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There are a lot of bourbons on the market. Some were crafted to be sipped neat, on the rocks, or with a few splashes of water; some were created solely to be mixed with. A choice few nail both designations. While we could spend all day sorting bourbons into various categories, today we are most concerned with the first section: easy-drinking, mellow, sippable bourbons.

While there are many great bourbons well-suited to drink straight, there are certainly some that stand above others. But with so many options, it’s difficult to pick just one or two. Heather Wibbels, managing director of Bourbon Women in Louisville agrees.

“This is like asking me to choose a favorite child,” she says. “In general, the best bourbons to sip neat depends on the palate of the person drinking. We all know that finding that great bourbon is highly subjective. For me, the best bourbons to drink neat are the ones I sip with friends and family to celebrate a great occasion or tell a fun story.”

Since we understand how complicated picking the right sipping bourbon can be, we decided to go to the experts for help. We asked a handful of well-known bartenders and mixologists to tell us the best bourbons to drink straight. They didn’t disappoint with their warming, flavorful selections.

Angel’s Envy

Miguel Chambers, bartender at Broken Shaker at Freehand in New York City

ABV: 43.3%

Average Price: $55 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

I love port wine and I love bourbon so naturally, bourbon aged in Port barrels always has my attention and Angel’s Envy is my recommendation. It’s mellow, complex, and filled with flavor.

Tasting Notes:

It’s great to sip on because you get chocolate vanilla notes with hints of maple that don’t overwhelm or undermine the sipping experience.

J. Rieger & Co Bottled in Bond

Gui Jaroschy, partner at Unfiltered Hospitality in Miami

ABV: 50%

Average Price: Limited Availability

The Whiskey:

I am a big fan of J. Rieger & Co out of Kansas City. A few months ago, I tried their Bottled in Bond Bourbon which they will release more widely next year (in 2023).

Tasting Notes:

It’s big, fruity, spicy, and rich on the palate. It’s six years and it is definitely worth the wait.

Heaven’s Door Cask Strength Single Barrel

Cosimo Bruno, beverage curator at Daxton Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan

ABV: 62%

Average Price: $75 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

A bourbon that I am particularly high on right now is Heaven’s Cask Strength Door Single Barrel. It is very rich, forward, and full of personality. After breathing a bit, the full notes of the bourbon come alive and make this a great sipper to enjoy during a cool fall afternoon – or if you need something to help warm up during the winter months.

Tasting Notes:

Notable flavors of toasted coconut, chocolate, honey, toffee, cinnamon, and vanilla make this is a great sipper.

Calumet farm 15 Single Rack Black

Lori Leber, bartender at The Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown, Kentucky

ABV: 52.5%

Average Price: $149.99 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Calumet farm 15-Year Single Rack Black. It has a good profile for the palate. The longest aged of all of Calumet Farm’s expressions, all of the barrels come from the center cut rack in the barrel house.

Tasting Notes:

You get hints of vanilla and oak with occasional nut flavor. The cherries also allow you to get a fruit flow and make the drink smooth however you choose to drink it.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

Heather Wibbels, managing director of Bourbon Women in Louisville

ABV: 60.4%

Average Price: $150 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is always a great pick for me. The high proof means that I can sip neat in the winter to warm myself up, and it does well on the rocks if I’m sipping in summer. It’s a complex, classic pour, and the higher proof means that it’s much more variable as you nose and sip it – there are more flavors to pull out and more aromas to detect.

Tasting Notes:

Each bottle is a little different, but every bottle tastes delicious, although we always have our favorites that we nurse along as long as possible. Caramel, oak, candied orange, and vanilla.

Weller 12 Year

Cody Kennedy, bartender at Juniper Preserve in Bend, Oregon

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $399 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Weller 12-year wheated bourbon is the best sipping bourbon on the planet — 100%. Every flavor in the bourbon palate can be found in the Weller 12 year.

Why is it such a great sipping bourbon? Everything from mouthfeel to proof makes it elegant and decadent at the same time.

Tasting Notes:

Caramel, nutty, molasses, oak, but none in any overwhelming way. Everything works together in unison.

Woodford Reserve

Donny Largotta, beverage director at Gansevoort Meatpacking in New York City

ABV: 45.2%

Average Price: $45 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

The best Bourbon would have to be Woodford Reserve. This classic, surprisingly well-priced flagship expression from Woodford Reserve is well-balanced and complex.

Tasting Notes:

It contains subtle hints of citrus, cinnamon, cocoa, toffee, and caramel. In my opinion, it has one of the smoothest finishes of any bourbon I’ve ever had in my life.

Michter’s US-1 Bourbon

Robert Kidd, head bartender at La Cavalier in Wilmington, Delaware

ABV: 45.7%

Average Price: $45 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Michter’s Small-Batch Bourbon is a great spirit to sip on. The bourbon comes in a touch higher than 90 proof, that’s a nice, sweet spot for bourbon to be enjoyed neat. The small batch entry level is great, and there are plenty of other options for those that want to see what more the distillery has to offer.

Tasting Notes:

Michter’s small batch has a wonderfully rich inviting note and a great balance of sweet caramel and spice on the palate.

Elijah Craig Small Batch

Nicholas Bennett, beverage director at Porchlight in New York City

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $39.99 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

I am drinking the Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon at home right now. I love the nutty and grassy aromas that are noticeable throughout. And if I am drinking it straight, I’m usually not reaching for anything too high-proof.

Tasting Notes:

Orange peels, vanilla beans, caramel, oak, and honey, are just a few of the flavors found in this popular expression.

Eagle Rare 10

Adam Montgomerie, bar manager at Hawksmoor in New York City

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $99.99 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

For sipping neat I really like Eagle Rare 10-year-old. It’s not quite as easy to find as it once was but it is outstanding value for money. It has great depth of flavor and complexity which makes it ideal for enjoying neat.

Tasting Notes:

Notes of caramel, honey, vanilla, apple, and ginger are all present and it also has a lovely long, lingering finish.

Henry McKenna Single Barrel

Matt Burnett, bar manager at Bellwether House & Folklore Restaurant in Savannah, Georgia

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $99.99 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Henry McKenna Single Barrel. This sometimes hard-to-find bourbon checks all the boxes. It’s aged 10 years, bottled-in-bond, and single barrel. It’s produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, so you know it’s a good juice.

Tasting Notes:

Charred oak, burnt brown sugar, honey, and a touch of rye spice. While I usually search out complexity in a whiskey, Henry McKenna is just so perfectly balanced there’s no need to look elsewhere. And while it can be tough to find, when you do find a bottle, it won’t break the bank.

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked

Jack Beguedou, bartender at Proof 192 in Omaha, Nebraska

ABV: 45.2%

Average Price: $65 for a 750ml bottle

The Whiskey:

Woodford Double Oaked is a can’t-miss bourbon. The proof and flavor are completely balanced. It gets its flavor because it’s matured in two different charred oak barrels. The second barrel is toasted and only lightly charred to impart rich, memorable aromas and flavors.

Tasting Notes:

A lot is going on with this bourbon’s aroma and flavor. Nice brown sugar on the front palate, baking spice, and caramel note on the finish.

After industry heavyweights such as Hitmaka and Sony Digital offered their thoughts regarding the low album sales of Saweetie‘s latest EP, The Single Life, YouTube personality DJ Vlad decided to chime in as well — only it didn’t go exactly as he planned.

The “Don’t Say Nuthin” rapper’s EP dropped on November 18 and reportedly only moved 2,000 unit equivalents in its first week of release. Many people faulted Saweetie’s team for not doing enough promotion and marketing, but others, including DJ Vlad, suggested that it’s the Bay Area rapper herself who is responsible.

The YouTube personality went on Twitter to share his thoughts regarding the situation late last week, writing, “If Saweetie did a VladTV interview, she would have easily done 10x her first week sales, which was 2000 copies,” said Vlad. “We actually reached out through one of our people and were told ‘she won’t do Vlad.’ Her loss.”

The Icy Girl wasted no time offering a response, revealing that she was actually a fan of VladTV, and even showed screenshots of episodes she had recorded on her phone.

“Actually, I been a big fan & have screen recorded my favorite episodes,” she wrote back on Twitter. “So if anyone ‘reached out’ it wasn’t to me or my team, Dj Vlad. Happy Thanksgiving.”

But the back and forth didn’t stop there.

DJ Vlad responded to Saweetie in a series of tweets, thanking her for her kind words but noted that when he reached out to her team, the rapper’s publicist turned him down. He followed that message up with a screenshot of a text message from Shirley Ju — a journalist who recently interviewed Saweetie — that read: “her publicist doesn’t like vlad. she told me she wouldn’t ever have her artists do it. i’m sorry.”

He later named the rapper’s publicist allegedly responsible, Warner Music’s Senior Vice President of Publicity Aishah White, before condemning label executives for “creating bad relationships with media outlets.”

The YouTube personality eventually apologized to the rapper, who has yet to respond directly. Saweetie did, however, send a cryptic tweet about a “hate parade.”

“hate parade… i must be that b*tch!!! ” she wrote.

Saweetie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In 2017, Billie Eilish sat down for a filmed interview with Vanity Fair. At the time, she likely didn’t know how big a part of her life this would become. As fans know, once a year since then, Eilish has reunited with the magazine and answered the same set of questions, a process that highlights the changes in how she has felt about herself and the world. The 2022 installment is the sixth one in the series and it was released today (November 28).

Among the immediate quantifiable highlights is the progression of Eilish’s social media presence. In 2017, she had 257,000 followers, a number that is now up to 106 million. Beyond that, it’s always fascinating and fun to watch Eilish reflect on her wild journey through the lens of her past self… especially the moments she now cringes at or isn’t so sure about anymore, or the ones where something she previously said fills her with joy today.

Also in the video, Eilish speaks about what this series has come to mean to her, saying, “It’s just so cool to get to do this every year. I don’t know, I feel like… sometimes people are like, ‘You’re still gonna… you’re doing it… you’re gonna go back and keep doing it?’ And I just, I love… I just like it. It’s just like a really cool… ah, they mean so much to me. Every year, I watch these and I’m just like… ah, it just feels really… it makes me really happy.”

Watch the video above.

The NFL is celebrating its Latino fans with the Por La Cultura Mixtape: Volume 1 that was released on Friday (November 25). For new football hype jams, Latin acts like Snow Tha Product, El Alfa, and Anthony Ramos were tapped. The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am also got involved with the project.

Back in September, the NFL launched its Por La Cultura initiative with hit-maker Tainy’s NEON16 collective. That month, “Rómpela” was released at the first single from the mixtape. Reggaeton music courtesy of pioneer Yandel collided with dembow beats by way of rising Dominican star El Alfa. will.i.am and One Six also featured on the feel-good anthem.

“The Por La Cultura Mixtape: Volume 1 is one of many league efforts to connect more deeply with Latino fans, especially through music which is consistently shown to be a leading passion point for this community,” said Javier Farfan, Cultural Strategist at the NFL, in a statement. “NEON16 as the premier Latin music powerhouse was the perfect partner to bring this concept to life and imbue the energy, passion and overall football vibe to each track that, at its core, connects high energy and high impact sounds with youth and pop culture.”

Ramos, who starred in In the Heights last year, recorded the bilingual banger “Latino Activo.” Mexican-American rapper Snow Tha Product blended elements of Mexican banda music with trap beats in her swaggering track “Pa’ Atras.” Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Kris Floyd let his sensual flow run wild in the sultry “Ballin.” In another standout moment, Argentine rapper Trueno mixed reggaeton and hip-hop in his contribution “Quién Si No.”

Por La Cultura Mixtape: Volume 1 also features music from Aux, Jodosky, Chicocurlyhead, and Dj Cornetto.

Por La Cultura Mixtape: Volume 1 is out now via NEON16. Listen to it here.

Canned, bottled, “pre-made,” or ready-to-drink cocktails have been around for about as long as cocktails themselves have existed, though they’re certainly gaining in both market share and prestige. The popularity of pre-made cocktails has peaked and waned over centuries and right now we’re in a pretty big peak with seemingly every brand — new and old — putting out some form of ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail in a can, bottle, or even pouch.

Cards on the table, the vast majority are pretty trash. As someone who judges these things, I can tell you that there are a lot of companies out there delivering shit products with too much sugar and too little refinement (this is often where brands hide the cheap booze they make). Still, that’s not to say there aren’t great ready-to-drink cocktails. There are… a few.

Below, we’re calling out some canned, bottled, and pre-made cocktails that don’t actually suck. These are the ones that break through the void of overly sweet, overly manufactured, and overly messed with and actually have a nice, subtle, and tasty flavor while delivering what’s promised on the label. Let’s dive in!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months

• We Put A Whole Bunch Of Bourbons To A Giant Blind Test And Discovered Some Absolute Gems
• The Affordable Vs Expensive Blind Bourbon Bottle Battle
• We Blind Tasted Classic Bourbons And Were Shocked By The Winner
• The Best-Known Basic Bottles Of Bourbon, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The Single Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States

Stone Buenafiesta Margarita Pineapple Habanero — Zach Johnston

ABV: 12.5%

Average Price: $16 (four 12 oz. cans)

The Cocktail:

Stone Buenafiesta Tequila Margaritas are made by a beer company but actually hit the mark really well. The RTDs are made with actual tequila from Jalisco that’s blended with a touch of real habanero and pineapple in the vat when they’re making the drink.

Tasting Notes:

The tequila comes through on the nose with a sense of roasted vegetal agave next to fresh green chili pepper and a hint of grilled pineapple. That tropical fruit gets juicy and fresh on the palate with a cut of lemon oils and spicy habanero on the very end, plus a twinge of lime juice and maybe a hint of that roasted agave popping back in.

Bottom Line:

This did have a mild sweetness but that was cut by the hefty citrus and habanero spice. It has a truly nice balance of flavors and actually kind of feels like a real margarita. If you poured this over some rocks with a salt-rimmed glass, you’d be pretty satisfied.

The Gold Fashioned 2022 Blend – Steve Bramucci

ABV: 42.2%

Average Price: $152 (one 750ml bottle)

The Cocktail:

This product is a little bit of an outlier because as you can see — it’s $150 per bottle. And you can get one hell of a bourbon (or rye) for that money. So to pay that much for a bottle that is not simply “all alcohol” is going to feel… a little odd to many consumers.

With that said, this is a beautiful midcentury Don Draper bottle — a bar cart centerpiece — built around quality ingredients. The whiskey blend isn’t known but features 15-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 9-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and 6-year Indiana Straight Rye. The saffron is ethically sourced from Afghanistan, the vanilla comes from Tahiti, the cacao is from Equador, the gentian flower extract comes from France. This is a world tour in a bottle.

As a truly nice touch, the bottle comes with an “orange zest atomizer” to spritz over the glass. Def a cool look at parties.

Tasting Notes:

If you bought some big ice cubes, poured this directly into the glass, and spritzed the orange zest over the top as you delivered each glass, you would have a show-stopping opener to any party. The nose picks up the orange zest plus a nice warming whiskey and plenty of the fair trade demerara syrup. The palate has a nice whiskey warmth with some of the more exotic flavor notes — vanilla and saffron — landing near the finish. The close is sweet. And while this is a tad sweeter than I’d make an old fashioned, it’s certainly not sweeter than what the average drinker expects or what is served at the average bar.

Moreover, I don’t think you’d do much better at most whiskey bars and you’re definitely not getting 10x 75ml old fashioneds on the coast for less than $150 (especially if you tip well).

Bottom Line:

I hosted a party where I knew I couldn’t mix bespoke drinks during the arrival rush. I poured this out to the first 10 guests and it was an absolute hit.

Campari Soda — Zach Johnston

ABV: 10%

Average Price: $10.95 (five 3.35 oz. bottles)

The Cocktail:

Created back in 1932 in Milan, this is the granddaddy of ready-to-drink cocktails. The deeply red elixir is a mix of one part Campari and two parts fizzy soda water (the good stuff from northern Italy). The balance is perfect for pouring over some ice or simply drinking from an ice-cold bottle.

Tasting Notes:

Rich botanicals and herbal notes subtly appear on the nose with a sense of almost salty mineral water and a touch of orange essence. The palate is dry and full of woody botanicals and soft citrus, especially tangerine and pomelo with a hint of chinotto bitterness.

Bottom Line:

This is a great and refreshing pre-made cocktail. It’s wonderful on its own but really shines over some rocks with a topper of prosecco, creating your own easy spritz.

Cutwater Heater Hot Buttered Rum — Steve Bramucci

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $19 (one 375ml bottle)

The Cocktail:

I picked this particular expression, but to be honest I love the entire Cutwater Heaters series. I think a big part of why is that I like hot cocktails this time of year but always make too much and they’re sort of a menace to clean and generally a hassle to prepare. Visually impressive, sure, but sort of a bear all around. Plus, while Cutwater’s canned series is pretty sugary for my palate, hot drinks are supposed to read as sugary-syrupy — which made me curious about these.

The Heaters series is made up of four pour-over RTDs — you pour hot water over a shot of the mix and you’ve got a drink. That solves the problem of making too much and also allows folks to make theirs a tad stronger or weaker, depending on personal preference.

Tasting Notes:

This reads as buttery without it tasting synthetic or chemical-y. It’s warming and holiday-ish. All wins. The mid-palate has a nice whiskey punch — 80% abv isn’t bad for an RTD (it gets proofed down by the water but mine still felt like a nice, stiff pour). The backend is sweet, there’s no avoiding that, but it’s butterscotch sweet in a way that works and doesn’t feel unbalanced and there’s enough warmth (from the hot water and the booze) to mitigate it.

Bottom Line:

Not sure I could do more than 10% better from scratch. And avoiding the cleanup is far more valuable to me than that last 10% of performance!

Jim Beam Cocktails Classic Highball — Zach Johnston

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $11 (four 12 oz. cans)

The Cocktail:

This canned cocktail from Kentucky blends classic Jim Beam bourbon with a touch of seltzer water and a drop of citrus oils.

Tasting Notes:

The bourbon shines through on the nose with hints of woody spice, vanilla beans, and cherry candy. The palate is full of that bourbon-y goodness while the seltzer offers a sharp fizziness accented by hints of rich orange and lemon oils.

Bottom Line:

This is shockingly good for a canned highball. It’s easy drinking and full of classic whiskey highball flavors.

Golden Rule Espresso Martini – Steve Bramucci

ABV: 24%

Average Price: $20 (four 3.3 oz. cans)

The Cocktail:

I’ve always gotten a great response about Golden Rule. I think the reason why is 1) they taste even more potent than they are (in a good way), and 2) they are one of the few canned cocktails that aren’t overly sweet. I suppose those two things are related (as alcohol potency is typically masked with sweetness) but regardless — these little guys are tasty!

Tasting Notes:

This tastes like an espresso martini. Sorry for not being more involved but… does an espresso martini ever taste either better or worse than an espresso martini? I don’t think so, personally. I mean, unless you’re really brewing espresso in your house. Then… maybe? Not even so sure.

Does that make these tasting notes poorly written? I say “no!” It tastes like a mix of sugar, vodka, and espresso and that’s what you wanted.

Bottom Line:

Buy these. Pour them into martini glasses. Float an espresso bean or cocoa powder on top. Claim you made them from scratch. If someone notices, I’ll reimburse you.

Jack Daniel’s Apple Fizz — Zach Johnston

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $12 (four 12 oz. cans)

The Cocktail:

This canned cocktail is made with Jack Daniel’s signature Jack Tennessee Apple, fizzy soda water, and a touch of citrus essence.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear sense of apple orchards with a hint of Granny Smith and honey lurking underneath on the nose. The palate melds honey apple crisps with light lemon zest and a twinge of orange pith for a bright and refreshing sipper.

Bottom Line:

This is a bit like Martinelli’s Apple Cider turned up a notch. The sweetness is dialed back a bit and feels like real honey, not sugar syrup. The light citrus really jives with the tart apple and creates an easy drinker.

Sagamore Spirit Rye Orange Crush — Zach Johnston

ABV: 8%

Average Price: $16 (four 12 oz. cans)

The Cocktail:

Maryland’s Sagamore Spirit created a whole line of new RTDs with their award-winning rye whiskey. In this case, the pre-made cocktail is Sagamore Spirit rye cut with orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, and natural orange flavor along with fizzy soda water.

Tasting Notes:

This is like a boozy orange creamsicle in a can. There’s a sweetness on the nose that’s tied to the orange. The palate has a nice and lightly spiced whiskey base with a hint of rye breadiness and burnt orange that plays well with the creamy vanilla and orange that’s the star of the show.

Bottom Line:

This is the sweetest of my picks. But it works here since this is about an “orange crush” and not a simple rye highball. It delivers what’s on the label while going deep enough to feel like something real and nostalgic, even straight out of a chilled can.

George Dickel Social Hour Harvest Whiskey Sour – Zach Johnston

ABV: 20%

Average Price: $28 (four 8.5 oz. cans)

The Cocktail:

This brand-new canned cocktail from George Dickel is a killer. The actual booze in the drink is 13-year-old George Dickel Tennessee Whisky, which is wildly good whiskey to put in a pre-mixed cocktail in a can. The mix is a combination of that old whiskey plus Honeycrisp apple, Meyer lemon, cinnamon, maple syrup, and cardamom with a whisper of fizziness.

Tasting Notes:

The whiskey and Meyer lemon pop on the nose with a sense of spiced apple cider (the good stuff with a murky body). The palate is bold and hits you with a light whiskey sense that’s part whiskey sour and part spicy apple cider. The dark cider, woody cinnamon, and whole cardamom pods really last on the palate with a nice citrus counterpoint. Moreover, there’s an actual finish that lasts and meanders through the woody spice and real apple cider — with a hint of cinnamon butter — back toward the feel of a good, wintry whiskey sour.

Bottom Line:

This is straight-up delicious and really feels like you’re drinking a cocktail. It’s boozy, full of real-feeling flavor notes, and doesn’t at all taste like it’s out of a can.

Aubrey Plaza is known for her punchy sarcasm and witty one-liners, all sprinkled with a little bit of charm and a lot of creepiness, almost like a real-life Wednesday Addams or a Chucky doll with a better fashion sense. Even though she insists she’s not like that in real life, her co-stars seem to disagree.

For example, while filming The White Lotus, the cast and crew were often spending long hours in their hotel rooms and unsurprisingly became a little bored. Sure, some of them were totally fine spending the time doing vocal warmups, but not everyone was calm and collected.

“I was a suspicious character for these Italians,” Plaza said of the hotel staff. “They thought I was sketchy. Which I am.” Plaza seemed to lean into her natural gift of weirdness by pranking her co-star Adam DiMarco. The actress decided to arrange reed diffusers in a “large Blair Witch-style symbol” in DiMarco’s dressing room, as well as her own in order to feign suspicion. Or maybe she just wanted to conjure some spirits, who’s to really say?

Then, as the power slowly went to her head, Plaza started slipping notes that said “here lies…” under people’s doors, effectively creeping everyone out and wondering why they decided to be in this television show in the first place. When confronted, Plaza would basically gaslight DiMarco “over bottles of red wine” and pretend she had no idea what was going on. “Adam was so innocent, like a baby bird,” Plaza said. “It was really sick, what I was doing to him. I got him to the brink of a psychological break.”

Plaza’s stunt was foiled by the hotel’s staff, who showed him footage of Plaza and her pranks. DiMarco said that he was “definitely questioning my reality for a while there,” before Plaza’s plan was revealed. Just wait until we find out the kind of pranks she will be pulling on the set of Agatha: Coven Of Choas! Hopefully, Kathryn Hahn was warned.

(Via AV Club and GQ)

The majority of the The White Lotus vacationers are somehow miserable in paradise, but the viewing experience is much more pleasurable. This week’s episode contained a number of salacious revelations toward the back end, and that’s a pretty awful game with words that I’m tossing out here. There’s possible incest on the loose involving a “naughty nephew,” and then there’s another Game of Thrones-style suggestion at hand.

In particular, people now wonder whether Daphne and Cameron’s children are even his, which means that Daphne might be pulling a Rhaenyra from House of the Dragon:

Daphne certainly stirred that pot, not too long after she made a confession to Harper: Daphne is well-aware of Cameron’s wandering eye and his consummation of such. As Daphne gushed about her personal trainer with gorgeous blonde hair and massive blue eyes, Daphne passed her phone to Harper, and there was a photo of her children. Harper was like, girl, did you mean to show me this photo, and Daphne knew exactly what she was doing. It’s no wonder that actress Meghann Fahy is out there telling people not to “underestimate” her character in the wake of this episode.

Yep, it sure looks like Daphne’s been getting hers for awhile, so it’s no wonder that she really doesn’t care that Cameron cheats like he’s drinking water. As a result, social media is loving this turn of events.

HBO’s The White Lotus airs on Sunday nights.

As Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continues to dominate the box office, Marvel fans are no doubt curious as to what further adventures await its characters. Specifically, the blockbuster sequel debuted the live-action version of Namor, one of Marvel Comics’ oldest characters if not the oldest. He has a comic book history stretching back nearly a century, so surely, Marvel must have plans to use the aquatic character in his own series of films. Well, not so fast.

According to Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore, Namor is still trapped in a complicated rights issue that prevents him from starring in solo films. Like the Hulk, Universal snatched up the rights to Namor back when Marvel Comics was selling off characters left and right to stave off bankruptcy in the ’90s. While Marvel Studios has been able to slowly claw back those rights thanks to Disney’s acquisition of Fox, it still has to “borrow” characters, which has had its hiccups. (See: The Great Spider-Man Debacle of 2019)

However, despite Universal’s ownership of Namor, Marvel still enjoyed free reign with the character. Via The Wrap:

“It honestly affects us more, and not to talk too much out of school, but in how we market the film than it does how we use him in the film,” Moore said. “There weren’t really things we couldn’t do from a character perspective for him, which is good because clearly, we took a ton of inspiration from the source material, but we also made some big changes to really anchor him in that world in a truth that publishing never really landed on, I would argue, in a big way.”

Of course, Namor has historically worked best when he’s bouncing off other Marvel characters, particularly the Fantastic Four and Dr. Doom. Giving him a solo film could be interesting, but for now, MCU fans will have to content themselves with Namor being a secondary character, which is often where he’s the most dynamic.

(Via The Wrap)

Metallica earned themselves a bunch of new fans earlier this year thanks to Stranger Things, and now it’s time to give them fresh music: Today (November 28), the band announced they have a new album, 72 Seasons, set to drop on April 14, 2023. They also unveiled “Lux Æterna,” an in-your-face rocker that shows James Hetfield and company really haven’t lost a step all these years later.

Hetfield says of the album in a statement:

“72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.”

On top of that, the band is going on a big tour starting in 2023 and extending into 2024.

Watch the “Lux Æterna” video above. Below, find the 72 Seasons art and tracklist, as well as Metallica’s tour dates.

1. “72 Seasons”
2. “Shadows Follow”
3. “Screaming Suicide”
4. “Sleepwalk My Life Away”
5. “You Must Burn!”
6. “Lux Æterna”
7. “Crown Of Barbed Wire”
8. “Chasing Light”
9. “If Darkness Had A Son”
10. “Too Far Gone?”
11. “Room Of Mirrors”
12. “Inamorata”

04/27/2023 — Amsterdam NL @ Johan Cruijff Arena
04/29/2023 — Amsterdam NL @ Johan Cruijff Arena
05/17/2023 — Paris FR @ Stade de France
05/19/2023 — Paris FR @ Stade de France
05/26/2023 — Hamburg DE @ Volksparkstadion
05/28/2023 — Hamburg DE @ Volksparkstadion
06/16/2023 — Gothenburg SE @ Ullevi Stadium
06/18/2023 — Gothenburg SE @ Ullevi Stadium
08/04/2023 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
08/06/2023 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
08/11/2023 — Montreal, QC @ Stade Olympique
08/13/2023 — Montreal, QC @ Stade Olympique
08/18/2023 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
08/20/2023 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
08/25/2023 — Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium
08/27/2023 — Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium
09/01/2023 — Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium
09/03/2023 — Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium
11/03/2023 — St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center
11/05/2023 — St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center
11/10/2023 — Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
11/12/2023 — Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
05/24/2024 — Munich DE @ Olympiastadion
05/26/2024 — Munich DE @ Olympiastadion
06/07/2024 — Helsinki FI @ Olympic Stadium
06/09/2024 — Helsinki FI @ Olympic Stadium
06/14/2024 — Copenhagen DK @ Parken Stadium
06/16/2024 — Copenhagen DK @ Parken Stadium
07/05/2024 — Warsaw PL @ PGE Narodowy
07/07/2024 — Warsaw PL @ PGE Narodowy
07/12/2024 — Madrid ES @ Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano
07/14/2024 — Madrid ES @ Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano
08/02/2024 — Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
08/04/2024 — Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
08/09/2024 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
08/11/2024 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
08/16/2024 — Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium
08/18/2024 — Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium
08/23/2024 — Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium
08/25/2024 — Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium
08/30/2024 — Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field
09/01/2024 — Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field
09/20/2024 — Mexico City MX @ Foro Sol
09/22/2024 — Mexico City MX @ Foro Sol
09/27/2024 — Mexico City MX @ Foro Sol
09/29/2024 — Mexico City MX @ Foro Sol

72 Seasons is out 4/14/2023 via Blackened Recordings. Pre-order it here.

Star Trek co-stars William Shatner and George Takei haven’t worked together in over 30 years (1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country), but they can’t stop griping about each other. A few weeks ago, Shatner told the Times that the only reason his former colleagues have an issue with him is for publicity. “Sixty years after some incident they are still on that track. Don’t you think that’s a little weird? It’s like a sickness.” He specifically called out Takei, who once referred to the Captain Kirk actor as an “unfit” guinea pig. The LGBTQ icon replied to Shatner in a new interview with the Guardian.

When asked if the Star Trek cast got along with each other, Takei replied, “Yes. Yes. YES. Except for one, who was a prima donna.” Gee, I wonder who that could be. “But the rest of us shared a great camaraderie,” he continued. “One of the gifts from Star Trek was not just longevity but colleagues that became lasting friends. My colleagues were part of my wedding party in 2008. Walter Koenig [Chekov] was my best man. We asked Nichelle [Nichols] to be our matron of honor but she said: ‘I am not a matron! If Walter can be the best man, why can’t I be the best lady?’ So she became the best lady.”

Takei wasn’t done with Shatner, however. He called him a “cantankerous old man,” adding, “He enjoyed being the centre of attention. He wanted everyone to kowtow to him.” Only two members of the main Star Trek cast who starred in all three seasons are still alive: Shatner and Takei. It’s going to be a spite-off to see who can last longer.

(Via the Guardian)