Look who’s back! It’s Kyle, newly independent and embracing a new role as more of a heartthrob after receiving positive responses from the more emotional, R&B-centric productions on his last album See You When I Am Famous!!!!!!!!!!!! such as “What It Is” and more recent singles like “But Cha” and “Love Me Like You Say You Love Me.” His newest single, “Sunday,” continues in this vein, borrowing the acoustic guitar riff and chorus melody from British R&B star Craig David’s breakthrough 2000 hit, “7 Days.”
The video also features a very noughties premise, finding Kyle cruising with his lady in his Jeep, as well as sporting some throwback fashions, including a pair of ski goggles worn as a headband and cocked jauntily to one side (remember when we used to do that? Why did we use to do that???). Even better, the lenses are heart-shaped, really leaning into the lovey-dovey subject matter. The video does end on a somewhat ambiguous note, though, as he ends up in therapy with the same rose he held on the date earlier in the video, now wilted. I guess it didn’t work out, but at least he learned a valuable lesson about falling in love too fast.
Ridley Scott has a rare talent among auteurs, that when he makes a bad movie, it’s usually so breathtakingly terrible and full of unforced errors that people just sort of end up forgetting that it even existed. I’d have such a hard time convincing the average moviegoer that Robin Hood or Exodus or Kingdom Of Heaven even happened that Ridley Scott essentially gets to endure in the zeitgeist as “the guy who made Alien and Gladiator.”
I once read a description of Teddy Roosevelt that said something like that he was so preoccupied with haranguing his guests over meals that the food he was shoveling into his face might as well have been hay for all he’d notice. I sometimes wonder if the same thing is true for Ridley Scott and scripts. Scott is so hyper-focused on envisioning the perfect storyboard (something he seems to do naturally and brilliantly) that sometimes it seems that he fails to notice the most blindingly obvious script flaws.
The Last Duel, a Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon-scripted adaptation of Eric Jager’s book, about a real-life trial by combat in late 14th century France, isn’t nearly as bad as Exodus or Robin Hood on balance, but arguably it’s more infuriating. This could’ve been so great! And in hindsight its flaws seem so plain. Couldn’t anyone have talked them out of this?
The Last Duel‘s introductory scenes, framed around the title duel between Sir Jean De Carrouges — a mulletlicious knight played by Matt Damon, and the squire who raped his wife, Jacques Le Gris, portrayed by Adam Driver in full Prince Valiant mode — promise perhaps the ultimate in climactic Middle Ages MMA fights. The finale belatedly delivers, in thrilling fashion, complete with mud, blood, and mailed fists bashing filthy faces, but the two hours or so in between are a baffling hatchet job.
The story is a straightforward one. Jean and Jacques are brothers in battle, of sorts, their relationship peaking the time when Jean saved Jacque’s life during a melee over a bridge. Yet circumstances, and their own Shakespearean personality flaws, conspire to tear them apart. Jean, the scion of ancient nobility but now nearly broke, with a wife and son dead of the plague, is sort of impetuous, and critically lacking in guile. He’s always grandstanding and going on about honor, often essentially correct in his arguments but usually such an asshole about it that people roll their eyes. Jacques, meanwhile, is the scrappy self-starter, clawing his way up from obscure origins, thanks to his charm and good schooling (he’s literate, and good with numbers) to become consigliere to the count, played by Ben Affleck in a bleach blonde bowl cut for some reason (the first wave of ska was actually during the 14th century, lotta people forget that). Jacques possesses the human touch Jean seems to lack, despite being sort of a louche fuckboy.
In spite of their friendship, Jean can’t help but be annoyed that while he always seems to be off sacrificing his body for the king’s land, the king’s cousin the count seems to lavish all his good fortune on Jacques (understandably so, as Jacques, as we’ve noted, is much more fun to party with). The final straw comes when Jean’s young wife Marguerite, played by Jodie Comer, accuses Jacques of raping her.
In telling this story, Scott and his screenwriters take the Pulp Fiction approach, retelling the story thrice, from each of the three principals’ perspectives, introduced with their respective title cards. You might expect this method to produce some he said/she said drama, or failing that, to add new and interesting wrinkles to the story when seen from each new angle. Instead, the characters don’t change at all. Scott pretty much shoots the same damn thing three times in a row without a single interesting new complication, such that by the third time I heard the same characters deliver the same lines the same way I wondered if I was hallucinating. Why would you do this? You almost have to respect a director so immune to criticism that he can depict the same medieval events three times.
Scott is so cement-headedly single-minded in his approach to this material that you’d think there wasn’t a single sunny day in France between 1350 and 1400. No, according to The Last Duel, everything was always grey and muted and cold. That must be why they called it “The Dark Ages.” The characters, who were of course French in real life, speak here in a kind of muddled Americanese, overenunciated to indicate old-timeyness. Which isn’t especially distracting, but the fact that Ben Affleck’s character seems to be the only one capable of sarcasm, subtext, or quips sort of is. Was banter not invented until the renaissance? One of the few interesting moments comes when Adam Driver (doing his damnedest here with little to work with) articulates his 14th-century conception of consent, “Well of course she offered the customary protests, she is a lady.”
The movie just sort of slogs its way from one sleeting grey frown fest to the next, not heating up until the trial. The medieval courtroom drama that follows instantly proves itself far more compelling than the three virtually indistinguishable versions of the same story that came before. Making one wonder why it only gets a few minutes of screen time. The bizarro logic of medieval church and state is so interesting, in fact, and Marguerite’s perspective so obviously the most absorbing in this tale, that you barely question why The Last Duel‘s characters act like they’ve just parachuted in from 2021 and are experiencing feudal justice for the first time. Did they think Johnny Cochran was going to argue this case before a jury of their peers? What world had they been living in, prior to this moment? Why couldn’t we get more of Alex Lawther as the wan, bemused king?
Finally, FINALLY the climactic duel happens, and, adding insult to injury, it’s a home run. Ridley Scott even seems to abandon his strange habit of cutting away from the actual sword blows (why does he do this? WHY DOES HE DO THIS??) for long enough to deliver a legitimately rousing finale. Why did we have to suffer hours of affectless perspective shifts to get to this? Couldn’t we have just told Marguerite’s story, delving deeper and with a longer court sequence, and then this finale?
Maybe if we hadn’t been fruitlessly shifting POV, there would’ve been space for a fuller portrait of France in the late 14th century, during the doldrums of the hundred years war and the aftermath of a plague decimating half the population. Those things just seem more interesting to me than trying to create the humorless medieval Pulp Fiction. I don’t pretend to know exactly what went wrong here, but The Last Duel seems to be a persuasive case for creative oversight.
‘The Last Duel’ is in theaters everywhere October 15th. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.
Four Roses/Larceny/Rebel/Very Old Barton/Wild Turkey/istock/Uproxx
In most cases, the more you spend on something, the better it is. The higher the price, the better the quality. It’s pretty basic logic. This is specifically true in the whiskey world. A higher price tag often means you’re going to get a whiskey that’s been made with high-quality ingredients and is aged longer than a cheaper bottle.
That being said, allocations, trends, and the hype machine can sometimes make that chasm look a little bigger than it is. The difference between a $50 bottle and a $30 bottle is often quite slim. And even though you can spend into the thousands on bourbon, you can still get a lot for a little at the lower price tags.
Today, we’re talking about whiskeys that fall under $30. To find the best of the bunch, we asked a handful of bartenders for help. Check out their picks below!
Evan Williams Black Label is my pick. It’s 86 proof so you’re not missing much ABV-wise and it’s aged for four years so you get a sip with enough oak on it without being overpowering. Medium-bodied with notes of vanilla, caramel, burnt sugar, butterscotch, and a hint of mint.
It finishes long, especially for a bottom-shelf bourbon.
Benchmark Old No. 8
Benchmark
Nicole Fas, beverage director and bar manager at La Pícara in Santurce, Puerto Rico
I think that a good Benchmark Old No. 8 is a great bottom-shelf Bourbon. A great option to have on your “speed rack” if you have a bar. It’s oily, sweet and rich, but still punches above its weight because it’s full-bodied and at the same time it’s super approachable.
Some of its tasting notes include vanilla bean and a slight touch of cereal.
Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Four Roses
Eric Heinel, certified sommelier and beverage director for David Burke in New York City
Four Roses Yellow Label has all the classic bourbon notes while not trying to be too fancy or unique. It’s very straightforward bourbon, perfect for using in cocktails while still having enough flavor and balance to enjoy as a sipper.
Larceny Small Batch
Larceny
Chandra Richter, beverage development and chief mixologist at Drinkworks
Larceny Small Batch is a great value bourbon that still delivers on taste. Larceny has a really nice balance of fruit and spice — it’s a soft, approachable wheated bourbon that features apricot and orange on the nose and finishes with a little spice on the palate.
Maker’s Mark
Maker
Sue Stia, bartender at TPC Jasna Polana in Princeton, New Jersey
Maker’s Mark is very versatile and has strong hints of caramel and honey. It’s great neat but shines in a cocktail. It’s definitely hard to beat in terms of price and value.
Rebel
Luxrow
Robbie Robinson, sommelier and mixologist at The Ballantyne in Charlotte, North Carolina
Though it is much more popular nowadays, Rebel has to be my favorite bottom-shelf bourbon. Rebel is not my favorite bourbon, not even close, but for the price it’s solid.
Strong vanilla throughout, a little bit of citrus, prune, melted together with that familiar burn.
Jim Beam is a good place to start for bottom-shelf bourbons. It’s low ABV and not overly complex. They also offer great bottom-shelf expressions like its Black Extra Aged for $20. The Black Extra Aged is aged years longer in white oak than the original and features flavors of oak and vanilla typical to bourbon but offers an added smoothness that isn’t found in younger bourbons.
Very Old Barton
Very Old Barton
Katherine Ball, consumer engagement & mixology director at Black Button Distilling in Rochester, New York
I actually just tried Very Old Barton for the first time last week. I was surprised by the flavor that such an affordable product could offer. It would definitely be a go-to for cocktails for me in the future.
Old Grand-Dad. Cheap and cheerful as they say. Produced by Basil Hayden’s grandson (Hayden made bourbon with a higher than usual rye content, creating a different flavor profile than what was used to at the time), you’ll find caramel, cinnamon, and rye dominate. But there’s a nice balance between some sweeter notes and a hint of burnt oak.
Big bang for your buck.
Wild Turkey 101
Wild Turkey
Deven Kampenhou, cocktail artist at Curfew Bar in Fort Worth, Texas
Wild Turkey 101 Straight Bourbon Whiskey is often stigmatized by a bad drinking day back in college, yet it is one of the finest bourbons created by the longest active distillers in the U.S.: Jimmy Russell, who has over 62 years of experience.
Toasty sourdough on the nose with a palate of rich caramel, this whiskey is great in a cocktail or served on a large ice cube.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
While Apple TV+’s biggest original titles might just be their more grounded comedies and dramas like Mystic Quest, The MorningShow, and Ted Lasso, the streaming service seems to be making a sharp pivot away from the mundane and diving headfirst into the wondrous worlds of science fiction and fantasy. In addition to Foundation, Invasion, and the $1 billion dollar Lord of the Rings series the service is currently working on, we now have another sci-fi adaptation with a star-studded cast to look forward to, Wool — and the show is only getting more impressive sounding.
Earlier today, Apple announced rapper and actor Common has officially signed on to star in the upcoming Apple TV+ series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Grammy-winning rapper will play Sims, Wool‘s underground dystopian community’s head of judicial security. Common joins an already packed cast of Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible: Fallout, The Greatest Showman), Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption, Mystic River), Rashida Jones (The Office, Parks and Recreation) and David Oyelowo (Selma, HBO’s Nightingale).
Based on Hugh Howey’s best-selling trilogy, Wool follows an underground community that has resigned themselves to exist in a giant silo where they believe they’re safe from the toxic atmosphere above ground. However, as you might imagine, things aren’t quite as they seem in this dystopian society where powers are corrupt and an entire community is literally left in the dark.
The Apple TV+ adaptation is being written by Graham Yost (Justified) and directed by Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game), with Yost, Tyldum, Ferguson, Nina Jack, Fred Golan, Remi Aubuchon, and Ingrid Escajeda all executive producing. As of now, there is no scheduled release date for the series.
We lost a lot of live arts and cultural experiences during the thick of the pandemic. Concerts were canceled across the board — plays and musicals too. Heck, Broadway came to a screeching halt and it was a ghost town on the always vibrant stretch of Midtown Manhattan, just as David Byrne’s American Utopia was continuing its surge as one of the finest contemporary expressions of musical theater.
But now as we slowly begin to be able to experience such nice things again, the Tony Award-winning David Byrne’s American Utopia is back on Broadway at its new home at the St. James Theatre, and it’s about as essential of a theater experience as you’ll find. Byrne and his players merge both his solo and music of the Talking Heads with pointed diatribes and performance pieces on diverse sociopolitical topics in spectacular fashion, and it’s a must-see.
And a show that what American Utopia is all about isn’t just for show, the production has celebrated the reopening by making donations to Oil Change International, Hungry For Music, and Movement for Family Power. These organizations help fight climate change, fund children’s music education, and revamp the foster family system, respectively.
Visit the show’s website for ticketing and showtime information here. And if you’re not planning to be in New York anytime soon, do not hesitate to watch the Spike Lee-directed film version of the show on HBOMax. The soundtrack album is also available via Nonesuch Records here.
The Macallan is one of those whisky brands that gets a lot of hype. The result is that at times it can feel both overrated and, frankly, a little overpriced. That’s a damn shame — because there are The Macallan releases that can really blow you away. The Macallan 18 Double Cask is one of those bottles.
Before we go any further, yes, this is an expensive bottle. But there’s a long history of craft at play that makes this bottle worth that extra cash layout. This bottle’s MSRP is the price you’re paying at the cash register. It’s hyped, sure. But the price isn’t overinflated. It’s not a situation where you’re shelling out $800 for a bottle with an MSRP of $99. The money you’re paying for this bottle is going back to the distillery and not a middle man somewhere looking to profit off of buzz.
Now that we have all that out of the way, let’s actually dive in and see what’s in the bottle. And, hey, if this sounds like something you’d like to try, click that price to give it a shot. Spoiler alert: If you truly love Scotch, I can virtually guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of 2021
This single malt from Scotland’s famed and stunning Highlands is matured for 18 long years in two separate cask programs. Part of the juice rests in American oak casks that were sent to Spain to hold sherry for a spell before they’re sent up to Scotland to hold this whisky. The other casks are European oak that also held sherry in Spain before their trip to the Highlands. Each wood brings a unique character to the mix that helps this single malt really shine.
Finally, those barrels are married and cut down to proof with local water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
There are very delicate notes of American oak on the nose with hints of dry vanilla, orange oils, and buttery toffee next to the finer European sherry woodiness, with candied fruit and a touch of eggnog spices, especially clove and nutmeg. The palate leans into the soft vanilla with a cut of raw ginger spice, golden sultanas, more orange, and a touch of salted caramel with a pure silk texture. The mid-palate hones those spice notes towards a mildly dry wood with the candied and dried fruit bringing a sweetness and velvet texture. The very end has a candied orange peel bitterness and sweetness that sits with you for a while, reminding you to go back for another sip sooner rather than later.
The Bottle:
The Macallan bottles are sort of iconic these days. They’re hefty with wider shoulders than their base. The labels are bold yet not overfilled with information, leaving an understated elegance to the whole presentation.
Bottom Line:
The whole experience is so delightfully refined and soft that you’re left with only one word in your mouth: Smooth. This really is the nectar of the Scotch whisky gods.
Ranking:
95/100 — This is truly wonderful. It’s so easy to drink, so full of great flavors, so easy-going. The only way it loses out from a perfect score is in that it’s a little… well… it’s a tad too refined and easy. There are no surprises. There’s nothing that’s going to challenge you. It’s just a really, really f*cking good dram of whisky that will never disappoint.
As with many beer styles, defining a brown ale isn’t always perfectly straightforward. In the simplest terms, a brown ale is exactly as it seems — a brown beer that has a notably amber, brown, or copper hue. Its history can be traced as far back as the 1600s in England, but dark ales and lagers have been prominent in most of the old-world European beer regions for… well, as long as there’s been beer. Making this a very varied style of beer overall.
Contemporary brown ales run the gamut from nutty to malty to dry to tart and even to fruity, depending on the region they come from. The style also has a plethora of offshoots like the nut-brown ale, English brown ale, American brown ale, oude bruins, Flanders ales, and even brown porters — many of which feel best suited for fall drinking.
The only problem with the brown ale is that the countless options and styles make selecting just one to try on a given weekend an onerous task. That’s why we went to the professionals for some help with making selections. We asked a handful of beer experts to tell us their picks for the best brown ales to drink this fall.
Check out all of their answers below and click the prices to give these a shot yourself.
Smuttynose Old Brown Dog
Smuttynose
Todd DiMatteo, owner and brewer at Good Word Brewing in Duluth, Georgia
Smuttynose Old Brown Dog brewed in the beautiful state of New Hampshire was once simply a bottled delight now found in 12-ounce cans as well. This transition from glass to cans is fairly commonplace for some breweries that have been around for many years. At 6.5 percent this award-winning American brown ale is all that you would hope for were you to make this style.
Even at a somewhat elevated ABV, I find myself thinking about and reaching for such an exceptional beer. I would still call it balanced even though the I.B.U. count is a bit higher the alcohol seems to keep the bitterness in check.
Jester King Commercial Suicide is my pick. While this technically is not a classic “brown” ale, I love it for its counterintuitive nature. A tart low alcohol beer that British scholars would scoff at tickles my anti-establishment side.
Cigar City Maduro
Cigar City
Brandon Capps, owner and head brewer of New Image Brewing in Arvada, Colorado
I always go back to Cigar City’s Maduro Brown Ale, it’s really a classic. I get that malty, thick, roast and toast flavor out of it, with enough hop bitterness to keep it from getting too cloying, and earthy hop flavor that adds depth and complexity.
Flaked oats are really key in this Northern-English-inspired beer, they buffer up the mouthfeel and give the beer a silky component that really compliments the specialty malts.
Telluride Face Down Brown
Telluride
Dave Bergen, co-founder and director of brewing at Joyride Brewing Company in Edgewater, Colorado
Telluride’s Face Down Brown isn’t just a Colorado classic, since it has 4 Great American Beer Festival medals and a World Beer Cup Gold, it is truly world-class. Nutty and chocolatey with the right amount of hop character, this Brown is a lovely beer for food pairing — French onion soup, meaty pizza, and sausage all make wonderful dance partners.
There aren’t a lot of commercially available brown ales around San Diego, but I’d say the most readily available standout is Alesmith’s Nut Brown. It’s a very good example of a classic style, very well-balanced and not overly sweet, with a delicious nutty character.
It’ll hit all the marks right on if you’re in the mood for a brown ale.
Hand me a Deschutes bottle of The Dissident Oud Bruin and I know it’s fall. This fruited, wine barrel-aged Flanders-style brown has balanced levels of acidity and sweetness and sits in my beer cellar by the case waiting for the weather, or a measure of chaos in the system requiring dissidence, to promote a bottle from cellar to glass.
Russian River Janet’s Brown Ale
Russian River
David “Zambo” Szamborski, brewmaster at Paperback Brewing in Glendale, California
Russian River makes a nice brown ale called Janet’s Brown Ale. It’s fun to see the traditional “C” hops in a brown ale rather than a pale ale. Citrus pairs well with a lightly roasted ale and is reminiscent of the flavored tootsie rolls you see around the holidays.
It’s not always easy to find, but perfect for fall if you can get a can or two.
I look forward to drinking Moose Drool Brown Ale from Big Sky Brewing Company every fall. It’s that perfect amount of coffee and rich chocolate maltiness without ever feeling too sweet or imbalanced. It’s not super heavy for an American Brown ale, but definitely carries a lot of heart.
This is a great beer to usher in the cooler fall temperatures. It’s filled with caramel, bready malts, a gentle nutty sweetness, and toffee, chocolate fudge, and butterscotch. It’s sublimely mellow, slightly sweet, and totally warming.
This 5.1% ABV seasonal beer isn’t your usual brown ale and that’s a good thing. It’s sweet, filled with caramel and biscuit-like malts, and gets an added fall kick with the addition of pure maple syrup. Even with this added sweet element, this beer still manages to be complex, well-balanced, and very drinkable on a chilly autumn night.
As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.
Succession (Sunday, HBO 9:00pm) — Well, well, well. Jeremy Strong’s Kendall lit this seriously screwed-up family on fire during the last season finale. As a result, Brian Cox’s Logan Roy is ready to go “full f*cking beast,” and that means a lot of things, but one important one: it’s time for everyone to f*ck off. Alexander Skarsgård and Adrien Brody join the club this season, and maybe the Pope (or a pope) is somehow involved, but one thing remains clear throughout this show: alliances are made to be broken. In other words, the familiar civil war is on. No other show besides Deadwood has been able to wield profanity with such adept rhythm, and it’s time to get Shakespearean again up in this motherf*cker while I keep on rooting for Shiv Roy to (finally) dominate all.
Fear The Walking Dead (Sunday, CBS 9:00pm) — This show didn’t shy away from speculation that a possible time jump was in store for this spinoff to tie some of The Walking Dead universe threads together. Yet a teaser showed that things don’t look too time-jumpy ahead of premiere day. Morgan and Grace awaken in the bunker, and she heads out into the outside world while wearing a protective suit and gazing out into the immediate wasteland before walking past an incapacitated walker on the ground. All of this would lead one to believe that, nope, there’s no leap into the future here, but the good news is that this spinoff found fresh legs last year.
These streaming picks make great appetizers:
Halloween Kills (Universal movie on Peacock) — A horror blockbuster is here to spook you in your living rooms, y’all. Michael Myers survives that damn fire, which leads to a fully-had-it-up-to-here mindset of Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode, who’s mad as hell at firefighters and vowing that Michael Myers is going down. If it was a matter of wills and badassery, she could make it happen, but that’s not how things usually roll out in this franchise. Laurie may believe that she can (once again) presumably kill her brother and tormenter, but the bloodbath is only getting started. David Gordon Green directs again here, and he’ll be back for Halloween Ends, so good luck, Laurie.
You: Season 3 (Netflix series) — Nothing says (twisted) family bonding like two parents digging a grave for their murder victims while an infant sits in his car seat and does his best to amuse himself. Yikes. Fortunately for all of us, however, the show about Stalker Joe manages to sustain its gimmick and volley the nutso-factor into the stratosphere. It’s a lot like Mr. & Mrs. Smith but with serial killers. Joe (or “Will”) can’t give up his ways (including his roaming eyes), Love refuses to give up hers, and their sleepy little suburb is about to get rocked into oblivion.
Here’s some regularly scheduled programming:
SNL (Saturday, HBO 11:29pm) — Rami Malek hosts with musical guest Young Thug.
The Equalizer (Sunday, CBS 8:00pm) — Queen Latifah’s McCall ends up in a foreign government’s crosshairs when a friend (and daughter of a diplomat) enlists her help for a job. Meanwhile, Dante is under suspicion from the same detective who’s after the Equalizer vigilante under DA’s orders.
Hightown (Sunday, Starz 9:00pm) — Renee causes Ray to leave the force while Frankie hangs with his cousin, and Jackie’s hell-bent upon avenging Junior’s death.
Buried (Sunday, Showtime 9:00pm) — This limited true-crime series details the story of Eileen Franklin, who suddenly experiences a decades-old memory of witnessing her childhood best friend get raped and murdered. This realization leads to the case of Susan Nason being reopened after stumping police for almost 20 years.
The Walking Dead: The World Beyond (Sunday, AMC 10:00pm) — Season 2 begins with an episode called “Koneskans,” which translates to “Consequences” in Haitian Creole. This week, some grifters end up in unanticipated danger while Huck attempts to fend off an ultimatum.
American Rust (Sunday, Showtime 10:00) — Jeff Daniels can swing between being comedic and dramatic, and in his new Showtime series, American Rust, he’s decidedly the latter and latest star to take on a complicated cop role after Kate Winslet’s turn in Mare of Easttown. And notably, Bridges’ new role is also set in Pennsylvania.
Last Week Tonight (Sunday, HBO 11:00) — John Oliver, baby.
Here’s some more streaming goodness for the weekend.
Dopesick: Season 1 (Hulu series) — Michael Keaton (who is still the greatest Batman in history, so don’t mess with him in any role) finally comes to TV beyond cameo mode. Here, he takes on Big Pharma as a physician whose patients are dying off amid an opioid epidemic, and Rosario Dawson portrays one of the heroes who want to take the makers of Oxycontin down. The title of the source material (Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America, the book by Beth Macy) tells you a lot, and the cast includes Michael Stuhlbarg and Kaitlyn Dever, who’s all over TV now and making Justified‘s Loretta proud here.
Guilty Party: Season 1 (Paramount+ series) — Kate Beckinsale stars in this charming-looking dramedy series about a disgraced (and opportunistic) journalist who works to redeem herself by digging for the real story on a young mother who was convicted of murdering her husband, a crime that the mother insists that she did not commit. Expect (strangely enough) some whimsy amid this seemingly serious premise, including some adversaries that are a real pain in the butt.
The Velvet Underground (Apple TV+ film) — Acclaimed filmmaker Todd Haynes directs this documentary, which is no ordinary rock ‘n’ roll movie. Instead, this reintroduces fans to the game-changing qualities of this band that made them an enduring cultural touchstone, including all of their inherent contradictions, which will be put on display in never-before-seen lie performance moments and plenty of recordings, interviews, and experimental art. Expect a fully immersive experience (not to mention iconic tunes).
I Know What You Did Last Summer: Season 1 (Amazon Prime series) — Sure, you remember the 1997 film and perhaps you’re aware that that was based upon the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan, but this Amazon Studios collaboration with Sony Pictures Television wants you to relive the nightmare once more. Obviously, this version doesn’t have Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, or Freddie Prinze, but these teens seem more twisted by nature than the O.G. bunch, so perhaps that will add some shading to justify reviving their shared dark secret as they aim to survive.
Just Beyond: Season 1 (Disney+ series) — This horror-comedy anthology bases itself on R.L. Stine’s BOOM! Studios comic book series of the same name. Expect plenty of supernatural journeys (with a personally affecting touch) through alternate dimensions with witches, aliens, and ghosts onboard.
Muppets Haunted Mansion (Disney+ special) — After several Muppets-themed Christmas offerings, it’s about time that we’ve received a spooky installment, and let’s face it, more Miss Piggy is always a good thing. Gonzo takes center stage here while attempting to survive the evening in (according to the synopsis) “in the most grim grinning place on Earth.” The special’s actually inspired by all four of the Disney Haunted Mansion attractions that are scattered around the globe, and three original songs (“Rest In Peace,” “Life Hereafter” and “Tie The Knot Tango”) will surface, along with plenty of celebrity cameos along with the all-star Muppets cast.
Doom Patrol: Season 3 (HBO Max series) — DC’s struggling misfit superheroes are back for another round. Brendan Fraser has received plenty of raves for his fury-filled Cliff Steele/Robotman, but don’t count out the rest of the crew. There’s Matt Bomer as the bandage-wrapped Negative Man and Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane, which is actually a role that requires Diane to play dozens of incarnations, including a very timely take on a Karen. This season, the sh*t hits the fan with a time machine.
Following a 2020 year that proved to be monumental of the Chicago rapper, Lil Durk put his head down and kept things pushing into and throughout 2021. At the top of the year, he shared the deluxe version of his late-2020 project, The Voice. He later teamed up with Lil Baby for Voice Of The Heroes, a project that gave him his first chart-topping release. After a string of guest features, Durk returns to the solo route with “Pissed Me Off.” The new song is quite the vengeful effort as it finds the Chicago native speaking about the recent deaths of King Von and his brother DThang.
He also raps about the Atlanta home invasion that he and his girlfriend India Cox were victims of back in July. Durk and Cox were allegedly forced to exchange gunfire with the intruders, but luckily both escaped the situation without any injuries. Atlanta police officers listed the couple as victims in the police report for the shooting.
“Pissed Me Off” comes after Durk joined G Herbo and 21 Savage for a remix of Nardo Wick’s “Who Want Smoke??” Durk also collaborated with FaZe Kaysan on “Made A Way” as well as HER and Lil Baby for a remix of “Find A Way.” Furthermore, the Chicago native can be spotted in recent videos for EST Gee’s “In Town” and Rod Wave’s “Already Won.”
You can listen to “Pissed Me Off” in the video above.
One NBA scout is not a particularly big fan of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton, and one of Sexton’s now-former teammates has a problem with how he was described. Scouts spoke to Sports Illustrated as part of a piece where they were given anonymity in exchange for their complete thoughts on every team in the league — a not uncommon thing to read over the course of a sports’ particular calendar — and when it came time for the Cavs, one scout in particular unloaded on the team’s fourth-year guard, calling him “an asshole” and saying that “none of his teammates like him.”
While Sexton is by no means a perfect basketball player, these sorts of remarks go beyond talking about what he can and cannot do on the basketball court. It got plenty of criticism from the basketball watching world, with one of Sexton’s former teammates, Larry Nance, coming to his defense.
Whoever said this is a moron with zero knowledge of anything going on in Cleveland. I’d hide behind anonymity too if I was this bad at my job https://t.co/0QoeHnqrah
Nance and Sexton were teammates on the Cavaliers for each of Sexton’s first three years in the league. While they are no longer on the same team — Nance was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a three-team trade involving the Chicago Bulls — Nance was perhaps the most outspoken member of the Cavs’ roster over the last few years and is as good a person as there is to provide perspective on how things work in that locker room.
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