The World Beyond, the much anticipated second spin-off to The Walking Dead, launches this Sunday night, following the 16th episode of the tenth season of the parent series. The World Beyond takes viewers to a different part of the country — the plain states — as it deals with a separate host of problems specific to an alliance of three communities.
On the series, Nico Tortorella (Younger) plays Felix, a survivor trainer and a security officer for the Campus Colony, home to the main characters in The World Beyond. Ahead of the series premiere, Nico took a few minutes to participate in our twenty questions questionnaire.
1. You walk into a bar. What do you order from the bartender?
Sparking water, alcohol free life over here is real
2. Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
While the world is still very much in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s nothing wrong with spending a little time thinking about your post-pandemic travel wish list. Okay, a lot of time. Make no mistake, there will be a day when you can dust off your passport, pack a bag, and board a plane to safely travel the globe. It might not be tomorrow, next week, or next month (hell, it might not even be next year), but it’s coming.
Once travel is finally safe again, Jessica More — travel influencer and 3rd Stewardess on Bravo’s Below Deck Mediterranean — already knows her first stop. She’s heading to the Phi Phi Islands, in Thailand.
It’s no surprise that Phi Phi — with its glittering waters and clean, organic, seafood-heavy dining scene — appeals to More. She grew up in Florida and Southern California, two states with their own notable ocean habitats and plenty of beachside restaurants. But her beloved Phi Phi has had a whirlwind few years. In 2019, Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh was closed due to overtourism. After briefly reopening, it was re-closed and will remain so until 2021. Meanwhile, Phi Phi Don responded to the pandemic by shutting down to tourism and using the period of quiet to thoroughly clean and reset. The project has been so successful thus far that Thailand’s Environmental Minister plans on closing many of th nation’s most heavily trafficed parks yearly, some for months at a time.
Whenever More does get back to Phi Phi, it’s sure to look a little different than she left it. In all likelihood, it will have some visitor caps and be a little quieter year-round. That’s a good thing — a more managable tourist load will help the islands shine for guests and locals alike. Trust us, we love these islands as much as the next vagabond, but its important to consider sustainability.
If Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh are on your travel list, check out the Below Deck Mediterranean star’s must-visit spots and save them for the moment the “all clear” is finally given.
Best place in Phi Phi to grab a coffee or smoothie?
Tucked away in the center of Phi Phi Don Island is Aroy Kaffeine, known for the best coffee in town. They also have delightful fresh juice smoothies and a vegetarian-friendly menu. My go-to is fresh lemon ginger shot and a golden milk latte.
Side note: they take donations for cat food to feed the local stray cats, so if you’re feeling generous you can buy a bag from the local market and drop it off to them to distribute to the island’s many furry friends.
Nui Beach is so beautiful! The calm turquoise waters are great for snorkeling. I personally like to buy a cheap water float from the market to float around on. The best time to get there is in the mornings around 10 am before it gets too crowded. After 12 pm the groups start showing up and that’s usually my cue to head back to town to get some lunch.
I’ve been to Phi Phi multiple times and I always have to eat at Efe. They are centrally located to the bars and nightclubs in the middle of Ton Sai village. It’s a popular spot with people in the know because the food is just that good. I stumbled upon it on my first time to the island when I was looking for an alternative to Thai food. The fresh kebabs and Turkish coffees hit the spot!
If you want to have a party vibe then Slinky Bar is the crazy spot to go to (think of a frat party). But if you’re looking for one of the best sunset spots while sipping on something tasty, I’d suggest Sunflower Beach Bar.
Phi Phi viewpoint 3! It’s a mild-moderate hike up to a gorgeous overlook of the island. You will most definitely see some monkeys hanging around trying to steal chips from the snack stand at the top.
You do have a pay a small fee to walk out onto the platform to get the best view, but it’s worth it.
What is one thing anyone visiting Phi Phi must experience?
I highly suggest renting a private longtail boat or speedboat to cruise around the island of Phi Phi for the day. Even just a half a day is enough to take in the stunningly crystal-clear blue waters. You get to enjoy hard-to-get-to beach spots, the best snorkeling with tons of fish, and most boats also provide lunch and drinks, too.
Honestly, my favorite spot to enjoy the outdoors is my go-to hotel — Paradise Resort. I get my favorite villa that sits within a few feet to the beach and is where I spend most of my time. The beach is calm and stunning and, better yet, peaceful– not over-crowded most of the time. They have a great restaurant on location and even have a little beachfront massage spa.
I get a more than reasonably priced outdoor massage almost every other day, grab a beer from the little market on location, and relax on the beach all day long. Couldn’t get any better than that for me.
Catch ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’ on Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.
SNL is back in Studio 8H at 30 Rock amid our current situation. Jim Carrey’s Joe Biden impression dominated the cold-open (for better or worse), and host Chris Rock (who’s promoting Fargo) faced an almost impossible challenge: to land a funny monologue during unfunny times. He did so as well as possible (the Chris Farley coke joke would have amused Chris Farley) but somewhat politically, which was likely unavoidable because everything about this pandemic has turned political. However, the most notable moment of his monologue came in closing with a James Baldwin quote: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
Baldwin, of course, is the author of several seminal works, including If Beale Street Could Talk, which was adapted in 2018 by Barry Jenkins, who landed a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination (with Regina King winning Best Supporting Actress). This profound ending to the monologue might have overrode Rock’s earlier quip that probably should have been axed: “President Trump is in the hospital with COVID and I just want to say, my heart goes out… to COVID.”
From there, Rock pointed out the obvious, which is that “the world is insane right now.” He moved to the current trend of people assessing relationships at home, and he urged U.S. citizens to reassess their relationship with the government. “We’ve agreed in the United States that we cannot have kings,” Rock pointed out. “Yet we have dukes and duchesses running the Senate and the Congress making decisions for poor people.”
He’s not wrong, and it’s certainly an atypical way to take an SNL monologue, but Rock took the stage during an atypical situation. “We need a whole new system,” he urged. Well, the Sunday morning commentary to that stance should really be something.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death at age 87 from pancreatic cancer left a massive and arguably unfillable void within the highest court of the land. SNL returned this week to Studio 8H for the Season 46 premiere (hosted by Chris Rock) and gave the liberal firebrand a proper (and suitably understated) sendoff from the cast member who portrayed the Notorious RBG. During the premiere’s “Weekend Update” segment, Kate McKinnon appeared in the audience for a brief moment with a final, robe-clad bow in character. The screen then faded into a “rest in power” graphic.
It must be noted that McKinnon’s previous portrayals of Ginsburg often made mention of her refusal to retire, and that’s exactly how RBG went out. She worked until she couldn’t possibly do so any longer, and she crushed her workouts as long as possible as well. On Twitter, people noted the SNL farewell to be a suitably impactful (and emotional) one.
Loving that tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Kate McKinnon on @nbcsnl!! Thank you SNL! Rest in power, Notorious RBG. pic.twitter.com/2d6LTeeqnZ
It was sad, for sure, but it was also lovely and profound and something that RBG undoubtedly would have loved. Here’s how McKinnon did RBG a few short years ago (how “scandalous,” and very funny).
UPDATE:According to ProFootballTalk, the player in question is fullback Michael Burton, and now, the team is in the midst of mass testing to potentially identify other cases.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Saints learned late Saturday night that fullback Michael Burton tested positive for COVID-19.
While it’s possible that Burton’s positive is a false positive, the league and the Saints have commenced supplemental testing of players who were in close proximity to Burton. The league’s contact tracing identified three players. Four other players not identified via bracelets worn by the players were sitting near Burton on the plane, including running back Alvin Kamara.
EARLIER: The NFL’s Week 4 schedule has been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The previously-scheduled game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans had to get postponed to later this season after an outbreak occurred in Tennessee’s organization including players and staffers. Then on Saturday morning, we learned that New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton tested positive, which led to news that the game between the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs also got postponed.
Now, news dropped just before the calendar flipped to Sunday on the east coast that could potentially put another game on ice for a period of time. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk tweeted that an unidentified member of the New Orleans Saints tested positive ahead of Sunday’s scheduled game with the Detroit Lions. The player is with the team in the Motor City.
Per source, the Saints, who are in Detroit, have a player who has tested positive for COVID-19. Testing currently is occurring of those who were in contact with the player, who was on the flight from New Orleans.
The game is still scheduled to kick off on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. EST, but it stands to reason that the league could follow the blueprint it laid out with the Patriots and respond to one positive test by pushing it back — the Patriots, for the record, had all of their tests come back negative, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Prior to this week, the NFL had managed to avoid this sort of wave of positive COVID tests.
The future of movie theaters remains up in the air, but this news is not terribly encouraging: According to Variety, Cineworld, the company that owns Regal cinemas, is shuttering all 543 of its locations in the U.S. and in the U.K. The news comes the day after No Time to Die, the next Bond film, was pushed back from November to next year.
Cineworld, who purchased Regal back in 2017, has struggled over the last six months, having to contend with shutdowns, dwindling audiences, and lack of new product to exhibit. Even after theaters reopened in parts of the country — minus Los Angeles and New York City, two of its biggest markets — theaters have struggled to stay afloat. The closures, which come happen as early as next week, puts an estimated 55,000 jobs at risk, and that’s only in the U.K.
The news also comes a few days after dozens of filmmakers, among them Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan, signed a letter addressed to Congress, asking that they consider bailing out the industry, fearing that things will get worse. And now they have. Regal Cinemas is the second largest movie theater chain in the U.S., after AMC, who are also in jeopardy.
Cody Garbrandt’s move to the UFC flyweight division is on hold after the former bantamweight champion suffered a torn bicep in training, he announced on Twitter.
Ahah thank you brother, fuckin tore my bicep on Monday. Title shot in 2021.
Garbrandt added he requested to push the title fight against Deiveson Figueiredo until December, but the UFC opted to replace him, going with No. 4 ranked Alex Perez on November 21 at UFC 255, per Combate.
After returning to the win column with a swift knockout of Raphael Assuncao in June, Garbrandt was slated to move down in weight in the champ’s first flyweight title defense. It was an opportunity for a return to glory for Garbrandt, who had lost three consecutive fights before his big win. But after testing positive for COVID-19, being forced out of training for more than a month and suffering the injury, he’ll have to wait for the winner of Figueiredo-Perez for his next opportunity.
After missing weight in his initial bout with Joseph Benavidez, Figueiredo submitted Benavidez to win the division crown in July. At 19-1, Figueiredo’s lone loss came at the hands of Jussier Formiga in March of last year. Perez earned his shot at the flyweight belt with a first-round knockout of Formiga in June, and is riding a three-win streak ahead of his bout against Figueiredo.
The NBA is still trying to map out what the 2020-21 season will look like. Potential start dates have been all over the place, with the most recent indications being that the league believes it will have to wait until Jan. 2021 to tip things off following the most recent season getting delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s been reported that the NBA hopes to have a full, 82-game season with a postseason, something that isn’t a big surprise considering this year had to be shortened. There is, however, a pretty big issue hanging over this: The largest international basketball tournament, the Summer Olympics, are slated to occur in some form or fashion in the summer of 2021, and many of the NBA’s best players will want to participate.
Prior to Game 2 of the 2020 NBA Finals on Friday evening, commissioner Adam Silver addressed this, saying that he does not believe the league would install any kind of break during the Olympics.
“We’ll consider it. I think it’s unlikely, at the end of the day, that, if we start late, we would stop for the Olympics,” Silver said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “Because, as you know, it’s not just a function of stopping for the period in which they are competing over in Tokyo. But they require training camp, and then they require rest afterwards.”
Silver did concede that while Team USA would in all likelihood be fine, this would be difficult for international teams that rely heavily on the players they boast in the NBA. If the league would push things back three months from its normal schedule and tip off the 2020-21 season in January, a full, 82-game season with a full postseason would mean the year would end around August or September.
This, of course, would mean the Olympics – currently slated to start in late-July — would occur during the playoffs. There is no guarantee the Olympics happen based on how things are going amid the pandemic, but the lack of a break would make for an awkward situation for players who want to participate but are on playoff teams.
Live script readings have become one of the more popular forms of quarantine entertainment, with old casts reuniting over Zoom, usually with some special guests, and usually to raise money for charity. The Princess Bride got one. So did Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Now, as per Entertainment Weekly, the same is happening to another modern classic with a sprawling cast: Dazed and Confused.
Richard Linklater’s time piece, about a night in the life of high schoolers — plus an openly pervy slightly older dude, played by Matthew McConaughey — wasn’t a hit upon release. Instead it’s one of the movies, like The Big Lebowski, The Boondock Saints, and many more, that gained its audience on home video.
About two dozen of Dazed and Confused’s huge name cast will participate in the reunion, among them McConaughey, Parker Posey, Anthony Rapp, Adam Goldberg, Wiley Wiggins, and, of course, Ben Affleck, who played the most hissable character, who luckily gets his comeuppance. Patton Oswalt will moderate a Q&A afterwards. Will anyone do anything as entertaining as Shia LaBeouf toking his way through the Fast Times read? You can find out on October 11. The night’s chosen charities, incidentally, include March for Science and the Voto Latino Foundation’s campaign to promote voting in Texas. You can donate here.
The Dalmore/The Balvenie/Glenfiddich/iStock/Uproxx
Many whisk(e)y fans are creatures of habit. You know, the sorts of drinkers who exclusively stick to rye, Tennessee whiskey, scotch, or bourbon, depending on their personal preferences. We get it, of course — tried and true is tried and true for a reason. But the world (especially the whiskey world) is far too full of vibrant flavors and experiences to pigeonhole yourself.
Today, we’re reaching out to bourbon fans and urging you all to stretch a little. We get that you love your corn-based whiskey, aged in American oak, with its sweet vanilla and caramel notes. It’s always there for you with its famed “Kentucky hug.” But we’re here to put you on to the joys of scotch whisky — which can present similar flavor profiles.
If you know where to look, that is.
“Keep your eye out for scotches produced in the Highland Region of Scotland,” says Zach Wilks, bartender at Anthony’s Chophouse in Carmel, Indiana. “Highland scotches tend to be a little bit sweeter.”
To drill down a little further and get some specific bottle recommendations, we asked a handful of bartenders for their favorite scotch whiskies for bourbon whiskey fans.
Glenmorangie Nectar D’or
Jarred Craven, founder of Craven Cocktails and USBG bartender in Los Angeles
I’ve long been a bourbon drinker, but one of my early forays into scotch was Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or. I still think it was the right choice. The dessert wine cask finish boosts the sweetness, spice, and vanilla — all the things a bourbon drinker will love about this Scotch.
The best scotch whisky for fans of bourbon is Compass Box Hedonism. The use of aging in former bourbon barrels, blend of grain whiskies, caramel, vanilla coconut will resonate with bourbon fans.
The Glenrothes Bourbon Cask Reserve
Frederic Yarm, blogger for CocktailVirgin and USBG bartender in Boston
The Glenrothes Bourbon Cask Reserve utilizes solely first fill bourbon barrels, which provides a better flavor parallel to the American spirit than traditional scotch aging in various barrel types. Glenrothes’ nutty, honey, and spice notes — without much detectable peat smoke — is very understandable to an American whiskey drinker seeking to enjoy traditional American oak-derived flavors complementing the malt ones.
My love of whiskey has grown immensely over the years and I owe the transition from bourbon appreciation into the realm of scotch entirely to Bowmore 15. It has the iconic peat of an Islay scotch that is mellowed by its time spent aging in bourbon barrels and then finished in Oloroso sherry barrels. The combination of malt, peat, and style of aging produces a complex whisky with a smoky nose, rich toffee flavors, and sweet sherry finish.
Bowmore 15’s complexity and balance would be a welcome treat for any avid bourbon drinker and is a must to add to your list of whiskies to try.
Glenlivet Founders Reserve is aged with American oak casks — giving it a more approachable taste to an American bourbon palate. It’s creamy, sweet, and full of flavors that appeal to bourbon fans.
The Singleton Glendullan 12. It’s a single malt that’s been matured in oak barrels used for bourbon. It’s great for bourbon fans because of its sweet, caramel, and vanilla flavors with subtle hints of cinnamon.
The Dalmore 12 is my go-to for highland whisky. It spends its first nine-years in bourbon barrels, so it picks up a lot of those characteristics of vanilla, caramel, and subtle char.
The Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood has a very smooth flavor due to the dual maturation of the same single malt. Peatiness can deter bourbon drinkers from enjoying scotch, but this bottle is mild in peat while not losing that characteristic taste entirely.
Glenfiddich does a 14 Year finished in bourbon barrels — which is the perfect bridge for those on the path from bourbon to scotch. While it’s aged for 14 years in ex-bourbon barrels, it’s finished in charred, new American oak barrels to give it an extra kick of flavor.
The Dalmore 15
Andy Printy, beverage director at Chao Baan in St. Louis
The Dalmore 15 Year will blow most bourbon drinkers’ minds. The body is exquisite. The nose is sweet spice and dank lumber. As you put it to the tongue, it surges with warm toffee, caramel, and almost no heat. The finish is easily as smooth and honey-like as any “allocation” bourbon on the market.
Lagavulin 12 is my pick. I like the smoky notes and the malt flavor. It’s a great gateway for bourbon fans who want to get into smokier whiskies.
Aberfeldy 12
Gabriel Urrutia, co-founder of Drink Miami and USBG bartender in Miami
I love Aberfeldy 12 with its use of first-fill bourbon barrels. It also comes in at a great price point — so you’re comfortable drinking it on the rocks, neat or in a cocktail. The bourbon barrel gives it the added flavors of toasted caramel and sweet vanilla.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
#VOTE (@justdawn_) 
(@lust4lifelaura) 
(@AnnetteReid247) 
