Jalen Green is slated to have a breakout campaign during the 2022-23 campaign. After earning First-Team All Rookie honors last season, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft is expected to take another step forward as the kind of ultra-explosive scorer around whom the Houston Rockets hope to build in the coming years.

The thing that makes Green so interesting as a player is how he’s able to blend the ability to fill it up with the sort of crazy athleticism that makes it hard for anyone to slow him down. That second thing got put on full display during Houston’s preseason tilt against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, as the 20-year-old guard challenged noted guy whose name keeps popping up in Russell Westbrook trade rumors Myles Turner at the rim.

Turner, one of the league’s premier shot blockers, is not an easy dude to evade. But Green levitated and just stayed at the top of his jump for a beat longer than Turner expected, so he was able to bank it in and score.

As you might have noticed, the 6’4 Green capped this off by hitting the 6’11 Turner with a too small celebration. It is worth stressing that, under most circumstances, Turner is decidedly not too small, but hey, Green is a special athlete.

Ahead of her scheduled stint as the host and musical guest of Saturday Night Live this weekend, Megan Thee Stallion is probably already settled into New York City for the nationally-televised appearance. And apparently this gave a pair of thieves the crazy idea to break into the “Sweetest Pie” star’s home in Los Angeles while she’s on the road.

According to TMZ, Megan Thee Stallion’s home was broken into on Thursday night and the thieves came away, “…an estimated $300k – $400k in jewelry, cash, and electronics from inside.” A law enforcement source indicated that two people wearing hoodies and gloves broke open a window in the back of the house and proceeded to ransack Megan Thee Stallion’s bedroom while she was gone. Reports indicate that there is surveillance footage of the break-in, but that that police are in the process of trying to obtain more.

Along with her double-duty gig on Saturday Night Live this weekend, Megan Thee Stallion is also scheduled to play the brand new LA3C music in Los Angeles. Going down in December, she headlines the Saturday slate along with Snoop Dogg and Seventeen, while Maluma will headline Sunday’s Latin music night lineup.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

On screen, Jack Black is known for his comedic antics, versatile acting career and musical talents. Off screen, he appears to be a walking whirlwind of endlessly entertaining and loveable energy. (Did you see his quarantine dance? Epic.)

And as it turns out, he’s also a darn good human being.

Black hosts the Layla Paige and Friends Walk for TrinityKids Care, which raises funds for a hospice program that provides compassionate end-of-life care to children and adolescents in Los Angeles and Orange counties in Southern California. This year’s event was held on October 8, and a video from a family who met Black there is a sweet example of how celebrities can truly make a difference.

Abraham is a 15-year-old with a rare mitochondrial disease called Pearson syndrome, who has been in palliative care with TrinityKids Care for the past year. Abraham’s mother, Veronica, told Upworthy that Abraham’s nurse knew of his love for the movie “School of Rock,” so she arranged for him to meet Black, who starred in the movie, at the event.

As they were introduced by the nurse, Black took Abraham’s hand and then knelt down to his level. Abraham told him that he was a “School of Rock” fan. When prompted about a song from the film, Abraham sang a bit. Then Black busted out a mini serenade of “In the End of Time.”

Watch:

See on Instagram

You can see the joy in Abraham’s face as Black sang to him, and the enthusiasm with which he responded.

“It’s almost been a week since the meet and Abraham is still talking about how he got to meet Jack,” says Veronica.

People are loving the interaction, as shown by the comments on the video:

“Jack Black has a kindness to him that you can hear in his voice. It’s always easy to forget that it doesn’t take much to do a kind deed, and being kind to others makes you happier, so it’s a win-win.”

“Jack Black is truly a pure, humble, KIND soul! Very rare! Love him forever! 💗💗💗💗”

“I don’t want to trust any celebrity but I trust Jack Black with my life.”

“Jack Black is now sharing the top echelon of great human beings with Keanu Reeves. ❤️”

What a special moment for this young man and his family. Celebrities are often bombarded with people trying to talk to them, and to see Jack Black take his time to make a connection with a fan and create a special moment for them is truly heartwarming.

Black has long been a supporter of the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, which funds research and supports patients and families affected by mitochondrial disease. Learn more about their work here.

Every now and then a whiskey is released that makes you ask, “is this really worth the same price as a used car?” A week or so ago, I received a package with a small sample of one such whiskey. I held off reviewing it because of life, work, and all that jazz; but also because I was honestly incredulous.

How much better can a $4,000 bottle — that’s the MSRP, not the secondary markup retail price — really be? Well… let’s find out together.

Before I dive in, let’s look at what The Las Drop is. The line is a super rare shingle that’s part of the wider Sazerac Company, which includes huge rum, cognac, and whiskey distilleries all over the world in one way or another (sometimes production, sometimes just distribution). The Last Drop is a program wherein the last great barrels of cognac, rum, or whiskey are blended or bottled as-is as one-off vintage releases. In most cases, these are single barrel releases with 150 to 200-ish bottles of 50-year-old rums or a single Buffalo Trace barrel from when the distillery was still called the Old Fashioned Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery. In short, The Last Drop releases are where Sazerac drops its rarest and most sought-after bottles of booze — expressions that are literally never going to be seen again. Ever. Hence the price point is in the thousands for these bottles.

Now that you have a little context, let’s dive into this brand-new $4,000 bottle of Kentucky whiskey and see if you should spend a couple of months’ rent on it.

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

• We Blind Tasted A Whole Bunch Of $30-60 Bourbons To See If Any Could Beat Weller
• We Put A Whole Bunch Of Bourbons To A Giant Blind Test And Discovered Some Absolute Gems
• We Blind Tasted Classic Bourbons And Were Shocked By The Winner
• The Best-Known Basic Bottles Of Bourbon, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• All The Double Gold-Winning Straight Bourbons From This Year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition

The Last Drop Signature Blend No. 28 A Blend Of Kentucky Straight Whiskeys

ABV: 60.7%

Average Price: $3,999

The Whiskey:

This blend is from Buffalo Trace’s Master Blender Drew Mayville, who’s been at the distillery since 2004. Mayville created this blend by sampling bourbons and ryes from the rarest and sometimes oldest barrels of whiskey in Buffalo Trace’s vast and numerous warehouses. While the exact details of the final blend are unknown, we do that the whiskeys in this blend are some of the rarest that the distillery had on its ricks. And since it is a blend of bourbon and rye whiskey, this is technically a “blended straight whiskey.”

The Bottle:

The bottle comes in a nice box with an oak frame that’s perfect for gifting or storing. It also comes with a 50ml sample bottle with a tasting book in case you want to save the bottle for the vault but still actually taste the juice.

Tasting Notes:

What’s amazing is that the moment you open the bottle, you’re whisked away to Buffalo Trace on the nose. It’s that dark red brick and black mold with the old rickhouse beams, dirt floors, sour mash fermenters, and green grass with fall leaves crunching under feet. The nose then starts to deepen into sticky toffee pudding, old dried-up figs, black-tea-soaked dates, burnt orange, cinnamon sticks, dried ancho chilis, firewood pitch, and a creamy underbelly of vanilla and toffee.

The palate warms with an ABV buzz that leads to soft vanilla cream with tart but dark berries floating next to orange zest and salted caramel. There’s a sense of old boot leather and Kiwi boot cream next to waxy cacao nibs, cherry cream soda, pecan and dark chocolate clusters, pistachios, and roasted root veg — think caramelized parsnips and carrots next to a Yorkshire pudding. The end becomes a luxuriously soft and creamy sip of stewed black cherries with anise and clove next to holly bushes and fir needles with a little bunch of spices — cinnamon sticks, star anise, dried rose, a stick of pine, dried orange peel — tied with an old waxy piece of twine.

Bottom Line:

Yeah, it’s amazing. Just f*cking amazing.

Is it worth $4,000? Yes. No.

I don’t know what you’re into.

I know this: it truly does taste amazing. It’s a hell of a thing that this isn’t a bourbon or rye, as it would easily be in the number one spot for those respective end-of-year lists. Moreover, these bottles tend to gain massive value if kept for investment. So maybe hold onto one for a decade and then buy a new car in ten years?

Ranking:

99/100 — This is up there with the best of the best.

How To Buy:

There are only 1,458 bottles floating around out there and a fair few have likely already been snatched up. Your best chance is to ask at your local very high-end whiskey retailer. Otherwise, this will likely pop up at charity auctions or aftermarket retailers soon enough (for a much higher price).

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Lil Baby, Tee Grizzley, and more.

Friday saw the releases of new singles from Symba (“Can’t Win For Losing“), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (“Lay Up N Chill” with Pink Sweats), and Stormzy (“Hide & Seek“), along with the releases listed below.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending October 14, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Central Cee — No More Leaks

“When life gives you lemons…” — well, you know the rest. Life gave the UK drill upstart a great big handful of sour citrus but he’s found a way to make a sweet refresher, putting out his own four-track EP after a leak threatened to upend his plans.

G Herbo — Survivor’s Remorse: B Sides

That was fast. The turnaround between the A and B sides of Herbo’s latest full-length release was only a few days, but brought with it 13 new songs featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Conway The Machine, and Young Thug after the initial 12 with Benny The Butcher, Gunna, and Offset.

Lil Baby — It’s Only Me

The most anticipated release of the week, Lil Baby’s third studio album sees him take on 23 tracks while attempting to edge his way out of the street-focused lane in which he’s operated for most of his career. Earlier this week, I pointed out how T.I. faced a similar crossroads with the release of King; Baby doesn’t pull it off quite as smoothly as his predecessor, but offers a worthy entry to his growing discography.

Mavi — Laughing So Hard It Hurts

Charlotte alt-rapper Mavi has accumulated quite the following over the last couple of years. While you may not have heard of him, those who have are some of the most zealous converts I’ve seen in all my years covering hip-hop. The 16-track follow-up to his 2021 album End Of The Earth offers sufficient reason. Mavi is one of those rappers who rides the line between avant-garde and soulful introspection very well, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his profile rise sharply soon enough.

Tee Grizzley — Chapters Of The Trenches

After releasing his mixtape Half Tee Half Beast in spring of this year, the Detroit documentarian returns with a high-concept follow-up that presents each song as part of a story about a different character or incident in the life of a Motown resident..

Singles/Videos

Big Boss Vette — “Pretty Girls Walk”

St. Louis rapper Big Boss Vette is a new name but she already carries herself with the confidence of an established … well… vet. She’s got a polished flow and a good ear for beats; “Pretty Girls Walk” shows off both in a serviceable singalong portending strong possibilities for the future.

Doechii — “Stressed”

The trend of rappers premiering new songs on A Colors Show continues. The latest to join in is Doechii, whose latest single takes a hard left turn from the dance-influenced tracks for which she got attention earlier this year. This one’s a little closer to the established flavor of her TDE labelmates but she rides the beat with just as much charm as ever, detailing her efforts to keep calm in the face of a life of adversities.

Killumantii — “My Twin”

The Atlanta rapper offers up a bouncy single with a fun, flirty music video that evokes the exuberant energy of a girls’ night in. Kill’s been accumulating a fair degree of acclaim alongside fellow ATL upstarts Kali, Latto, and Omeretta The Great, and “My Twin” is a great example of that uplifting bond.

Nardo Wick — “G Nikes” Feat. Polo G

An unexpected but exciting combination of young voices, this one could have done with more soulful production such as the sort of music you’d find on one of Polo’s solo projects, but it certainly works on a lot of levels anyway.

Snot — “Simple”

Snot continues his musical evolution, emracing more of a groovy approach than his usual thrash-rap and proving to be every bit as effective, despite the tempo switch. Snot first showed glimpses of a desire to branch out on his album Ethereal earlier this year, and from all appearances, he’s going to keep that growth going on his next project.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

During Game 2 of the American League Division Series between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees, pitcher Shane Bieber was on the mound for Cleveland. At one point in the game though, announcer Bob Costas referred to him as “Justin Bieber” before realizing his mistake. “I actually called Shane Bieber, Justin Bieber,” Costas said. “I vowed that would not happen. I’m sure it’s not the first time it’s happened in his life… I wonder if he’s watching the game?”

It was a funny moment, albeit a bit awkward and it raised the question as to whether the pitcher and the pop star are related?

Is Shane Bieber Related To Justin Bieber?

This has actually come up in the past. The Topps baseball card company wrote “Justin” on a trading card of Shane. And the two Biebers ended up connecting on Twitter because of it.

Shane, who made a pretty good name for himself in baseball by winning the AL Cy Young Award as the league’s best pitcher in 2020, started getting the Justin comparisons so much , that he even made a jersey for himself that on the back says “Not Justin.”

But no, the two are not related at all. Justin was born in Ontario, Canada and Shane in Southern California. The pitcher attended the University of California Santa Barbara before being drafted into the big leagues. In 2019, Shane told MLB.com that, “We haven’t met. We’ll see what’s coming with it,” he said of the Topps baseball card fiasco. “It was kind of fun, just yesterday, getting tagged with that and gaining a couple followers and got some messages from some Beliebers, some original Beliebers. We’ll see what’s to come of it.”

‘Common’ must be a word that’s up for debate because my American brain refuses to believe that the occurrences these people are discussing are common anywhere in the world. But I also live where people fish next to signs that say “caution alligators may be present,” so maybe I’m not the best judge of “common.” Thanks to someone picking “things I never knew I wanted to know” on the Jeopardy board of Reddit, we now have a single thread that will tell you all the places to avoid … or places to travel to if you’re channeling your inner Steve Irwin.

Someone on Reddit posed the question “What’s something that happens in your country that would scare Americans?” Of course, the Australians were the first to pop on the scene with their spiders the size of dinner plates hanging out on your wall at any given time. Trying to watch TV? Giant spider. Giving your kids a bath? Sure, with a big ol’ nope crawling up the wall. Obviously Australia is beautiful, but I think it would have to be to off set all of the things that are trying to take you off the planet. You know, it’s pretty so it gives you incentive to stay and try not to die another day.

After the Australians warned the internet of their dog-sized spiders, an American followed up with probably the most American response you can think of, “As an American the walls of my house would be riddled with bullet holes if this were the case.” Honestly, while I don’t personally own a gun, I know how to make a flamethrower from household items so let’s just say I’d be homeless but the spider would be dead.

Just when you thought spiders that could wrap a toddler in their web to save for later was bad, South Africa bursts through the door like the Kool-Aid Man. The South African commenter said that while they don’t know any Americans personally, “people get concerned when I mention that we occasionally have baboons invading our houses.” Don’t worry though, they have social media groups dedicated to letting residents know when baboons are running amok so they can put up their animals.

I’m sorry, what?! You mean to tell me after a long day of work, that you could come home to a dang baboon making himself at home and going through your pantry? Have you seen the teeth on those things? I’m not certain but I’m pretty sure they could eat your face off. The commenter didn’t list the town they live in, so I’m just going to cross off the entire country until Baboon City has been identified. Because, absolutely not.

South Africa is out and apparently so is Kenya because they have wandering lions. Of course there are lions, it’s Kenya, we just don’t pet the big kitty. But apparently, hyenas snatch toddlers in that country and I’m just wondering how people survive in these places. Do they give “how to throat punch hyena lessons” in preschool or do they keep decoy toddlers around? There are so many questions and the commenter did not give any answers that would bring much comfort.

Hey, at least in Romania the most terrifying thing someone listed was waking up to the sound of your neighbor turning a live duck into a dinner-ready duck. After learning about all of the different ways certain countries try to put humans on the endangered species list, a little unfortunate quacking in the morning somehow doesn’t sound as bad. If you want to check out the entire list before you make your travel plans, you can do that here.

Prince (aka The Artist Formerly Known as Prince) was known for putting on epic performances and wowing audiences.

The problem with musicians who perform with a great deal of flair is that their true talents can sometimes be overshadowed by their showmanship. Some people use glitz, glam and over-the-top staging to mask a lack of musical talent, so flashy performances can lead some to assume that the performer is trying to compensate for unimpressive musicality.

That was not the case with Prince, of course. He was well known for the depth and breadth of his musical abilities across the spectrum—singing, songwriting, multiple instrument playing, producing and more. The list of his music award nominations and wins is still impressive. The guy could do it all.

But one of the greatest proofs of an artist’s true talent is to strip a performance down to the simplest basics, and Prince did just that in 2004 at New York’s Webster Hall.

To perform his last No.1 hit, “Cream,” he sat alone on a stool with just an acoustic guitar. No backup band, no backup singers, no dancers—not even one of his signature flamboyant outfits. It was a performance that could have been an MTV Unplugged video of old, and Prince proved he didn’t need anything other than himself and a guitar to fully captivate an audience.

Watch:

The comments highlight how this simple performance made such a profound impact, both on the people in the audience and those of us watching it on video.

“He got the audience eating out of his hands. The ultimate showman. This dude was in a league of his own. Those who got the chance to see him live were truly blessed to have experienced his genius first hand.” – Edem Djokotoe

“Only guitarists realize how much skill you need to be able to comfortably play like that…RIP” – attituderoyale

“I absolutely loved Prince’s impish sense of humour – a bona fide musical genius and a genuinely funny guy. That to me was something very special.” –Raveonette

“Obviously anyone familiar with Prince’s work already knows he was an amazing musician, but it’s so great to hear him…Bluesify his own song…showing off a level of vocal inflection and guitar style that his hits (as recorded) don’t necessarily represent. Damn, he was good!!!” –OmniphonProductions

“Guitar skill aside, Prince was on another level, he could do, and make the audience do, whatever he wanted. Him and Freddie Mercury (to me anyway) are the standard that any live stage performer should aspire to.” –D B

There are so many talented musicians and entertaining performers, but there will never be another Prince.

And if you want another reminder of his incredible guitar skills, check out this guitar solo from a group performance of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” from George Harrison’s posthumous induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004:

Robyn Moscrop, 27, grew up with bull terriers, so three years ago she decided to adopt one and named him Bronson, Wales Online reports. He wasn’t the easiest puppy to raise but that didn’t stop him from being the apple of her eye.

“He was a crazy dog. He made such an impression on everyone because he had such a personality,” Good News Network reports. “He just kept me really busy and I’d see other people with their really well-behaved dogs and I’d be thinking ‘oh my god, why can my dog not be like that?’”

She spoiled her dog and would even rent out fields with other bull terrier owners and they would have massive 20-dog playdates. “He honestly had such an incredible life,” she recalls.

Sadly, Bronson unexpectedly passed away last July at the young age of 3. Moscrop was devastated.

The woman working at the crematorium told her she could have his ashes in a tattoo. She asked her boyfriend, George Ricketts, to give her a tattoo with Bronson’s ashes mixed into the ink. He was incredibly nervous that he’d mess up such an important piece, but he got to work.

It took him eight hours to get the tattoo right, but the final result looks perfect.

@robynmoscrop

Portrait tattoo of Bronson process @heavyhandsgeorge Instagram for the artist. #tattoo #tattooartist #tattooexperience #tattoodog #dogtattoo #dogportrait #memorialtattoo

The tattoo has helped Moscrop get over the grief of losing Bronson because she feels like they’re always together.

“Sometimes I talk to [the tattoo] as though I talk to him,” she was quoted as saying in the New York Post. “It sounds silly, really, but sometimes when we’re at places, and say I’m just wearing a t-shirt, I just think, ‘Oh, he’s here with me seeing all this, too.’”

Moscrop’s tattoo may seem strange but people are doing a lot of creative things with ashes these days. You can have them pressed into vinyl records, turned into glass art, sent into space or make them part of a memorial fireworks display.

It’s all about giving the person a proper send-off and helping those who loved them heal.

u201cA devoted dog owner was so heartbroken when her beloved bull terrier passed away that she got his ashes inked permanently into her skin, so that heu2019s u2018always with her.u2019 Robyn Moscrop rescued her bull terrier Bronson back in 2019 who she u201cspoilt rottenu201d and https://t.co/3xt06BTmXdu201d

— Answering365 (@Answering365)
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People approach grief in their own personal ways. Frank T. McAndrew, professor of psychology at Knox College, notes in The Conversation that the loss of a pet can be as painful as losing a human loved one. But the difference is that when we lose a pet “there’s little in our cultural playbook” to help us through the loss.

A tattoo of a pet with a piece of them included is a fantastic way to feel close to an animal one has lost.

Moscrop is feeling a lot better about losing Bronson after getting her tattoo and she recently added a new bull terrier to the family, 2-year-old Alabama.

“If I didn’t have my new dog, I’d find it really hard to speak about him,” she said. “But since I’ve got Alabama, she’s kind of filled that hole that he’s left and made it a lot easier to heal because it is awful losing your dog.”

Freddie Mercury had a voice and a stage presence unlike any other in rock music history. His unique talents helped propel the band Queen to the top of music charts and created a loyal fan base around the world.

Sadly, the world lost that voice when Mercury died of AIDS at age 45. For decades, most of us have assumed we’d heard all the music we were going to hear from him.

However, according to Yahoo! Entertainment, remaining Queen members Roger Taylor and Brian May announced this summer that they had found a never-released song they’d recorded with Mercury in 1988 as they were working on the album “The Miracle.”

“We did find a little gem from Freddie, that we’d kind of forgotten about,” Taylor said in June, according to the BBC. “It’s wonderful, a real discovery. It’s a very passionate piece.”

That “little gem” is a four-minute ballad called “Face It Alone.” Queen released a lyric video of the song on its YouTube channel, and it’s bringing fans to tears.

The lyrics are particularly heart-wrenching, considering the timing of the song’s recording. Mercury was reportedly diagnosed with HIV in 1987, though kept it a secret from the public and even from many who worked closely with him until shortly before his death.

Comments have poured in from around the world in multiple languages, and the sentiment is universal—people are deeply moved.

“Over 3 million views in one day. To hear Freddie’s voice again is so special. You live forever, darling. The song is heart breaking but then again, Queen’s songs are from the heart and that can never go wrong. Thank you to all who made it happen.” – sweet pea

“One day Freddie said: ‘I won’t be a star, I will be a Legend’ And yes we all agree, he STILL REMAINS A LEGEND even after 31 years after his death. AMAZING.” – Gloria Sousa

“Freddie’s vocal is killing me same today as 20 years ago. Thank You Queen for this amazing gift after so many years. We love You.” – Adrian Kufel

“What to say?? A great magnificent surprise. All I know is that I cried the moment I heard this voice, these words…. Only Freddie. Love this man for eternity.. It seems as if he returned briefly to us!! To send us a message… What a beautiful present for all his fans, for this generation that has had the impact of the pandemic, this strange war, these strange times. So happy and touched to hear this now. Thank you Queen… Thank you Freddie forever !!!” – Fern 19671

“So great to see all the Freddie and Queen fans here today celebrating this song and Freddie’s amazing voice. I love how much Freddie is still treasured. I remember the day he passed away, how I cried. It’s like a gift to get this new song and have his song playing loud throughout the house today. We all love you dear Freddie.” – Sarah-Louise ASMR

Mercury was truly a legend in his own time, and hearing his voice anew almost makes it feel like he’s time-traveled to the here and now. What a lovely gift for Queen fans everywhere.