Coldplay‘s music has long been a source of joy for millions of fans, and now, they are reaching out to even more fans. With several universal hits — like “Yellow,” “Clocks,” and “Fix You” — in their arsenal, fans from all walks of life gather in droves for their concerts. In a recent interview with Conan O’Brien on his Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast Coldplay lead vocalist Chris Martin revealed that his girlfriend, actress Dakota Johnson, pointed him in the direction of special technology that allows lovers of music to enjoy live performances more.
“They are called SubPacs,” said Martin. “my partner, gave me one as a gift because she saw someone online experiencing whatever they are experiencing with this—it’s kind of like body armor—you put it on and plug it in and it connects to the base.”
Johnson suggested that Martin begin utilizing the technology at Coldplay concerts after meeting a woman in the hearing-impaired community who used the technology.
“So, we started using it and it’s been so amazing and it should get better and better,” Chris continued. “We have ten or twenty now—every night—of those packs and so if you’re hearing impaired we have an area where you sign up and you put on the pack and you can feel the show.”
Martin admitted that while the technology is expensive, it’s worth it, as it makes the fan experience more enjoyable and accessible for everyone.
“…they are amazing and the things that people do to consider other people are just wonderful.”
Today (March 24), Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in a Utah courtroom to testify in the skiing-based civil trial regarding an alleged crash that took place in 2016.
During her testimony, Paltrow was questioned by attorney Kristin VanOrman, who is representing plaintiff Terry Sanderson, who claims Paltrow ran into him on a Utah ski slope in 2016. Paltrow herself is countersuing for only $1, in a similar move to Taylor Swift‘s 2017 sexual assault trial, in which she countersued DJ David Mueller for $1 on the grounds of sexual assault and battery, after he sued her, claiming she led him to be wrongfully terminated in 2013.
VanOrman asked Paltrow if had heard about the idea of suing for $1 through Swift, which she denied.
In a clip shared by Entertainment Tonight, Paltrow revealed that while she was not aware of this when VanOrman had first asked, she has since become aware.
Gwyneth Paltrow gets interrogated about whether she’s friends with Taylor Swift during ski accident trial due to her countersuit being $1, the same amount as Taylor’s lawsuit in 2017.
VanOrman then proceeded to ask if Paltrow was good friends with Swift, to which she responded, “No.”
“I would not say we are good friends,” says Paltrow of her relationship with Swift. “We are friendly. I’ve taken my kids to one of her concerts before, but we don’t talk very often.”
VanOrman then referred to an ad by Paltrow’s company, Goop, from the 2021 holiday season. In the aforementioned ad, Paltrow is seen putting one of her Goop vibrators into a gift bag meant for Taylor Swift.
In the courtroom, VanOrman asked Paltrow if she’s ever given Swift “personal, intimate gifts for Christmas.”
The judge is then heard asking for clarification on this question’s relevance.
Rudy Giuliani has been known to exaggerate on occasion — like the time he compared being patted on the back by a grocery store employee to being “shot.” Or when, just the other day, he claimed that indicting Donald Trump could be “the kind of thing that ends a civilization.” The former New York City mayor is clearly in a storytelling kind of mood because he spit out what sounds to be another tall tale this week when he recounted the harrowing tale of having his plane chased down by… George Soros?
As Mediaite reports, Soros is a billionaire philanthropist and Holocaust survivor who has long been an enemy of the right because of his extreme generosity to progressives. He also happens to be 92 years old. But that didn’t stop Giuliani from telling a slightly unbelievable story about his now-infamous 2019 trip to Ukraine, where he attempted to gather dirt on the Biden family and anyone else who wasn’t Trump.
In short, Rudy claims that Soros himself made his way onto the tarmac and attempted to chase Giuliani and company’s private plane down to stop it from taking off when they were departing Ukraine. Yes, you read that correctly. Here’s how Giuliani explained it:
Soros tried to figure out how we were leaving, to cut off — we got a private plane, he was gonna cut it off. We were originally on a plane the next morning, we knew they were gonna cause trouble at the airport. They were gonna cause trouble with our visa, cause trouble with this, cause trouble with that. So we rented a private plane that night, but we didn’t realize he controls the private airport, and he found out we rented the plane, but he couldn’t get there in time.
Rudy claims that when he went to take his infamous trip to Ukraine, George Soros drove a car out onto the airport tarmac chasing after his plane to try and block it from taking off. pic.twitter.com/1jSD1cuavW
When pressed further, however, the story changed a bit — from Soros not being able to get there in time to him actually being in a car that tried to physically intervene with the plane’s takeoff.
“They tried to stop us,” Giuliani said. “They tried to come out on the jetway.”
Rudy — who once described himself as “more of a Jew” than Soros – did not elaborate on why the billionaire would attempt to stop him from leaving Ukraine.
History has been made in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. On Friday night in the Sweet 16, San Diego State took down Alabama and Miami knocked off Houston, a pair of upsets that made it so there were no longer and 1-seeds left in the field. As a result, this year’s tournament marked the first time in history that no team with a 1 next to their name made it to the Elite Eight in the men’s or women’s tournaments.
The Crimson Tide, the No. 1 overall seed in the field, ran into the issue that was San Diego State’s ruthless defense. The team shot a paltry 23-for-71 (32.4 percent) from the field and 3-for-27 (11.1 percent) from behind the three-point line, with star forward Brandon Miller in particular struggling, as he scored nine points on 3-for-19 shooting with 11 rebounds, three assists, and six turnovers. And while the Aztecs weren’t much more efficient — 26-for-69 and 6-for-17 from three — they were just a little bit better and their defense gave Bama headaches, while veteran guard Darrion Trammell led them with 21 points.
— CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) March 25, 2023
While Alabama couldn’t hit a shot, Houston’s opponent on the night could not miss. The Cougars and their usually stingy defense ran into a scorching hot night by the Hurricanes, which won 89-75, the most that the AAC champions allowed in a game this season. Every Miami player hit double-digits on the evening, with Nijel Pack’s 26 points on 7-for-10 from behind the three-point line and Isaiah Wong’s 20 leading the way.
— CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) March 25, 2023
Previously, Purdue got upset by Fairleigh Dickinson in the opening round, while Kansas fell to Arkansas in the round of 32. Two more game, Princeton vs. Creighton and Xavier vs. Texas, will determine the rest of the field in the Regional Semifinals.
Disney’s live-action version of The Little Mermaid is one of this spring’s most anticipated films. This week, as we are less than two months out, Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel in the upcoming film, was seen at Disney World. A young fan spotted her and gave her a hug, holding onto Bailey as Bailey held the girl tight.
The fan’s mom shared a clip of the interaction to her Instagram stories, and though there is a lot of background noise in the clip, we can hear the mom telling Bailey, “Ariel’s her favorite.”
Bailey is also heard in the clip telling the mom, “she’s so beautiful and sweet.”
Later, Bailey shared the clip to her own social media pages, writing, “she made my whole day” on Twitter.
A first look at the live-action Little Mermaid was revealed last September. Upon the release, several parents shared clips of their young Black daughters’ reactions to the teaser, many of which were joyful and elated.
Bailey took to Twitter at the time to express her happiness toward the reactions over the teaser.
“people have been sending these reactions to me all weekend and i’m in truly in awe,” she wrote. “this means the world to me.”
people have been sending these reactions to me all weekend and i’m in truly in awe this means the world to me https://t.co/cuKjKN8nxH
A man allegedly traveled from North Carolina to Los Angeles to visit Rihanna at her home, TMZ, is reporting. But before he could meet her, the man was reportedly greeted by the “Work” hitmaker’s security. Soon after the cops were called to Rihanna’s home, and immediately put the man in handcuffs.
According to TMZ, the man was planning to propose to Rihanna, who is currently expecting her second child with ASAP Rocky. Authorities reportedly found that the man had not broken the law, but was evidently asked to never return to her home again.
At the time of writing, neither Rihanna nor ASAP Rocky have directly commented on the matter.
Earlier this week, Rihanna had a more pleasant interaction with a fan while she was out shopping. Stas Roimen, a Kenyan content creator based in LA, shared videos and selfies of her with the superstar, whom she ran into at Bristol Farms.
According to Roimen, it was a lovely encounter.
“I had such a genuine long conversation with her; I almost forgot to take a photo,” said Roimen in the caption of an Instagram post. “I can’t wait to interview you @badgalriri one of these days. Our convo & your kindness lives rent free in my mind FOREVER EVER.”
The first half of Friday’s game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the San Diego State Aztecs in the Sweet 16 could be kindly described as a defensive battle. Alabama’s potent offense featuring projected top-5 pick Brandon Miller only shot 27 percent from the field and 1-for-11 on threes. San Diego State did its best to out-shoot its opponent by going 32 percent from the field in the first half. Both teams played a very physical brand of basketball, but sometimes the pressures of a single-elimination tournament can morph physicality into the absurd.
Here is an example of that. With five minutes remaining in the half, Alabama’s Jahvon Quinerly went to box out San Diego State’s Nathan Mensah and got a little more than he bargained for.
It’s not often you see a player boxing out called for a flagrant, but apparently, grabbing someone under the butt like you’re trying to give them a piggyback ride is not a basketball play. Then again, you could argue that a piggyback ride should be a common foul and not a flagrant — the contact was not excessive and Quinerly was simply trying to hold his San Diego State opponent in the air so that he would land softly. With Alabama facing elimination and on pace to score a season-low 46 points, it’s hard to blame Quinerly for trying to maximize their possessions.
It looks like the Hailey Bieber vs. Selena Gomez saga could finally be coming to an end. Over the past few weeks, fans of both the influencer and the pop singer have been engaged in social media fan wars, after the respective entertainers posted cryptic videos and photos seemingly taking shots at each other. This morning (March 24), Gomez took to her Instagram stories to urge her fans and followers to stop sending hate to Bieber.
“This isn’t what I stand for,” said Gomez. “No one should have to experience hate or bullying. I’ve always advocated for kindness and really want this all to stop.”
Later in the day, Bieber wrote on her own Instagram stories, thanking Gomez for her directive to her fans.
“Things can always be taken out of context or construed differently than they were intended,” said Bieber. “We all need to be more thoughtful about what we post and what we say, including myself.”
Does this mean their alleged feud is all over? Let’s hope so. We don’t need any inspiration for the second season of Swarm.
You can see Bieber’s full message below.
Via Instagram
“I want to thank Selena for speaking out, as her and I have been discussing the past few weeks how to move past this ongoing narrative between her and I.
The last few weeks have been very hard for everyone involved and millions of people are seeing so much hate around this which is extremely harmful. While social media is an incredible way to connect and build community, moments like this only create extreme division instead of bringing people together.
Things can always be taken out of context or construed differently than they were intended. We all need to be more thoughtful about what we post and what we say, including myself. In the end, I believe love will always be bigger than hate and negativity, and there is always an opportunity to meet each other with more empathy and compassion.”
Flavored whiskey is a divisive sector of the spirits world. Flavored bourbons, favored gins, and flavored spirits in general always feel like they’re hiding something sinister (crappy booze, usually). After all, do we really need a “chocolate whiskey” when we have plenty of well-made whiskeys (from all categories) that can coax those flavors from the yeast, grain, and oak naturally without additives?
Moreover, the sweetness of a lot of flavored whiskeys can be an assault on your taste buds — muting pretty much everything else.
On the other hand, flavored whiskeys can be fun and inspired. If the flavored whiskey in question delivers on what’s promised on the label with more nuance than just a sugar bomb, then it can actually shine. And as someone who judges this stuff at international spirits competitions, I can assure you that there is some good flavored whiskey out there (alongside a fair bit of absolute dog shit).
All of this is to say that it’s time for another flavored whiskey blind taste test. I grabbed 12 bottles of new and classic flavored whiskey from my shelf for this tasting. That makes our lineup today the following bottles:
TX Texas Flavor Series Blended Whiskey with Natural Coffee Flavor
Stillhouse Apple Crisp Whiskey
Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple
When it comes to ranking these bottles, it’s all about taste. Does the whiskey immediately deliver the flavor profile it’s going for? How real does that flavor feel? And do I know I’m drinking whiskey? These are all important points, sure. But whether it tastes good and is well-balanced is really the most important factor. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Palate: That massive sweet cherry candy dominates the palate with a hint of woody bourbon underneath.
Finish: Cherry syrup to the point that this feels like the cherry syrup add-in for Coke.
Initial Thoughts:
This is cherry through and through and so freaking sweet that it hurts my teeth.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fresh and juicy pineapple pops on the nose with a hint of lemon juice, orange rinds, and grapefruit pith.
Palate: A hint of malted caramel underpins a rush of fresh pineapple juice, pineapple skins, and a pineapple woody core next to malty whisky with a hint of vanilla and winter spice.
Finish: The end feels like a rummy whisky tropical cocktail with plenty of fresh orange, lime, and pineapple and a nice pinch of brown spice.
Initial Thoughts:
This is … delicious. The pineapple is super fresh and vibrant and the whisky is clearly there.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Butterscotch and peanut butter mingle with milk chocolate and a hint of vanilla.
Palate: The taste is all about that chocolate with fresh marshmallows and a touch of butterscotch.
Finish: Chocolate and marshmallow dominate the sweet finish.
Initial Thoughts:
This was a bit muddled — too much cheap butterscotch — but stuck the landing with a clear sense of chocolate and marshmallow.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a mild sense of green rye whiskey with apple skins, mild sour cherry, and bitter spice barks.
Palate: Those spice barks keep the taste bitter with a sense of herbal rye whiskey — dill and pine resin heavy — next to more sour cherry.
Finish: The end really leans into the rye whiskey of it all with a sweet sense of sour cherry and brown sugar.
Initial Thoughts:
This was the most whiskey-forward pour so far. It needs ice to calm down that bitterness though.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is clearly salted caramel on the nose with a mild sweetness and a hint of vanilla and spice.
Palate: The palate is buttery and, well, full of salted caramel.
Finish: The end is very sweet but that sweetness stays attached to that caramel all the way.
Initial Thoughts:
This is salted caramel and nothing else. I like it, but I don’t know if I’m drinking whiskey at all.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Clear whiskey notes mingle with woody cherry on the nose.
Palate: That woody cherry gets bitter and sour on the palate with a mild green whiskey vibe.
Finish: The end is cherry but filtered through tartness and bitterness.
Initial Thoughts:
At least it wasn’t overly sweet.
Taste 7
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a cinnamon bomb that’s countered by fresh — almost wet — fir and pine needles on the nose.
Palate: The taste is like taking in a whole, fresh Christmas wreath decorated with holly berries, cinnamon sticks, and winter botanical bunches.
Finish: Bold cinnamon and fresh fir trees dominate the end.
Initial Thoughts:
This is Christmas in a glass.
Taste 8
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This is a cinnamon bomb on the nose.
Palate: The palate is like Red Hots or Hot Tamales turned into a drink.
Finish: Very sweet and very sharp cinnamon candies drive the finish home.
Initial Thoughts:
Again, this is Red Hots in a glass. It tastes exactly like those candies with nary a sense of whisky anywhere.
Taste 9
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Thick chili-spiced drip coffee dominates the nose with a hint of sour cherry and maybe some stewed apple.
Palate: That heavy chili-infused coffee drives the palate toward a mild sense of sour cherries dipped in dark chocolate.
Finish: The dark chocolate bitterness melds with the dry red chili on the finish with a slight sense of tart coffee.
Initial Thoughts:
This is a glass of spicy, sour, and bitter coffee.
Taste 10
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Stewed apples, soft caramel, and corn-fueled moonshine pop on the nose.
Palate: Fresh apple cider and uncut oats drive the palate with a hint of caramel and a touch of nuttiness.
Finish: The end feels like good apple cider cut with good ol’ corn-based ‘shine.
Initial Thoughts:
This was pretty good and clearly flavored without too much sweetness.
Taste 11
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fake peanuts and grain alcohol dominate the nose.
Palate: Plasticky vanilla extract and more fake peanuts arrive on the palate.
Finish: The end is kind of peanutty with an ethanol feel.
Initial Thoughts:
This is hot garbage.
Taste 12
Zach Johnston
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has sweet apple cider on the nose, almost Red Delicious, with a sense of the wood apple press.
Palate: The taste continues the apple cider vibe — not the bubbly kind but those little stubby Martinelli’s Apple Cider bottles.
Finish: The end is smooth and leads toward an apple cider oak barrel with a touch of spice.
Initial Thoughts:
This was pretty okay overall. It wasn’t too sweet and there was a sense of whiskey thanks to the woodiness.
This Texas-based flavored whiskey is all about Fort Worth coffee flavors. That’s accomplished by combining TX whiskey with coffee from Avoca Coffee Roasters.
Bottom Line:
This tasted weird. The flavors just didn’t come together. I didn’t know if I was tasting a chili-flavored whiskey with bitter coffee/chocolate notes or vice versa. And there was no whiskey flavor at all. Skip.
The base whiskey is made from 60% organic rye and 40% organic wheat up in Michigan. The whiskey is then aged with Michigan Montmorency cherries before bottling.
Bottom Line:
This tastes like chewing on a piece of cherry bark. I’d skip.
This starts with a blend of 100% corn whiskeys with a couple of two-year-old bourbons. That juice is mixed with “natural flavors” of salted caramel to create the final product. Amazingly, they’ve made a sweet-flavored whiskey that holds to 1 gram of sugar per serving as well.
Bottom Line:
This tastes exactly like a good salted caramel candy. It doesn’t taste anything like whiskey though. If you’re looking for a great salted caramel syrup with booze in it, then get this.
This new flavored whiskey from Stillhouse (released March 2023) is made with Stillhouse’s corn-based whiskey. The whiskey is flavored with peanut butter, bitter chocolate, and roasted marshmallow via “all-natural flavors.”
Bottom Line:
This was fine. I got way more chocolate and marshmallow than peanut butter, making it kind of muddled in the end.
This ready-to-drink (kind of — you’ll have to do the diluting) whiskey is a blend of three American ryes and two Irish whiskeys. That’s flavored with cherry and aromatic bitters to give it a Manhattan vibe.
Bottom Line:
This was fine too. It needed dilution and rock for sure. I don’t know if it’s worth the price though when there are so many great whiskeys at $50 to make Manhattans with.
Jack Daniel’s starts by making their own apple liqueur before adding in a dose of their Old No. 7 to remind you that you’re drinking the good stuff.
Bottom Line:
This felt pretty legit with a nice apple cider vibe and a touch of whiskey underneath. Overall, this is clearly for mixing but isn’t overly sweet by any stretch.
This is Stillhouse’s famed 100% clear corn whiskey blended with their apple crisp liqueur.
Bottom Line:
This was edging toward deliciousness. It was so clearly apple with a freshly-pressed feel to it. There was nice depth and a clear — very moonshine-y — whiskey vibe. I can see this mixing with ginger beer and lime juice for a great refreshing spring/summer highball easily.
This is probably the most famous flavored whiskey in the world. The whiskey in the bottle starts off with Sazerac’s Canadian whisky that’s blended with a bespoke cinnamon liqueur.
Bottom Line:
This delivers. It’s a sharp, spicy, and sweet cinnamon that’s exactly like a Hot Tamale or Red Hot candy. I didn’t get any whisky in the mix really, but the cinnamon flavor was so good that I can forgive that. If you want the ultimate cinnamon shot/experience, this is the obvious choice.
2. American Beach Whiskey Co. Bonfire Cinnamon — Taste 7
This claims to have one-third the sugar as America’s “leading cinnamon whiskey” (see right above). The clear whiskey is made with a bespoke cinnamon liqueur.
Bottom Line:
Again, this is Christmas in a glass. There’s actual nuance to this one that goes beyond a cinnamon candy bomb. If you want a little more from your cinnamon candy whiskey, then grab this (though maybe wait until the holidays?).
This new release from Buchanan’s Blended Scotch Whisky is a flavored scotch that’s technically a “Spirit Drink.” Semantics aside, this is a mix of iconic Buchanan’s Blended Scotch with pineapple, citrus, and “natural flavors.”
Bottom Line:
This is just delicious. If you’re looking for a great, summery mixing Scotch whisky (or whiskey in general) for mixing bright fruity summery drinks, then this is the play. It also tastes pretty damn nice over some rocks.
Part 3: Final Thoughts on the Flavored Whiskey
Zach Johnston
Brasstacks, the top five flavored whiskeys on this list are the only ones you really need to care about. You can easily skip the rest.
Amongst that top five, Stillhouse Apple Crisp is a great standout for a nice highball. Fireball is annoyingly good if you’re looking for a cinnamon candy bomb. But it’s the Buchanan’s Pineapple that really shines. It feels real. That means everything with flavored whiskeys like this.
The Negroni variation is a fantastic take on the classic cocktail. The earthiness and smoky nature of a good mezcal play very well with the botanical bitterness of the Campari and the floral sweetness of the vermouth. Add in a little orange oil and you’re in for a real treat that’s bright, refreshing, and very quaffable.
The best part?
This drink is so easy to make. As with any Negroni, you can build it in a glass, stir, and drop an orange wedge in if you want. That’s a good way to go, especially if you’re already on spring break and on the beach. But taking a little bit more time by stirring this one adds a nice velvety texture that helps it pop that little bit more. Sound good? Let’s get stirring then!
Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months
I like using Los Siete Misterios Doba-Yej. It has a great depth to it for a joven (unaged) mezcal. There’s an earthiness that’s slightly sweet with a mild smokiness that never overpowers, even when poured neat. The next essential is the Campari. You really can’t skip this one.
Add the mezcal, Campari, and vermouth to a mixing glass. Add a handful of ice and stir until the glass is ice-cold to touch.
Fetch the glass from the freezer, add a large cube of fresh ice, and then strain the cocktail into the glass.
Express the oils from the orange peel over the cocktail and rub it around the rim and bowl of the glass and then discard. Serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
Oh, yes, this is tasty. I’m hooked. The roasted agave comes through with a hint of sweetness next to deep and earthy smoke that’s muted by the Campari’s bitterness and botanicals. The sweet vermouth just works with the mezcal and they both pop. The texture is soft and lush.
The orange oils help brighten the whole drink up to the point that it almost feels sunny, kind of like sitting under a big shady tree on a sunny day in a crumbling brick courtyard with this drink in your hand. It’s a nice feeling and screams al fresco dining, which is what we should all be doing as spring warms up.
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(@RonFilipkowski) 
(@CBSSportsCBB) 
this means the world to me 
