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On Tuesday night, the Wayne County, Michigan Board of Canvassers gave half the country a minor heart attack when it appeared that the four board members were deadlocked on certifying the vote count. Wayne County is home to Detroit, the largest city in the state and the city with the highest percentage of Black voters in the country. Delaying the certification for a county that handed Biden tens of thousands of votes over Trump would disrupt the entire electoral process—which is exactly what Trump is trying to do.

The Board of Canvassers, who are in charge of certifying the vote count for the county, was split 2-2 along party lines (such a shocker) with the Democrats for and the Republicans against certifying the vote count right up until the final hours before the deadline. The two Republican members, after hearing passionate commentary from the public, changed course and voted in the final hour to move forward with certification. The vote for Wayne County has officially been certified and sent to the secretary of state.

However, in another not-shocking development, however, both of the Republican board members have released signed documents saying that they wish to rescind their agreement to certify. This comes after GOP board member Monica Palmer received a phone call from President Trump.

According to the Washington Post, Palmer claims that the president called to ask her about her safety in the wake of alleged harassment she had received. Surely that’s 100% why he was calling and not at all to try to convince her that she shouldn’t have certified the vote count. Surely him talking about her safety was not any kind of a veiled mafioso-like threat—that would be as insane as insisting you won an election that you clearly lost and making up crazy global conspiracy theories in an attempt to cling to the power you so desperately crave. And surely he wasn’t trying to pressure her into rescinding her vote—that would be as corrupt as attempting to delay the certifications in swing states, push the elector decisions to GOP-led legislatures, create a chaotic picture of widespread fraud, and get the Supreme Court to wipe out the election results and rule in your favor because you think picking three judges and having a conservative majority means that they will automatically crown you the victor.

The whole no-yes-no flip-flopping is a rather pathetic display of partisan ugliness and Trump sycophancy to any objective observer, but of course that’s not how Palmer is portraying it. She insists that there was no pressure from the president—as if a phone call itself from the country’s highest office who also happens to be a candidate in the race she’s certifying isn’t pressure in and of itself. When asked by the Washington Post if they discussed the certification in their two-minute phone call, Palmer said, “It’s hard for me to describe. There was a lot of adrenaline and stress going on. There were general comments about different states but we really didn’t discuss the details of the certification.”

Not sure what “general comments about different states” means—why would the president call a Wayne County, Michigan canvassing board member and discuss states other than Michigan? It’s all totally moot anyway—legally the vote has been certified and rescinding on paper doesn’t change that—but trying to make any of it makes sense is enough to make you batty.

But making us batty is probably the point. Trump appears to be taking Steve Bannon’s “flood the zone with sh*t” approach to the media, but also applying it to our electoral process. It doesn’t matter if he’s 1–29 in post-election court cases. It doesn’t matter if the legal team keeps getting replaced with kookier and kookier players. It doesn’t matter if every statement the president has made since the election is a bold-faced lie or a repeat of fringe right-wing media conspiracy theories. The chaos and confusion are the point. If you create an atmosphere of doubt and suspicion, paint a picture so outrageous and so evil that it seems like there’s no way someone would make something like that up, keep engendering distrust in actual journalism that serves as a check on those in power, and you can almost make a case for just tossing the whole election out due to the chaos you yourself created.

Of course, this damages the U.S. in immeasurable ways, but who cares about the damage done to the country as long as Trump’s narcissistic needs are met? That’s where we are. And far too many Republicans are going along with the madness, naively waiting for a president who is incapable of admitting defeat to finally admit defeat, and foolishly ignoring the monster their coddling of his ego is creating in the body politic in the meantime.

Wayne county’s flip-flopping is just one of many more nutty things we can expect to see in the coming weeks as certification deadlines loom. Trump is not going to miraculously concede the election, ever, and he will pull as many people along on his power trip as he can. Let’s just hope the country’s foundation can hold out long enough for the will of the people to prevail as it should and for sanity to return to the Oval Office.

Part of why we enjoy the changing of the seasons is that we can finally drink darker beers. And while we’re very close to going all-in on stouts, porters, and scotch ales, we can still get behind lagers during these late-fall days. Especially dark and black lagers.

In the simplest terms, dark lagers (also known as dunkels) are darker than regular lagers and get their color and flavor from dark malts. Black lagers (also known as Schwarzbiers) are black in color and primarily have strong chocolate, coffee (and sometimes smoky) flavors. Similar to stouts, they draw those flavor notes from roasted malts.

To help us get the most out of our late-fall beer-swigging, we went to the experts for help. We asked a handful of our favorite bartenders to tell us their favorite dark and black lagers for fall drinking. Check out all of their answers below!

Blue Stallion Dunkel

Dante Wheat, bartender and founder of Raw Pineapples in Louisville

Blue Stallion Dunkel. I am not the biggest fan of dark lagers. However, I had too many of these at a fall beer festival in 2017. I can’t remember the flavors, but I do remember refusing to drink anything else.

Take from that what you will.

Baladin Leon

Randall Restiano, beverage director of Eataly NYC Flatiron in New York City

Baladin Leon. We work with a lot of Italian beer and Baladin is always around, downstairs in our restaurants, and even on the rooftop bar. This particular beer uses whiskey yeasts in the fermentation and is only made during the winter solstice. The result is what they call a Belgian Dark Ale and the flavors of toasted nuts and a variety of fruits, along with its warming full-bodied 9% ABV, makes it perfect for the winter months.

Yuengling Lager

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

I’d have to go with Yuengling for this one.

Even though it’s not technically a “dark lager,” it’s much darker than most lagers. America’s oldest registered brewery is not only inexpensive and readily available anywhere East of the Mississippi River, but it may also have the largest cult following in the beer world. Expanding distribution nationally soon, it has a light lager body, toasty and roasty barley tones, and a dry finish that might rival some Champagnes.

Perrin Black

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

Perrin Black. Rich, dark flavor but a crisp, lighter than expected body. This beer is awesome with its rich, hints of bitter chocolate and roasted malts.

New Belgium 1554

Nick Cole, bartender at Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in Sacramento

I’ve only had a few black lagers in my time, but the best one would have to be 1554 by New Belgium. It’s simply the easiest to drink and easiest on the palate. Think of a porter but way lighter, from the light lager yeast they put in it.

The coffee notes are amazing.

Small Beer Dark Lager

Roberto Berdecia, bartender at La Factoria in San Juan, Puerto Rico

There is a new company called Small Beer that makes beers with low ABV and their dark lager is very good. It’s vegan and low in carbs, but heavy on flavors like roasted coffee and chocolate.

Guinness Black Lager

Nestor Marchand, director of food and beverage at Plunge Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Guinness Black Lager is a newer brew from the historic Guinness Brewery in Ireland. This one is flavorful and lighter than the stout that they are famous for.

Köstritzer Schwarzbier

Eli Gay, taproom manager at NOLA Brewing in New Orleans

Köstritzer Schwarzbier.

Breweries are in a constant struggle to stay relevant. Try staying relevant for 477 years.

Köstritzer was founded in 1543 and still makes one of the best examples of this clean, flavorful session beer. If you have not already, you owe it to yourself to try one of these.

Writer’s Picks:

Jack’s Abby Smoke and Dagger

This one might raise a few eyebrows. While it’s partly a dark (or black) lager, it’s also partly a smoked porter. It’s a lot darker than most of the lagers on this list and it’s full of chocolate, smoke, and vanilla. It’s pretty much a s’more in a glass.

Uinta Baba Black Lager

With a name like Baba Black Lager, you kind of know what you’re in for. It’s complex, rich, full of roasted malts, and hints of chocolate and ends with a subtle flourish of smoke.

The Lakers probably have the most to worry about when it comes to the short layoff between the end of the NBA Finals and the start of the 2020-21 season. Not only because they played the longest season of anyone besides Miami, but also because the Lakers’ roster was already on the older side and will need to be cautious to stay healthy.

In a call with reporters on Thursday, general manager Rob Pelinka expounded on how he sees LeBron James keeping his body ready during the 2020-21 campaign, which starts in just over a month.

“The great thing about LeBron is he is so methodical and scientific in terms of how he prepares his body with the team he works with,” Pelinka said, adding, “That will just be a balancing act throughout the season of recognizing that there was an extremely short layoff between championship and start of season.”

The fact that James — who is eighth in league history in regular season minutes played and first in postseason minutes played — has prolonged his career to this degree already is a testament to his commitment to his body and health, so this season should be no different. However, with James and the Lakers as well as across the NBA, fans should probably be ready for more rest and minutes restrictions than even a normal season.

When we looked back at the best sketch comedy shows of the last 30 years a few months ago we said Chappelle’s Show often reached “a rarefied space with material that was surprising, unforgettable, and occasionally even profound.” And then we ranked it number 1. After a rewatch made possible by the show’s arrival on Netflix (and HBO Max), it’s easy to double down on that praise, particularly when you consider not just the more memorable sketches but also the truly inspired doubles and triples that helped to make each episode ripe for revisitation. A quick revisitation, since there are only 28 of them.

To inspire that ride, we decided to look back at the 15 best sketches from the show’s run, which is, of course, a highly subjective thing to do. I promise you, you will question my sanity and ability to do this job after reading this list (more than the normal amount, even). Especially since I have a predilection for some more obscure sketches that aren’t likely to front other such lists. But isn’t that part of the point? Sparking conversation and passionate defense of your favorites So, this is my attempt, read it, hopefully enjoy some of it, and then fire back with your own.

15. What Makes White People Dance – S2E3

Under the guise of social anthropology, Chappelle and his pal John Mayer infiltrate a board room, a restaurant, and a barbershop to prove the theory that the electric guitar entrances cause white people to dance. It is a silly, random bit that hits a high point when Questlove pops up to expand on the theory, but the best thing connected to this might be Chappelle, Mayer, and Questlove’s cover of the Diff’rent Strokes theme song at the end of the episode.

14. AND-1 Mixtape – S1E12

The above clip is only a small part. You can check out the full clip of Chappelle mocking baseball, tennis, and bowling’s inability to showcase showoffs to the level of streetball here. This predates the slight uptick in expressiveness and personality in baseball, so I’d actually kill to see an AND-1 level video of bat flips and dugout dances in 2020. Nevertheless, this still lands, especially the visual of Chappelle stunting while bowling.

13. Make A Wish Kid – S1E11

Chappelle goes to visit a sick kid and plays a video game with him to ease his pain. Until Chappelle’s competitive fire gets the best of him. Goddamn does this get dark. If you’re a fan of fucked up comedy, this probably ranks higher on the list for you than for most other folks.

12. Roots Outakes – S1E3

The laughs come from the absurdity of some executive being oblivious enough to try and mine the reverence felt for Roots by adding bloopers and goofs to a special edition DVD, but this also feels like a comment about the entertainment industry’s eagerness to profit off Black trauma.

11. Tyrone Biggums’ Classroom Visit – S1E2

Plenty of ways to celebrate one of Chappelle’s Show’s most enduring characters — the intervention sketch, the Fear Factor sketch — but I’ll go with the first impression for the initial shock value of seeing Tyrone taint a classroom full of children with a few anecdotes and one trash can poop.

10. Dave Gets Oprah Pregnant – S2E8

It’s okay to have dreams, folks. Dave’s is to claim a share of Oprah’s seemingly endless treasure by putting a baby inside of her and we are here for it as Chappelle lives life to the fullest, painting nudes, getting extended massages, and rocking crowns while boxing out Oprah’s previous boyfriend and providing the bare minimum of emotional support to Oprah.

9. Kneehigh Park – S2E10

Another dark sketch, this time using the look and feel of a kid’s puppet show to talk about heroin, venereal diseases, and introduce the world to a trash can man who has the anthemic “I Said Fuck It” song about giving up lodged firmly in his heart. And then Snoop Dogg and Tyronne Biggums stop by. And that’s to say nothing of the large infected puppet penis that makes an appearance. That is until now. Infected puppet penis.

8. Home Stenographer – S1E1

Chappelle’s Show had a flair for taking tropes and expanding them until the material feels as fresh as it does relatable and this is an example. Because you know if you’ve been in a couple-fight that you’ve been misquoted or misunderstood and cracked the joke about having a stenographer or recording of what you said.

7. Wrap It Up! – S1E2

Like Home Stenographer this is a pretty basic joke made better by the execution as Chappelle takes the idea of playing someone off the stage at the Oscars and applies it to ineffective screwing and other social situations where you want people to just shut up and be done with it. Like me with this article.

6. The Player Haters Ball – S1E9

The original Player Haters Ball is packed with an amazing collection of characters and some of the best work on the show from Donnell Rawlings and the dearly departed Charlie Murphy (as well as Ice T and the late Patrice O’Neal) as they all trade insults and hate with Chappelle’s Silky Johnston. It’s a classic. I couldn’t possibly omit it, but I actually favor the spectacle that is The Player Hater’s Science Fair, where the player haters time travel to become The Time Haters. It’s a completely bonkers idea built atop the foundation of these characters and something too good to keep in a drawer, which is why it’s a part of Chappelle Show’s episode (S2E11) focused on supposed misses and sketches that had failed to make it to air.

5. PopCopy – S1E1

“Why treat the customer this way? Why? Cuz fuck em, that’s why.”

Yes, retail workers can be assholes, but I was working the customer service desk of a Kmart when this sketch first dropped so you can imagine how close to my heart I kept it and how I was maybe missing the point and rooting for the wrong side. Michael Rappaport lying to a customer to get rid of them and then deciding that he’s had enough and needs to just walk away so he can take a shit? I felt that. Customers ask stupid questions stupidly and so much of the retail existence is just trying to get past dealing with them so you can hang out with your friends. Retail workers were heroes long before they had to deal with regular customer nonsense and COVID exposure at the same time.

4. Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories: Prince – S2E5
3. Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories: Rick James – S2E4

This is essentially a tie. So many elements from Chappelle’s Show have stuck around, but “cocaine is a hell of a drug,” pickup basketball and pancakes with Prince, and “I’m Rick James bitch!” may be the most enduring and referenced. Leaning on Murphy’s amazing life of experiences running with his famous brother Eddie was a genius move that showcased Murphy and unlocked Chappelle’s amazing Rick James and Prince impressions. But nothing compares to James, himself, refuting (and then instantly confirming) elements from Murphy’s tale. Print the legend.

2. Mad Real World – S1E6

Longform sketch comedy at its best and a bit that benefits so much from really perfect and intricate set design and just the density of the scene. There’s so much comedy packed into these 10 or so minutes. And everyone gets a turn, specifically Donnell Rawlings, Charlie Murphy, and comedian Christian Finnegan, who steals the whole thing as a plucky Real World roommate who gets run through a gauntlet of psychological and physical bullying and torture, losing his girlfriend and almost his mind. This narrowly misses being the best Chappelle’s Show sketch but it’s my personal favorite.

1. Clayton Bigsby, The World’s Only Black White Supremacist – S1E1

The plot is summed up completely by the title and the biggest laugh probably comes in the first 90 seconds with Chappelle’s reveal as Bigsby, an aged, blind, hatemonger who thinks he’s white. But the genius is in the slow play execution and commitment of Chappelle and the late William Bogert, who plays the straight-laced Frontline reporter. It’s a nine-minute sketch that builds the world around Bigsby, leading to a fuller payoff at the end when all is revealed… including what might be the second greatest exploding head in entertainment history next to the dude in Scanners.

I don’t just remember the sketch, I remember seeing it for the first time, how hard it hit, and how clearly it announced the intentions of the show. There are so many iconic moments on this list but this is the one that sort of paved the way for everything that followed so how do you not put it at number one? That’s a rhetorical question, but I await your replies.

Honorable Mention:

These sketches fell just shy of the top 15 but we had to mention them.

Trading Spouses — Cultures collide as Chappelle’s Show explores weird wife swap reality shows.

WacArnolds — An upbeat and driven fast-food worker’s life turns into a slow-rolling trainwreck.

The Wayne Brady Show — Wayne Brady’s squeaky clean image does all the heavy lifting while taking Chappelle through a nightmare glimpse into his secret life as a lawless gun-toting pimp.

Mos Def Musical Performance — Not a comedy sketch, just an ultracool moment with Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) rapping “Close Edge” in the passenger seat while Chappelle drives down a New York street. I hope Chappelle is getting some of James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke money.

Black Bush — Chappelle runs through some of the lowlights of the Bush presidency (remember this show ran from 2004-2006) while imagining how his moves would have been executed and perceived had he been Black.

Sia has been teasing a new project this year, although it’s not a traditional album. She directed, co-wrote, and co-produced a movie called Music, which is set to have a limited theatrical released by IMAX in February 2021. Now she has revealed that around that time, a soundtrack album, Music – Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture, will also be released.

Alongside that news, Sia also shared a new song, “Hey Boy.” The sub-3-minute track is a quick dose of bouncy pop in which Sia expresses a desire for some male company, singing, “Not going to be single, not tonight / Am I going to be single all my life? / I want you to stop and come on by / ’cause you know what us single women like.”

This is the third song Sia has dropped from the movie/album, following “Courage To Change” (which dropped in September) and “Together,” which she released back in May.

Meanwhile, Sia has kept busy in recent months by dropping yet another David Guetta collaboration and teaming up with Ozuna and Doja Cat.

Listen to “Hey Boy” above.

Music — Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture is out 2/12/2021 via Monkey Puzzle/Atlantic.

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

The one thing we should always give NBA decision-makers in the aftermath of the Draft is time. Everyone has their favorite prospect or the guy they think has no business being in the league, but across sports, drafting is about playing the odds. You measure the likelihood that a player can translate his skill to the pros, the likelihood that your franchise can make him better, and the likelihood that he will stay out of trouble and make good decisions as a professional away from the team facility.

When giving grades out — an annual tradition that, of course, is part of the whole fun of this stuff — it’s important to keep all that in mind. While I may think that Obi Toppin was not the best player available at No. 8 to the Knicks, Toppin just spent the whole college season looking like a pretty incredible scorer and athlete. Challenging New York’s decision-making is one thing, but using our own views of Toppin as a player is where we can get into trouble.

That said, looking solely at value and probabilities can still be a clarifying way to determine who did the best at the 2020 NBA Draft. Keeping all that in mind, here are our winners and losers from last night.

Winners

Golden State Warriors

Say what you will about James Wiseman, but the perception of him swung way too far in the negative over the course of the year. Fans didn’t get to see him play for about a calendar year and he faced questions about his decision-making on the floor, all as traditional big men continued to look over-matched in the NBA playoffs. Yet underneath all that still remains a player who has a decent chance to be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and who, in Golden State, will be able to fill a very specific role that should help him acclimate to the NBA. Toss in landing Nico Mannion, who was seen by most as a fringe first-round prospect, at No. 48, and the Warriors should feel good about what they did.

Philadelphia 76ers

Daryl Morey wasted no time remaking the Sixers’ roster, and the results are promising so far. We’ll include the trade to get off Al Horford’s salary and nab Danny Green as part of this deal, even if it cost them a first-round pick. Then at No. 21, they snagged a guy in Tyrese Maxey who had no business falling so far. They then scooped up two Morey specials, high-upside players whom analytics love, in Arkansas sharpshooter Isaiah Joe and DePaul big man Paul Reed. Last, Philly flipped Josh Richardson and a second-round pick for Seth Curry, who can be the J.J. Redick replacement they’ve needed. Altogether, Philly was able to add shooting and shot creation in just about every move, plus Paul as a flier. The roster looks a whole lot better and more suited to compete for a championship now than it did last week.

Dallas Mavericks

It’s rare that both teams win a trade, but the Curry-Richardson swap with Philly should work out well on both sides. Dallas was also able to land athletic forward Tyler Bey with the No. 36 pick from that trade, and Bey is a guy who’d been mocked to them as high as No. 18. With that 18th pick, the Mavs went for a different athletic wing in Josh Green, who I believe may never come around on offense but fills a need as a perimeter defender to play alongside Luka Doncic. To replace Curry, the Mavs took Tyrell Terry with the first pick of the second round. Terry could play for them right away and space the floor. All around a strong night focused on needs on the perimeter for Dallas.

Memphis Grizzlies

It’s as if the Memphis front office is just an AI programmed only with articles written by Draft nerds. That’s not to say those decisions are always right, but certainly it’s worked out so far, with the likes of Brandon Clarke and De’Anthony Melton overperforming dramatically last season. Desmond Bane and Xavier Tillman, two selections this season, appear to be strong candidates to do the same this season. The Grizzlies even came away with toolsy and brilliant Gonzaga big man Killian Tillie on a two-way deal after Tillie fell due to medical problems over the past two years. A near-playoff team in 2020, Memphis added to their depth and upside long-term.

Sacramento Kings

Nothing truly special for the Kings last night, but as they prepare to potentially lose Bogdan Bogdanovic and look to mend their relationship with Buddy Hield, the organization did a solid job of restocking the cupboard. They lucked out when Tyrese Haliburton fell to them at No. 12, then again when Mississippi State forward Robert Woodard did the same at No. 40, then one more time at No. 43 with Jahmi’us Ramsey. Haliburton can really play, and there’s a decent chance at least one of their second round selections become rotation players, which is more than some teams can say.

Detroit Pistons

New lead executive Troy Weaver approached this Draft exactly as the leader of a team without much talent should, digging for more picks whenever possible and targeting players with the capacity to improve over time while the Pistons rebuild. Again, it’s fine to quibble with the specific selections, and Isaiah Stewart at No. 16 feels like a reach right now, but all three of the players Detroit picked in the first round (including Killian Hayes and Saddiq Bey) look like they could be in the NBA for a long time, while the flier they took at No. 38 with athletic Vanderbilt guard Saben Lee is promising as well. The Pistons still don’t have an obvious star but the roster is now far deeper with young talent.

Losers

Los Angeles Clippers

What’s going on here? While certainly Luke Kennard feels like a more trustworthy piece of a playoff rotation than Lou Williams or Reggie Jackson at this point due to Kennard’s decent size and strong shooting and passing ability, the Clippers gave up Landry Shamet to get him. That’s the same Shamet who, about 18 months ago, was the centerpiece of the Tobias Harris trade with Philly. After that, the Clips took two players in Minnesota big man Daniel Oturu and JuCo wing Jay Scrubb, who are different players but have in common the fact that it’s really hard seeing either contribute immediately. A weird night for a team that needs to nail the moves on the margins this year in order to be better-suited for a championship in 2021.

Boston Celtics

The house of cards fell on Danny Ainge once again. In true Celtics fashion, the week began with dreams of Jrue Holiday or Myles Turner (which could still happen) and so far has culminated in Aaron Nesmith, Payton Pritchard, and draft-and-stash guard Yam Madar. A cautionary tale for the Thunder and Pelicans that having all the picks in the world only works if you either nail the selections or make a good trade with the picks before you make them. Nesmith’s shooting can help if he’s healthy, and Pritchard had a good collegiate career, but this was generally a weird Draft for Boston.

New York Knicks

Not to pile on about the Toppin pick, but that’s a pick you make if you think you have your superstar already, which is sort of how the Knicks continually operate. Their other pick was to reach big time on Immanuel Quickley, the Kentucky tweener guard who can shoot but needs to work on most other aspects of his game to get to an NBA level. This Draft won’t make or break the Knicks, but they could have done a lot better to increase their ceiling long-term. It was evident they decided they wanted to come away with their guys, but at least in the case of Quickley, it stands to reason they could have traded down and gotten more assets before selecting him.

Phoenix Suns

Despite only making one pick in the Draft, the Suns emerge as a loser because of value. Last year, they were able to trade to secure Dario Saric while moving back five spots to get their guy in Cameron Johnson. This time around, it seems they missed the step of trading back and instead just took their guy anyway in Jalen Smith. With clear fits for the Suns’ fun roster like Devin Vassell and Tyrese Haliburton available, Phoenix went with a guy who, while fun to watch and likely to get better, doesn’t have a clear role positionally or with how the Suns seem to want to play.

With her debut studio album Fake It Flowers, UK singer Beabadoobee is leaving no doubt that she pulled from the ’90s alt-rock movement as her musical inspiration. Now bringing her music to late-night television, Beabadoobee brought her full band to perform a lively rendition of her recently-released record’s lead single “Care.”

Armed with her electric guitar, Beabadoobee rolled through a revved-up version of her power-pop track. Further leaning into her vintage aesthetic for the performance, the singer tied a floral arrangement to her microphone stand while her drummer proudly sported a mohawk and a Fugazi shirt.

Ahead of her late-night performance, Beabadoobee chatted with Uproxx about array of inspirations she brought to her debut effort. Along with saying her album would fit perfectly in the ’00s coming-of-age dramas But I’m A Cheerleader and The Craft, Beabadoobee said she hopes the record resonates with her listeners. “If one person can relate to at least one song on this album, that means I’ve done something right,” she said. “The whole idea behind Fake It Flowers is something I was supposed to tell someone, but couldn’t. Writing this album helped me a lot with my problems, and hopefully, it can help someone out there too.”

Watch Beabadoobee’s “Care” performance on Kimmel above.

Fake It Flowers is out now via Dirty Hit. Get it here.

Drinking a good cocktail is easy. We’d argue that making a good cocktail should be easy too. And yet… have you ever stared at a cocktail menu and thought, “what the hell is all this?” Yeah, us too.

It’s okay if you don’t know the difference between Martini and a martini (one’s a vermouth brand while the other is a cocktail made from gin or vodka). It’s also okay if you don’t know that you need to muddle the cherry and orange peel in an old fashioned no. 2 and not an in an old fashioned no. 1. And no one needs to memorize a ten-ingredient tiki drink unless, maybe, you work at a rum bar. (Insider secret: even the best bartenders use recipe books for the rare and harder cocktails while mixing.)

There’s a lot to know, is what we’re saying. And no one can know it all.

To help you on your cocktail journey, we’ve compiled a list of six easy cocktails to try at home. You don’t need any Hamilton Beach countertop mixers. You don’t even need much specialty equipment, besides a cocktail shaker. Even then, you can use an old Bell Jar with a lid in a pinch. You can spend a little cash on a crystal mixing jug, or you can just use an old pint glass.

Ease is the key today. Drinking (and mixing as a hobby) should be fun.

Two quick things before we dive in:

1. Pre-chill your glasses. If you can, keep some in your freezer (at least) overnight. This gives your cocktail a longer shelf life once it’s poured and adds that little something extra.
2. Use deeply frozen ice. Set your freezer as low as it can go. Pop ice cubes out of the trays, bag them up, and store the bag close to the back. If you have one, store your bagged ice in a chest freezer. The colder your ice, the better your cocktail is going to be.

Dry Gin Martini

The Drink:

This is the one cocktail everyone should be able to make. A dry gin martini is simple yet overflowing with subtle nuance. This is the sort of drink that you need to stir up a couple of times to get exactly right.

Once you hit a stride, you’ll be whipping these drinks up non-stop.

Supplies:

• Cocktail glass or Nick And Nora glass
• Fruit peeler or cocktail stick
• Barspoon
• Jigger
• Mixing jug
• Strainer

Ingredients:

• 2.5-oz. dry gin
• 0.5-oz. dry vermouth
• Ice
• Lemon peel or green olives

Method:

• Add gin and vermouth to a mixing jug.
• Top with ice.
• Stir until the outside of the mixing jug is ice-cold to touch.
• Strain the drink into a pre-chilled glass.
• Garnish: Either spritz lemon oils over the drink and drop in the peel or spear a couple of olives and drop them in the glass.
• Serve.

Variations:

There are almost endless variations on this drink. You can shift the amount of vermouth to the point of 1:1 gin:vermouth or to 10:1 gin:vermouth — at that point you’re basically just washing the cocktail glass out with the splash of vermouth and then dumping it out.

You can also use vodka instead of gin. Or add cocktail onions as a garnish to make a Gibson. And if you insist, you can shake it instead of stir it, but only if you’re dealing with a vodka base.

Play around and find the martini that speaks to you.

Manhattan

The Drink:

If you can make a dry martini, you can make this classic. It’s the exact same concept only with whiskey in place of gin, sweet vermouth in place of dry vermouth, and a dash of bitters to give it a little more color.

Supplies:

• Cocktail glass or Nick and Nora glass
• Fruit peeler
• Cocktail stick
• Barspoon
• Jigger
• Mixing jug
• Strainer

Ingredients:

• 2-oz. rye whiskey
• 1-oz. sweet vermouth
• 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
• Ice
• Orange peel
• Luxardo cherry

Method:

• Add the bitters, whiskey, and vermouth to a mixing jug.
• Top with ice.
• Stir until the outside of the mixing jug is ice-cold to touch.
• Strain the drink into a pre-chilled glass.
• Spritz the drink with the orange oils from the orange peel and discard.
• Spear one cherry (two if you must but not more than that) and drop it into the glass.
• Serve.

Variations:

The easiest change up with a Manhattan is to switch out the bourbon or rye for a smoky single malt from Scotland, creating a Rob Roy. You can also change this up by making it a black Manhattan (with Amaro Averna), dry Manhattan (with dry vermouth instead of sweet vermouth), or perfect Manhattan (with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth).

Moreover, brandy and dark rum make for excellent bases that marry well to sweet vermouth and bitters. If you’re using a dark rum, add in a measure of Curaçao to make an El Presidente.

Daiquiri

The Drink:

This Cuban masterpiece is one of the most satisfying and thirst-quenching cocktails on the list. The seemingly simple emulsification of light rum, fresh lime, and sugar exemplify Cubano cocktail culture. And while this feels like a very “summery” drink, don’t sleep on shaking one up in the dead of winter to remind you of summer (and get some vitamin C into your system).

Supplies:

• Cocktail glass or Nick and Nora glass
• Knife
• Barspoon
• Jigger
• Cocktail shaker
• Handheld citrus press
• Strainer

Ingredients:

• 1.5-oz. white rum
• 0.75-oz. fresh lime juice (usually one lime depending on size)
• 0.75-oz. simple syrup
• Ice
• Lime Peel

Method:

• Add the rum and fresh lime juice to a cocktail shaker.
• Top up with ice.
• Affix the lid to the shaker very tightly and shake until the outside of the shaker is ice-cold to touch.
• Strain the drink into a pre-chilled glass.
• Spritz lime oils onto the top of the drink and drop in the peel.
• Serve.

Variations:

The Papa Doble — or Hemingway Daiquiri — is probably the most iconic variable. But we all know the “frozen” version of the daiquiri is the most popular. Still, you’ll need that Hamilton Beach mixer if you want to tackle those.

Whiskey Sour

The Drink:

This is a classic drink that takes things up a notch. You do need a little more shaking skill, since you’re dealing with raw egg white. But in the end, this is only one more step than the daiquiri. And when you nail this frothy textural treat of a cocktail, you’ll really have taken a step up the mixing ladder.

Supplies:

• Rocks glass
• Knife
• Barspoon
• Jigger
• Cocktail shaker
• Handheld citrus press
• Strainer

Ingredients:

• 1.5-oz. bourbon or Irish whiskey
• 0.75-oz. fresh lemon juice (around a half of a lemon depending on size)
• 0.75-oz. simple syrup
• 1 egg white
• Ice
• Luxardo cherry

Method:

• Add the whiskey, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white to a cocktail shaker.
• Affix the lid tightly (without ice) and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds to emulsify.
• Open the shaker and top up with ice.
• Re-affix the lid tightly and shake until the shaker is ice-cold to touch.
• Strain the drink into a pre-chilled glass.
• Spear a cherry and balance on the lip of the glass.
• Serve.

Variations:

This is another cocktail that has plug-and-play adaptability. I really dig making Islay sours with lime instead of lemon and a nice dose of smoky whisky. Switch up the citrus for orange juice and the base spirit for a dark rum or even Amaretto. It’s sometimes nice with a viscous port wine float on top.

And yes, you can drop out the egg white. But, that’ll completely change the texture of this drink. Once you master the egg white version, you’ll never go back to the non-egg white variation.

Champagne Cocktail

The Drink:

Okay, this is technically the easiest cocktail on this list. You really aren’t “mixing” anything with this one. There’s no stirring, no shaking, no measuring. Yet, if you have a nice and dry Champagne (think Bollinger or Roederer), this cocktail can really take it to the next level by basically amping it up with a touch of bitters and sugar.

Supplies:

• Champagne flute
• Barspoon
• Fruit Peeler

Ingredients:

• Champagne
• 1 white sugar cube
• 4 dashes Angostura Bitters
• Lemon peel

Method:

• Balance the sugar cube in the bowl of a barspoon and hit it with four dashes of bitters.
• Let the cube soak in the bitters for about 20 to 30 seconds.
• Drop the sugar cube into the bottom of a pre-chilled Champagne flute.
• Top with ice-cold Champagne.
• Spritz the oils from the lemon peel over the drink and drop in the peel.
• Serve.

Variations:

There’s some debate about whether adding an ounce of brandy or Cognac to this is the real “classic” version. Whatever the history of the drink might be, you can definitely add an ounce of good brandy to the flute before you pour in the Champagne. You can also switch up the sugar cube to a bar spoon of, say, grenadine, which — when paired with a nice brandy — really amps this drink up.

That all leads to the delightful Prince of Wales. This variation has the brandy or whiskey addition to the sugar and bitters with an additional pour of Bénédictine liqueur and pineapple, orange, and/or lemon garnishes.

Negroni

The Drink:

Anyone can make a Negroni. If you can pour booze into a glass, you can make one (just like the cocktail above). The brilliance of this drink is that, yes, you can spiff it up by stirring it in a mixing jug and spritzing orange and lemon oils everywhere. But … you don’t have to.

You’ll find that at nearly every cafe and bar across Italy this drink will be built in the glass with no fanfare whatsoever. And that’s just fine.

Supplies:

• Rocks glass
• Knife
• Barspoon
• Jigger

Ingredients:

• 1-oz. Campari
• 1-oz. sweet vermouth
• 1-oz. dry gin
• Ice
• Orange wedge

Method:

• Fill a rocks glass with ice.
• Add gin, vermouth, and Campari.
• Stir a few times.
• Add orange wedge.
• Serve.

Variations:

The easiest variations to play with are the boulevardier (bourbon instead of gin), sbagliato (prosecco instead of gin), Americano (fizzy water instead of gin), and negroski (vodka instead of gin). Then, of course, there’s the Campari spritz which marries Campari to equal parts fizzy water and prosecco.

Finally, there are variations in what you can do with the Campari. I’ve seen Campari bottles with big rosemary sprigs in the bottle to add a savory, almost earthy, body to the base of the drink. A friend of mine has been infusing her Campari with fresh habanero chilis to make spicy mezcal negronis and they rule.

The point is with this cocktail — and all of the cocktails above — is to practice them, master them, and then make them your own. Experiment, play, and, most importantly, have fun.

Early last month, The Walking Dead aired what was originally meant to be the final episode of its tenth season, which culminated in the death of Beta and the end of The Whisperer war. In the six months between the penultimate episode and the finale, however, AMC announced an end date for the long-running series: There will be six bonus episodes in the 10th season, and a 24-episode final season that will take the series to the end of 2022, when AMC will launch a Carol and Daryl spin-off.

A release date for the six bonus season 10 episodes has now been announced. The series will complete the 10th season beginning on Sunday, February 28th, although the six episodes will be available on AMC+ several days early on Thursdays. AMC has also released episode titles and descriptions for each episode, which are unusually insightful. The first episode will explore Maggie’s whereabouts since leaving Alexandria; the second will fill in blanks in Daryl’s life in between the time that Rick disappeared and Daryl rejoined the group with Dog; the third is an adventure specific to Aaron and Gabriel; the fourth follows Eugene, Ezekiel, Yumiko, and Princess, although they are separated in the episode. The fifth episode sees Carol and Daryl separate, and the season finale is “Here’s Negan,” which explores the origins of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character.

The names of the episodes in order are “Home Sweet Home,” “Find Me,” “One More,” “Splinter,” “Diverged,” and the aforementioned “Here’s Negan.”

We already knew that Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s wife, Hilarie Burton, would have a guest role in “Here’s Negan,” as Negan’s wife, Lucille. AMC is also announcing that Robert Patrick (Terminator 2) will play a character named Mays, while Okea Eme-Akwari is joining the series as Maggie’s friend, Elijah (he may be the masked ninja).

AMC has also released another clip from a table read, this one from “One More,” the episode involving Aaron and Gabriel and guest actor Robert Patrick.

The Walking Dead returns on February 28th. Fear the Walking Dead, meanwhile, will air its midseason finale this Sunday. No announcement has yet been made about when it will return.

Meltdown King Rudy Giuliani — whose recent hits include shouting on Fox Business over his Borat 2 scene and the Four Seasons Total Landscaping debacle, where he addressed the press while sandwiched in between a sex shop and a crematorium — is getting “it” done again. This time, he not only doled out the type of bonkers press conference that people expect, but Rudy added a few extra touches. While he reiterated the voter-fraud conspiracy theories that Donald Trump has fashioned into his daily Twitter bread-and-butter, the audience also received a My Cousin Vinny reference and something else that feels unintentional, but you never really know with this crowd?

Rudy (who can often be seen dabbing at himself with a handkerchief) started losing his hair dye in the middle of the press conference. It began to run down his face in a comical fashion. It was surreal.

It was also horrific and comical and, well, everything that one would expect from the general counsel of a president who keeps falsely insisting that he won the election.

This led to plenty of jokes, including some obligatory Wizard Of Oz mentions and others that feel on-point for whatever Rudy was attempting to accomplish.

What a mess. Well, at least this tweet’s prediction didn’t happen?