It’s been three-and-a-half years since we lost Anthony Bourdian, the chef-turned-TV star and worldwide traveler, taking viewers on intimate excursions into cultures both well-known and far-flung. Though he spent the last couple decades very much in the spotlight, we’re still learning things about him. For instance, did you know he had a secret Reddit account? And that he would talk smack about Steven Seagal and praise Joe Rogan’s strength?
A new piece by Rolling Stone delves into the many posts of Reddit user “NooYawkCity,” who turned out to be Bourdain himself. His favorite forum was for Brazilian jiujitsu, which he began practicing — and excelling at — over his last several years. He never outright admitted his identity, but fellow Redditers eventually came to recognize his hyper-articulate and punchy musings as belonging to the author of No Reservations and the host of numerous travel shows.
The Stone piece points out that it was Bourdain without an editor, without the realization that the vast public may see it. “This was the truest Anthony Bourdain, writing simply for the sake of it, unburdened by his reputation,” writes journalist Alexander Darwin.
Bourdain mostly kept himself to the forum “bjj,” posting about his progress with the martial art. But he sometimes ventured elsewhere, offering very pointed opinions on a variety of matters. For instance, another passion of his was cinema, and he would talk about his love of movies made in Vietnam. But he also discussed movie stars he didn’t like, like the possible worst host of SNL.
“[Steven] Seagal is a ‘deadly mofo’ if you get between him and the all you can eat pasta bar,” Bourdain once wrote. “The hair is definitely dead though. A wad of that Dynell weave comes undone during a fight with Lightning Chunks of Death and you could choke.”
But he heaped praise upon Joe Rogan, at least as a pugilist. When someone discussed whether or not the NewsRadio alum-turned-podcaster could take Wesley Snipes in a fight, he had a very educated take. “I can tell you from personal experience you do NOT want Rogan’s arms anywhere near your neck,” Bourdain said. “He cranks. Hard. And enjoys it while he does it. He’d destroy Snipes. Like hospitalize destroy.”
Bourdain had a vicious tongue and you didn’t want to be on the other side of it. One time a troll came up with a highly offensive idea for a reality show, where ex-addict celebrities are given drugs to relapse on. Bourdain, who struggled with a drug habit he had in his younger days, was not amused.
“You are a terrible human being,” he wrote. “You richly deserve to lose sphincter control and seep slowly, steadily and fragrantly into your My Little Pony undies for the rest of your life.”
Bourdain also wrote about how Brazilian jujitsu had become an obsession, to the point that he kicked two of his other dangerous loves: drinking and smoking cigarettes.
“Drug free but a drinker until I started BJJ — at which point the inevitability of getting smashed every day made alcohol a much less attractive option and cigarettes out of the question,” he wrote. “Frankly, BJJ as an addiction has in many ways replaced my previous ones.”
…Shit, now I’m questioning the presents I bought for my new guy. BRB, I need to check some return policies.
Anyway, I’ve been doing my fair share of research to find affordable gifts that any man would actually use. If you’re in need of some affordable holiday gift ideas, check out my guide below — the best gifts under $75 for the new man in your life.
Patagonia Black Hole Cube
Patagonia
Price: $49
Company Line:
A mini gear closet that organizes your essentials no matter where you’re headed, the large Patagonia Black Hole Cube 10L corrals gear so you can find what you need inside a stuffed duffel or pack.
Why It’s a Great Gift:
This sturdy pouch is perfect for men who travel often, whether that’s for work or pleasure. It fits conveniently into a duffle bag or suitcase, and the simple zip-opening design provides easy access to anything they need in a pinch. The main compartment is divided equally with zippered mesh pockets, so they’ll be able to organize their loose items without any added hassle.
Bottom Line:
If your dude can’t seem to find his sh*t without dumping all of the possessions in his luggage on the floor, he needs this. It’s as simple as that. Plus disorganized people never buy themselves organizational tools.
Beef jerky and alcohol are the twin pillars of human sustenance, which is why our underground survival bunker is lined floor to ceiling with the two…exclusively. But during our most recent nuclear explosion-proof test, shockwaves thrashed through the bunker walls, flipping beer barrels and overturning supply shelves like a mild Gary Busey outburst.
The result was a bunker full of beer-soaked beef jerky that, once we removed the wooden splinters, was absolutely delicious.
Why It’s a Great Gift:
This quirky gift combines stereotypical male passion points — beer! booze! meat! — into the ultimate protein-packed, booze-infused snack. This gift pack includes dark ale jerky, wild boar honey, bourbon jerky, whiskey sausage sticks, and Oregon cabernet jerky.
That’s a whole lot of flavor conveniently packaged for on-the-go snacking.
Bottom Line:
Whether he’s an avid foodie or he can’t get enough craft beer, this Booze-Infused Jerkygram will win over his heart and stomach.
Designed to match our core line of wireless charging products, our Italian leather AirPods Pro cases give you the opportunity to both protect and aesthetically upgrade your AirPods. Featuring optional monogramming, we suggest mixing and matching with your favorite charger from our CATCH line.
Why It’s a Great Gift:
Who knew an AirPods case could be so chic? Whether he’s packing up his earphones for the gym or work, this simple yet unexpected gift will add a subtle flair to his tech accessories and style. Plus, you can add a thoughtful touch by personalizing the case with an additional monogram.
Bottom Line:
Every time he breaks out his AirPods to listen to his favorite songs, he’ll think of you. It’s a win-win.
This men’s Timex Easy Reader leather watch is a classic choice.
DISPLAY
Dial Color: cream
Illumination: Indiglo EL backlight
Face cover material: mineral crystal
CASE
Material: gold-tone brass with stainless steel back
Diameter: 38 mm
BAND
Material: brown leather
Clasp: buckle
Circumference: adjusts from 150 mm to 205 mm
Width: 20 mm
Why It’s a Great Gift:
Watches are great gifts because they provide dual functionality. They tell you the time so you’re on track to make every meeting, but they’re also a sexy style accessory. This Timex option is a solid choice for a new fling because it’s sleek without being too flashy or extravagant.
Bottom Line:
Now you can give him the time of day in more ways than one.
Enjoy your favorite golden-crisp fried foods you thought were off-limits. The Power AirFryer XL’s Rapid Air Technology surrounds your food with a whirlwind of turbo cyclonic air instead of butter, oil, or lard. You get the same golden-fried taste and texture you love. With little to no oil, no trans fats, and no greasy mess from a deep fryer! Any of your favorite fried foods can be made with fewer calories and less fat. You can even air fry vegetables to a perfect, tender-crisp, roast whole heads of garlic, or bake homemade doughnuts.
Why It’s a Great Gift:
Air Fryers became the internet’s biggest cooking craze for a reason. You get all the crispy goodness with only a fraction of the fats that come with eating fried food. This is an especially great gift for the guy who’s setting health and fitness-oriented New Year’s resolutions.
Bottom Line:
Now he’ll have every excuse to make you a home-cooked dinner for two, which calls for an intimate (and delicious) date night in.
The gift of great skin for the guy on your list. These easy skincare essentials will help transform his skin from dry and tight to hydrated and comfortable.
Why It’s a Great Gift:
A lot of men don’t know where to start when it comes to curating an effective skincare regimen. That’s why this gift set is a handy tool for any man who wants to take his skin health up a notch. The set includes a face wash, an active charcoal mask, a mega-mushroom soothing treatment lotion, oil-free energy-boosting gel moisturizer, and a travel bag to keep it all in one convenient place.
Bottom Line:
The last time I asked a man for face wash, he handed me a bar of soap. Um, no? This kit makes skincare for men simple and accessible.
Bed Bath & Beyond Just For Him Personalized Luxury Fleece Robe
Bed Bath & Beyond
Price: $60.99
The Company Line:
The Just For Him Personalized Luxury Fleece Robe is super soft to touch and is always a favorite. The robe will be embroidered with any name, monogram, or initial in your choice of thread color and font option.
Why It’s a Great Gift:
Men, women, and everyone in between love to cozy up in a soft bathrobe — or it’s at least safe to say that nobody hates it. This oversized fleece option is the definition of “slipping into something more comfortable.” Not to mention, the custom monogram makes it a worthy gift for your new boo.
Bottom Line:
Personalizations add an extra special sentiment to basically any gift, but adding it to something he can use every day makes it even better.
With more power, a lightning-fast processor, support for 802.11 ac Wi-Fi, and a new antenna design, Fire TV Stick 4K allows you to enjoy a more complete 4K Ultra HD streaming experience. Launch and control all your favorite movies and TV shows with the next-gen Alexa Voice Remote. New power, volume, and mute buttons let you control your TV, soundbar, and receiver.
Why It’s a Great Gift:
With an Amazon Fire Stick, you don’t even need to push a single button to activate your TV. If your new man is someone who spends his free time catching up on the latest hit movies and series featured on a multitude of streaming services, he’ll be stoked when he opens this gift.
Bottom Line:
For the binge-watchers and the movie fanatics, you can’t go wrong with this nifty steaming remote.
Soft, wicking, wool-blend shirt designed to perform on runs. Cozy up in the PUMA x HELLY HANSEN Run Long-Sleeve. It’s made of a wool blend fabric that won’t weigh you down but will keep you warm. When your run picks up, dryCELL kicks in, wicking away sweat every mile that you move. You get reflective hits, ergonomic cutlines for freedom of movement, and soft thumbholes to help protect you from the weather.
Why It’s a Great Gift:
The hardcore fitness bros, leisurely joggers, and even the guys who prefer the stay on the couch will appreciate this comfortable, moisture-wicking shirt. The non-bulky design is especially great for those winter morning runs when layers are a necessity. Wearing this is yet another reason for your guy to commit to his 2022 fitness goals.
Bottom Line:
This PUMA tee combines sleek style with practical function, so he can wear it anywhere from his workouts to casual Friday at the office.
Introducing the Siphonless 1 Gallon Craft Beer Making Kit. We’ve included the equipment and ingredients you’ll need to create a remarkable brew that you’ll be proud to share with family and friends. Northern Brewer has helped thousands of aspiring homebrewers learn to make beer at home with the most complete beer-making kits available to new brewers. Now, we’ve taken that experience and made a home brewing kit that makes brewing at home even easier.
Why It’s a Great Gift:
This kit is an awesome gift because it’s something fun and interactive that you can do together. It’s also nice being able to reward yourselves for whipping up a fresh batch of brew by sipping a cold one over a good meal or movie at home.
In April, Olivia Rodrigo will begin her tour of North America and Europe in support of her extremely successful debut album, Sour. The tour kicks off in San Francisco on April 2 and will continue across North America for nearly two months before ending in Los Angeles on May 25. After a two-week break, Rodrigo will head to Europe for 15 shows across the continent. When tickets went on sale this past Friday, many were left frustrated as they failed to secure a spot at one of her shows. After hearing their complaints, Rodrigo took to social media to celebrate the tour’s sold-out status and leave her supporters with a comforting message.
“SOUR TOUR is sold out!!! been waiting so long to perform these songs live. this is my very first tour and i’m so nervous but so excited to sing and dance the night away with you all!!!” Rodrigo wrote on Instagram under an image of her holding pink and blue balloons. “If you weren’t able to get tickets this time around there will be more tours in the future and I can’t wait to see you then!!! thank u to all my incredible fans. love u guys sm, ahhh here we goooo!!!”
Rodrigo recently landed seven nominations at next year’s Grammy awards, namely Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Music Video.
The Sex and the City revival And Just Like That… dropped last week, and it instantly made news. There was that big surprise, which we won’t spoil here. There was a simple explanation about why it lacked Kim Cattrall’s Samantha Jones. And there was also our last view of Stanford Blatch, gay bestie to Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw. Willie Garson, who played the stylish character on 27 episodes and in both movies, sadly passed away in September at the age of 57 following a battle with pancreatic cancer — something he kept mostly private from his colleagues.
As per Deadline, Cynthia Nixon, the franchise’s resident Miranda Hobbes, told reporters on Friday that they had no idea what the actor was going through — with one exception.
“The death of Wille Garson was obviously, completely unlooked for, unknown,” Nixon said. “Sarah Jessica was the only one that knew he was sick when we were filming until things became undeniable and then we were told. Thankfully we were able to shoot with him not just before he was sick but after so it could be something we could discuss and listen to him about. I know that was very important for us and I think it was something that was important to him, too — not to be hiding that from us anymore.”
Nixon added, “As Charlotte [Kristin Davis] says, ‘Death is a part of life,’ but it does remind us of how precious our loved ones are to us.”
Stanford can be seen during the funeral scene for [SPOILER]. It’s currently unknown how the series will handle the death of one of its most beloved supporting characters. In the meantime, the first two episodes of And Just Like That… are now streaming.
The Jan. 6 committee is still amassing information on the lead-up to the Capitol riot, and they’re still dealing with intransigent Trump allies like Mark Meadows. But now a damning piece of evidence has been made public: According to The Guardian, select GOP lawmakers were shown a 38-page PowerPoint detailing how they could overturn the election Trump lost by over seven million votes. And they looked at it not long before violent Trump supporters stormed the Capitol.
The PowerPoint, a version of which chief of staff Mark Meadows gave to the committee, was called “Election Fraud, Foreign Interference & Options for 6 Jan.” It offered a number of pathways for Trump and cronies to subvert their re-election loss. One instructed Trump to “declare a national emergency, declare all electronic voting invalid, and ask Congress to agree on a constitutionally acceptable remedy.”
It also contained multiple paths for Trump’s number two:
The PowerPoint also outlined three options for then vice-president Mike Pence to abuse his largely ceremonial role at the joint session of Congress on 6 January, when Biden was to be certified president, and unilaterally return Trump to the White House.
Pence could pursue one of three options, the PowerPoint said: seat Trump slates of electors over the objections of Democrats in key states, reject the Biden slates of electors, or delay the certification to allow for a “vetting” and counting of only “legal paper ballots”.
The final option for Pence is similar to an option that was simultaneously being advanced on 4 and 5 January by Trump lieutenants – led by lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, as well as Trump strategist Steve Bannon – working from the Willard hotel in Washington DC.
None of those, of course, happened, and it may be thanks to, of all people, former veep and notorious bad speller Dan Quayle.
The PowerPoint was presented on Jan. 4 to “a number of Republican senators and members of Congress,” though no names were specified. Trump’s lawyers, alas, were not invited to see it. The presentation was mentioned in over 6,000 of the documents Meadows turned over to the committee, and it was pitched to Meadows as a “highly controversial” plan to illegally give Trump four more years.
Though Meadows has played ball with the committee, he’s only done so up to a point. Last week he flip-flopped and refused to formally testify, citing “executive privilege” — the same excuse Trump and other allies have cited, however erroneously, to get out of spilling the beans. The committee has already vowed to find Meadows in contempt of Congress, which perhaps will result in him being cellmates with another, smelly Trump associate: Steve Bannon.
For about a year and a half, Dr. Dre and his now ex-wife Nicole Young have been entwined in a legal battle over their divorce. Nicole filed for separation in the summer of 2020, and after 18 months it appears that the two parties have finally reached an agreement. On Friday, music executive Breyon Prescott shared a picture of Dre sitting in front of balloons that spelled out “Divorced AF.” “Hey Well My Brother @drdre Just Told Me It’s Final,” Prescott wrote in the caption.
The image comes after a new report fromTMZ that said that he and Nicole finalized their divorce agreement. The publication reports that Dre will pay Nicole a lump sum of $2 million and an additional $500,000 to cover her attorney fees. While this is certainly a large amount, it’s significantly less than her initial request, which was $2 million per month in spousal support. TMZ adds that sources with direct knowledge of the deal claim that it has not yet been signed, with one person saying, “This whole thing could blow up again.”
The news comes a little over a month after Dr. Dre was reportedly served divorce papers at the funeral for his late grandmother. In the meantime, Dre is gearing up for his Super Bowl 2022 Halftime Show, which is set to go down in a couple of months. He’ll be accompanied by Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige.
Urban Meyer’s tenure as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars could be going a whole heck of a lot better. On the field, the team is 2-10, have lose four in a row, and look like a squad that has gotten more and more listless as the season has gone on.
But somehow, these issues pale in comparison to what’s gone on off the field. There was Meyer’s trip to Columbus that occurred after the team lose on Thursday Night Football to the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this year that drew waves of scrutiny and led to whispers that he was on thin ice, for example. And now, a report by Tom Pelissero of NFL.com indicates that things are growing even more tense as Meyer’s “hard-charging and sometimes condescending approach” has led to tensions boiling over.
There are a number of anecdotes in the piece that indicate Meyer’s standing with his players and coaches keeps taking hits. One story, in particular, involves Meyer calling out his coaches in a way that makes it seem like he does not realize he coaches a team that is 2-10.
During a staff meeting, Meyer delivered a biting message that he’s a winner and his assistant coaches are losers, according to several people informed of the contents of the meeting, challenging each coach individually to explain when they’ve ever won and forcing them to defend their résumés.
A constant complaint among Jaguars players is that Meyer apparently “doesn’t treat them like adults,” while it’s not unusual for him to have “tense interactions” with members of his coaching staff. As for their efforts to win game number three, they’ll have quite the task ahead of them on Sunday, as they travel to Tennessee to take on the division-leading Titans.
Warning: This post contains a spoiler for And Just Like That…, which has already made big news but if you’ve avoided it thus far, then tread lightly with the post below.
On Thursday, And Just Like That.., the long-awaited (and, alas, Samantha-less) revival of Sex and the City dropped, and like clockwork, people couldn’t stop talking about one of its biggest twists: Mr. Big (Chris Noth) is no more. The fictional character’s death was so massive it had real-world impact: Peloton, the exercise bike company, on whose product Big suffered a fatal heart attack in episode one, saw its stocks plummet after the episode went live on HBO Max. The news was genuinely shocking — and now we know it’s due in part to the TV-makers doing their best to mislead the press.
The revival’s on-location shoot was breathlessly covered by the paparazzi, with photos regularly showing the cast filming around their old stomping grounds of New York City. Showrunner and executive producer Michael Patrick King said they took advantage of that. As per The Daily Beast, King admitted that he and his team went so far as to stage partially fake scenes to throw off the press’ scent.
“We had to have some red herrings!” King said, revealing that during Big’s funeral scene, he actually had Noth show up, as one of the mourner’s at his own character’s service. But that wasn’t all: Noth was also seen shooting scenes in Paris, which presumably were also intended to throw the press off the scent. (If so, then the actor got a free trip to the City of Lights, which is nothing to sneeze at.)
What’s more, they even planted what appears to be a fake script, suggesting that Big and Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) got divorced. The page’s narration had Carrie saying, “I was taping the podcast; I was washing my hair. Yes, I wasn’t eating or sleeping, but at least I felt good about my marriage. Now I’m just one of the wives he was taking care of.”
The plan worked: For months, publications like Page Six speculated that they split up, not that one of them suddenly died after decades of unhealthy New York City living. And all Noth had to do was show up for scenes where he wouldn’t make the final cut. And just like that, everyone is talking about Sex and the City like it was the aughts again.
On January 6 of this year, about-to-be-former president Donald Trump took to a stage outside the White House and whipped-up a massive crowd of already enraged supporters, who’d been fed lies about voter fraud in the 2020 election (that they continue to spread, over a year later). A large portion of them proceeded to bust their way into the Capitol building, leading to five deaths. Whether Trump’s speech directly inspired the violent siege has been hotly debated. But Trump seems to think his fiery rhetoric was actually pretty chill.
Trump: I have nothing to hide. I wasn’t involved with that and if you look at my words and what I said in the speech, they were extremely calming pic.twitter.com/KNW5EVgnAV
Trump phoned into Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show Friday night, and she asked him about his attempts to deflect participating in the Jan. 6 House committee, who have been investigating that day’s events, by invoking “executive privilege.” (Some of his allies, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows, have done the same thing, even though that that rule only applies to sitting presidents.) Trump suggested that even if they made him talk, it would still go swimmingly for him.
“Honestly, I have nothing to hide,” Trump told Ingraham. He claimed he “wasn’t involved” in the insurrection, and even painted his pre-siege speech as the opposite of impassioned. “And if you look at my words and what I said in the speech, they were extremely calming, actually.”
Among the things Trump said in his hour-long soliloquy were, “And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
During his appearance on Ingraham’s show, Trump also continued to downplay the insurrection. “The insurrection took place on Nov. 3, which was Election Day,” Trump asserted. “This was a protest, and a lot of innocent people are being hurt. A lot of innocent people are being injured.”
He even dramatically lowered the day’s body count while comparing it to Black Lives Matter protests over the preceding summer (where very few people died over hundreds of protests nationwide). “Nobody was killed here other than Ashli Babbitt, who was shot violently by a man who should not have ever been allowed to pull that trigger,” he said. (Five people died that day, not one.)
In the meantime, the Jan. 6 committee continues interviewing hundreds of people, a good many of them who did so willingly. And we’re still learning about some of the perpetrators, including one who claimed he strolled through the Capitol building while pounding Coors Light — which may have been a lie.
Last Sunday, the same night as one of Succession’s most shocking episodes, The New Yorker dropped a lengthy, revealing profile of one of its more acclaimed cast members, Jeremy Strong. It painted him as intense — not a Method actor, per se, but someone whose approach to playing the deeply troubled Kendall Roy make him at least slightly difficult to work with. The article immediately set off a firestorm, and in the ensuing days longtime friend Jessica Chastain expressed displeasure with the way it was written. Now one of Strong’s directors has done so, too.
On Friday night, Chastain posted a letter from Aaron Sorkin, who directed Strong in The Trial of the Chicago 7, where he played Yippie Jerry Rubin. (He also directed Chastain in Molly’s Game.) Sorkin — who is wisely not on social media — was one of the people quoted in the New Yorker profile, and he worried that he helped contribute to a portrait of him that he felt was inaccurate.
Aaron Sorkin doesn’t have social media so asked me to post this letter on his behalf xx pic.twitter.com/3Ol1KGoJKM
“After reading Michael Schulman’s profile of Jeremy Strong — a profile in which I participated — I wanted to speak up,” Sorkin wrote. “I think I helped Mr. Schulman create what I believe is a distorted picture of Jeremy that asks us to roll our eyes at his acting process.”
Sorkin said he was e-mailed five questions but that “only one and a half of these answers were used.” That, Sorkin wrote, “is perfectly normal,” but they happened to be ones that showed Strong taking his method to extreme measures. One involved him requesting to be tear gassed (Sorkin told him no), and another where he tormented actor Frank Langella, playing a judge, by reading aloud from his (excellent) memoir in “silly voices,” even playing the kazoo as he spoke.
The filmmaker and playwright showed his full responses to Schulman, where he praised Strong’s work on Succession and compared him to Dustin Hoffman.
After the one-two punch of Chastain and Sorkin coming for the New Yorker profile, the publication itself decided to respond. “This is a nuanced, multi-sided portrait of an extremely dedicated actor,” they wrote in a statement to Deadline. “It has inspired a range of reactions from people, including many who say that they are even more impressed by Jeremy Strong’s artistry after having read the article.”
In the meantime, since the public got a fuller picture of Strong’s methodology, it’s sparked a conversation about actors whose dedication can sometimes take them to extremes — and, in Strong’s case, get results. Still, his onscreen pops, Brian Cox, does worry.
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