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On Tuesday word broke that Tom Cruise had blown up on two crew members on the set of the seventh Mission: Impossible, tearing into them with an epic, profanity-strewn tirade. But it wasn’t some diva move. Cruise was furious that he caught two people not obeying social distancing, at a time when movie production has hesitantly come back while dealing with a still rampaging pandemic. Social media doesn’t always have the sometimes controversial movie star’s back. But this time they did.

Still, Cruise really let them have it. After it was first reported by The Sun (then confirmed by Variety), audio eventually leaked, and you could hear him start around 11, then keep up that intensity for almost 2 ½ minutes. (And the audio is incomplete, so who knows how long it really went.) After catching the crew members not obeying strict COVID-19 safety precautions — when multiple productions have had to go on pause after outbreaks, including Mission: Impossible 7, which began filming before the pandemic — Cruise tore into them.

“I’m on the phone with every f*cking studio at night, insurance companies, producers and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies,” Cruise yelled. He continued:

“We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherf*ckers. I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever!” He stressed that the industry was in real trouble. You can tell it to the people who are losing their f*cking homes because our industry is shut down … It’s not going to put food on their table or pay for their college education. That’s what I sleep with every night – the future of this f*cking industry!”

He tried to calm down a bit, apologizing for being so angry. But he ultimately stood his ground. “I have told you, and now I want it, and if you don’t do it, you’re out. We are not shutting this f*cking movie down! Is it understood?” he told them. “If I see it again, you’re f*cking gone.”

This wasn’t a typical leaked audio of some movie star mistreating lowly crew members. Cruise was righteous in his anger. And people online were on his side.

Some asked if he could come back to America, the land of the mask skeptics.

Soon the words “Good for Tom” was trending.

Some did wrestle with some of Cruise’s other beliefs.

Others compared and contrasted him with another high-profile case of a movie blowing up on a crew member: the one in 2009 in which Christian Bale infamously over-reacted to a crew member accidentally causing him to blow a take on Terminator: Salvation. In that case, the public did not side with the actor.

Others thought maybe Cruise and Bale should team up.

And it made some think of past movies where Cruise gets very upset.

In any case, consider this the opposite of the notorious “couch jumping” scandal — which, incidentally was mostly taken out-of-context anyway, leading to an undeserving backlash — from the mid-aughts. This was one Tom Cruise outburst that made people like him even more.

Tequila truly contains multitudes. On one side of the bell curve, you have the bargain-basement level, uncomfortably harsh well-variety shooting spirit. On the other, you have more expensive, mature juice, with layers of flavors and plenty of nuance.

As the tequila world expands, the space between these opposite poles is in a state of flux. Even the cheaper bottles are rapidly improving, while the more expensive expressions continue to evolve in craftsmanship. In 2020, it ought to go without saying that an extra añejo tequila can reach the heights of any rye, bourbon, scotch, or brandy on the market.

With mezcal also booming, it’s a good time to be a fan of agave spirits.

We could spend all day writing about bargain tequilas (and we have), but this time around we’re turning our attention to the expensive stuff. Below you’ll find eight of our favorite top-shelf tequilas, all worth their (relatively) hefty price tags.

Fortaleza Añejo

ABV: 40%

Price: $78.99

The Story:

This 100% Blue Weber agave-based tequila was fermented in open-air wood tanks and matured to perfection for eighteen months in American oak barrels. The result is an extremely mellow, easy-to-sip tequila that will make you forget all about the plastic handles you purchased years ago.

Tasting Notes:

You’ll want to give this tequila a nice nosing before taking your first sip. You’ll be treated to aromas of brown sugar, toasted vanilla beans, and charred oak. The roasted agave flavor is obvious on the palate. This is followed by dried orange peel, candied toffee, almonds, and caramel flavors. The finish is warming, long, and ends with a final hit of charred agave.

Bottom Line:

This is the kind of expression that will convert tequila haters. The maturation and high-quality ingredients will appeal to even the snobbiest whiskey fans.

Jose Cuervo Reserva De La Familia

ABV: 40%

Price: $169.99

The Story:

Hand-selected from the Cuervo family private collection, this extra-añejo is made from 100% Blue Weber agave and aged in American and French oak casks for at least three years. The result is a complex, layered tequila that’s most suited for sipping neat.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find scents of sweet toffee, molasses, and vegetal agave. The first sip brings flavors of vanilla beans, buttery caramel, charred oak, and honey. The finish is long, warming, and ends with a nice punch of sweet brown sugar.

Bottom Line:

Save the cheap Jose Cuervo for shots and mixing. Drink this tequila neat after a heavy meal. You’ll be so happy with its digestive properties that you’ll probably put back more than one.

Avión Reserva 44

ABV: 40%

Price: $129.99

The Story:

This small-batch tequila drinks more like a whiskey than any tequila we’ve ever had. That’s because, on top of being made from 100% Blue Weber agave, it’s aged for 43 months in American oak casks before spending another month in special, daily rotated petite barrels.

Tasting Notes:

If you take a moment to savor the aromas, you’ll be greeted with subtle spice, roasted, vegetal agave, and caramelized sugar. The first sip yields dried fruits, nutty sweetness, and smoky, toasted oak. The finish is medium in length and ends some nice, subtle spice.

Bottom Line:

Avión is a whole lot more than just “the tequila from Entourage.” Though sipping this bottle will make you feel famous.

Clase Azul Reposado

ABV: 40%

Price: $139.99

The Story:

Clase Azul is widely known as an expensive brand, but I’m here to tell you that (if you have the cash) it’s worth it. Not only is this tequila made using the highest quality Blue Weber agave and aged for eight months in oak casks, but its bottle is a work of art, handcrafted in Mexico.

Tasting Notes:

Fill your nostrils with the scents of roasted agave, brown sugar, and spicy cinnamon. From there, you’ll enjoy flavors of clover honey, vegetal sweetness, caramel apples, and charred oak. The finish is long, full of warmth, and ends with a flourish of cinnamon spice.

Tasting Notes:

Display this bottle prominently, but take your time enjoying it. Save it for a special occasion or share it with your favorite sibling. Just don’t tell the others.

Tears of Llorona No. 3 Extra Añejo

ABV: 43%

Price: $229.99

The Story:

This extra añejo was aged in a combination of Cognac, sherry, and scotch barrels for at least five years in total. The result is a highly complex, flavorful tequila that really does measure up to the price.

Tasting Notes:

You’ll want to sniff this tequila before your first sip. On the nose, you’ll find hints of dried cherries, sweet vanilla, toasted oak, and subtle agave. Upon taking a sip, you’ll be met with caramelized sugar, sweet agave, cocoa, and cinnamon. The finish is sweet, medium in length, and ends with more caramel sweetness.

Bottom Line:

This is a bourbon drinker’s tequila. It’s so unique and complex, you’ll want to pour it, let it breathe for a few moments, and then savor every single note.

El Tesoro Paradiso

ABV: 40%

Price: $119.99

The Story:

El Tesoro is already known for its high-quality tequilas. That reputation is most obvious when you take a sip of El Tesoro Paradiso. Aged for five years in ex-Cognac French oak casks, this spirit has unique, pleasing flavors that you won’t find in any other tequila.

In short, it’s been racking up awards for a reason.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is subtly smoky with hints of caramelized sugar, charred oak, and fresh mint. The first sip is filled with brown sugar, roasted agave, rich vanilla, and sweet cream. The finish is long, warming, and ends with a final waft of pleasing smoke.

Bottom Line:

Take a trip to paradise in the middle of winter by slowly sipping a glass (or two) of this tequila neat. You’ll forget all about the short, cold days.

Don Julio 1942

ABV: 40%

Price: $159.99

The Story:

Don Julio 1942 is one of the most well-known luxury tequilas on the market, and it’s not just because of the iconic, long-necked bottled. It’s made in small batches and aged for at least two and half years in oak casks — all to pay homage to the 60th anniversary of Don Julio’s first distillery.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll get nutty sweetness and hints of roasted agave, molasses, and creamy vanilla. The first sip is filled with caramelized sugar, spicy cinnamon, and just a hint of cracked black pepper. The finish is long, warming, and ends with a nice combination of caramel and dark chocolate.

Bottom Line:

This is a bottle to be treasured. If you’re spending the cash to get it, make sure you don’t have a crazy evening where you drink it all. You want to remember savoring this one.

Casa Noble Single Barrel Extra Añejo

ABV: 40%

Price: $119.99

The Story:

Casa Noble is one of the most underrated tequila brands on the market. If you have the money, you can do a lot worse than the brand’s Single Barrel Extra Añejo. Bottled from only one barrel, this tequila is extra-aged in French white oak casks. It’s mellow, rich, and perfect for whiskey drinkers as well as tequila fans.

Tasting Notes:

Take a nice sniff of this high-quality tequila and you’ll be greeted with milk chocolate, peppery spice, and charred oak. The first sip is full of spicy cinnamon, caramelized sugar, sweet molasses, and roasted agave. The finish is long, warming, and ends with a pleasing kiss of campfire smoke.

Shawn Mendes is less than two weeks removed from the release of his fourth album, Wonder, which topped the Billboard albums chart, making it his fourth straight debut at No. 1. He also became the youngest male artist to top the charts with four full-length albums at just 22 years old. Now Mendes is ready to give back to the community. The Shawn Mendes Foundation announced that they will partner with Google to give the first set of his Wonder Grants to up-and-coming creatives.

The grants aim to empower the youth by launching their projects in various fields, including music, film, education, science, environment, and technology. Google also plans to give the recipients the latest technology from the company. “I’m grateful to be able to provide grants through my Foundation, with Google’s support, to young leaders who are on the ground innovating change,” Mendes said in a press statement. “I am so inspired by their work and want to continue to empower young people daring to wonder in the service of others.”

The singer’s foundation has already picked five Wonder Grant recipients. Mendes shared a video to his social media pages of the first recipient, Fanta Ballo from Harlem, New York, reciting one of her poems. The remaining four winners will be announced on the foundation’s Instagram page in 2021.

For weeks, trade winds have swirled around James Harden, and things got even louder when the Houston Rockets star didn’t arrive to training camp alongside his teammates. Harden did eventually show up, however, and he made his preseason debut on Tuesday evening in a home game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Predictably, Harden showed plenty of flashes in his limited deployment, getting buckets as he often does.

Before tip-off, though, Twitter got a hold of a photo that didn’t paint Harden in the most flattering light and, at first, there was confusion and bewilderment.

Then, the jokes began flying in earnest.

Harden was visually compared to Rick Ross and others, including former NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins.

While the jokes were inevitable and unceasing, it is also wise to point out that, a) Harden looked totally fine when he took the court and, b) the pandemic has been at least a little bit tough for everyone.

Harden also looked more than okay physically on Monday when video circulated during a workout.

All things considered, Harden has been an example of impressive durability in recent years, churning out production and always showing up for work. While his reported desire to find a trade is a factor that will contribute to many takes about Harden as 2021 nears, it would be wise to keep in mind just how productive and consistent he is on a game-to-game basis.

The Rockets may move on from Harden, as reportedly requested, in the coming days and, if they do, things will be quite different in Houston. Still, it would be (way) too aggressive to assume that Harden is going to enter the 2020-21 campaign in shape as poor as one photo suggested, but it only takes one snapshot to get observed riled up in the preseason.

Unlike his successor Donald Trump, who doesn’t even understand his favorite movie, Citizen Kane, Barack Obama is a voracious and adventurous watcher of movies and TV. He publishes a Top 10 favorite films list every year. (Last year’s gave Parasite, Little Women, Booksmart and more some love, ditto shows like Fleabag.) He’s yet to make his 2020 list available, but while speaking to Entertainment Weekly about his latest book, A Promised Land, the 44th president singled out some shows he watched “when I need a break.”

Of course, Obama isn’t watching, say, Real Housewives or Below Deck to unwind. He throws on serious stuff like Better Call Saul, “because of its great characters and examination of the dark side of the American dream.” He also admired Damon Lindelhof’s sequel show Watchmen and Amazon’s nasty, satirical The Boys, “for how they turn superhero conventions on their heads to lay bare issues of race, capitalism, and the distorting effects of corporate power and mass media.”

Obama did enjoy some lighter fare, even if it, too, dwelt on heavy themes. Which is to say he adored The Good Place, which he called “a wise and sweet combination of goofy comedy and big philosophical questions.” But he had another, more surefire way of kicking back: the NBA — “because it’s hoops!”

The news that the former much-loved president was really into The Boys really made the day for its creator, Erik Kripke.

Ditto some of its stars.

So congrats, all, on the huge honor! It’s far better to know Obama is watching, and loving, your work than it is to be Kristen Stewart knowing that Trump is creepily obsessing over Twilight.

(Via EW)

Despite the fact that it was released in 2018, Among Us is on the list of gaming’s biggest breakout hits during 2020. An online multiple game that can be played in groups from across the world, Among Us exploded in popularity as people were stuck inside during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming an easy way for people to interact with one another and have from doing it no matter where they were located.

The game was originally released on Android and iOS in mid-2018, and a few months later, Among Us made its debut on PCs. It had existed on those various platforms ever since, but on Tuesday, big news came out of the gaming universe when Nintendo announced that Among Us is now available on the Switch. The news dropped in a video on the official Nintendo YouTube page.

The fine folks at Among Us announced the news on Twitter, too, and included a fun detail: Instead of being a game that is exclusively played by folks on Switches, this version will have cross-platform capabilities, meaning you can pick up your Switch, fire up the game, and play with your friends who are staring at their iPhone.

The announcement comes a few days after Among Us took home Best Mobile Game and Best Multiplayer Game at the Game Awards 2020.

For nearly a week now, Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin have covered songs by Jewish artists as a part of their ongoing series The Hannukkah Sessions. For the sixth installment, the two take on Elastica’s “Connection,” a song from the British rock band’s self-titled 1994 album. The duo’s excitement was clear in the video’s description which read, “From Brit Milot to Britpop…here’s one of the coolest tracks from the 90’s….sung by the very cool…and Jewish…Justine Frischmann…ELASTICA!”

Grohl and Kurstin’s series first began on December 10 with a cover of The Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.” Since then the duo has covered Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen,” Peaches’ “F*ck The Pain Away,” and Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.” The Hannukkah Sessions will cover the span of the Jewish holiday, which lasts for eight days. This means the duo has just two installments left until the series will come to a close.

Once The Hannukkah Sessions concludes, the next piece of content will most likely have to do with his Foo Fighters band’s upcoming album, Medicine At Midnight, which is locked in for a February 5th release date.

You can watch the cover of “Connection” in the video above.

Medicine At Midnight is out 2/5 via Roswell/RCA. Pre-order it here.

Movies have been back in production for a while now, but with one giant caveat: There’s still an out-of-control pandemic happening, and now cast to crew have to obey strict COVID-19 protocol lest everyone get infected. But one person seems to be taking it even more seriously than everyone else: Tom Cruise. (Though he did brave a movie theater to go see Tenet.) In audio obtained by The Sun (and later verified by Variety), the superstar can be heard launching into a sweary tirade after catching two crew members not obeying social distancing.

The crew in question were reportedly standing too close to each other when Cruise caught them. That’s when the actor — who often risks his very life to entertain us, but is clearly not about to catch a highly contagious virus — went to town.

“We are the gold standard. They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us. Because they believe in us and what we’re doing,” Cruise is heard saying. “I’m on the phone with every f*cking studio at night, insurance companies, producers and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies. We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherf*ckers. I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever!”

He wasn’t done. “You can tell it to the people who are losing their f*cking homes because our industry is shut down,” Cruise told them. “It’s not going to put food on their table or pay for their college education. That’s what I sleep with every night – the future of this f*cking industry!”

He then backed off a bit, though not entirely. “So I’m sorry, I am beyond your apologies,” he said. “I have told you, and now I want it, and if you don’t do it, you’re out. We are not shutting this f*cking movie down! Is it understood? If I see it again, you’re f*cking gone.”

But he still had some fight left. “Am I clear? Do you understand what I want? Do you understand the responsibility that I have? Because I will deal with your reason, and if you can’t be reasonable and I can’t deal with your logic, you’re fired,” Cruise told them. “That’s it. That is it. I trust you guys to be here.”

You can hear the audio here.

But it’s likely it won’t be received the same way that, for instance, Christian Bale’s notorious blow-up on the set of Terminator: Salvation was. Bale was in the wrong there; Cruise is not. Even if he went ultra, it’s because he clearly wants a safe set. Many productions have had to go on pause because of COVID-19 outbreaks. Cruise obviously does not want the same fate to befall Mission: Impossible 7. In fact, people are already commending him for being a voice of reason when too many people are “mask-skeptics,” even as cases skyrocket.

Although the news did take some people aback.

(Via The Sun and Variety)

A Whitney Houston movie has been in the works since 2012, the same year the legendary R&B singer died. It’s been in development hell for so long that there’s already been a Lifetime TV movie, directed by no less than actress Angela Bassett. But the big screen version looks like it’s finally coming together. It even, as per The Hollywood Reporter, has its Whitney: English actress Naomi Ackie, who was seen last year in a pivotal role in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker.

Ackie is the result of a worldwide search to find someone with the charisma and the vocal chops to play the singer, who skyrocketed to fame in the 1980s, had numerous top of the chart hits, including the song that inspired the biopic’s title, I Want to Dance with Somebody. Personal problems, including drug use, led to a slow decline, ending with her dying at only 48. The cause was accidental drowning in her bathtub, an incident caused by heart disease and cocaine intoxication.

The English actress first came to notice with the art film drama Lady Macbeth, which also made a name of its star, Florence Pugh. In Rise of Skywalker, Ackie played Jannah, a former stormtrooper who winds up, like John Boyega’s Finn before her, joining the resistance. She also had roles in the popular Netflix show The End of the F***ing World and in Desiree Akhavan’s The Bisexual. Perhaps the Whitney movie will recreate her infamous run-in with a soused Serge Gainsbourg on French television, which ended with her knowing exactly how to handle him getting fresh.

(Via THR)

Tyrese is known for many things, a multi-hyphenate artist who seamlessly transitioned from singing and songwriting, to acting, and back again. There’s also that matter of his feud with The Rock, which is apparently resolved now. But today he’s offering his thoughts on some medical issues instead of various artforms, namely, how to stay safe from COVID-19. On Instagram today, Tyrese posted his thoughts on the virus and some preventive measures he thinks keep him healthy.

Random shit I think of on flights…

One of my secrets for staying COVID free is I sleep with the heat on 90 degrees every night…… Been sleeping at this temp for 15 years so it’s nothing new….. But….. Rumor has it if you catch Covid it doesn’t survive warm temperatures…..another random thought is people are not loyal to you… They are loyal to what they want FROM you…. It’s ok to be cool with people who you clearly see and KNOW they want something…. As long as you are CLEAR about their CLEAR intentions….. just know… Soon as they don’t get what they want…. They will disappear faster than you can blink…. And just leave you standing there confused, shook and feeling like wtf just happened…… I’m a self professed alpha empath….. My alpha will turn fragile insecure people away… When that happens it makes me happen cause I have one less person to love and care for…..

There you have it. Check out his full post below: