Even though there had been some rumors swirling all over TikTok, fans were surprised when Keke Palmer revealed her pregnancy this past weekend during herSaturday Night Live monologue. Palmer has remained the world’s hardest worker this year after churning out various movies, TV shows, and hosting gigs, so it was a little shocking to see her throw parenting into the mix. But not surprising!
Palmer has been notoriously private through the years, so after the excitement wore off, many fans began their investigations into who exactly Palmer’s boyfriend is, and how long they have been together….assuming she didn’t just father the child herself.
Keke Palmer is so talented and such a Jack of all trades I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s the father of her own baby
While Palmer never explicitly said who she will be co-parenting with, we can assume that her longtime boyfriend Darius Jackson is the father. The two reportedly met at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Memorial Day party in 2021 and have been together ever since.
Jackson works as a fitness instructor and actor, and Palmer explained in a 2021 interview with Tamron Hall that he is “industry-adjacent,” meaning he understands the demands of Palmer’s life and job. Jackson is also the brother of Sarunas Jackson who starred in Insecure, where Palmer also had a brief guest starring role.
While the two are private when it comes to their relationship, Palmer says that she is excited about the upcoming chapter. “Honestly this has been the biggest blessing, and I am so excited. Guys, I’m going to be a mom,” Palmer said during her Saturday Night Live monologue. “Even though some people feel a little weird about me having a baby cause I was a child actor, I just wanna say, look, I’m 29, I’m grown, I have sex, I own a home, I stormed the Capitol on January 6, you know? Things adults do.”
Fiction writing can be rough stuff. Not only do you have to (in the words of Neil Gaiman’s Twitter bio) be adept at “making things up and writing them down,” but you gotta sell that stuff. And after that stuff gets published, you gotta promote, which means that book signings and the like must happen. Hopefully, some people show up, but that isn’t always the case. As Gaiman confirmed on Twitter, he and Good Omens co-author Terry Pratchett had a dud of an experience in the early 1990s.
This happened only a few short years after Gaiman’s The Sandman began its legendary comic book run. Both works have now become currently successful (not to mention rather phenomenal) streaming adaptations, so in other words, stick with it, people. Because back in the day, Neil and Terry actually showed up to an empty book signing, as showcased on Twitter by Professor Mark Wright.
“Nobody showed up to your book signing?” Wright tweeted. Meh, happens to the best of us. Literally. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett are the best of us. And no one showed up to their signing of GOOD OMENS in Manhattan… So, y’know, chin up.”
Nobody showed up to your book signing? Meh, happens to the best of us.
Literally.
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett are the best of us. And no one showed up to their signing of GOOD OMENS in Manhattan. Not some backwater town. In 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘯.
Neil confirmed the truth of the matter. “We were meant to have been there for 2 hours,” the Coraline author tweeted. “After an hour of nobody in the store we told the store manager that we were going back to our hotel and that we would be in the bar, and if anyone came to get a book signed to send them there to us. Nobody came.”
We were meant to have been there for 2 hours. After an hour of nobody in the store we told the store manager that we were going back to our hotel and that we would be in the bar, and if anyone came to get a book signed to send them there to us. Nobody came. https://t.co/qPDkxeJ7IE
He added that this went down in 1990, but he had a 2003 repeat in France.
The Good Omens signing was late October/ early November 1990. The last signing I did that absolutely nobody came to was in May 2003 at the FNAC in Colmar, France. https://t.co/Z1x4MY8Gxa
That’s wild, but it goes to show that you, too, can maybe one day be lucky enough to have people ask you what happens when a werewolf bites a goldfish or ask George R.R. Martin about bodily functions. Life takes some wild turns, man.
December is a great month to be a beer fan. Heck, it’s a great month to be a fan of all food and drinks. Office parties, holiday gatherings, and seasonal soirees mean there will be a lot of beers imbibed from now until the new year. Not only is it a great time to stand around sipping a napkin-wrapped beer as you gossip with your co-workers about other co-workers, but it’s also a month when a ton of delicious, seasonal brews are released.
This is why we’re so excited to once again list the best beers to track down this month. We picked ten flavorful, seasonally appropriate beers. Some are eagerly sought-after annual favorites and others are newly released bangers. All are well-suited for December drinking. Keep scrolling to see these offerings from the likes of Anchor, Anderson Valley, Rogue, Call to Arms, and Ommegang (among others).
We dare you to find a Christmas beer more famous than Anchor’s annual offering. First released in 1975, his beloved beer is made with a slightly different recipe (which isn’t available to the public) and is adorned with a different hand-drawn Christmas tree. This year’s winter warmer has bold orange, caramel malt, and holiday spice flavors.
Tasting Notes:
Notes of brown bread, toffee, roasted malts, and wintry spices greet you on the nose. The palate has more roasted malts, chocolate, caramel, dried fruits, and seasonal spices. While spiced, the cinnamon, nutmeg, and other flavors aren’t over-the-top. It’s a very complex, well-balanced beer.
Bottom Line:
Even though the recipe changes slightly, Anchor Christmas Ale is one of those beers that you can guarantee will be complex and flavorful year after year. 2022 is no different.
Call to Arms Only Cans IPA
Call to Arms
ABV: 8%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
This collaboration with Westbound & Down is an 8% ABV “New Zealand IPA” brewed with Chinook and Centennial hops and dry-hopped wot Nelson, Riwaka, and Citra hops. The result is a surprisingly fruity, flavorful double IPA with a nice hit of floral, earthy hops.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of pineapple, grapefruit, fruit ester, caramel malts, and floral, earthy, herbal hops start this beer off on an impressive note. The palate is filled with bready malts, passion fruit, mango, guava, grapefruit, tangerine, and ripe melon. It’s well-balanced by slightly piney, citrus, and floral hops at the finish.
Bottom Line:
Even with the massive amount of varying hops included in this double IPA, it’s still surprisingly well-balanced, fruity, and easy to drink. It’s fruity, resinous, and delicious.
Every year Rogue Ales drops a Santa’s Private Reserve beer and they are all unique and different. This year’s annual release is a collaboration with Honey Mama’s, an Oregon-based producer of honey-sweetened truffle bars. This stout also owes its unique flavor profile to the addition of tahini, tangerine, and chocolate.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is surprisingly rich and robust. There’s a ton of orange peel, caramel, coffee, and chocolate on the nose. Drinking it reveals a roasted nut, chocolate, sweet honey, dried fruit, and roasted malt flavor. This is such a unique and complex stout that you need to drink it a few times to find all the flavors.
Bottom Line:
You might think honey, tahini, and orange peels aren’t necessarily a great combination in a stout, but they all work in perfect unison to create a memorable holiday beer.
RTJ CU4TRO IPA
RTJ
ABV: 8.5%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
You’ve likely heard of the hip-hop duo Run The Jewels. But you probably don’t know they also make collaborative beers with well-known breweries. One of its newest releases is RTJ CU4TRO IPA, a “2x Dry Hopped 2x India Pale Ale” brewed in collaboration with Interboro Spirits and Ales. This new release is brewed with Mosaic Incognito and Simcoe hops and double dry-hopped with Simcoe Cryo and HBC 586.
Tasting Notes:
This hazy, cloudy IPA begins with notes of oats, pineapple, guava, mango, and apricots. The fruity nose makes way for the creamy palate loaded with ripe peaches, caramelized pineapple, apricot, mango, and nice, gentle, dank pine at the finish. There’s little to no bitterness even with all the (hip) hop flavor.
Bottom Line:
You might assume that a beer from Run The Jewels would just be a gimmick, but it definitely isn’t. The folks at Interboro brewed a fruity, dank, flavorful hazy IPA.
If you don’t think about IPAs during the winter months then you’re likely simply not an IPA fan. The Strata, Mosaic, Lotus, and El Dorado hops in the hazy winter IPA give it a complex flavor profile of grapefruit, tangerine, and pine.
Tasting Notes:
The nose starts with aromas of grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, lemon zest, and herbal, earthy hops. The palate continues this trend with more citrus fruits, tropical fruits, dank pine, and creamy wheat. It’s a fruity, flavorful IPA that will make you forget about the winter weather to come.
Bottom Line:
Fans of winter IPAs eagerly await this popular beer when it’s released annually in mid to late December and for good reason. It’s slightly hazy, complex, and a great beer to drink while you wait for winter to begin (and end).
Tröegs Mad Elf is a different kind of holiday beer. Brewed with chocolate malt, Pennsylvania honey, Belgian yeast, and five different tart cherries (Bing, Lambert, Van, Royal Ann, and Montmorency), this popular beer is sought-after year after year.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a ton of cherry aroma on the nose as well as toasted marshmallows, toffee, vanilla, and baking spices. The palate is more of the same with caramel malts starting things off before working into tart and sweet dried cherries, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other wintry spices. It’s sweet, spicy, malty, and highly memorable.
Bottom Line:
The Mad Elf on this beer’s label looks very mischievous, but the beer itself is anything but. It’s sweet, tart, spicy, and delicious.
This worldly beer starts as a Rodenbach Grand Cru. The popular Flemish brown ale is aged in oak barrels before being shipped across the ocean to Delaware where it’s blended with Dogfish Head’s red ale, infused with orange peel, and sumac, and dry-hopped with Hallertau Blan hops.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of sticky toffee, caramel malts, dried cherries, and candied orange peels greet your nostrils before your first sip. The palate is loaded with more dried cherries, caramel malts, orange peels, honey, fruit esters, and rich oak. It’s a slightly tart, highly warming winter treat.
Bottom Line:
If you’re already a fan of Rodenbach Grand Cru, we suggest grabbing a bottle of this collaborative seasonal beer. It’s a nice mix of a European tart Flemish brown ale and an American red ale with extra flavors added to meld everything together.
Brewed with a malt presence of Pale 2-row, Crystal, Munich, oat flakes, house yeast, and Northern Brewer and Chinook hops, Anderson Valley Winter Solstice is the California-based brewery’s caramel and slightly spicy take on the classic winter warmer.
Tasting Notes:
Raisins, dried cherries, toffee, cinnamon, and toasted malts are prevalent on this beer’s nose. The palate has a nice caramel malt backbone along with toasted malts, grassy hops, dried fruits, and wintry spices. It’s a highly complex, well-balanced beer that doesn’t rely simply on one flavor alone.
Bottom Line:
While this beer has some seasonal spices and holiday sweetness, it’s more of a straight forward rich, malty winter beer than anything else. And that’s a great thing.
December ends with New Year’s Eve, arguably the biggest night of the year for sparkling wine and champagne. But, if you don’t enjoy sparkling wine, or you’d just prefer beer, Golden Road has a great option for you. Technically available year-round, there’s no better time of year to imbibe this fizzy, mango-flavored ale.
Tasting Notes:
Caramel malts, apricot, mango, and peach are notable on this beer’s nose. It’s really fruity and fragrant and draws you in for a sip. This wheat beer begins with notes of tart mango, apricot, peaches, citrus peels, and light caramel. It’s a nice mix of effervescent sweetness and tartness.
Bottom Line:
Similar to a New Year’s Eve sparkling wine or a New Year’s Day mimosa, this is a juicy, fruity, slightly tart beer for the rest of the holiday season.
This 9% ABV strong blonde ale comes from the folks at Cooperstown, New York’s Brewery Ommegang. It’s brewed with Citra hops, 2-row barley, and caramel malts. The wintry, seasonal flavors come from the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and even white pepper.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, brown bread, and caramel malts. The palate is loaded with flavors like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, candied orange peels, toffee, caramel apples, and toasted malts. It’s like drinking a fruit cake but in the best way possible.
Bottom Line:
This is an aptly named beer. This Belgian-style beer starts as a blonde ale and then pairs wintry spices with it a create a warming, complex, winter winner of a beer.
Twenty minutes away from the Hollywood Sign, Dre Babinski, aka Steady Holiday is peacefully tucked away in the Los Angeles suburb of Eagle Rock. She’s surrounded by chickens in her backyard, sitting in a foldout and strumming her guitar as she sings “Can’t Find A Way,” her gentle November single from her forthcoming album Newfound Oxygen due February 17. Soft chords provide a mesmerizing backdrop for a tranquil admission. “I can’t find a way to fall in love with you,” Babinski coos. It’s a relatable hook that doubles as an indirect description of her initial relationship with Los Angeles after relocating there from her hometown of Fullerton, California in 2011. Now, Babinski isn’t even trying to fall in love with everyone else’s glamorized version of LA.
“My life is getting really small, in a good way,” Babinski says. “Living in LA feels like, not a status symbol but like people are here for a reason — to get a job done and to make it big or whatever. For me, it feels like the place that I’m from, and all of my people and all my things are.”
Cultivating a community didn’t come easy for Babinski. Growing up in Fullerton just 30 miles east, she struggled to fit in, chronically hesitant to express herself because what she loved sat in direct opposition to what her peers unanimously dubbed popular. It was Orange County in the late ’90s and early 2000s, so she was surrounded by surfers and skaters who loved hardcore emo, punk, and ska. Babinski, meanwhile, obsessed over classical music and playing the violin. She picked up the instrument in fifth grade. The same year, her mom recognized the spark in her daughter, and the family began regularly attending local orchestra performances and taking in the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.
“I knew I was connecting with it, but I also knew it wasn’t cool,” Babinski says. “Part of me was like, maybe I keep this low-key. Not a secret, but like, this is not the thing that I broadcast and wear on my t-shirt at school. It felt like a very personal interest and not something I had much of a community around.”
Babinski held resentment toward her hometown. Age bred perspective, though, and she can now see what she gained from obscurity. She didn’t feel like a product of her environment. And she wasn’t, in the traditional sense. But really, she was. She grew into an acute lyricist because her adolescent restlessness expedited the development of an introspective lens. “The boredom bred a lot of creativity and made me ask myself a lot of questions about identity,” she offers.
Beginning in high school, Babinski’s search for identity became a team sport. She was invited to join a hodgepodge high-school band that encouraged her to indulge her love for violin, and the summer after high school, she met new bandmates who became her chosen folk/prog-rock family in Orange County for the following nine years. They exposed Babinski to the likes of David Bowie and Neil Young, and being around people who enthusiastically owned what they liked gave her permission to do the same.
“I was a part of something, both musically and also in a group of friends, in a culture,” she says. “We were young and barely had the internet and made mistakes. We cut our teeth. We spent all of our time together, and we booked our tours and did everything at a very scrappy, DIY level.”
Babinski moved to LA when the band decided to call it quits, and she relied on that scrappy mentality — working at a restaurant and becoming a plug-and-play instrumentalist for touring LA bands such as Dusty Rhodes And The River Band and Hunter Hunted. They demonstrated for her the clarity and professionalism necessary for success. “I was taking notes the whole time,” she says. Still, her insecurities lurked.
“I was getting a little disenchanted with just playing the violin,” she continues. “It took longer than it should have to realize, I think I wanna write songs. I had a hard time admitting that. It comes from a place of being afraid to share any unfinished stages of anything.”
Eventually, Babinski started sharing her musings with the bands hiring her and opened herself up to their feedback, which was the boost she needed to branch out on her own as Steady Holiday. If nothing else, Los Angeles gifted Babinski proximity to like-minded artists — valuable sounding boards — that she desperately lacked in Fullerton. The vast LA music scene allowed Babinski wiggle room. Babinski’s favorite thing about LA is its boundless physical space, and by 2016, she had finally decided to claim her space with her debut solo album Under The Influence.
“I don’t like to make waves / In the shallow end, I never learned to swim,” Babinski sings in the album’s ethereal track “Open Water.” “I’ll get the courage one day.” And she slowly accrued courage over the next few years, between Coachella sets and subsequent LPs Nobody’s Watching (2018) and Take The Corners Gently (2021). The musician once afraid to share her music serenaded her grandpa through the telephone in the evocative video for the anecdotal ballad “Love Me When I Go To Sleep” and goofily danced for TikTok in the video for the melodic, upbeat earworm “Sunny In The Making,” both Take The Corners Gently standouts.
But something was still missing.
“[Newfound Oxygen] is my fourth record, and there was a time in the middle where, I felt like, Alright, I have a label and a manager and an agent and a publicist. I had all of the things that I thought were going to open doors for me,” she says. “I was resting on my laurels and refreshing my email going, Well, where are the opportunities? I was looking for validation in all of the stupid things that I thought would make me feel like I’m not invisible in this industry.”
With Newfound Oxygen, Babinski realized she didn’t need mass approval; she just needed good friends in Ari Balouzian’s garage in Burbank, California — harkening back to her formative band days.
Babinski wrote the 10-track album before sending a cold Instagram DM to Balouzian, whose film scores she admired. They brought others into the process, including Azniv Korkejian and Gus Seyffert, and recorded over five days last February. Balouzian’s dog, Hope, wandered in and out, and his sister was often found reading in the lawn. Birds are heard chirping on the stripped-back track “My Own Time,” a testament to Babinski redefining what she wanted for herself and embracing simpler pleasures. She doesn’t recall circling LA on the map in 2011 as the destination that would fulfill her grandest dreams, but if she had, that dream might have looked like the making of Newfound Oxygen.
“My dreams, they would haunt me, a lifetime ago,” she sings in “The Balance,” her next single releasing in January. “Now I’ll climb a mountain with plenty of rope / Because dreams without failure never happen.”
Babinski knows what her dreams look like now. Thirty minutes northeast from The Kia Forum, twenty from the Hollywood Bowl, and fifteen from Crypto.com Arena, Babinski staged “the most special show of my life” at the unassuming Bob Baker Marionette Theater on November 12, raising funds for the LA youth to take theater field trips. She incorporated puppets into her set, unleashing her playful and silly side that she had shut off for so long, and stood firm in her voice. Hopefully, she encouraged kids in the intimate crowd to find power in their voices — to be brave enough to, you know, tell people you like the violin.
“It was the most myself, the most comfortable, I’ve ever felt on stage,” she says. And that sentiment extends beyond the Bob Baker Marionette Theater and into her next chapter, beginning with Newfound Oxygen.
She adds, “I’m proud to live in LA. I really enjoy my life in LA. I think I could enjoy my life pretty much anywhere, but what I have right now, I feel so lucky. I feel so lucky for my very small world.”
Newfound Oxygen is out 02/17/23 via Steady Holiday.
The San Francisco 49ers started this week with the belief that Jimmy Garoppolo was done for the season after breaking his foot early in a win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
Brock Purdy, who played an impressive game in Garoppolo’s stead, will become the starter and, in doing so, is the first Mr. Irrelevant (the last pick in the Draft) to start in the NFL. It’s quite the story, particularly considering the 49ers are among the top contenders in the NFC and have genuine aspirations at winning the Super Bowl. Purdy’s job won’t be that much different from Jimmy G’s, as his directive is to get the ball in the hands of guys like Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey in space and let them work. The Niners offense figures to take even fewer deep shots and lean even more heavily on the rushing attack with Purdy in, but against Miami there wasn’t a hugely noticeable change in how they operated.
Still, having Garoppolo would be far preferred to a rookie, and on Tuesday word broke from Adam Schefter that it’s possible, should the Niners make a deep playoff run, they could get Jimmy G back after doctors determined he didn’t need surgery.
Sources: Doctors concluded today that 49ers’ QB Jimmy Garoppolo does not need foot surgery, it is not a Lisfranc injury, and if rehab goes smoothly, he could have a chance to return in 7-8 weeks, making him a potential playoff contributor. pic.twitter.com/beYu1Pa9KU
There are a ton of ifs at play here, not the least of which is the part about rehab having to go well. That’s not a guarantee, and neither is the Purdy-led Niners making it far enough in the playoffs to get to where Garoppolo could return. Seven weeks (depending on when they start the clock) would be the Divisional Round, while eight weeks would mean San Francisco would have to be in the NFC Championship Game. At that point, they’d have to decide if Garoppolo having sat out two months is a better option than Purdy, who would’ve won them two playoff games to get to the NFC title game.
That said, it’s generally good news that Garoppolo won’t need surgery and hopefully he can make a speedy and full recovery. If the Niners are in a position to have to make a tough decision on who starts an NFC Championship Game between he and Purdy, I think that’s a choice they’d be thrilled to have to make.
Fox News is once again hammering Donald Trump for causing severe damage to the Republican Party. After turning on the former president for his negative effect on the midterm elections, which did not manifest in “red wave,” Fox Business host Stuart Varney tore into Trump for his recent remarks on terminating the Constitution.
After highlighting that the majority of candidates backed by Trump lost in the midterms, Varney proceeded to hammer Trump for his lame attempt to walk back his remarks about suspending the Constitution and election laws to name him the winner of the 2022 presidential election.
“That plays right into the Democrats’ hands,” Varney said. “He’s trying to walk it back today, but the damage has been done.”
Varney then turned his attention to Trump’s diminishing stature in the GOP despite his best efforts to play kingmaker. Via Mediaite:
The Fox Business host accused Trump of losing his “iron grip” on the Republican Party and predicted the former president would spin [Herschel] Walker’s victory or defeat to his favor.
“If Walker wins, Trump will take all of the credit, guaranteed,” Varney said. “If Walker loses, Trump will blame Walker for not inviting Trump into the state.”
Even before Trump’s highly controversial comments on the Constitution, Varney has not been impressed with the former president particularly after the disastrous midterm election results. In fact, he told Lara Trump to her face that her father-in-law’s not doing so great after his low energy 2024 announcement.
“Those of us on the outside looking at it, it didn’t seem that he got the old magic,” Varney said.
Baker Mayfield has a new team. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Mayfield, who spent this season as a member of the Carolina Panthers until he was waived on Monday, will head to the west coast and become the latest member of the Los Angeles Rams’ hobbled quarterback room.
Former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield was claimed on waivers today by the Los Angeles Rams, per league sources. The Rams now inherit the remaining $1.35 million on Mayfield’s contract. Mayfield is expected to fly to LA by tonight and could play Thursday night vs. the Raiders. pic.twitter.com/CAIVhY25Nu
The #Rams have claimed QB Baker Mayfield, per and @TomPelissero. Added depth with Matthew Stafford on IR, Mayfield has a chance for a fresh start under Sean McVay. pic.twitter.com/iUuBCsgKOF
It has been a rough year in Los Angeles, particularly when it comes to their signal callers. The defending Super Bowl winners are 3-9, putting them in last place in the NFC West, while starting QB Matthew Stafford and top backup John Wolford are both sidelined with injuries. The only healthy QB on the roster is second-year quarterback Bryce Perkins.
According to Schefter, the health of the room played a role in the decision to claim Mayfield off of waivers. There’s also the fact that they could potentially receive draft capital this offseason, depending on how things go with him. And to top it all off, the Rams apparently believe in the talent possessed by the former No. 1 overall pick.
Some of why the Rams claimed Baker Mayfield: They believe in his talent. They need a QB with Matthew Stafford sidelined for the season and John Wolford dealing with a neck injury. And if Mayfield signs elsewhere this off-season, the Rams could get back a compensatory draft pick.
After spending the entirety of his career prior to this season with the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield joined the Panthers this past offseason. He appeared in six games with seven starts and completed 57.8 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and six interceptions.
As the second season of The White Lotus comes to a close, creator Mike White has been reflecting on the rollercoaster season of his hit show. Just about everything in season two is different than its predecessor, with the cast and the location being the main differences. But there is one thing that many people noticed that set season two apart from season one, and this is the absurd amount of frivolous nudity and sexual situations!
When scouting for the second season, the producers settled on The San Domenico Palace, though this inspired White to rethink his storylines for the season. “It seemed like the perfect place to set the show,” he said while appearing on NPR’s Fresh Air. “The original idea was about heavy hitters in business and power, and I was like ‘this is not the right place for that kind of topic,’” White explained. Instead, this was the place for some cocaine parties.
After finding the location, White set out to add some new themes into the mix for the highly-anticipated second season. “It kinda gave me the idea to maybe focus on sexual jealousy and adultery and infidelity. A more operatic bedroom farce.” With that, nudity became the star of the show. Literally.
White then compared the more explicit second season to the first, which focused more on family dynamics and societal expectations. “The first season we did so much about privilege and how money is used as a wedge in relationships,” he said. “I just felt like we should try to not repeat that same idea. The place sort of forced my hand, in a way.”
Even though there were more R-rated moments, White admitted that he was not the best at handling these scenes.”I’m very timid about asking people to undress and get into sexual situations. It’s not my wheelhouse. So there were definitely times on this shoot where I was like, ‘what have I got myself into?’” White explained with a laugh. Whatever he did, it worked! The show has become even more popular than its first season. Yes, a lot of it was due to White…but Jennifer Coolidge really brings it home.
The holidays are upon us and the gift-giving season is here! Everybody has a sneakerhead in their life, maybe it’s your whole friend group, perhaps it’s just a cousin, maybe it’s you, but without a doubt, there is at least someone in your life who lives and breathes all things streetwear and sneaker culture. What do you buy for that person? That’s a truly tough question — sneakerheads are all incredibly picky about what they like and there is nothing more embarrassing than buying the coolest person in your family/friend group a present you think they’ll like only to be proven woefully wrong.
We’ve created a gift guide of accessories every sneakerhead needs as well as a collection of super-hyped drops and the most popular sneaker silhouettes of 2022. But before we dive into our ultimate sneakerhead gift guide, you’re going to need to do a bit of research about the person you’re buying for. That’s a lot easier than it sounds — simply hit up their Instagram (if they’re a sneakerhead, they have an Instagram, and they probably post a lot about their shoes) and scan their footwear. If you see a lot of Jordans, it’s safe to say you’re dealing with a Jordan head. Swooshes mean Nike, stripes mean Adidas, and an ‘N’ logo is for New Balance.
Let’s dive in!
Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS
Amazon
Price: $72
When Virgil Abloh first teamed up with Nike in 2016 to give us “The Ten,” he single-handedly changed the look of modern sneakers. This coffee table book by Abloh documents that legendary design process. Featuring design prototypes, text messages between Abloh and Nike’s designers, and other gems from the Nike archives, Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS treats sneakerheads to an inside look at the design process of one of sneaker world’s greatest collaborations.
This is an essential piece of reading for anyone who lives and breathes sneakers.
Every serious sneakerhead needs a shoe-cleaning system, and Reshoevn8r is the gold standard. It might seem like a dull gift, and yes, you are essentially giving someone some laundry detergent and a toothbrush for Christmas, but sneakerheads love to pamper their kicks and while this is an essential item, no one really likes to buy it with their own money.
Do it for them!
The Reshoevn8r Signature kit features a cleaning solution, three different bristle brushes, a sneaker laundry bag, a microfiber towel, and a pair of shoe trees that’ll help keep leather kicks keep their shape.
The kit is designed to be compatible with Jordans, Nikes, Adidas, New Balance, Pumas, Vans, and even Supreme so you’ve pretty much got all your bases covered no matter what sort of brand loyalty the sneakerhead in your life has.
Repel Spray is an essential tool in every sneaker head’s arsenal, especially during the winter months. Liquid ruins leather, suede, nylon, canvas, and pretty much every fabric a modern sneaker is made from so if you really want to help the sneakerhead in your life take care of their shoes, get them Jason Markk’s Repel spray.
This spray works as a barrier between the elements and your kicks protecting sneakers from stains and liquids without altering the feel of the fabric. Now the sneakerhead in your life can rock their favorite kicks on a wet and rainy day without going into full-on crisis mode if they come across a puddle.
Sneakerheads spend a lot of hard-earned money on their shoes so give them something they can use to show off their collection. No sneakerhead with a serious collection should be forced to keep their shoes in their closet or under their bed collecting dust. With this stackable sneaker organizer, they can now display their most prized kicks in stackable load-bearing boxes with 360 degrees of visibility.
To take it to the next level, buy them some battery-operated LED lights so they can cast a glow in these boxes.
We get it, giving gift cards as a present feels kind of like a cop-out, but sometimes it’s just easier to let a sneakerhead shop for themselves. Chances are they have their sights set on a very specific pair of shoes for a while, and since you can’t read their minds, it’s just safer to give them the power to make their own purchasing decisions rather than hoping they like what you’ve picked out for them.
A classic rookie move is hitting up a store the next time you’re at the mall and picking up a gift card. Don’t do that, the most hyped sneaker drops often come directly out of the brands themselves, so a gift card from Nike, Adidas, or New Balance directly will mean a lot more to the hardcore collector in your life.
Sneaker customization is bigger than its ever been so if the sneakerhead in your life leans on the crafty side, consider this shoemaker’s toolkit out of the Sneaker Surgeon’s SRGN Academy.
The toolkit is designed to deconstruct and reconstruct any pair of sneakers and features a hammer, seam ripper, leather scissors, pincers, and every other tool you can think of to alter sneakers safely and effectively.
The quintessential Jordan colorway is the sneakers OG release, the classic Chicago which got a recent retro re-release this year. While you’re going to have to pick this up on the aftermarket for a slightly inflated price, its recent release status means this is the cheapest you’re going to be able to pick up this legendary colorway for.
The sneaker features a classic combination of University Red, white, and black over a full leather upper with a slightly vintage aesthetic by way of cracked black leather detailing. If the sneakerhead in your life is all about Jordans, they’re guaranteed to love this pair.
If the sneakerhead in your life leans away from the vintage and more toward the contemporary, you can’t go wrong with A Ma Maniére’s Violet Ore Jordan 4. The Atlanta-based brand is responsible for some of the best-looking Jordan drops of the decade and this muted purple nubuck leather sneaker with its quilted textile collar is easily one of the ten best sneakers to drop all year.
As is the case with the Jordan 1 Chicago, you’re going to need to pick up this pair on the aftermarket for more than its retail price, but it’s so beloved it might just make the sneakerhead in your life’s eyes water, and that’s a priceless reaction.
This year Adidas dropped Ye (for good reason) and while that may lead you to believe Adidas lost their biggest music-related collaborator, you’re wrong, because Adidas has got Bad Bunny and if Spotify Wrapped is any indication of his popularity, he’s way bigger than Ye (Adidas also has Beyonce too, also bigger).
Bad Bunny and Adidas have only been collaborating for a couple of years but each subsequent release gets better and better and this year’s Forum in Blue Tint is easily the best Bad Bunny-branded sneaker to ever come out of Adidas.
Featuring an adjustable strap, a leather and suede upper, and a semi-translucent midsole, this padded low-cut Forum was inspired by the glittering waters of Puerto Rico and is hands down one of this year’s best sneakers.
New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 993 Made in USA Performance Art Arctic Blue
Goat
Price:Varies
Chicago designer Joe Freshgoods is partly why New Balance is such a vital brand right now, consistently teaming up to bring us some of the freshest kicks of the decade. Released as part of the ‘Performance Art’ collection, this Arctic Blue New Balance 993 combines grey mesh with suede overlays and reflective detailing on the New Balance logo over an ABZORB midsole, resulting in one of the most eye-catching running sneakers to drop all year.
The sneaker is part of New Balance’s Made in USA imprint, which promises high-quality craftsmanship.
New Balance is more popular than its ever been and the brand’s best sneaker silhouette right now is hands down the 550. This ‘90s classic returned to the New Balance catalog in 2020 and in the two years since its return, it has consistently topped year-end sneaker lists thanks to its sleek and simple design.
Next week the sneaker will get a Lilac Chalk makeover in women’s exclusive sizing with a pig suede and leather upper over an off-white outsole. This sneaker tends to keep things simple in terms of color, so this is one of the most vibrant renditions of the sneaker to hit the market and is poised to become a future classic.
In its over a decade of existence, Hangout Festival has risen among the most notable mega music festivals in the South. Taking place on the glistening beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama, it’s a quintessential summer starter fest (they even have a stageside swimming pool) boasting a loaded lineup year in and year out. For 2023, Hangout Fest is coming in hot with the newly announced headlining slate of SZA, Paramore, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Calvin Harris. Both SZA and Paramore will be riding the high off of their new albums, S.O.S.and This Is Why, respectively. But the buck doesn’t stop there.
The festival takes place from May 19th – 21st and joining the headliners on the Hangout Fest 2023 lineup are gigantic acts in hip-hop, rock, EDM, and more. Lil Nas X, Skrillex, Flume, and the Kid LaRoi are damn near headliners themselves. While the rest of the thoroughly-curated lineup also includes Russ, Thundercat, GloRilla, Sabrina Carpenter, Kevin Gates, Tove Lo, Alison Wonderland, and more.
Ticketing pre-sale begins Friday, 12/09 at 10 am CT here. You can register for the pre-sale leading up to then. Check out the complete Hangout fest 2023 lineup poster below.
Hangout Fest
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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