The best high school basketball player in America has made the decision to reopen his recruitment. Emoni Bates, the top prospect in the class of 2022, announced on his Instagram page that he’s decommitting from the Michigan State Spartans and will reevaluate where he will play once his high school career comes to an end.

As Bates, a Michigan native, wrote in the post, he is keeping all of his options on the table, whether that be following the traditional route and going to a college basketball program or taking the floor for a professional team.

Bates committed to Michigan State last June in a turn of events that Tom Izzo and co. apparently did not know was coming until earlier that day. At the time, Bates sounded more hesitant about possibly pursuing a professional career, although it must be said that this was before the G League Ignite team played its first game — two members of that squad, Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga, are expected to go in the top-5 of the 2021 NBA Draft.

A 6’8, 200 pound forward from Ypsilanti, Bates is one of the most highly-regarded prospects in recent years, and is viewed as a contender to go No. 1 overall whenever he enters the Draft.

Paul Feig holds a lofty place in the world of comedy. He’s has been behind the camera on Spy, Freaks and Geeks, Arrested Development, The Office, Bridesmaids, and the criminally underappreciated Ghostbusters reboot, among many others. He’s worked with the best and been trusted with massive properties. In the process, he’s become a defining voice in modern comedic cinema and TV.

Now, Feig is hoping to help shape modern cocktail culture, too. One martini at a time.

More than simply liking booze, Feig seems to be a true believer in cocktail culture (right down to his three-piece suits and boulevardier persona). During quarantine, his spirits prowess has been on full display. He spent the early part of lockdown on Instagram making cocktails as everyone’s favorite “Drunk Funcle.” More recently, he announced he’d be he’s endeavoring to bring the world a world-class gin.

In a world full of celebrity white-labeling, it would have been very easy for Feig to slap his name on a label and go about his business. Instead, he partnered with a distillery to craft his gin from the ground up, based on decades of experience. He toiled with glassmakers over the bottle’s design and even named the gin after his mother, using her maiden name. Artingstall’s Brilliant London Dry Gin is personal to Feig in every way. And that personal care definitely translates to the final product.

We were lucky enough to jump on a call with Feig this week, between set-ups on The School For Good And Evil, shooting in Belfast, Ireland. If you want more from him after this interview, this Saturday, May 1st, you can see him live via a virtual cocktail party and trivia night. At the end of this interview, you’ll find a recipe for the “Feigtini” — a perfect cocktail for your weekend.

When was the first time you knew gin was your drink? What was the “Oh, I love this spirit!” moment?

It was when I had my first real martini. It was 30-plus years ago and I went to the Savoy Hotel and went to their bar. I had a weird experience with gin when I was a kid, because we were down in somebody’s basement, like their parents’ basement, and opened a bottle of gin and just like, “ugh, what is that taste?” It tasted like Beefeater, which is super piny, super juniper-y.

I was like, “well… I don’t like gin.”

Then I’d read so much about cocktail culture, which I love and I loved the look of martinis and all that. I read that a real martini is a gin martini. I was like, “Oh, I don’t think I like gin, but I should try to like it.” So when we hit the Savoy, I ordered a martini, which I had heard had great martinis at the time. They gave me this frozen, vessel-shaped martini glass with an ice-cold gin martini with a big twist in it.

I remember just thinking, “this is the greatest thing I’ve ever had.” It started this lifelong love affair with gin. But then, over the next several decades, I tried to find the gin I wanted, and I wanted everything out of one gin. I would find all these gins and be like, “Oh, I like this one. I like this about it,” but never found one where I like, “this is the one.”

Then, I started thinking, “if I can make my own gin, I know I can make the perfect gin, at least for myself.” I also thought about making a gin for a lot of other people who have the same experience that I had, which led them to “I don’t like gin” initially. Finally, I teamed up with Minhas Distilleries and we built this from the ground up.

This was not something I just put my name on. It’s my mother’s maiden name actually, Artingstall. I really wanted to formulate this, so we built it from scratch and designed and came up with the recipe, which took several rounds of micro tastings and all that to get it right, and then we designed the bottle. This is a passion project for me.

Let’s talk a little bit about what’s inside the bottle first and then we’ll talk about what’s outside of it. Gin recipes are very confusing for people. They hear “juniper” and then they maybe hear “anise” or they hear “pine.” What sort of matrix of spices and botanicals were you going for in your gin?

To be a gin, you have to have juniper — that is what makes gin a gin. But I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t juniper-forward. I like the taste of juniper and over the years have developed a taste for some of the heavy gins like Berry Brothers No. 3 or Junipero. They hit you in the face with the juniper. But I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to bring people into gin who think they don’t like it. I really wanted to do what I consider a gateway gin. There’s certain gin, especially in the London dry world, that is just smoother. They’re a little brighter too.

I’m a guy who likes my martini with a twist. I can enjoy an olive, but I sometimes feel the olive holds the gin down versus a twist, which brightens it up. I wanted a gin that was bright already, which is why we called it “Brilliant London Dry.” We really tried to formulate it so that it had notes of citrus, notes of juniper definitely, but then also a little bit of spiciness to it, a little bit of a floral quality to it with none of them taking the forefront. I wanted them all to be bright but smooth and round too. That’s what we came up with.

In finalizing the taste and feel of the gin, I wanted to make sure that it was first and foremost a martini gin. It needed to hold up to being in a gin and tonic, gin and soda, a Negroni, even a dirty martini, if needs be. We tried all those combinations and it held up to all of them. Then what I then discovered was that it also works very well as a vodka substitute. You can put it into any drink that you would put vodka into and it just gives it a little bit of a center, a little I dare say, almost like a spicy citrus center. It doesn’t overpower the rest of the drink. It just makes the drink a little more interesting.

I definitely dig that. I also really love the style of this bottle. It’s so rare to see so much thought put into both the design of the decanter and the logo. Plus, it really feels like you because you’re probably the best-dressed man in the entertainment industry. There’s this real — and I don’t mean this as cliched — but there’s this essence of style to the bottle. Can you walk us through how you came up with this beautiful decanter and label?

Well, that’s exactly it. What I love about cocktails and drinking and all that is the style around it, the lifestyle around it, the pageantry around it. To me, the worst thing in the world is to just pour something into a red solo cup and drink to get drunk. That to me is not fun. That’s a reason why I want to have cocktails or anything — I want the entire lifestyle around it. I wanted to make sure that our bottle showed that. I wanted it to feel like a gin that has been around for 150 years. That’s why I picked the name Artingstall’s because that’s my mom’s maiden name. She was British, so I wanted it to be like a London dry.

I wanted the design of the label to look like it’s been around for a long time too. That’s why we went for a very classic look for it. But then I also wanted it to be a bottle that you would want on your bar, that you would want on your drinks cart. If you’ve got a small drinks cart or drink tray or whatever, that it could almost be the centerpiece bottle, so people look and go, “Oh wow, you’ve got really good taste.”

The first idea was “Oh, we should do a decanter.” Then I found some antique decanters and I loved that. We looked at it, the in-house team and myself, and took some of the etchings from it and the carvings. Then we took it to the next level and really wanted to make it a very special bottle that still came at a reasonable price point and then capping it with the stopper that we have, which I just love. It’s almost like your bottle of gin has a beautiful cocktail ring on top of it.

Absolutely. It’s very, very well done. I want to ask because this weekend you’re hosting a live tasting event. Are we going to see the Drunk Funcle come back to life to teach us some cool cocktails this weekend?

Drunk Funcle and I are one and the same. There is no escaping it even if I want to, sadly. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m going to make two different cocktails. One is the big “Feigtini” that I invented. It’s a martini that has a few extra surprises in it, like sake.

Oh, nice.

It’s one of the first cocktails I invented, back at the beginning of my quarantine cocktail time. Then I’m also going to do a very classic gin cocktail, the Dubonnet, which is what the Queen apparently drinks every day. It’s a very fun drink. It’s just gin and Dubonnet and ice and a slice of fruit. I like cocktails that aren’t hugely complicated. I’m not a fan of cocktails that you have to make a lot of stuff for.

Amen to that.

The technology today is great, but it’s so labor-intensive. For me, that takes a little bit of the fun out just being able to go to my bar with a lot of fun bottles and just have a drink that I can make; that I can tell people the recipe; and they can mix without having to invest in a centrifuge and that kind of thing. It’s really just about the adult fun of cocktails.

Let’s talk a little bit more about drinking gin culture — because I feel like, for a lot of people who know gin on a surface level, they’ll think of a martini or gin and tonic and that’s basically it. But there are so many other lovely cocktails and even sipping gins out there. That’s what I love about this brand is it does lean into real sipping gin territory. What are some other applications you love using your gin for that people might not be quite privy to yet?

You hit the nail on the head when you said a sipping gin. That is the first and foremost test of a gin. That’s really one of the things I formulated this for is to be able to literally pour it into a glass and drink it neat at room temperature. Because when you watch these old movies from the 30s, you don’t see any ice really. You see people mixing these martinis and pouring them out. I swear to God they’re coming out at room temperature. I think back then, maybe, just ice wasn’t as available or something and people drank more drinks that were room temperature that way.

I really wanted to do a gin that didn’t need to be ice-cold to be at its best. Ours is great when it’s ice-cold. I love a good freezing cold martini, but I do love to just sip this either straight up or to put it on the rocks. It’s great for that. But then there are so many different cocktails and that’s, again, why I wanted something that could almost work as a vodka substitute. Because honestly, this gin could go into so many different cocktails and not get in the way.

I even reformulated a passion fruit margarita where I substituted the tequila out for my gin and it works fantastic because you get that spicy center that you don’t get with tequila. You get this other extra taste from the gin that doesn’t get in the way of the Cointreau, lime, and the passion fruit liqueur in there. Gin can hold up to anything. I think we need to free gin from the confines of a few cocktails people think you can make with it. I love a martini, it’s fantastic. But you can really branch out and I think people should branch out more with good gin.

Back in the day when I worked at Victoria Bar here in Berlin, one of our great gin cocktails that people would really fall in love with was a Gin-Tai. We were just making a Mai Tai, but with gin. It has that balance of barky spice and botanicals with the orgeat and the citrus. It just is this beautiful, blossoming cocktail.

Oh, nice.

I like to pairing cocktails with a good film. If you’re sitting down to watch a drama, what sort of cocktail would you pair? Or if you’re sitting down to watch a slapstick comedy, what’s your cocktail pairing?

I love comedies from the 1930s. Those are just my absolute favorite just because they’re funny and I love the characters and the writing and all that, but I also love the worlds they go into. They wear gloves and somebody is mixing a drink or pouring a highball or something. But for me, that’s definitely a martini kind of a movie.

For a drama, I think I enjoy a nice highball. A highball could be anything, with two ounces of any booze and four ounces of any kind of soda. I like to do it with gin. I like to make a good gin highball and that feels refreshing to get you through the heavier moments of a movie. Honestly, for a real heavy drama, I think just obviously just a straight-up scotch is always a great thing to do.

You can never go wrong with a nice pour of scotch, that’s for sure.

Exactly.

What’s your pitch to people who still aren’t sold on gin? Why gin is cool? Why are they going to like it?

Here’s the thing. So many people are into vodka. I love vodka. It’s great. But vodka is vodka basically because it doesn’t taste like anything. It’s regulated to not taste like anything. That’s the great “beginner’s spirit” because you get to mix it in other things. It doesn’t get in the way and you can taste all the other non-alcoholic ingredients if you’re doing that kind of thing or whatever else you’re putting into the drink.

But I think, if you want to walk into adult life, gin is great because it’s complex. It’s not simple. It requires you to be aware of it in a way that vodka doesn’t. A vodka, you can just keep slamming them down and eventually you get drunk and it’s like, “okay…” That’s not the fun of drinking to me.

Drinking is about lifestyle. I think gin brings that lifestyle to people by the fact that it is more complex, just like adult life is complex. But, it’s also fun. Just like adult life can be fun. I think people have to free themselves of their preconceptions about what gin was and really have fun with what gin is now.

The “Feigtini“

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. Artingstall’s Gin
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• 1 oz. sake
• 3 dashes of orange bitters

Method:

• Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker over ice and shake.
• Strain into two chilled martini glasses.
• Squeeze an orange peel over the top and drop it into the drink.

Earlier today, it was announced that HBO has found the star of their upcoming Green Lantern series in Finn Wittrock, who will be playing the hot-headed Guy Gardner. While choosing a different Green Lantern to helm the series seems a solid decision following Ryan Reynold’s portrayal of Hal Jordan in the critically-panned Green Lantern movie released back in 2011, fans are now raising an important question: why isn’t it John Stewart?

I know we said John Stewart. I know we did. https://t.co/icAB81yDD5

— ashley (@ashleyeleigh) April 30, 2021

For those less versed in the DC Universe, Green Lantern is one of DC Comic’s most iconic characters outside of the big three (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) and is largely considered a staple in the universe’s mightiest supergroup, The Justice League. The “Emerald Knight” (real name Alan Scott) first made his debut back in 1940, but was quite different than the Green Lantern we know and love now, simply serving as an earthly, caped vigilante up until the series cancellation in 1949.

In 1959, the character was completely re-written as the cosmic crusader we know now, and became Hal Jordan, a reckless combat pilot turned protector of Earth. Since then, five other people have donned the title Green Lantern: Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, and, most recently, Jessica Cruz. However, while each of these characters are special in their own way, for many John Stewart is the Green Lantern.

I am shocked and baffled that the #GreenLantern series on HBO Max is going to feature Guy Gardner and not John Stewart. I sometimes think that the studios lose sight of the fact that generations of fans know these characters from the animated TV shows as much as anything.

— Christopher Jones (@ChrisJonesArt) April 30, 2021

John Stewart’s appearance in the animated Justice League series solidified him as a superhero staple, so the fact he has yet to get his own film or series comes as both a shock — and insult — to many who long to see more Black heroes grace the big screen. To add insult to injury, apparently Stewart was supposed to in Zack Synder’s Justice League, but was ultimately cut from the project. According to the director, the studio shot a version of the film featuring Green Lantern, but the studio “fought” him before ultimately deciding they didn’t want him “to do Green Lantern.”

This year, the actor meant to play Stewart was revealed to be Wayne T. Carr, who posted an image of the film with the caption “#restorethesynderverse.”

However, even in the Synder cut, Carr was excluded from the team. In a recent interview, Carr said he wasn’t aware of the choice until he began watching the movie. This frustration adds fuel to fans upset at DC’s lack of John Stewart, and diversity, in both their cinematic and television universes. Some have stated perhaps Stewart is once again being kept out of the spotlight to save him for a later film, while others have expressed gratitude that the show seems to be more of an ensemble cast, and will feature Jessica Cruz, a Mexican-American woman, and Simon Baz, a Lebanese-Arab man.

Others, however, are upset the most aggressive, arrogantly, and inconsistent do-gooder is getting his own series. As of right now, the plot of the upcoming series has yet to be revealed, but DC has confirmed it will a “saga spanning decades and galaxies.”

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from DJ Khaled, Gucci Mane, and more.

Even in a slow week like this one, rap’s upper echelons came through and represented well, with Lil Baby and Megan Thee Stallion dropping the “On Me” remix, Cordae sharing his “Dream In Color” video, King Von returning with the video for “Mine Too,” YSL Records showing off their good deeds in the video for “Paid The Fine,” and 42 Dugg and Roddy Ricch contemplating loyalty on “4 Da Gang.”

Friday saw the releases of Jay-Z and Nas’s smooth reunion on DJ Khaled’s “Sorry Not Sorry,” Baby Keem’s twitchy Travis Scott collaboration “Durag Activity,” Yung Baby Tate’s choosy “Eenie Meanie,” and Joyner Lucas’s “Ramen & OJ” featuring the ever busy Lil Baby along with the releases listed below.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending April 30, 2021.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

The Alchemist — This Thing Of Ours [EP]

The Alchemist has been on a hot streak of late, with his production on projects from Armand Hammer, Boldy James, Conway The Machine, and Freddie Gibbs buoying his profile to greater heights than ever before (a Grammy nomination for the Freddie Gibbs collab Alfredo). On this four-song project, he continues to show off his chops with frequent collaborator Earl Sweatshirt and newcomers like Pink Siifu.

DJ Khaled — Khaled Khaled

On the other end of the production spectrum, we have hyper-motivational string-puller DJ Khaled, who once again taps his massive Rolodex of all-stars for another blown-out compilation of radio-baiting potential hits. Included are Cardi B, who gets back in her gangsta music bag on “Big Paper,” and the reunion of Jay-Z and Nas on “Sorry Not Sorry.”

Lil Eazzyy — Rookie Of The Year

Chicago up-and-comer Lil Eazzyy is only a few months removed from his debut project Underrated and its standout single “Onna Come Up,” but he’s already back with full-length release proving his killer instinct. That drive is one of the reasons he’s on Uproxx’s “Rappers To Watch Out For In 2021” list and is likely to take him even further by the time Underrated‘s one-year anniversary rolls around.

Morray — Street Sermons

Fayetteville, North Carolina trapsoul crooner Morray offers up a no-frills vision of the hood similar to Rod Wave, with some unexpected, engaging shots of levity, as on his single “Trenches.”

Singles/Videos

ALLBLACK — “10 Toes” Feat. G-Eazy & E-40

The Bay Area breakout employs a pair of veterans from the region on a chest-thumping turn-up anthem.

Dusty Locane — “Move Doley” Feat. OnPointLikeOp

A dark drill banger that evokes early Pop Smoke, Dusty’s latest defies the mainstream’s beckoning, remaining firmly rooted in the grimy street sound that spawned it.

Melvoni — “Get Money” feat. DDG and Tyla Yahweh

Melvoni’s melodic flow meshes cleanly with DDG’s more aggressive approach, while Tyla’s delivery splits the difference.

Sally Sossa — “Right My Wrongs” Feat. Toosii

Toosii has been everywhere lately, but the real draw is Sally’s relentless cadence, as the Texas native reflects on the ups and downs of pursuing her dream.

TOBi — “Family Matters” Feat. Flo Milli

Canada is a hotbed of emerging talents who seem to get overlooked stateside; perhaps the inclusion of the red-hot Flo Milli will draw the attention that TOBi deserves.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Mitchells Vs. The Machines (Netflix film) — Need something to put the kids’ butts in front of the TV while you take a load off? Or do you need to just relax and enjoy an uplifting family-type film on your own? You’re in luck. This one hails from Oscar-winning producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The LEGO Movie) and includes the voices of Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, and Maya Rudolph, who are here to soothe you while a family pushes against an apparent robot electronic-device uprising. Fortunately, two helpful robots are around to help halt the chaos. Whew.

Yasuke (Netflix series) — Netflix will up its anime game with this dazzling series from Japanese animation studio MAPPA, and the project arrives with quite a pedigree. LaKeith Stanfield voices a character who’s based upon the real-life first African samurai, who struggles to shed his past life of violence while striving to keep a peaceful existence. However, he must reluctantly pick up his sword again when a war-torn, feudal Japanese village becomes ground central for warring daimyo. The score’s courtesy of Flying Lotus, and creator/director/producer LeSean Thomas will build upon his proven track record (The Boondocks, Cannon Busters, and Black Dynamite) of interweaving anime and Black culture with a big boost from head writer Nick Jones Jr.

The Mosquito Coast (Apple TV+ series) — Justin Theroux headlines this series adaptation of Paul Theroux (yes, Paul is Justin’s actual uncle) novel previously brought to life in the mid-1980s with Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and River Phoenix. Fast forward thirty freaking years, and there’s a sweeping version coming your way with all of the Apple TV+-style visuals that they tend to drop into their most “epic” productions. The series itself doesn’t match up to the book or film’s tackling of consumerism as much as it wants to be like Breaking Bad (yet forgot the most important ingredient). Also, Justin Theroux’s character, Allie Fox, is an eccentric, overbearing, and eventually psychotic patriarch who drags his family to Mexico, so get ready for plenty of tense moments.

Invincible (Amazon Prime series) — It’s season finale time, and god only knows what will go down with What Omni-Man Did (a spoiler-filled recap can be found here). This animated romp pleases both fans of The Boys and The Walking Dead, and the latter reference has everything to do with the source material by Robert Kirkman. If you haven’t started yet, it’s a great time to catch up.

The Oprah Conversation (Apple TV+ series) — Elliot Page will sit down for an in-depth interview with Oprah to discuss all manner of issues following his moving social message that he’s transgender. Hopefully, we’ll get a little The Umbrella Academy talk, but one can expect LGBTQ+ issues to stand front and center (including Elliot’s partnership with the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice) in this conversation.

A Black Lady Sketch Show (Friday, HBO 11:00 p.m.) — The fast-paced, quick-witted narrative series returns with loads of celebrity guests, but of course, the sketches all happen by the grace of the core cast, including Robin Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, and Gabrielle Dennis. Issa Rae’s executive producing, and this week, there’s first-class confusion on a vacation to Fiji.

Fear the Walking Dead (Sunday, AMC 9:00 p.m.) — Two weeks after the show brilliantly subverted Negan’s storyline, Virginia is gone, but a greater threat lurks when an infiltration transforms into a rescue mission, and it all has to do with an underground community.

The Nevers (Sunday, HBO 9:00 p.m.) — This Joss Whedon-created show (with a steampunk elephant in the corner) sees Amalia making a list of those who oppose her while Mundi wants justice, and several Orphans work together to interpret a message.

City On A Hill (Sunday, Showtime 9:00 p.m.) — Jackie’s closing in on Grace, Anton is in the wind, Decourcy is sidelined, and Kelvin’s struggling to be a leader.

Mare Of Easttown (Sunday, HBO 10:00 p.m.) — Kate Winslet returns not only to TV but to HBO as a hard-vaping detective in a small town where she both portrays and elevates the “complicated” cop trope. This week, Mare and Helen clash over a custody fight, and then Mare and Colin uncover a likely murder suspect.

Gangs Of London (Sunday, AMC 10:15 p.m.) — Fans of the beloved Peaky Blinders should pay attention because this new series makes Peaky seem like a pleasant walk in London’s Hyde Park. These warring gangs will prove to be entertaining for anyone who loves The Sopranos or any of Marty Scorsese’s mob pictures.

Couples Therapy (Sunday, Showtime 10:00 & 10:30 p.m.) — Dr. Orna Guralnik is guiding a new trio of couples through all of their conflict and resentments and otherwise unhealthy behavior, all with the hope of keeping them together.

Last Week Tonight (Sunday, HBO 10:00 p.m.) — Please, let John Oliver tackle Ted Cruz again.

Desus & Mero (Sunday, Showtime 11:00 p.m.) — Taylour Paige is the illustrious guest.

Here are some more fresh streaming picks:

The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 4 (Hulu series) — Elisabeth Moss has so much going on these days, but she’s going back again to fight for freedom against the totalitarian government of Gilead. This season, she’ll lead the rebellion while fighting for justice and revenge, but perhaps the biggest threat she’ll face is staying true to herself and the relationships that she values most. Moss and the show keep on racking up Emmys, and she’s back with more with Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, O-T Fagbenle, Bradley Whitford, and Max Minghella. Expect the show to get nomadic this season, leaving the Boston area and officially abandoning home base, which must have presented quite the challenge while filming during a pandemic (as if the show wasn’t socially relevant enough already).

Mortal Kombat (Warner Bros. film on HBO Max) — We’ve got another blockbuster-type movie in our living rooms this weekend, and this incarnation promises to be R-rated to the max with plenty of carnage in tune with the video game. Among other qualifications to that point, James Wan produced, so that makes sense! In all seriousness, this is a more serious treatment than the 1990s film, and we’ll get to see Sub-Zero hunting down MMA fighter Cole Young, and someone will end up being the loser of the “finish him” concept. HBO Max released the first seven minutes of the film ahead of time, if you’d like to get a taste of the bloodshed coming to your TV screen.

Bigger (BET+ series) — Season 2 brings back the fan-favorite Will Packer comedy about thirty-somethings living in Atlanta, while they attempt to maneuver their way through, well, life. That would include professional, personal and other such obstacles, all while searching for love and dealing with uncomfortable truths on occasion. The whole season dropped at once, only on BET+

Things Heard & Seen (Netflix film) — Amanda Seyfried stars as a couple that realizes that a sinister darkness plagues their marriage and fits right in with their new home’s past. The story’s based upon Elizabeth Brundage’s novel, and it takes place in the Hudson Valley. Seyfried’s better at the spooky-eyed look than most of her contemporaries, and her displaced Manhattanite character benefits from that vibe.

The SNL cast and writers have not been shy about their feelings for Elon Musk.

After the Tesla CEO and third richest person in the world was announced as the host of the May 8 episode, Bowen Yang took to Instagram to ask “what the f*ck does this even mean?” after Musk tweeted, “Let’s find out just how live Saturday Night Live really is.” Aidy Bryant shared a Bernie Sanders quote (“The 50 wealthiest people in America today own more wealth than the bottom half… That is a moral obscenity”), while writer Andrew Dismukes wrote that the “ONLY CEO I WANT TO DO A SKETCH WITH IS CHER-E OTERI,” along with a photo of SNL great Cheri Oteri. (#LetCheriOteriHostSNL.)

Page Six is now reporting that the cast allegedly won’t have to share sketches with Musk if they don’t want to. “Saturday Night Live cast members won’t be forced to appear alongside controversial billionaire Elon Musk when he hosts the show,” the article reads, along with a quote from an unnamed source.

“Speaking historically, if a cast member has been that unhappy, they don’t have to do it. “[SNL boss Lorne Michaels] won’t ever make them do anything they don’t want to do,” they said.

This Page Six report should be taken with a King Kong-sized grain of salt, but if Musk spends the entire episode by himself yelling “I’M PICKLE RICK,” you’ll know why.

(Via Page Six)

It’s hard to argue the appeal of the IPA. The most popular craft beer style in America, also known as the India Pale Ale, this variety of beer was first brewed in the 1700s in order to keep fresh during the grueling, months-long journey from England to India. Since the temperatures in India made brewing impossible and the British Empire still wanted some refreshing beer to sip on, this style became their go-to option. (Sadly, the Brits didn’t consider “not being colonialists who ravage every country we visit” to be a plausible choice.)

A London brewer named Hodgson was the first to brew a strong, super-hopped beer — which he referred to as October Ale — for this express purpose. It arrived in India and was not only highly drinkable, but the flavors melded together so well during the trip it became the standard way to ship beer to the colonies in India. Over the centuries, the recipe has evolved and branched out into wide-ranging varieties, including the West Coast, East Coast, New England-Style, and others.

After a massive boom in the late ’90s and into the early 2000s, which then became the broader craft beer boom, the IPA continues to reign supreme as the most common beer style in the US, with many of the most famous iterations available on grocery store shelves from Tampa to Temecula. Which made us wonder: Which of these beers is the best based on taste alone? In order to get an answer, we bind taste-tested each one — check our method and results below!

Part 1: The Taste

Instead of branching out into the different IPA offshoots, we figured we’d stick to the classics. We picked Cigar City Jai Alai, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, Goose Island IPA, Stone IPA, Founders All Day IPA, Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, Lagunitas IPA, and Firestone Walker Union Jack.

Let’s get this IPA party started!

Taste 1:

I got the aromas of guava, candied pineapple, grapefruit, and bright, floral scents before taking my first sip. The palate was full of tropical fruits like mangos and pineapple as well as candied orange peels, limes, and a nice hit of piney, bitter hops. It all ended with a nice mixture of bitter hops and sweet fruits.

Taste 2:

On the nose, I found a lot of citrus flavors — predominantly lime, tangerine, and grapefruit. This is along with a strong pine flavor and just a hint of caramel malts landed on the palate. That evolved into ripe pineapple, lime zest, and a nice mix of bitter hops and sweet, candy-like malts.

Taste 3:

This is a very aromatic beer. Right away, I was blown away by scents of tangerines, lemon zest, pineapple, and spicy, resinous hops. The sip opened a doorway to a world of freshly cut grass, tropical fruits, blood oranges, and dank, piney hops. The finish is a nice combination of sweet malts and citrus and resinous, subtly bitter hops.

Taste 4:

The initial nosing revealed fewer hops aromas than anticipated. This is not to say that there weren’t noticeable scents. Sweet malts, subtle citrus zest, floral hops, and just a hint of pepper are there. But not a lot of hoppiness.

The palate was filled with notes of tropical fruits, fresh-cut grass, and floral, bitter hops. It all ended with a decent balance of malts and hops.

Taste 5:

Taking a whiff of this mystery beer left my nose with potent scents of lemon peels, sweet malts, and a seemingly endless pine tree forest. To say it’s bold is an understatement. On the palate, I got ripe, tart grapefruit, bold pine, and a lot of bitter, floral hops. The finish is dry and fairly bitter… if you’re into that sort of thing.

Taste 6:

A lot is going on with this beer. There’s a great deal of orange zest, grapefruit, lemongrass, and pine scents on the nose. The palate is a little thinner than the nose and that’s not such a bad thing. There are flavors of tangerine, lemon, subtly sweet males, and a nice, pleasing resin. The finish is dry, refreshing, and has a nice pine and citrus ending.

Taste 7:

If there was a beer in this batch that could be described as dank, this would be it. Right away, aromas of resinous pine and grapefruit are at the forefront, with just a hint of sweet malts in the background. The flavor is all pine, citrus zest, tropical fruits, and a fair amount of bitterness at the end.

A lot is going on with this beer.

Taste 8:

On the nose, the noticeable aromas are those of caramel malts, ripe grapefruit, mango, pineapple, and a nice floral backbone. This super hoppy beer carries flavors of juicy tangerine, fresh pineapple, mango, sweet, cereal notes, and a nice combination of tropical fruits and bitter, piney hops at the very end.

Part 2: The Ranking

A blind taste test can really prove eyeopening and this one definitely was for me. No stigmas. No preconceived ideas. Just the flavors.

From the final rankings below, it’s obvious that I prefer my IPAs more full-flavored and well-rounded than floral and bitter.

8) Stone IPA (Taste 5)

ABV: 6.9%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

First brewed to celebrate Stone’s anniversary in 1997, this has become one of the most popular West Coast-style IPAs in America. This pine and citrus, bitterly hopped IPA was brewed with a smattering of Magnum, Chinook, Centennial, Azacca, Calypso, Motueka, Ella, and Vic Secret hops.

Bottom Line:

When you have eight beers of this magnitude, there’s no shame in coming in eighth. If you’re a fan of citrus and pine and subtly bitter beers, this is your jam.

7) Lagunitas IPA (Taste 4)

ABV: 6.2%
Average Price: $8.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Lagunitas is well-known for its ability to craft well-made, super hoppy beers. Its flagship IPA, while loaded with hops, was created to be more of a well-rounded offering, with a better malt to hops ratio than its other West Coast counterparts. It’s highly crushable, refreshing, and well-suited for warm-weather drinking.

Bottom Line:

More well-balanced than Stone IPA, but it didn’t have as much malt character as was touted. Still filled with citrus and floral, bitter hops.

6) Ballast Point Sculpin IPA (Taste 7)

ABV: 7%
Average Price: $13.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

There’s a reason Ballast Point Sculpin IPA is consistently ranked as one of the top IPAs in the world. This widely available, year-round offering from the San Diego brewery gets its bold, bright, citrus flavor from being hopped at five different stages in the brewing process.

Bottom Line:

In all honesty, it was a little surprising to find this highly regarded beer sitting so low on the list. I think it’s just a little too bitter and has a bit too much tart grapefruit flavor for my palate.

5) Goose Island IPA (Taste 6)

ABV: 5.9%
Average Price: $12.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

This award-winning beer from Chicago’s Goose Island is lower in alcohol than some of the other IPAs on this list and that’s not necessarily a bad thing (for me!). Brewed with Pilgrim, Celeia, Cascade, and Centennial hops, along with 2-Row, Bon, Munich, and C-20 malts, this is a highly complex, supremely well-rounded beer.

Bottom Line:

While not a session beer, Goose Island IPA is lower in alcohol than most of the other well-known IPAs on the market. But just because it’s lower in alcohol, that doesn’t mean it’s any weaker in the flavor department.

4) Founders All Day IPA

ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: $20 for a 15-pack

The Beer:

When it comes to session IPAs, there’ no bigger name than Founders All Day IPA. This supremely balanced beer made with just the right ratio of malts, grains, and hops is crisp, crushable, and exactly the type of beer you’d want to stock for a sunny afternoon of drinking and playing yard games. This beer is so popular that Founders recently launched a complimentary wheat beer version.

Bottom Line:

I was very surprised to learn that this was Founders All Day IPA, as I didn’t expect it to have such strong aromas and flavor. It’s a little muted for bold West Coast IPA fans, but highly drinkable.

3) Cigar City Jai Alai (Taste 3)

ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $11.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

While Tampa’s Cigar City is a big name in the craft beer world, it didn’t start that way. It took the popularity of its flagship Jai Alai IPA to push it into the national forefront. Named for the super violent sport enjoyed in this region of Florida, this beer comes brewed with six different hops.

Bottom Line:

To be honest, this is my go-to IPA and I’m surprised it didn’t finish even higher than third. It’s highly drinkable and filled with fresh citrus flavors.

2) Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA (Taste 1)

ABV: 7%
Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA is one of the most highly regarded West Coast IPAs. Its name is a reference to the homeland of one of its two founders. Brewed with CTZ, Cascade, and Centennial hops before being dry-hopped with Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo, and Chinook hops, this is truly a hop-head’s dream.

Bottom Line:

There’s a reason this OG West Coast IPA is still as popular today as it was more than a decade ago, when it was introduced. While loaded with bitter, floral hops, there’s a whole slew of other fruity, fresh flavors. I loved this one.

1) Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale (Taste 8)

ABV: 7%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Michigan’s Bell’s Brewing has gained a reputation for crafting well-made, highly drinkable beers. Its version of the classic West Coast-style IPA is a little different from some of its rivals. Instead of being loaded with a half dozen varieties, Bell’s Two-Hearted is brewed solely with Centennial hops.

Bottom Line:

It shouldn’t be surprising that this beer took the top spot. It might be the most well-rounded of the bunch while still carrying a bright, piney hop aroma and flavor. A gem for any IPA lover and a champion in this blind test.

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

Kelly Donohue ended a three-game “Jeopardy!” winning streak Tuesday night, leaving him with an impressive $80,601 in cash. But his performances have set off a social media firestorm because of two instances that some claimed were racist signals.

The situation inspired an open letter addressing the issue signed by over 500 former “Jeopardy!” contestants.

Throughout Donoahue’s brief run on the show, he signaled the number of games he won through hand gestures. After his first win last Friday, he held up one finger and after his Monday victory, he held up two. That was all fine and good. But it was after his third victory that things got complicated.

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On Tuesday, he held up three fingers and it caused a lot of discussion on social media.

@andersoncooper did you notice contestant Kelly Donohue flash the white power sign on the show tonight??? #jeopardy https://t.co/Nw7mbRjMkw

— West Law Firm | Nyasha West (@NWestEsq)
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The three-finger symbol he made resembles the “okay” sign, a gesture that was officially designated as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League in 2019. The gesture is similar to one used by the white supremacist group the Three Percenters and the Proud Boys.

But it’s also how a lot of people make a number three with their hands.

The group of former contestants didn’t see it as a clear-cut symbol for the number three. “He held his thumb and forefinger together with his other three fingers extended and palm facing inward, and he tapped his chest,” the open letter says.

“This, whether intentional or not, resembled very closely a gesture that has been coopted by white power groups, alt right groups, and an anti-government group that calls itself the Three Percenters,” the letter continued.

“Stand Back and Stand By”

Roger Stone with the White Supremacist Proud Boys, putting up the “OK hand symbol”. (Sar… https://t.co/dGQE6JGfU3

— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦, 𝐌𝐒𝐖☯️ (@Starscream35)
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Donohue also courted controversy during his Monday performance by using the term “Gypsy” to refer to Roma people. “The use of this term doesn’t necessarily indicate malice; until recently, it was widely used by English speakers,” the letter reads. “Current diversity style guides, however, suggest that it not be used, and that Roma or Romani be used instead. Host Anderson Cooper noted this on-air.”

The group of former contestants couldn’t believe that both incidents made it on air because, in the past, “Jeopardy!” producers have edited or reshot moments from the show that could cause controversy.

Donohue’s first response to allegations that this three symbol was a hate gesture was pretty clear.

“That’s a 3. No more. No less,” he wrote on Facebook. But his statement wasn’t enough for the former contestants who urged him to provide an “an apology and a total disavowal of any connection to white supremacist doctrines is called for.”

So Donahue responded with a powerful post on Facebook where he clearly condemned white supremacy.

I’m truly horrified with what has been posted about me on social media. I absolutely, unequivocally condemn white supremacy and racism of any kind. People who know me personally know that I am not a racist, but for the public at large it bears repeating: I am not a racist and I reject and condemn white supremacy and all forms of bigotry for the evil they are.

I’m truly horrified with what has been posted about me on social media. I absolutely, unequivocally condemn white supremacy and racism of any kind. People who know me personally know that I am not a racist, but for the public at large it bears repeating: I am not a racist and I reject and condemn white supremacy and all forms of bigotry for the evil they are. It’s shameful to me to think anyone would try to use the stage of Jeopardy! to advance or promote such a disgusting agenda. During the taping of my fourth episode, I was simply raising three fingers to mark my 3rd win. There was nothing more I was trying to indicate.

I deeply regret this terrible misunderstanding. I never meant to hurt a soul and I assure you I am no friend of racists or white supremacists.

I removed the previous post because the comments were more than I could bear. I stand by the statement itself and you can find it reported in other media. I did, however, understand the fair criticism that I did not include a forceful condemnation of white supremacy in my initial statement. I hope my feelings on that matter are clear now.

Donohue’s story shows that there is so much tension around race in America that it’s pretty easy for someone to accidentally find themselves in hot water. Most people probably aren’t that well-versed in white supremacist hand gestures or slurs for Romani people, so it’s pretty easy to assume that Donohue walked into the situation unknowingly.

While the former “Jeopardy!” contestants saw Donohue’s performance as an opportunity to demand an apology from him, that may not have been the best way to handle things. In a situation where things are pretty nebulous, why not take the opportunity to educate the general public on racist slurs and hand gestures instead of making it personal? Their false accusation could have unfairly destroyed Donohue’s life and the unjust impact their letter will have on him is still yet to be determined. Wouldn’t it be nice if they responded to his thoughtful statement with a diplomatic statement of their own and show all of us how to have a meaningful dialogue?

It’s been over 20 years since the release of the original Pokemon Snap, and never has it been more apparent just how much time has passed as when players bump into New Pokemon Snap’s huge cameo: original Pokemon photographer Todd Snap.

For those who have played the classic Nintendo 64 title, you might recognize Todd as, well, you. Back in the original game, players took on the role of the budding photographer, guiding him on various expeditions as he cataloged Pokemon for Professor Oak. Back in 1999, Todd was the same age as presumably the bulk of the Pokemon fanbase, new to double digits and mere moments away from raging hormones.

However, in New Pokemon Snap, Todd is now a fully-grown man and world-famous Pokemon photographer who has come to the Lental region to assist Professor Mirror in his efforts to learn more about wild Pokemon. A key part of this endeavor is taking on the role of mentor to the new generation of Pokemon photographers: your rival, Phil, and you. In addition to helping you improve your skills behind the lens, Todd provides players with Research Requests that unlock stickers you can use to decorate your photographs before sharing them with the world.

You can catch Todd, and ’em all on film, in the newest Pokemon title New Pokemon Snap, out today on Nintendo Switch.

Taika Waititi is known across the Marvel Cinematic Universe for his Thor movies, sure, but outside of it, he’s also known for popping up in on-camera roles in projects he’s manning behind the scenes. And according to a new report, Waititi has decided the best person to play the legendary pirate Blackbeard in an upcoming HBO project he’s producing is, well, himself. Tough to argue with the logic there, honestly.

The Thor: Ragnarok director is apparently pulling double duty for Our Flag Means Death, a project centering on a pirate played by Rhys Darby. According to Variety, the JoJo Rabbit director will officially step in as Blackbeard, who will show up in the comedy at some point.

It was previously announced that Waititi would executive produce and direct the pilot for “Our Flag Means Death” when the show was ordered to series in September 2020. The show is loosely based on the true adventures of Stede Bonnet (Darby), a pampered aristocrat who abandoned his life of privilege to become a pirate.

“Our Blackbeard is a legend, a lover, a fighter, a tactical genius, a poetic soul, and quite possibly insane,” said series creator David Jenkins. “Only one man could play this role, and that is the great Taika Waititi. We’re thrilled beyond measure he’s decided to don the beard.”

It’s not exactly a stretch for Waititi to play a notable figure from history in a comedic way. In the lovely JoJo Rabbit, for example, a film for which he took home a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar, he also portrayed a surprisingly funny version of Adolf Hitler. Compared to that role, all things considered, humanizing Blackbeard should be a breeze.