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Saturday Night Live has had a broad variety of musical guests over the decades, and while the performances mostly go well, sometimes, there’s friction. Some (in)famous appearances have reportedly led to artists being banned: Acts like Sinéad O’Connor, Rage Against The Machine, David Bowie, and a few others have gone down in SNL lore for supposedly earning a seal of disapproval.

That said, per Lorne Michaels (who has been running SNL since the beginning), no musician has ever actually been banned from the show.

In the new Questlove-co-directed documentary Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years Of SNL Music, Michaels explained (as Consequence notes):

“I’ll read it sometimes in the Post: ‘So and so’s banned for life.’ We’ve never banned anyone. We’re way too crass and opportunistic. If something’s hot, we’re going to go for it and have it on.”

O’Connor, of course, generated controversy for tearing a photograph of Pope John Paul II during a 1992 episode. Meanwhile, in 1996, RATM attempted to perform while displaying upside-down American flags, but they were removed before the band’s performance. Elsewhere in the new documentary, Tom Morello reveals some more behind-the-scenes info about the episode, including how the band ended up being locked in their dressing room by the Secret Service.

WNBA free agency got started with a blockbuster trade on Sunday, as the Storm, Aces, and Sparks agreed to a three-team deal that sent Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas, Kelsey Plum to Los Angeles, and the No. 2 overall pick to Seattle.

On Tuesday, we got our second major trade of the week when word broke from ESPN’s Alexa Philippou that longtime Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas was going to the Phoenix Mercury in a trade. Thomas was set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but was given the core designation by the Sun meaning she would have to get moved via a trade. As for what the Sun are getting in return, that remains a mystery for the moment.

Thomas, who has finished in the top-5 in MVP voting in each of the last three years, is a 5-time All-Star and has led the Sun to a pair of Finals appearances in her 11 seasons in Connecticut. She is one of the best defenders and passers in the WNBA, and will bring one of the league’s most unique skillsets and toughest personalities to Phoenix. Thomas will join a very talented Mercury roster, headlined by Kahleah Copper, Natasha Cloud, and (until she says otherwise regarding retirement) Diana Taurasi. Brittney Griner, meanwhile, is a free agent, and adding Thomas signals the Mercury aren’t going to wait around for their longtime star center to make a decision to add reinforcements to the roster — even if they certainly could bring her back as well.

The challenge for second-year head coach Nate Tibbetts will be figuring out how to best get all of those players in their preferred spots, but adding Thomas gives them a superstar caliber addition and will make them a threat to other top teams in the WNBA in 2025.

One of the best parts of traveling includes learning about new cultures and putting yourself outside of your comfort zone. However, sometimes if there’s a big language barrier, unfamiliar public transportation, navigation issues, or rules you’re unaware of (like the one I learned about in South Korea, that it’s part of the culture to be completely silent on the subways out of respect to each other), among other factors, it can lead to a stressful time if you don’t plan properly.

I’ve traveled to nearly 60 countries, and after visiting Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore, I’ve seen some of the most beautiful views, met the kindest people, ate delicious food, and experienced Southeast Asian cultures on trips I’ll never forget. Yet, I still have a desire to see more.

When I knew I wanted to visit South Korea, I looked into tour companies that valued my love of adventure, culinary experiences, and art, which is when I came across Intrepid. As someone who travels solo often, I definitely see how traveling with a group, especially an age-specific group, could be beneficial. We all got very close, very fast and some of the shared activities would’ve been less fun if I was on my own.

Here’s my guide.

Getting to South Korea

On my way to South Korea flying with Cathay Pacific Airlines, I ended up with a long layover in Taiwan. With this long layover, I learned that you don’t need a visa to get into Taiwan and decided to leave the airport. I ended up doing my own thing just because I wanted to visit a specific food market, the Nanmen Market, but I learned that there are free tours from the airport as long as you have the time.

If you don’t fly Cathay Pacific Airlines, look into the Turkish Airlines flights to Seoul. Turkish Airlines actually has delicious food thanks to their chef in the sky program in business class, making the journey to Seoul (and it’s a long one), enjoyable, too.

How Intrepid Travel Works

Below, I break down the individual activities that we did through the Intrepid Travel group trip. Everything is included in the price, and when it comes to the activities, restaurants, experiences, etc., many are unique to Intrepid Tours (some experiences and restaurants without websites or unavailable to book on your own).

This itinerary starts in Seoul, then goes to Jeonju and Busan before heading back to Seoul, South Korea. Their pricing fluctuates, but on average the trip costs around $1,700 USD.

 

PART I — Where To Stay in Seoul

L7 Hongdae Hotel

 

I made my way into the hotel and immediately the first thing I noticed was the street art style playful murals throughout the hotel entrance. The location of L7 Hongdae is convenient walking distance from a lot. Not only does the hotel have their own coffee shop and cocktail bars on property, but it’s in a great neighborhood where there’s a good amount of young travelers, locals, live music, karaoke bars, restaurants and shops to explore. Adding to that, the shops stay open until midnight. We were shopping for clothes until about then, and the streets were packed with no evidence of closing anytime soon, so we felt safe walking back to our hotel. The nightlife is booming here and you could make the most of your days exploring this area. The rooftop pool comes in clutch during those warmer months, and the rooms are cozy. Minimalistic with a comfortable bed to dive into after a long travel day.

KEY AMENITIES

• Free high-speed wired/wireless Internet
• L7 signature drip coffee
• Fitness Center with the latest exercise equipment from -TechnoGym
• Bathrobe
• Great selection on the breakfast buffet

ROOM RATE

Rooms start around $250. This is covered under the cost with Intrepid.

BOOK HERE

 

Where To Stay in Jeonju

Hanok village stay at GGotjari Hanok, 꽃자리한옥

Staying in a transition Hanok Village is a niche kind of stay, but worth exploring. Hanoks are not the place to go if you want a luxury stay with a big soaking tub, balcony with a view, or strong Wi-Fi. It’s the place that you go to unplug with very basic, minimalistic amenities. That’s the point. To give you an idea, some of the rooms don’t even have beds, but more of a cushioned mat on the ground to connect you to the earth and the shower is the same room as the toilet, with a small drain in the middle of the room and slippers to throw on, so you’re not walking in the wet water if you have to use the toilet. Why stay here? Intrepid found it important to offer this as an experience because it brings you a sense of the culture. The Hanok Village owners, Yeong Seng & Paiksonok, were so lovely and welcoming. The outside design of the hanok wooden frame is thoughtfully designed and the rooms are clean. It’s just a few minutes walking to town with cute shops, places to eat, and even a 24 hour Korean bath house which is quite nice if you wake up with jet lag.

KEY AMENITIES

• Very clean
• Great location
• Truthfully, not much. That’s the point, to bring it to the most minimalistic level.

ROOM RATE

Rooms start around $65 USD.

BOOK HERE

Where To Stay in Busan

 

Felix by STX Hotel and Suites

Felix by STX is a basic hotel stay with a comfortable bed and a great location when staying in Busan. I had a patio which was nice to bring in some fresh air. The room is large with a small kitchen section. Nothing truly out of the ordinary, but a clean, convenient place to sleep. The city is quite large, so getting around you might need to plan on taking a few Ubers. That said, this hotel is a great location to explore some bars and restaurants in the area. The Haeundae neighborhood has a youthful crowd, ready to enjoy the nightlife.

KEY AMENITIES

• Free Wi-Fi
• Breakfast
• Free parking
• Air-conditioned

ROOM RATE

Rooms start around $170 USD.

BOOK HERE

PART II — Seoul

Gwangjang Market
Address: 88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

The Gwangjang Market is insanely busy, but definitely worth checking out. This is a great place to try some local dishes like tteokbokki (rice cake), Korean raw beef, liver, blood sausage, oyster pancakes, veggie tempura, and more. However, I can’t stress enough that this is one of the biggest and oldest traditional markets in the country, so you’ll be dealing with some crowns, and occasional pushing. Just go with a level of patience, understanding, and calmness to fully get the best experience.

Gyeongbokgung Palace
Address: 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Seeing the changing of the guards’ demonstration at Gyeongbokgung Palace is a special experience worth seeking out in Seoul, offered through Intrepid. From the Joseon Dynasty, created in the late 1300s, the palace was home to the government and the royal family over the years.

HiKR art exhibit
Address: 40 Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

If you enjoy art, the HiKR experience was interactive. Visitors can see video light demonstrations, animation, and there are multiple places to film your own music video with props and backdrops like the coin laundry room, the subway, and the main stage. We blasted K-pop and performed our own music videos. This is a great location to shoot some Reels and TikToks, or honestly just have some fun.

FRZM Dance Studio
Address: 19-24 Wausan-ro 17-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea

To say this was hilarious is an understatement. I can’t recommend this enough, we had so much fun and it was an activity that gives you a little bit of exercise. We danced to Super Shy and learned choreography from our instructor Shin Chae Yeon (her nickname is Peri) at the FRZM Dance Studio. She was patient with us and taught us slowly at first. Eventually, we picked up speed and gained some confidence with it, and it was such a good time doing this coordinated dance together to K-pop!

Korean Lesson

I was unsure about this activity at first when I saw it on the itinerary through Intrepid. I wasn’t sure if I would get a lot of use out of what I learned in this class. I was humbled quickly, this class was incredibly helpful. We learned basic phrases that were useful at local markets, when we had downtime and were exploring the area alone, and even just polite phrases like how to say thank you for us to use throughout the week. Our instructor was so patient with us and broke down how to properly pronounce things, having us repeat the phrases and working with us directly.

Daegwanryeong

Address: Seoul Mapogu Dongyoro 197(서울 마포구 동교로 197)

Hot pot is such a great way to dine together as a big group. With a pot in the center of the table full of seasoned simmering broth, they gave us a giant bowl of freshly grown mushrooms that they grow themselves in house, among other greens and veggies, noodles, and meat to cook in the pot as we chat and pass around Soju. After we’re done, they take the cooked down veggies and seasoned broth and turn it into porridge with rice and additional fresh vegetables that tasted like the inside of a chicken pot pie. It was absolutely delicious and such a great experience.

Korean Food Lecture

One of the really unique opportunities that came through Intrepid was a food lecture in a local’s apartment. We went to Gwangyang and visited Yoonie and Dan Park in their home where they live with Yoonie’s mother and their three children. They made us an incredible lunch, followed by tea, and showed us how to make dalgona (shout out to all of the Squid Game fans) from scratch!

Shopping

Shopping in Korea is an absolute must. Seoul is full of mini boutiques, clothing stores, vintage shops and thrifting, and of course, plenty of Korean skincare and beauty stores. You can go to stores like Olive Young and load up on collagen eye patches, pimple patches, some of the best sunscreen, lip masks, wrinkle patches and so much more to bring home to test out.

Hongdae Cocktail & Highball Bar PINKS
Address: 39 Jandari-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea

When it comes to nightlife, there are so many incredible bars in Seoul. One that really stuck out to us was the Pink Bar, with hot pink lights and pink everything, pink pink pink! It’s giving Barbie vibes. You can spot it from a mile away on the street, and it has a funky ambience, a rooftop bar, cocktails, and a wide variety of flavored Soju like grape, grapefruit, and lemon (skip the lemon in my opinion, unless you like the taste of cleaner, but the grape was bomb).

Su Noraebang
Address: 367-39 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Doing Noraebang is an absolute must while you’re in Korea. Saying that they take it seriously is an understatement. First of all, I absolutely love that the majority of the bars give you your own private room as a group to sing, so you can really let loose and let your personality shine in front of your friends instead of a bunch of strangers if it’s not usually your thing. They gave us our own private room with theater type seating, multiple microphones so everyone can get involved, and a huge TV surrounded by mirrors. It was such a fun experience, especially after getting a little tipsy at Pinks, we had plenty of liquid courage to belt out everything from Alanis Morissette and Beyoncé, to Gangnam Style and Let’s Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez!

PART III — Jeonju

Kimchi Cooking Class

If you like kimchi, this class is a must. Kim at Kim Myeongok Kimchi School is a certified kimchi master and is well-known in the community for her attention to detail when it comes to making her own kimchi from scratch. She makes her own shrimp paste from scratch, among other ingredients, to use within her kimchi because she didn’t like the taste of the other pastes available to buy. She goes through the process of creating kimchi, teaching you how to properly do it, and ends the class by cooking kimchi pancakes, letting us taste her radish kimchi, and enjoying food together.

Nambu Market
Address:19-3 Pungnammun 1-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea

Walking along the Korean Market, you’ll find everything from crafts to street food like the sweet cheese filled coin bread. This is a great place to find art and souvenirs, and even try some traditional Korean snacks like the coin filled with sweet cheese. Be sure to look through the community garden, you’ll see a lot of cats that have made their home there and they’re so sweet!

Hanok Village
Address: 99 Girin-daero, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea

In addition to staying in a traditional Hanok, you can explore other historical homes in town. Take a walk through the village to browse through local shops and pass by other Korean Hanok homes. There’s even a 24 hour bathhouse walkable distance from the hotel that is truly an experience on its own. One morning, I woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep at about 5:30 AM. I decided to go check out the bathhouse and get an exfoliating scrub, a facial, and soak in the hot and cold plunges, drying off in the salt room and the sauna for around $40 USD for entry and the treatments. It’s definitely an experience, but be prepared to walk around in your birthday suit.

Jeonju GajolHeogwan(전주 가족회관)
Address: 17, Jeollagamyeong 5-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do 55038 South Korea

Jeonju Bibimbap, a generational family business currently owned by Mi Yang, is the ideal place to experience traditional and modernized bibimbap. They keep it simple with only two kinds on the menu. Traditionally, there is raw egg and raw beef in the dish, so they created one with cooked beef and an egg soufflé if the idea of raw is not your thing. The side toppings and accouterments were phenomenal, all thought out and beautifully prepared, to enhance the dish. If you want to try the raw version, the egg generally cooks a bit once you mix it in with the other hot ingredients.

Waeng-i-jip

Jeonbuk Jeonjusi Wansangu Dongmungil 88(전북 전주시 완산구 동문길 88)
Instead of sipping bloody marys over pancakes after a night of fun, Jeonju has Bean Sprout “Hangover” soup for breakfast at Waeng-i-jip. Obviously, make sure you have a few drinks the night before to enjoy the traditional hangover soup with spices, bean, sprouts, and a soothing broth the right way.

Yetchon Makgeolli
Address: 8 Jungsanjungang-ro, Junghwasan-dong 2(i)-ga, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea

If you’re looking to dive into some very traditional Korean dishes, an important aspect for Intrepid when they design their tours with foodies in mind, Yetchun Makgeolli is the ideal spot to try some menu items in addition to rice beer. We filled the table with raw marinated crab (silky texture with sweet crab meat and spice from the marinade), smoked fish, pork, prawns, pig feet, fermented fish with kimchi, and pancakes.

PART IV — Busan

Haedong Yonggung Temple

We spent the morning exploring a Buddhist temple right on the water. The path opened up into a stunning temple with waves crashing, creating this peaceful environment. It was such a stunning view and a great way to start the day. On the path back, there were places to try dalgona candy, local snacks, and shop fenders to buy products from Korean artists.

Stop along the way from Jeonju to Busan

On the way to Busan, we explored more local art at Palbok Art Factory. Created in the late 1970s, the building was once used as a manufacturing plant for cassette tapes. You’ll even find a few Easter eggs about this in the art around the building. After we drove a bit more, we stopped at Webosansung. Sure, this was a historical mountain fortress used to shield residents during the Joseon Dynasty…but you know what else it was used for? A BTS photoshoot. Obviously, we had to recreate the picture.

Haewondae Lamb Skewers
Address: Busan, Haewoondaegu Gunamro 12bungil 4, Second floor

The meal we had at Haewondae Lamb Skewers in Busan was easily one of my absolute favorites. It’s Korean barbecue and shared plates. We roasted lamb skewers over the barbecue, and while those were cooking, we passed around dishes like oimuchim (a crunchy, acidic cucumber salad), eggplant, gamjachae bokum (pan fried sliced potato), and my personal favorite, the tangsuyuk (a fried pork in sweet and sour sauce that had a chewy, thin layer of rice mochi). As always, there was plenty of Soju and beer to go around.

Martial Arts Black Belt Academy

One of the highlights for me was definitely the taekwondo class at Martial Arts Black Belt Academy with our instructors Shin, Gyu sik and Goo, Jiwoo. Intrepid and the Martial Arts Black Belt Academy set up a private taekwondo class led by Kyunghee Taekwondo. This class honestly made me want to look into doing taekwondo further because it was such a good stress relief. You stretch out your entire body and then punch, kick, and shout your way through an amazing workout. Sometimes you just need that, am I right?

Urban Smart Farm

We visited an Urban Smart Farm, where they showed us how they’re using agricultural technology to grow greens, flowers, ginger, mushrooms, and more in the middle of the city within shipping containers to create fresh produce in populated areas. An effort led by CEO, Ms. Jeon Jeong Wook. As a group, we were able to help pick the mushrooms, taste the products, and learn about how these efforts are helping the community.

Gamcheon village
Gamcheon-dong, Saha District, Busan, South Korea

Don’t skip Gamcheon Culture Village! Easily one of my favorite parts of the trip, it looks like Korea’s version of the Amalfi Coast with colorful, beautiful buildings scaling the hills. There are cafés, shopping, art, artisan crafts to purchase, and plenty of snacks along the streets of this village. I seriously can’t recommend it enough, very good for pictures if you’re a photographer, but plenty to do if you just want to enjoy.

Jagalchi Market
Address: 52 Jagalchihaean-ro, Jung-gu, Busan, South Korea

If you love seafood as much as I do, when you’re in Busan, they’re famous for it. One place to check out a lot of local dishes, or even purchase some seafood if you’re looking to do so, is the Jagalchi Market. This world famous market is known for their wide variety of fresh fish and seafood. I came here to try their live octopus. No, it’s not actually alive, but after they slice it and toss it in sesame oil and chili sauce, the tentacles still move, so they call it “live” octopus. It doesn’t really get fresher than that!

Taejongdae Yolo Grilled Clams
Address:Busan Yeongdogu Gamjigil 87bungil 21(부산 영도구 감지길87번길 21 욜로조개구이)

Speaking of fresh seafood, another place to try seafood while in Busan is Taejongdae Yolo Grilled Clams. We tried some very traditional dishes, like live octopus (yum), spoon worms and silkworms (worth a try, but too mushy), in addition to some more modern dishes incorporating the fresh seafood like scallops and clams grilled over an open fire, gochujang fried rice, veggie dishes and more.

The Houston Rockets have been the best story in the NBA this season, as they’ve gone from a young team full of potential to one of the best teams in the league. At 31-14, the Rockets are second in the West, six games back of the Thunder, and have made quite the statement over the last few weeks, beating top-4 teams in both conferences (Memphis, Denver, Cleveland, and Boston) in six of their last nine games.

What has made this Rockets team so good is their defense, balance, and depth, but that is creating a bit of a conundrum this week as coaches get set to make their reserve selections for the All-Star rosters. Coaches tend to want to reward top teams with All-Star nods, and it’d be hard to justify not sending a representative from Houston to the All-Star Game. The player on the Rockets with the best statistical case as an All-Star is Alperen Sengun, averaging 19.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, but he’s actually taken a small step back from last year in terms of efficiency. Jalen Green is the team’s leading scorer, but at just 21.2 points per game with 42.9/35.9/87.1 shooting splits, he has not been such a lethal scorer that he’s an All-Star lock in a crowded West backcourt race.

My guess is Sengun lands a spot, in part because he has the best stats and also because he was just on the outside looking in last year for a selection. However, for basically anyone that’s watched the Rockets of late, there is a different player that has stood out and looks like the centerpiece of Houston’s roster: Amen Thompson.

The fourth overall pick from the 2023 NBA Draft had a solid rookie campaign, showing flashes of brilliance and the athletic upside in his 62 appearances that made him such a tantalizing prospect. Through 42 games of his sophomore campaign, Thompson has cemented himself as one of the league’s premier defensive wings, taking on the challenge of guarding the opponent’s best perimeter player most nights. Most excitingly, he’s started to take on a larger offensive role and is continuing to thrive.

The last 10 games have been Thompson’s most consistent in terms of scoring impact, as he’s averaging 19.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists on 57.4 percent shooting. On Monday night against the Celtics, Thompson put forth the best outing of his young career. He set a new career-high with 33 points (on 13-of-19 shooting), gave Jayson Tatum fits with his defense, and hit his first career game-winner with just under a second to go on a floater in the lane over Jaylen Brown.

That the Rockets opted to go to Thompson on the final possession and let him have the ball in his hands felt important. It was a show of trust in his young, budding star that Ime Udoka would leave Green in the corner, Sengun in the dunker spot, and have the veteran Fred VanVleet inbounding it to Thompson for a clear-out. Thompson rewarded that with a decisive take, going straight at Brown and using his strength to create space, stopping and popping for the game-winning floater.

Part of what has made Thompson so effective this season is his understanding of what he’s not. The swing skill for many coming into the 2023 Draft was whether Thompson could become a viable shooter at the NBA level. That hasn’t happened, as he’s shooting just 25 percent from three this season. While it’s an improvement on his rookie year when he shot 14 percent, being a non-threat from three hasn’t stopped him from being a highly effective player. Thompson has elite burst and athleticism, and can close down space quickly on defenders even when they sag off of him, as he showed against Brown on that final possession. Once into the body, he has the strength and balance to go through defenders and has the touch and skill to finish through contact at or near the rim.

It’s extremely rare for a player who isn’t a big man to be a non-shooter and still be above-average in shooting efficiency, but Thompson manages to do just that. On the ball, he’s fantastic at getting where he wants with his strength and speed. Off ball, he punishes defenses for not paying attention to him in the corner with timely baseline cuts. He refuses to settle for shots he’s not good at, and his relentless pursuit of the rim makes his shooting deficiencies moot, as he takes 71.7 percent of his shot attempts from inside 10 feet. Inside the restricted area, he finishes at a 75.7 percent clip. From 3-10 feet, 50 percent, and he’s even developed a decent midrange jumper, knocking down 45.7 percent of his shots from 10-16 feet.

Finding a comp for Thompson is difficult, because not a lot of players carve out significant roles with his skillset on the wing, but you could go with “shorter Giannis,” or perhaps “evolutionary Andre Iguodala.” In a league that is obsessed with the 3-and-D archetype, Thompson is carving out a unique path to stardom. The Rockets, for their part, seem eager to support that journey, and while you can’t build the whole team out of non-shooters, you can recognize when you have a singular talent on your hands, which Houston seems to.

Pairing Thompson with an elite passing big in Sengun helps negate spacing concerns, as a timely cut is rewarded with an on-time pass. As Houston continues to build and tinker with the roster, they’ll seek out more shooting to support their young stars, but even without that, they manage to grind teams down defensively, throwing waves of physical, long defenders at teams that make life miserable for 48 minutes. That is part of the recipe for Houston’s success in close games. The other part is being able to attack teams in different ways on the offensive end in key situations.

Houston’s offense is far from the league’s most dynamic, but they’ve been able to lean on Green, Sengun, and more recently Thompson to create a bucket in big moments late. For Thompson in particular, his refusal to settle for a jumper makes him dangerous, as teams are wary of fouling and his determination to get to the rim puts opponents in a bind. He probably won’t get the All-Star nod for the Rockets this year, but it’s becoming apparent that Thompson is the player that will determine the Rockets ceiling, and right now, it feels like we haven’t even seen the best it could become.

Modest Mouse’s most recent album is 2021’s The Golden Casket, but even still, the band has been active with touring over the past few years. There’s more of that to come in 2025, too: Today (January 28), the band announced a new run of tour dates.

The shows run for about a month from June to July and hit a variety of North American cities, like New Orleans, Louisville, Cleveland, Kansas City, and Calgary.

A fan pre-sale for tickets starts January 29, and that’ll be followed by the general on-sale beginning January 31 at 10 a.m. local time. More information is available on the band’s website.

Check out the tour dates below.

Modest Mouse’s 2025 Tour Dates

06/09 — Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues Orlando
06/10 — St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
06/11 — St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre
06/13 — Asheville, NC @ Asheville Yards Amphitheater
06/14 — Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo 2025
06/15 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
06/17 — New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theater
06/18 — Birmingham, AL @ Avondale Brewing Company
06/19 — Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
06/20 — Cleveland, OH @ TempleLive Cleveland Masonic
06/21 — Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!
06/23 — West Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom
06/24 — Kansas City, MO @ Grinders KC
06/25 — Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion
06/27 — Dillon, CO @ Dillon Amphitheater
06/28 — Ogden, UT @ Ogden Amphitheater
06/29 — Boise, ID @ Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden
07/02 — Calgary, AB @ Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
07/03 — Edmonton, AB @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
07/04-05 — Missoula, MT @ Zootown Music Festival 2025

Welcome to the Crumbl Cookie report! If you like your desserts rich, decadent, or indulgent (or all three!), this week will feel tailor-made for you. Whether you like the idea of a layer Oreo cake, double-stacked shortcake topped with house made jam, or love the simple but flavorful pleasures of banana bread or the festive fun of a confetti cake, Crumbl has your back.

Generally, when we do these weekly round-ups, we’re trying to separate the skippable cookies from the absolute must-haves, but this week looks like it’s going to be a little bit tough. The cookie builds this week are so wildly different from one another, that whether you like one cookie over another will largely depend on how you feel about a few key ingredients.

It’s safe to say if you don’t like lemon-flavored desserts, you’re not going to like the Lemon Poppy Seed cookie, but there is still a clear hierarchy in this week’s releases. While some are delicious, some are flat out boring. So here is every cookie dropping at Crumbl this week, ranked from least to most essential.

8. Macadamia Nut

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

As a fan of macadamia nut cookies, I wish I could say that this one is essential. It’s not. It’s delicious, nutty, and buttery, but it doesn’t taste all that different from your average grocery store cookie. That’s not okay when you consider a single Crumbl cookie costs nearly $5, which is more expensive than a whole 8-pack from Pepperidge Farm.

There isn’t much going on here that you haven’t experienced — this cookie features a buttery cookie base topped with white chocolate drops, and creamy, buttery macadamia nuts.

The Bottom Line:

Standard flavors with average execution. This doesn’t taste like an elevated Macadamia Nut by any means. It tastes like an overpriced one.

7. Milk Chocolate Chip

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

To really showcase how strong this week at Crumbl is, look at where we’ve placed the Milk Chocolate Chip. Second to last. That’s not to say this cookie isn’t good, Crumbl has it every other week, so clearly, it’s delicious and popular.

But this week, it’s one of the least essential cookies. Not just because it’ll be back in two weeks, but because every other cookie except the Macadamia Nut dunks on this one.

If you’ve never had it, you can expect a wonderful blend of brown sugar, butter, and sweet milk chocolate with a soft and chewy texture.

The Bottom Line:

A great, elevated chocolate chip cookie, but this week we suggest you skip it.

6. Strawberry Shortcake

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

Clearly, the build of my Strawberry Shortcake didn’t look anything like Crumbl’s advertisement, which features a thick glistening layer of strawberry jam, whereas mine looked like someone accidentally spilled some jam on it.

Regardless, I don’t know that more jam fixes this cake. The issue here is that the flavors are a bit too similar, you’ve got two layers of super sweet vanilla shortcake, sandwiched together by whipped cream and then topped with whipped cream and ultra-sweet strawberry jam. Altogether, it’s way too sweet, to the point where we couldn’t handle more than a few forkfuls. So if you like sharing your sweets, this is an ideal one for that.

Overall, a more tart jam would’ve served this cake better, like raspberry or blackberry, it needs something to counterbalance the sweet tones of the cake. It’s good, don’t get us wrong, but it could’ve been great.

The Bottom Line:

If you like your desserts ultra sweet and bright, you’ll probably love this, but to us, it leans on being sickeningly sweet. This is a great cake to share though.

5. Banana Bread Cookie

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

Crumbl occasionally has a banana loaf that I think is legitimately one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. So I had high hopes for the Banana Bread Cookie. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite deliver the same experience.

That isn’t to say it isn’t good — this cookie features a sweet banana bread base, I’m tasting brown sugar, cinnamon, and maybe allspice, topped with a layer of vanilla cream cheese and wonderfully textured brown sugar streusel. What it lacks is the necessary moistness that makes banana bread so damn decadent.

I want a softer chew with these flavors. Instead, it comes across as a bit too brittle and dry. It feels like the dry base of the cookie is fighting with the flavors.

The Bottom Line:

Delicious but doesn’t reach the heights of Crumbl’s banana bread loaf.

4. Mom’s Recipe

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

Props to whoever’s mom came up with this recipe! This cookie is amazing. It features a chewy, sweet, and dark oatmeal base with a mix of semi-sweet chocolate, toffee, and peanut butter chips embedded heavily throughout with a touch of sea salt on the top.

The chocolate, toffee, peanut butter combination provides a combination of rich, toasty, and nutty notes while the sea salt keeps things from being a bit too decadent and sweet. It’s a nicely balanced cookie. One of Crumbl’s best.

The Bottom Line:

Mom’s Recipe has a bit of everything for everybody. You get chocolate, peanut butter, toffee, oats, and a lot of complexity.

3. Lemon Poppy Seed

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

If you think this is way too high to rank a Lemon Poppy Seed muffin — you’re wrong. This cookie is f*cking amazing. It’s not just your standard sweet lemon-flavored cookie. Over a lemon base, this thing is loaded up with poppy seeds, lemon filling, and a delicious lemon glaze that has a lot of sweet and complex almond and cherry notes.

It covers a lot of the same ground as Crumbl’s popular Pink Sugar Cookie, but honestly, it’s even better.

The Bottom Line:

The best lemon cookie you’ll ever eat, thanks to the subtle almond and cherry notes.

2. Confetti Cake Cookie

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

I wanted to write off this clown a** cookie as soon as I saw it, but after a single bite, I was willing to give it the top spot. Ultimately, I went another way, but I’ve seriously considered hitting up Crumbl again this week just to get a six-pack box of this and our top pick.

The Confetti Cake features a sugar cookie base loaded up with confetti sprinkles and topped with vanilla cream cheese and more confetti sprinkles for good measure. The cookie is nicely balanced between being chewy and crumbly, while the sprinkles add a nice layer of texture to every bite, which plays well with the thick and airy pink frosting.

The Bottom Line:

It looks ridiculous, sure, but give it a chance. It’s wonderfully sweet and perfectly textured.

1. Cookies & Cream Cake ft. Oreo

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

I think it goes without saying that the Cookies & Cream Cake ft. Oreo cookies is not supposed to look like this. But this time, that’s not Crumbl’s fault. It’s mine. This cake absolutely fell apart in the very brief drive from Crumbl to my apartment, so drive carefully when you have this thing in tow. Maybe get one of those “baby on board” stickers to warn other drivers that you’re in no rush.

But while it isn’t pretty to look at, it tastes great, so I will gladly scrape and eat all the chocolate that is now smeared on the box.

This cake features a double layer of rich devil’s food chocolate cake layered with an Oreo cream cheese frosting, topped with chocolate ganache, and topped with a mini Oreo cookie. It’s super rich, super decadent, and super chocolaty.

The Bottom Line:

A rich decadent chocolate cake. An absolute must if you love rich chocolate-heavy desserts.

After a whirlwind year, New York singer/rapper Laila! has come into her own and is ready to take her show on the road. In the wake of her hit single “Not My Problem,” the second-generation hip-hop star released her debut album Gap Year, proving she has the chops to live up to her famous legacy. She also got her first major festival booking, appearing at Tyler The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival along with other breakouts like Sexyy Red, Doechii, and Raye.

Her upcoming Gap Year Tour will give her the chance to continue doing that. Beginning at the end of March and running through the end of April, the tour will hit 11 stops across the US and Canada. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, January 31 at 10 AM local time. Pre-sale tickets go on sale on Wednesday, January 29 at 10AM, with a Spotify Fans First presale on Thursday January 30.

Laila! Gap Year Tour Dates

03/27 – San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar
03/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
04/03 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
04/05 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
04/19 – New York, NY @ SOB’s
04/20 – Washington, DC @ Pearl Street Warehouse
04/22 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live: The Lounge
04/24 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
04/25 – Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room
04/27 – Toronto, ON @ Drake Underground Hotel

Valentine’s Day is just a couple weeks away now, and Rihanna’s lingerie brand Savage X Fenty has been getting ahead of the game. They announced a new line earlier this month, and Rihanna models some pieces from it in a new video.

The video from Savage X Fenty sees Rihanna donning lingerie and a robe as she frosts a cake, all while answering Valentine’s Day-related questions.

She shared her thoughts on “galentine” celebrations, saying, “I’ve done galentines for several years, but it’s very nice to have a valentine.” When asked if she prefers a getaway or to stay at home, she answered, “Ooh… I view staying at home as a getaway. I just want to stay home… and watch reality TV.” Then, she was asked about love songs vs. love letters, and she groaned at the idea of a love song, saying, “Ugh, please! Never make me a love song! That is corny. Trust me, I’ve seen it.”

As far as the cake-decorating aspect of the video, it ended up being all for naught: Rihanna got a little careless and dropped the cake she had worked so hard on.

It would seem ASAP Rocky has gotten a Valentine’s or two right in his day, as he and Rihanna have been together for years now and have two children.

Check out the video here.

Central Cee is on a mission to prove you Can’t Rush Greatness with his new album, and in just a couple of months, he’ll take that mission worldwide with his Can’t Rush Greatness World Tour. He’s announced the dates today; you can find tickets and more information here.

The tour announcement and dates come on the heels of the UK rapper’s new video for “Truth In The Lies” featuring Lil Durk. You can see the dates below.

Central Cee Can’t Rush Greatness Tour Dates

01/30 — London @ Koko
02/03 — New York @ Gramercy Theatre
04/01 — Oslo Spektrum
04/03 — Copenhagen @ Forum Black Box
04/05 — Hamburg @ Sporthalle
04/06 — Berlin @ Velodrom
04/08 — Amsterdam @ Ziggo Dome
04/10 — Milan @ Fabrique
04/11 — Munich Zenith @ Die Kulturhalle
04/13 — Paris @ Accor Arena
04/15 — Dusseldorf @ Psd Bank Dome
04/16 — Brussels @ Forest National
04/18 — Birmingham @ Utilita Arena Birmingham
04/19 — Manchester @ Co Op Live
04/22 — Dublin @ 3arena
04/24 — London @ O2
04/27 — Glasgow @ Ovo Hydro

05/02 — Portland, WA @ Roseland Theater
05/03 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox Sodo
05/06 — San Francisco, CA @ Masonic
05/07 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
05/09 — Denver, CO @ Fillmore
05/11 — Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
05/12 — Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
05/15 — Detroit, MI @ Fillmore
05/16 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
05/18 — Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore
05/19 — Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
05/21 — Philadelphia, PA @ Fillmore
05/22 — Silver Spring, MD @ Fillmore
05/24 — Toronto ON @ History
05/25 — Toronto ON @ History
05/27 — Brooklyn, NY @ Paramount
05/29 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5
05/31 — Boston, Ma @ MGM Music Hall At Fenway
06/01 — Montréal, QC @ Mtelus

06/20 — Auckland @ Spark Arena
06/22 — Brisbane @ Entertainment Centre
06/25 — Sydney @ Qudos Bank Arena
06/28 — Melbourne @ Rod Laver Arena
07/02 — Perth @ RAC Arena

New mystery thriller series Paradise, starring Sterling K. Brown, was set for a three-episode Hulu premiere on January 28. Hulu decided to drop the debut episode a few days early, and viewers are already invested in the mystery of This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman’s new series, which he has planned for a three-season run. So, those who already drank in this show’s thriller vibes might be wondering when those other two episodes will land.

When Do Paradise Season 1, Episodes 2 & 3 Come Out On Hulu And FX?

Episodes 2 and 3 are still scheduled to stream on Hulu as of Jan. 28. The first episode will also premiere via FX Feb. 1 at 10:00pm EST. From there, however, episodes 2-8 will only stream via Hulu to finish the season. Variety is calling this switched-up release plan (the series premiere will also air on ABC) a “gamble,” one that is likely already paying off, given the discussion surrounding Paradise. Here are the next episode descriptions:

Episode 2, “Sinatra”: Agent Xavier Collins is interrogated. Samantha Redmond (codename Sinatra) begins to reassure the community as she reflects on how she got to Paradise.

Episode 3, “The Architect of Social Well-Being”: Isolated, Xavier seeks answers on his own and cautiously turns to Dr. Gabriela Torabi. Meanwhile, Billy and Jane feel the pressure from Robinson’s investigation.

Brown portrays Agent Xavier Collins alongside a cast that includes James Marsden, Julianne Nicholson, Krys Marshall, Charlie Evans, Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Michelle Meredith, and Jon Beavers.

Paradise‘s first season will be eight episodes long and will stream via Hulu.