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“The Mount Rushmore of [blank]” has become a common framework people like to use to establish who are the best or most important figures of a certain field. For example, The Rock once shared his list of people who would be on his personal Mount Rushmore of wrestling. Now there’s a Mount Rushmore of 2010s rap making the rounds, and Nicki Minaj (who was not included on it) has some thoughts… or rather, one concise but open-ended one.

This afternoon, the Twitter account for Spotify’s popular RapCaviar playlist shared a rendering of a 2010s rap Mount Rushmore, and the graphic features Drake, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and one blank spot. The tweet asks, “Who takes the fourth spot on the Mount Rushmore of the 2010s?” Minaj saw that list and had a simple response, replying on Twitter, “Wow.”

Of course, “wow” could mean a lot of things. Perhaps Minaj is upset that she wasn’t one of the initial three rappers chosen. Aside from her own exclusion, maybe she doesn’t agree with RapCaviar’s picks. Or, maybe seeing Drake, Lamar, and Cole all together gave her perspective on how great hip-hop was in the 2010s and she was responding to that with awe. Whatever the case, the image certainly got a reaction out of Minaj.

It’s not hard to make a case for Minaj to appear on this Mount Rushmore. Her four studio albums (all released in the 2010s) have all been certified Platinum at least once, her first two topped the Billboard 200 chart, and her most recent two achieved chart peaks at No. 2. During the decade, between her own songs and featured appearances, she had 16 top-10 singles, including top-3 highlights like “Super Bass” and “Anaconda.” She also racked up ten Grammy nominations during the 2010s and has been dubbed by many as the “queen of rap.”

After a busy day of (still mostly virtual) work, few things help us unwind better than a glass of bourbon neat or on the rocks. We’ll sit somewhere comfortable and slowly sip the stresses of the day away. But while we enjoy sipping bourbon, a well-crafted cocktail also hits the spot. Sometimes, you just want something a little less direct.

When it comes to mixing with bourbon, we definitely don’t want to use a ridiculously expensive bottle, but we also don’t want to ingest bottom-shelf swill. Andres Rairan, lead bartender at High Tide Beach Bar & Grill in Miami understands that picking the right bourbon for mixing can be a tricky endeavor.

“You don’t want to shoot for something too high-end, because then you ruin all the flavors the distillery was going for,” he says, adding, “however, using a less than desirable whiskey in a cocktail can also ruin it. Meeting halfway is your best bet.”

Finding mid-range, highly mixable bourbon whiskeys isn’t easy. That’s why you have us. Me, of course. And the rest of our team. As if that isn’t enough options, we also asked 18 well-known bartenders to tell us their favorite bourbons to mix with. If you can’t find a bottle that fits your palate with all these excellent options… maybe try tequila.

Elijah Craig Small Batch

Chris Stevens, general manager of Five Sisters Blues Cafe in Pensacola, Florida

Elijah Craig is my pick. The vanilla, caramel, nut, and oak highlight the smooth flavors in this bourbon. The nose is slightly above average and enjoyable, but also quite simple, which makes this brand the perfect bang for your buck when it comes to making mixed cocktails.

Average Price: $32

Angel’s Envy

Siobhán Cusumano, bartender at Buya Ramen in St. Petersburg, Florida

I love Angel’s Envy for sipping, and even more for cocktails. The port finish leaves you with some amazing chocolate and dark fruit notes to play within a cocktail. The complexity of this finished bourbon leaves so much to the imagination as far as flavor pairing.

Average Price: $54

Eagle Rare 10

Bianca Swilley, bartender at JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa in Orlando

Eagle Rare is my go-to bourbon for a boulevardier, Manhattan, or old fashioned. With the higher proof balanced with some orange and vanilla bean underlying flavors, it pairs well with any balance of bitter or sweet.

Average Price: $41

Rowan’s Creek

Dennis Shea, beverage director at Fish & Fire Food Group in Washington, DC

Rowan’s Creek is a solid choice. Its caramel, vanilla, and floral notes highlight this small-batch bourbon. This along with its reasonable cost make it one to look for.

Average Price: $45

Four Roses Yellow Label

Ryan Cunningham, bartender at Anchor and Brine in Tampa, Florida

Four Roses Yellow Label. This is one of the oldest distilleries in the nation so it’s safe to say that they know what they’re doing. Readily available throughout most of the states this whiskey is light and not overpowering while still bringing out that natural heat of whiskey and sweetness of bourbon.

This is ideal for cocktail making especially when getting into some of the fancier ingredients and techniques.

Average Price: $23

Knob Creek 100

Eugene Lee, founding bartender at Mix Lab in Los Angeles

I love the Knob Creek 100 Bourbon. It’s great for mixing in the classics. The high proof stands up to the stirred/aromatic style cocktails.

Average Price: $35

Jim Beam White Label

Romeo Amodeo, general manager of Jackson’s Steakhouse in Pensacola, Florida

Jim Beam. No need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to classics that still compete with big boys today. Jim Beam is found everywhere, including the dorm rooms, which means the price is still right.

Average Price: $23 for a liter

Old Forester 86

Becky Rose, lead bartender at Queen’s Eleven in Denver

My go-to bourbon for cocktails is Old Forester 86. It is a beautifully balanced bourbon with spice, vanilla, and orange. It has the perfect proof to not only blend delightfully into shaken cocktails like a gold rush, but it’s strong enough to hold its own neat, in a Manhattan, or old fashioned.

At around $20 a bottle, it offers a huge benefit at an extremely affordable price point.

Average Price: $23

Woodford Reserve

Dean Clark, bar and beverage manager of The Fish House in Pensacola, Florida

Woodford Reserve because of its simplicity, mixing ability, and affordability. The flavors that make it great for mixing into a cocktail are complex citrus, cinnamon, dried fruits, and cocoa. The price tag on a Woodford Reserve cocktail would roughly cost $10.

Average Price: $38

Old Grand-Dad 114

Jeff Rogers, bar director for Jester Concepts in Minneapolis

I love Old Grand-Dad 100 proof Bottled-in-Bond and Old Grand-Dad 114 PF. They are spicier bourbons with great depth of flavors. Warming spices start followed by a vanilla and caramel-smooth finish. The higher proof allows us to control the dilution in our cocktails better.

Average Price: $30

Buffalo Trace

Jared Staples, general manager of Angelena’s Ristorante Italiano in Pensacola, Florida

Buffalo Trace is absolutely fantastic to drink neat or mix in cocktails, and it makes fantastic old fashioneds. With hints of orange, cherry, and vanilla on the nose, the palate is between caramel, vanilla, and cherry. Very easy to drink. The price point being $20-25 dollars, it’s a safe bet for any situation.

Average Price: $32

Ezra Brooks

Andy Printy, beverage director at Chao Baan in St. Louis

For cocktails involving mixers other than other spirits, I like Ezra Brooks bourbon. It’s has a lower price point ($20 or less) which is great for your margins. The profile has some heat that you would expect for a young whiskey, but the spice and barrel are balanced and strong enough to shine through your kitchen-crafted syrups.

Average Price: $25 for 1.75 ml

Old Grand-Dad Bonded

Jessica Balts, bartender at FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar in Minneapolis

Old Grand-Dad Bonded. It’s great for cocktails because it isn’t so high-end that you feel guilty for mixing it. It has nice caramel and oaky flavors that pull through.

Average Price: $20

Tommyrotter NVHC

Jake Strawser, bar owner of Billy Club in Buffalo, New York

Tommyrotter’s NVHC Bourbon is my go-to for cocktails. At 95 proof it shines through modifiers, citrus, and simple syrups. Through the mix, its profile of dark fruit, vanilla, and oak is still present which really adds depth to the cocktail you’re working on. It’s not rail-price bourbon but positioned accessibly to permit bar owners to present their clientele with a great cocktail, built on a high-quality bourbon.

Average Price: $55

Maker’s Mark

Nikole Calvo, bar manager at SIX in Tampa, Florida

The best bourbon to mix cocktails with is Marker’s Mark. It’s affordable, tasteful, and pleasant on the palate for those who are new to drinking bourbon. This bourbon is versatile because you can use it in classic cocktail drinks, or you can mess around with it to make new bourbon cocktail drinks.

Makers Mark also is a great bourbon to use and pair with any food items on your menu. It has a sweet caramel finish that clinches your palate.

Average Price: $30

Four Roses Small Batch

Jeremy Williams, mixologist at MDRD at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, Michigan

I like Four Roses Small Batch for the price tag, but also for a great example of what a classic, “no-nonsense” bourbon is. While not terribly complex, it still carries all of the familiar vanilla, caramel, oak, and toffee flavors of some more expensive bourbons and is a good option to keep on hand for a lot of different occasions.

Average Price: $40

Bulleit

Pascal Pinault, food and beverage general manager at Ambersweet at The Confidante in Miami

Bulleit Bourbon is my go-to that will elevate cocktails. The oak, toffee, and nutmeg flavors nicely accent a classic old fashioned or aged Manhattan and at only $30, it’s a great product.

Average Price: $32

Jim Beam Black

Bobby Gleason, USBG bartender in Las Vegas

Jim Beam Black is my go-to mixing bourbon. It’s perfect for a Bourbon and Ginger. But, there are other options as well. Maker’s Mark for a mint julep, Maker’s 46 for a Manhattan, Knob Creek for an old fashioned. The Market is filled with value bottles of bourbon.

Average Price: $22

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On the heels of his emotional track “Need Somebody,” PnB Rock is back for his third preview of his upcoming LP To Be Honest. Tapping Pink Sweats and Swae Lee to lend verses on the song, PnB Rock shares the lovelorn tune “Forever Never” alongside an emotional video.

Directed by Lily Thrall, the visual depicts PnB Rock risking it all for love. He rides a motorcycle through the city in hopes of catching the eye of his crush. PnB Rock manages to get her attention, but not before severely injuring himself in a crash.

While the “Forever Never” video shows PnB Rock getting into a motorcycle wreck, the scene isn’t too far off from an accident the rapper was involved in earlier this year. PnB Rock had reportedly been participating in a Burbank, California street race in January when he swerved and totaled his car. The rapper was seated in a white BMW and topped 100 MPH during the race. He eventually lost control of the car and crashed into three parked vehicles. Thankfully, PnB Rock and his passenger sustained only minor injuries, but he was later arrested and charged with reckless driving and served a DUI.

Watch PnB Rock’s “Forever Never” video above.

PnB Rock is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Listen, it’s perfectly okay if you scoff at spending over $500 on a bottle of booze. Beloved whisk(e)y or not. It sounds fundamentally ridiculous. But so are all things that become collectible and (thereby) unattainable. We’re all filling a void with stuff that pleases us — from travel to booze to food to shirts with box logos to mushrooms. Spend responsibly, but it’s absurd to pretend that one luxury purchase is somehow more meaningful than another.

This price point is where scotch and bourbon diverge fairly dramatically with regards to what you’re actually getting. The Scotch whisky below doesn’t cost this much because of the whiskey hype machine. The cost is (mostly) due to spending decades in tiny warehouses where very little juice actually survives. It’s rare and thereby pricey, but not artificially so. Paying nearly $1,000 for a 12 or 15-year-old bourbon from Kentucky with an MSRP of $150 just isn’t the same thing.

The ten Scotch whiskies featured below are absolutely exquisite if you’re financially able to spend almost a month’s rent on a bottle of whisky. Click on the prices to give one of these a shot (or add them to your vault).

The Glenrothes 25

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $582

The Whisky:

This whisky from The Glenrothes Soleo Collection was aged in sherry casks that held sherry made from sun-dried grapes. The juice is then built to highlight those sherry casks before it’s cut with soft mineral water and bottled in The Glenrothes iconic bulbous bottles.

Tasting Notes:

This one sneaks up on your senses with subtle nods towards mango and pineapple by way of dry cedar bark and a touch of rummy spice. The palate veers away from the fruit towards a rich and vibrant salted caramel vanilla ice cream with a crunchy waffle cone maltiness next to a flourish of dried lavender on a sunny day. The end really holds onto the floral edge as it slowly fades away through the sweetness of the caramel all the way back to the acidic notes of the pineapple.

Bottom Line:

“Well-rounded” would be an understatement. The fruitiness, floral, and sweet/savory aspects are so engaging that you’ll want to make this an everyday sipper.

Orphan Barrel Forager’s Keep

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $590

The Whisky:

This was Diageo’s first Orphan Barrel from Scotland (they usually focus on long-forgotten bourbons). The juice in this bottle is a 26-year-old single malt from the long-shuttered and now-demolished Pittyvaich distillery. So not only are you getting a super rare and old whisky, you’re getting something that we’ll never see again.

Tasting Notes:

The nose draws you in with sharp green apples nestled in loose straw in wicker baskets in a sunny orchard with a throughline of light vanilla cream. The apple and vanilla mellow out into an almost cream soda note on the palate, as a rush of orange oils and wet cedar spice things up. The end adds in a dry cedar and apple tobacco vibe with a hint of silken maltiness.

Bottom Line:

That shaggy-haired Scottish Highlander cow on the label is a great example of how this whisky will make you feel: Chilled the f*ck out. Taking a sip of this soon-to-be-gone whisky, you get a warm feeling of, “It’s all good, man…” It’s really that silky smooth.

Johnnie Walker King George V

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $600

The Whisky:

This blend from Johnnie Walker is a celebratory Blue Label variant. Part of what you’re paying for is the extinct Port Ellen distillery juice in the bottle. Another part is that all the whiskies in the blend are from distilleries that were running when King George V reigned in the U.K. between 1910 and 1936. Then, of course, there’s the bespoke flint glass decanter that has its own serial number (don’t throw it away!).

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a delicate dance between honeyed almonds dusted with coarse salt, dark chocolate just kissed with vanilla, and an orange-honey sweet smokiness. The taste builds on that orange-honey vibe with a touch of rose water and marzipan as the dark chocolate sharpens its bitterness and the smoke moves far into the background. The end is like pure velvet with a bright fresh rose note next to the final slow fade of smoked oranges and almonds.

Bottom Line:

This is a very delicate entry in the wide pantheon of Johnnie Walker. Given the combination of an extinct whisky in the blend and a bespoke decanter, it’s easy to see why this one costs what it does.

Talisker 25

ABV: 45.8%

Average Price: $600

The Whisky:

This whisky is a marriage of American bourbon barrels, Spanish sherry casks, and Talisker’s seaside location. The whiskies in this single malt spend a minimum of 25 years resting in old bourbon and sherry barrels a few short steps from the sea in the Isle of Skye. Talisker’s tiny warehouse feels a bit like an old pirate ship that’s seen too many sea battles and that aura is imbued into every barrel as it matures.

Tasting Notes:

This one opens with a note of wet wildflowers next to sweet beeswax candles (unlit) with hints of murky apple cider, creamy chocolate, and a whisper of briny campfire smoke. The taste really brings out the wooden beams of the Talisker warehouse with notes of sea salt next to cobwebs and wet moss that’s all counterpointed by a blossoming wisteria, orange tobacco, and a little bit more of that campfire smoke lurking in the background. The end holds onto the florals as it slowly fades away, leaving you with a wisp of smoke, a mist of sea spray, and a touch of that orange.

Bottom Line:

One of the best experiences of my professional whisky career was drinking this on the Isle of Skye while looking out over the sea. There’s not really anything that can top that when it comes to whisky moments. And that’s what this whisky is … it’s a moment that will mean something from the first sip you take.

Oban 21

ABV: 58.5%

Average Price: $600

The Whisky:

Oban remains one of the most important and quaintest distilleries in Scotland. The tiny distillery, tucked between a huge rock wall and the sea, lets this juice rest for at least 21 years in former bourbon barrels and second-fill ex-sherry barrels. The use of well-used barrels, imparts a very subtle flavor and texture into the whisky, allowing it to be bottled at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a holiday vibe from the get-go with this dram, as ginger cookies mingle with stewed apples, plenty of eggnog spice, and creamy bourbon vanilla whipped cream on the nose. The palate amps up those spices and brings along a marzipan nuttiness next to a slight malt, ripe pear, and almost savory herbal note. A touch of salted caramel by way of saltwater taffy arrives late and the fade takes its time, leaving you with a touch of orange, fruit, caramel, and spice.

Bottom Line:

The 2018 version of this is my all-time favorite dram of whisky. I tend to drink about 1/4 of the bottle per year. If you look at it that way, $600 over four years is equal to a $150 bottle of whisky per year. That feels much more manageable … in my head, at least.

The Balvenie Single Barrel 25

ABV: 47.8%

Average Price: $700

The Whisky:

Malt Master David Stewart hand-selects these Balvenie barrels for bottling. He searches through refill ex-bourbon barrels that are 25-years-old to find one that’s exactly right according to his legendary abilities. The whisky is then touched with a drop of water to help highlight the flavors and textures Stewart is looking for.

Tasting Notes:

This draws deeply from woody holiday spices that are stored in an old cedar box that once held honey-dipped cigars. A flourish of orchard fruit arrives by way of spicy stewed pie filling and a honey tobacco sharp-yet -weet buzz that leads towards a silky — almost … calm — mouthfeel. The finish holds onto the honey as notes of vanilla husks, dried wildflowers, stewed pears, and more of that velvet honey slowly fade away.

Bottom Line:

Each single barrel release is never more than 300 bottles, making this a rare find. This really is also a chance to get into the head (and olfactory) of a true master and innovator of Scotch whisky.

Glenfiddich 30

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $768

The Whisky:

This whisky spends 30 years resting in Glenfiddich’s warehouses under the watchful eye of their team. Then Malt Master Brian Kinsman handpicks minium 30-year-old whiskies matured in former bourbon and sherry casks to build this astounding single malt.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a plummy spiced jam element on the nose that leads towards an old wooden cutting board that’s been used to cut bread for decades. That mild woodiness carries through to the palate as bright floral honey arrives with a touch of orange oils, savory figs, and soft vanilla tobacco leaves next to velvet malts. The end comes back around to that spicy plum jam and soft wood, as creamed honey arrives as a final note on the slow fade.

Bottom Line:

There are whiskies in this single malt that reach back into the 1980s. That’s an incredible amount of time for a whisky to survive without simply evaporating away. This is a special dram that somehow survived those three decades, and did so in a way that makes it taste absolutely delicious.

Highland Park 25

ABV: 45.7%

Average Price: $855

The Whisky:

This whisky from the far north of Scotland, up on the Orkney Islands, is all about intensity and time. The juices spend at least 25 years in old sherry casks, used American oak, and former bourbon casks. The barrels are painstakingly watched over for all those years and then married into this expression.

Tasting Notes:

Imagine a bright yet tart and sweet red berry crumble with hints of nutmeg and allspice, touches of brown sugar and butter clumps, and a sprinkling of crushed walnuts on the nose. Then comes a drizzle of dark chocolate sauce and a spray of vanilla cream on the palate with a lingering echo of wet peat by way of floral honey. The sweetness moves more towards a brown-butter toffee as the sip fades away through a thin line of peat next to a touch more of those walnuts and that spice.

Bottom Line:

Highland Park is a great bridge between the world of smoke and sweet when it comes to Scotland. This leans far more into the sweet with a faint reminder of smoke, which makes it very accessible (to drink, not price-wise).

Mortlach 21 Rare By Nature 2020 Release

ABV: 56.9%

Average Price: $868

The Whisky:

Mortlach is a Dufftown icon. The juices in this bottle are single malts that are small-batched and then refilled into former Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry seasoned casks for final maturation. The whisky was then bottled at cask strength, allowing you a full vision of what was in the barrel.

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a holiday cake feel with plenty of candied fruits, spices, dried fruits, and nuts next to a touch of cream soda and a line or two of rich toffee syrup. The palate builds on the holiday cake vibe with chili-infused dark chocolate next to hints of ripe cherries and plums with a light echo of dried tobacco and cedar. The end is not too long and leaves you with a silky mouthfeel and a spicy warmth.

Bottom Line:

This is a very rare and phenomenal whisky that’s only slightly marked up from its $750 MSRP. Is it worth it? Yes. This is something we might not ever see again. Plus, the stag on the packaging is pretty boss.

Glen Moray Mastery

ABV: 52.3%

Average Price: $870

The Whisky:

Master Distiller Graham Coull created this expression using five whiskies dating back to 1978. The whisky was created to celebrate Glen Moray’s 120th anniversary while reaching back into the distillery’s history. The juice was vatted and then bottled at cask strength, allowing the craft of the distillery and warehouse managers to shine through in each sip.

Tasting Notes:

This opens with warm scones with creamed butter and red berry jams next to a hint of soft, almost warm, cedar and a dusting of eggnog spices. Those spices drive the palate towards a marzipan nuttiness next to flourishes of salted caramels, floral honey, and a dash of espresso beans. The finish dries out with raisins and almonds leading back towards the red jam and a bit more of that warming spice.

Bottom Line:

There were only 1,000 bottles of this made. So, it might be hard to find in your region. Still, it’s one of those drams that are just … balanced. Everything is in its place and means something. It’s rounded and so damn easy to drink.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

Foxing have built their brand clearly in the realm of emo-leaning music, but it appears they’re changing that for their next era. Today, they announced an album called Drawn Down The Moon (which is out August 6), which they preceded with “Go Down Together,” which was basically straight-up pop. Now they’re back with a new single called “Where The Lightning Strikes Twice,” and in recent years, only Brandon Flowers and company have made songs that are as The Killers-esque as this one.

The band’s Conor Murphy says of the album, “It’s about the idea of your cosmic significance. The way you feel like a tiny speck in the grand scheme of the universe, that’s a feeling everybody has. You can get lost thinking about how small you are. Draw Down The Moon explores how our connections to people and places and ideas are what binds us to the universe and reality.”

Press materials also note that the band worked on the album in their St. Louis studio with guitarist Eric Hudson producing. They eventually found their way to Georgia, where they spend a few weeks working on the album with members of Manchester Orchestra.

Listen to “Where The Lightning Strikes Twice.” Below, find the Draw Down The Moon art and tracklist.

1. “737”
2. “Go Down Together”
3. “Beacons”
4. “Draw Down The Moon”
5. “Where The Lightning Strikes Twice”
6. “Bialystok”
7. “At Least We Found The Floor”
8. “Cold Blooded”
9. “If I Believed In Love”
10. “Speak With The Dead” Feat. WHY?

Draw Down The Moon is out 8/6 via Grand Paradise. Pre-order it here.

If you were a teenager growing up in the early aughts, you couldn’t hear the lyrics to Phantom Planet’s “California” without thinking of a group of over-privileged West Coast teens and the increasingly criminal shenanigans they got up to.

We’re talking about The O.C. here, people!

One of the greatest teen soap dramas of a generation, the Fox series launched the careers of names like Adam Brody, Ben McKenzie, Mischa Barton, and more delivering the kind of romantic melodrama and high school hierarchy struggles that fueled our collective angst over just a couple of decade ago. And now, thanks to a podcast hosted by former O.C. stars Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke, we get to relive all of the real-life drama that happened behind the scenes.

Of which there was plenty because these were 20-something heartthrobs and “it girls” all dating each other and clubbing together and dominating the tabloids at the time. Of course, there were more mature, veteran actors on the show, like Clarke and recent podcast guest Tate Donovan, and they’re more than happy to drag their younger co-stars for their, um, unprofessional behavior once the show had reached the heights of its popularity.

Donovan guested on the podcast’s latest episode to share more about his experience both starring in and directing some of the series, and Bilson kicked things off by offering a blanket apology (via EW) for any bad behavior she may have exhibited in her youth:

“You went on to direct us on The O.C., which we can talk about more, and I know some of us kids were little a–holes,” she said. “And I think that that speaks to that whole unaware, young, youthful, ignorant — just idiots, you know what I mean? And I hope I wasn’t as bad as it’s come off … You know, you get influenced, I’d say, by your surroundings.”

That apology references a comment Donovan made in an interview with Vulture in 2013 where he detailed the struggle he had when directing the very famous cast.

“By the time I started to direct, the kids on the show had developed a really bad attitude,” he said in the interview. “They just didn’t want to be doing the show anymore. It was pretty tough; they were very tough to work with. The adults were all fantastic, total pros. But you know how it is with young actors — and I know because I was one of them once. When you achieve a certain amount of success, you want to be doing something else.”

Of course, now that everyone’s matured with age, the co-stars can laugh about the whole situation, which is what they did on the podcast after Donovan reassured Bilson she was “a total sweetheart” to work with. The two rehashed Donovan’s directing experience and he was quick to poke fun at Bilson’s attitude on set at the time. He recalled a scene in which he was hesitant to give Bilson notes, with Bilson interjecting, “I think I know where this is going.”

When Donovan gave the young actress a bit of direction on her performance, referencing notes in the script, he said she gave one of the “best quotes” he’s heard from an actress in his career.

“You go, ‘Tate, I don’t read scripts, I smoke pot,’” Donovan revealed while laughing with the hosts.

So sure, the O.C. kids may have been a nightmare to work with, but with that kind of improved, iconic line delivery, we can’t deny that they had talent.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

10 years ago, Danny Brown broke through with the blog-and-fan-favorite album XXX, redefining what rap could look and sound like and pushing him toward becoming a boundary-pushing star in his own right over the next decade. In a new interview with the Amazon Prime Video-based Coda Collection, Brown reflects on what made XXX so special with FakeShoreDrive’s Andrew Barber, and explains how his groundbreaking breakthrough album inspired his upcoming sixth album, 40.

“I think rap was totally different,” he says of XXX resonating with fans in 2011. “There weren’t too many people talking openly about drug abuse or mental health problems or being just vulnerable in their songs like that. That was just me taking my influences and melding them all together. It was just good timing — lightning in a bottle type of sh*t.”

He also described how the pandemic and resulting shutdown affected his writing process on 40, comparing it to the process on XXX. “The f*cking pandemic hit and next thing you know I’m in the house by myself, stuck, bored, I don’t have nothing to do,” he remembers. “I started back writing and sh*t was trash… I’m like, ‘I might be washed…’ Shows are cancelled, I’m trying to make new sh*t, so I’m just going through a whole depressed, stressed-out moment. So I just wrote myself out the ditch. That’s the only thing I can really say. It was almost like ‘back to the basics’ of the sh*t and it felt like it was back to XXX time again.”

And in one more part of the interview, Brown recalls having the chance to sign with 50 Cent but refusing to change his look to appease even the mighty mogul behind G-Unit Records. “50 was down with signing me but now I’m already set into my look,” he says. “This is when I’m wearing the skinny jeans and thrift store clothes and sh*t like that. So he’s like, “No, you need to look non-approachable, you need to look mean, you need to wear big jeans and sh*t.’… I wasn’t with that sh*t so 50’s like f*ck that sh*t.”

You can check out the preview clips above and find the full episode here.

This interview with John Krasinski is what would be, still to this day, my last in-person interview before New York City and much of the country would shut down in March 2020. We made an effort to update it (like we did with Cillian Murphy earlier this week), but Krasinski is on an all out publicity blitz, hopping from theater to theater, and we couldn’t make it work out. (It’s funny, there are references to the St. Louis Blues, my team, beating the Boston Bruins, and the videos he had made for the NHL with Jenna Fisher. Since this interview there have been two NHL seasons played.)

But, yes, after a 14 month delay, A Quiet Place Part II is finally coming to theaters, a movie Krasinski initially didn’t want to make. And, yes, now that he did make it, he admits he has some regrets about killing himself off in the first movie. (He does appear in the sequel in flashbacks.) But this sequel continues the story as Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her two children, Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe) try to find safety from the invading aliens who are attracted to noise. Thrown in the mix now is Cillian Murphy’s Emmett, a neighbor who joins the family on their journey.

Honestly, I had forgotten that the “Krasinski being in Fantastic Four” rumors were even a thing back then. It really is like that whole thing was just put on pause, and now they are all back. Probably because all these old interviews are finally publishing. By tthe time I had talked to him, the internet was flooded with his quotes. I asked him why he’s being so, let’s say, enthusiastic about answering these kind of questions and he swears it’s not a media strategy and he’s just telling the truth that, “hell yeah,” he wants to be in a Fantastic Four movie.

But, first, when I walked into the room with Krasinski, after an awkward conversation about not shaking hands, he asked what was sticking out of my jacket pocket…

John Krasinski: What’s that in your pocket?

It’s my snow hat…

I thought you were walking around Manhattan with an animal.

Yeah, I brought you an animal.

Is it cold enough for a hat?

Borderline. But it reminds me, because it’s a St. Louis Blues hat, it was weird watching you get roundly booed…

What?

When the Blues played the Bruins for the Stanley Cup I went to two of the games in St. Louis. They showed a clip of The Office and Ellie Kemper and Jenna Fischer, who are both from St. Louis, got massive applause and then you showed up, Mr. Bruins, and I’ve never heard a louder boo in my life.

Really?

Yes.

I didn’t know about that. Thanks for deflating my confidence before this interview.

To be fair, you were making those taunting videos.

No, it was really fun. Jenna just texted me a picture of her and her whole family holding the Stanley cup at her house.

It was at her house?

Yeah, they made her one of the stops. That’s pretty awesome.

That is great.

That’s pretty cool.

When I spoke to Cillian Murphy, that 28 Days, 28 Days Later scene from The Office got brought up. And now Cillian is in your movie.

That’s right. I do remember it. But I’ve been a huge fan of Cillian’s forever. Certainly that movie, Danny Boyle’s movie. I find him to be one of the best actors we have going. So it was really awesome to get him to do this movie. Because weirdly, and sounds like I’m patting myself on the back, I’m not, but itt was a really difficult role to do. I wrote a morally ambiguous person who hopefully, potentially, would be heroic but carries a lot of weight and has a lot of demons. And very few people can pull all that off. And I knew that Cillian could do it with his eyes closed. I had no idea he was a fan of the first one,

He told me the story about the email he almost sent you out of the blue.

I had to make him feel good. Because he was like, “I was going to write you an email and then I didn’t.” And I [jokingly] said, “Well, thank God you didn’t, because that would’ve sounded desperate and you wouldn’t have gotten this role.” So here we are.

So when I talked to you before the first one, I got the sense you, I don’t want to say were confident, but I felt you were pretty happy with what you were putting out there how audiences would react.

Yeah.

What did it make? Like $340 million dollars or something like that?

Something like that.

So how quickly did you get a call going, “Well, we would like another one of these”?

It was pretty quick. You probably know better than I do. It was either that weekend or the week after.

Oh, that quick?

It was opening weekend. I said no.

Really?

Yeah. Very quickly I said no. And Emily [Blunt] felt the same way. It was one of those things where we felt like that movie was so special to us. Certainly from a storytelling standpoint, I was worried that I would ever be able to do anything as organic. But most importantly, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do anything so personal. And I knew that my superpower in that movie was to be connected to the material. And the reason why I did the rewrite was because I was a new parent and it was all about parenthood and very, very personal to me. And when I said no, they started looking for another writer or director.

Oh, is that how it works? So they could control the IP basically?

Yeah. Totally. And I told them to go for it. And luckily my producer happened to be a Jedi and he was like, “Yeah, you said you had this one little idea. Can you just write an outline? So that way I can pitch to writers and directors.” And as I was writing the outline, I realized halfway through I was like, “Goddamn it, I’m directing this.” I knew that he had done this on purpose.

And usually the second one is just a money grab from the studio and then they’re worse and they don’t have anything to do with the first one. And so I said to Emily, “I’m not going to do it.” She said, “I’m not doing it.” So we were both not doing it. And I had this tiny idea. And I said, “Emily, if I do this idea, would you do it?” And she said, “Why don’t you just write it? And if you write it and it’s directly from your heart as the first one, then maybe I’ll do it.” And my idea was make Millie the lead character of the movie. And it wasn’t just because I knew Millie would be an amazing actress and do an incredible performance. What happened was, she became the doorway to the first movie. And Emily said, “You know what’s amazing? This isn’t a sequel, this is like the second book in a series.” And I went, “Great. I’m going to call it Part II.” And she said, ”Great, I’m going to do the movie.” And it was because it was equally, if not more, personal to me than the first one.

I like that it’s called Part II. We don’t have enough Part IIs anymore right now. I’m glad it’s not A Quiet Place: Too Quiet, or something like that. It’s classy.

Thank you. I tried to be classy. Will Farrell told me to stay classy a long time ago and, by god, I’m going to try to.

When you were writing this, there had to be a moment when you thought, “I wish I hadn’t have killed myself off in the first one.”

Oh, totally. Zero foresight. Zero foresight. I had no idea that it would go on to be a bigger movie.

Because it makes the first one, that scene is so emotional. But now that we’re continuing on, it’s like, well, you could have saved that for later.

Yeah. Oh boy, I could’ve done that in the second one. No, I think that it was definitely what was right for the story. It was the idea that I loved most about the first one. It’s probably the crux of the linchpin of why I did the first one. Because there is something so powerful about that moment for me. But, weirdly, as much as I wish I could have been in the second one more, I think my character is… Again, it sounds heady, but it’s true, I think my character is extremely prevalent in the second movie. I think that there’s a lot of me in this movie, because of all these themes. There’s so much powerful stuff that I started to think of my college days of studying literature. I was like, “Yeah, but it’s smarter to kill myself. But as an actor, I really wish I hadn’t.”

I interviewed Ethan Hawke once and he said something like, “If I had known there was going to be like six purge movies, I would’ve made sure I didn’t die in that first one.”

No, it’s true. It’s really true. Ethan and I should have a therapy session.

He at least can blame someone else. You did this to yourself.

Yeah. I did it to myself.

Part II starts with a flashback. Did you think of doing a The Godfather Part II and make the whole movie like that? Not to compare this to The Godfather…

You can compare it to The Godfather.

I’ll make that the headline.

But you did it. Not me, you did.

John Krasinski, “Look, Godfather II comes to mind when I think of my movie.”

Nope. It comes to your mind, not my mind.

But did you ever think about going back and forth?

No, I always saw it as the opening in the movie. For me was really important is to see this family happy. So it would give you context for the first one, that they’re so sad and they’re so suffering through all this stuff and that the father is barely speaking to the daughter. And you get to see in this movie now that the father and the daughter were best friends. They were the same person. They were really happy. They had everything. Then I knew it would be a continuation to the next one. Because I had had the idea that it would be Noah’s panic attack; that what was going on is more of like a St. Elsewhere move where it was going on in his head behind the heater.

Tommy Westphall theory.

Exactly! Thank you. But it would be behind the heating tanks is, the whole opening was his fever dream.

Are you more open for a Part III?

What I learned on the first one, because I didn’t see it as a sequel, I had all these ideas where I was like, “Oh man, it’s so cool. I wonder what’s happening on the other end of those fires.” And things like that, which I was able to use here. This time when I was writing and I had ideas, I wrote them down and actually even baked in a couple of Easter eggs that, if it works out, there will be some cool moments for me at least that you can look back and see how these all connect.

But I guess I’m asking…

What you’re saying is you’re demanding a third one.

But this isn’t like before where you were like, “Absolutely not”?

Right. Now I would be open to it, because I see how much fun this world is to play in. I think franchises, in my opinion, are usually a hero or a villain that the audience loves, but the studio has to build this new world around them. And we have the world and we can put whatever hero or villain in it. And that’s really fun in a whole different dichotomy. That’s fun to play with.

Here’s something I noticed about you — when it comes to when you talk to media, I think you know what you’re doing. Because this morning the headlines on my phone that weren’t about Covid were, “John Krasinski open to playing Mr. Fantastic.” Because everyone picks that up and now it’s everywhere. And they read that and then they also read about this movie.

Oh, I didn’t even think of that. But now you make me sound really smart.

I think you know what you’re doing.

I actually felt stupid. I wanted to email Kevin Feige and be like, “Sorry, man. I wasn’t trying to like put pressure on you. You’re the man.”

It gets picked up by every website and then you get more advertising for this.

I think I felt, it’s like I was trying to sometimes over calculate how much I’ve talked about certain things. And then you get older and you just go, “I don’t know, I’m going to be honest.” And my honest answer was like, “Hell yeah. I’d play Mr. Fantastic.” And then people were like, “Oh my God.” And I didn’t know it would be headlines. I thought it would just be the eighth question in that interview. But it’s true.

I think people are looking for happy headlines and that’s a happy headline.

Well, unless you are a person who doesn’t want me to play him.

The St. Louis Blues fans.

Yeah, exactly.

This movie is going to do gangbusters everywhere, except in St. Louis.

I need Jenna to come out for the movie.

‘A Quiet Place Part II’ opens in theaters this weekend. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Whether he’s dying his tongue black or carrying around a vial of his girlfriend Megan Fox’s blood, Machine Gun Kelly never seems to run out of antics. According to Tech N9ne, he’s always been that way. Machine Gun Kelly supported Tech N9ne on a record-breaking 2012 tour where his rowdy behavior nearly got them banned from venues.

Tech N9ne recently sat down for an interview with HipHopDX to talk about his experience working with Machine Gun Kelly. The two had embarked an an exhausting 104-day tour in 2012 where they played 99 shows, earning them a spot in the Guinness World Records book. Tech N9ne recalled his fellow musician breaking “every rule” like starting food fights and climbing up on stage equipment:

“MGK broke every rule. Wild boy, he’s a wild boy. We almost didn’t get to come back to venues because of MGK. […] I’m talking about food fights in the lunch room during the day, you know what I’m saying? Everything man, climbing up, breaking sh*t. That was the year I went to his 21st birthday, and then the next year I went to his 22nd birthday party. I think they were both in Vegas too, so I was with him early on.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Tech N9ne said his crazy tour schedule was purposefully planned to set a world record, but it was so exhausting that he’ll never it do it again. “I’m telling you, the last couple of days we were so delirious, we were forgetting the words,” he said. “My people who do the booking, they know we gotta have a break, especially how we do shows. We don’t just stand on stage grabbing our crotch. I’m sizzling, we really out there cardio life. All that 99 shows in 104 days, we did it, me and MGK, never again. We proved it, we can do it.”

Just in case there weren’t enough new consoles for you to choose from, Nintendo is providing you with yet another option. According to a Bloomberg report, Nintendo has begun planning the assembly of a new and improved Switch model to replace the current console. The enhanced system — the super Nintendo Switch, you might say — is reported to hit shelves as early as this September, and is likely be priced a bit higher than the $299 original.

With E3 just around the corner, it’s highly possible Nintendo will formally announce the system ahead of the expo, allowing studios to showcase their full range of Switch titles at the event without concerns over if the Switch can even effectively run them. It’s no secret the Nintendo Switch lacks the processing power to compete with Xbox and PlayStation’s next-generation consoles, and while that’s never been quite what the Switch has sought to offer consumers, at time the Switch’s own game’s leave a bit to be desired when it comes to running them. However, this issue is seemingly being fixed with the addition of this new model which, according to reports, will upgrade the console with a 7-inch Samsung OLED display and a faster Nvidia graphics silicon making it capable of 4K output when docked to a television.

Starting as early as July, Nintendo’s manufacturers are reportedly scheduled to begin producing and shipping the consoles ahead of release and the holidays. Starting this year, it will be sold alongside the $199 Switch Lite, with the standard Switch phased out over time.