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At this point, it’s a shorter list to name every character who hasn’t had sex during season two of TV’s thirstiest show, The White Lotus. There’s Harper and Ethan, poor Bert, and… that’s about it. In the most recent episode alone, there were sex scenes with Lucia and Albie, Tanya and Niccoló, and Mia and Valentina. Also, an old, extremely Italian woman threatens to throw an artichoke at Christopher Moltisanti, which doesn’t have anything to do with sex, but it was a good scene and I don’t want people to forget about it.

Anyway, Beatrice Grannò, who plays aspiring musician Mia, spoke to Variety about what it’s like filming one of the show’s many sex scenes. “The environment was really safe. Having an intimacy coordinator there was very helpful because it’s a difficult thing to do. We rehearsed it before, and I talked with Sabrina [Impacciatore, who plays Valentina] and we found a way to do it and feel comfortable,” she said. Grannò felt “embarrassed” shooting the scene, but “that embarrassment helped the energy of the scene.”

“Because I have to be the one in control, it wasn’t easy to play that. I kind of went the opposite direction — instead of playing the sexy girl who uses her body to get what she wants, I wanted to go to a much deeper level. Like, ‘It’s your birthday, you should be out having fun. This is what you deserve, and I’m here and I think you’re beautiful. Why don’t we go for it?’ I think Mia likes Valentina a little bit.”

Grannò also referred to Mia as “very chaotic,” which is an accurate description for someone who has sex with a piano player in a hotel church because she thinks he has connections in the music industry and nearly kills the schmuck after giving him molly instead of Viagra. And yet, I want nothing but the best for her. And Lucia.

(Via Variety)

There are people who exist out there solely to own properties from movies or TV shows that, admittedly, are culturally significant and cool. Sure, who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to live in the house from Practical Magic or go treasure hunting outside the Goonies’ property? It is a no-brainer. But your brain quickly enters the conversation when money is involved!

The latest iconic house to be up on the market is the beautiful mustard-yellow Cleveland house from A Christmas Story. But not just anyone can buy this house: you have to be willing and able to sell your soul to the trajectory of the house and its legacy. Brian Jones, the current owner of the house, says that it’s not an easy feat. “You can’t even change the paint scheme. You can’t add anything to the porches. You can’t do anything without the city’s OK. Being such a valuable asset to the city, they’re not going to allow anybody else to do that.” So what can you do? Run the gift shop!

So let’s say you’re on board with the whole thing, you want to own this iconic house and run the little gift shop with various knickknacks in the shape of leg lamps. Are you willing to pay $4 million for it? Yes? Great!

Well, that doesn’t matter, because you’d have to pay a lot more, according to Jones. “Not even close,” Jones said at a hypothetical $4M offer from Variety. “You don’t even have the money to operate this place annually. Go fish.” Jones first bought the house for nearly $100,000 in 2004, but he poured hundreds of thousands into renovations and restoration. And now that legacy has to be passed onto someone else who somehow has money, a bunch of free time, and a burning passion for Christmas legacies…if those people exist?

The final question here is this: is it really worth it to own a house from a sub-par (sorry) holiday movie? Do you want to be feverously stocking Christmas shot glasses in the middle of the night, only to look up and see a group of Ohio residents wearing bunny suits outside your front door? If you have the means, go for it! The market is bad anyway.

(Via Variety)

GloRilla has had one hell of a year and even now, with the holidays right around the corner, she’s still racking up accomplishments. Her latest is an assertive debut on the popular YouTube channel A COLORS Show. Pulling up to a crimson set in a striking black-and-white athleisure combo (including a platinum wig) the Memphis rapper performs “Out Loud Thinking,” the introspective closing track from her major-label debut EP, Anyways, Life’s Great…

The performance caps a year in which she went from a buzzing underground rapper and part-time food service employee to a breakout sensation following the viral popularity of her hit anthem, “F.N.F. (Let’s Go).” After the track earned her a record deal with Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group and a remix with Latto and City Girls, it seemed the hits just kept coming for Glo.

She soon found herself collaborating with Cardi B on the rambunctious “Tomorrow 2,” hyping up her hometown Grizzlies’ upcoming NBA season, winning Breakthrough Artist at the BET Hip-Hop Awards, getting a shout-out from rap hero Nas, and receiving a Grammy nomination. Most recently, she performed alongside Cardi at the American Music Awards, spit some bars for Funk Flex, and remixed a hometown classic alongside Latto and Memphis legend Gangsta Boo.

That’s not a bad rookie season at all — and 2023 is just weeks away, giving her a fresh start to build on all that momentum. Watch GloRilla’s COLORS performance above.

The Black Velvet is a two-ingredient cocktail that’s starting to get all the love … yet again. Before we dive into its history, know this — this cocktail is super easy to make at home and one of the best tasting. To the point that you might get hooked for life. The mix is a two-layer affair that uses stout as a topper for champagne in a beer glass (often a mug or goblet).

That’s it. And it’s f*cking delicious.

Before you get too incredulous, the Black Velvet has been around for centuries. Pouring stout or porter over sparkling wine was officially started back in the mid-1800s as a memorial drink for the passing of Prince Albert, having been concocted at the famed Brooks’s Club in London — widely considered the world’s oldest gentlemen’s club in the world. The idea, the legend goes, is that the champagne should be “in mourning” too so the dark stuff was added. Though be sure, people were probably doing this well before it became “official”.

As with all things in cocktails, the fame of this drink has come and gone a million times over the years. Today, it’s starting to pop up again because it’s freakin’ delicious but also because it’s easy to make. But really, it’s because it’s delicious. So let’s make a delectable Black Velvet for holiday sipping.

Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months

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Black Velvet

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. Guinness from a can (with widget)
• 5 oz. Dry champagne

For this recipe, you really just need Guinness – either in the can or the bottle — and decent champagne. I’m using the Guinness with the widget to add some extra velvet texture. If you want to be super authentic, use it out of the bottle, but expect more of a spiced and sharp carbonation point. As for the champagne, I’m using Pommery because that’s what’s in the fridge right now. Any standard brut will do, just make sure it’s actual champagne and not prosecco or sparkling white wine. This is a celebration drink after all.

What You’ll Need:

• Beer glass
• Barspoon

Method:

• Pour the chilled champagne into the bottom of the beer glass.
• Slowly pour the Guinness over the champagne. You might need to take a break or two to let the head settle.
• Serve.

Bottom Line:

First look at that beautiful dark red hue of the drink. It’s a pretty one.

Anyway, this goes down almost too easily. It’s lush and light at the same time. The real star is how the champagne brightens the stout with a dark red berry tartness that’s dipped in light chocolate and just kissed with winter spiciness. A mild nuttiness helps keep the drink creamy while still allowing for a light and fun effervescence on the tongue.

Overall, this is a great quaffer that has a low-ish ABV and a really deep and fun flavor profile. Moreover, if you’re on the fence about the heft of Guinness (which is actually pretty light all things considered), then cutting your Guinness with champagne is the play. It lightens it further while bringing out light fruity and tart characteristics that help everything pop on the palate. It’s a winner! Plus, that addition of champagne adds a little to the “f*ck it, it’s the end of the year, let’s party” attitude we all should have right now.

The Boston Celtics made some major staff changes this season after Joe Mazzulla took over as the interim head coach after the team announced a year-long suspension of Ime Udoka for an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. As Mazzulla tried to piece together a complete bench, he apparently reached out to a rising star in the media world, JJ Redick, who explained how he ended up golfing with Mazzulla and discussing a coaching position in Boston this offseason.

The Celtics have not missed a beat so far this season, darting out to a 21-5 start to the 2022-23 campaign, which is the best record in the NBA and most recently throttled the Suns on the road in Phoenix on national television.

The talent in Boston was never the question coming off a Finals run and an offseason that only saw them add talent in the form of Malcolm Brogdon, but there was a bit of wonder as to how Mazzulla would handle being thrust into the head coaching role for a title contender. He has answered that emphatically by taking the reins and getting the most out of a Boston team that’s still missing a key piece in Robert Williams, with Boston operating as the best offense in NBA history so far.

For Redick, it had to have been a tempting opportunity, but as was the case when he retired from playing, his commitment has been to ensuring he has plenty of time in his schedule to be at home with his family. As such, he will continue podcasting, analyzing and pontificating on TV, and calling games, but as this Celtics season wears on, even he might have to wonder if he missed a chance to be part of a championship team while launching a coaching career.

This week on People’s Party with Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh, we dive deep with the ever-talented DJ Nu-Mark. DJ Nu-Mark is a turntablist and producer of the incredible LA indie supergroup, Jurassic 5, as well as offering other banging production for Murs, Ice-T, and Incubus among others. He is respected as a no nonsense DJ and a purist when it comes to capturing the hardest edge of boom-bap rap.

“Uncle Nu” is also unquestionably an artist who paid heavy hip-hop dues with Jurassic 5 in the early days. J-5 toured a lot, but sometimes creatively it was a mismatch for the upstart crew as they were often paired with indie, punk, and even folk bands. He recalls once opening up for Fiona Apple and other artists who were far from the essence of hip-hop. Nevertheless they were just working to get the stage time and experience as a crew. But one day at a festival, things hit an unthinkable extreme while on tour with one of the biggest punk rock bands ever. They got switched out and put on stage in a slot that was supposed to be for Green Day/

The crowd was… not happy. A cascade of beer bottles rained down heavy on J-5.

Describing the full blown chaos Nu-Mark recounts “Somebody threw a bottle of half orange soda, half sand at my turntables…. The bottle hit my turntable, scratched my vinyl, and I immediately jumped on my SP 1200 [beat machine]. I played a beat the same tempo of the song- the MCs rhymed through it. I’m seein’ dudes get hit in the face with bottles and the MCs are just pushing forward [through the set]. We just pushed through all the way. Then the crowd just went crazy for us! It was insane. This was the most pivotal show of our career. There were not a lot of groups that could f*ck with our live show. We were in there to murder s*it — and we did!”

For more stories from DJ Nu-Mark listen to the full episode of People’s Party with Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh.

DJ Khaled grabbed headlines last month for resting his “We The Best” Crimson Bliss Air Jordan 5s on a silk pillow while courtside at the Miami Heat game. Wednesday (December 7), he upped his game by modeling for Rihanna’s latest Savage X Fenty “Xperience” drop.

In a video posted to Instagram, Khaled changes from a Savage X Fenty silk pajama set into … a different Savage X Fenty satin pajama set, and the latter mustard set featured an open-front robe that showcased the hitmaker’s bare torso and made him feel “real good.” He strolled into his home office in the “robe-slash-cigar-jacket” and nodded toward his “God Did” chorus by quipping, “They didn’t believe in us, RiRi did!” Then, he entered then a room filled with new Savage X Fenty pieces available to purchase live on the brand’s official website, selecting which ones he’ll buy for “my queen” and plans to rock himself.

“I ain’t gonna name other companies ’cause I’m rolling with Fenty,” Khaled boasted toward the end of promotional clip, while holding up a pair of “I’M TAKEN” briefs. “Y’all didn’t see the vision. I’m born beautiful. I’m a sex symbol. They been wanting this for the longest time.”

See the posts below.

James Gunn has finally addressed an earth-shattering article from The Hollywood Reporter that offered a peak at his alleged plans as the new head of DC Studios. Fans have been speculating what direction Gunn could take the franchise, and from the looks of things, the writer/director is looking to make some sweeping changes. Most notably, making a clean break from Zack Snyder‘s DC Extended Universe, which Gunn has already taken to calling the DC Cinematic Universe or DCU.

As for the major changes being tossed about, Wonder Woman 3 is reportedly not moving forward, Henry Cavill‘s return as Superman is very much in question, and Jason Momoa might be Lobo instead of Aquaman now. All of it sounds very ambitious and had DC fans losing their minds late Wednesday evening.

While striving to always be an open book for his legion of fans, Gunn did the best he could in addressing the THR report. Without offering any specifics, Gunn candidly admitted that DC Studios is in a state of flux and doesn’t want to be shackled creatively by what came before.

Here’s what Gunn had to say:

So. As for the story yesterday in the Hollywood Reporter, some of it is true, some of it is half-true, some of it is not true, & some of it we haven’t decided yet whether it’s true or not. Although this first month at DC has been fruitful, building the next ten years of story takes time & we’re still just beginning. Peter & I chose to helm DC Studios knowing we were coming into a fractious environment, both in the stories being told & in the audience itself & there would be an unavoidable transitional period as we moved into telling a cohesive story across film, TV, animation, and gaming. But, in the end, the drawbacks of that transitional period were dwarfed by the creative possibilities & the opportunity to build upon what has worked in DC so far & to help rectify what has not. We know we are not going to make every single person happy every step of the way, but we can promise everything we do is done in the service of the STORY & in the service of the DC CHARACTERS we know you cherish and we have cherished our whole lives.

Gunn concluded his statement with a request for patience as he strives to do right by the DC Comics characters in his care.

“As for more answers about the future of the DCU, I will sadly have to ask you to wait,” the new head of DC Studios tweeted. “We are giving these characters & the stories the time & attention they deserve & we ourselves still have a lot more questions to ask & answer.”

(Via James Gunn on Twitter)

It’s another day and the internet seems obsessed with yet another recipe. This time we’re talking about a little more than a passing TikTok storm. We’re talking about one of Google’s top trending searches for 2022, “Marry Me Chicken” — a chicken breast smothered in a creamy sauce with garlic, chili pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, grated parmesan, and dried oregano. Some recipes also call for bacon or lemon, but those are the main tenants of the recipe.

The recipe is a creamy Italian-American dish that’s made in one pot and pretty easy with a nice enough aesthetic. It was born from the 1980s version, “Engagement Chicken,” which stemmed from a Glamour Magazine story. It’s gotten plenty of play on TikTok and Instagram. See below. And was the third highest top trending search under “recipes” on U.S. Google this year, right under “Cincinnati Chili” at number two and “Sugo” at number one.

So is this dish any good? It seems easy enough after searching through the gazillion recipes that pop up on Google. I shifted through a dozen or so and found a throughline to replicate. Let’s see how these flavors play together for lunch.

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Marry Me Chicken

Ingredients:

Four servings — two for dinner and two for lunches

• 3 chicken breast
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. chili flakes
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Olive oil
• Lemon zest from about 1/2 of a small lemon
• Fresh basil

Linguine, rice, or mashed potatoes for serving.

The best part of this is that all of this is easily sourceable at an average grocery store.

What You’ll Need:

• Heavy-bottomed large pan
• Cutting board
• Kitchen knife
• Tongs
• Grater
• Wooden spoon

Method:

• Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and let rest while you get everything else ready — grate the cheese, mince the garlic, zest the lemon, and get the flour ready to dredge the chicken.
• Heat the pan on medium-high heat with about 2 large glugs of olive oil, enough to create a thin layer across the whole bottom of the pan.
• Once the oil is hot, dredge the chicken in the flour and lay them in the pan one at a time. Allow to brown on both sides and then remove the chicken breasts to a waiting plate.
• As soon as the chicken is removed, immediately add the garlic and let cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant then add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, using the wooden spoon to pull up all the fond (brown bits) into the stock and garlic. Bring to a simmer.
• Add in the oregano, chili flakes, cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan. Stir and bring to a low simmer until the cheese is melted and a creamy sauce forms.
• Add the chicken back into the pan and let simmer on medium-low heat until the sauce thickens a little, about five more minutes.
• Add the lemon zest and fresh basil and then kill the heat and taste for seasoning. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
• Serve over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes. If serving over pasta, add the al dente pasta to the sauce to finish when you add the lemon zest and fresh basil.

Bottom Line:

This lives or dies by that fresh lemon zest and basil. A lot of recipes didn’t call for the lemon (some not even the basil) and, ho boy, this would be bland as f*ck without it (cream-on-cream does not a dish make).

Overall, this was fine. It’s a typical Frankenstein’d version of Italian cooking via the Italian-American lens. There’s just too much going on that’s not necessary. Great Italian cooking is about highlighting amazing single products in a holy trinity (three components) that build a complex and complete flavor profile of simple brilliance. This is all over the place with the overly creamy sauce — when will Americans learn that butter, cheese, and pasta water create a cream sauce on their own without using cream? — with sharp garlic, tart, and savory dried tomato, fresh and bitter basil, bright lemon, and moist breaded chicken. You really could lose the garlic, cream, and sun-dried tomatoes and you’d have a way better dish, certainly one with a better and more dialed-in POV.

That’s not to say this wasn’t a nice and filling meal. It was. But there’s a reason sun-dried tomatoes go in and out of fashion every generation. They’re just too tart and funky here with no real purpose besides adding a gummy mouthfeel and tartness that’s far easier achieved by adding lemon.

And look, I’m not being an Italian pasta purist here. There are plenty of kitchen-sink pasta dishes in regions all over Italy — alla puttanesca or ragu di cortille being prime examples. Still, those dishes have, let’s call it “thamtic resonance” that this dish just doesn’t seem to find. And no, adding bacon wouldn’t have helped.

The Taylor Swift and M3GAN universes are intertwined. Aside from the singer and the movie’s unsettling AI doll looking somewhat similar if you squint and then squint some more, a spooky remix of Swift’s “It’s Nice To Have A Friend” was used in a trailer for the film back in October. Now, it gets even deeper.

Last night (December 7), the film (which hits theaters on January 6, 2023) had its premiere at Hollywood’s TCL Theatre. There, M3GAN (more accurately, eight dancers dressed as the doll) launched into a dance routine on the red carpet; dancing is a big part of the whole M3GAN thing. Yes, it was skin-crawling. The dancers played the part well, sporting dead-eyed expressions the whole time. As they finished the bit and got their round of applause (which was set to the “It’s Nice To Have A Friend” remix, by the way), they all just continued to stand in a line, looking around blankly and without an apparent purpose. After an awkward 20 seconds, they finally left.

In case this whole M3GAN thing is news to you, here’s an official synopsis of the film: “M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma (Get Out‘s Allison Williams), M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate, and protector for the child she is bonded to. When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting Of Hill House), Gemma’s unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems — a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.”