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(Spoilers for Season 3 of The Boys will be found below.)

In Season 3 of The Boys, the baddest Supe of all, Homelander, is badder (and more sadistic) than ever before. The first half of the season sees him force a girl to commit suicide on his birthday, and then he makes The Deep eat his friend, Timothy the Octopus (while he’s still alive, no less). And before all oft his happened, we saw him send an entire plane full of people to their deaths and also pleasure himself all over a city full of unsuspecting civilians.

Well, showrunner Eric Kripke wants everyone to know that Homelander will get worse, much worse, if you can imagine that. While speaking to the WGA (via Comic Book) one should expect Antony Starr’s character to slide even deeper away from sanity’s edge. Yep, it sure sounds like loss after loss (with Stormfront being the latest to “abandon” him) will take its toll, and he might even spark an apocalypse:

“You could track the meta-mythology of the series essentially as the slow unraveling of Homelander. So the writers know–and Antony [Starrr] is a big part of this as well–that, eventually, whenever the series reaches its climax, this guy is going to go full sociopath, and he has to be stopped before some kind of apocalyptic event. That’s what we’re building towards.”

The really good news out of all of this is that Kripke suggests that this will be a multi-season process from here on out, so we’re gonna get much more of The Boys. This is in addition to the animated spinoff, Diabolical, which contains a really relevant Homelander backstory toward the end of its first season. And there will be spinoffs, including a college-themed Supe show, and one never knows if a little Homelander flavor could be found there, too. All we really know is that he’s got almost no one on his side now, especially with Madelyn and Stormfront out of the picture, although it remains to be seen whether his son, Ryan, will stick with Dad. (Poor Ryan never stood a chance, did he?)

The Boys is currently releasing weekly Season 3 episodes on Amazon.

(Via WGA & Comic Book)

Chris Evans isn’t pulling his punches when it comes to critics of his new movie, Lightyear, prominently featuring a same-sex couple. The Captain America star and new voice of Buzz Lightyear had words for conservatives who have been attacking the film after feeling emboldened by the recent passing of the “Don’t Say Gay” law in Florida, which Disney has publicly opposed.

“The real truth is those people are idiots,” Evans bluntly told Reuters about anti-gay critics. “Every time there’s been social advancement as we wake up, the American story, the human story is one of constant social awakening and growth and that’s what makes us good.”

Evans’ comments arrive on the heels of his enthusiastic support of Lightyear‘s same-sex kiss, which was reportedly in danger of being cut from the film to appease overseas audiences. “It’s great that it’s back in the film,” the actor recently told Vanity Fair. “I think it’s a shame that it’s such a story. It should be more normalized, but I’m glad we are making those steps.”

Of course, Evans’ has long been a vocal support of the LGBTQ community. The Marvel star’s brother is gay, and Evans hasn’t been afraid to champion gay rights since he came out. That’s just one of the reasons why legions of fans came to his defense after Everybody Loves Raymond star Patricia Heaton slammed Disney for replacing Tim Allen and “castrating” Buzz Lightyear.

As numerous fans pointed out to Heaton, Evans’ voices the “movie version” of Buzz Lightyear who the toy, voiced by Allen, is based on. In other words, they both still exist in the Toy Story universe. (As for Disney supposedly replacing Allen because of his politics, nope. He’s currently reviving The Santa Clause series for Disney+, so that relationship is still very much intact.)

Lightyear opens in theaters on June 17.

(Via Reuters)

The Warriors won Game 5 in San Francisco on Monday night to take a 3-2 lead on the Celtics in the NBA Finals, but one familiar face was not there in the crowd to see it, as Big Daws aka Fake Klay had been banned from the arena earlier that night after he strolled through security dressed as Klay Thompson and spent 10 minutes getting shots up before the arena staff realized their mistake and had him sent off and eventually banned for life from the Chase Center.

It was quite the story and NBA fans on social media weren’t the only ones that followed the drama from afar, as Patrick Beverley apparently saw the Fake Klay story and thought to himself there was an opportunity to have some fun. So, on Wednesday, Beverley extended an invite for Daws to be his guest on the court at the first visit for the Warriors to Minnesota next year.

Daws, of course, said yes, and Beverley confirmed the deal is done and Fake Klay will grace an NBA floor once again.

I’m not sure the league will be too thrilled by this, but it’s pretty funny. Beverley never misses an opportunity to be an instigator and that apparently includes conflicts involving arenas and fans.

A two dollar bill with Donald Trump’s earthquake-looking autograph will set you back $2,299.99 on eBay. If that’s not in your budget because you’ve spent all your money on a birthday card for the former-president, how about a signed first edition copy of Trump: How to Get Rich for $375? (Step one: don’t spend $375 on a signed first edition copy of Trump: How to Get Rich.) There’s also a Trump “re-elect that motherf*cker” hat with rocker / COVID denier Ted Nugent’s seal of approval on it for a budget conscious $26, which goes to show: Trump autograph don’t come cheap — unless you’re Matt Gaetz.

A recent Time article about how the “MAGA Squad,” led by far-right “grifters” Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), is “building power to control the next congress” by any (probably illegal) means necessary includes this interesting detail:

On the wall of the cramped congressional-office-turned-podcast studio, there’s a black-and-white poster for S.J. “Jerry” Gaetz, the congressman’s grandfather, that dubs him “North Dakota’s Most Progressive Mayor.” In a glass display case, there’s a handwritten note from President Trump, scribbled in Sharpie on an article about Gaetz defending himself against a federal sex-trafficking probe involving the transportation of a 17-year-old across state lines. “Matt, This is Great,” Trump wrote. “Keep fighting – You will WIN!”

Gaetz is the focus of an FBI sex trafficking investigation involving his alleged transportation of a 17-year-old girl across state lines to have sex with her. The article in question is from the Washington Examiner, Insider reports, and concerns a “six-figure ad” that Gaetz’s congressional campaign paid for to defend the Republican against the accusations. “When you see the leaks, the lies, the falsehoods, the smears, when you see the anonymous sources and insiders forecasting my demise, know this: They aren’t really coming for me. They’re coming for you. I’m just in the way,” he says in the video.

If you want to bid on Trump’s squiggle, maybe send Gaetz a Venmo request?

(Via Time)

Lil Wayne had one of the greatest runs Hip-Hop has ever seen that was unfortunately derailed by label issues and legal troubles. Fortunately for Weezy and his fans, he has found a way to rise above and achieve multiple career revivals when it comes to the music. Yet, once again, Lil Wayne’s past has caught up to him as the New Orleans rapper is being denied entry into the UK days before he is set to hit the Strawberries & Creem stage on June 18. This set would have been Wayne’s first performance in the Uk in 14 years.

The rapper, now replaced by Ludacris, was apparently denied entry by the Home Office in a “last-minute decision” according to event organizers. “We are deeply disappointed by this sudden and negative ruling,” Strawberries & Creem organizers wrote in a statement. “We have received very minimal notice, and the timing of the decision is of course upsetting for all involved.”

The Home Office elaborated on their ruling in a statement to Rolling Stone: “In a statement to Rolling Stone, a Home Office spokesperson said, “Any individual who has been sentenced to a custodial sentence of 12 months or more must have their application refused.” The statement is referring to Lil Wayne’s 12-month prison sentence for weapons charges stemming from his arrest in July 2007. Though Wayne was sentenced to a year, he was released after eight months due to good behavior.

Suge Knight hasn’t been the CEO of Death Row Records for a long time now. He’s currently serving a 28-year sentence for a 2015 hit-and-run in which he clipped Straight Outta Compton consultant Che “Bone” Sloan with his truck after a fight and ran over and killed Compton businessman Terry Carter. However, his reduced stature in the music business hasn’t stopped Carter’s family’s attorney from demanding $81 million in a wrongful death suit filed against Knight.

According to Rolling Stone, Lance Behringer, the lawyer pursuing the case for Knight’s family, said in court Tuesday that Knight owes Carter’s widow and daughters at least $1 million apiece for each year Carter could have been expected to live had he not been killed by Knight (three times 27 is how you get 81). Behringer is quoted saying, “Dying on the concrete floor alone at Tam’s Burgers was not a natural death. He was taken from these three women. Nobody’s comfortable talking about money, But that’s what we have to do.”

Knight pled no contest to voluntary manslaughter to avoid trial back in 2018, and to avoid having a guilty verdict used in the then-impending civil trial. Since his own plea could not be used as evidence, the trial had to rely on the evidence that would have been used during the criminal trial had it proceeded, which included security video taken from the Tam’s Burgers restaurant where the incident occurred. At the time, Suge maintained that he believed Carter and Sloan were making an attempt on his life after arguing and fighting with Sloan but in the course of explaining himself, he gave what could have been an incriminating answer.

“I was going straight,” he said. “I seen the guy in the front of my truck. I seen the guy in my mirror. I wanted to make sure to get this guy, and I did.” If he’s found liable for Carter’s death, whatever penalty is determined for him to pay the family will be just one he faces; in 2020, he was ordered to pay $107 million to former Death Row employees for pushing them out.

TikTok conspiracies sometimes make their way over to Twitter, but by then, whatever the rumor or theory was, it’s mostly debunked. But every once in a while, a quick viral video will slip through the cracks, leading everyone on Twitter to believe something ridiculous. This time, Zendaya was caught in the mix.

A new trend of TikTok is to post something fake then add Kris Jenner laughing at the end, saying ‘You’ve just been Krised!” as if it was the Rick Rolling of the 2020s. One post went off the rails, claiming that Zendaya and Spider-man co-star/ boyfriend Tom Holland were expecting a child, and Zendaya is not having it.

After noticing that she was trending on Twitter, the Euphoria actress took to her Instagram stories (via Page Six) to clear the air: “See now, this is why I stay off Twitter…Just making stuff up for no reason…weekly.” She ranted on her stories. The actress then shared a new photo of her on-set of her new tennis movie Challengers. We should all take Zendaya’s advice and stay off Twitter!

This isn’t the first time baby rumors have followed the couple: last year, Holland said he wants to be a dad and the internet exploded. Will people at least wait until the duo stops portraying high school kids before assuming they are parents!

(Via Page Six)

A timeless traditions among NBA players in the offseason is when they absolutely ruin the hopes of dreams of an innocent kid trying to score on them at a basketball camp. Sometimes, they allow it to happen and the crowd explodes in excitement. Most of the time, though, the incredibly wide chasm between an aspiring youngster and a professional NBA player is hammered home.

On Tuesday, Dallas Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic emphasized that incredibly wide chasm when he hosted a 14-second block party against a bunch of different children.

Across six different occasions, the 7’4 big man absolutely erased someone’s shot, as if he barely gave it a second thought. Each instance, the ball barely leaves the shooter’s hands. One time, Marjanovic simply plucks it away from his opponent. Another rejection is so forceful that it brings a kid tumbling to the ground, upon which Marjanovic graciously helps them up.

He only jumps on one block. There is no hope for the children on any of their shots.

Many may point to the pluck as their favorite or the best, but a sneaky candidate is the second block of the montage. Someone tries to scoot one past Marjanovic before he’s ready, so he quickly elevates his arm and sends that sucker into a new stratosphere.

I empathize with these kids because I am rather confident my experiences would be disappointingly similar to theirs if I attempted any shot around him. But thankfully, I did not try anything and I’m left to cackle in the glory of those clips. What a delightful little video.

Great dark rum tends to be a lot cheaper than great bourbon or great scotch. That’s not to say there aren’t expensive rums on the shelf, it’s more that the incredibly wild whisk(e)y/spirits hype machine hasn’t quite hit the rum industry in the same way… yet. That means you can still get some very good, old, and well-built dark rums for a great price.

But do these excellent bang-for-the-buck sippers really stack up to the most outstanding bottles in the field?

To figure this out, I’m tasting four affordable-yet-refined dark rums against four that are going to cost you in the hundreds of dollars. This isn’t about the bottom shelf versus the top shelf. It’s more about the mid-range bottles that are in the $30-$70 range with big age statements and plenty of refinement against the stuff you’d likely break out for a holiday or big celebration when you want to impress your guests — bottles in the $150 to $500 price range.

I also tasted these double-blind. I have a shelf of cheaper rums and the good stuff already on two different shelves (with about 30 bottles on both). So my wife simply grabbed four at random from each, poured them, and let me dive in. I didn’t know anything else.

Our lineup ended up being as follows:

• Santa Teresa 1796
• Mount Gary Port Cask Finish
• Bacardi 10
• Equiano
• Appleton Estate 30
• Ron Abuelo XV Napoleon Cask
• Flor de Cana 7
• Diplomatico Single Vintage 2005

Let’s see if the mid-range dark rums can stand up to the big bottles.

Also Read: The Top Five UPROXX Rum Posts From The Past Six Months

• The Best Dark Rums Under $50, Ranked
• The Most Undervalued Bottles Of Rum, According To Bartenders
• The Best White Rums, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• Bartenders Name The Absolute Best Rums To Mix With In Winter
• Spring Is The Perfect Time To Make A Caipirinha — Here’s Our Recipe

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

What a nice nose! It’s full of fresh honey over fresh and red berries with a dusting of dark chocolate next to a hint of old molasses. The palate layers vanilla into the creamy honey as green and almost woody bananas lead to toasted coconut with a hint of wet cedar behind it all. The chocolate returns near the end and slightly bitters as a soft, tropical fruit vibe rounds things out.

This was nice. I have no idea what it is but set a nice precedent.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

This has a distinct bourbon vanilla nose with a hint of buttery and rich caramel that gives way to a plum pudding meatiness and spice with a tiny echo of marzipan with rose water. The taste is a balance of bright red fruit next to moist and spicy slices of holiday cake with plenty of candied and dried fruit and a hint of walnut and black molasses. The finish has a dark chocolate-covered marzipan vibe that leads back to the candied fruits and spices of the holiday cake before an old cellar beam vibe takes over and everything slowly fades away.

This is so much more complex than the last sip. It’s clearly something bigger and bolder (and likely way more expensive). It’s also freaking delicious.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

A mild hint of dark and worn leather leads to a rush of ripe and funky tropical fruits that have been soaked in rum — “Hello, Bacardi!”

The palate confirms this assumption with a rich and buttery Bananas Foster vibe that leads to wet brown sugar, holiday spice mixes, and plenty of dried fruit with a thinness to it. The butteriness from the top of the palate turns creamy as the sip leans into old leather, dried cedar bark braids, and a hint of vanilla-cherry tobacco.

I’m guessing this is Bacardi 8 or 10. It’s really nice but a little thin.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Dark leather and dry cedar bark lead to a bruised peach swimming in dark molasses on the nose. The palate is classic with plenty of brown sugar and holiday spices with a hint of floral black tea next to toasted oak staves and a hint of dark cacao. The finish leans into the spice and tobacco sharpness with a focus on cloves and anise as the vanilla creeps into the cinnamon-laced tobacco leaves.

Not sure what this is but it’s a contender!

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Woah. Strike what I just said above. This is wild on the nose with coconut charcoal next to green plantains, creamy honey, a hint of banana leaf, and chili-chocolate tobacco stuffed into an old charred oak barrel. The palate is completely different with layers of singed pineapple skins next to black molasses dripping all over a stack of cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, and nutmeg with hints of sassafras, coconut shell, cedar bark, sweetgrass, and heavy-duty funk all making appearances. The end gets creamy smooth with plenty of spice, funky fermented tropical fruit, and leather tobacco pouches.

This is something way older and deeper.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Again, wow. This is like silk on the nose with a softly layered apple crumble with plenty of cinnamon and clove covered in butter-soaked brown sugar with a hint of vanilla oils, orange zest, and dry pine resin rounding out the nose. The palate is part rum-soaked raisins and part creamy yet floral honey with a throughline of tart apples and candied pears. The mid-palate shifts from a lush vanilla cream base toward old cedar boxes filled with milk chocolate tobacco leaves and old boot leather with a dash of dried lavender.

This is beautiful. Right now, it’s also the pour to beat.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

And we’re back. This is thin and tinny on the nose with hints of singed coconut shells next to some old dates and vanilla extract bottles. The palate has a honeyed vibe with a dash of dark chocolate that feels like additives more than flavor notes. The end is thin and has a touch of orange zest and almond next to spicy fruit.

I don’t know what this is but it’s a mixing rum at best.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Here we go. There’s a mix of sharp candied ginger next to a moist and rum-soaked Christmas cake brimming with candied nuts, dried red fruits, candied citrus, and tons of clove, allspice, nutmeg, and ground ginger with this slight whisper of funky old cellar beams. The taste amps the spiciness up but keeps the taste lush with orange oils, vanilla paste, marzipan, brandy-soaked plums, and maple syrup-soaked oak staves. The mid-palate lets all that sweetness shine before the end warms every so slightly toward those holiday spices while brandied plums attach to a chewy tobacco leaf with a hint of dirty cellar floor lurking underneath everything.

From my notes: “Well… that’s going to win. Done. Period.”

Part 2: The Ranking

8. Flor de Caña 7 Gran Reserva — Taste 7

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $38

The Rum:

The Nicaraguan rum is a quality product at its price point. The juice — made from local cane grown in volcanic soil — is aged in fresh white oak barrels for seven years in the shadow of the San Cristóbal Volcano. The barrels are then batched and proofed down with volcanic soil-filtered spring water.

Bottom Line:

Yeah, this is definitely a mixing rum. So… I called it. Still, this was nowhere near the quality of the rest of the list.

7. Bacardi 10 — Taste 3

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40

The Rum:

This is Bacardi’s high-end expression that’s crazy cheap. The rum is aged for ten long years in lightly charred oak before its charcoal filtered and brought down to proof, creating an ultra-refined expression.

Bottom Line:

This had a slight bourbon vibe while feeling like a well-made rum all around. The middle was a little thin and that’s the only reason it faltered today. I think this is a pretty solid cocktail base though because you can fill in that thin-ish middle.

6. Equiano — Taste 4

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $60

The Rum:

Global Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell masterminded this expression — combining African and Caribbean rum traditions. The bottle is created under the watchful eye of rum master Richard Seale, who blends rums from Mauritius and Barbados into a one-of-its-kind final product that feels like the future of rum in a bottle.

Bottom Line:

This, again, felt like a great cocktail rum. It’s perfectly fine as a sipper but felt like a foundation to build upon more than anything else today.

5. Santa Teresa 1796 — Taste 1

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $42

The Rum:

The Venezuelan rum is a blend of rums aged from four to 35 years in former Spanish sherry and brandy barrels. Those key barrels are hand-selected for their depth and then married into this masterful rum.

Bottom Line:

This was a great start but ultimately proved to be just … nice. I’d pour this over a rock or two and go about my day without thinking about it again.

4. Appleton Estate 30 Very Rare Limited Edition — Taste 5

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $500

The Rum:

This blend comes from the master of Jamaican rum, Master Blender Joy Spence. This release from 2018 blends rums that are at least 30 years old with some barrels north of 50 years old. Like all Appleton releases, the juice in the bottle is a cane-to-glass spirit with everything from the growing of the cane to the aging and blending happening in-house at Appleton.

Bottom Line:

I kind of knew this was an Appleton Estate thanks to all that funk. Still, this was a lot. I really loved the palate but you had to get past a funked-to-the-max nose to get to it.

3. Ron Abuelo XV Napoleon Cask — Taste 6

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $290

The Rum:

This Panamain rum spends 14 years aging in bourbon casks. That juice is then refilled into old Napoleon Cognac casks for a final maturation before proofing and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was hard to beat. It’s damn near perfect. Look, the top three are all splitting hairs. This was really good but about 0.5 percent less rounded than the next entry. See, splitting hairs.

2. Mount Gay The Port Cask Finish — Taste 2

ABV: 55%

Average Price: $209

The Rum:

Master Blender Trudiann Branker hit it out of the park with this Barbados rum. The expression is a blend of rum aged for five years in Tawny Port casks that’s married to 14-year-old rums aged in ex-bourbon casks. That blend is then transferred to fresh Tawny Port casks for a final year of resting/finishing. The rum is then bottled at cask strength with no fussing whatsoever.

Bottom Line:

Again, super splitting hairs with this at two instead of one. This is just straight-up delicious. The only reason it’s not first is that the next one was what I wanted a pour of immediately after this tasting.

1. Diplomático Single Vintage 2005 — Taste 8

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $138

The Rum:

This well-crafted expression is a marrying of Venezuelan rums aged in ex-bourbon and ex-single malt casks for up to 12 years. The rums are then hand-selected and hand-blended to find the perfect balance of taste and texture. The blend finally spends a year in sherry casks to give it that final note of ultra-refinement.

Bottom Line:

This was perfect. Deep. Engaging. Vivacious. Lush. This was a great end to this tasting.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Yeah, I’m not that surprised here. I know how to tell a cheaper pour from an expensive one because that’s… literally my job. My editor keeps thinking I’ll be fooled and it’s just not gonna happen when the quality spread is this noticeable. There’s a thinness to the cheaper stuff that you rarely find in the higher ends. You can feel the age, for sure. But that doesn’t mean as much in rum. What you can feel is the completeness, the silkiness, and the thought that went into the blend.

It’s just more … everything.

Still, what is interesting is that the most expensive was my “least” favorite of the spendy bottles. It came in fourth. The biggest reason was this it was too much of “more is more” without adding something deeper. It was really big funk and wood on top of a perfectly great rum. That can be nice, but it’s not as refined as the top three.

Rina Sawayama’s new single “This Hell” is about a month old now, and what a month it’s had: After releasing the song on mid-May, Sawayama performed it on The Tonight Show. Now, the song (which comes from the upcoming album Hold This Girl) gets a sleek new video today in which Sawayama gets married (seemingly in a three-way arrangement, given the post-“you-may-kiss-the-bride” lip-locking) before taking over a cowboy bar.

Sawayama says of making the video, “It was amazing to get back together with director Ali Kurr (‘XS’, ‘Bad Friend’) for the video for ‘This Hell.’ We always like to tell engaging stories through film together so this one was about love and community in the face of hatred and dissent.”

She also previously said of the song, “The past couple of years I’ve been listening to lots of female country singers and wanted to write a euphoric and tongue-in-cheek country-pop song. I’ve been dreaming of working with Paul Epworth my entire career so I knew it was meant to be when we finished this song in a day. I put in as many iconic pop culture moments as I can, but the song is more than that.”

Watch the “This Hell” video above.

Hold This Girl is out 9/2 via Dirty Hit. Pre-order it here.