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It has certainly seemed a long time coming, but Brockhampton’s final album as a group, TM, arrives tonight after what was originally billed as that album, The Family, turned out to be more of a Kevin Abstract solo album. The group surprise-announced TM after fans were baffled by The Family‘s exclusion of most of the members of the massive, self-described boy band, leaving fans to wonder whether all of Brockhampton’s dramatic pronouncements over the past couple of years had just been theater. Some also wondered whether, with two new albums to promote, the group might head out on a farewell tour.

However, it appears that the answer is, conclusively, no. TM will apparently be an album of unfinished cutting room floor material, described in a press release as “an album made up of songs that were started by the group during a two-week stint in Ojai, California in 2021, but were never fully completed during those sessions.” And since The Family consists of Kevin Abstract’s solo tracks, it seems unlikely that he’ll need Bearface, Dom McLennon, Joba, Matt Champion, or Merlyn Wood around to help him perform them.

There is good news, though. The group will play one last show on Saturday, November 19, at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, and it will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video’s Twitch channel for the world to watch as they take their final bow.

Dark rum is a great choice this time of year. The aged spirit often carries deep flavor notes of wintry spices, dark fruits, and rich sweetness that speak to fall and winter vibes. That’s not to say that dark rum isn’t as good on a hot beach with the waves lapping at your feet because it absolutely is. It’s more speaking the versatility of the aged sugar-based spirit.

Since dark rum is so wide-reaching, I figured it was time for another dark rum blind taste test. Yes, even as we head into winter. Specifically, as we head into winter.

For this blind tasting, I grabbed some hardcore classics and a couple of newbies across several regions and price points. It’s a smorgasbord of dark rums that suit every level of interest (and cash flow). As for the ranking itself, I’m going on taste alone. That means that I’m looking for depth (how short or long does that flavor profile go and does it take you on a journey?) and balance (does everything make sense and create a cohesive entity?).

At the end of the day, it’s the taste and experience that matter most, folks. Since I do this for a living, be assured that you’re in good hands for this ranking. The lineup today is as follows:

• Papa’s Pilar Bourbon Barrel Finished 24 Solera Profile Dark Rum (New)
• Botran Ron de Guatemala No. 18 (New)
• Flor de Caña 18 Years Old (Classic)
• Don Papa Rye Aged Rum (New)
• Tommy Bahama Tommy No. 2 Rum Finished in Bourbon Whisky Barrels (New)
• Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva (Classic)
• Ron Zacapa XO Solera Gran Reserva Especial (Classic)
• Mount Gay Andean Oak Cask Barbados Rum (New)

Let’s dive in and find you a great dark rum to sip as the holidays kick off!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Blind Taste Test 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
• Blind Soda Taste Test: Can Any Cherry Soda Beat Cherry Coke?
• The Best-Known Basic Bottles Of Bourbon, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The 30 Best Bourbon Whiskeys For Fall, Blind Tasted & Ranked

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

There’s a mild sense of tannic old oak on the nose with a dark and dry chili pepper spice and maybe some molasses sweetness but not much. The palate holds onto that charcoal-filled tannic note while adding wet brown sugar that turns into buttery caramel sauce. Finally, the sip fades through vanilla husks and maybe a hint of orchard fruit with woody spices lurking underneath.

This was pretty good overall. It feels very whiskey adjacent with a good amount of vanilla and fruit on the end next to all that spice.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

There’s a brief moment of sour funk that gives way to white pepper, waxy chili pepper skins, and apple pie. The palate has a mild sense of caramel and sugar cane juice next to maybe some rum-raisin. The sip ultimately fades out pretty fast into a light sense of pepper, chocolate, and spice.

This started off so strong and then sort of petered out into very little.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

There’s a mild sense of old oak and leather next to dark winter spices, dark berries, and a whisper of potpourri. The palate has a rich blackstrap molasses sweetness and bitterness that leads to woody winter spices, red berries with a candied edge, and a hint of that dried floral vibe. The end gets a little light but it’s more minerality than watery proofing as wet pipe tobacco and sweet vanilla candies dominate.

This is a pretty nice pour. It’s balanced and has some depth without being too washed out on the finish.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Holy f*ck, this is wildly weird. The nose pops with lemon iced tea powder and wet tobacco next to celery salt, caraway, and cardamom pods. The palate leans into the sweet and citrusy iced tea with a clear sense of tobacco juice (yes, like having a chaw in your mouth). The end sort of leans into woody winter spices, old vanilla, and a hint of rock candy.

This is outlandish yet somehow enticing. It beckons you back for more because it feels like there’s no way it can taste that … kooky.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

There’s a mild sense of dark spices next to fruity tobacco, a layer of vanilla, and some mild candied sweetness. The palate is very light and delivers molasses, spice, and maybe some tropical fruit notes but eventually feels a little washed out.

This is pretty weak but does have a sense of dark rum in there.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

There’s a very sweet sense of molasses and brown sugar on the nose with a touch of bright florals and dark berries. The palate is very caramel-forward with a bold sweetness that’s part rock candy and part molasses with a hint of pancake syrup and vanilla. The end has a sharp tobacco bite with orange zest and a touch of walnut cake cut with raisins and wintry spices.

This was nice but very sweet.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a sense of vanilla beans next to old leather, salted butter, mild dried florals, and new pipe tobacco with a hint of cedar humidor. The palate adds in layers of salted caramel with dried fruits and dates alongside plenty of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove with a hint of dark chocolate tobacco. The end has a distinct edge of lush caramel-chocolate cake feel with a return of that pipe tobacco and cedar from the nose on the very end.

This was complex and distinct. It’s a solid pour.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this one is deep with notes of old oak staves next to a spiced holiday cake full of candied fruits, raisins, dark spices, and buttery vanilla with a hint of espresso bitterness and maybe a whisper of gooseberry. The palate leans into the wintry cake spice with a focus on nutmeg and clove creating a lush eggnog feel next to candied ginger, woody huckleberry, pine resin, and Almond Joy. The end has a flourish of marzipan and fresh mint next to pineapple tobacco and more of those dark holiday cake spices all wrapped up with soft cedar bark and dry sweetgrass.

This is the best pour by a country mile.

Part 2: The Ranking

8. Tommy Bahama Tommy No. 2 Rum Finished in Bourbon Whisky Barrels — Taste 5

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $39

The Rum:

This is a sourced “Central American” rum. The juice was aged in American oak (bourbon barrels) for a minimum of five years before blending, proofing, and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was fine, but only just. It was super light on the finish. I’d probably just pass on this one.

7. Botran Ron de Guatemala No. 18 — Taste 2

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $54

The Rum:

This Guatemalan rum uses estate-grown sugar cane varieties to create sugar cane honey (instead of molasses). After distillation, the hot juice is aged using the solera method (by never fully emptying aging containers). The rum ages for five to eight years in bourbon, sherry, and port casks before it’s blended, proofed, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

This was fine but really dropped off into the proofing water my the mid-palate. That said, this would be perfectly fine for building cocktails.

6. Don Papa Rye Aged Rum — Taste 4

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $240

The Rum:

This new Filipino rum is fully matured in American rye casks. The molasses comes from the Philippine island of Negros Occidental. Once distilled, the hot juice rests in those rye barrels for about four years before batching, proofing, and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was so out there. It didn’t taste like a classic dark rum at all. And that’s what kind of endeared it to me. It was interesting and felt fresh and new. That said, if you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing classic dark rum, look elsewhere. This is not that in any way.

5. Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva — Taste 6

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40

The Rum:

This Venezuelan rum is a blend of a minimum of 12-year-old juice made from both sugarcane honey and molasses. The rums were aged in ex-bourbon barrels high up in the Amazonia before blending, proofing, and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This read very sweet today. It wasn’t bad. There was serious depth and nuance beyond that sweetness. Still, this felt more like something I’d make a solid Tiki-style cocktail with rather than use as a sipper.

4. Flor de Caña 18 Years Old — Taste 3

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $50

The Rum:

This Nicaraguan rum is made on the slopes of the San Cristóbal Volcano. The molasses is made from estate-grown sugar cane from that volcanic soil. The rums are then aged in ex-bourbon barrels for varying amounts of time before blending. It’s important to note that “18” is the average age of the barrels involved and not the age of the expression.

Bottom Line:

This was a nice all-around easy-to-drink dark rum. It didn’t pop as a sipper but certainly would as a really solid cocktail base. You can build some great flavor notes off of this one’s profile.

3. Papa’s Pilar Bourbon Barrel Finished 24 Solera Profile Dark Rum — Taste 1

ABV: 44%

Average Price: $60

The Rum:

Named after Hemingway (or Papa if you will), this is a blend of sourced rums from all over. Both column still and pot still rums from the Caribbean, U.S.A, and Central America are in the mix. Those rums were aged in bourbon barrels, port wine casks, and sherry casks before batching and going on a final finishing run in more bourbon casks.

Bottom Line:

This was pretty nice overall. There was some depth at play and the finish wasn’t washed out. I can see sipping this over some rocks or mixing it into a decent cocktail.

2. Ron Zacapa XO Solera Gran Reserva Especial — Taste 7

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $124

The Rum:

This expression is a blend of Guatemalan rums that spent six to 25 years resting in their solera warehouse in former sherry casks at high elevations. The rum is then finished in French cognac casks to add that little extra refinement to the final taste.

Bottom Line:

This was clearly built for easy sipping. There’s some nice depth to the flavor profile with balance. Overall, this is an easy sipper that won’t challenge your palate.

1. Mount Gay Andean Oak Cask Barbados Rum — Taste 8

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $210

The Rum:

Master Blender Trudiann Branker is creating some amazing Barbadian blends with Mount Gay’s Master Blender Collection. The fourth release takes Mount Gay rum that spent 14 years mellowing if former bourbon barrels just a stone’s throw from a beach and finishes that rum in South American oak from the Andies. After eleven months in those barrels, the rum is proofed and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was far and away the best rum on this panel. The depth and nuance were extraordinary with a real freshness to it. Overall, this feels like the best and more rewarding sipper on the list — and it wasn’t even close.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

That Mount Gay Andean Cask is a stellar rum. It’s so refreshing yet familiar. It’s also spendy but worth it this time of year. After all, what are the holidays for if not to treat yourself and/or your loved ones with great rum pours?

Naturally, that bottle is pricey. So, I’d recommend grabbing Papa’s Pilar rum as a good alternative, especially if you’re looking to make some killer cocktails too. Or any of the rest really, except for maybe the bottom two. You can safely skip those.

Before he was murdered a year ago today, Young Dolph had completed recording and conceptualized his next album, Paper Route Frank. Now on the anniversary of his death, a day that is officially recognized by the states of Georgia and Tennessee as the Adolph “Young Dolph” Thornton Jr. Day of Service, the rapper’s first posthumous album has been officially announced.

Released on the Paper Route Empire independent hip-hop label that Dolph had built, Paper Route Frank promises to show Dolph hungry, driven, and motivated to keep building. The album is presented with minimal alterations from what Dolph had originally laid down. The latest single, “Get Away,” has also been released today and it follows “Hall Of Fame” in showing Dolph at his creative and commercial peak.

With today marking the first ever Dolph Day, fans of the late rapper are encouraged to share photos of themselves performing an act of service and use the hashtag #DolphDay. “It is truly therapy and healing in helping others while you hurt,” Dolph’s longtime partner Mia Jaye said in a statement. “It’s the humility, the kind-heartedness, and the Godly spirit within you that blesses you while you bless others…so while in your season of suffering, take on the spirit of Dolph, pay it forward, and watch a blessing or two come your way.”

Listen to “Get Away” and watch the visualizer above. Check out the album artwork below.

Paper Route Frank is due out next month via Paper Route Empire.

After the Recording Academy released their nominations for the 2023 Grammys, as expected, the internet wasted no time coming for Nicki Minaj about her lack of nominations this year, with the hashtag #NoGrammyForGranny. But The Game wasn’t having any of it.

Despite releasing her chart-topping hit “Super Freaky Girl,” Nicki Minaj didn’t receive a single nomination for the 2023 Grammys.

The song was reportedly deemed a pop single, and instead of being submitted for Rap, it went for Best Pop Solo Performance instead. Nicki took issue with the Recording Academy’s decision and argued Latto’s “Big Energy,” which also has a pop sound, should be moved as well — leading to an ugly spat between the two rappers.

Social media was instantly set ablaze with jokes at the rapper’s expense.

“Barbs saying Grammys is racist… as if a bw isn’t the most awarded and nominated artist there,” one person tweeted. “They always pulling the race card when their fave flops. Just take the L!#NoGrammyForGranny.”

One person noted that despite Minaj’s constant rants about the Grammy, most notably this past October after having “Super Freaky Girl” kicked out of the rap category.

“Did all that huffing and puffing, crying and screaming, mourning and groaning all over the internet just to NOT get nominated?” they wrote. “We have to laugh, ” with the hashtag #NoGrammyForGranny, and laughing emojis.

The Game, who starred in Minaj’s “Pills N Potions” music video in 2014, doesn’t agree with the flurry of jokes that spread about the Jamaica Queens rapper and claimed that “she was the reason Female Rap was flourishing.”

“This is funny because Nicki Minaj is hands down the reason the female rap game of this era is thriving the way it is!!!!!!!!!!!” the Compton rapper wrote on a now-deleted Instagram Story.”Literally nuts mfs act any differently.”

Today (November 17) is officially recognized as Adolph “Young Dolph” Thornton Jr. Day Of Service in Tennessee and Georgia to acknowledge the one-year mark since beloved Memphis rapper Young Dolph was senselessly shot 22 times and killed in his hometown. He was 36.

The IdaMae Foundation, run by Dolph’s family, served lunch, gave free haircuts, and provided free winter kits at Memphis’ Hospitality Hub this morning and early afternoon. The foundation also urged people everywhere to honor Dolph’s memory by serving others and sharing their good deeds with the hashtags #DolphDay and #DolphServiceDay, per ABC24 Memphis.

Also today, Hernandez Govan briefly appeared in Shelby County Criminal Court in Memphis and pled not guilty to conspiracy and first-degree murder charges. The 43-year-old suspect was arrested last week. Prosecutors are alleging that Govan “solicited the killing” of Young Dolph.

Suspected killers Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith have been charged and detained since January, pleading not guilty to first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, weapons charges, and theft charges in February. An additional charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder was reportedly brought against the two today. According to ABC News, Govan’s next scheduled court appearance is for December 16, and Johnson and Smith are due back in court on January 20, 2023.

See some of the #DolphDay tributes below.

Attention: if you attended a Beach Boys concert in the early 2010s where a teen girl came on stage and pretended to play the guitar, you were witnessing history. That teen girl grew up to be Emmy-winning actress (and future imperator) Anya Taylor-Joy.

“When I was a kid, the only music that I loved was music from the ’50s and ’60s, and so the Beach Boys were specifically very important to me,” The Menu star told host Drew Barrymore on The Drew Barrymore Show. “They were playing and I just ran to the very front and I was singing along to every single song, and so [Beach Boys vocalist] Mike Love stopped the concert and said, ‘OK, I understand why everybody else knows all the lyrics but there’s a child that knows all the lyrics.’”

Love pulled Taylor-Joy up on stage and handed her a guitar. “I don’t know what I’m doing with this, help,” she said before playing the self-proclaimed “greatest guitar solo of all-time.” Just kidding, she “didn’t play a single note.” But Taylor-Joy brought a photo of herself with the guitar (possibly this one) to a modeling agency and asked the scouts if they thought she could play it. Yes, they said. “Acting!” Taylor-Joy exclaimed while recalling the story to Barrymore. “I want to be an actor… So, yeah, big up, Mike Love.”

The key to being successful in Hollywood: jamming with the Beach Boys.

A lot has changed since the year 2005. Presidents have come and gone, social media became a Thing, and streaming services began their powerful rule. And yet, like a beacon of hope and light at the end of the tunnel, Grey’s Anatomy has been on through it all. During the COVID pandemic? They kept going. Cast misconduct? Nothing could keep them down! And they have made an episode on just about every modern medical marvel you can think of, including that one time when Kyle Chandler had to defuse a bomb inside of a human (real).

Now in its 19th season, the Shonda Rhimes flagship series has gone through many cast changes, firings, and even some rehirings, but the one person who has stayed through it all, Ellen Pompeo, has announced that she would be taking on a reduced role this season, leaving fans to think it’s the beginning of the end. But in typical Grey’s fashion, many are hoping that Pompeo’s character goes out with a bang, and potentially, a past love interest stopping by.

Yes, Meredith’s longtime love Derek Sheperd, played by Patrick Dempsey, died in season 11. But he also did return in season 17 during Meredith’s COVID-induced coma (also real) to give the fans what they really wanted: a socially distant love story. When asked if Dempsey would return to the hospital one more time to say goodbye he seemed… indifferent.

Dempsey confirmed to EW that he has been keeping up with news about the long-running show, but he hasn’t spoken to anyone about possibly returning, and thinks that the rumors might be taken out of context. “I think it’s just probably because the show is on…and of course, she’s made an announcement, I think, about leaving the show or she’s not on this season. It just is a real testament to the fans that they want to see that couple still together and what an impact it is.”

Many were surprised to see Kaylee Hartung filling the sideline reporter role when Amazon announced its broadcast team for Thursday Night Football this offseason.

Hartung, looking to broaden her horizons and continue her growth as a journalist and reporter, left ESPN for the news world — first CNN, then ABC News — five years ago. Few would have placed her on the shortlist for an NFL primetime broadcast. Among those few was Jared Stacy, Amazon’s Director of Global Live Sports Production, who suggested her to executive producer Fred Gaudelli as someone to consider for the position while Gaudelli was having a tough time finding the right fit.

“I look at that job as a real reporter. I don’t look at that job as a personality. I don’t look at that job as a a fluff position. Like, I want a real reporter and so that was definitely a plus in her column,” Gaudelli says. “I mean, she was not even on my radar. I really need to give credit to Jared Stacy here … he said, would you have a conversation with her? At that point, I didn’t have a lot of great ideas for sideline. And I said sure. So we had conversation on the phone, and then she actually came to my house in the middle of the winter. She flew across the country, and we spent a Saturday watching Michelle Tafoya tape. Her news background definitely was a plus for me. It’s a wide variety of experiences. It’s not doing the same thing every every day.”

For Hartung, the interest from Amazon came as just as much of a surprise, but the initial call was one she had to take and ultimately became an opportunity she couldn’t turn down.

“When you start off with Al Michaels is a part of the team, like, the word legend can be overused sometimes but he is truly a legend in our lifetimes,” Hartung says. “And then Fred Gaudelli, who has been Al’s producer for almost three decades. There’s no better teacher I can have leading this than Fred. And then Kirk [Herbstriet] was hired before anything was finalized with me and I’ve known him since the very beginning of my time at ESPN.

“So it was just like, how am I even being included in this conversation? It was just sort of a shock to me being five years removed from sideline reporting,” she continues. “I was so pleasantly surprised. But then, as conversations evolved, and the more I got to talk with Fred, he told me that his favorite thing about me was my news background. He treats the sideline reporter role seriously. And he believed that I would, too, and so I think there were just a lot of common values and common visions for what this role would look like. And here we are.”

While she had experience in college football, both Gaudelli and Hartung admit there was some trepidation about her never working in the NFL. It is a world all its own, with different politics and personalities to navigate than in the college game. But after their meeting in-person, Gaudelli felt confident that Hartung would quickly build the relationships with teams and players that are needed to gather information to enhance the broadcast.

“The fact that she had done college football and a lot of the players and even some of the coaches were now in the NFL, I just got from her very determined demeanor that she was going to make relationships and establish relationships that would allow her to get better at her job,” Gaudelli says. “And I will say she’s done that. She’s pretty darn good down there before the game, getting to meet people and trying to get information out of them. So, I’ve really, really enjoyed that part of working with her.”

That determination extends beyond the field, as Hartung immediately dug into her new role, trying to get up to speed as quickly as she could on what Gaudelli and Michaels would want. Michaels, in their first meeting, said he’d rely on her for “medical, legal, I’m counting on you for those details.” From there, it was diving into more tape of Tafoya, who worked with Michaels and Gaudelli at NBC and provided an example of the tone and structure they preferred, as well as insight into how Michaels works off of his sideline reporter.

“I went to one of our production assistants and said, ‘How much of Michelle’s tape can I get my hands on?’” Hartung says. “And they sent me the last five seasons of every report she’s done, and I’ve watched every one of those seasons more times than I can count. There were times — I feel like such a psycho when I say that — there were times I’ll be driving in my car, and I’ll just put on her tape just for me to listen to the way she’d structure a report, the way she would story tell, the way she would play off of Al and the way Al would play off her. There’s no worse feeling for a sideline reporter than being left on an island. But that’s a two way street, right? I’ve got to take the ball from Al in the way he’s talking to me, but I’ve also got to leave that door open for there to be runway for he and Kirk to build from. I hope that every report I do gives them an opportunity to continue down that path.”

The unique Thursday Night Football structure, which features new teams every week with very few repeats, can be a challenge for reporters as they start from scratch and can’t build out relationships over the course of the year in the same way other networks can. For Hartung, who was going to start from scratch regardless, it’s provided an opportunity for a speed run of sorts through the NFL, as she gets to lay a foundation with players, coaches, and executives from almost every team in her first year — the only teams not on Amazon’s schedule in 2022-23 are the Giants, Lions, and Vikings.

Seeing just about every team has also brought a bit of comfort to Hartung, because despite being five years removed from covering college football, she come across players she covered as stars in college who now star in the pros on a weekly basis. Those relationships still being there has helped alleviate her “biggest insecurity” about entering a new league and bolstered her confidence in returning to the sidelines. Along with seeing players she’s covered, the newest element to NFL broadcasts — the in-game coaching interview — helps Hartung build trust with coaches across the league.

As opposed to talking to coaches off camera as they go into and out of the locker room, broadcasts this year can do on-camera interviews between quarters if the coach agrees. For the reporters, it’s a rare chance to gather insight from the coaches during the game, but it requires a delicate balance to pry as much information out of the coaches as they can without pressing with questions a coach can’t or won’t answer and getting completely shut down. As Hartung has learned, the key is to get as granular as possible, noting that the coaches aren’t in a mindset to think big picture in the middle of the game. The best answers in those moments, particularly between the first and second or third and fourth quarters, come from being very specific and very focused on what’s happening in the game at that moment.

That belief was reinforced in Amazon’s preseason game between the 49ers and Texans, when Hartung spoke with Kyle Shanahan before the fourth quarter. Prior to the game, Shanahan had given fair warning that he might be a bit intense, telling her in their pre-game Zoom call, “Kaylee, I know we’ve never met, I swear I’m a nice guy. I want you to know I’m a nice guy, but during a game, I’m not nice. So, however I may behave during this interview, don’t take it personally. It’s not about you. I’m just focused on the game and I’m apologizing in advance.”

At that time, the dominant storyline in San Francisco was Trey Lance taking over the starting job so Hartung knew there had to be one Lance question, even if he hadn’t played since the first quarter. But the second question needed to be more in the moment, knowing that was Shanahan’s focus.

“I just said, ‘Coach, we haven’t seen your starters on the field in two quarters, but how do you put into perspective what this last quarter of preseason football means to the guys who are still on the field?’” Hartung recalls. “And I felt like that question did two things: It gave anybody who’s at home watching a reason to keep watching — here’s why you should watch the fourth quarter.

“But it also put Kyle in a position to talk about something I knew he cared to talk about,” she continues. “And he gave a great answer about how the guys who are on the field are fighting for their lives, and even if they’re not going to make our team, what they put on tape is their resume for the next team. Anyway, it was just a really a thoughtful and great answer and it was a great learning experience for me to think about how I approach those interviews, and to think about setting these guys up to tell us something interesting so that we all learn something, because that’s the point.”

Part of the allure of returning to sports for Hartung was getting back to a celebratory atmosphere. Her postgame interview is with a person having one of their best days, while on-the-ground reporting for ABC News often meant she was speaking to people having their worst.

Still, those serious subjects arise in covering the NFL, from on-field injuries like Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion in Cincinnati to an off-field story regarding legal issues. Her time in the news world helped her become a more well-rounded reporter, and she says she’s now much better positioned to handle those stories with the nuance and gravity they require.

“I think that sometimes in a sports broadcast, it all seems so fun and it seems so light, but we’ve had to tackle some heavy stories in moments,” Hartung notes. “In one of our preseason games with the Texans we were talking about their head athletic trainer, who’s from Uvalde, Texas, and who lost so many people he loved, and so many families he loved were affected by that tragedy. And that’s a story I’m able to tell with the right tone, no matter the moment. I know how to do that. I know how to make that transition, whereas I don’t know that six, seven years ago I would have been able to do that in the same way. But now, it’s almost harder for me to get back to being as casual and fun as I should be in some moments in a football game. I’ve had to kind of check myself and be like, you can have fun, you know what I mean? It’s okay, this is football.”

Hartung has steadily grown back into the sideline role, finding her footing once again within the pace of a football broadcast. She’s also been reminded of the frustrations of having information that can augment a conversation in the booth, only for the game to have a sudden change that shifts the discussion away before she can add to it. It is the hardest part of the job, as every sideline reporter can show you pages and pages of notes, anecdotes, and stories that have never made it into a game broadcast simply because you are at the mercy of the game.

Still, in gathering that information, Hartung’s process is always focused on trying to bring something new to those watching. Fans are consuming everything there is about their favorite team and have been their whole lives. As such, her job is to provide nuggets of information that you can only know by being on the field and having the opportunity to talk with the players and coaches.

“The challenge I’m always giving myself is, I can never know as much about these teams as their most fervent fans,” Hartung says. “The guys and gals who have lived and breathed these teams their whole lives and love them endlessly. Like, no matter how hard I prepare, I can’t know as much as they know.

“But what I can hope to do is to give them some bit of information that they can’t know because they don’t have the access that I do in that moment. I’m on the field, they’re on their couch. What can I tell them from my vantage point that can help them learn something?”

Bikini Kill had a notable run of shows in 2022 including some North America tour stops and and appearance Oakland’s Halloween Meltdown. But they rescheduled the bulk of their North American tour due to COVID-19. Now those dates are set in stone, with eight different support acts opening up for the full Bikini Kill lineup of singer Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail on drums, Kathi Wilcox on bass, and guitarist Sara Landeau.

Across 17 tour stops, eight different acts will take turns opening up the shows. They are: Hurry Up, H.C. McEntire, Brontez Purnell, Mannequin Pussy, CB Radio Gorgeous, Donkey Bugs, XV, Soup Activists, and Snooper.

Check out the complete list of Bikini Kill’s 2023 North America Tour Dates below with the specific openers denoted at each stop. Get tickets here.

03/30/2023 — Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works (with Hurry Up)
04/01/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern (with Hurry Up)
04/03/2023 — Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel (with H.C. Mc.Entire)
04/04/2023 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring (with Brontez Purnell)
04/06/2023 — Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring (with Mannequin Pussy)
04/07/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall (with Brontez Purnell)
04/09/2023 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner (with Brontez Purnell)
04/10/2023 — South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground (with Brontez Purnell)
04/12/2023 — Montreal, QB @ M Telus (with CB Radio Gorgeous)
04/13/2023 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall (with CB Radio Gorgeous)
04/14/2023 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall (with CB Radio Gorgeous)
04/16/2023 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre (with Donkey Bugs)
04/17/2023 — Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre (with XV and CB Radio Gorgeous)
04/19/2023 — Milwaukee, WI @ Miller High Life Theatre (with Soup Activists)
04/20/2023 — St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre (with CB Radio Gorgeous)
04/22/2023 — Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed)
04/23/2023 — Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine (with Snooper)

As the Republican Party (and apparently even Russia) plead with Donald Trump not to seriously pursue a 2024 presidential run after he cost the GOP a red wave in the midterm elections, another one of the former president’s failures is coming to light. Turns out, the Trump-owned 45 Wine & Whiskey Bar is not doing so hot even with a primo spot inside Trump Tower, which is also not doing so hot.

After previously visiting the location in January and finding it mostly empty, blogger Emily Colucci gave Trump’s whiskey bar another shot to see if maybe the Omicron wave had hampered interest in the presidential eatery. Not so much. Even with the streets bustling outside, the 45 Wine & Whiskey Bar (along with Trump Tower itself) was still empty. In fact, the restaurant wasn’t even open during its normal business hours.

Via Filthy Dreams:

The only sign of life in 45 Wine & Whiskey was a lone mop bucket. In this dearth of humanity, the mop bucket took on added significance. A humble representative of the working people that continue to care for this gaudy boondoggle of pink marble and gold, probably rarely getting their check on time. Chillingly symbolic.

Now, don’t go thinking I arrived at Trump Tower without checking the hours. 45 Wine & Whiskey Bar was set to open at 1 PM, according to the website. I was at Trump Tower at 1:40 PM, quite a while after its supposed opening time. And a mop bucket doesn’t exactly broadcast: We’re opening soon! So, where was the rest of the staff? Where was…well, anyone?

While snapping pictures, Colucci did notice one interesting piece of memorabilia that definitely stood out more on her second trip. A “Top-Secret folder” encased below a picture of Trump in the Oval House.

“I believe this indicates Trump’s possible intent with those documents,” Colucci wrote. “Memorabilia!”

(Via Filthy Dreams)