Month: January 2022

Now that Amy Schneider’s historic run on Jeopardy! is over after $1.3 million in winnings, she’s free to pursue other passions… like host Jeopardy!. “It would certainly be a cool experience,” she said when asked whether she’d be interested in becoming Alex Trebek’s permanent replacement earlier this month. “It’s a lot harder than it looks. Whether I’d actually even be good at it, I don’t know… But yeah, I‘d certainly consider it if somebody asked.” Amy Schneider wouldn’t be her first pick to get the gig, though.

“Ken Jennings should be the host,” she told CNN’s Brian Stelter. “I really can’t say enough about him. I didn’t necessarily think that before going into this because, yes, he was a great champion, but this is a different skill set. But you could see the work that he put into it, and I just thought he did a really great job… That’s my endorsement.”

Jennings, who holds the record for the longest winning streak in Jeopardy! history, previously praised Schneider on Twitter, writing, “Of all the Jeopardy! greats, I’ve never seen anyone that played the game with the kind of unflappable ease that Amy Schneider always seemed to have.” He currently shares hosting duties with The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik, an arraignment that lasts until the summer. Once the new season begins, it’s hard to imagine Jennings not getting the full-time job, assuming he wants it — he certainly doesn’t have to worry about Aaron Rodgers anymore.

(Via CNN and The Week)

Alec Baldwin, known for being super genuine and even-tempered and not at all sketchy, recently settled with a man who sued the actor for allegedly beating him up over three years ago. What could possibly put Baldwin, the man who started a fight with someone for refusing to turn off Words With Friends on a flight, over the edge? A parking spot mishap in NYC.

To be fair, parking is a nightmare, but Wojciech Cieszkowski claims the 30 Rock actor punched him in the jaw and shoved him outside Baldwin’s East 10th Street apartment, where they were both waiting for a spot. Baldwin then countersued, as his lawyers claimed that the man was only “light pushed.” The surveillance footage shows an altercation between the two, though it’s a bit inconclusive.

Also appearing on the video is Baldwin’s wife, Hilaria, who appears to intervene. Though she’s not known for her honesty, either. The two came to an undisclosed agreement today. Baldwin had previously pled guilty to harassment over the incident and was sentenced to anger management classes, as well as a hefty $120 fine.

This has been quite the last few months for Baldwin, who has been in a sea of legal issues after allegedly firing a gun on the set of his movie Rust, which tragically killed Halyna Hutchins last fall. The investigation is ongoing, though Baldwin is having a hard time cooperating with authorities.

It Takes Two is a divisive game. The platformer about two adults, Cody and May, preparing for divorce only to become toy dolls ranges from the Game of the Year for some to unearned emotional pulling for others. It’s generally agreed that the gameplay itself is pretty fun and a great co-op experience. However, the game’s plot is where a lot of the complaints about It Takes Two come in. Some people believe it’s a really well-told story about two adults needing to learn how to grow as people, but others think it’s a game where the characters don’t actually go through much change and many of its more mature themes are mishandled.

Despite the divisiveness over the plot of It Takes Two, it looks like the game will be receiving an adaptation for film and TV. According to Variety, the studio behind It Takes Two — Hazelight Studios — has partnered with dj2 Entertainment to create the adaptation. The game’s director, Josef Fares, is unsurprisingly excited about the potential adaptation.

“Creating the world and story in ‘It Takes Two’ was so much fun for me and the team,” said Hazelight founder and creative director Josef Fares. “Since it has a strong narrative with many crazy characters and just as crazy co-op action moments, the potential is huge for a great adaption to film or television.”

It will be interesting to see what kind of direction they choose to take this adaptation. The game has a really incredible art style that will be extremely difficult for a movie studio to match without just copying it if they choose to go the animation route. If they go the live filming route though then recreating that unique art with actual people will be a task in itself. Of course, that’s for the studios to figure out.

Over the past decade, the ultra-hazy, juicy, and tropical fruit-forward New England IPA has exploded in popularity. This has led to brewers continuing to push the envelope in terms of flavor, ingredients, and texture of IPAs. Which has all led us to a brand new(ish) craft beer style called the “milkshake IPA.”

We can thank Indiana’s 3 Floyds and Sweden’s Omnipollo for this particular ripple, as they were the first to add lactose sugar to an IPA back in 2015. Eureka! The milkshake IPA was born.

Not too surprisingly, this style gets its name because of its use of lactose and fruit (much like so many of our favorite milkshakes). This results in a creamy mouthfeel and consistency. Depending on the brewer and how wild they want to get with it, some include sour or tart flavors alongside various fruits, tropical or otherwise.

Naturally, not all milkshake IPAs are created equal. So we decided to grab eight well-known contenders for the crown and rank them on overall flavor. Keep scrolling to see how things shook out.

8. Westbrook Pineapple Milkshake IPA

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $19 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

This seven percent beer literally tastes like a pineapple milkshake. It’s brewed with Cascade and CTZ hops and dry-hopped with Citra and Mosaic hops. It gets more flavor and mouthfeel from the addition of Conan yeast as well as Carapils and Pale malts, oat, wheat, pineapple, vanilla, and, of course, lactose.

Tasting Notes:

Not surprisingly, a lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There’s a wallop of pineapple, caramel malts, slight citrus, herbal hops, and a nice hit of vanilla. There was more of the same with the flavor, as there was a ton of vanilla, slight creamsicle-like notes, more pineapple, and just a hint of hops and malts.

Bottom Line:

The hoppy taste is the only thing this beer is lacking. Still, this is a creamy, delicious, juicy beer that any pina colada or hazy IPA fan would adore.

7. Bearded Iris Mood Ring

ABV: 8.5%

Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Bearded Iris has a few different versions of its iconic Mood Ring. This version is an 8.5 percent double IPA loaded with a ridiculous amount of berries. It’s brewed with blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries as well as lactose and vanilla. To add to that, it’s hopped with Mosaic, Vic Secret, and Citra hops.

Tasting Notes:

Have you ever been strawberry picking? This beer smells like a field of strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. There isn’t much vanilla on the nose, but it sneaks through in the palate along with more berries, lactose, and a nice kick of citrus and floral hops. All around a fruity, sweet, memorable beer.

Bottom Line:

This is a little more “fruit smoothie” than “milkshake.” But it’s pretty close to the perfect IPA for anyone who loves berries and cream.

6. Hop Butcher Blazed Orange Milkshake

ABV: 7.5%

Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Carrying on the tradition that brewers seem to enjoy citrus flavors when making milkshake IPAs, Hop Butcher Blazed Orange Milkshake has major creamsicle vibes. This 7.5 percent ABV double milkshake IPA was brewed with Citra and Strata hops as well as orange and vanilla.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is way nostalgic with a notable creamsicle smell. Unsurprisingly, there’s also a good deal of sweet vanilla, a hint of pineapple, and slight hoppiness. The palate is more of the same with a ton of tart, sweet orange flavor paired well with creamy vanilla. There isn’t much else in the flavor department and, in this case, that’s not a bad thing.

Bottom Line:

If you’re a fan of creamsicles or you enjoy the flavors of orange and vanilla, this is right up your alley. It literally tastes like an orange-flavored creamy milkshake but not much else.

5. Urban South Strawberry Shortcake Snoball Juice

ABV: 8%

Average Price: $14 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Fans of New Orleans-based Urban South know all about the brewery’s line of Snoball Juice IPAs. Known for its fruit flavors, one of the best and most milkshake-like is its Urban South Strawberry Shortcake Snoball Juice. Original Snoball Juice is a hazy, juicy IPA made with a slew of hops including Idaho 7, Vic Secret, El Dorado, and Citra hops.

This beer elevates that flavor with lactose, strawberries, and Graham cracker crust.

Tasting Notes:

A complex mix of strawberries, slight citrus, sweet Graham crackers, and vanilla meet your nose. Sipping it reveals more lactose sweetness, ripe berries, slight herbal, piney hops, and sweet, creamy vanilla. It’s a great combination of milky, fruity sweetness, and gentle hops.

Bottom Line:

This beer is aptly named. It’s a slightly hoppy, juicy, creamy, strawberry milkshake in a can and we can’t get enough of it.

4. Paperback A Milkshake Orange

ABV: 6.5%

Average Price: $22 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

Named for the novel and film A Clockwork Orange, Glendale, California’s Paperback Brewing’s 6.5 percent A Milkshake Orange is brewed with Sabro hops, blood orange, and lactose. It’s a citrus-filled homage to the ultra-violent, iconic Stanley Kubrick film adaptation.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find citrus zest, bright orange juice, vanilla beans, creamy lactose, and orange rind. The flavor is a mix of creaminess and sweetness with a lot of ripe, juicy orange, lactose, and slightly bitter citrus zest. All in all, a creamy, juicy beer for citrus maniacs.

Bottom Line:

It seems that creamsicle-like milkshake IPAs are the name of the game. It’s not surprising that this orange and vanilla flavor works together perfectly and has a real “milkshake” feel to it.

3. Hoof Hearted Who’d Like To Hold My Clipboard

ABV: 9%

Average Price: $8 for a 16-ounce can

The Beer:

With a name like “Hoof Hearted Who’d Like To Hold My Clipboard,” you might not have any idea what you’re getting into. That’s what makes this beer even more exciting. You’re unprepared for this highly complex, nine percent ABV double IPA brewed with fruit puree, Tahitian vanilla, and milk sugar.

Tasting Notes:

This beer’s complex nose has notes of guava, mango, ripe pineapple, vanilla beans, and sweet milk. The palate is epically sweet with hints of candied pineapple, sweet orange candy, vanilla beans, and a slight hop note.

Bottom Line:

This is the kind of milkshake IPA that requires multiple sessions to find all of the various flavors. It’s sweet, creamy, and — frankly — pretty magical.

2. Clown Shoes Tropical Blender

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans

The Beer:

The folks at Clown Shoes obviously have an intriguing sense of humor. You wouldn’t expect a milkshake IPA called Clown Shoes Tropical Blender to feature an image of the Grimm Reaper. But there it is. This seven percent ABV milkshake IPA is brewed with pineapple, mango, and guava puree, as well as lactose.

Tasting Notes:

This is a fruity beer for sure. Aromas of guava, mango, and pineapple immediately meet your nostrils. There are also notes of vanilla cream and slight, floral hops as well. On the palate, this beer is hoppier than many on the list and it tempers to tropical fruit and creamy lactose flavors quite well.

Bottom Line:

This is a great example of a well-balanced milkshake IPA. There’s a ton of tropical sweetness that pairs well with slightly bitter hops and a rich, creamy base.

1. WeldWerks Brewing Piña Colada Milkshake

ABV: 8.8%

Average Price: $9 for a 16-ounce can

The Beer:

Greely, Colorado’s Weldwerks is well known for its beloved Juicy Bits, a New England IPA is bursting with juicy, hazy, and fresh fruit flavor. But this brewery is more than a one-trick pony. Their Piña Colada Milkshake is brewed with toasted coconut, pineapple puree, vanilla, lactose, and Citra and Mosaic hops.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find a ton of caramelized pineapple, mango, passionfruit, sweet vanilla, and just the right kick of dank and piney hops. There’s more ripe pineapple on the palate along with toasted coconut, sweet cream, vanilla beans, more tropical fruit flavors, and a nice kick of dank hops at the finish.

Bottom Line:

If you like pina coladas (and getting caught in the rain?), but you still want your beer to taste like beer, this is a milkshake IPA for you. Pineapple is the star of the show with this beer but the creaminess of the coconut help make this the ultimate IPA milkshake.

Drake’s relationship with his son Adonis generates plenty of amusing, entertaining, and downright adorable content these days, especially as the three-year-old begins to develop more of his personality and understand what his dad does for a living. He’s also getting quite mischievous, as Drake’s latest video with Adonis shows.

Opening with a playful debate about whether or not Adonis will be “bigger” than Drake when he gets to be Drake’s age (there appears to be some confusion on whether that means physically or in terms of cultural impact), the video takes a slightly dark turn when Adonis asks whether his dad wants to learn some French. Adonis has likely been learning from his mom, Sophie Brussaux, a French painter and former model who shares custody with Drake (also, French is big in Canada, so Adonis being bilingual couldn’t hurt).

While teaching his dad some French words, Adonis also appears to be roasting his pops’ advancing years (kids always think everybody older than them is a dinosaur), reminding him that he’s inching closer to death every day — although, when he’s asked to translate, he puts it into much nicer terms. Drake seems pretty amused, though, catching Adonis’ prank and cracking up over it as the video ends. Check out the video below.

This article originally appeared on 12.22.16

Douglas Scott grew up on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula in the dying shadow of the timber industry that had supported the region for decades.

“Nearly every home had a bright orange or yellow sign reading ‘This home supported by timber dollars,'” Scott wrote on Outdoor Society.

While the region has also been recognized for its succulent seafood, temperate climate, and stunning natural formations, nothing shaped the community — or the physical landscape — quite like logging did.

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The tension in the air between the loggers and the environmentalists throughout the 1980s was thicker than the trees being cut down.

“I heard from old timers in the Harbor about how environmentalists were ruining the region, and I was told by environmentalists that loggers were killing everything in sight,” Scott recalled.

But to understand the full impact of deforestation on the region, it helps to take the bird’s eye view.

Here’s a satellite image of the Olympic Peninsula from 1984. The white region in the center are the mountaintops in Olympic National Park; you’ll also notice the grey and brown areas along the western and northern coasts of the peninsula.

“When I moved away from the area in 1997, there wasn’t much of a logging or mill economy in dozens of towns around the region,” Scott said.

By that time, tourism had begun to take the place of timber as the region’s major industry — which was probably helped along by the fact that the trees were slowly but surely starting to recover, enhancing the already stunning vistas that drew visitors.

Here’s how the Olympic Peninsula looked by the time that Scott and his family left the area; you’ll notice the western and northern coasts are just a little bit greener than they were 13 years prior…

Those great green arbors continued their gradual recovery into the 2000s…

And they’re still going today.

But those isolated moments don’t tell the whole story of the region’s recovery. It’s even more remarkable when you can see it in action…

We don’t always notice the world changing right before our eyes, but the decades-long view of the Olympic Peninsula shows the true power of nature.

It’s not just the trees, either; according to Scott, the replenished forests have also had a positive impact on the local salmon population and other treasured natural resources.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use the natural world, of course. We still need wood, for example, but now we know there are sustainable ways to use it without recklessly damaging to the planet.

The Earth was built to take care of itself. We just need to let Mother Nature do her thing.

This article originally appeared on 12.02.16

Matthew Inman is the Eisner Award-winning author of The Oatmeal. He’s published six books, including New York Times Best-Sellers such as “How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You“ and “The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances.” He enjoys running marathons, writing comics, and eating cake.

You can read more of Matthew’s comics here.

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More comics from The Oatmeal:When your house is burning down, you should brush your teeth.

My dog: the paradox

It’s going to be okay.

More comics from The Oatmeal:

The Museum of the Moving Image — a New York City organization whose “mission is to advance the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media” — will be hosting what is undoubtedly its most important event ever this week: A marathon of the first three Jackass movies ahead of the premiere of the sure-to-be cinematic tour de force, Jackass Forever. In fact, surprise, attendees will also get to see that movie, too, along with a Q&A with Johnny Knoxville.

Here’s the official announcement:

Hi, we’re MoMI and welcome to JACKASS!

This THURS (2/3), join us for a special marathon of the first 3 jackass films, followed by a preview screening of jackass forever and a Q&A with Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine, and Spike Jonze.

Below is a link to the original tweet from the Museum of the Moving Image along with a link to sign up for the event on Thursday, February 3:

While Eric André is a new addition to the cast, Knoxville recently revealed that an Oscar-winning actor angled hard to get a role in the fourth movie. That actor? Bruce Dern. Unfortunately, Dern is 85-years-old, so it probably wouldn’t have been the safest idea to include him in the new film, which left Knoxville with brain damage. He’s now sworn off stunts after his family was not a fan of this latest injury to the ol’ noggin, which is fair. But at least our most prestigious institutions are recognizing his sacrifice.

Jackass Forever hits theaters on February 4.

(Via Museum of the Moving Image on Twitter)

Sony is one of the biggest video game producers in the world. The PlayStation publisher is famous for being a company willing to throw tens of millions at their biggest titles and the results have almost always been successful. The PS5 sells out in moments every time more hit stores, and even after the news of Microsoft purchasing Call of Duty publisher Activision, Sony remained in a strong position as far as video games are concerned.

That strength was reinforced on Monday when Jason Schreier of Bloomberg reported that Sony was in the process of purchasing Destiny developer and Halo creator, Bungie. Funny enough, Bungie was previously owned by both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard at different points in the company’s lifespan. Now, it’s heading to Sony for $3.6 billion.

Shortly after Schreier’s report, Bungie released a statement on the purchase. Bungie made it clear that it still plans to publish games as an independent studio within Sony. Bungie has historically not been very happy with being owned by larger corporations — they popped champagne when going independent in 2007 and 2019 after splits from Microsoft and Activision — but it’s possible this independent status within the company will keep them happier than they were in previous relationships.

We remain in charge of our destiny. We will continue to independently publish and creatively develop our games. We will continue to drive one, unified Bungie community. Our games will continue to be where our community is, wherever they choose to play.​

This is pretty massive news despite Bungie not being as large as Activision Blizzard. Destiny is an extremely large and successful franchise with millions of players downloading the free-to-play Destiny 2 and buying its expansions. Bungie was in such a good place with the franchise that it felt comfortable enough to split off from Activision and go solo back in 2019. Then there’s the obvious pedigree of Bungie being the ones who made Halo. If it wasn’t for Bungie, it’s possible that Microsoft Studios and the Xbox never get off the ground and now they’re one of the biggest console publishers in the world. All of this is to say that when Bungie makes a game, it’s often a hit.

With Bungie’s pedigree, and Sony’s willingness to throw money at successful studios, this could be a perfect match made in heaven. Bungie could use this opportunity to make Destiny 2 even bigger, create a sequel, or make new IPs. In the statement above, Bungie expressed a desire to become a “global multi-media entertainment company.” There is a lot of potential here with this partnership and we’re fascinated to see what becomes of it.

Black Country, New Road is getting ready to release Ants From Up There, which is set for release at the end of this week. So, with that in mind, today’s news might come as a surprise: Singer Isaac Wood has left the band, effective immediately.

The band shared a message about the lineup change on social media, which includes a statement from Wood explaining that he has been experiencing “the kind of sad and afraid feeling that makes it hard to play guitar and sing at the same time.” He also made it clear that his departure has nothing to do with his now-former bandmates, who he called “the greatest people I know, who were and are wonderful in a sparkling way.”

Elsewhere in the message, the band notes that the remaining members — Tyler Hyde, Lewis Evans, Georgia Ellery, May Kershaw, Charlie Wayne, and Luke Mark — will continue as Black Country, New Road and have “already started working on” new music without Wood. Due to Wood’s departure, the band has canceled “The Roundhouse show next week, the US tour and April tour.” Towards the end of the post, they note, “We hope to update you all on new music and everything that goes along with that (shows included) pretty soon.”

Read the band’s full message below.

“We have some news to share concerning the future of the band. Please read on for information on upcoming shows, but it seems right to pass on this message from Isaac first.

‘Hello everyone, I have bad news which is that I have been feeling sad and afraid too. And I have tried to make this not true but it is the kind of sad and afraid feeling that makes it hard to play guitar and sing at the same time. Together we have been writing songs and then performing them, which at times has been an incredible doing, but more now everything happens that I am feeling not so great and it means from now I won’t be a member of the group anymore. To be clear: this is completely in spite of six of the greatest people I know, who were and are wonderful in a sparkling way. If you are reading this maybe you have seen some of that. It has been a great pleasure and I would like to say the words ‘Thank You’ to everyone.

‘So that’s what things would be like if I’d invented the fing-longer.’ Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, Anthology of Interest I

Sadly, these circumstances mean we are having to cancel The Roundhouse show next week, the US tour and April tour. We know many of you have been looking forward to seeing us live for a long time and would like to thank you for being so patient with cancellations up until now. We’re sorry to let you down and that we won’t be able to perform our new album for you we are all immensely proud of it and hope that you enjoy ‘Ants From Up There’ nonetheless.

Although Isaac won’t be part of the group any longer, the rest of us will be continuing to make music together as Black Country, New Road. In fact, we’ve already started working on it.

The things we’ll miss about working with Isaac are too many and various to list here, but by listening to the music we made together, I’m sure you’ll understand at least a few of them. It’d be difficult to overstate how much our experiences as a group have affected us. In fact it’s difficult to say anything at all coherent about what we’ve managed to do. But it has certainly been the greatest privilege to do it all together, as seven friends.

As mentioned before, the rest of us are working on new Black Country, New Road material going forward. We hope to update you all on new music and everything that goes along with that (shows included) pretty soon.

Thank you to everyone who has ever supported us, and to those who continue to do so. Here’s to love and friends and the future.

BC,NR xxx.”

Ants From Up There is out 2/4 via Ninja Tune. Pre-order it here.