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Every year, Diageo (the massive international alcohol conglomerate) releases its beloved Single Malt Special Releases Collection. It’s like Scotch whisky Christmas Morning and as anticipated as Sazerac Company’s Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. The bottles just landed on my desk, so I’m going to take a deep dive into each one and rank them according to how tasty these whiskies are.

Spoiler alert, they’re all really f*cking tasty.

While all of these whiskies are single malts made from 100% malted barley (peated or unpeated), there really is a massive amount of difference between each one’s flavor profile and overall vibe. That’s accomplished via the aging process both in which barrels were used for the primary maturation and the finishing barrel (if applicable), as well as the actual location of the warehouse around Scotland. Also, one of them technically isn’t a single malt at all. It’s a “Single Grain” whisky made with wheat from the famed but very niche Cameron Bridge Distillery (we’ll get into that later).

Overall, you’re looking at true and quintessential Scotch whisky experiences with these seven bottles while also getting a bit of a flavor tour around Scotland. And brass tacks, these whiskies are never bad or even mediocre. So the ranking is really on my personal palate’s whims and desires. Read those tasting notes, see what speaks to you, and then let that guide your whisky purchases.

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months

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• Johnnie Walker Vs. Chivas: Which Scotch Whisky Brand Will Win Our Blind Test?
• The Winning Scotch And Bourbon Whiskeys From This Year’s Ascot Awards
• World Class ‘Sipping’ Single Malt Whiskies Under $100, Ranked
• Peated Scotch Blind Taste Test: Our Professional Taster Picks His Earthy Favorites

6. The Singleton of Glen Ord 15-Year-Old

ABV: 54.2%

Average Price: $129

The Whisky:

This Highland whisky is a classic that you don’t always see on local shelves. The Singleton of Glen Ord is routed to the Asia-Pacific market almost exclusively. So this is a nice chance to actually get your hands on some of the juice if you’re in the U.S. The actual whisky is aged in refill American and European oak (those are barrels that have already held scotch at least once before) initially and then finished in wine-seasoned casks that have a very light touch (think white wines, not red).

Tasting Notes:

The nose does pop with a dry white wine vibe with a sense of butter, woody spice, and tart red berries next to creamy vanilla with a toffee vibe. The palate stays super creamy with a nice maltiness that’s attached to big bowls of fruit — grapes, melon, blood oranges, apples, pears, and more. There’s a light sense of kosher salt in the mix late that leads to a slow build of peppery spices and sweet marzipan.

Bottom Line:

This is a great, standard unpeated malt. It’s fruity and creamy and feels like it was kissed by white wine oakiness. The only reason it’s last in this ranking is that it wasn’t a super exciting pour of whisky — just a really good one.

5. Cameron Bridge 26-Year-Old

ABV: 56.2%

Average Price: $319

The Whisky:

The Lowland whisky is from the country’s largest grain whisky producer that also makes the famed Haig family of grain whiskies for David Beckham. This single-grain (wheat) Scotch whisky was distilled back in 1992 and left to mellow in refill American oak casks for 26 long years before batching and bottling at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

The nose has a nice grainy spiciness that leans toward black pepper with a hint of cinnamon-laced toffee before the fruit kicks in with toasted coconut, fresh mango, papaya, and … freshly plucked pea pods. There’s a sweet caramel on the palate that’s accented with more of that spiced toffee, creamy honey, dark and milky chocolate, and a touch of waxiness. The end has a sense of dried red chili pepper heat next to sweet honeycombs and earthy oak.

Bottom Line:

This was really nice and didn’t overdo it on the age with too much woodiness or char. There was a nice balance. Ultimately, this did feel grainier than maltier, though — with a tad more rough-around-the-edges vibe. Still, I’m really splitting hairs there.

4. Clynelish 12-Year-Old

ABV: 58.5%

Average Price: $199

The Whisky:

This unpeated Highland malt was mellowed in refill American oak barrels that held bourbon and then finished in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry-seasoned casks.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a subtle mix of mincemeat pies, syrupy pears from the can, floral honey, and a herbal note of maybe bay leaf or sage with a whisper of mint on the nose. The palate has a waxy saltwater taffy vibe tied to vanilla with a soft pepperiness and woody winter spice warmth next to soft toffees. The end is lightly spiced with dried chili pepper and peppercorns next to that soft and waxy vanilla saltwater taffy on the spicy finish.

Bottom Line:

This is delectable and subtle. There’s a nice “classic” single malt whisky vibe that’s equal parts comforting and fresh. That said, I really want to try this in a cocktail with a splash of sweet vermouth and a dash or two of bitters.

3. Lagavulin 12-Year-Old

ABV: 57.3%

Average Price: $149

The Whisky:

This peated Islay whisky is aged in heavily peated American oak refill barrels. That means that the bourbon barrels have held a lot of peated whisky over the years before this whisky went in. Those barrels are vatted with the same whisky that spent years mellowing in virgin oak casks. The resulting blend was bottled as-is.

Tasting Notes:

This is very Lagavulin from the jump with a subtle ashiness that’s countered by briny peat, cellular floor dirt, old cellar beams, and slate after a briny rain next to singed fruit orchard bark. The palate is lush and sweet with a sense of Lemon Drops singed with a blow torch next to salted lemon rinds and a hint of seared salmon skin with a layer of smoked belly fat still attached. The end amps up the ashy seaside smokiness with a flake or two of salt and dark lemon in the mix.

Bottom Line:

I know burnt Lemon Drops don’t sound appetizing, but Lagavulin’s team has pulled it off here. This really is delicious but is a big and bold peaty whisky, so expect some ash. It’s not licking-the-inside-of-a-cold-Weber-grill ashy but it’s close.

(tied) 2. Talisker 11-Year-Old

ABV: 55.1%

Average Price: $119

The Whisky:

This classic lightly-peated Talisker is aged by the sea in American oak, ex-bourbon first fill, refill casks, and wine-seasoned casks. Those barrels are batched and then bottled as-is after 11 years of quiet mellowing.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear sense of seaside campfires far down a rainy beach next to a fruit orchard with a hint of nori sheets, old boat rope, and a dash of brown wintry spices on the nose. The palate leans into the oiliness of the nori with a slightly singed salmon skin vibe, smoked fish oils, and a touch of that distant campfire next to smoked plums and apricots with a hint of salted pear chips and dry red chili pepper. The end has a long meander through a pebble beach with sea salt, smoked pear, and briny seaweed salad next to a hint of fatty smoked salmon bellies with a black and red pepper crust.

Bottom Line:

This is wonderfully nuanced and full of maritime sensations. The overall texture is luxurious and welcoming with a mild peatiness that’s never overpowering. It’s truly a masterpiece of whisky.

(tied) 2. Cardhu 16-Year-Old

ABV: 58%

Average Price: $179

The Whisky:

This Speyside unpeated malt was aged in refill and re-charred American oak bourbon barrels for 16 years. That whisky was then refilled into Jamaican pot still rum-seasoned casks for a final rest before vatting and bottling as-is.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a definite sense of aura of funky rumminess with a hint of barrel char and grilled tropical fruits with plenty of brown spices — clove, allspice, nutmeg — surrounded by creamy lemon meringue pie, mango lassi, and freshly washed sheets flapping in the summer breeze (it’s wildly engaging and kind of weird but I love it). The palate has a rummy toffee syrup mood with spiced rum cocktails cut with banana bread, walnuts, and brown butter with a hint of brandy-soaked oak staves. The end has a light black pepperiness with more of that rummy barrel funk and soft and sweet (not acidic) tropical fruit.

Bottom Line:

This was really freakin’ good. It was a journey and was the best unpeated single malt (or single grain) whisky by far.

1. Oban 10-Year-Old

ABV: 57.1%

Average Price: $109

The Whisky:

This lightly peated Highland whisky from the tiny Oban Distillery is rendered from refill and new American oak barrels. That whisky is vatted and then refilled into Amontillado-seasoned casks for a final rest before batching and bottling as-is.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a lithe sense of lemon/lime saltwater taffy wrapped in white wax paper with a hint of lime leaves and wild sage next to salted smoked lemons and tangerines with a hint of really good and cloudy extra virgin olive oil speckled with smoked sea salt and freshly cracked red peppercorns. The palate is silken and full of layers of smoked grapes, smoked plums, and salted chili pepper candies with a fleeting sense of violet and lavender creaminess tied to a lush vanilla underbelly. The end has a mild woody chili pepper spiciness that’s dry and leads to a limber finish with warmth, lightly caramelized malts, and smoked apricot jam with brandy cream.

Bottom Line:

This had a wonderful texture of pure lusciousness throughout. It was enticing and complex while feeling convivial and somehow light and fresh. This really is a stellar whisky that transcends peated/unpeated. Ultimately, it’s just really f*cking good.

While many of us don’t enjoy the dark days and cold weather that the changing of the seasons brings, we rep hard for the scary movies, candy, and ridiculous, creative costumes October has to offer. And pairing your Halloween shenanigans with a frosty, cold beer (or three)? Well, that’s just smart, is all.

But we don’t want to combine our Halloween fun with just any beer. Bring on the dark, malevolent, creepy brews.

Naturally, pumpkin beers still make an appearance during October but this list of creepy, ghostly beers is more than just gourd-centered. Keep reading to see all of the best Halloween beers to drink this year. Did we rank them? Of course we did.

8) New Holland Ichabod

ABV: 4.5%

Average Price: $11.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Even if you never read the story “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving, you know the premise. Ichabod Crane is a schoolteacher who happens upon the “headless horseman” late one gloomy night. This seasonal pumpkin ale is made with malted barley, real pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find some cinnamon, cloves, and maybe some ginger, but not much else. Not much of a pumpkin smell on the nose. The palate is lightly vegetal pumpkin mixed with cinnamon, cloves, wintry spices, and light hops. Overall, fairly watery and not a ton of pumpkin flavor.

Bottom Line:

This beer drinks more like a lager than a pumpkin beer. It’s fairly light and muted in flavor. Not an overly exciting beer for Halloween ragers.

7) Flying Dog The Fear

ABV: 9%

Average Price: $14.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

There might not be a more aptly and simply named Halloween beer than Flying Dog Fear. You might not fear it, but you definitely want to give this 9% ABV imperial pumpkin ale the respect it deserves. While it’s a well-balanced beer, it gets its pumpkin flavor from 300 pounds of pumpkin per 50 barrels.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a mix of bready malts, toffee, vegetal pumpkin, cinnamon, and spices. Drinking it revealed slightly bitter pumpkin, butterscotch, nutmeg, cinnamon, and more spices. Fairly generic. A little boozier than most pumpkin beer fans are used to.

Bottom Line:

The word that I would use to describe Flying Dog The Fear is just “okay.” It’s not bad and it’s not great either. Boozy, light in flavor, and just fine.

6) Allagash Haunted House

ABV: 6.66%

Average Price: $14.999 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Listed as “Hoppy Dark Ale”, this seasonal favorite from Allagash is brewed with roasted barley and Blackprinz malt before being hopped with Crystal, Chinook, and Saaz hops. It’s known for its mix of malts, hops, and bitter, roasted flavors.

Tasting Notes:

A nose of roasted malts, bitter chocolate, toffee, and coffee meets your nose before your first sip. The palate is highlighted by flavors like roasted malts, dark chocolate, fresh brewed coffee, and a nice kick of piney, floral hops at the end. The finish is a mix of malts and hops and it’s surprisingly dry.

Bottom Line:

This is a well-made beer and a seasonal favorite for a reason. The only thing that keeps it from landing higher on the list is the mix of roasted malts and bright, floral hops might not appeal to the palates of all drinkers.

5) Southern Tier Warlock

ABV: 10%

Average Price: $14.99 for a four-pack

The Beer:

When it comes to spooky Halloween tales, we seem to hear unending stories about witches, but it’s time for warlocks to get their due. Thanks to the folks at Southern Tier, they are. This 8.6% ABV fall seasonal imperial stout is brewed with ale yeast, four different malts, CTZ hops, pumpkin, and various fall spices.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is loaded with aromas of pie crust, dark chocolate, candied pecans, light pumpkin, and fall spices. The palate is centered on roasted malts, more nutty sweetness, sweet pumpkins, nutmeg, cinnamon, chocolate, and coffee. The finish is a warming mix of sweetness, spice, and roasted malts.

Bottom Line:

This is a great example of a well-balanced pumpkin imperial stout. All of the various flavors are in perfect balance without anything dominating too much. It’s a well-made seasonal beer.

4) AleSmith Evil Dead Red

ABV: 6.66%

Average Price: $5.50 for a 22-ounce bottle

The Beer:

If you’re looking to reach back into the world of horror nostalgia this Halloween season, we suggest watching the 1981 film Evil Dead (not the recent remake) starring the highly underrated Bruce Campbell. Make the evening even better by pairing it with this 6.66% ABV hop-fueled, bready malt-filled red ale.

Tasting Notes:

Pine, grapefruit and various IPA aromas start the nose off strong. It moves into bready malts and sweet caramel malts. The palate continues this trend with more toffee, vanilla, citrus zest, and piney, dank hops. It’s a complicated beer that needs to be sipped to be believed.

Bottom Line:

This seasonal favorite is a great mix of hops and malts. It’s loaded with citrus, pine, and caramel malt flavors, all with a pleasing, dry finish.

3) Rogue Dead Guy

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

There are few beer labels as macabre and spooky as Rogue Dead Guy. It’s literally a creepy, cult-like skeleton. Luckily, the beer inside isn’t as scary. This German-style Maibock is made with Pacman yeast, 2-row, C15, and Munich malts. It gets its hop presence from the addition of Perle and Sterling hops.

Tasting Notes:

Complex aromas of sticky toffee, caramel, chocolate, bready malts, and floral, lightly piney hops can be found on this beer’s nose. The palate is loaded with flavors like honey, more bread-like malts, butterscotch, and more herbal, slightly resinous hops. Bready, caramel, and light hop presence — this beer has it all.

Bottom Line:

Rogue Dead Guy is a year-round beer but it’s most well-suited for fall drinking because of its caramel, malty flavor profile. It’s even better than its classic label.

2) Great Lakes Nosferatu

ABV: 8%

Average Price: $12.50 for a six-pack

The Beer:

1922’s Nosferatu starring Max Shreck just celebrated its 100th birthday. What better way to celebrate this iconic vampire tale than by imbibing a beer inspired by it? Great Lakes Nosferatu is a red IPA brewed with 2-row, Crystal 77, and Special Roast malts. It’s hopped with Simcoe and Cascade hops.

Tasting Notes:

Pine needles, caramel, bready malts, floral hops, and orange zest are prevalent aromas on the nose. Taking a sip brings forth notes of roasty malts, toffee, brown sugar, tangerine, and resinous, dank pine. The finish is a nice mix of malt sweetness and hop bitterness.

Bottom Line:

If you’re an IPA drinker who doesn’t want to give up on his or her favorite style once fall hits, this is the beer for you. While it has a nice roasty malt, caramel backbone, it has a heavy enough hops presence to please the biggest IPA fans.

1) 3 Floyds Zombie Dust

ABV: 6.8%

Average Price: $14.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This year-round, 6.5% ABV pale ale is consistently ranked as one of the best on the market. This hoppy beer gets its bold flavor from the addition of Citra hops. Its label is adorned with a zombie king and it’s the perfect accompaniment to your favorite zombie TV show or movie.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is all ripe grapefruit, tangerine, caramelized pineapple, bready malts, and light pine. The palate follows suit with more pineapple as well as mango, guava, grapefruit, caramel malts, and lightly floral, dank pine. The finish is a mix of sweetness and floral, piney, slightly bitter hops.

Bottom Line:

While there are some great beers on this list, none are as well-made as 3 Floyds Zombie Dust. This is a borderline perfect pale ale. Grab a sixer and watch 28 Days Later.

Earlier this month, country legend Loretta Lynn died at 90 years old. Since then, Country Music Television (CMT) has been putting together a tribute special, Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration Of The Life & Music Of Loretta Lynn, that aired last night (October 30). Surprisingly, Taylor Swift made an unannounced appearance on the program via a short video clip.

In it, Swift says (as Hollywood Life notes):

“I’m so grateful to Loretta for being an example, not only for songwriters everywhere, but more specifically female songwriters. She was so ahead of her time. The way she exercised brutal, truthful, fearless honesty every time she sat down to write a song is something that changed music forever and paved the way for every songwriter who’s trying to be truthful and honest today.”

Back in 2016, Lynn was supportive of Swift’s shift away from her country roots to more pop-oriented music, saying, “Taylor: get it, girl! That’s what she wanted. I am about as pop as corn bread.”

Shortly after Lynn’s passing, Jack White — who collaborated with Lynn on her 2004 album Van Lear Rose — offered some kind words, saying in a video message, “What a sad day today is: We lost one of the greats, Loretta Lynn. I said when I was first asked about her what I thought, and I said years ago that I thought she was the greatest female singer-songwriter of the 20th century. I still believe that.”

Multiple times per week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. Winchesters (CW series streaming in various places)

Jensen Ackles fans go where he goes, and that led to a nice little boost for The Boys, in which he portrayed Captain America parody Soldier Boy. Although that character ended up on ice, Jensen’s been busy elsewhere. He’s plugged in on Big Sky and returned to the Supernatural franchise in this prequel series that sees him as Dean Winchester in narrator form. This series focuses upon Dean’s parents, Vietnam veteran John and demon hunter Mary. There are nefarious forces and super secrets at hand, along with warring family legacies that rear up before this installment collides with the O.G. series.

TIE: 10. The Good Nurse (Netflix movie)

You’ve heard of Typhoid Mary, now meet Charles Cullen, who intentionally killed dozens of patients in his line of work. Cullen is portrayed by chameleon Eddie Redmayne in this dreary tale. His only real foil happens to be a nurse portrayed by Jessica Chastain. Her character illustrates the ironic downfalls of an institution that fails to even provide adequate care for its own workers. This isn’t the easiest watch, but award-calibre performers give enough reason for plopping this one in the queue.

9. Halloween Ends (Universal movie streaming on Peacock)

It’s the end of a long-winded era for sure, and here, Jamie Lee Curtis takes a final lap as Laurie Strode, who’s been dealing with far too many decades of being sister to a horrific serial killer. David Gordon Green takes this one home, which will hopefully make you completely forget about those Rob Zombie pictures. He’s hopefully forgotten them already, too, and it’s fitting that Danny McBride helped Green get this last leg of the franchise moving and puts it in the grave, so everyone can rest a little bit easier, and everyone can move onto other obsessions. That includes Green, known for Pineapple Express but now moving onto The Exorcist for Blumhouse.

8. Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix series) and Conversations With A Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes (Netflix docuseries)

Yes, we’re still doing this. Ryan Murphy is as well, and he’s the reigning Netflix king while bringing this dramatized and gross story to life, so we can see too many people asking Evan Peters’ Jeffrey Dahmer why his apartment of horrors emits screams and smells. When you’re done there, check out Joe Berlinger’s documentary series that zeroes in on the procedural angle of putting a serial killer behind bars.

7. Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi (Disney+ series)

If you’re finishing up this latest round of Andor and wouldn’t mind something a little less grounded from a galaxy far, far away, then dive into this animated anthology series that takes us through a few key paths. That includes a detailing of Ahsoka Tano’s life and a pre-Dark Side Count Dooku. Enjoy those tweaks to the canon while preparing your minds for the live-action Ahsoka starring Rosario Dawson.

6. Interview With The Vampire (AMC series streaming on AMC+)

This series is not only better and more satisfying than the O.G. 1990s movie starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, but it’s also going to last longer. AMC already renewed the show for a second season, so we can all settle back and enjoy Lestat (Sam Reid) and Louis (Jacob Anderson) decloseting their relationship and know that hearts won’t be broken by an abbreviated story. As well, we’ll soon see more Anne Rice materializing onscreen when The Mayfair Witches debuts and stars Alexandra Daddario.

5. The White Lotus (HBO series streaming on HBO Max)

The sleeper series surprised plenty of people with Armond did, you know, that thing, and this season will see Jennifer Coolidge’s boozy socialite in Sicily, where the show will follow a new smattering of dissatisfied wealthy types. There’s a lot of raciness in this season, and Aubrey Plaza stars as well, which leads to a perfection of the formula while we all long to always-never take vacations again.

4. Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (Netflix series)

October has been full of rightful and wannabe contributions to the horror realm, and this selection firmly belongs in the former category. The streaming charts have been eating this one up as the horror maestro presents a carefully crafted anthology series full of the most sinister tales imaginable. We’ve got The Babadook director Jennifer Kent and inaugural Twilight helmer Catherine Hardwicke with contributions, including an H.P. Lovecraft tale that hits differently in 2022. Other directors include Ana Lily Amirpour, Panos Cosmatos, Guillermo Navarro, David Prior, Vincenzo Natali, and Keith Thomas. It’s almost the end of witching season, so make this one go out with a bang.

3. Don’t Worry Darling (New Line/WB Film Streaming On POV)

You’ve heard about all of the alleged drama and Olivia Wilde’s special salad dressing. In addition, there’s confirmation that this still-circulating drama is more captivating than what actually materializes in this movie. People are still snapping this one up, though, while the movie plays in theaters. Maybe it’s the Harry Style effect? I still need to hold out hope that he spit on Chris Pine, even though he didn’t, and every day is a good day to appreciate Florence Pugh. The streaming price is steep on this one, but it’s a decent wine-watch.

2. The Watcher (Netflix series)

Netflix and the Internet can’t quit Ryan Murphy, and the feeling must be mutual. Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannivale star as a terrorized couple who’s attempting to figure out who the hell is sending threatening letters that detail their house and their children. There’s no definitive to be seen here, but there’s a lot of fun offshoots, and fortunately, the show remains relatively trigger free while delivering the goods in terms of salacious delights. While stalkerdom is never funny, this show does successfully delve into camp while introducing a whole host of strange neighbors (including characters played by Margo Martindale, Richard Kind, and Mia Farrow) and the worst realtor ever, played by Jennifer Coolidge.

1. House of the Dragon (HBO series on HBO Max)

Dammit, we have to wait until 2024 for more Targaryen drama. That’s not fantastic, but while we console ourselves, it’s worth revisiting how bad Daemon screwed the dragon-pooch and how Matt Smith is a genius who made the final moment happen. And then we should all consider what it would be like to actually have a dragon while reveling in this world we live in, which somehow led to Neil Gaiman fixated upon bodily functions and discussing them in public with George R.R. Martin. We’re in a gilded age of content, people. Crack open a canned Negroni Spagliato (with Prosecco in it), and for the love of god, keep your socks on while watching the season all over again.

Sunday’s race at Martisville was the last opportunity for drivers in the playoffs to punch their ticket to the Championship 4, who will race for the NASCAR Cup Series title in Phoenix next week.

On the final lap, three of the spots were up for grabs, with Christopher Bell winning the race to ensure he got a spot alongside Joey Logano. Behind him, the battle for the final two spots couldn’t have been any closer as Ross Chastain pulled off one of the greatest moves of all time to pass a number of cars, including Denny Hamlin, on the final turn to get to the finish line behind Chase Elliott and knock Hamlin out.

Chastain floored it into the wall going into turn 4 and just held it wide open as his car scraped along the wall, flying by everyone in the corner and eventually slipping just past Hamlin before the start/finish line.

It is an insane move and Chastain explained afterwards that it’s something he’s done before…in NASCAR 2005 on the Nintendo Gamecube when he was a kid and he always wanted to know if it’d work in real life. It turns out, it does and it got him into the last race of the season with a chance to win the Cup Series title.

For every kid that ever tried some wild stuff in a video game to win a race, this is vindication for us all that we weren’t cheating or doing something you could only do in the game. Chastain did it in real life and made himself a legend in the process.

The Detroit Pistons haven’t gotten off to the start to the season they hoped in Year 2 with Cade Cunningham at the helm, as their young stars have had the struggles young players often do in terms of consistency and efficiency, which is part of the reason the team made the move it did on Sunday.

Prior to the Pistons home game against the Warriors, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski brought word that they were inking Bojan Bogdanovic to a two-year contract extension that will keep him in Detroit through the 2024-25 season for $19.5 million per year — just about the same number he’s currently at.

Bogdanovic is one of a few veterans on the Pistons roster and the sharpshooter has brought some life to the offense as a catch-and-shoot threat opposite his young and talented guards in Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. Bogdanovic is leading the team in scoring through six games at 23 points per, knocking down 51.1 percent of his three-point attempts, and while that rate won’t continue, his presence has been big in opening up the Pistons offense.

As for the price tag, it’s a big payday for Bogdanovic, but that’s part of the tax of getting quality veterans onto teams still in the rebuilding process — see: JJ Redick in Philadelphia. His contract also won’t impact the long-term cap situation for the Pistons when it matters most, as he’ll come off the books before it’s time to sign Cade Cunningham to a likely max extension.

By today’s standards, E.T., the lovable extra-terrestrial of the Steven Spielberg classic, isn’t so believable. He’s a little clunky, a little stiff, especially when he waddles. (That said, the 2002 edition, which graffitis CGI onto what was once a technical marvel, is grossly inferior.) But at least one cast member thought he was real: seven-year-old Drew Barrymore.

On this coming Monday’s edition of The Drew Barrymore Show, the actress-turned-morning chat show host can be seen reuniting with the other co-leads of 1982’s highest-grossing film. A preview clip shows her chatting with Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton, and Dee Wallace about how, at her young age, she was convinced the puppet-animatronic was a real creature from another world.

“I really loved him in such a profound way,” she confessed, adding that she “would go and take lunch to him.” One time she even asked one of the wardrobe crew to get him a scarf, “because he was gonna get cold.”

Wallace told her that they actually helped create the illusion that E.T. was a real being, at least for her. “We found you over there just talking away to E.T. and so we let director Steven [Spielberg] know,” she recalled. “And so Steven, from that time on, appointed two guys to keep E.T. alive so whenever you came over to talk to him, he could react to you.”

The four also have bad news for anyone expecting E.T. to get one of those belated sequels that’s all the rage these days: There probably won’t be one — at least with them or Spielberg. Thomas said it was impossible to imagine a follow-up without the original’s screenwriter, Melissa Mathison, who passed away in 2015.

“She was really the heart and soul of it,” he said.

Wallace chimed in, saying, “It’s a classic, leave it a classic.”

Barrymore then remembered Spielberg saying he would “never” make a sequel to the film, one of his biggest hits. “And in that moment I thought, ‘Oh that’s a bummer because that doesn’t bring us all back together again for another round,’” she recalled, “but I also understood and respected and completely knew that it was all about preservation of integrity for him.”

Not that Spielberg isn’t one for nostalgia. His forthcoming next film, The Fabelmans, is a rare semi-autobiographical work concerning his sometimes fraught but at least movie-mad childhood.

(Via People)

The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons met on Sunday with first place in the NFC South on the line somehow despite being a game between 2-5 and 3-4 teams.

While it wasn’t the marquee game on paper, it became the game of the day as the two teams traded leads in the fourth quarter with some outrageous playmaking in the final minutes. The biggest play came from PJ Walker and DJ Moore, as Walker uncorked a bomb that traveled 70 yards in the air, with Moore somehow getting over the top of the defense to catch what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown.

However, DJ Moore ripping his helmet off in celebration earned him a 15-yard penalty, which made the extra point a 48-yard attempt. Naturally, that got tugged just wide left and a Panthers win became 10 more minutes of football — with the Falcons naturally winning the toss to get the ball in overtime.

It’s a miserable way to have a win taken away from you, particularly considering how great a play that was from Walker — who threw an all-time great pass on the money — and Moore. That said, the rule about not being able to remove your helmet on the field has been in the NFL for a very long time, so this isn’t something new that Moore would be surprised by. Moore was shown with a sheepish smile on the sideline after the missed extra point, as he could only hope to get a chance to atone for his mistake (again, after a great play) in overtime if the Panthers could get a stop on defense.

Luckily, the defense did him one better, picking off Marcus Mariota on a terrible deep shot attempt and then returning it inside the red zone, allowing the Panthers to set up the game-winning field goal with three runs. However, Eddy Pineiro again missed wide left from 34 yards, giving the Falcons life once again.

Naturally, the Falcons marched down the field to set up their own game-winning kick and Younghoe Koo didn’t miss.

It is a dismal way for the Panthers to lose, with Moore and Pineiro both feeling sick after an incredible effort to have two chances to win the game. The Falcons, meanwhile, continue to win games somehow and are now first in the NFC South at 4-4, a game ahead of the Saints and Bucs.

It turns out people love rooting for the anti-hero. With her 10th studio album, Midnights, Taylor Swift has earned her 11th No. 1 album (counting her re-recordings) on the Billboard 200 chart. According to Billboard‘s data source, Luminate, the album pulled in 1.578 million equivalent album units in its week of release, making it the biggest first week for any album in seven years.

The last album to accomplish such a feat was Adele’s 25, which sold 3.482 million units in its first week of release in 2015.

Even before the end of the full week of release, Swift had broken several records with Midnights, less than 24 hours after Midnights’ release, the album broke the record for the most first-day streams on Spotify. The album also helped her break the record for most streamed artist within the course of 24 hours.

Shortly before the album’s release, Swift announced the Midnights Music Movies, a series of music videos accompanying the tracks on the album. So far, she has only released visuals for “Anti-Hero” and “Bejeweled,” however, plans to drop several more.

During an interview with Jimmy Fallon last week, she teased a potential Midnights tour, after not having toured in four years.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Stream it here.

The Chicago Bears have not had a great season and offensive struggles have been a big reason why they came into Sunday’s game in Dallas with a 3-4 record.

The focal point for many has been the play of second year quarterback Justin Fields, who has struggled with consistency throwing the football, and hasn’t been helped by a bad receiving corps and play-calling that hasn’t exactly played to his strengths. The good news was that on Sunday, Fields wasn’t the main problem for the Bears, as he had a pair of touchdowns (one rushing and one passing) and no interceptions in the third quarter.

The bad news for the Bears was their defense had no answers for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys, who rolled up 35 points on them by the mid-third quarter. It was there that the Chicago offense finally gave way, with a David Montgomery fumble on third and 17 deep in their own territory, that was compounded by a rookie mistake from Fields when he jumped clear over Micah Parsons who was laying on the ground after recovering the fumble rather than touching him down.

Fields literally has to try not to touch Parsons on this play, leaping completely over him after coming inches from Parsons on the ground, allowing the Cowboys star defender to pop up and jog to the end zone for the most improbable of touchdowns.

The biggest mistake of this play is, of course, the fumble by Montgomery, but it’s emblematic of the Bears struggles this season that they would compound that with another error on the part of Fields, who in his second year should be accustomed to the NFL’s down by contact rules compared to college. This play all but snuffed out any hopes of a comeback for Chicago, when they had at one point pulled to within five of the Cowboys in the third quarter.