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Spirits judging competitions have always felt a bit gate-keepy. Hell, I judge several of these things and I can’t deny that. They’re often groups of industry pros sequestered in a room in San Francisco, New York, Berlin, Louisville, London, or wherever, and the closest you’ll ever get to them as a consumer is a list they release of their best expressions. But that’s finally changing as the whole spirits industry continues to boom and consumer interest/engagement continues to skyrocket.

At the forefront of bringing the consumer into the fold at spirits competitions is Amanda Blue the owner/CEO of the Tasting Alliance, which puts on the famed San Francisco World Spirits Competition, amongst others (disclosure: I’m a head judge at those spirits competitions). To link the worlds of tasting competitions and the general public, Blue and her team at the Tasting Alliance are launching Top Shelf: An Award Winning Tasting Experience in Las Vegas (June 16 & 17, 2023) at Resort World.

The event will be a chance for the average consumer (or bored gambler) to actually taste the spirits that score medals at San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This is a huge boon for consumers in that chasing down some of the most elite award-winning bottles can be pretty much impossible (especially after a big award win). In this case, that conundrum of never actually being able to taste super elite and rare award-winning spirits is being solved for you (for a price). All that you need to do is show up in Vegas in June and you can actually taste the best of the best all in one place — tickets start at $375.

To break down the whole event, how the iconic San Francisco World Spirits Competition is run, and the power of women in the spirits industry, I sat down with my old friend Amanda Blue. Blue was kind enough to talk through it all, offering a fun conversation for anyone looking for both a peek behind the curtain and a taste of what’s to come from events like Top Shelf. Let’s dig in!

• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• Our Head Drinks Critic Reveals The Expensive Bourbons He *Won’t* Pay Above Retail For
• The Absolute Best Bourbons Between $50-$60, Ranked
• Every Single Buffalo Trace Whiskey & Spirits Brand, Ranked
• The Absolute Best Bourbons Between $20-$30, Ranked

Let’s jump right into the deep end. How does a huge competition like San Francisco World Spirits Competition come together?

Well, we started in November of 2022 by reaching out to brands and letting them know that we were open. We actually hired someone that would be full-time in our warehouse in San Francisco to accept deliveries from November until we accept our last delivery. Plus, our team just goes to every single trade event possible, boots on the ground.

What does that look like?

When I was in Pro Wine, we walked 30,000 steps a day, just meeting brands, talking about what they want, how they want to break into the American market, what’s important for them, what their process is, what their story is, and just meeting them in person, which is so much more impactful than just sending out an email blast saying, “Hey, we’re open.”

This competition has become about the relationships with the brands. It’s always had a stellar reputation thanks to the integrity of its judging. To add to that, we really are trying to become a service for brands, not just with the competition, but with consumer activations. It’s about bringing brands to trade fairs that they couldn’t otherwise afford. It’s featuring them on our website. It’s about marketing for them year-round, not just the one-month post-competition. And it’s really just about creating genuine relationships with those brands.

What do you learn when you’re out there touching base with brand folks so closely?

I find that people in this industry that have brands are so passionate, engaged, and grateful for any opportunity to show off what they have and it’s actually quite inspiring. It keeps us out on the road. We have a list of every single trade event that’s going on in the world each year and we try to have somebody there from our eight-person team to cover it and let brands know that our services extend beyond the competition.

We’ve both seen the early days when competitions like San Francisco and most others were completely inaccessible to the consumer and now we’re coming into a time where that gatekeeping is no longer tenable. How do you feel the atmosphere has changed around spirit competitions over the last few years?

For us, we knew that in order to make our metals more valuable than any other, we had to engage the consumer.

So walk us through what that looks like.

First, we built a consumer-facing website where people could shop for the winners of our competitions through our collaboration with ReserveBar. They could access educational material like a spotlight on brands. They could learn how to make classic cocktails and signature cocktails from the brands. You know, they could learn about what’s the best European vodka. It’s really a resource for curation because it is a really, really crowded marketplace and we’re giving you just a shortcut to figuring out not just what brands to buy, but about these brands, and what you’re supporting, and who they are, holistically.

That then leads to our consumer event in Las Vegas — Top Shelf — where people get to actually come and experience the brands with the master distillers and the brand ambassadors. Consumers will get to go to masterclasses and learn more about the brands. You’ll learn how to properly taste tequila and how to spot additives. You’ll learn the intricacies of tasting a good whiskey.

We’re giving access to the brands to the consumers that they otherwise might not have.

What can the consumer expect when they show up to Top Shelf this year? You mentioned masterclasses, what else can we look forward to?

We want to make it very engaging. There are going to be 12 masterclasses throughout the two days. We’ll also are having roaming activations, so not just booths, with brands moving throughout the crowd — because, as you know, the lines at some of the more beloved booths get very long. We’ll have a snow cone cart with Shinola for boozy snow cones and little desserts. We’ll be pairing different spirits with foods.

Oh, nice. Anything you can tease us with?

I can. We have a caviar sponsor that we’ll be pairing with one of our winning spirits. Sugarfina — which is a high-end candy — will be pairing their stuff with some winning spirits too.

We’ll have a DJ there and some entertainment as well. It’s a party. It’s not going to be this quiet room where you’re going around and taking your one-ounce pour and moving on. We want people to engage with the brands they love and maybe find some new ones at the same time.

Let’s take a little wider view of the industry. You’re a female owner/CEO and you run an all-female team. Plus, you have a long and deep history in the spirits industry. What have you seen change that gives you hope for the industry’s growth when it comes to people?

Well, I think any growth is reflective of the current social climate. It’s baby steps, but there’s progress. And at some point, you’ll walk into an event like Top Shelf and we’ll have enough female master blenders or female distillers that it’s just how it is and there’s true parity in representation, and you’ll say, “You don’t need to bring that up anymore.”

I feel like within five to 10 years, that’s how it’ll be, hopefully … finally.

And I would argue that you’re at the forefront of making that a reality by pushing forward very vehemently on the ground and behind the scenes. How does it make you feel to see progress for women in the spirits industry, even if it’s baby steps for now?

I feel excited. I feel like the whole community is excited about the inclusion we’re seeing now. Not only with more women running the show but different ethnicities and people from different cultures bringing different kinds of spirits from different backgrounds.

You know, I read that females are a large portion of the whiskey drinkers and that whiskey is not really marketed to women, still. That’s a place in the market that needs to be filled. We all need to recognize that the female consumer is just as important as the male consumer and doesn’t need to have a “female product.” You know what I mean, a vodka that has flowers in it or something like that. We can drink things too, good things, and we want to learn just like every other spirit enthusiast.

Spirits judging competitions have always felt a bit gate-keepy. Hell, I judge several of these things and I can’t deny that. They’re often groups of industry pros sequestered in a room in San Francisco, New York, Berlin, Louisville, London, or wherever, and the closest you’ll ever get to them as a consumer is a list they release of their best expressions. But that’s finally changing as the whole spirits industry continues to boom and consumer interest/engagement continues to skyrocket.

At the forefront of bringing the consumer into the fold at spirits competitions is Amanda Blue the owner/CEO of the Tasting Alliance, which puts on the famed San Francisco World Spirits Competition, amongst others (disclosure: I’m a head judge at those spirits competitions). To link the worlds of tasting competitions and the general public, Blue and her team at the Tasting Alliance are launching Top Shelf: An Award Winning Tasting Experience in Las Vegas (June 16 & 17, 2023) at Resort World.

The event will be a chance for the average consumer (or bored gambler) to actually taste the spirits that score medals at San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This is a huge boon for consumers in that chasing down some of the most elite award-winning bottles can be pretty much impossible (especially after a big award win). In this case, that conundrum of never actually being able to taste super elite and rare award-winning spirits is being solved for you (for a price). All that you need to do is show up in Vegas in June and you can actually taste the best of the best all in one place — tickets start at $375.

To break down the whole event, how the iconic San Francisco World Spirits Competition is run, and the power of women in the spirits industry, I sat down with my old friend Amanda Blue. Blue was kind enough to talk through it all, offering a fun conversation for anyone looking for both a peek behind the curtain and a taste of what’s to come from events like Top Shelf. Let’s dig in!

• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• Our Head Drinks Critic Reveals The Expensive Bourbons He *Won’t* Pay Above Retail For
• The Absolute Best Bourbons Between $50-$60, Ranked
• Every Single Buffalo Trace Whiskey & Spirits Brand, Ranked
• The Absolute Best Bourbons Between $20-$30, Ranked

Let’s jump right into the deep end. How does a huge competition like San Francisco World Spirits Competition come together?

Well, we started in November of 2022 by reaching out to brands and letting them know that we were open. We actually hired someone that would be full-time in our warehouse in San Francisco to accept deliveries from November until we accept our last delivery. Plus, our team just goes to every single trade event possible, boots on the ground.

What does that look like?

When I was in Pro Wine, we walked 30,000 steps a day, just meeting brands, talking about what they want, how they want to break into the American market, what’s important for them, what their process is, what their story is, and just meeting them in person, which is so much more impactful than just sending out an email blast saying, “Hey, we’re open.”

This competition has become about the relationships with the brands. It’s always had a stellar reputation thanks to the integrity of its judging. To add to that, we really are trying to become a service for brands, not just with the competition, but with consumer activations. It’s about bringing brands to trade fairs that they couldn’t otherwise afford. It’s featuring them on our website. It’s about marketing for them year-round, not just the one-month post-competition. And it’s really just about creating genuine relationships with those brands.

What do you learn when you’re out there touching base with brand folks so closely?

I find that people in this industry that have brands are so passionate, engaged, and grateful for any opportunity to show off what they have and it’s actually quite inspiring. It keeps us out on the road. We have a list of every single trade event that’s going on in the world each year and we try to have somebody there from our eight-person team to cover it and let brands know that our services extend beyond the competition.

We’ve both seen the early days when competitions like San Francisco and most others were completely inaccessible to the consumer and now we’re coming into a time where that gatekeeping is no longer tenable. How do you feel the atmosphere has changed around spirit competitions over the last few years?

For us, we knew that in order to make our metals more valuable than any other, we had to engage the consumer.

So walk us through what that looks like.

First, we built a consumer-facing website where people could shop for the winners of our competitions through our collaboration with ReserveBar. They could access educational material like a spotlight on brands. They could learn how to make classic cocktails and signature cocktails from the brands. You know, they could learn about what’s the best European vodka. It’s really a resource for curation because it is a really, really crowded marketplace and we’re giving you just a shortcut to figuring out not just what brands to buy, but about these brands, and what you’re supporting, and who they are, holistically.

That then leads to our consumer event in Las Vegas — Top Shelf — where people get to actually come and experience the brands with the master distillers and the brand ambassadors. Consumers will get to go to masterclasses and learn more about the brands. You’ll learn how to properly taste tequila and how to spot additives. You’ll learn the intricacies of tasting a good whiskey.

We’re giving access to the brands to the consumers that they otherwise might not have.

What can the consumer expect when they show up to Top Shelf this year? You mentioned masterclasses, what else can we look forward to?

We want to make it very engaging. There are going to be 12 masterclasses throughout the two days. We’ll also are having roaming activations, so not just booths, with brands moving throughout the crowd — because, as you know, the lines at some of the more beloved booths get very long. We’ll have a snow cone cart with Shinola for boozy snow cones and little desserts. We’ll be pairing different spirits with foods.

Oh, nice. Anything you can tease us with?

I can. We have a caviar sponsor that we’ll be pairing with one of our winning spirits. Sugarfina — which is a high-end candy — will be pairing their stuff with some winning spirits too.

We’ll have a DJ there and some entertainment as well. It’s a party. It’s not going to be this quiet room where you’re going around and taking your one-ounce pour and moving on. We want people to engage with the brands they love and maybe find some new ones at the same time.

Let’s take a little wider view of the industry. You’re a female owner/CEO and you run an all-female team. Plus, you have a long and deep history in the spirits industry. What have you seen change that gives you hope for the industry’s growth when it comes to people?

Well, I think any growth is reflective of the current social climate. It’s baby steps, but there’s progress. And at some point, you’ll walk into an event like Top Shelf and we’ll have enough female master blenders or female distillers that it’s just how it is and there’s true parity in representation, and you’ll say, “You don’t need to bring that up anymore.”

I feel like within five to 10 years, that’s how it’ll be, hopefully … finally.

And I would argue that you’re at the forefront of making that a reality by pushing forward very vehemently on the ground and behind the scenes. How does it make you feel to see progress for women in the spirits industry, even if it’s baby steps for now?

I feel excited. I feel like the whole community is excited about the inclusion we’re seeing now. Not only with more women running the show but different ethnicities and people from different cultures bringing different kinds of spirits from different backgrounds.

You know, I read that females are a large portion of the whiskey drinkers and that whiskey is not really marketed to women, still. That’s a place in the market that needs to be filled. We all need to recognize that the female consumer is just as important as the male consumer and doesn’t need to have a “female product.” You know what I mean, a vodka that has flowers in it or something like that. We can drink things too, good things, and we want to learn just like every other spirit enthusiast.

Throughout the regular season, as the Milwaukee Bucks patrolled the paint en route to the NBA’s fourth-ranked defense, a crack in their foundation reared its head at various moments, particularly in losses to the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. Despite Jrue Holiday’s mastery at the point of attack, the Bucks’ stable of reliable perimeter defenders was shallow and shaky. Holiday, Brook Lopez, and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brilliance helped paper over that flaw, but it has been re-emphasized during their first round series against the Miami Heat, where they find themselves down 3-1 heading home for Wednesday’s Game 5.

Behind Holiday, the Bucks’ two foremost perimeter stoppers are Jevon Carter and Wesley Matthews. Carter’s been excised from the rotation and didn’t play in Game 4, while Matthews is sidelined with a calf injury and doesn’t offer any sort of bankable offensive juice. Carter, too, is somewhat of a non-factor offensively outside of long balls. He shot 42.5 percent inside the arc and 42.1 percent from deep in the regular season, but has buried just 1 of his 7 triples this series. Run him off the line and he’s stuck. Essentially, Milwaukee’s only option against Jimmy Butler is Holiday or bust — at least, that’s the way head coach Mike Budenholzer and Co. have treated it.

Hours removed from his mystifying 56-point explosion in Game 4, when he scored 19 points over the last 5:16, Butler is captaining the narrative of this series. The superstar wing is averaging 36.5 points on 70.8 percent true shooting. He’s canned 52.9 percent of his threes and 65.2 percent of his interior ventures. Logic-defying shot-making is assuredly scattered across the highlight reel, but he’s punishing a variety of non-Holiday defenders for routine scores when given the chance.

Milwaukee prioritizes closing off the rim and three-point line. Floaters and long twos are the goal. Although Butler’s rim frequency is down from 45 percent in the regular season to 31 percent this series, he’s prospering in purgatory, lofting in 55 percent of his shots between 4 and 14 feet, where 42 percent of his field goals are coming, per Cleaning The Glass.

Holiday’s performing about as well as possible; their individual battle is among the most captivating first-round subplots. He’s often coaxing Butler away from his preferred, dominant right hand, has turned Butler over a few times and is pushing him farther out on some midrange explorations. Yet their minutes aren’t completely mirroring one another and while Milwaukee’s generally tried to keep Holiday on him around screens, it doesn’t happen every single time.

When Butler’s seen Khris Middleton, Grayson Allen, Joe Ingles, or Jae Crowder across from him, his eyes light up. His blend of strength, flexibility, and savvy are a devastating concoction. The Bucks’ rotation is littered with players short on lateral fluidity and/or strength. Butler brings both.

It’s been a problem for the Bucks. They can’t contain him, and Lopez can’t clean up every single mess, though he is enjoying a sensational defensive (and overall) series thus far.

The final bucket in the above montage is crucial to understanding the closing segment of Butler’s Game 4 takeover. It was Middleton’s fourth foul, which occurred 27 seconds before his fifth foul. Butler’s flummoxed Middleton all series. Milwaukee knew that and wanted him to close the game, so it refused to concede switches onto Butler anymore and risk a sixth foul (he picked it up with 47 seconds remaining anyway).

Miami and Butler also sensed these developments. The Bucks have aimed to keep Holiday tethered to Butler for all the reasons laid out previously, while simultaneously trying to barricade him from rampaging downhill around screens. By and large, that gambit has behooved them. Anyone other than Holiday is hopeless against Butler.

There have been a few examples, though, where the unwillingness to accept a switch has burned them. That doesn’t mean it was the wrong decision, just that even the soundest of strategies is susceptible to breakdowns. The surrounding rotation demands a certain scheme and that scheme is not infallible. Down the stretch of Game 4, on three possessions that produced eight points and gave Miami the lead for good, Butler and his buddies exploited the Bucks’ approach.

With Middleton defending Lowry, the wily, title-winning point guard screened for Butler and Middleton showed on the pick; Lowry’s screen-setting expertise was a substantial boon here. Each time, it afforded Butler the requisite space to dance where he wished and be the closer the Heat needed.

Late game playoff analysis often centers on hunting mismatches. Initiators identify a mark, bring their assignment into the action, and ruthlessly attack until the defense adapts; soft switches can sink a team. Rarely does the inverse become the focus. But that’s what Butler enforced Monday night. Milwaukee would not let him isolate Middleton and he parlayed that stance into beneficial real estate on three momentous plays.

The Bucks’ tenuous point-of-attack cast is not the primary driver of their 3-1 deficit. Antetokounmpo’s absence in two of those losses cannot be ignored. Holiday’s offensive decision-making has been erratic and he’s posting 18.3 points per game on 47.9 percent true shooting. Miami, as a whole, is having an all-time great shot-making series, hitting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc after shooting 34.8 percent in the regular season.

However, the point-of-attack concerns lingered all year and were among my staunchest worries for this team as it pertained to a championship pursuit. Through four games, Butler and the Heat, with an NBA-leading 120.9 offensive rating, have magnified the issue. It’s helping power them to the precipice of an upset and adding to the legend of Playoff Jimmy, even if the man himself won’t dignify its existence.

Throughout the regular season, as the Milwaukee Bucks patrolled the paint en route to the NBA’s fourth-ranked defense, a crack in their foundation reared its head at various moments, particularly in losses to the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. Despite Jrue Holiday’s mastery at the point of attack, the Bucks’ stable of reliable perimeter defenders was shallow and shaky. Holiday, Brook Lopez, and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brilliance helped paper over that flaw, but it has been re-emphasized during their first round series against the Miami Heat, where they find themselves down 3-1 heading home for Wednesday’s Game 5.

Behind Holiday, the Bucks’ two foremost perimeter stoppers are Jevon Carter and Wesley Matthews. Carter’s been excised from the rotation and didn’t play in Game 4, while Matthews is sidelined with a calf injury and doesn’t offer any sort of bankable offensive juice. Carter, too, is somewhat of a non-factor offensively outside of long balls. He shot 42.5 percent inside the arc and 42.1 percent from deep in the regular season, but has buried just 1 of his 7 triples this series. Run him off the line and he’s stuck. Essentially, Milwaukee’s only option against Jimmy Butler is Holiday or bust — at least, that’s the way head coach Mike Budenholzer and Co. have treated it.

Hours removed from his mystifying 56-point explosion in Game 4, when he scored 19 points over the last 5:16, Butler is captaining the narrative of this series. The superstar wing is averaging 36.5 points on 70.8 percent true shooting. He’s canned 52.9 percent of his threes and 65.2 percent of his interior ventures. Logic-defying shot-making is assuredly scattered across the highlight reel, but he’s punishing a variety of non-Holiday defenders for routine scores when given the chance.

Milwaukee prioritizes closing off the rim and three-point line. Floaters and long twos are the goal. Although Butler’s rim frequency is down from 45 percent in the regular season to 31 percent this series, he’s prospering in purgatory, lofting in 55 percent of his shots between 4 and 14 feet, where 42 percent of his field goals are coming, per Cleaning The Glass.

Holiday’s performing about as well as possible; their individual battle is among the most captivating first-round subplots. He’s often coaxing Butler away from his preferred, dominant right hand, has turned Butler over a few times and is pushing him farther out on some midrange explorations. Yet their minutes aren’t completely mirroring one another and while Milwaukee’s generally tried to keep Holiday on him around screens, it doesn’t happen every single time.

When Butler’s seen Khris Middleton, Grayson Allen, Joe Ingles, or Jae Crowder across from him, his eyes light up. His blend of strength, flexibility, and savvy are a devastating concoction. The Bucks’ rotation is littered with players short on lateral fluidity and/or strength. Butler brings both.

It’s been a problem for the Bucks. They can’t contain him, and Lopez can’t clean up every single mess, though he is enjoying a sensational defensive (and overall) series thus far.

The final bucket in the above montage is crucial to understanding the closing segment of Butler’s Game 4 takeover. It was Middleton’s fourth foul, which occurred 27 seconds before his fifth foul. Butler’s flummoxed Middleton all series. Milwaukee knew that and wanted him to close the game, so it refused to concede switches onto Butler anymore and risk a sixth foul (he picked it up with 47 seconds remaining anyway).

Miami and Butler also sensed these developments. The Bucks have aimed to keep Holiday tethered to Butler for all the reasons laid out previously, while simultaneously trying to barricade him from rampaging downhill around screens. By and large, that gambit has behooved them. Anyone other than Holiday is hopeless against Butler.

There have been a few examples, though, where the unwillingness to accept a switch has burned them. That doesn’t mean it was the wrong decision, just that even the soundest of strategies is susceptible to breakdowns. The surrounding rotation demands a certain scheme and that scheme is not infallible. Down the stretch of Game 4, on three possessions that produced eight points and gave Miami the lead for good, Butler and his buddies exploited the Bucks’ approach.

With Middleton defending Lowry, the wily, title-winning point guard screened for Butler and Middleton showed on the pick; Lowry’s screen-setting expertise was a substantial boon here. Each time, it afforded Butler the requisite space to dance where he wished and be the closer the Heat needed.

Late game playoff analysis often centers on hunting mismatches. Initiators identify a mark, bring their assignment into the action, and ruthlessly attack until the defense adapts; soft switches can sink a team. Rarely does the inverse become the focus. But that’s what Butler enforced Monday night. Milwaukee would not let him isolate Middleton and he parlayed that stance into beneficial real estate on three momentous plays.

The Bucks’ tenuous point-of-attack cast is not the primary driver of their 3-1 deficit. Antetokounmpo’s absence in two of those losses cannot be ignored. Holiday’s offensive decision-making has been erratic and he’s posting 18.3 points per game on 47.9 percent true shooting. Miami, as a whole, is having an all-time great shot-making series, hitting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc after shooting 34.8 percent in the regular season.

However, the point-of-attack concerns lingered all year and were among my staunchest worries for this team as it pertained to a championship pursuit. Through four games, Butler and the Heat, with an NBA-leading 120.9 offensive rating, have magnified the issue. It’s helping power them to the precipice of an upset and adding to the legend of Playoff Jimmy, even if the man himself won’t dignify its existence.

A new trailer for The Flash debuted at CinemaCon this week, and if audiences didn’t know that Michael Keaton’s Batman plays a huge role in the new superhero film, they do now. Keaton’s presence is all over the latest trailer as his Batman seeks to mentor Ezra Miller‘s Barry Allen after the young speedster seemingly broke the universe by going back in time to save his parents.

While Ben Affleck‘s version of the Dark Knight also makes a brief appearance, it’s clear that Keaton’s elder statesman Batman will be the major draw of the film. Not only are new versions of his iconic Batman suit shown in the trailer, but Keaton’s Caped Crusader definitely has some new moves thanks to visual effects making significant improvements since the late ’80s/early ’90s. This Batman can do more than just throw punches.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?

The Flash runs into theaters on June 16.

A new trailer for The Flash debuted at CinemaCon this week, and if audiences didn’t know that Michael Keaton’s Batman plays a huge role in the new superhero film, they do now. Keaton’s presence is all over the latest trailer as his Batman seeks to mentor Ezra Miller‘s Barry Allen after the young speedster seemingly broke the universe by going back in time to save his parents.

While Ben Affleck‘s version of the Dark Knight also makes a brief appearance, it’s clear that Keaton’s elder statesman Batman will be the major draw of the film. Not only are new versions of his iconic Batman suit shown in the trailer, but Keaton’s Caped Crusader definitely has some new moves thanks to visual effects making significant improvements since the late ’80s/early ’90s. This Batman can do more than just throw punches.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?

The Flash runs into theaters on June 16.

Is Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap a sandwich? If a sandwich is just food between bread, and a flour tortilla is a sort of bread, couldn’t you make the case that a Crunchwap — which is part burrito part… something else — is some sort of sandwich? While, according to NPR, the USDA considers a sandwich “meat or poultry filling between two slices of bread, a bun or a biscuit,” and excludes “burritos, wraps, and hot dogs” from that definition, which is frankly ridiculous, the state of New York considers a burrito (and a hot dog and a gyro) a sandwich for tax purposes, so in some jurisdictions, a burrito is in fact a sandwich.

Or maybe it’s, like a Pop-Tart — actually ravioli?

Still with us? Look, we get that this is a hard debate to have and the more you think about it, the more confusing it gets, but we’re not the only ones having it — a Massachusetts court had to actually rule that a burrito was not a sandwich when Panera tried to sue Qdoba from opening up a restaurant in a shopping center, so as far as we’re concerned it’s an open debate.

This got us wondering — is Taco Bell’s new Breakfast California Crunchwrap actually the ultimate fast food breakfast sandwich? There was only one way to find out, we had to eat the thing.

Breakfast Crunchwrap

Tasting Notes:

Taco Bell’s new Breakfast California Crunchwrap is, like many things on Taco Bell’s menu, actually a returning classic and not really a new menu item. Once known simply as the “AM California Crunchwrap,” the Breakfast California Crunchwrap consists of bacon, egg, cheese, guacamole, and tomatoes over a giant hashbrown wrapped in a big flour tortilla. It joins the roster of Crunchwraps that include a sausage and bacon variation, but in this case the jalapeño sauce has been swapped out for guacamole, and Taco Bell added diced tomatoes.

In theory, you can order this year-round since Taco Bell’s menu is entirely customizable, so for Taco Bell to pretend this is a new menu item is kind of shady. But we won’t hold that against them because this isn’t a review of marketing, it’s a review of the flavors — so let’s get into that.

True to its name, biting into the Breakfast Crunchwrap supplies you with a satisfying crunch as your tastebuds are treated to waves of salty, peppery, and smokey flavors. Bacon and guacamole dominate, with the guacamole adding a nice creamy buttery note to the smokey quality of the bacon. The finish is dominated by crispy fried potato flavors, equal parts greasy and buttery. The egg is practically non-existent, it’s mostly texture, but the tomatoes add a nice bright and sweet juiciness to the otherwise dry sandwich.

That’s right, we said sandwich — this thing is more sandwich than it is burrito!

The combination of crunch you get from the hash browns and bacon is unbeatable, and while I miss the spice of the jalapeño sauce in the OG Breakfast Crunchwrap, you could always just add that in free of charge. How does this stack up to our current breakfast sandwich champ the Sausage McMuffin with Egg? We think it beats it, and that’s saying a lot.

The Bottom Line:

The best breakfast sandwich in the fast food universe is arguably not a sandwich at all. The California Crunchwrap might not technically be new (or a sandwich), but it’s proof that Taco Bell has as strong a breakfast game as any of the competition.

If you’ve had a baby or babysat someone else’s, then you know sometimes they cry, and there doesn’t seem to be much you can do to soothe them. You try all of the things—change their diaper, give them a bottle, do the bounce and sway that just about every parent has perfected. Yet, the wailing continues and you begin to question your life choices.

But thankfully, babies are pretty easily amused…most of the time. Ripping up paper or accidentally stubbing your toe can throw a baby into a fit of laughter. Other times, you have to call in the reserves—Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz featuring the Ying Yang Twins. Nope, I didn’t bump my head. Melissa Buckley discovered her 2-month-old son’s magic remedy to inconsolable tears is Lil Jon, specifically, “Get Low.”

You may be wondering how her infant son has such impeccable taste in 2000s dance music, and the answer is surprisingly simple.

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“I listened to it a lot in the latter half of my pregnancy because I was trying to get him low, and then I listened to it on repeat a good few times a day for probably three, four weeks on end,” Buckley told Today.com.

Dancing is one way to help move babies down into position in preparation for birth. In fact, there have been several viral videos of expectant mothers dancing to club music in their kitchens and even in the hospital hoping to speed along the labor process. Buckley was in good company with her idea.

Recently, Buckley and her husband Zack let the world in on their secret to getting baby Jackson to stop crying when the mom uploaded a video to social media. In the video, Buckley is holding a crying Jackson when she says, “Alexa, play ‘Get Low.'” Alexa obliges like a good little eavesdropping robot, and as soon as the music starts to play, the crying stops.

Jackson looks around while his mom bounces and dances. Suddenly the infant is perfectly content in his mother’s arms, but it turns out that this is part of their routine. The new parents told Today.com that they play Lil Jon at least once or twice a day to help calm the baby down when he’s fussy.

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This revelation came about through a moment of desperation according to Buckley, who told Today.com that she was having difficulty getting her son to stop crying one day, so she put on “Get Low.” While listening to the familiar song, Jackson stopped crying and fell asleep.

Babies are certainly interesting. They remember much more than we parents give them credit for, and baby Jackson is here to remind everyone that even newborns can be nostalgic about songs. Granted, when he starts being able to understand the words to the iconic club song, heading to preschool may be interesting.

But the Buckleys will cross that bridge when they get to it. For now, they’ll keep using the song to put their baby to sleep and one day he’ll learn all about how Lil Jon was impressed by his required napping music.

With Henry Cavill moving on from Netflix’s The Witcher after Season 3, it’s fair to say that the series’ future fandom could hinge upon whether Joey Batey’s Jaskier continues to deliver the bangers. The Bard didn’t suffer from a sophomore slump in Season 2 because “Burn Butcher Burn” truly shredded, and the song also revealed his saltiness and emotional anguish over no longer riding with Geralt. The first Season 3 trailer does show Jaskier, thankfully, and only for a few seconds, but that still satisfied the show’s audience.

Team Jaskier is already here for the character’s newfound eyeliner, and they hope that this is a signal that maybe, just maybe, the show will tweak the existing lore from Andrzej Sapkowski books and the video games by making Jaskier canonically bisexual. This wouldn’t be the first time that the franchise tweaked the canon, and the show does deliver fan service like few others. Let’s just say that fans are here for the look and are hoping for the best possible outcome. And it’s a good thing that there are no noises being made about Joey Batey exiting the series. Let’s not give anyone any ideas there.

If nothing else, there’s always the music.

Netflix’s The Witcher will return on June 29.

A viral TikTok video highlights an extreme version of inequality that many wives and mothers in heterosexual relationships face. However, the mom in this story hit her limit and won’t deal with it anymore.

Lynalice Bandy, who goes by @5kids5catssomedogstoo on TikTok, posted a video that showed her home looking like a disaster after she worked six 10-hour days straight while her husband did nothing to help.

Her time-lapse video shows every room in the house completely trashed, with toys, food and laundry scattered everywhere. “Shampoo on the carpets in the girls’ room, nail polish all over Nugget covers, hair, and carpet. Scissors were used to cut hair, the down comforter, the mattress cover, and two Nugget covers,” wrote the mom.

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“I’ve worked six, ten-hour days in a row with only one day off being a sick day,” she captioned the video. “I’d like to pretend I’m not the only person who cleans here, but as you can see…These rooms don’t get much attention when I’m not here.”

@5kids5catssomedogstoo

#divorce #parentingfail #messyhouse #whenwomen #depressionanxiety #clean #satifying

She says her husband’s excuse was that he was focused on doing his schoolwork and couldn’t pay attention to the kids. “Now, that school is out for a break, he doesn’t have that excuse anymore,” Bandy says, noting that all of his attention has been focused on “the four vehicles in our driveway that he wants to work on continuously.”

In a follow-up video, Bandy announced that she left her husband after the debacle. The original video received over 17,000 comments, many of which were from supportive women.

“You deserve much better, and he deserves to be alone. Much love to you from someone that left that life behind almost 20 yrs ago. You’ll get here, too,” Angela LaRoche wrote.

“Ma’am, you are nothing short of amazing! Hang in there!” Japanese with Jenny wrote.

“That home is beautiful because of YOU,” Hillary added. “You put in so much work, and it is not unseen by me and so many others. But, you DO deserve better. Proud of you.”

@5kids5catssomedogstoo

Sounds about right…

Even though Bandy’s experience with her husband is an extreme case of a couple whose domestic duties are way out of balance, it points to a problem that plagues many households. Even though it’s 2023 and families are becoming more equal, women still do significantly more housework than men.

A study utilizing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey found that women 15 years and older spend 5.7 hours daily doing housework and looking after kids and elders. Men in the same age group do an average of 3.6 hours of daily domestic work.

That’s a 37% difference in time spent on household responsibilities.

Further, women who work an average of 35 hours a week spend 4.9 hours a day on household chores and child care, while men who work the same amount spend an average of 3.8 hours.

The comments show that there are a lot of women out there who are frustrated with their husbands for not doing their fair share. Hopefully, this video will encourage more people to speak out about domestic inequality and for more men to step up and do their part.