an enigma as the first Hawaiian Barbecue Cheese popcorn ever sampled, it’s difficult to scrutinize and judge objectively, since it’s a completely new flavor profile. 4700 BC is a product of India, creating instant intrigue – and described as “mushroom corn, coated with signature hand-crafted cheddar cheese sprinkled with smoky bbq,” an immediate sampling is required. 4700 BC’s products have never been witnessed in real life, only in the realms of the interweb.
The flavor adventure starts off uber-sweet, then jabs with a bbq spice smoky note, and then finishes with some sort of pepperiness on the back end. The dynamic flavor is truly quite tasty, with pretty crunchy kernels, you be glad you brought some mints or gum in your pocket, after even just a handful of the bbq cheese corn. The spice and bbq flavor both eat oniony, but the sweetness is actually a nice counterpoint to balance out the oniony tang. The cheese is a bit of a bench player in this game, patiently chewing on bubblegum, waiting to go into the game, but mildly fading into the background.
Bottom Line:
Overall, 4700 BC’s Hawaiian BBQ cheese popcorn is actually not too cheesy at all, but the combination of flavors and novelty suffice to make it a must-try – if you can find it. If you want to impress people with your esoteric and elite snack taste, bringing some Indian Hawaiian BBQ Cheese popcorn is a light flex, but also something you can’t munch too crazy on, due to the spice and strongly flavor-forward seasoning.
If you can acquire the Hawaian BBQ cheese popcorn, see if you can acquire the taste for it too.
Brim’s is from Tennesee, Bartlett in particular – which we’ll have to research further and see if there’s any relation to your favorite pear varietal or gin. The rust orange metallic bag comes with a bible verse, Isaiah 40:31, if you’re familiar already you will be pleased to see this on your cheddar popcorn bag. Brim’s is a brand that you may not find easily locally, but if you check Amazon and Google, it’s out there and ships like many interesting and unusual snacks do nowadays.
Brim’s has the straightforward salty cheesiness that’s a prerequisite for any self-respecting orange cheddar popcorn. The popcorn has a light orange hue with the Brim’s seasoning. The popcorn product itself has a good crunchy fluffy texture and nice pop. The kernels are pretty large, much like Brim’s market share in the snack game in Bartlett.
Bottom Line:
Overall definitely something that is easy to eat and not offensive in any way shape or form. If you’re near Stanky Creek (a real place in Bartlett, TN) be sure to pick up some fresh Brim’s before you head back home, now.
Pop Art’s Jalapeno Cheddar is the first Avocado oil-based entry and the bag looks like Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol’s baby made the vibrant design, which is fun and unlike the usual. Pop Art is a newly discovered brand from Utah and Utah rarely appears on the snackdar and munchie monitor as a snack manufacturer, which makes Pop Art a novel try.
Off the jump, the flavor is very light cheesiness tones, but definitely cheesy. The seasoning integrates nutritional yeast, which is a bit funky. After eating a handful of these fluffy puffs you start to get some heat on the back end – the jalapeno here is more of a creeper heat, but not overpowering. Pop Art lets you live another day.
Bottom Line:
Pop Art’s Jalapeno Cheddar popcorn is nearly the least spicy in the spicy category, but the bright side is the popcorn is easy to eat. There’s not a lot of flavor here to complain about, one way or the other.
Boom Chicka Pop AKA Angie’s is one of those brands you see at the airports, at newsstands, or bodegas where they’re trying to do all the organic foods these days. Let’s call a spade a spade, you’re not aware of AKA Angie’s, but you do know Boom Chicka Pop. They probably even have Boom Chicka Pop at Wawa and Quick Chek now. Boom Chicka Pop is made in Minnesota, which is Midwest again, and you have to respect the snack culture of that geographic region considering the sheer volume of snack brands originating and distributing their tasties from the snack fertile crescent, as the Midwest is known in insider snack circles. Then consider, we’re talking about a white cheddar product, and obviously cheddar cheese’s best-case origin is Midwest ‘Merica.
Upon sampling, a cheesy flavor immediately hits but it’s less creamy than ideal. Boom Chicka’s seasoning is more of a spray-on situation and less of a fully encrusted coating. Their white cheddar popcorn still boasts cheesy umami flavor, but the cheese lacks tang or sharpness. Despite being pretty straightforward average cheese flavor, Boom Chicka Pop’s aftertaste is above par and invites repeat sampling.
Bottom Line:
Overall Boom Chicka Pop’s a respectable entry in the white cheddar competition and overall cheese popcorn pantheon of greatness. If you encounter it, don’t be shy, be confident that you won’t be disappointed even if it’s not the most dynamic and sophisticated cheese popcorn out.
Utz story is tried and true blue American Dutch lore and a very familiar product for those growing up in Eastern Pennsylvania where Utz is known for its high-grade quality snacks, but not necessarily popcorn – Utz is more potato chip and pretzel royalty to the local masses. Utz’s slightly funky white cheddar flavor gets steadily better as your tastebuds adjust to the distinct notes.
Utz’s white cheddar popcorn has the well-rounded flavor that you look for from the white cheddar variety. The seasoning is a powdery white cheddar, which is fine, you expect to get your fingers a little grubby eating white cheddar popcorn. Bring napkins or wipes, or maybe take some hand-washing breaks, you animal. Texture-wise these are standard crunchy kernels of popcorn, though some of Utz’s are bit smaller than others in size, if that matters to you.
Bottom Line:
Utz delivers in a lot of ways, so there is no doubt that serving this at the latest kickback or bbq along with a varied spread of other delectable, cannot be a bad idea. Despite being a totally passable pickup at your local snack enabler, Utz’s white cheddar popcorn won’t be the ultimate white cheddar fave here though it’s still a worthy contender with whatever else is on shelves, wherever it’s sold.
Frito Lay’s Smart Food natural version is Simply and with no GMOs and no artificial nothings, simple is pretty accurate. Growing up and until this article, Smart Food was the barometer for white cheddar popcorn and there wasn’t really any competition besides maybe Wise. Wise is not Smart Food though, let it be known. The Simply version is similar to Smart food but much lighter and sadly, much less delicious.
The Simply Smart Food puffs are regular size and the cheesiness is half of the Smart Food crave and Smart food is usually coated in queso, while this is a light seasoning cheese sprinkle. Simply only has a fragment of the original Smart Food flavor but still has some decent flavor – Simply has a little more funky and pungent cheese flavor than creamy. The funk probably has to do with whatever healthier or lite white cheddar they select, it’s not the same batch as the original Smart Food.
Bottom Line:
Simply Smart Food is fine, nothing crazy. Is it a worthy pickup? Yes, if you’re trying to be healthy. Yes, if you don’t want the creaminess of the real deal Smart Food. Simply does not compete with the original though.
The next entry is another from friends at Utz, our favorite little Dutch girl snack brand. Utz’s second esteemed entry does have artificial flavors, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste good, or that there’s anything wrong with that. Our prestigious sampling panel has a long history with Utz, which is another Pennsylvania high-quality snack brand of several that attempt to be for the pretzel what the Midwest is for the potato chip and popcorn sets.
Utz’s cheddar corn offering is certainly cheesy and clearly has highly visible orange seasoning on it. The texture has a nice crunch and the puffs are big. The seasoning is a little overly salty, and has a soy-ish flavor. Overall the taste is not a bad take, just a little overly salty and a little faux cheesy. Utz performs decently in the texture and cheesiness categories, I’m just not infatuated with the flavor.
Bottom Line:
Utz’s run as a snack market share contender has steadily risen over the decades, becoming a chip behemoth of legendary proportions in the interim. Therein, Utz has concocted so many different varieties of chip, varying in success rate and deliciousness. Though Utz’s orange cheddar is worthy of a sample, and surely a safe bet when no other cheese popcorn options exist, there are also surely better options out there a trip, aisle, or click away.
Jay’s O-ke-doke, when it’s more than okay, it’s o-ke-doke. Jay’s is from Charlotte, NC, and somehow Snyder’s-Lance is involved in their production, who doesn’t love Lance? The Jay’s brand specifically was not in the snack periphery until the snack writing began so every Jay’s experience still carries a thrill. Regardless, tastewise Jay’s delivers on the token cheesiness and salt elements.
In its totality, Jay’s O-ke-doke is really a standard cheese popcorn. Which means Jay’s is fine, not great, but fine. The cheesiness doesn’t have much nuance to it if we’re going to dig deep into the rankings (and that’s why we’re here). Despite that, Jay’s is mid-range cheesy popcorn. Jay’s dashes on a thin layer of seasoning, the texture of the corns is crunchy with decent size puffs, though a little bit smaller than some of their compchedditors.
Bottom Line:
Overall Jay’s O-ke-doke cheese popcorn is a totally respectable pickup and really not terrible at all. If you’re somewhere random and they have Jay’s o-ke-doke cheddar pop, that’s a snack something you could consume with confidence, at a minimum. If you got Jay’s cheddar pop as a complimentary airplane nosh, you’d say “Wow, this is one of the best airplane snacks I’ve ever had…. in coach.”
Whole Food’s spicy cheddar is a fun bag of red hot-looking popcorn on the front, which does make it the corn within appear to be legit spicy, despite the initial skepticism because Whole Foods doesn’t necessarily come with the heat typically. Their frozen samosas? Not super spicy. The chicken tikka masala on their in-store buffet’s hot bar? Only slightly spicy. Shoutout to Austin and Whole Foods on the spicy cheddar mission.
Out the gate, with Whole Foods Spicy Cheddar, you are getting cheesiness but more on the cheesy seasoning. The spice in the mix is a nice little reddish spice and medium heat level. Good job Whole Foods on getting the spice right here, on something, finally. Cheese-wise there is evidence of cheese there, but the spice outweighs the cheese on the backend. You can taste the cheese more purely on the front end, but the note kind of fades against the pepperiness of the spicy note.
Bottom Line:
Whole Foods Spicy Cheddar popcorn is good, not the best, not the worst. Probably sits somewhere in the middle of our rankings. Like a monkey. Whole Foods Spicy Cheddar is a snack you can’t eat a lot of at once unless you have a counter-snack to balance it out, and a mandatory cold refreshing beverage to tame the heat.
Garrett’s is famous from Chicago and “batch to batch made from scratch” (whatever that means, open to interpretation). Garrett’s bag also says “Freshly melted cheddar cheese” so this is supposedly more of a cheese-coating exterior, but between the way it looks on the bag and the way it looks in real life, there is a clear and simple disparity. Unless maybe there was a defective bag, the popcorn product received from an Amazon purchase, was dusted in seasoning, no cheese melting to be deciphered. Garrett’s has a footprint at O’Hare and is locally popular in a town that knows snackin’, so you’d think Garrett’s would be next level.
Honestly, Garrett’s has a decent cheese flavor, nothing too aggressive, and nothing too rich either. Some bites are tangier than others, it has distinct Flavor – a little bit more flavor than some and less than others if we’re keeping tabs (we are). The corn itself is crunchy with good texture and some nice size puffs. The cheesiness factor is medium to high, not knock your udders off cheesy. Overall, Garrett’s orange cheddar popcorn is decent and has a good cheesy aftertaste, though also slightly muddled after a queue of many straight orange cheddar popcorns in a row.
Bottom Line:
Midwest makes the world takes when it comes to snacks and Garrett’s fits well within that recently minted munchie mantra. Garrett’s offers a regional favorite that can be acquired nationally, and worth a try just to see what all the windy city hype is about. In the orange cheddar popcorn arena, they present a worthy party participant though not necessarily the best in class.
Another cheat code user in the cheese and cheddar clout chase is Oogie’s with their second entry touting the specific Wisconsin cheddar of 1848 as their core featured ingredient, and evidently is a white cheddar. Ooogie’s packaging has a cool shiny metallic patina and a portrait of the badass musician whose popcorn this is – you better believe it’s the one and only Oogie. The Wisconsin cheddar’s flavor is punctuated by a cheese that is a little sharper than the typical white cheddy with its aged tangy funk taste. Oogie’s seasoning isn’t egregiously powerful or overbearing, it lacks the full body richness that anyone with tastebuds desires from a white cheddar popcorn.
Bottom line:
Oogie’s creation is essentially a gourmet version of SmartFood, and in that, it’s decent enough. Especially with how they fumbled Simply Smart Food. Oogie’s brings something new to the table, even if it’s just aged white cheddar, something new or different is always something worth welcoming and sampling for your own judgment. Google Oogie’s or hit our hyperlinks if you can’t find their goods locally.
Zesty Z’s Mediterranean feta cheese popcorn is one of the biggest flavor curveballs in this cheese popcorn exploration next to the Jalapeno Blue cheese and Hawaiian bbq cheese varieties. All three are pretty ingenious flavor combos ultimately culminating in unique popcorn flavors. Zesty Z’s cheesy Mediterranean feta-flavored popcorn is different because it’s air-popped and after this research, the consensus is that air-popped is typically a good thing. Zesty Z’s is based in Brooklyn, and there is sesame oil cranberry, and vinegar in the ingredients so there’s a slim chance we can attribute this product to someone bespectacled that rides a vintage bike to their quirky popcorn operation.
Unlike all of our other cheese popcorn entries, Zesty Z’s has other non-cheese seasonings on the popcorn, like herbaceous-looking seasonings. Their Mediterranean feta cheese flavor is clearly a wild card and from a flavor profile perspective reminds you of Greek or Mediterranean food – grilled fish, chicken or salad. Zesty Z’s Mediterranean Feta popcorn is a great offering and the seasoning stick to your fingers, even if it’s not the typical white or orange cheddar residue. Z’s kernels are air-popped and the puffs Zesty Z’s produces are nice and fluffy with little pockets of seasoning in different kernel nooks and crannies. Zesty Z’s capture the rich feta flavor as well as the Mediterranean spices that pair well with it – just missing a wedge of lemon to squeeze on and a glass of vino or ouzo.
Bottom Line:
Zesty Z’s has zee nice little product on zee hands and zomething that probably pairz well with a lot of different foodz you may not typically zerve popcorn with. Even zee feta is a welcome departure from the tradition on zee air-popped popcorn. You can find Zesty Z’s in some big stores already and also on zee world wide webz.
Nature’s Promise presents another whole grain entry, this time from Nature’s Promise, Certified USDA Organic and straight out of the coolest state in the DMV area, Maryland. Put your 990s on, moe.
The first fact of note, Nature’s Promise is a big daddy supermarket brand, from the friends with traffic light logo, Stop N Shop. Transparently, Nature’s Promise white cheddar popcorn tastes like a country cousin to Smart Food as far as white cheddar cheesiness. This one is pretty cheesy and really a solid stand-in for Smart food, only it’s less salty and a little less of an umami aftertaste. Comparatively, Nature’s Promise is organic and still hits the high cheesiness note, although not as aggressively, just like Maxwell.
Bottom Line:
Nature’s Promise is a choice option whether you’re intentionally following a strict organic path or stumble upon it at your local Stop N Shop in the healthy snack aisle. Regardless of the means of encounter, what awaits is a delightful surprise in finding a product equally healthful and delicious. Consider warning issued, you should consider purchasing a backup bag.
Oogie’s Spicy Nacho Cheddar is a clever idea for a popcorn flavor, this being the first witnessing of the flavor or brand to date (well before the Wisconsin Cheddar was sampled). The bag bears a German-looking hipster dude with fashion glasses on the bag, which bears no immediate indication of his identity, though guesses are leaning towards him being the “Oogie”. And after further research the back of the bag supplies that Oogie is a musician, by way of the beautiful and mountainous American snack-bearing frontier that is Colorado.
Oogie’s has a flavor bomb on its hands with their Spicy Nacho Cheddar popcorn, so they better be careful and avoid explosiveness on the seasoning side of things. Their Nacho cheddar seasoning is pretty delicious, and at first, flummoxing to have the Dorito’s-y seasoning on popcorn. You can’t call it spicy with a straight face, the spice level is too low. The corn holds a nice cheesy flavor and the seasoning is a light dusting. The corn isn’t coated in anything but does have a flavorful profile. Oogie’s flavoring isn’t super rich, but also not aggressive or overbearing like your annoying younger sibling; Oogie’s maintains a balance. The popcorn product itself is fluffy and crunchy, not over kernel-y externally.
Bottom Line:
Nacho Cheddar popcorn has been to be something you can eat a lot as of the writing of this article, so shoutouts to Oogie’s for executing an original idea with the nacho cheddar popcorn concept. And sticking to their guns about it.
Although not traditionally a big fan of blue cheese’s funky tang typically still had to try Sweet Chaos’ Jalapeno Blue Cheese popcorn variety, despite the admitted bias. Sweet Chaos is popped in coconut oil, which is different than a lot of other brands, probably. Coconut oil is most likely a healthier way to go for popcorn poppin’ if you’re trying to maximize those living years (also no metrics to back that up).
Sweet Chaos is from Minnesota, which still counts as Midwest, and therefore snack wizards by proximity. It’s no surprise they’d present first-to-market flavors like jalapeno blue cheese, which is a first and quite interesting selection. The spice level is pretty low on the register, no Barry White. The blue cheese adds some funkiness. Sweet Chaos’ Jalapeno Blue Cheese is one of the least spicy entries in the spicy category, but it is still a little spicy. The kernels are a bit smaller here but bigger than Pipcorn’s minis. Sweet Chaos aced the seasoning test, every piece is replete with flavor. The blue cheese is not overly cheesy and the jalapeno spice registers as much as the cheese – the cheese isn’t strong even though it’s blue cheese. It’s a well-balanced delicate dance.
Bottom Line:
Overall Sweet Chaos’ Jalapeno Blue Cheese sits in the middle of the pack but definitely worth a sample anywhere you can find it. Amazon? This is not a product we’ve encountered locally, definitely not in this flavor. Jalapeno blue cheese?
Utz advertises 9 whole grains per serving on the bag, so their Red Hot Cheddar Cheese popcorn is a lunch substitute for Keto people, presumably. The packaging is orange-y and fiery, but you won’t get burned. First off, Utz’s Red Hot Cheddar Cheese popcorn brings a salty cheesiness – it’s a little bit spicy but not a lot bit. There is a moderate balance of cheese and spice.
Here Utz employs their orange cheddar seasoning and the spice is in the powder or the mixture, but not really visibly obvious, so be forewarned. Texture-wise Utz is fluffy and the type of texture you want from any popcorn. Cheesiness-wise Utz Red Hot Cheddar popcorn is one of the cheesiest – let’s call it a 7 on the cheesy scale. Utz also cooks up some mid-level heat, which is not too much and doesn’t numb your tastebuds on the aftertaste. There’s also a buffalo tang on the aftertaste, which is pretty tasty if you’re into that Sunday football flavor.
Bottom Line:
Utz’s Red Hot Cheddar popcorn is prime evidence and an example of Utz doing their thing out in Hanover Pa. Shoutout to Hanover and whatever goes on there. They’re definitely doing it right and locals have been consuming their snacks since childhood – though the Red Hot Cheddar Cheese popcorn flavor must be a more recent wrinkle. Utz should proudly claim one of the better spicy cheese popcorns out there in the snack kingdom.
The best way to kick off any orange cheddar popcorn tasting is with the old favorite Herr’s. The orange cheddar popcorn OG in the distinct yellow bag, the script may be a little different but they haven’t flipped it or the recipe in decades now.
This particular popcorn was definitely eaten a lot on the couch and occasionally lost between the cushions as a kid. Today Herr’s Cheese popcorn tastes like the same ole recipe and the same ole crunch. Herr’s is another local Philly-area brand that was really the only cheese popcorn prominent other than Smart Food, but the two are distant cousins that can stand each other enough to get through the family reunion without fisticuffs. Herr’s set the tone for every other cheese popcorn we’ve had since and is a pretty punchy cheese taste.
The seasoning on Herr’s Cheese popcorn is straight-up orange, it’s a blast of cheese and has a salty tang. The flavor fulfills every cheese want you could have and the texture is light fluffy kernels. Overall Herr’s is pretty high on the cheesy scale, and high on the cheesy aftertaste, Panama Red.
Bottom Line:
Herr’s sets the standard and has been a go-to since recollections began getting recollected. Today, the standard has been eclipsed by the other premium quality options out in aisles across the fair snack land, but that doesn’t make Herr’s not still a great pickup or not still a solid option when faced with those tough decisions that occur when there are way too many appealing snack options on hand and demand (okay, GoPuff).
Orange Cheddar is Boom Chicka Pop entry part 2 – an unfair advantage in this competition aided by a large enough production facility to make two different varieties of cheese popcorn simultaneously. This time the orange cheddar version, this one made from real cheese, and there’s also a kosher dairy situation.
Part 2 BCP: Orange Cheddar redux has a lot of cheese powder on it, significantly more than expected. Pt2 may be better than white cheddar Boom Chicka Pop, believe it or don’t. The cheese has a nice funk to it, the puffs are a nice size, so affable and welcoming. The consensus was that the seasoning unexpectedly exceeded predictions, expectations and predilections. And the Pt 2 BCP experience is punctuated by the in-your-face orange cheddar they did a commendable job dousing every puff with.
Bottom Line:
Overall there Boom Chicka Pop’s Orange Cheddar has a high cheesiness rating and not a bad cheesiness therein. Theirs is a more mature cheesy. BCP Pt 2 Orange Cheddar is really pretty good and a nice grab whether at a rest stop, 7-Eleven or otherwise, and so forth.
Uncle Myron’s orange cheddar entry came in a branded (i.e. stickered) ziplock bag and was air-shipped right before the tasting for freshness’s sake, so you have no choice but to bow humbly to the commitment Uncle Myron’s take in preserving the freshness of the consumer consumption experience. Minimal packaging and information aside, Uncle Myron’s was the cheesiest cheese popcorn at the time it was sampled, and it is well-coated in cheese.
Uncle Myron’s boasts nice-size round kernels. The taste of Uncle Myron’s orange cheddar cheese is richer cheddar than most. Plus, Uncle Myron’s recipe includes the aforementioned coating of actual cheese product, which is less of a seasoning than the type most orange cheddar popcorn brands sprinkle on. Texture-wise, Uncle Myron’s sits a little more moist than some of the other brands, but you’ll just have to deal with that if you’re down for the cheesy get down.
Bottom Line:
Overall Uncle Myron’s may be a top pick based on sheer cheesiness alone. We’re talking extra EXTRA cheesy – beginning to consider potential negative health implications-level cheesy. But don’t blame Uncle Myron on that, you didn’t have to eat a second handful, but you couldn’t help yourself. Pretty sure Uncle Myron’s is only a Google or click away. And naturally, it’s another Midwest entry from the little-known but newly recognized snack sanctuary of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Yaya’s is made with premium white cheddar cheese, and air-popped, and the bag features some sweet retro design logo that anyone with basic cool taste would wear on a t-shirt, if ever gifted one. Yaya’s casts a West Coast beach town brand image with some West Coast energy – you could see their logo slapped on a surfboard or skateboard sticker, or all around town on bumpers, dumpsters, lampposts, and laptops.
From a texture perspective, Yaya’s outer shell is puffy popped and features all so fluffy kernels. The cheese’s exact variety of white cheddar is tough to discern though definitively cheesy. Yaya’s supplies good flavor but doesn’t have the strong powder seasoning most brands use. Yaya’s doesn’t really have a coating either, and it has a lighter pop than some other brands, due to the air popping you’d suppose.
Bottom Line:
The secret ingredient to Yaya’s success must be the air poppin’ — air seems to be the secret ingredient to any trend these days (see Jordans, Fryers, Pods, Drop, etc) and gives their white cheddar an airy texture and some added floatation ability. The most interesting Yaya’s element is the white cheddar aftertaste which is creamy and cheesy, and more pronounced on the middle part of the palate.
Our guy Chester on the front, from good ole Frito Lay – that’s all you need to know. Cheetos Cheese popcorn reminds you of the texture of Smart Food popcorn, with Cheetos patented seasoning on top. Which is pretty genius and innovative, if that’s what Frito Lay did here.
Frito Lay’s knows the Cheetos powder works on anything, so why not put it on some Smart food plain popcorn? Cheetos Cheddar popcorn hits all the right levers without crashing. The flavor of Cheetos Cheese popcorn is close to singular in its cheesy umami simplicity, and that’s fully in play here. The Cheetos seasoning and flavor is ubiquitous in our fine country – you cannot go too many places with chip bags and avoid the classic and global smash that is Cheetos and now with their Cheese popcorn, we can add another option when Cheetos is the mission.
Bottom Line:
Overall, Cheetos Cheese popcorn is a very smart iteration for Frito Lay. Their popcorn is worth a pickup or try whether you’re jonesing for Cheetos, but want to try a different format, or looking for a cheesy popcorn option and want an alternative to white cheddar or just love the orange dust on your fingers. So many potential reasons to eat this popcorn.
Respect and patronage to Cheetos since childhood, but their popcorn was paid no mind until recent research for this current marathon of an article, which bore the groundbreaking discovery that Cheeto produces multiple varieties of popcorn. Sampling was a must and there’s no shortage of ingredients in the recipe, some chemical and some otherwise, but let’s focus on the good. Everyone likes Cheeto’s generally, so it should come as no surprise that checking out a new spinoff product was part of the cheese oath taken during the initiation phase decades ago.
Off the bat, Cheetos Jalapeno Cheddar has the jalapeno flavor that Frito Lay has come to perfect — it’s green peppery and has a little spice kick to it. The cheese element does invoke the signature orangy cheddar cheese that is Cheetos, the puffs are well-seasoned and have a good-tasting strong savory cheesiness. The spice of the jalapeno is pretty lowkey and doesn’t register too strong on the kick level. Cheeto’s puffs are pretty cheesy and the texture is textbook – crunchy and big kernels with not too many hard kernel pieces to get stuck in your teeth or cause you to rack up a large orthodontia bill.
Bottom Line:
Cheetos Jalapeno Cheddar has everything you’d want in a spicy cheesy popcorn and it’s an easy “why not” if you see it somewhere in snack or family format. You also already know what it tastes like if you’ve had other Cheeto products at some point and don’t live under a meteor, so no surprises here. Despite not packing a lot of heat, it’s one of the best overall in the spicy cheese category due to taste, texture, and cheesiness – the holy cheese popcorn trifecta.
With GH Cretors it’s hard not to start with the interesting brand name, which makes you think of craters and the cheesy nooks in the popcorn that kind of resemble craters, though the connection there remains nebulous at best and libelous at worst. The not-so-vague hand-crafted small-batch popcorn has a baked cheesiness, which is a good kind to have. Cretors comes from Ohio, which is duly noted here. Ohio came in with the quality snacks all day long along with some of their other Midwest relatives.
Cretor’s nails a sharper and more robust cheddar cheese – like mature but cheesy Goldfish cheddar. The cheesiness within this corn is a high-level cheesiness. The actual texture is crunchy, with the puffs being the big type. The seasoning is more of a coating, so we’re entering into the sacred coating territory, that all cheese popcorns should aspire to reach from this day henceforth.
Bottom Line:
GH Cretors Cheddar Cheese popcorn is one of the best in all the cheesy popcorn options. Their cheddar is a tasty orange variety that tastes like real cheese and harnesses a slightly crave-able return rate. The fact that Ohio is involved here is no real revelation to anyone paying any iota of attention to the snack game on a national and regional level (if you’re out there, holler back).
Wise has an interesting bag design, which they’ve kept around for a long time with the cartoon bubble cloud and such. The cloud is complemented by the Wise owl face logo and naturally, we have another snack made in PA – where the Wise brand is part of the average childhood experience, as well as a local stiff market share pie splitter to Frito Lay, Utz, and Herr’s.
Wise has an instantly obvious white cheddar flavor, but they’re also mixing in blue cheese according to the ingredients listed. You can taste the bleu a little bit and naturally a little tang is the result. Wise makes one of the better white cheddars, the seasoning has appropriate saltiness and a generous coating of cheese. The pop is light, fluffy, and crunchy too. Wise’s version of white cheddar popcorn doesn’t have the super creaminess of a Smart Food or the newer Sweet Chaos, but it’s right in the mix from a flavor standpoint and no feat to eat.
Bottom Line:
The reality here is that someone inclined to snack could eat a lot of Wise’s white cheddar popcorn. Also, Wise is doing it right with the air-popped whole grains, good stuff (the air pop gives a lighter fluffy texture to popcorn generally, it also sounds healthier for marketing purposes because of the “air” aspect).
Using the ultimate cheese popcorn rankings cheat code, there lies a sneaky second entry by Sweet Chaos with their elite white cheddar product. Previous notes recall kernels that puff slightly smaller than the comp, and that factoid remains a net positive. Sweet Chaos’ white cheddar is what Simply Smart Food aspires to be– Sweet Chaos hits a bullseye with the cheese element and potentially also a coveted spot near the top of the white cheddar popcorn and overall cheese popcorn deluxe rankings.
Sweet Chaos wields that white cheddar creaminess that no pulse-pounding animal could resist. On the back end, there’s a slight sweet-sour note and the signature cheesiness required in a premium white cheddar popcorn, texture-wise. The Sweet Chaos White Cheddar variety here bears a crunch in the way popcorn is known to before getting stuck in your molars and requiring a toothpick or fingernail to dislodge (don’t chew on it, Lebron). Sweet Chaos’ economically small kernels may make their corn a little crunchier even. The popcorn is coated in cheese, and that makes their flavor application more of a coating than a seasoning, and that’s how some of the best and most flavorful popcorns are made if you’ve started noticing any through-line in the best cheese popcorns out.
Bottom Line:
Hats off to Sweet Chaos for getting the mandate properly answered and coming out the gate with some strong plays in the cheese popcorn pandemonium countdown. Their white cheddar popcorn is problematic for those with shoddy dental work, gums sensitive to smaller kernels, and those with acute lactose intolerance; for the rest of us it is something crave-able and requiring multiple napkins.
Argires Hot Savory Cheezy Cheddarcorn has a very simple package that just says “outrageously good” — a pretty bold claim considering it’s never been sampled nor seen before by most snack experts. But Argire’s is from Illinois, which is a place people take popcorn seriously, so you have to assume it’s beyond pretty good before the first bite. “Savory hot cheezy cheddar corn, farm fresh popcorn” is on the bag also, so that gives some extra confidence in quality pre-sample.
Argire’s is easily the cheesiest popcorn in the spicy category and competes with all comers in other categories as well. Argire’s Hot Savory Cheezy Cheddarcorn has some moistness when you bite into it, unlike any we’ve sampled before ever. Pretty delicious is a way to describe the sensation. Argires tastes like spicy cheese Doritos from a flavor perspective, in the best way. Argires is probably cheesier than Spicy Doritos and the cheese element present here is less of a seasoning and more of a sauce or dressing. The popcorn pieces are obscenely coated in cheese. Texture-wise it’s not as dry as some of the other options, there is enough cheese here for added buoyancy. That saturation also makes the kernels slightly less crunchy.
But what Argires lacks in crunch it makes up for in wealth of flavor. From a spice POV, there’s a good spice to pretty good heat ratio that helps balances the richness of the cheesiness. Try some and you’re going to want a drink with some acid or ginger, some napkins, an emergency Pepto and a comfortable seat.
Bottom Line:
Argires might be the best spicy option in cheese popcorn land. Pick it up anywhere you can grab it, but probably mostly on your electronic device of choice. Snack recommendations like Argires Hot Savory Cheezy Cheddarcorn are where trust and respect are earned.
One may require some backup scissors to open the tricky impenetrable fortress known as the Whole Foods white cheddar popcorn bag – come equipped. At least give us a perforation or something Whole Foods, please. No hate to Whole Foods, which is based in Austin, Texas, one of the best cities in Texas and probably the rest of the country.
Whole Foods gives Smart Food and some of the other top entries a run for their hard-earned popcorn money. In the past, Whole Foods hasn’t always been the pinnacle of crave-ability when it comes to various snack items but here they really reliably deliver like their partner Amazon Prime. Taste and flavor wise Whole Foods white cheddar popcorn definitely has the creamy white cheddar note down pat. The flavor and seasoning is not extra salty and the cheddar flavor is robust, which is what the white cheddar Gods would want if they had their way along with a healthy coating of cheddar seasoning. Texture-wise kernels here are solid, crunchy, and fluffy – all you need for an almost perfect popcorn.
Bottom Line:
The cheesiness is at a high level here and Whole Foods is definitely in the top of the class with their white cheddar popcorn, as well as in the general cheese popcorn pennant race. An easy pickup at Whole Foods, if you’re not posted up in a rural area or somewhere else gentrification hasn’t hit yet, you should be good. You won’t regret this.
Last but not least to be sampled in the orange cheddar category were our new fast friends at Argire’ who make outrageously good outrageously cheezy cheddar corn, “more cheese per ounce,” according to the packaging than any other cheese popcorn – could this claim carry weight? This is farm-fresh popcorn and it is ridiculously cheesy, so perhaps the rumors and scuttlebutt are accurate. Argires Cheezy Cheddarcorn may be double the cheesy of any other popcorn, so any grown people-only cholesterol concerns based on the packaging are completely valid.
The amount of cheese here is blissfully intense – it’s like the popcorn is enrobed in a creamy layer of cheddar cheese. The flavor is there too, it’s not just the cheesiness. It’s the type of cheese you want to be dipping in as a cheese sauce or bathe in – it’s rich and eats like an aged cheddar.
The aftertaste is a creamy cheesy, macaroni & cheese at a well-rated Zagat’s restaurant. The cheese itself is a high-quality product. The texture of Argires popcorn is still crunchy – they’re grande kernels but also retain more moistness than the competition in some bites due to the queso saturation. That’s the sacrifice you have to make for how cheesy and creamy Argires cheddar popcorn is. And it’s totally worth it for a cheat day or if you only care about eating things that taste amazing regardless of the health implications.
Bottom Line:
Argires Cheezy Cheddarcorn is not only the best orange cheddar but one of the top selections in the entire cheese popcorn rankings due to its high-quality superb cheese flavor, large fluffy puffs, fresh crunch, and overall crave factor. After having anything this cheesy, there is an addictive element that makes you want to taste that extreme level of cheesiness again and again and again. Argire’s, you should not have done that.
There’s nothing more comforting than the white cheddar popcorn crave hits like the old familiar and reliable friend Smart Food popcorn, which is, by the way, gluten-free and has nothing artificial in it. Subjectively, the original white cheddar popcorn is Smart Food, which is believed to be part of the Frito Lay family in Plano, Texas based on typography detective work alone. Let’s see if Smart Food of the modern day stacks up to the emblazoned-in-memory tradition of the first white cheddar popcorn ever known to this lifelong snack expert.
The reason Smart Food is so primo is that the recipe executes with precision everything you want white cheddar popcorn to be. It’s creamy, it’s tangy and it gets all over your fingers so that you’re tempted to lick it off, disregarding how clean (or filthy) your fingers may be at the present moment. Get a hand towel, wash your hands, or wipe them on your clothes – you’re going to get a lot of that coating on your fingers if you’re eating Smart Food, and you know this. As ever, the puffs are sizable, the cheese has a great aftertaste – it’s creamy and tangy and cheesy, and you could just eat handfuls of Smart Food with no regard for who is watching.
Bottom Line:
It’s ridiculous how good it is, they’re still doing it and you have to give it to them – they really mastered white cheddar popcorn. Smart Food is probably still the cheesiest too. Kudos Smart Food for the quality control after all of these years.
Hollywood is full of cautionary tales about child actors. But not Elle Fanning. Precocious performances in Babel, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Somewhere have turned into Golden Globe and Emmy nominations as an adult. While attending the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Fanning credited Kirsten Dunst for being a role model in helping her navigate fame.
“I mean, I’m really lucky. I have a lot. Kirsten Dunst is someone that I also love. And I think her navigating the child actor into who she’s become now and maintaining that longevity, is something that I think about a lot,” the Bill Hader look-alike told People about her The Beguiled co-star. “Because when you’ve been around for a while, you also want to keep surprising yourself and keep surprising others. And I think that’s something that she’s done.”
Fanning continued, “She’s kind of genre-less. She’s so incredibly funny but in such dramatic roles. She’s always makes kind of interesting choices. And I’ve always looked up to her too.”
Dunst has been in comic book movies, comedies, and whatever genre the masterpiece that is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind falls into. Also one Best Picture nominee (The Power of the Dog) and two movies that should have been nominated for Best Picture (Melancholia and Bring It On). It’s been quite the career for Dunst, one worth looking up to.
And the next generation of child actors should look up to Fanning.
Last year, soul music superground NxWorries made a grand return as rapper/singer Anderson .Paak and producer Knxwledge teamed up with singer/songwriter HER to release “Where I Go,” their first new single as a group since their 2016 debut album Yes Lawd! It turned out to not just be one-off when they announced a globe-spanning tour earlier this week and teased the impending release of another new single.
That single arrived today; “Daydreaming” is a hazy, summery track built on a fuzzy guitar, mellow synth chords, and .Paak’s smoky vocals, expressing a wistful desire for an intimate connection. The accompanying video takes some inspiration from .Paak’s other successful group, Silk Sonic, who were included in the game Fortnite with their own radio station and character models. However, NxWorries’ new video acknowledges the group’s more mature target demographic, borrowing its graphical style from the Grand Theft Auto video games instead — right down to the font for the lyrics at the bottom of the screen.
The video sees the virtual version of Anderson connecting with a would-be paramour, dancing in the recording studio, moping in a swimming pool, and taking a sunset drive along the Los Angeles coast. He even plays the single’s guitar solo on a reproduction of the famous Santa Monica Boardwalk. You can check out the video above.
I’m not sure how I currently feel about Mayans M.C. lead character EZ Reyes going into the Sons Of Anarchy spinoff’s final season. He pulled off a coup and essentially installed himself as Santo Padre chapter president, and he is seemingly about to send the club to their demise. He’s gone off the rails in a massive way, and I’m not sure that the setup for this transformation is as believable as Jax Teller going off the rails, but perhaps that comparison isn’t a fair one to make. I am, however, certain that I miss the days of EZ and Angel playing mini golf, and actor JD Pardo is unquestionably talented.
Pardo will soon show the Mayans M.C. audience his talents behind the camera, too, as first reported by Variety. This adds even more heft to Pardo’s previous declaration about the “final season” status being a creative decision and not a cancellation. EZ might get the whole club cancelled, though, and at this point, I’m hoping that Alvarez can somehow save the day, and Angel can escape to that fabled nut farm. Variety notes that this episode will follow upon a “fatal error,” and they must make an “unlikely alliance” while stumbling within their “new trade” [cough].
Pardo discussed his move into directing, and he sounds jazzed:
“Directing has been a place, I feel, I was always destined to go,” Pardo said. “Elgin and I would speak about it often. I absolutely loved getting behind camera and understanding the relationship between the performance as an actor in the scene and the visual image needed to convey that life to the audience. In my last season of ‘Mayans,’ it’s all about entertaining the audience by giving them an emotional experience. Directing [this episode] deepened my love for cinema.”
Many years after Pardo was part of the Twilight universe, he’s about to launch another new phase of his career. In doing so, he follows in the footsteps of co-star Danny Pino’s own directorial debut in a particularly gorgeous episode of Season 4.
For most folks, the 2023 NBA Draft starts at No. 2. With the San Antonio Spurs almost certainly drafting French big man Victor Wembanyama, the Charlotte Hornets need to make a decision on one of the other big name players in this class. Depending on the mock draft you read, there are two players who have the inside track at this spot: G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson and Alabama forward Brandon Miller.
Even though Henderson tends to be the more highly-regarded player in the class, a major reason why Miller gets mocked to the Hornets is he fills a bigger need, as Charlotte already has LaMelo Ball in town and could use some help on the wings. Despite that, Henderson told Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer that he doesn’t think it would be a problem, as he is a fan of watching teams that use two point guards.
“I think I can play with anybody,” Henderson said. “I’m not too ball dominant. I do multiple things that impact the game, and wherever I go I’m going to be a winner. I’m going to keep that mentality in myself. Whatever team I go to, I’m going to impact the community and impact the city, and I’m going to impact the locker room.”
It’s not hard to see how Henderson and Ball could fit well together, as Ball’s size and shooting ability makes him a player who can be moved off the ball very easily while still getting him plenty of on-ball reps and taking advantage of his terrific playmaking. Plus Ball struggled mightily with injuries this year, and having a guy like Henderson would help lighten the load.
Justin Timberlake isn’t the most active TikTok user: His first post came in July 2022 and he’s only shared five total videos on his account. It appears the singer/actor may not check the account all that often either, since he’s just now responding to a particularly notable comment left on one of his videos. He nailed the response, though.
In October 2022, he shared a video of himself and Jessica Biel, to whom he’s been married since 2012, on top of a mountain, marveling at the view together. Aside from the nice-looking landscape, the video is relatively innocuous, but people love the top comment. It comes from a person named David, it has over 23,000 likes, and it reads, “I don’t know who you are but your girlfriend looks like Jessica Biel. Congrats! [starry eyed emoji] [thumbs up emoji].”
Well, a couple days ago, Timberlake finally carved some time out of his day to respond to the viral comment.
Replying to the comment in a new video, Timberlake lowers his sunglasses and offers a simple and hushed, “Yeah, yeah… yeah.” He added in the post caption, “From now on I’m only going by ‘Jessica Biel’s Boyfriend.’” Indeed, the bio on his TikTok profile currently reads, “Jessica Biel’s boyfriend.”
Last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger fired a warning shot at Ron DeSantis as the Florida governor continues to retaliate against the entertainment giant for opposing his “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The House of Mouse is already suing DeSantis and has repeatedly thwarted his attempts to take control of the special district where Disney World resides, but now Disney is already making good on Iger’s threats.
“Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes, or not?” Iger asked DeSantis during an earnings call. According to the CEO, Disney was prepared to invest $17 billion into Florida over the next 10 years. However, with DeSantis aggressively attacking the company, Disney is prepared to take its business elsewhere, and it’s not kidding around.
On Thursday, Mr. Iger and Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s theme park and consumer products chairman, showed that they were not bluffing, pulling the plug on a nearly $1 billion office complex that was scheduled for construction in Orlando. It would have brought more than 2,000 jobs to the region, with $120,000 as the average salary, according to an estimate from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
Not only has Disney scuttled the billion dollar complex and told thousands of employees that they no longer have to move, but the company is actively working to bring back roughly 200 employees who already moved to Florida, according to an email from D’Amaro.
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom couldn’t resist an opportunity to rub Disney’s move in DeSantis’ face.
“Turns out, bigoted policies have consequences,” Newsom tweeted. “That’s 2,000+ jobs that will be welcomed back with open arms to the Golden State. Thank you for doing the right thing, @Disney.”
Turns out, bigoted policies have consequences.
That’s 2,000+ jobs that will be welcomed back with open arms to the Golden State.
However, Albarn is also known for Blur, who are back as of today. The band just announced The Ballad Of Darren, their first album in eight years. The first single “The Narcissist” is out now.
About the LP, Albarn said, “This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now.”
Lead guitarist Graham Coxon added, “The older and madder we get, it becomes more essential that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention. Sometimes just a riff doesn’t do the job.”
Bassist Alex James continued, “For any long term relationship to last with any meaning you have to be able to surprise each other somehow and somehow we all continue to do that.”
Drummer Dave Rowntree said, “It always feels very natural to make music together. With every record we do, the process reveals something new and we develop as a band. We don’t take that for granted.”
Listen to “The Narcissist” above and find the The Ballad Of Darren art and tracklist below.
Blur
1. “The Ballad”
2. “St Charles Square”
3. “Barbaric”
4. “Russian Strings”
5. “The Everglades (For Leonard)”
6. “The Narcissist”
7. “Goodbye Albert”
8. “Far Away Island”
9. “Avalon”
10. “The Heights”
The Ballad Of Darren is out 7/21 on Parlophone. Find more information here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Rightfully so, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are lauded as the core of the Golden State Warriors‘ dynastic run that’s secured four rings over the past nine seasons. But perhaps another bedrock should be considered among that core, with center Kevon Looney present for the past three rings and playing an integral playoff role for the past two. Since joining the postseason rotation in 2018, Looney’s become a mainstay for the Warriors by embracing all the grunge work to amplify their splashy floor-spacing.
He’s played 230 consecutive games. He springs free Curry and Thompson for quality looks as a screener. He gobbles up hard-nosed rebounds to generate second chances and punctuate defensive stops. He works the short roll as a playmaker. He pairs with Green to form a stingy, albeit undersized, frontline.
Recently, on behalf of TIDAL, we caught up with Looney. We discussed why he likes TIDAL’s new Live feature, which allows him to connect and listen to music with fans, how he’s mastered the art of rebounding and his development as a pick-and-roll big among other topics.
What do you have going on with TIDAL?
We’ve been partnering on TIDAL Live, something they just added to the app. I’ve been able to go Live and share my music that I’ve been listening to before the game. I listen to a lot of music pregame and while I’m warming up, and I just want my fans and everybody that follows me to get to see what I’m listening to, to get ready and get locked in before the playoffs.
What’s on your playlist these days?
A little bit of everything. I try to keep it in new and old, try to mix it up … I wanna stay physical on the court, so I like to play music that gets me in the mode for that. I like Lil’ Baby, Kodak Black, I play a lot of Jay-Z as of recent. We’ve been in [Los Angeles] a lot, we’ve been playing the Lakers, so I’ve been playing like Nipsey [Hustle] and Kendrick [Lamar] as well.
Does how the team or you fare individually change at all what you’re listening to each day or do you try and keep the same routine with your playlist?
It depends on how I’m feeling. What’s the mood in locker room depending on what I’m listening to. A lot of guys got kind of different tastes. So, sometimes I come into the locker room or the weight room and I hear guys listening to slow music and I gotta kind of switch it up. If they’re playing slow music, I go super upbeat and physical or loud-type music. Some days, if I’m a little angry after the game, I know, after a loss, I might have to change the playlist up a little bit, maybe slow down a little bit and different things like that.
What’s the appeal of the Live feature for you?
I’ve been using the TIDAL App for a long time, and it was something new. It’s something I hadn’t seen before. I was just on the app, I started clicking around and seeing other people going Live, I was able to listen to different people’s playlists and see what they’re listening to. I felt like that’d be dope for me because I’m always listening to music, to be able to go live and allow people to listen to what I’m playing at the moment. I feel like I’m a dope DJ, and always got some of the best playlists and always arguing with certain people on our training staff and other people in the locker room about who’s got the best music tastes. I felt like it was only right that I was able to go Live and share my tastes with with the world.
Are you getting good reviews on your DJing from the people you’re connecting with on those Lives?
Definitely. I get a lot of good reviews. I feel validated. I’ve been talking stuff to my teammates, the training staff for a while. To have people listen to my playlist and like it, it’s been a good feeling.
You’ve mentioned a little bit of the on-court stuff. You’re obviously quite renowned for your rebounding. Was or is there anyone in your career at some point that you feel helped unlock your understanding of the nuances of rebounding for you?
It’s a few people. I would say my coach we added a couple years ago named Decky (Warriors assistant Dejan Milojevic). He’s one of the guys that really challenged me to be better in that area, to take it to another level and try to be elite at it. But as far as players, I got to learn from a lot of great bigs who are really good rebounders. I learned a lot from [Andrew] Bogut, especially the second time he came around. I got to really pick his brain. He showed me a lot of the little tricks and different things like that. So, I would probably give him a lot of credit for my rebounding.
When I watch you it feels like you’re in the right place a lot, but it doesn’t necessarily feel like you’re doing anything absurd besides the fact that every rebound lands in your lap, which I guess is absurd in itself. But I can imagine there’s a lot of hidden tricks that stay within the team.
Definitely [laughs]. I take rebounding as an art. It’s something that you got to want to be good at. It’s something that just doesn’t happen. Just like any other skill on the court, like shooting and dribbling, you got to work at it. In my first couple years, I just kind of went out there and I just relied on my instincts of just knowing where the ball is going to be at. But the last few years, I’ve really been doing different drills to work on it, different techniques that I got from my coach (Milojevic) and that I kind of learned and added to my tool belt, and it’s really been going a long way on the court.
You mentioned learning from teammates and bigs. You and Draymond don’t play necessarily the same role but it feels like you fill some similar gaps in the team. What have you been able to learn from him about playing off of guys like Steph and Klay, and playing in coach [Steve] Kerr’s system?
He’s been somebody I’ve learned a lot from on both sides of court. For his position, he’s probably one of the best passers in the league. The way he’s able to set screens and do the dribble handoffs and get the other guys involved, it’s something that I’ve been paying attention to my whole career. To be able to make plays in the pocket and slow it down and know when to push it. And then, on the defensive end, learning the terminology, how to communicate better, how to be in the right spots and learn different player tendencies, and learn how to guard better in the post is what I learned from Draymond. He’s been somebody I’ve been watching closely. He’s been there my whole career. He’s been one of my vets. I learned a lot from him and I’m still learning from each game. He has a lot of adjustments for us and he’s like a coach on the floor. So, if I have any questions now I’ll go to him.
Before you joined the Warriors, had you done a lot of short roll stuff or was it more of the hard dives to the rim? Was that something that took time for you to learn and develop?
Definitely. Before I got to the NBA, I didn’t run a lot of pick-and-rolls period. In college, we didn’t run much pick-and-roll, so I never had to roll. In high school, I didn’t ever play pick-and-roll either. So, I learned all that as I got to the NBA. My first couple years, I had a lot of time to watch and learn. I was able to ask a lot of questions and really practice and learn how to play in the pocket and learn how to really set screens and do different things like that. We always joke with each other, like the rookies that come in, I never set a screen my whole life before I got to the NBA, so it was definitely a learning curve. It took me a while, but once I got it, I feel comfortable and I feel like I’m getting close to almost mastering it.
What are the differences in the reads when you’re diving hard to the rim versus when you’re staying in the pocket for those short rolls?
It kind of varies from team to team that we play against. Different teams try to do different things to disrupt our offense. You know, we got Steph on our team, so he demands a lot of attention, and Klay, a lot of different shooters that demand a lot of attention. So, a lot of times, when we first start a series off, teams usually want me or Draymond to beat them, so they try to turn to us into scorers, so I usually to try to start off off aggressive, going to the rim, trying to finish. And then, as the game goes on, they start pulling over and trying to step up early, then I try to slow down and make sure I hit the shooters, hit the cutters. It’s something we’ve been doing for my whole time here, so now I kind of got it down pat. I know when to be aggressive. I know when the defense is going to pull over. I know when my guys are going to cut. I know where the shooter is going to be at, kind of secondhand now.
I imagine that also changes maybe year-to-year and lineup-to-lineup, based on who was around you, whether it’s maybe a guy who prefers to cut versus a a guy who prefers to spot up in the corners or the wings. Is that part of it as well?
Definitely. You gotta know who you’re in the game with. You gotta know where guys like the ball. You gotta know where defenses are pulling over from. This year, we got Gary Payton II back and he’s a phenomenal cutter, so I know if I get in any trouble, he’s gonna be cutting late. I know that Klay is gonna be on the on the weakside, probably gonna be open if they pulling over that tight and if I get a cutter from Gary or [Andrew Wiggins], so I kind of know where guys gonna be at. And if all else fails, if I get back in trouble, I can always dribble back and go to the handoff with Steph.
Yeah, it’s not a bad safety blanket to have with the greatest shooter of all-time there. You mentioned you’ve been around for a while now. What do you feel like you know now after all these playoff series, compared to when you came in?
It’s a few things. Just how hard it is to win is something that I learned and also I’d say how each game in the playoffs is so drastically different and how one play or one quarter, one thing can switch the whole momentum of a series. I got to see that live in person, my first year, when we were 73-9. We were down 3-1 to the [Oklahoma City Thunder] and we flipped the script. We came back and then we lost in the Finals, kinda learned like, all right, game-by-game is gonna be different. You got to take advantage of each opportunity and you’re never down and out in the playoffs. That’s something that I learned. I learned how physical the game is, and how much intensity, how much focus and gameplan goes into each game. In the regular season, we’re playing with focus, but we play so many games, and we can’t really just lock in and make all the adjustments that we do in the playoffs. It’s a lot of film being watched and a lot of different tinkering with lineups from game-to-game in the playoffs.
You mentioned those adjustments. Was that something that took a little bit of time for you to adapt to? Because during the regular season, I imagine you’re keeping the core schemes intact and trying to build an identity and then, in the playoffs that could change minute by minute, game by game.
Definitely. In the regular season, the lineups stay the same, you’re always kind of playing with the same groups. Like I said, the gameplans are all the same. But in the playoffs, we get a little bit more complex with our schemes and who’s going to guard who. Some guys might play a lot in the regular season, but when it comes to the playoffs, depending on the matchup, we might change the lineup totally. You might go from playing 30 minutes to playing five or 10 and it’s always for the greater good, especially on our team. So, it was definitely difficult to learn how to play championship basketball. It’s not easy to do that, but I had a lot of great examples and I was able to learn. I had to learn quickly or else I’d be on the bench. I definitely adapted and it took me a while, but I got it. I feel really comfortable playing in playoffs and playing in deep runs.
Are there any specific moments you remember where you were like, ‘OK, I gotta like get this figured out’ when it wasn’t quite clicking for you and then it did click?
It was in my third or fourth year. We was playing the [San Antonio] Spurs, maybe first or second round. I was getting the ball in the pocket. I think I turned it over one time, went too fast and maybe missed Klay in the corner, and went for layup and missed it. And then, I was boxing out, the ball is bouncing on the floor and I didn’t grab it. I feel like other people on the team could have grabbed it, but they would all blame me because I was a young guy (smiling). In the locker room at halftime, they all yelled at me and it was all on film. And I’m like, ‘Man, I gotta figure this out because I might not be able to play again if I don’t get this right.’ And I feel like later in the playoffs and then we ended up playing [the] Houston [Rockets]. I was able get on the court and I was able to make a difference. I was able to play a lot of minutes and actually kind of figure it out.
I know this is an impossible question, but do you have a favorite moment with any or all of Steph, Klay and Dray where you just kind of realized the gravity of who you’re playing with?
(Smiling) I’ve had a lot of moments with those guys where it’s like, ‘Man, this is incredible.’ But it didn’t take long. My rookie year, we went 73-9 and we won our first 24 games. And it was like ‘Man, this is the NBA, you don’t lose.’ I didn’t know what to expect coming in. Steph won unanimous MVP that year, so he seemed like he never missed a shot. Draymond was everywhere. He might’ve won Defensive Player of the Year that year [editor’s note: Green won DPOY the next year]. And Klay, I seen Klay hit like 11 threes [in a game] that year. So, my rookie year, I got to see a lot of different things. I think it all came into a peak of everything, I think, my rookie year. We beat OKC. That’s the infamous Draymond arguing with Steve at halftime and the Steph Curry half-court game-winner. That’s what I remember. It was February around my birthday. I was watching live on the court. I didn’t get in the game. I don’t think I had a jersey on, but just to see that, how dedicated they were to winning. … They were able to band back together and do something special and beat a team that had [Kevin Durant] and Russell [Westbrook] in a crazy environmental on an ABC game. I was like, ‘Man, these guys are really good, this is why they were champions.’
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From now on I’m only going by “Jessica Biel’s Boyfriend” 
