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The case against alleged Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell reached a new peak on Thursday night with the unsealing of explosive documents that revealed allegations against Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz, Prince Andrew, and more. Maxwell remains behind bars while awaiting trial for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring (strangely, she has recently been discovered to have a secret husband, whose name she will not reveal), and the unsealed documents source back to a 2015 lawsuit from Virginia Giuffre, who recently told CBS This Morning that Maxwell is “a monster… she’s worse than Epstein.” She also called Maxwell “vicious” and “evil” and reprehensible on another level as a woman who actively participated in the sexual abuse of other women.

Guiffre has faced a long and difficult road in pursuing justice against Epstein and Maxwell, who allegedly forced her to be a “sex slave” while she was a teenager. CNN details the psychological toll of the sexual abuse that Guiffre says she suffered at the hands of the pair, including how (during a deposition) she had a difficult time processing the “large amount” of people that Maxwell instructed her to have sex with, including, uh, the owner of a huge hotel chain:

Giuffre is pressed by attorneys to provide additional names of men who Maxwell “directed her” to have sex with. The attorney conducting the interview names several, including Prince Andrew, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, and an individual described as “another prince,” and another individual described as “the large hotel chain owner.”

“Look, I’ve given you what I know right now,” Giuffre said in response. “I’m sorry. This is very hard for me and very frustrating to have to go over this. I don’t — I don’t recall all of the people. There was a large amount of people that I was sent to.”

Her response suggests plenty of lingering trauma after being allegedly forced to have sex with so many people that she couldn’t name them all while being pressured. Still, Maxwell’s attorney attempted to discredit her as an “unreliable narrator” due to discrepancies involved with exact dates, and so on. Guiffre was able to detail her surroundings at Epstein’s private Little St. James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which she described as a series of “constant” orgies, in which Maxwell had sex with girls (as young as 15) and women. She alleges that Epstein and Maxwell fulfilled their own sexual fetishes by flying in a whole group of European models (who sounded like they spoke Russian or Czechoslovakian) on one occasion. Via the NY Post:

“There’s just a blur of so many girls,” Giuffre told Maxwell’s attorneys when asked if she could name girls she saw Maxwell have sex with. “There were blondes, there were brunettes, there were redheads. They were all beautiful girls. I would say the ages ranged between 15 and 21 … The island was a place where orgies were a constant thing that took place.”

Guiffre alleges that, during one of these orgies, she was forced to have sex with Guislaine, Epstein, and another girl “in this blue, outdoor — I don’t know what you want to call it. Cabana, that… just a bed could fit in.” When pressed to name the precise number of orgies that she allegedly witnessed or was forced to participate within, Guiffre could only state, “it’s impossible to know how many,” which speaks to the enormity of what she claims to have endured.

It’s important to note that Guiffre is not the only accuser who appears in these court documents — she’s simply the only accuser who has consented to have her name revealed. The others wish to maintain their privacy, although, if Maxwell had her way, that wouldn’t be the case. Epstein’s ex-confidante made a bid to have the names of all of her accusers publicly revealed, and a Manhattan judge shut down the request, according to the New York Daily News.

(Via CNN, NY Post & New York Daily News)

Historically, musical artists have been known to go a few years without releasing a new album. That still happens often today, although as technology evolves, musicians are prone to putting music out more regularly. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek believes that way of doing things is the future, and said that artists who only put out an album “every three to four years” shouldn’t expect to thrive in the streaming landscape.

In an interview with Music Ally, Ek said:

“Some artists that used to do well in the past may not do well in this future landscape, where you can’t record music once every three to four years and think that’s going to be enough. The artists today that are making it realize that it’s about creating a continuous engagement with their fans. It is about putting the work in, about the storytelling around the album, and about keeping a continuous dialogue with your fans.”

He also discussed the viability of streaming music as a sole source of income for some artists, which he says is becoming a more common reality:

“It’s quite interesting that while the overall pie is growing, and more and more people can partake in that pie, we tend to focus on a very limited set of artists. Even today on our marketplace, there’s literally millions and millions of artists. What tends to be reported are the people that are unhappy, but we very rarely see anyone who’s talking about… In the entire existence [of Spotify] I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single artist saying, ‘I’m happy with all the money I’m getting from streaming,’ stating that publicly. In private they have done that many times, but in public they have no incentive to do it. But unequivocally, from the data, there are more and more artists that are able to live off streaming income in itself.”

Read the full interview here.

“Today is Opening Day, which means it’s a great day to arrest the killers of Breonna Taylor,” the Tampa Bay Rays tweeted on the first day of the new MLB season. You’ve probably seen numerous versions of this sentiment on Twitter, and while it’s well intentioned and Breonna Taylor’s killers should, in fact, be arrested, The Daily Show host Trevor Noah wants people to stop turning her death into a meme.

“If you are online a lot, you’ve probably seen Breonna Taylor being turned into just another meme. You know, whether it’s putting her name on a picture of Rihanna’s ass, or mentioning her death in some caption of a random selfie,” Noah said during Thursday’s episode. “You have maybe well-intentioned people who want to keep the name trending and they want to see Breonna Taylor get justice, but now [they’re] essentially using her name as a punchline.” Memes, Noah pointed out, aren’t the best way to honor someone, which is why “Obama didn’t dab at John Lewis’ funeral today.”

After playing numerous clips showing “the story of Breonna Taylor,” not as a slogan but as a human being, Noah ended the segment with the following words: “What happened to Breonna Taylor wasn’t a failure of the system, it was the system working as it’s intended. And that is why people are fighting for the system to be changed.”

You can watch the entire video above.

The Star Wars Original Trilogy doesn’t get enough credit for its use of The Force. Or, more specifically: its lack of its use of The Force. In the original Star Wars, a case can be made that The Force doesn’t even exist at all. Everything can be explained away. Nothing levitates and almost every use of the Force – from Luke’s training with a remote, to Luke blowing up the Death Star – can be looked at as “luck” (which Han Solo does both times). The closest the original movie comes to using actual magic is when Vader chokes Admiral Motti during a meeting on the Death Star. But even that could be explained as a combination of mind games and intimidation. (If Darth Vader started yelling at me during a work meeting I might have the same reaction, Force choke or not.)

Han Solo is the biggest skeptic. It’s only been 19 years since Jedi were running around everywhere doing magic tricks, yet Solo doesn’t believe the Force exists at all. This is a big reason Solo’s character works so well in the first two movies. He’s skeptical of all of this, just as a viewer should be. (Also, I think Han Solo plays into Gen X’s skepticism of pretty much everything. It’s a quality I possess and am often dumbfounded Millennials don’t share this. But this is probably also why Millennials like the Prequels more than we do. Anakin wears his heart on his sleeve. Han Solo thinks everyone is stupid.)

But a great thing the original movie does is not having a moment where Han Solo figures all this out and looks on with whimsical joy as something Force floats by him. At the end of Star Wars, we find out he does have a conscience but certainly doesn’t believe in The Force. That moment comes in The Empire Strikes Back, but it’s done in such a clever way, we don’t talk about it near enough.

But, first, let’s talk about my least favorite scene in all of the Prequel Trilogy. One of the things I dislike about the Prequel Trilogy is how The Force went from this “mysterious entity” to just a thing the Jedi use to speed up even minor inconveniences.

(Unrelated, I will admit since The Rise of Skywalker, my opinion of the Prequels has gone up in comparison. At least the Prequels have a point of view and a pretty good story. It’s just the execution of the story that’s the problem. But it’s not difficult to point at a few things in the Prequels and go, well, if that were done differently, and that, it would greatly improve the whole thing. With The Rise of Skywalker, where do you even begin? When the story itself is lousy, there’s no real fix.)

Anyway, the scene that bothers me to no end happens in Revenge of the Sith. Obi-Wan has just stowed away on Padmé’s starship on its way to Mustafar. He finds a small room or closet or whatever to hide inside of. Instead of just pushing the button to close the door, he uses The Force. C’mon. So over the course of six movies, the Force went from this sacred, mysterious thing to something Jedi use when they don’t feel like reaching for something. I mean, sure, that’s what I would use it for, but if I were a Jedi my story would be pretty boring and no one would make a movie about it. My point is, when you’re using the force just to close doors that don’t need urgent closing, maybe it’s time to dial back on how often your characters are using the Force?

Now, back to Han Solo. In The Empire Strikes Back, the first no doubt about it the Force is real” moment is when Luke’s lightsaber travels across the Wampa’s ice cave to his hand. We are over a full movie into this story before we see definitive proof of the Force. Of course, only the Wampa is around to see it, and Luke quickly murdered any witnesses.

Han Solo’s first interaction with The Force came on Cloud City during the dinner scene. (I’ve written about this scene before from Vader’s perspective and I still think it’s just the funniest thing. It’s so choreographed and elaborate! And you know as Lando was leading our heroes to dinner, Vader had to say, “Places, everyone!”) In one of my favorite moments of a Star Wars movie, Han sees Vader, doesn’t hesitate, and just starts shooting. (Contrast this with Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith, who has a whole meaningless conversation with Grievous before fighting, even though Obi-Wan briefly had the element of surprise.)

Seriously, this scene would never happen today. No catchphrase. No witty remark. Just Han Solo acting like the character actually would: fight or flight kicking in and he picked a fight. Vader deflects some blaster fire with his hand, then uses the Force to snag Han’s blaster right out of his hand. It’s played so well by Harrison Ford here, almost too well. Just a look of utter shock as the blaster is ripped out of his hand, then the bewilderment of a bunch of events all happening at once. Over the span of five seconds, Han realizes the Force is real, his buddy Lando just betrayed him (which, actually, I kind of understand when you take into account these war criminals just “showing up” unannounced, jeopardizing the people of the city he runs), and now they are prisoners of the Empire – as Darth Vader taunts him by making jokes about having dinner.

Compare this to the scene people do talk about a lot (and makes gifs of) in Return of the Jedi when Leia tells Han that Luke is her brother. Ford, famously not a big fan of this particular installment, makes a wacky face. (Though, I always kind of wish that scene were a bit longer as Leia tells Han, “Well, that’s the good news. There’s, unfortunately, a little more to this story.”

Look, I just love that Empire dinner scene. And it reminds me that when Star Wars movies work, they really work. After the original movie, we’d never envision a scene with Darth Vader and Han Solo at a dining table together in a weird, all-white room. Or if we could envision it, it would be corny. But there it is and so many things all happen at once and it’s played perfectly. What a scene! And if we are studying Solo’s arc, it’s a huge moment for him that, like I said, we just don’t talk about enough. For one moment, on Han’s face, we see him learn that “hokey religions” are indeed a match for a blaster at your side. (Oh, yes, that callback finally paid off in this scene, too.)

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

The Milwaukee Bucks entered the 2019-20 season with a clear vision and expectation. Nothing less than a championship would do for a team with the league’s reigning MVP, a second All-Star, and a deep supporting cast that happily knew and filled their roles with aplomb.

When the NBA went on hiatus in March, Milwaukee had done nothing to shake those expectations and, if anything, made them stronger. Giannis Antetokounmpo, unfathomably, was playing better than in his MVP campaign, becoming a more deft distributor, trusting even more in those pieces around him to help lift him up, rather than him trying to always shoulder the load. Khris Middleton took another leap in his second straight All-Star selection, finding a way to bring back the efficiency he showed as a role player to his starring role, knocking down threes and midrange shots at clips that were both near the top of the league.

Around them, veterans and young players alike fit snugly into their roles. Eric Bledsoe pacing the offense, balancing a role as a distributor with violent attacks on the rim. Donte DiVincenzo emerging as a reliable two-way sixth man, George Hill providing a steadying influence of the bench, and the Lopez brothers tag-teaming opposing centers. The Bucks were a juggernaut, but for some, belief in this team won’t come until they’ve proven it in the playoffs and are in an NBA Finals.

ROSTER

Giannis Antetokounmpo
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Eric Bledsoe
Sterling Brown
Pat Connaughton (not yet in the bubble)
Donte DiVincenzo
George Hill
Ersan Ilyasova
Kyle Korver
Brook Lopez
Robin Lopez
Frank Mason
Wesley Matthews
Khris Middleton
Marvin Williams
D.J. Wilson

SCHEDULE

Friday, July 31 — 6:30 PM — vs. Boston Celtics
Sunday, August 2– 8:30 PM — vs. Houston Rockets
Tuesday, August 4 — 1:30 PM — vs. Brooklyn Nets
Thursday, August 6 — 4:00 PM — vs. Miami Heat
Saturday, August 8 — 8:30 PM — vs. Dallas Mavericks
Monday, August 10 — 6:30 PM — vs. Toronto Raptors
Tuesday, August 11 — 9:00 PM — vs. Washington Wizards
Thursday, August 13 — TBD — vs. Memphis Grizzlies

STANDINGS

1. Milwaukee Bucks: 53-12
2. Toronto Raptors: 46-18 (6.5)
3. Boston Celtics: 43-21 (9.5)
4. Miami Heat: 41-24 (12.0)
5. Indiana Pacers: 39-26 (14.0)
6. Philadelphia 76ers: 39-26 (14.0)
7. Brooklyn Nets: 30-34 (22.5)
8. Orlando Magic: 30-35 (23.0)
9. Washington Wizards: 24-40 (28.5)

X-FACTOR

Eric Bledsoe has struggled in both of the Bucks playoff exits the last two years, and they need him to play like the regular season version of himself if they’re to march to a championship. It’s not impossible to see how the Bucks could overcome another rough postseason from Bledsoe to win a title, but it makes life much, much more difficult on Giannis and Middleton. We know that teams are going to try and force the Bucks “others” to beat them and make Giannis’ life miserable every time he tries to enter the paint. Giannis’ passing this season has been much better, finding his teammates beyond the arc when defenses collapse and being more willing to kick out rather than charging into a wall of bodies, but that only works if guys hit shots. Bledsoe has been horrific shooting in the postseason the last two years — a year ago he hit just 23.6 percent of his threes in the playoffs — and teams will make sure his and others confidence is put to the test yet again. When he’s good and makes teams pay for sending so much attention to Giannis and Middleton, Milwaukee is damn near unbeatable.

BIGGEST ON-COURT QUESTION

It’s the same question for the team as a whole as it is for Bledsoe: Can you be the same team in the playoffs you are in the regular season? We know Giannis is going to show up, but he’s going to need the rest of the team to show up and simply do what they have been all season. There’s not suddenly some tremendous ask of role guys once the playoffs rolls around in Milwaukee, they have their Hercules who is ready to shoulder that burden. However, when teams throw everything they can at him and he flings the ball out to the perimeter, will they be ready to knock down the same shots they did in the regular season? That question will determine whether they’re lifting a trophy in October or not.

The number one requirement when it comes to picking a great summer beer is simple — “Quench my thirst.” As easy as that sounds, not all beers hit the mark when temperatures start edging into the triple digits. Heavy imperial stouts are not the play. You’re going to want something light, aromatic, citrusy, sour, tart, floral, or even fruity.

To pin down which beer you should be drinking this summer, we reached out to some bona fide experts. We talked to brewers, Cicerones, historians, authors, educators, magazine editors, and leaders in the community and asked them to name their seasonal favorites. With August upon us, here are the brews that the true leaders of the industry are drinking right now.

Unite IPA – Jaega Wise, Sommelier and head brewer at Wild Card Brewing

Style: IPA
Brewery: Wild Card Brewing, Walthamstow, UK
ABV: 5.4%

The Beer:

Choosing the best beer to drink this summer is an easy one for me. On March 8th, otherwise known as International Women’s Day, over 100 women gathered to brew a beer together. Its purpose was to encourage more women in the beer industry through collaboration and education.

Together we made ‘Unite IPA.’ We decided to dedicate the beer to Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician and writer, who is widely celebrated as the first computer programmer. It’s important to recognize the work of the trailblazing women who came before us, who are often forgotten in the history books.

Tasting Notes:

Unite is a hazy, juicy IPA, double dry-hopped with the freshest Citra & Simcoe hops. This IPA has masses of mango, pineapple, and grapefruit in both the aroma and on the tongue, with a body made thick by the addition of wheat and oats.

Budweiser Budvar Original (“Czechvar”) – Evan Rail author of The Brewery in the Bohemian Forest and other award-winning books about beer.

Style: Czech Pilsner
Brewery: Budějovický Budvar, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
ABV: 5%

The Beer:

Naturally, I’m a big fan of Czech pale lager, aka světlý ležák, but the fullness of a typical Pilsner-style beer from the Czech Republic doesn’t always fit with the highest temperatures of summer — those beers are often too rich and too filling for super-hot days. When it’s really cooking out (and when I’m cooking out, on the Weber), I usually reach for the 5 percent alcohol flagship from Budweiser Budvar, often called the original Budweiser.

Because of the brewery’s ongoing, 100-year-old trademark dispute with the brand from St. Louis, North Americans will have to look for the beer under the name “Czechvar,” if they can find it at all. Exports to the States and Canada are pretty meager, especially compared to the vast volumes of Budvar that go to Germany and the U.K. Still, for me, it’s definitely worth the trouble to track this one down.

Tasting Notes:

It’s not as heavy as most Czech pale lagers, and correspondingly a lot less bitter, but it has great “Noble” aroma from the whole-cone Saaz hops used. It’s very much a throwback beer, still lagered for a full three months at extremely cold temperatures, just like they did it way back when.

Lost And Grounded Keller Pils – Natalya Watson, Beer Sommelier, author, and podcaster

Style: German Pilsner
Brewery: Lost And Grounded, Bristol, UK
ABV: 4.8%

The Beer:

My pick is Lost & Grounded Keller Pils. I had a can last night and I’m still thinking about it. That’s how good it is! Poured from the can, it looks like summer in a glass — with its beautiful golden hue and dense white head of foam.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, there’s a bready and grainy-sweet malt character with some herbal and spicy hop aromas. Then on the palate, you’ll pick up on all that delicious bready malt, as the bitterness builds to deliver a crisp, dry, and oh-so-thirst-quenching finish.

Boxcar Brewery Golden Ale – Mark Dredge, author of A Brief History of Lager

Style: Golden Ale
Brewery: BOXCAR, Bethnal Green, UK
ABV: 4.2%

The Beer:

You might expect me to pick a lager, given how I literally wrote the book on it. But there’s something about this summer which has me thirsty for a more meaningful provenance like I’m innately drawn to a local flavor. My favorite beer for that right now is Boxcar Brewery’s Golden Ale.

Tasting Notes:

Brewed a short walk away from me, it’s made with Golden Promise malt and Golding hops. It smells like fresh grain and stone fruit. It reminds me of the summery and floral hop gardens from where I grew up in Kent. It’s perfect and refreshingly English.

Green Bench Brewing Sunshine City – Latiesha Cook, Cicerone and president of Beer Kulture

Style: IPA
Brewery: Green Bench Brewing Company, St. Petersburg, FL
ABV: 6.8%

The Beer:

The beer I’d choose is Green Bench Brewing’s Sunshine City. Being a Florida resident this beer screams everything Florida Vibes to me! The beer is double dry-hopped with Mosaic, Citra, and Azacca hops.

Tasting Notes:

It smells like a day at the beach filled with peach, pineapple, nectar, and kiwis and tastes like “Bring me another!”

Mahrs Sommerpils – Andreas Krennmair, award-winning home brewer and author of Vienna Lager

Style:
Brewery: Mahr’s Bräu, Bamberg, Germany
ABV: 2.8%

The Beer:

Mahrs Sommerpils is everything I want from a beer during a hot summer day. This straw-colored beer packs a hoppy punch of both typical German “Noble” spicy notes and an assertive citrusy aroma coming from German Perle hops. Fairly full-bodied for a beer of only 2.8 percent ABV, it’s part of a category of beers that are called “Leichtbier” (literally “light beer”) in Germany. It has enough complexity to excite traditional lager drinkers as well as friends of hoppy IPAs and Pale Ales. It won’t fatigue your palate and — most importantly — will refresh you without getting you drunk quickly.

This beer just screams “summer.” It’s one of my favorites whenever I visit the Mahrs beer garden in Bamberg, Germany.

Tasting Notes:

Very pale, glowing yellow color. Spicy and citrusy on the nose. On the palate, the subtle white bread note from the pale malt is quickly dominated by citrusy hop flavors and a long-lasting, dry bitterness that will make you want to take another sip.

Maui Brewing Shave Weisse – Greg Koch, co-founder Stone Brewing

Style: Berliner Weisse
Brewery: Maui Brewing Company, Kihei, HI
ABV: 3.8%

The Beer:

A play on the Hawaiian treat “shave ice,” this beer packs a ton of tart and refreshing flavor in a very modest 3.8 percent ABV. The result is the very definition of “crushable.” Loaded with a copious fruit punch of mango, strawberry, guava, lime, and orange — all real fruit, by the way, no extracts — the fantastic depth of flavor profile comes from both hot and cold side additions (brewer’s speak for when the fruit is added in the brewing process) and traditional kettle souring.

Tasting Notes:

This is a beer where no descriptors can fully prepare you for the actual taste. Tons of fruit, but not sweet. Brewed with sour cultures, but more tart than sour. Low ABV, but definitely not simple. All that and being talked up by a guy known for his love of big, aggressive IPAs.

Just trust me on this one and you’ll not be disappointed.

Smooth Beats Miami – Anthony Totten, Finback Brewery

Style: Coconut IPA
Brewery: Finback Brewery, New York and J. Wakefield Brewing, Miami, FL
ABV: 6.2%

The Beer:

First brewed in 2016 in collaboration with J. Wakefield Brewing out of Miami, Florida, the concept of this beer was birthed with the beach in mind. It’s no secret that the team at Finback are huge fans of coconut and the idea was to make a beer that would be a perfect tropical crusher on a warm summer day. Now, here we are four years later, and Smooth Beats Miami has become a heavily sought after annual release that often sells out immediately.

Smooth Beats Miami is usually brewed and made available once or twice during the summer months each year. Definitely one to keep an eye out for and fill your cooler with it — if you get the chance.

Tasting Notes:

I first had this beer in 2017 and was instantly blown away by how well the coconut came through given how tricky using coconut can be. Too much and a beer can taste like suntan lotion. Too little and it leaves you wanting more. Smooth Beats is coconut done to perfection. At a touch over six percent, it is super crushable, tropical, and refreshing. It pours a beautiful golden color and the coconut aroma will immediately overtake your senses. The coconut flavor is prominent upfront and will linger after every sip.

This beer instantly makes me want to be poolside or relaxing on a beach somewhere enjoying the vibes. In fact, writing this made my mouth water and, luckily, I had one last can left in the fridge to quench my thirst.

Goldspot Brewing Company Patio Party – Alyssa Thrope, head brewer Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery

Style: Fruit Sour
Brewery: Goldspot Brewing Company, Denver, CO
ABV: 4%

The Beer:

With the new mandated limited seating in taprooms, patio seating has become the new normal this summer to enjoy craft beers outside of your house. One of my favorite beers to crush this summer has been one that my good friend Kelissa and fellow brewer/owner at Goldspot Brewing Company made together right after breweries could be open again.

Tasting Notes:

Aptly named Patio Party, a lightly tart kettle sour with hefty doses of strawberry and Persian lime purees. Super refreshing, very balanced, low ABV, and perfect to crush on a patio during these hot summer months. Also makes a great mixer to an icy cocktail, especially strawberry beer-ritas!

Exale Brewing Der Titan Dortmunder Lager – Matthew Curtis, founder/editor in chief of Pellicle Magazine

Style: Dortmunder Lager
Brewery: Exale Brewing, Walthamstow, UK
ABV: 4.8%

The Beer:

For me, lockdown here in London has been all about lagers. I used to do most of my drinking at the pub, but since they were forced to close on March 20, having a few cold cans of something both reliably tasting and refreshing added a semblance of familiarity to a situation that was wholly unfamiliar.

Although now pubs have reopened, I feel as though my beer drinking habits have been irrevocably altered. Maybe one day I’ll rediscover that joy of seeking out something new and unknown, but for now, cold and crispy is the order of the day. My perennial favorite over the past few months has been Der Titan, a Dortmunder style beer from Exale Brewing here in Walthamstow, London, inspired by the classic DAB Premium German lager.

Tasting Notes:

It pours a little hazy from the can and gives off bready aromas, with a little yeast ester adding a hint of red berry to the mix. To taste it’s simple and uncomplicated, with just a scratch of malt and a sniff of hop bitterness lending an extra kick of crispy refreshment to a dry finish. I have a feeling it’ll be a fridge staple of mine for a long time to come.

Rolling Stone Lager – Joe Bisacca, co-founder Elysian Brewing

Style: Lager
Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle, WA
ABV: 4.8%

The Beer:

Recently, I was working on a partnership with Rolling Stone Magazine and was asked to come up with a beer. For me, a Rolling Stone Lager would be something I’d love for a concert, seeing my favorite band, or listening to (or playing) music with friends. All things you’d want to do in the summer.

Tasting Notes:

The beer is crisp, has a mid-level ABV, and well balanced so I can drink it all night long. We made a lager at 4.8 percent ABV that I’ve been drinking it all summer. Here’s my plan: start with Rolling Stone Lager while it’s hot out, move to Space Dust IPA at dinner, and end with a few unusual rare things throughout the night. The best thing about beer is the exploration, the discovery of something new.

Track Brewing Co. Sonoma – Cory Smith, beer writer and photographer

Style: Pale Ale
Brewery: Track Brewing Company, Manchester, UK
ABV: 3.8%

The Beer:

The days in Denmark are long. Summer is here, which is a cause for celebration — with beverages naturally. I’ve been enamored with the wealth of beers I’ve found in Europe that are pushing ABV numbers ever lower while refusing to sacrifice flavor. Sub-four-percent beers are not uncommon and I’m here for it. Track’s Sonoma is probably my favorite example and I want an endless supply of it in my fridge.

Tasting Notes:

This is a beer for drinking. Sonoma’s body is light, but not thin. The hops shine, but don’t punish your palate the way a huge DIPA might on a warm summer day. Citrus notes and bitterness are balanced deftly. When it hits the shelves at my local beer shop, stocking up is requisite. My only criticism is that Copenhagen doesn’t get it as often as I’d like. It makes a good argument for relocating to Manchester.

2nd Shift Brewing Art of Neurosis – Joe Stange, co-author CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide To Belgium and managing editor Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine

Style: American IPA
Brewery: 2nd Shift Brewing, St. Louis, MO
ABV: 7.6%

The Beer:

The beer I’m enjoying most at the moment is Art of Neurosis from 2nd Shift in St. Louis. It’s an old-school “Midwest Coast” IPA that used to be very new-school, but beer trends seem to race ahead into new things and leave some great ones behind. Some brands litter the roadside, forgotten; others survive and continue to reward. I’ve been drinking AON for years.

Tasting Notes:

It remains a showcase of big, light, sweet malt in balance with a citrus-forward punch of hop flavor, with reassuring edges of pine and dank-bud. It’s bitter but fully cushioned by that comforting malt and residual sweetness. (We like our calories here in the Midwest.) I bought a keg from the brewery so we could have it on tap here at the farm. A big glass of it goes down like a treat with spicy snacks and hot weather.

Schneeeule Marlene – Zach Johnston, Deputy Editor UPROXX Life, podcaster One More Road For The Beer

Style: Berliner Weisse
Brewery: Schneeeule Brauerei, Berlin, Germany
ABV: 3.5%

The Beer:

I’m very lucky that I get to live in Berlin. One of the perks is the local beer and food scene. An internal part of the local craft beer scene has been the revival of the local ale, Berliner Weisse. Since Berlin was built on (and literally means) swamp, they couldn’t dig the cellars needed to lager beer. So they made their own wheated ale that didn’t need lagering. The style was so popular that over 500 micro-breweries for Berliner Weisse dotted the city by the 1800s. The sour, low-ABV beer had won the hearts of the local population as Berliners would gather to drink the stuff in small platzes straight from vats in huge glasses. Then the popularity faded as industrialization arrived and allowed for lagering in huge facilities.

The main reason I know this history is because of one woman who has strived to bring Berliner Weisse back to the streets of Berlin. Ulrike Genz is a beer savant. Her deep love of the style and history of Berlin Weisse has led to her founding and operating a brewery devoted to Berliner Weisse, Schneeeule or “Snow Owl”. The beer Genz makes is a masterclass in the style and varies according to locally foraged adjuncts that help spice up the beer. It’s one the purest and best-crafted beers overall, making the best damned Berliner Weisse there is.

Tasting Notes:

While I like Berliner Weisse with a little kick from things like ginger and chili, I find myself reaching for the standard Marlene more often than not. The beer opens with a hint of sourdough bread, citrus zest, and a note of brine. The taste builds with a salted buttery creaminess that’s counterpointed by the sour funk, tart apple, and continued refreshing burst of more citrus. All that funk, citrus, sourdough bread, yeastiness, and creamy sour combine in the glass to make for one of the most refreshing sips you’ll ever have on a hot summer day.

The commercial height of Logic’s career came in 2017, when he released his single “1-800-273-8255.” The song became his highest-charting track, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite that being a rare level of success that most musicians don’t ever achieve, Logic says that this period was actually the “lowest point” of his life.

He sat down for an interview on Big Boy’s Neighborhood, and he discussed the pressures of that level of fame, and whether or not he’d do it again:

“The thing is, before ‘1-800’ had popped off on the Everybody album, I was just a known rapper, but I went from that to… pop, known… When you do that, I’m like, ‘Oh OK, now I get it Selena [Gomez], now I get it Justin [Bieber]. OK, I get it, Taylor [Swift]. Like, I get it, dog. Y’all get it. Y’all be getting ripped apart. These people don’t even know you, they just be sh*tting on you. […]

My lowest point, my deepest, darkest, depressed state that I’ve ever been in was my most famous, my most wealthy, my most known. People don’t understand that. Would I do it all over again? Yes, because I made it here and I’m still fighting and learning every day.”

Watch the full interview above, with Logic speaking about his low point coming at 38:33 into the video.

First things first, okay? Gnarly, Steve-O from Jackass‘s self-released multimedia special, is not an attempt to cash in on his faded Jackass glory (even if it may initially look like that). For one thing, there’s already another Jackass movie on the docket originally scheduled for next year (depending on when they can actually start shooting again), so far all intents and purposes, that money train is still on the tracks.

For another, Steve-O wants you to know, he has been performing live comedy for a decade now. He started a celebrity interview podcast in March, so it’s safe to say that the University of Miami dropout turned homeless couch surfer turned clown college student turned Jackass member (per his official bio) has branched out.

Well, a little. Gnarly is still largely about the stunts and footage (though Steve-O’s oddly hokey stage presence does become more endearing as it goes along). The man formerly known as Steven Glover arrives in Denver taped to a mobile billboard for his own show. In addition to a greatest hits list of crazy things he did before he got sober (in 2008, congratulations, Steve-O), Gnarly breaks new footage that Steve-O wasn’t allowed to put on YouTube (because of nudity, gore, semen, drugs, coprophagia).

In one sequence, Steve-O rides around town with a bike shirt and “bike shorts” consisting only of body paint (in a strange coincidence, one of the groups he crashes in front of includes comedian Brandon Wardell, and, according to Wardell, comedian Jamel Johnson and Adam Friedland from the Cumtown podcast). In another, Steve-O lights himself on fire, to predictably disastrous results.

The reason, I think, that a lot of this stuff works is that Steve-O, crazy and disgusting as he is, has a weird way of making you feel protective of him. He’s weirdly lovable and transparently needy in a way that makes you want him to be okay. He’s spent most of his career pushing the boundaries of that.

Interviewing him was the same way. Normally you have to push interviewees to break out of “serious interview mode” and say something candid. Steve-O, meanwhile, is open almost to the point that you worry he’s not protecting himself enough. Has it always been like this? Is Steve-O is America’s f*cked up younger brother we only want good things for? I spoke to him by phone this week, and it was a hell of a ride.
Hello?

Yeah, dude.

Is there still a Jackass movie coming out next year?

Yeah, that’s the plan. Of course, filming got shut down for coronavirus, but the idea is to get it back up and running and finish it, and have a movie come out.

So what was the idea behind the live show, exactly?

Well, the idea behind the live show is like any other touring comedian. I’ve been doing that for a decade now. As far as my approach to my comedy, I’ve sought to bring all the components of my crazy career and mix it all into one. So yeah, this is the act that I toured with for a good couple of years there. And as I was putting the act together, one night it occurred to me that it is comprised of a bunch of stories that, as crazy as they are, for the most part, all happened on camera. And then I thought, “Wow, what if my next stand-up comedy special is me telling these crazy stories, but with the footage of them happening edited into it?” I just got so excited about it, I started taping my shows and editing it all together, and it just worked super-well, so… yeah, that’s the purpose for it.

So this was created out of multiple shows then?

No, it was taped all in Denver. I mean, the process certainly came through multiple shows. I initially taped a performance just to check it out, and brought it into my editing bay, and started cutting it all together. And it seemed apparent right away, that my idea was going to work. So I had this video project with all the footage that I wanted to include, and I would tape a new live show and cut that in there. It really forced me to study the actual act, I think that brought a great deal of improvement. But it also got me really frustrated at how depressing it felt to be just regaling my past. It felt like that Bruce Springsteen song “Glory Days.” The feeling I had was like regurgitating old stuff is depressing, so why don’t I set about doing new and crazier shit inspired by each bit?

So there’s one of the craziest things that ever happened in my life and then let the next thing in the live act be something inspired by that. I just went crazy filming new and crazier shit. And I was frustrated with having done all this stuff for YouTube at that point, like a bunch of years. And I was just like, “I’m giving away all this footage I’m working so hard for on YouTube, and I’m having to obey their f*cking rules. So f*ck YouTube.”

I took a break from YouTube and started filming sh*t that would never be allowed on YouTube. I got so much satisfaction out of that. I was like, “I’m going to swallow a whole load of my buddy’s c*m. F*ck YouTube. My buddy’s going to jack-off, and I’m going to swallow it.” And everything else. So that was a lot of fun. It made me feel less washed-up, to be active, doing super-high level crazy sh*t.

To me, it felt less like Bruce Springsteen, more like hybrid DVD commentary and AA share, with a hint of one-man show in there.

Cool, man. I’ll take that.

How long have you been sober? Are you still going to meetings and stuff?

Oh, dude, big time. I don’t really talk about that when I’m concentrating on film and stuff, but yeah, I’m super-active. I’ve been sober since March 10th of 2008.

Oh, wow, congrats.

Yeah, thanks, man. Dude, I made it into… depends if you want to count drugs and alcohol separately, then I qualified for different fellowships, and I feel like I’m barreling towards my fifth.

So tell me about your war wounds. You talk about some of them in the special, but what all surgeries and things have you had to put your body back together?

There are the ones I talk about in the special. You get to see the burns… I guess, you get to see it all. The skin grafts on 15% of my body, which the world can see for the first time now, and 11 screws in ankle, with a plate. Surgery-wise, mostly it’s in my mouth, dude. The most surgeries I’ve had have been gum grafts, just from terrible gum recession, which I attribute to many things, including years of fire-breathing stunts using isopropyl rubbing alcohol, which is just not good for the inside of your mouth. I didn’t learn the right way to do it until 2011. 1996 all the way through 2011, I was doing that. But other surgery? I had surgery on my right leg to drain a hematoma. I’ve got an esophageal condition called Barrett’s esophagus. And so, I go under for general anesthesia semi-regularly to check.

Broken bones. People ask me a lot how many bones have I broken, and my answer is always, “It depends on if you count teeth.” Because without teeth, it’s about 12, I think. And with teeth, it’s just over 20.

The esophageal condition, does that have anything to do with when you were trying to swallow the hash condom and it got stuck [in order to smuggle weed into Sweden]?

Possibly. I don’t think so. I think what it is is unrelated to most anything that you would suspect. It’s an acid reflux condition. Though, of course, what I consider my professional bulimia, where on every single episode of Wild Boys, numerous episodes with Jackass, every single movie, there were so many bits which involved me barfing. I used to barf on stage every night on tour. I was professionally bulimic, dude, and I think that’s got a lot to do with the Barrett’s esophagus. And also, all the cocaine that drizzled down the back of my nose into my throat couldn’t have helped. I don’t know.

In the special, you talk about smoking cocaine with Mike Tyson. Do you have any other good celebrity drug stories?

Sure, man. There’s a video on YouTube I put up. I think it’s called “Celebs I did Coke With.” And this was a bit that I actually did throughout this whole tour. Celebrity Cocaine Stories was part of the act, when I talked about doing cocaine with Mike Tyson. Again, there’s a bunch of other celebrities I did cocaine with. Get ready, I’m going to f*cking throw them all under the bus right now. And before I went to go tape the Gnarly special, my agent said, “Hey, I don’t think that’s a good look.” He says, “I think that’s the one bit that just feels like it doesn’t fit in this.” He says, “I recommend you not include that.” So I didn’t, I left that out of the special.

Then after the fact, I second-guessed it. I was like, “You know what? F*ck that, dude.” Other people who are in the Celebrity Cocaine Stories bit, there’s no revelations there, there’s nothing like, “Oh, wow, I can’t believe to learn that Lindsey Lohan did cocaine.” And in the bit, I call her, Lindsey Blow-han. So yeah, I’ll let you find that video. It’s just the actual bit, I just made it into a YouTube Video, which is cool. I’m glad I went that way, because it was the first time that I put a stand-up bit on YouTube. It felt really good, because people don’t really f*cking even know I’ve been doing stand-up for so long.

Does being older affect the kind of stunts that you can do and the things that you can put your body through?

Yeah. I mean, it’s sad to say, but my standing back tuck on flat ground, which is the technical term for backflip, isn’t what it used to be. If I had to do it, I could, but I’d probably come up short and not land it very cleanly. Now I’m relegated to back-flips off of benches. Dude, I need that little extra height off the table or something, to get that rotation around. Lately, I’ve been f*cking pushing myself harder than ever on my skateboard. And it’s really sad and depressing to have limitations in that area. There’s a certain stunt that I just love, and I’ll never get it back, but I just belligerently refuse to accept that. But yeah, and just little stuff. I’m losing physicality a little bit, but I’m finding creative ways to make up for it.

It seems like it would be hard to be sober and still be doing things that would require pain medication.

Right. I mean, when I got my ankle screwed together. There’s little more invasive surgery than, what do you call it, compound fracture… open reduction. Open reduction, where they screw your whole ankle together, and I went through that and took zero painkillers other than Tylenol and Advil. Of course, when I was in the hospital, they had me under, and they gave me, I’m sure, some kind of IV pain medication on the spot, but I’ve never even filled out a prescription. Tylenol and Advil for the win. And when it’s really unbearable, Tylenol with Advil.

I mean, I take that just to golf. I can’t imagine what I’d need if I was doing backflips.

Well, right. But let’s be clear, that I never once took a painkiller for pain.

Speaking of that, there are times in the show where I’m watching it, and then I wonder as an audience, are we supporting your sobriety, or are we enabling you?

[At this point I heard a weird chime noise on the line and then it went silent]

Ah, f*ck. …Hello?

…Yeah, dude. F*ck, man, you started going in and out, and I’m not [inaudible]. Oh, here, let me turn off the Wifi here. I’m guessing that what I just did will help. Yeah, I don’t know, my phone was trying to pick up a Wifi signal, and it was particularly weak. Now, you said… as an audience member, were we rooting for your recovery, or are we celebrating your war footage?

Are we enabling you or are we supporting your sobriety, I guess.

I don’t think there’s any way that this multimedia comedy special makes a very strong argument for the benefits of active addiction. I think that it is so plainly obvious, that shit needed to stop. And the only thing that makes it fun or appropriate to really go into the detail that I do is the fact that for now, it’s in the rear-view. I’m perfectly comfortable putting it out there, and I think there’s a bit of a cautionary element to it. I don’t know. I don’t feel like it’s in a bad spirit that I put it out there.

So during that bit when you have the bike pants painted on, was one of the guys you crashed your bike in front of Brandon Wardell?

The guy who… I know that there was a comic. I wasn’t aware of that, but I’ve since heard someone say that, “Oh, I know that guy. He’s a comedian.”

So that was accidental?

Totally accidental. God, I would never stage a reaction. I’m so glad that we clarified that, because if there’s anybody who thought that I would f*cking stage a reaction, then please, let’s put that f*cking notion to bed. I only found out in the last few weeks that that guy was a comic, I think.

Yeah, he is a comic, and then not only that, there was an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm where he plays a guy who’s just walking down the street, and it’s almost the same situation.

Dude, that is so weird. And frankly, I f*cking hate that, because I made YouTube videos people, big YouTubers, and have them be like, “Okay, [inaudible] YouTubers get together.” And they don’t even [inaudible] … (silence)”

[the line goes dead again].

Hello? Hello?

[crackling back to life] Oh, that’s what that was! All right, dude. F*ck, man. I’m sorry about that. My RV just picked up Bluetooth. Jesus Christ.

Maybe just tell that one last story about the YouTube get together, and then I’ll let you go.

Dude, don’t worry about it. I’m in the RV, I’m not in any rush at all. Actually, yeah, I’ve got 10 more minutes, and then I got to go tram-surfing with Jon Jones.

The UFC fighter? Wow.

I’m in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and there is a gondola-tram thing that goes up the mountain, and they’re f*cking shutting it down, so we can ride it and climb on the roof. I’m pretty excited. But yeah, the thing with the YouTubers, I’ve gotten together with them, and they’re like, “Oh, let’s do a prank,” and they’ll be like, “We can just fake it.” And I’m just like, “What?” I’m like, “Dude, you guys don’t get it, man.” If I fake one f*cking thing in my life, then everything I’ve ever done comes into question. I’m just so protective of that. I hate that there’s someone there that has been in scripted comedy. But I know that my integrity is intact.

And I really am seriously proud of what I did with this thing. The amount of f*cking work that went into that opening sequence is so just comical for how long that it ran.

Yeah, so were you really just strapped to the side of that thing all the way to Denver?

Here’s how that went down. First, we filmed it on two different days. Day one was the whole Jackass cast we found in L.A., and legitimately drove me all the way to Vegas taped to the truck. But of course, we knew that we would never get through L.A. traffic, we’d get pulled over, and we’d be shutdown.

So what we did was, when we got done filming with all the Jackass guys, we had already prepared a big wooden box. It looked like a coffin kind of, spray-painted black. And we taped me up there, and mounted the box over me, so that you couldn’t see I was taped to the truck. That allowed us to drive out of L.A. with impunity. Of course, I was taped to the truck 100%. I just had a box over me. Then once we got to Barstow, we unscrewed the box, and we got all the footage on the highway with the semi-trucks and shit. And I was chilling inside the box. I had a fucking iPad mounted up, I had my iPhone taped to the thing, and I was just f*cking working away like it was a little office in there.

Once it was dark of night, we were almost all the way to Vegas, and we stopped there. I think I went 200 miles that night, and I was taped to the truck for over eight hours that day. And then what we did was we preserved the billboard with the tape the way that it was, and then I want to say it was a month later, or maybe two months later. In January, we flew out with a skeleton crew to Colorado, and had the truck meet us there. And we got up at whatever it was, 5:00 in the morning to catch the sun coming up. By virtue of having preserved the tape, we were able to put me onto the truck and take me down multiple times and film it in sections, to get the rest of the way to Denver. Thank God, we didn’t try to fucking put a box over me, because it was so goddamn cold in Colorado in January. Yeah. So I’m happy to reveal that the reality of what it was, especially after I just gone done ranting about fake shit.

Right on. Well, again, thank you for talking to me, and good luck.

Hey, I appreciate you, brother-man, thanks.

‘Gnarly’ is available for purchase now on Steveo.com. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

A nationally televised face-off between LeBron James’ Lakers and Jayson Tatum’s Celtics was one of the last great games of the pre-hiatus NBA season. While the Lakers are the talk of the Bubble as a presumptive title contender, the Celtics are at center stage yet again, highlighting the first full day of NBA action in nearly five months as they take on the Milwaukee Bucks on ESPN Friday evening.

Boston is as deep as ever, well-coached, and full of budding stars. Eight seeding games isn’t a very long runway, but for the Celtics to reclaim the momentum they had when they went toe to toe with Los Angeles back in late February, they’ll need third-year forward Jayson Tatum to pick up where he left off as one of the most versatile and efficient scorers in the league. If he can, the team’s dynamic defense and wide array of scoring talent makes them a good bet for another deep playoff run under Brad Stevens.

ROSTER

Jaylen Brown
Carsen Edwards
Tacko Fall
Javonte Green
Gordon Hayward
Enes Kanter
Romeo Langford
Semi Ojeleye
Vincent Poirier
Marcus Smart
Jayson Tatum
Daniel Theis
Kemba Walker
Brad Wanamaker
Tremont Waters
Grant Williams
Robert Williams III

SCHEDULE

Friday, July 31 — 6:30 p.m. ET — vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Sunday, Aug. 2 — 3:30 p.m. ET — vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Tuesday, Aug. 4 — 6:30 p.m. ET — vs. Miami Heat
Wednesday, Aug. 5 — 9 p.m. ET — vs. Brooklyn Nets
Friday, Aug. 7 — 9 p.m. ET — vs. Toronto Raptors
Sunday, Aug. 9 — 5 p.m. ET — vs. Orlando Magic
Tuesday, Aug. 11 — 6:30 p.m. ET — vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Thursday, Aug. 13 — Time TBD — vs. Washington Wizards

STANDINGS

1. Milwaukee Bucks: 53-12
2. Toronto Raptors: 46-18 (6.5)
3. Boston Celtics: 43-21 (9.5)
4. Miami Heat: 41-24 (12.0)
5. Indiana Pacers: 39-26 (14.0)
6. Philadelphia 76ers: 39-26 (14.0)
7. Brooklyn Nets: 30-34 (22.5)
8. Orlando Magic: 30-35 (23.0)
9. Washington Wizards: 24-40 (28.5)

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?

The Celtics should be aiming for the NBA Finals. They came close in 2018 when Tatum first matched James on the big stage, then faltered last year as Kyrie Irving took control in the first round against Milwaukee and orchestrated a humiliating five-game defeat at the hands of the Bucks. The next two seasons might be this core’s best chance at a title, so sitting within reach in the third seed means a Finals berth has to be the goal for 2020.

Tatum will be up for a contract extension after the season, while Brown is already locked in on a lucrative deal. Hayward can opt-out after 2020 or see his contract expire in the 2021 offseason. The Celtics know the group they currently have is championship-worthy, but with an expensive future, everyone should be locked in on a title chase this summer in Orlando.

X-FACTOR

Kemba Walker: This one comes down to health. In his first season with the Celtics, Walker was his usual self, albeit on a lower usage than in his best Charlotte years. Walker was able to bring the gravity and effectiveness as a three-level scoring guard to Stevens’ offense without dominating the ball as much as Irving or Isaiah Thomas. That meant he was able not only to create his own shots but find good looks for teammates, notching 4.9 “high-value assists” (think 3s and layups) per 75 possessions, according to The Basketball Index’s player profiles.

However, Walker only played in one of the team’s three scrimmages and has been nursing a knee injury since at least the All-Star break in mid-February. Walker has said he is “trending upwards,” but going on six months of discomfort, you’d hope Walker would be further along than simply trending in the right direction. With Walker at less than full strength, the Celtics struggled to score before the break. Even with Tatum’s brilliance and great two-way role players, nobody on the Celtics’ roster can replace Walker’s ability to spot up and play-make.

BIGGEST ON-COURT QUESTION

Who wins the one-on-one matchups? We think of Stevens’ Celtics teams as being fluid and beautiful, moving the ball side to side, in and out, until someone gets open for an easy 3. That hasn’t been the case this season. After finishing fifth in team assists per 100 possessions with Irving running the show and Tatum in a smaller role, this year’s Celtics fell to 24th in that metric, a signal that more of their scoring comes in isolation (and at the free-throw line). The case could be made that type of scoring translates easier to the playoffs, and certainly Tatum has always looked like a player who could buy a bucket when the game slows down and shrinks in the playoffs, but it’s not something Boston has proven yet in the postseason.

On the other end, individual defensive matchups will challenge them come playoff time. They don’t have a great answer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, nor Ben Simmons or Pascal Siakam. While Brown and Smart are two of the best perimeter defensive stoppers in the league, Boston lacks a bigger forward who can shut those types of guys down consistently. Tatum guarded James back in February, but asking him to handle a third of the Celtics’ offensive possessions and lock down All-NBA play-makers on the other end is a surefire way for him to be worn out by the final rounds of the playoffs. Without Al Horford (or even Aron Baynes), it will be imperative for Stevens to mix up coverages on the league’s elite jumbo scorers (hello, Mr. Ojeleye), and limit them enough to let the Celtics’ offense win games.

The 2020 GLAAD Media Awards were last night, and the music world was well represented at the annual ceremony.

There was a competitive field for the Outstanding Music Artist category, but Lil Nas X came away with the honor, winning for his work on his 7 EP. He was nominated for the award (which was presented by Charli XCX) against Adam Lambert, Brittany Howard, Kevin Abstract, Kim Petras, King Princess, Melissa Etheridge, Mika, Tegan And Sara, and Young MA.

Demi Lovato did not receive any nominations, but she was on hand as a presenter, to introduce performer Shea Diamond. During her introduction, she also shared a powerful message for trans people, saying:

“It’s never been more important to celebrate the acceleration of acceptance for the LGBTQIA+ community, especially trans people of color, who face outrageous discrimination and danger. To all the trans youth, I want to make sure that you know that you matter. I know things are crazy hard right now and you may not have your usual support system around you, but don’t let anyone, especially our government, fool you into thinking you are anything less than perfect and meant to be. Be proud of who you are, keep your voices loud and strong, and know that we are fighting for you.”

Watch clips from the show above and below.

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