Kweli was 15 at the time and he and his friends were trying to get into a club called The Building, known for legendary rapo shows. Hip-hop icon KRS ONE was recording a live Boogie Down Productions show and Kweli and his boys were trying to get in. They were hanging around out front when they scored a chance meeting with ATCQ member Jarobi.
“I was there from like nine, until eleven- waiting outside,” Kweli says. “Me and my friends dressed like we were in A Tribe Called Quest. Here come you and Jarobi. Jarobi saw us trying to get in and was like [telling security] ‘Let these lil n***** in!’ So they let us in. And I got pictures of you, me, and Jarobi.”
Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s blend of tight drums, stylish jazz, and mellow breaks helped define hip-hop in the 1990s. With A Tribe Called Quest he created timeless hip-hop albums like Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders, among others. His anthology of music includes work with Yasiin Bey, Faith Evans, D’Angelo, and others. He also served as co-producer for the hypnotic theme song for theLuke Cage soundtrack, working with longtime collaborator Adrian Younge.
Thinking back to the era Kweli and Muhammad met, Ali says, “That was a really good time in hip-hop. In New York City, specifically. There was a lot going on. And The Building was not too far from Jive [the record label head offices]. It reminds me of hanging out with our contemporaries. And hearing other people’s music drop- and feeling excited. Like if Gangstarr dropped or Brand Nubian… We’d dream like ‘One of these days!’ but then in ‘91 the day was there for us.”
Anitta’s big 2022 is far from over. The Brazilian pop star who wowed at Coachella with Snoop Dogg and Saweetie joining her on stage, has stayed firmly on the radar following the April release of her album Versions Of Me. She was recently named one of PETA’s two “Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities Of 2022,” and appeared on “No Mas” by her boyfriend Murda Beatz along with J Balvin, Quavo, and Pharrell. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to add Missy Elliott to that growing list of Anitta’s collaborators when their new track, “Lobby” comes out on the upcoming deluxe edition of Versions Of Me.
“Versions Of Me Deluxe coming soon,” Anitta tweeted this past weekend. This was just the first teaser from the “Envolver” singer.
The trilingual Anitta put out a short PSA type clip, saying she has three music videos on deck from the deluxe album. In Portuguese, Spanish, and Portuguese, she explained that she’ll be dropping one each week until the extended album drop.
Anitta announces 3 new music videos for week until the release of the “Versions of Me” extended album. pic.twitter.com/DitWTe8wc6
Then, after posting a photo with Missy Elliott to her Instagram Stories saying, “I honestly can’t believe what’s happening right now,” she let Missy do the rest of the talking for her. “Anitta one of the sweetest artist & had me laughing so hard yesterday,” Missy said in a tweet along with the photo. “You a Star! And I am truly GRATEFUL to you & your Team you all treated me with so much LOVE & KINDNESS. Let’s go #Lobby”
.@Anitta one of the sweetest artist & had me laughing so hard yesterdayYou a Star! And I am truly GRATEFUL to you & your Team you all treated me with so much LOVE & KINDNESS Let’s go#Lobbypic.twitter.com/wbuUHCF0JP
Along with “Lobby,” Anitta also confirmed a song called “El Que Espera” featuring Colombian singer Maluma. But she shared a clip of “Lobby” on her TikTok saying “Lobby featuring Missy Elliot is coming, are you ready?”:
Piers Morgan has a lot of enemies. The British journalist seems to enjoy picking fights, be they with Meghan Markle or (former?) pal Donald Trump, whom earlier this year he accused of storming out of an interview. Now he has another hater: Vladimir Putin.
As per The Daily Beast, the Russian government issued a new list of figures banned from entering the nation, what now been at war with Ukraine for the last six months. This time they focused on the United Kingdom, putting sanctions on 39 Brits. The most prominent was former prime minister David Cameron. There were also many journalists and media figures, including BBC News head Jonathan Charles Munro as well as top editors at The Guardian, The Sun, and The Telegraph.
And there was Morgan, who’s done a number of pieces on Ukraine, even sitting down with president Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena. (For the record, he’s also hosted a panel with Ann Coulter, who called on America to stop giving them support.) For what it’s worth, the ban didn’t seem to faze Morgan, who joked, “It wasn’t on my immediate vacation to-do list.”
Morgan and company join a long list of figures banned from entering Russia, including much of the Biden administration and even Hillary Clinton.
Morgan last made news when he did an interview with actor Mickey Rourke, who decided to use his time slamming Tom Cruise, whom he called “irrelevant, in my world.”
Louisville’s Whiskey Row is where the big kids who love whiskey go to play. The whole concept of a “whiskey row” is pretty self-explanatory on the surface — there are several distilleries lined up along Main Street over a little less than two miles of road — but beyond those whiskey experiences, there are also hidden bars, plenty of good food, and hotels worth splurging for. You definitely need a travel guide to navigate it all.
Today, I’m diving deep into Whiskey Row (and a few spots right off of it). I’m including distillery experiences and the best places to eat, drink, and sleep, plus a few hidden gems thrown in for good measure. It should be noted that Whiskey Row is part of the greater downtown Louisville area, so there are tons of other venues, restaurants, and bars outside of the Row. But as worthy as those spots are, I’ll save them for a broader travel guide to the city — I’m keeping this laser-focused on the whiskey.
Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
Starting at the far west end of Main Street, you’ll find Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. — the best place to start your Whiskey Row experience. The distillery is where everything happens for Peerless whiskey from mashing to distilling to aging to bottling. This is a real working distillery (that’s not 100 percent true of a lot of the other whiskey “experiences” on the Row) and you’re likely to see the Master Distiller actually making the whiskey you’ll taste after your tour.
Can’t Miss Opportunity:
The distillery tour is very small, as Peerless is still a small-ish craft operation. And while that’s totally worth doing, what you really want to do is get the in-house tasting in their tasting room and buy a distillery-only bottle from the gift shop.
The bottle shop will have limited releases and special single-barrel expressions you simply cannot get elsewhere. The tasting room experience will walk you through Peerless’ award-winning and delicious rye and bourbon whiskeys with a tasting expert guiding your every sip.
Cost/Times:
Distillery tours cost between $15 and $28 and run Monday through Saturday at 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, and 2:30.
Tastings cost between $10 and $18 and run Monday through Thursday at 1:45, 3:45, and 4:45, and Friday at 1:45 and 3:45.
Continuing west on Main Street, you’re going to hit Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery next. This micro-distillery and gift shop is located in one of downtown Louisville’s best preserved historic buildings.
The actual distillery is a small operation with three small, wooden mash tanks and two stills. The moment you walk into the place, you can smell the grains fermenting in the back. A few choice barrels are aged on-site as well. That all said, this is a tourist experience — the full distillery is out in Shivley (West Louisville) and closed to the public.
Can’t Miss Opportunity:
What you’ll want to do at Fort Nelson is fill your very own bottle of Fort Nelson Michter’s Rye straight from a barrel. For that, you’ll need to take the Legacy Tour ($100), which is two hours, and includes a tasting with Michter’s 20-Year Single Barrel Bourbon (!), and the opportunity to also fill a barrel of whiskey on site.
Basically, you’re getting a chance to both sample a $200 pour at any high-end whiskey bar and walk away with a bespoke bottle from the distillery. That’s unbeatable.
Cost/Times:
The tours last one, one-and-a-half, and two hours and cost $20 to $100, depending on the tour. Tours run Wednesday through Saturday every hour between 11 am and 4 pm and Sundays between 1 pm to 4 pm. Each tour comes with a tasting at the end.
Evan Williams is one of the cheapest whiskey on the shelves, so this might be the must-stop for every bourbon lover out there. The Experience is right in the middle of the Row and one of the busier stops (there are sometimes lines to get in).
Once inside, the stop is part whiskey shop, part museum, part bar, and part micro-distillery. The mini-distillery is kind of there for show (the real distillery is out in Bardstown and totally worth the drive down), but whiskey is being made behind the glass as you’re guided through the place. As with all of these tours, the final stop is the destination of choice — it’s where the tasting is.
Can’t Miss Opportunity:
While this sounds pretty straightforward, Evan Williams Bourbon Experience has some serious variety when it comes to the tours and tastings. You can get a tour that ends with a charcuterie and whiskey pairing experience, a speak-easy experience in a hidden bar, or a cocktail course.
What you really want to make sure you do is hit the On3 Bar. Since Evan Williams is part of the larger Heaven Hill family, you’ll be able to find serious pours behind this bar. You can grab several Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond expressions, Parker’s Heritage pours, and the main expressions from Elijah Craig, Larceny, and, naturally, Evan Williams, plus a few true gems you’ll have to be savvy enough to ask about.
Lastly, don’t forget to grab a bottle of Evan Williams 12-Year from the bottle shop on your way out. You can’t get it outside of Kentucky and it might be their best expression.
Cost/Times:
Tours and tasting cost between $18 and $85 and last 45 minutes, one hour, and two hours. The tours run from Tuesday to Thursday from 11 am to 4 pm, Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm, and Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm.
Old Forester Distilling Co. is another stop that will likely have a line out the door, especially if there was a special whiskey drop that day. The distillery inside is worth the wait, even if it is a microcosm of the larger Brown-Forman facility (also out in West Louisville in Shivley).
The tour is a solid walk through every step of the process of whiskey making. The big ripple here is the on-site cooperage. You walk through every step of the barrel-making process from stave selection to charring the barrel. It’s a unique experience for Whiskey Row and adds to the already great tour. Naturally, all of this ends with a tasting and cocktail experience.
Can’t Miss Opportunity:
The Nothing Better In The Market Tour ($70) has the best tasting when it comes to Old Forester whiskey. The lineup is very high-end and includes Old Forester’s famed and fleeting Birthday Bourbon. Since that is one of the rarest (and spendiest) bourbons out there, you cannot miss a chance to try a pour.
Cost/Times:
Tours run between $32 and $70 and last about 90 minutes with a tasting. The tours operate daily and hourly between 10 am and 5 pm. Be warned though that several days are booked up months in advance. So plan ahead.
Old Carter isn’t a distillery so much as it’s a bottle shop for one of the best bottlers in the game right now. The “shop” is in a historic building and really is an insider-only spot.
You’re going to have to follow Old Carter’s social media to find out when their Pop Up bottle shops open at this location. If you are in town at the right time, you’ll be able to buy some of the most sought-after sourced bottlings in the game right now. The actual location is also a great, old-school whiskey bar-style location that oozes whiskey lounge.
Can’t Miss Opportunity:
Hitting up a pop-up bottle release is a must if you’re in town. You’re only allowed one bottle per person but you’ll walk away with a great bottle of whiskey you won’t be able to get anywhere else (not for retail prices anyway).
Cost/Times:
You can visit by appointment only or on pop-up days, which vary.
At the far east end of Main Street, you’ll find Angel’s Envy Distillery. The distillery is the biggest distillery location on the Row with a fully working distillery and warehouse right in town, across the street from a minor league baseball stadium.
The distillery was built into a historical warehouse where the team at Angel’s Envy created an industrial cathedral to all things whiskey. The tours range from taking you through the “cathedral” which overlooks the distilling floor to a tour on the floor where you can feel (and see) the whiskey getting made.
The whole experience is bright and shining and very new. This is a big facility that feels like you’re walking through a destination and not just a factory for whiskey. There’s also a great bar and plenty of space to savor the juice.
Can’t Miss Opportunity:
The whiskey tastings at the end are the real treat here. There’s a great, but small, whiskey and chocolate pairing that’s definitely worth it as it leans into Angel Envy’s overall vibe. After that, grab a bespoke cocktail from the bar and let it all wash over you.
Cost/Times:
Whiskey tours cost $20 to $25 and run on Mondays and Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm and on Sundays from 1 pm to 5 pm.
We’ve made it to the official end of the whiskey tour and we’re technically off of Whiskey Row (but it still counts!). Rabbit Hole is another brand new distillery experience right in the middle of the city. The distillery is a mix of modern and street art and a full-on distillery and aging facility, which makes it one of the cooler destinations in the city.
The distillery is very modernist and expansive with one of the most interactive experiences on Whiskey Row. It’s also the sort of place you kind of what to just hang out at a get a drink. Taking a tour is fun, but it’s not the only thing to do — the whole place is a vibe.
Can’t Miss Opportunity:
The tour and tasting are definitely the draw but don’t sleep on the Over Look bar. You’ll end up here for a five-dram tasting of the core line. Stay for some cocktails and enjoy the view. Then make sure to peruse the art collection throughout the distillery for a bit of culture outside of whiskey.
Cost/Times:
Tours and tastings cost $20 to $25 and last 30 to 60 minutes. They run Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.
Repeal is probably the one place you have to eat at while in Louisville on Whiskey Row. This is the best of what Kentucky has to offer from superb steaks cooked over fires fueled with old whiskey oak staves to the best wedge salad in the game to what I claim are the best dinner rolls in the country (fermented for a week before they’re baked!).
Repeal also showcases some amazing seafood with a killer oyster menu of baked and raw oysters. It’s worth noting Louisville has a great seafood scene thanks to it being UPS’s hub. That means all the seafood from each coast stops in Louisville before it goes everywhere else in the country. That, in turn, means that Left Coast and East Coast fish and shellfish are fresher in Louisville than, say, Chicago because no matter where it’s headed, it stops in Louisville first.
Anyway, Repeal also has a killer bar scene with some seriously great cocktail mixers working tirelessly to make you the perfect sipper while you wait for your dinner rolls, oysters, and steak.
Can’t Miss Dish:
The Oysters Rockefeller is an easy win. Bacon creamed spinach and bread crumbs are accented with absinthe and baked over medium. But I’m going with the Iceberg Wedge as the pick (though the French Onion Gratinée soup is also killer).
The Wedge is a massive quarter head of iceberg that’s light and perfectly salted covered in a massive slab of in-house-cured and smoked bacon, gorgonzola crumbles, tomato, cucumber, pickled onion, and a buttermilk dressing with a hard-boiled egg. It’s a wedge amped up to its extreme. It’s also a full meal by itself.
Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen is probably the most fun you’ll have while eating and drinking on the Row. The bar/restaurant is right across the street from both Repeal and Old Forester. It’s an open indoor space with a good-sized outdoor patio. There’s a killer bar with a great staff who can sense what your orderis going to be as the night wears on. Make sure to sample the barrel picks from behind the bar, especially if you’re looking for a special pour from Wild Turkey or Buffalo Trace.
The food menu is a list of classic Midwest-meets-Southern classics. Sweet potato casserole, baked mac and cheese, and cornbread all make appearances alongside pulled pork, fried chicken, and “dunked” Cuban sandwiches.
Can’t Miss Dish:
You cannot sleep on Merle’s fried chicken. The whole half-fried chicken is the way to go if you’re planning to share. It’s an entire half of a chicken that’s battered and deep fried and then drizzled with hot honey. It’s pretty much perfect bar-food fried chicken and pairs awesomely with a tall boy of Coors Banquet and a pour of the Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrel pick.
The Bar at Fort Nelson is the bar above the Michter’s distillery. This place is special and you’ll need to call ahead for a table. First and foremost, the staff is amazingly well trained. They have that special bar-sense of knowing how much attention to give you and when, while keeping 100 percent cool and collected even when slammed. Next, they make their own huge blocks of ice and process them into various-sized cubes, orbs, and crushed ice in the back. This makes for a massively better cocktail-making experience as block ice holds the cold better without over-diluting drinks.
Then there’s the setting. This is a chill bar with a touch of Belle Epoque meets Lost Generation vibe in a very comfortable setting. The fermenting malts from the distillery below waft up to the bar, creating a sense of place. Lastly, you can get a pour of some seriously rare Michter’s expressions here… for a price.
Can’t Miss Drink:
I’m partial to the Boulevardier. It’s served up with a large ice ball. It’s the perfect mix of Campari, Michter’s whiskey, and sweet vermouth with a couple of special touches to elevate it.
From there, you might want to consider your bank account before you dive into the 20 and 25-year pours of Michter’s.
Louisville is full of hidden bars behind no-descript doors. It’s a town that suits secret speakeasies. Hell or High Water is a well-known and well-hidden speakeasy right on Main Street.
The bar — which requires a reservation well in advance — is impossible to find if you’re just looking for it. Once inside, you’ll be treated to a plush library of booze with big velvet booths, old leather wingback chairs, and a bar menu second to none.
Can’t Miss Drink:
I’m partial to the My Oh Mai!, which is a bourbon take on a Mai Tai with plenty of rum too. It’s tropical, boozy, and full of nuttiness that plays nicely with the Old Forester 1920 at the base of the drink.
As with all bars like this in Louisville, there’s an incredible whiskey bottle list as well.
This is just off Whiskey Row (by less than a block) and worth hitting up after the other bars close — a lot of Louisville closes down by 11 pm (or earlier). This is after hours with bands, karaoke, and bacchanal every night, but especially on the weekends. It’s also a dive bar so it’s incredibly cheap to drink here. Basic shots and bottles of beer are a couple of bucks each.
The decor is an uber-dive bar with chalk graffiti everywhere, pinball in the back, a funky pool table, and neon everywhere. It’s a dive bar, you get it.
Can’t Miss Drink:
A beer and shot. This is where the tattooed and pierced crowd go after they had their dinner and cocktails so don’t expect fancy unless it’s someone belting out the song on karaoke night.
PART III — The Hotels
21c Museum Hotel Louisville, 700 W Main St.
21c Museum Hotel Louisville
The Hotel:
21c Museum Hotel is probably your best bet for a little culture next to great food (Proof on Main in the lobby is a must-stop for brunch or cocktails) and comfy rooms.
The hotel is right in the middle of Whiskey Row, making everything in this guide within walking distance. The lobby is a small art exhibit attached to a larger installation/full-on museum that rotates through art seasonally. The rooms are bespoke but simple — really, this is where the cool kids go to take selfies next to art, meaning the bedrooms are not the real draw.
The overall vibe is young and hip from the lobby to the bar to the rooms. There’s a full-sized golden statue of David outside, which tells you that this is a place to be seen.
Hotel Distil, Autograph Collection, 101 W Main St.
Hotel Distil
The Hotel:
Hotel Distil is the hotel attached to Repeal listed above. This is a boutique hotel with another great location right in the middle of the action. If you’re planning on just focusing on Whiskey Row on your trip to Louisville, you won’t have to rent a car if you stay here.
The hotel has a great lobby scene thanks to the bar at Repeal overflowing into Distil’s actual lobby. You can get drinks from Repeal and sit in the overstuffed chairs in the lobby and chat if you like. The lobby also serves cold pours of free bourbon on the weekend evenings around 6 pm. Expect something like JTS Brown Bourbon.
A great bar with free whiskey in the lobby? I think you’re sold.
As for the rest, the rooms are slightly corporate but plush with great amenities. The hotel is also super dog friendly with welcome baskets for your pup, which is a nice touch. The beds are very comfortable and the amenities are top-notch as well, but not mind-blowing. It’s a great hotel, not a luxury resort.
What is mind-blowing is the bar cart you can get delivered to your room. It’ll have super rare bottles like Pappy 10-Year and Eagle Rare 17-Year on there. The bar cart will have everything you need to pour the perfect dram or mix up the perfect cocktail, but it’s going to cost you.
Justins’ House of Bourbon is a multi-faceted stop. One aspect is the excellent bottle shop that’s the heart of the establishment. This is where you get all the bottles you can’t find at home or aren’t willing to stand in a two-day-long line for. Justins’ is also one of the best places in the country to score a dusty (old bottle from a bygone era). Again, these are not cheap, but if you’re a collector/investor, this is probably going to be the place where you spend the most time (and money).
Beyond the bottle shop, there’s also a very unassuming-but-great bar in the middle of it all. You can get a serious cocktail while contemplating that $500 bottle of Old Crow from the 1960s. You can also get a pour of some serious whiskey ranging from old-school Pappy to modern gems that flew under the radar. The best bet is to get a flight of whiskeys. The Weller flight covers all the expressions and is only $35. That’s a steal.
And then there’s the tasting room which leads us to…
The Hidden Gem:
The true hidden gem of this place is the hidden whiskey tasting room behind a wall of whiskeys in the main room. If you plan ahead and plan to buy some real bottles, you can ask for a private tasting with one of Justin’s expert staff members (everyone who works here is a true pro). You’ll get to pick a handful of bottles and you’ll be guided through a historical tasting of some of the best bourbons ever made. There’s nothing else quite like it in America.
Doc’s Bourbon Room, 129 W Main St.
Docs Bourbon Room
The Gem:
Doc’s Bourbon Room, attached to Doc Crow’s restaurant is one of those places that seems like a pretty standard whiskey bar on the surface. There’s a long bar up front and a lot of seating that stretches toward a backroom. Like Justins’ above, this is open to the public. Hell, they even serve a great brunch every morning.
In the evenings, this place can get hopping as well. People in the know drop in for a bite (Doc Crow’s next door is another great Southern-ish Kentucky restaurant) and a pour. The black walls are decorated with what seems like endless bottles, which leads us to…
The Hidden Gem:
This is the largest collection of whiskeys on a single menu in all of Kentucky and they’re what decorate the place. All of those shelves and shelves of whiskey on the walls from every corner of the world are on the menu, which is — wait for it — FIFTY-EIGHT eight-by-eleven pages long. Their whiskey list goes so deep that they have a section for “undisclosed” whiskeys that cannot be categorized.
While bourbon and rye are the center of attention everywhere else, this is where you go for it all. All the whiskeys are here and ready to pour — meaning it’s a great chance to compare various styles.
When the teaser for Netflix’s NC-17 Marilyn Monroe movie Blonde landed, there was much rejoicing over how much star Ana de Armas looked like the star of Some Like It Hot. As for how she sounded? That was a bit more contentious. While de Armas nailed Monroe’s breathy, purry delivery while in movies and in public, some complained that they could still hear traces of the actress’ Cuban accent. If you felt that way, then the estate of Marilyn Monroe has some thoughts.
“Marilyn Monroe is a singular Hollywood and pop culture icon that transcends generations and history,” Marc Rosen, president of entertainment at Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which owns the Marilyn Monroe Estate, told Variety. “Any actor that steps into that role knows they have big shoes to fill. Based on the trailer alone, it looks like Ana was a great casting choice as she captures Marilyn’s glamour, humanity and vulnerability. We can’t wait to see the film in its entirety!”
The actress worked hard to sound like Monroe. “It took me nine months of dialect coaching, and practicing and some ADR sessions [to get the accent right],” she told The Times of London earlier this year. “It was a big torture, so exhausting. My brain was fried.”
For the record, Blonde is no straight biopic. Based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, it’s a fictionalized account of the screen legend, who died of a barbiturate overdose at 36. Its director, Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Killing Them Softly) has proudly boasted that it has something “to offend everyone.”
The world’s feeling ominous for several reasons these days, but for women, things are pretty scary regarding one issue in particular: abortion rights. The right to choose no longer exists in several red states (and counting) after frontrunners Texas and Oklahoma essentially outlawed abortion (through a weasel-y civil method) by putting a bounty on the head of anyone who helps a woman get an abortion. Following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, the situation grew more dire when states like Missouri decided to place a ban on out-of-state travel for the residents to obtain the medical procedure, and that’s leaving some women with very little choice in the matter.
Employers have been stepping up to fill the gaps and pledge to protect their employees. That’s translated into policies to help fund out-of-state travel for abortions, and some legal assistance, but Hollywood studios initially stayed very quiet. Then last week, a group of 400+ female showrunners came together to call studios and press them to enact protective policies. Now, an even greater number of male showrunners have stepped up in solidarity. Variety has the official roster of names, which seemingly spans time, space, and genre. Jordan Peele, J.J. Abrams, Taika Waititi, Elgin James, Kurt Sutter, Kenya Barris, Lamorne Morris, D.B. Weiss, David E. Kelley, Rian Johnson, Greg Berliani — the list goes on and on with a few notable omissions (no Joss Whedon or Nic Pizzolatto). The letter’s short and sweet and begins as follows:
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH OUR FEMALE, TRANS & NON-BINARY SHOWRUNNER COLLEAGUES
In demanding a coordinated and timely response from our employers regarding the imminent workplace-safety crisis created by the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Abortion access doesn’t only affect people who can become pregnant. It affects us all.
You can see the full list of male showrunners here, and now, the nearly 1000 total names demand that studios consider the issue to be an “emergency” not only in Texas and Oklahoma but also Georgia, and Louisiana, all of which have gone back into the 1960s with various “heartbeat”-related restrictions and very few exceptions (not even rape in Texas) to allow a woman to abort a fetus. These letters shall likely do nothing to change states’ minds, but at least workers won’t have to worry as much about safety, protection, and logistics during their time of need.
Despite what Disney+ might want you to think, there are some people out there who actually do not want to be a part of a galaxy far far away. Leonardo DiCaprio famously did not want to portray Anakin Skywalker (probably for the best) while Rooney Mara opted out of Rogue One because she didn’t feel right for the role. This is seemingly a common occurrence with actors who don’t believe they are the right fit for the role, and Taron Egerton had a similar experience when auditioning for the lead in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
While speaking on a recent episode of the podcast Happy Sad Confused, Taron Egerton revealed that he tried out to be Han Solo, and even went as far as to try on the signature outfit and board the Millenium Falcon, all before opting out of the 2018 movie.
“I’ll be honest, I got on the Falcon,” Egerton admitted. “I was with Chewie. I was in the full costume. I felt like I got there, I did it, I lived it.” Despite living it, he did not portray Solo in the movie, which was not very popular among fans, or at the box office. The role eventually went to Alden Ehrenreich.
Egerton tried to explain that despite meeting the cutest little furry alien in the world and boarding one of the most iconic ships, he just wasn’t into it. “It just felt to me like I didn’t feel…like you know when we mentioned earlier, that thing when I read the Kingsman script and I was like, ‘This is…I’ve got to do this. This is my part,’” Egerton admitted. “I just didn’t feel it.”
The actor has had several high-profile roles since, so he didn’t miss out on much. “It’s far enough in the past now that I feel I can say that. I hope no one feels annoyed that I have said it,” he added. Chewie has yet to comment on the ordeal, though he is probably really upset about it!
Russell’s legacy is immense and that was evident in all the stories that poured out onto social media from players and coaches, past and present, as his presence hadn’t waned in impact over the years, with current stars just as awestruck by him as those who grew up watching him. However, those contemporaries of Russell know him better than anyone and can detail his impact in a way few others can, and there may be no one better equipped to speak on Russell than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The legendary Laker grew up idolizing Russell and entered the league the year after Russell retired from playing, picking up the mantle as the league’s next great big man. On Monday, Kareem joined ESPN’s NBA Today to speak on Russell’s legacy, both what he meant to Abdul-Jabbar personally and to the game as a whole.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Bill Russell: “He taught me personally that you don’t have to sacrifice what you want to say as a man, from what you are invited to say as an athlete. There’s room for both in your life.”
For Kareem, Russell’s greatest impact was showing how he didn’t have to compromise who he was as a person to be a great athlete, while also noting that his on-court legacy will be his leadership and competitiveness that led to 11 championships, something Abdul-Jabbar says will never be matched.
Kareem also wrote a more personal remembrance of Russell on his Substack, detailing the first time he met Russell as a 14-year-old — and how it didn’t go quite as he’d hoped — as well as Russell’s leadership at the legendary Cleveland Summit, and the moments they shared together as legends and “old men” as Abdul-Jabbar put it. All of it provides a look at the many facets of Russell, a great player and activist, but also a man who lived life with incredible fervor and joy, even while the world didn’t often offer that in abundance back to him.
A lot of digital ink has been spilled over pop music stans and their often aggressive method of demonstrating their fealty to the stars they love so much, but perhaps no group is as feared as the BeyHive, the swarming, stinging online army dedicated to Beyonce. And with her new album Renaissance out and taking new creative risks, they’ve been busier than ever this week, even lashing out at Beyonce’s esteemed peers and forebears such as “Diane Warren, who had the unfortunate temerity to question the number of songwriters on the album.
“How can there be 24 writers on a song?” she wondered on Twitter. Although the R&B icon insisted she intended no shade, Beyonce’s self-appointed defense force wasn’t taking any chances. It probably doesn’t help that she added a rolling eyes emoji, which is, as any longtime denizen of the world wide web can tell you, a universal symbol for shade.
Either way, Ms. Diane became the recipient of plenty of shade herself as Beyonce fans chimed in either offering “helpful” primers on the nature of sample credits or just outright bullying the 65-year-old singer, telling her to stay in her lane. While some fans did join the fracas to note Warren’s many lasting contributions to the musical canon as a songwriter, the damage was already done. Perhaps we’ll just chalk this one up to a generational conflict with truly unfortunate timing. See the fans’ reactions below.
musicians who say this shit crack me up because there’s smth so telling about ppl in music who criticize fellow artists for being willing to….collaborate? like that’s hilarious. Also crediting can be complicated. I don’t even make albums and i know this so why don’t you?https://t.co/oqXmTiGzeT
Maybe if you credited everyone involved in the creative process like she did, you wouldn’t be facing a 20 million dollar lawsuit for plagiarism and would have at least one award to your 13 nominations. No shade, though. https://t.co/6OoFCtZsOr
— Tom Cruise’s Shoe Lifts (@haltercroptop) August 1, 2022
I understand that you notoriously work solo. But you obviously know about the business of sampling & the creative process of collaboration. Sounds like you’re just mad that Black acts no longer need to throw one of your MOR ballads on their albums to go pop. https://t.co/cTe6Qs16f0
— Craig Seymour, Black gay music critic (@craigspoplife) August 1, 2022
leave @Diane_Warren be. she wrote these songs and many many more! for the record co-writing & sampling is art, too & it should be ok to inquire/comment on the differences in the creative process. it’s all ART pic.twitter.com/fU9wfztXRw
The Bear‘s given us a lot: Plentiful jargon into the inner workings of the kitchen run by Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and a delightful soundtrack to keep the intensity humming, even during the credits. We still, however, don’t know (and probably won’t know anytime soon) the definitive answer to the one pressing question about the show in light of the Internet’s lust: will Carmy (or anyone else) get a little behind-the-kitchen action?
Standup comedian Ayo Edebiri (who plays sous chef Sydney, who I not-so-secretly want to manage a future franchise) isn’t so sure! According to Ayo’s new interview with The Cut, she can’t visualize the characters even having the spare energy or time or desire to get down. Furthermore, Ayo really doesn’t want Sydney and Carmy to hook up because (among other reasons) the results would be “disappointing.” I tend to agree, but here’s Ayo’s full quote:
“I don’t personally think there’s anything romantic there! I don’t think the show is a sexual one. These people don’t have … very robust personal lives. They’re devoted to their jobs. If anything happened between Sydney and Carmy, nobody would be happy. It would be disappointing and jarring and weird. I don’t think people actually want that.”
Don’t get her wrong, though. Ayo understands why the internet is hot for Carmy:
“He’s got those blue eyes! I don’t know. People on the internet are into it, I’m happy for him, and it’s good for us. I don’t think I evoke that, where just a picture of his face causes somebody to divulge a very jarring memory. Or fantasy. It’s hard to say which. But he’s handling it like a champ.”
In other words, Ayo feels similarly to Jeremy Allen White, who is no doubt still very aware of how people lust after his character, even though he’s also maintained (in a GQ conversation), “Carmy does not f*ck.” But I still believe that Carmy eventually will do so, and man, the pressure is on for the writers to deliver a satisfying scenario.
On a related note, Ayo recently appeared on Penn Badgley’s Podcrushed podcast, where she discussed many things unrelated to The Bear. It’s a highly entertaining episode, so maybe go check it out while waiting for more details on the second season of The Bear.
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