It’s been said countless times, but teachers really are the best and bravest of us all. Anyone who has spent time surrounded by kids, trying to help them learn while managing the countless crises that can occur when hundreds of immature humans are put together in one place, knows that teaching encompasses so much more than just academic instruction. Teachers serve as mentors, counselors, nurses, mediators and sometimes even security guards.
That’s why a middle school teacher who thought there was a fight happening in her classroom ran full speed toward it—in a dress and heels, no less.
A TikTok video shared by @lilythern shows a teacher sprinting down a school hallway with an overlay of text that reads, “This middle school teacher thought she was running to break up a fight.” As she runs into the classroom, she sees a couple of dozen students gathered in a tight circle and shouting. The teacher immediately starts pushing her way through the outside of the circle, yelling, “Hey! Break it up! Break it up!”
But there is no breaking up to be had. In fact, what she finds is the exact opposite.
As the students part to let her through, we see some of them holding up signs and smiling. Then we see a man down on one knee.
How fast was that adrenaline switch from fight-or-flight to genuine joy? Seriously, the fearlessness with which she ran into that room is as heartening as the proposal itself.
People in the comments loved it:
“She is so strong. She was running towards the chaos to stop it with her bare hands. What a fighter. This is the best proposal ever.”
“That was the ‘Not in my school!’ run! 😂😂😂😂”
“Fearless teachers are the ones that deserve the most respect.”
“Don’t marry her, she has to join the Avengers.”
The students were clearly thrilled to be a part of the sweet proposal, and the teacher’s immediate and enthusiastic “yes” made it all that much sweeter.
Definitely a moment none of these students—or their teacher—will ever forget.
Donald Trump has a lot of go-to stories he tells during softball interviews and at his epic rallies. But perhaps the funniest genre of Trump tall tale is the one where he claims someone or some-such ran up to him crying at how great he is. (Even his other son Eric has used this line recently.) If you didn’t think he was going to claim people were weepingly apologizing to him last week during his history-making arraignment, well, we have some voter fraud nonsense you might believe, too.
Tucker asks Trump about his experience at the NY courthouse: “I’ll tell you, people were crying. People that worked there professionally that have no problems putting in murderers .. they were crying. They were actually crying. They said, ‘I’m sorry.’” pic.twitter.com/KW6XTvaRjc
On Tuesday, Fox News shared a clip from Tucker Carlson’s sit-down with Trump — his first with him since he became the first U.S. president ever indicted on criminal charges (with more to possibly come). Among Tucker’s hard-hitting questions was what it was like spending 57 whole minutes being treated like a crook at a courthouse in Lower Manhattan. At least the employees there were (allegedly!) wonderful to him.
“They were incredible,” Trump claimed. “When I went to the courthouse which is also a prison in a sense, they signed me in and I’ll tell you people were crying. People that work there. Professionally work there that have no problems putting in murderers and they see everybody. It’s a tough, tough place and they were crying. They were actually crying. They said ‘I’m sorry.’”
Yeah. Sure they did, pal.
When Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg revealed that the former president was being indicted, his team offered him the chance to do the whole thing over Zoom. That way, he wouldn’t have to leave the resort in which he now lives. Trump declined, making the schlep up to the hometown that mostly hates his guts. Perhaps he thought he’d look like a strong martyr for his base. Reports, though, were that he looked “visibly shaken,” “gaunt,” and “afraid.”
Will Trump’s supporters find it hard to believe that employees at a courthouse were actually in tears as they took his fingerprints? They believe an election from two-and-a-half years ago was stolen despite the dearth of evidence, so probably.
In the midst of a busy weekend to wrap up the 2022-23 NBA regular season, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a bevy of headlines. Not only did starting forward Jaden McDaniels break his hand while punching a wall during a game, but Rudy Gobert also punched teammate Kyle Anderson, prompting a wide range of reactions around the league. Gobert is now suspended for Minnesota’s play-in matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers and, in advance of Tuesday’s play-in doubleheader, TNT’s Inside The NBA crew predictably discussed the fallout.
Even as Ernie Johnson attempted to defer the conversation to the next segment, Charles Barkley effectively did an impression of Gobert while (softly) punching Kenny Smith on the air.
After the amusing punch, Barkley then immediately backed up in a hurry. It all came with a smile, though Barkley made sure to get in a verbal jab of sorts on the way.
“I’m just going to tell y’all at home,” Barkley said. “You can’t hit somebody and run backwards.”
This probably won’t be the last time that Gobert gets the ire of the TNT panel but, in this instance, Barkley seemingly could not help himself. Even if the Wolves fall short in Los Angeles on Tuesday, they’ll have another chance to get into the playoffs by playing the winner of the 9-10 game in the West.
What will it take for the GOP to embrace gun control? It’s probably a stupid question, because it seems nothing — not even there being more mass shootings in America so far in 2023 than there have been days — will make Republicans more scared of being killed by bullets than they are of LGBTQIA+ people. And yet a certain SNL cast member just floated an idea on how to convert them that’s so outside-the-box that it might just work.
On Tuesday, Weekend Update co-anchor and top shelf April Fool’s Day prankster Michael Che took to Instagram with an idea on how to curb the nation’s gun violence epidemic, which among developed nations is singular to ours. He was inspired by a recent rightwing boycott of Bud Light, which teamed with trans TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
“ya kno… a lot of people are not drinking bud light, cause the company used a trans person in their ad,” Che wrote. “and these mostly right wing bud light customers have tossed all their bud lights in the trash in a blind rage.. and it got me ta’thinkin.. just hear me out..”
In the next slide Che revealed his idea: “what if we got trans people.. hear me out.. to do ads for guns..?”
If it takes Dylan Mulvaney — or maybe some drag queen they’ve ridiculously accused of “grooming” — doing an ad holding an AR-15 to get AR-15s banned, then so be it. So kudos, Michael Che, on an excellent idea that could cure the nation of its self-destructive addiction to dangerous weapons.
Among those triggered by a beer company working with a trans person was Texas representative Dan Crenshaw. Alas, his attempt to get in on the shenanigans backfired hilariously.
Is Elon Musk the most openly 420-friendly billionaire? Possibly. To our knowledge, Jeff Bezos hasn’t smoked a blunt with Joe Rogan. The Tesla/SpaceX guy — who also apparently also runs a now chaotic social media platform — loves weed jokes. He loves them so much that it’s not clear if he’s serious about removing all those pesky legacy blue checkmarks from Twitter on April 20, aka Marijuana Day.
Final date for removing legacy Blue checks is 4/20
Musk has had it out for legacy check-marked accounts, which he claims create an unfair hierarchy on a site allegedly meant to democratize the planet. His has never been a very sound argument; for one thing, he’s creating a new hierarchy by forcing people to pay for the formally free service just to get “verified.” Like most of Musk’s Twitter innovations since he took it over last November, it’s all been a terrible, sad mess, especially once he mucked with the language describing each person’s check mark so that it’s unclear who’s legacy and who’s forking over cash to have the illusion of legitimacy.
Dropping an ultimatum for when legacy check-marked users — including celebrities, journalists, publications, and other accounts of note, whose blue check was meant to show they’re.real and not an imposter — was clearly meant to pressure those who haven’t handed Musk a monthly amount to do so, and fast. Many of those with legacy accounts, including the White House, have balked at the idea and declared they won’t.
So maybe on Weed Day, a bunch of formerly verified accounts will suddenly go all naked. There may even be a mass exodus. There could be a rash of imposters flinging fake news about real people they’re not. Or maybe Musk will relent. Or maybe he’ll just not do any of this. Fun times on the online service that started as random people sharing what they had for dinner.
The current British Royal Family have always been a reliable source of creatively strange tabloid fodder. There’s even a generations-spanning Netflix show that’s among the juiciest in the streaming world. Somehow there’s still more unusual dirt to mine from them, including this new tidbit: Queen Elizabeth II did not stand in the way of Prince Harry serving in Afghanistan. Far from it.
As per The Daily Mail and the Telegraph, a new documentary on the British broadcaster ITV called The Real Crown reveals that the late Elizabeth II wanted not only Harry but also William to go abroad and fight for queen (i.e., her) and country. The monarch — who apparently had a “deep understanding” of the conflict, which lasted some 13 years, starting in 2001 — even held a meeting with the former head of the British army, telling him, “My grandsons have taken my shilling, therefore they must do their duty.”
What does “take my shilling” mean? It doesn’t mean Harry and William literally stole a measly amount of money from her. “Take the shilling” is an old British phrase meaning to enlist in the King’s army. Since at the time there was no king, Elizabeth II seemed to be doing a play on words. It also suggests both grandsons had enlisted of their own volition.
Alas, as we all know, only Harry served, but only because William was “heir to the throne,” and therefore, they reasoned, “the risk is too great” for him to go off to war. With the younger Harry, however, who was a couple people (including his father) behind in line to the throne, “the risk was acceptable.” Well, then.
Not that William was happy to be blocked from serving. One source says he was “very keen to go. Unequivocally,” but that it was all “complex, and some very great minds and experienced people took a view on it.”
And so Harry did not one tour in Afghanistan but two. He wrote about it in his mega-selling tell-all Spare, where he revealed he killed 25 Taliban fighters, and that his training made him dehumanize them, seeing adversaries not as people but as “chess pieces removed from the board.”
With their Night Court reboot, actor and producer Melissa Rauch (Big Bang Theory) took an idea that might have seemed like a joke (a really well-executed one by way of 30 Rock) and turned it into the rarest of things in this media moment: a reboot with heart and relevance of its own, allowing it to push back on the idea that it might be a hollow nostalgia play. Pulling in original co-star John Larroquette to appear opposite Rauch’s upbeat judge/daughter of original judge Harry Stone (Harry Anderson), the 2023 version of the ’80s classic leans on the quirky vibe (and sets) of the original to create a workplace multi-cam comedy with a lot of charm and a strong cast.
As Night Court (airing Tuesdays on NBC and Wednesdays on Peacock) heads toward the end of its first season with a renewal in hand, Uproxx spoke with Rauch about the journey to this point and why audiences respond to upbeat yet complex characters like her Abby Stone character and Ted Lasso.
The dynamic of working with your husband (Winston Beigel) on this where he’s your producing partner and your writing partner, how does the division of labor go?
For this project, we’re both producers on it, so we’re not writing. It’s really great just producing this together and getting to have that home relationship and then our work relationship too. It’s just really fun and special to create something with the person that you love.
Are there challenges, though, trying to keep those two worlds separate?
I think that I have to make a conscious effort to say, “Okay, we’re going into family time now,” because, of course, as we’re sitting at the dinner table with the kids, it could be tempting to start talking work stuff and things that we need to do for the day, so there’s definitely a mindfulness about saying, “Okay, this is family time now.” Because also, just even for being able to shut it off for both of us so that there is an end of work day, I think it’s important.
It just never ends if you don’t.
It’s so true. It started during the pandemic just from working from home. There wasn’t that, “Okay, I’m closing my office down. I have my drive home and that’s the end.” So, I think it’s definitely trying to find that balance for sure.
I’m sure you’ve answered this a million times, but why was this show the idea? What was it about the original that you both loved and also that you wanted to bring to audiences now?
I think the specific kind of humor that is Night Court, this absurdist, almost Vaudevillian-esque kind of comedy can be so broad and so heightened, and then you have these really special beautiful moments of heart that are layered in there, and this format really gives you the ability to do that. In a time in which we can all use some comfort and some laughter, having a show that you can tune into every week where you know that you’re going to not only get the laughter and the comedy, but the nostalgia, I think, is something that feels really good right now. I think when we watch shows that remind us of a time in our lives when maybe we were watching it with someone who meant a lot to us who may not be here anymore, I sort of liken it to a bit of a time machine that can take you back to that happiness, and I hope that’s what Night Court can be.
Is it nostalgia, you think, specifically for Night Court? Or, for that type of TV show?
I think it’s a little of both. As far as Night Court goes, we have the same exact sets from the original, granted they’re updated with some paint, but we really wanted to keep some of that time capsule effect of the fact that a government building probably wouldn’t have changed so much over the years. We also don’t really have that much technology on that set. I think that courtroom, you don’t see screens anywhere, it’s very much stuck in that time, and that was very deliberate. Revisiting a show that was so beloved, there’s obviously nostalgia in that, but I also love the multi-cam format, I think it’s such a special form of television that I so hope will continue. There’s nothing like a live studio audience. There’s electricity in the air on a tape night and a relationship between the cast and the audience that is just instant and right there.
Your character is so irrepressibly positive at points, but there are things that are going on under the surface that peak out, which I love. There’s a want for positivity in characters like this, why do you think that is and why do you think those characters really resonate with people right now?
I think that’s something that everyone wants in their life, even if it’s not something that you feel you can actively be or actively achieve. I think in a time where it feels like there’s a fair share of darkness around, it’s nice to see light reflected back at us. But I think it has to be done in a very specific way so that it’s not positivity for the sake of positivity or coming at you in a Pollyanna way and rooted in naivety about the world. That was something that was very important to us when we were developing Abby, that she’s not trying to see the best in people and seeing the sunny side of life because she just hasn’t experienced anything other than that. It had to come from a place of she’s seen darkness and she’s actively choosing the light on a daily basis. It’s one of the reasons we’ve delved into the recovery storyline, because there needs to be a level of grit and a level of realness for that to be able to be something that people can connect to, hopefully, because otherwise, especially with what we all have been through, I think otherwise it doesn’t come from a genuine place, so it was important for us to ground Abby in that.
Is there a part of you in this character and those choices? Is that important for you that there’s a part of you that you recognize?
I think there’s definitely a part of me in all the characters I play and I think something I emulate about Abby is her ability to always see the positive side of things. I think I’m generally a positive person, but it may take me a little longer to get there versus Abby starting her day that way.
Is there a part of the character that you play in The Bronze (Rauch’s indie comedy about a fallen gymnast’s road to redemption) that is like you? I love that movie.
You do? That’s so nice. That means so much to me because I think there might be just you and my mother who have seen it. It’s very near and dear to my heart. It just got wrapped up in a distribution issue. Anyway, thank you for that. Is there any of me in that character? I would say maybe that potty mouth. That’s it, I’ve been known to drop an F-bomb or two.
New episodes of ‘Night Court’ air Tuesday nights on NBC and stream Wednesdays on Peacock
House of the Dragon dubious patriarch Paddy Considine somehow didn’t receive a Golden Globe nomination earlier this year for his grueling work on the series. As King Viserys I, he literally disintegrated before our eyes, and Paddy has been frank about how the final few episodes also took a toll on his own health. Luckily, this was only a temporary effect, but his blood oxygen levels dropped and he threw his knee out. Meanwhile, viewers were shocked at his transformation as the king who had the least fun of all kings.
Entertainment Weekly recognizes the fine work done by Considine, so they interviewed him as part of their The Awards series, and the subject came up of him never being able to ride a dragon. And yes, Paddy admitted some envy, at first. He then revealed why he changed his mind:
“I was jealous early on. I’ve got a little nephew and he loves dragons. This was his thing. And when [news] it broke, ‘Your uncle Paddy’s gonna be the king of the dragons,’ his face was like, ‘Oh, great!’ And he starts asking questions: ‘Do you have a sword? Do you fight?’ ‘No. No, I don’t fight.’ ‘Do you fly dragons?’ ‘No.’ And you see his face like going, ‘What do you do?’ I’m like, ‘Well, I just sit on my ass all day on a spiky chair.’ [Laughs] But I was envious until I heard what an absolute drag is sitting up on that thing for 12 hours a day.”
Well, at least it looked like a little bit of fun when Emilia Clarke rode a fake dragon against a green screen. Maybe not, though!
Hopefully, Paddy will be recognized by the Emmys when nominations surface, but that won’t happen until July 12. In the meantime, House of the Dragon has begun shooting its second season without Viserys in tow. RIP to the Targaryen king who made so many bad calls but will remain beloved, even though he was a living corpse for over a decade.
District Made/New York Distilling/Neversink/Bluecoat/istock/Uproxx
If you only imbibe big-name gins and you take a moment to think of the country where most of your favorite gin is produced, the answer might be England or even Scotland. It’s probably not the U.S., and that’s a shame. With the rise of craft distilling in recent years, there are countless lesser-known, high-quality gins being produced all over the country from Spokane to St. Petersburg, FLA.
Today, take a step or two back from your usual mass-produced, popular gins and try one of these lesser-known American brands. These juniper and botanical bombs might not have the name recognition of the huge brands (although you’ve surely heard of some of these), but you’ll be very happy to add any of these gems to your liquor cabinet or bar cart.
To find them, we turned to the professionals who spend their days mixing drinks behind a bar. We asked a few well-known bartenders to tell us the American-made gins that deserve more attention. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Bluecoat Barrel-Finished
Bluecoat
Joshua Scheid, beverage manager at Rex at the Royal in Philadelphia
Even before moving to Philadelphia, Bluecoat American Dry Gin has been one of my favorite cocktail spirits. Recently, I’ve fallen in love with their Barrel-Finished expression, which takes their gin and aged it in new American oak for around eight months. With Bluecoat’s signature blend of American citrus peels, the aging highlights the delicate side of the botanicals, making a barrel-aged gin that is in turn rich and ethereal. It’s perfect for spring and summer cocktails, or sipping neat on my fire escape waiting for rain.
Tasting Notes:
Bluecoat’s uniquely cheerful botanical profile continues to shine, tempered now with a knowing depth of gently caramelized grapefruit peel and fragrant wood. It’s fantastic in a Negroni (especially with earthier vermouth), and it really shines in a Martinez.
St. George Terroir Gin
St. George
Brandon Ristaino, co-founder and beverage director at Good Lion Hospitality in Santa Barbara, California
We are big fans of distiller Lance Winters at St. George Spirits in Alameda, California. His gin portfolio is incredible, and a true expression of Northern California terroir is expressed in their St. George Terroir Gin.
Tasting Notes:
The gin tastes like a No Cal coastal forest, and that’s a good thing. Notes of Douglas fir, toasted coriander, coastal sage, and light citrus make for a gin that is equally at home in a Spanish-style gin and tonic (throw in some rosemary) or enjoyed on the rocks.
Neversink Gin
Neversink
Keith Meicher, beverage director at Sepia in Chicago
One American-made gin that deserves much more attention is Neversink out of New York. It’s an apple-based gin, which in itself is compelling, and the botanicals used in the distillate are chosen by how well they complement that apple base.
Tasting Notes:
On the palate, I get a lot of cinnamon, cardamom, and elderflower. It’s a delicious gin that’s great neat or mixed into your favorite cocktail.
Barr Hill Gin
Barr Hill
Danmy Nguyen, bartender at The Ballantyne in Charlotte, North Carolina
Barr Hill Gin from Vermont is a unique product that is made in small batches. Raw honey is added after distillation giving the spirit a unique blossom note. Use this gin for the best bee knees you’ll ever have.
Tasting Notes:
Juniper, pine, wildflowers, and spices are tempered by the addition of honey sweetness. It’s a truly unique gin that deserves your attention.
Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin
New York Distilling
Thomas Muscolino, director of beverage innovation at Landmark Hospitality in Plainfield, New Jersey
Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin from the New York Distilling Company is my pick. This gin was developed in collaboration with Simon Ford. At 57% ABV, it shines beautifully in cocktails like a Negroni or last word.
Tasting Notes:
Juniper forward with a touch of sweetness from the wildflower honey from upstate New York, it finishes with some notes of citrus and cinnamon.
While there are a lot of great American-made gins, District Made Ivy City Gin is a fantastic expression worthy of consideration. Full-bodied and 80 proof, Ivy City Gin holds its own in the world of cocktails adding nuanced spice-forward layering in a Southside or by adding depth to the raspberry-laced floradora. Make sure to sample their Barrel Rested Ivy City Gin which spends six months in new American oak and ex-bourbon barrels highlighting the spiced botanicals and makes a killer Negroni.
Tasting Notes:
With the juniper characteristics slightly subdued in relation to the classic London dry style, the rye-forward mash bill is almost creamy and complements the spice-forward botanicals including grains of paradise, allspice, and spice bush. The aromatics are wonderful with underlying green notes and a lovely hint of bright citrus and lemon verbena.
Letherbee Gin Autumnal Release
Letherbee Gin
Alex Barbatsis, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago
Letherbee makes wonderful gins. They release limited edition gins using different techniques for a unique twist on their original formula. Their 2021 Autumnal release has bergamot and cacao nib that makes for an amazing negroni and their 2023 edition is rested in two different French oak barrels.
Tasting Notes:
This gives it big round toasted notes that work quite well with almond and bright flavors. Try it in a Saturn cocktail with passion fruit, orgeat, falernum, and fresh lemon juice.
Wolf Point Florence Field Gin
Wolf Point
Mario Flores, beverage director at Maple & Ash in Chicago
Florence Field is definitely a gin that deserves more hype. It’s made by Wolf Point Distilling right here in Illinois and they do a great job highlighting key Chicago historical moments in their labels.
Tasting Notes:
The gin itself is very elegant and has nice floral flavors. It’s filled with fruit and citrus flavors as well as light spices.
Koval Dry Gin is a great American-made gin. It comes from a solid Chicago distillery with great ethics and even better gin. This award-winning gin is juniper-forward and extremely floral in aroma and flavor.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of pine, juniper, and wildflowers. The palate continues this with notes of coriander, juniper, and rose water.
Fords Gin
Fords
Rob Noyola, bar manager at Oy Bar in Studio City, California
Fords Gin is well-known but still deserves more acclaim. To me, the martini is such a personal drink whether served up with a twist, dry, wet, 50/50, or skating on ice. I make it a point to find out how my guest likes this iconic cocktail. The dirty martini is something that I’ve come to appreciate as my desire for savory cocktails has increased.
Tasting Notes:
When deciding how to make a dirty gin martini, my workhorse gin is always Ford’s Gin for its subtle warmth, body, and versatility in cocktails. It has a great balance of herbs, botanicals, and juniper.
Actor Jeremy Renner has undoubtedly received a ton of warm wishes and thoughtful gestures following his snow plow accident on New Year’s Day. But one special message from Paul Rudd is its own special kind of wholesome.
While appearing as a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to promote his new Disney+ series “Rennervations,” the “Hawkeye’ actor revealed that his fellow Avenger sent a gag video in the form of a very awkward fake Cameo video.
“Anybody know Cameo, where you can pay money and they get some movie star to say, ‘Hey, happy birthday?'” Renner asked the audience.
Well, Rudd apparently decided to troll Renner during his recovery, Cameo-style. Because that’s what friends are for, right?
In the clip, which is complete with a little Cameo logo on the screen, Rudd quips, “Hi Jerry, I hear you’re a little banged up. Got in a fight with a snowblower, apparently?” Not even getting Renner’s first name right. LOL-worthy, I tell you.
He continues, “Anyway, I just wanted to send this video. It’s really from the heart. I hope you’re feeling better. Sounds like you are. Apparently, you’re a pretty tough guy. Maybe I’ll get to meet you one day. Wouldn’t that be something?”
He then concludes with a giggle, “In the meantime, take care, and take it easy for a while. And next time, maybe just let the snow melt.”
Perhaps the funniest bit of all is how desperately Rudd needs to wipe his camera lens.
Watch below:
Often when we are going through a tough time, it’s our goofball friends who seem to help lift our spirits the most. Here’s to all the clowns who know that laughter really is the best medicine.
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