Category: Viral

We won’t say that vodka doesn’t deserve some of its negative press. But it definitely doesn’t deserve it all. Sure, there are awful, harsh, borderline undrinkable vodkas that are guaranteed to give you a nail-in-the-temples level hangover. And of course, there are plenty of decent, albeit cheap vodkas that serve as great bases for your favorite cocktails. But there are also a surprising number of vodkas that are so well-made and flavorful that you just might consider sipping them neat or on the rocks, like you would your favorite whiskey.

Obviously, this distilled spirit made from potatoes, rye, wheat, or some other grain or vegetable is usually clear, without much of a discernable odor, and carries very little taste. But this neutral spirit, if made well, should have at least a few flavors thanks to the included ingredients and sugars. In fact, more and more vodkas are actually nuanced, complex, and flavorful enough to be enjoyed on their own, without a full bottle of fruit punch or over-the-top ingredients.

We found eight “sippable” vodkas and ranked them based on flavor profile and overall slow-sipping ability. Keep scrolling to see them all.

8) Tito’s Handmade Vodka

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $20

The Vodka:

Fans of Tito’s will tell you that this 100% corn-based vodka is highly mixable and sippable on its own. It’s distilled on pot stills and is known for its extremely smooth flavor profile featuring cracked black pepper and sweet corn.

Tasting Notes:

Instead of the usual bland, ethanol aroma that many vodkas have, this one smells like cracked black pepper, various other spices, and grilled corn on the nose. The palate is very sweet, creamy, and loaded with more sweet corn, black pepper, and a light nutty sweetness. It’s a little too sweet at times, though.

Bottom Line:

Tito’s is an easy-drinking mix of sweetness and heat. Its only downfall is that since it’s a corn-based vodka, it’s almost over-the-top sweet, which might not appeal to some drinkers.

7) Broken Shed Vodka

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $26

The Vodka:

Broken Shed comes from New Zealand and it’s known for its mellow, easy-drinking simplicity. Made simply with mineral water, spring water, and whey, this sustainable vodka is clean, creamy, and complex flavor profile.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is very sweet with some vanilla and light spices, but not much else. On the palate, you’ll find some citrus zest, creamy vanilla, and light minerality. Really, that’s about it. It’s easy to drink but almost too simple on the palate.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for a mellow, easy-drinking vodka without much going on in the flavor department, this is the vodka for you. If you’re looking for more complexity, keep looking.

6) Reyka Vodka

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $25

The Vodka:

Iceland is one of the most picturesque, exciting countries in the world. It’s home to massive volcanoes, beautiful waterfalls, and thermal springs. It’s also home to Reyka Vodka. This popular vodka is made with barley and wheat and distilled with some of the purest glacial spring water in the world. It’s distilled in Carter-Head stills and filtered through volcanic rocks.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is earthy, herbal, and very floral. It’s unique and draws you in for more. The palate is smooth, creamy, and filled with vanilla, lemon zest, cracked black pepper, and more delicate floral flavors. It’s sweet, lightly spicy, and highly sippable.

Bottom Line:

This vodka is surprisingly complex. It’s creamy and flavorful. The only negative is that it leans a little too heavily into the floral realm for some vodka drinkers (myself ~semi~ included).

5) Belvedere Vodka

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40 for a liter

The Vodka:

Made the same way since its inception in 1910, this popular Polish vodka is made with rye and purified water. There are no additives, thus creating a clean, crisp, pure, classic vodka known for its mix of vanilla, toffee, and wintry spices.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find toasted almonds, vanilla beans, and herbal, earthy grass. The palate is filled with notes of vanilla, a nutty sweetness, grass, and peppery rye. It’s sweet, spicy, and well-suited for slow sipping.

Bottom Line:

The sweet and spicy nature of this popular vodka makes it a great choice for sipping neat or on the rocks with a single ice cube.

4) Chopin Potato Vodka

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $30

The Vodka:

First launched in 1992, this family-owned vodka brand is distilled with 100% potatoes that were sourced from the local farms surrounding this Polish distillery. Its copper column-still distilled and known for its soft, sweet flavor profile.

Tasting Notes:

Vanilla beans, earth grass, green apples, and light spices are prevalent on the nose. Sipping it reveals flavors like candied almonds, vanilla, caramel, green apples, citrus zest, and light spices. It’s sweet, spicy, and complex.

Bottom Line:

For how simple this vodka is in ingredients, it’s the opposite in terms of flavor. It’s highly complex and deserves to be sipped neat or on the rocks on a cool evening.

3) Barr Hill Vodka

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $60

The Vodka:

This award-winning vodka is made from a fairly unique ingredient, especially when it comes to vodka. It’s not made with potatoes, rye, or even wheat. It’s made from raw honey. This creates a surprisingly earthy, complex vodka with sweet honey and wildflower flavors and aromas.

Tasting Notes:

The nose isn’t overly exciting, but that’s not necessarily a bad thin — vanilla beans, light spices, and a whole heap of sweet honey. The palate follows suit with notes of toasted vanilla beans, citrus zest, pepper, and another kick of raw honey.

Bottom Line:

This easy-drinking vodka gets most of its flavor from raw honey and light spices. It’s a nice sweet, slightly-spicy sipper for an unseasonably cool evening.

2) Absolut Elyx Vodka

ABV: 42.3%

Average Price: $35

The Vodka:

Sweden’s Absolut is one of the biggest names in vodka and its Absolut Elyx is one of the best sipping vodkas in the world. Distilled with estate-grown winter wheat, this popular vodka is known for its clean, creamy, complex palate.

Tasting Notes:

Before your first sip, you’ll be greeted with earthy, herbal, aromas as well as vanilla, caramel, cereal grains, chocolate, and gentle spices. The palate is loaded with candied nuts, cereal grains, vanilla beans, chocolate, pepper, and a gentle, floral backbone.

Bottom Line:

Absolut Elyx is a very complex vodka. It’s the kind of vodka that requires multiple tasting to find all the aromas and flavors. Drink it slowly on the rocks and try to find as many as possible in one sitting.

1) St. George All Purpose Vodka

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $28

The Vodka:

While the name makes it seem more like an industrial cleaner than vodka, we can assure you this is a complex, sipping spirit. Great for mixing but even better for sipping neat or on the rocks, this unique vodka is made from Bartlett pears and a non-GMO base spirit.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is a bright, vibrant blend of ripe pears, vanilla beans, light pepper, and floral aromas. Drinking it is even better with more orchard fruit flavor, toasted vanilla beans, buttery caramel, cracked black pepper, and lightly herbal, floral flavors.

Bottom Line:

This is a sweet, fruity, gently spicy vodka that will make you rethink how you feel about the spirit as a gentle sipper. It’s really that good.

The trial over an alleged ski accident involving Gwyneth Paltrow kicked off on Tuesday, and right out of the gate, Paltrow’s lawyer doesn’t seem to be doing the actress slash wellness guru any favors.

At issue is a claim by optometrist Terry Sanderson who has accused Paltrow of slamming into him on the Park City slopes and leaving him with “a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries,” according to the Associated Press. Sanderson has described the incident as a “hit and run” (the actress reportedly “skied away”) and is suing Paltrow for damages.

Paltrow, however, is countersuing for $1 and accusing Sanderson of running into her. She also asserts that her “group” checked on Sanderson after the collision and he said he was “fine.” The two sides are now battling it out in a Park City court with Paltrow in attendance, but it’s her wacky attorney who’s stealing the spotlight.

As seen in the video, things started amicably below with Paltrow’s attorney Steve Owens introducing his team.

Unfortunately, the situation went off the rail as Owens delivered his opening statement, which was notably scattered and punctuated with weird asides, like how much he was tickled by the plaintiff’s description of Paltrow crashing into him like “King Kong swinging out of the jungle.”

After videos of Owens’ opening statement went viral, Twitter had a field day reacting to the legal proceedings, with one Twitter using joking that Paltrow is “about to lose all her vagina candle money with this goofy af lawyer.”

You can see some of the reactions below:

(Via Associated Press)

We have arrived at the final 10 (or so) games of the NBA season, and in the Western Conference, there is no more clarity now than when the season began as to who will make the playoffs and play-in tournament. The Nuggets are the only team to have clinched a playoff berth so far, while the Grizzlies and Kings are not far away.

From there, everything gets really murky, as the gap from fourth to 12th in the West is four games, and sixth to 12th is only two games. That means every team in the mix is one hot streak from jumping into a guaranteed playoff spot, or one cold spell from missing the play-in entirely. What’s been so striking about the West this season has been how high-variance seemingly every team has been, aside from the top three and bottom three. That only adds to the difficulty in figuring out who will rise to the occasion to close out the season, because very few of these teams can be trusted to put together a consistent stretch of good basketball.

Here, we’re going to try and look at the path facing each team in the stretch run, highlighting the difficulty of their schedule, health situation, and what has to happen for them to punch their ticket to the postseason.

4. Phoenix Suns (38-33; 23-12 home, 15-21 road)

Remaining Schedule: @Lakers, @Kings, vs. 76ers, @Jazz, vs. Wolves, vs. Nuggets, @Thunder, vs. Spurs, vs. Nuggets, @Lakers, vs. Clippers

The Suns should make the playoffs, but with Kevin Durant out, they haven’t been able to separate themselves from the pack in the way they thought they would after the trade deadline. Durant may return for the very end of the season — I’d figure the Spurs game at home is the target date based on the reporting that’s out there — and with him in the lineup they’ve looked dominant. Without him, there’s just not a lot of depth on the wing and their schedule is not particularly friendly. The Spurs game is the only one they get against an actively tanking team, as everyone else is fighting for playoff position.

The next four games will be particularly telling. Their one home game against Philly isn’t really much of a home game, as it comes on the second leg of a back-to-back and they’ll have to fly back after playing in Sacramento. If they can get through that stretch at 3-1, they should sew up the 4 or 5-seed. If they stumble at, say, 1-3, things could get very tight for Phoenix in terms of dodging the play-in.

5. Los Angeles Clippers (38-34; 19-16 home, 19-18 road)

Remaining Schedule: vs. Thunder, vs. Thunder, vs. Pelicans, vs. Bulls, @Grizzlies, @Grizzlies, @Pelicans, vs. Lakers, vs. Blazers, @Suns

Of this group, I’m not sure any team’s inconsistencies have been more maddening than the Clippers. When it’s all clicking, they look like the contender everyone thought they’d be in the preseason. However, they rarely carry a good effort from one quarter to the next, much less one game to the next, and as such, they find themselves needing to scrap down the stretch rather than gliding into the postseason. This upcoming four-game spell at home is where they should be able to solidify themselves as a top-5 seed. They are not a dominant home team like a lot of the other teams on this list, who have had most of their struggles on the road, but with two games against OKC, then the Pelicans and suddenly feisty Bulls, there’s a chance to go 4-0 and vault into the 4-seed given the Suns aforementioned road trip. That would require them playing up to expectation for four straight games, though, and it’s hard to believe in them to do so.

6. Golden State Warriors (37-36; 29-7 home, 8-29 road)

Remaining Schedule: @Dallas, vs. 76ers, vs. Wolves, vs. Pelicans, vs. Spurs, @Nuggets, vs. Thunder, @Kings, @Blazers

The Warriors home-road splits are the most baffling thing in the NBA this season. It doesn’t make sense how a team can have the third-best home record in the NBA and the third-worst road record simultaneously, especially considering they’re one of the most veteran groups in the league. I’ll never understand it, but the sample size is too large to ignore at this point. They finally won a road game on Monday, but it required facing the actively tanking Rockets to get it.

On the positive side, five of their last nine games are at home, and they figure to be heavy favorites in four of them (the Sixers being the exception). If they can just keep doing what they’ve done all year at home, they might enter that final stretch of three road games with a chance because Portland is very close to pulling the ripcord on the season, Denver is prone to mentally checking out once they clinch the 1-seed, and Sacramento might also be locked into its position by the time they meet. That’s the optimistic take. The flip-side is, Andrew Wiggins is still out and if they lose to Philly and drop one of the other games at home, it’s really hard to count on this team to pick up results on the road even against teams with little to play for. A loss in Dallas on Wednesday would drop them to 7th in the West, and would make those home games, particularly against the Sixers, even more critical to win.

7. Dallas Mavericks (36-36; 22-14 home, 14-22 road)

Remaining Schedule: vs. Warriors, vs. Hornets, @Hornets, @Pacers, @Sixers, @Heat, @Hawks, vs. Kings, vs. Bulls, vs. Spurs

Dallas is hopeful to get Luka Doncic back soon from his thigh strain, but his status for the Warriors game is unknown. Kyrie Irving has played the last two games with his foot soreness issue, but was wearing a walking boot after the Grizzlies game as a “precautionary measure” after aggravating it in a loss to Memphis. The health of their two stars is the cloud hanging over Dallas, and even with those two in the lineup, they haven’t exactly mown down the opposition. The Warriors game at home will be huge because they can jump into 6th with a win and then have three straight games against bad teams: a home-and-home with Charlotte and then a visit to Indiana.

After that, things get trickier as they face three East teams fighting for playoff and play-in position on the road. The schedule is about as friendly as anyone’s, but Dallas has to take advantage of that. Like the teams above them, the next four games figure to paint a picture of just how hard they’ll have to work over the final two weeks to make the playoffs.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves (36-37; 20-17 home, 16-20 road)

Remaining Schedule: vs. Hawks, @Warriors, @Kings, @Suns, vs. Lakers, vs. Blazers, @Nets, @Spurs, vs. Pelicans

The good news for Minnesota is they are reportedly optimistic Karl-Anthony Towns will finally return to the lineup this week, possibly debuting against the Hawks, and Anthony Edwards likewise should be back soon. The bad news is, their upcoming road trip is a hellacious one. They need to beat the Hawks at home and hope to steal one on the road just to keep pace, but that will not be an easy task against three very good home teams, with the first two coming in the form of a back-to-back where they might not want to play their two stars coming back from injuries in Sacramento. After that, they have some very winnable games, but their margin for error may be very slim by the time they get there.

9. Oklahoma City Thunder (35-36; 22-15 home, 13-21 road)

Remaining Schedule: @Clippers, @Clippers, @Lakers, @Blazers, vs. Hornets, vs. Pistons, @Pacers, vs. Suns, @Warriors, @Jazz, vs. Grizzlies

The Thunder have been one of the best stories in the NBA this season just by being in this position with 11 games to go. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been an All-NBA player this season, and as long as he’s in the lineup, they have a legit shot at the postseason. The schedule is not doing them a ton of favors in this closing stretch, as seven road games, including three straight in L.A. to start, isn’t ideal for a team that, like so many, has struggled on the road. If they can swipe one in L.A. by defeating both the nightlife and either the Clippers or Lakers, that’d be a big step, because the middle of this stretch is soft.

They’ll likely be favored or close to it in the four games after their L.A. visit, and considering the difficulty of their closing stretch, they might need to win all of them — although by the time they get to the season finale against Memphis, the Grizzlies could be resting up for the postseason. What’s wild to think about is their visit to Utah on April 6 could be a massively important game for the play-in race, which no one would’ve expected back in October.

10. Utah Jazz (35-36; 22-13 home, 13-23 road)

Remaining Schedule: vs. Blazers, vs. Bucks, @Kings, vs. Suns, @Spurs, @Celtics, @Nets, vs. Lakers, vs. Thunder, vs. Nuggets, @Lakers

Like OKC, the Jazz just being in a play-in spot in late March is an incredible feat. They were not supposed to be this good, especially after selling at the deadline to help facilitate the three-team deal with the Wolves and Lakers, and yet here they are, one game back of Minnesota and a half-game up on L.A., the two teams they theoretically helped out at the deadline. The Jazz do get the benefit of having more home games remaining than road games, but three of those are against the Bucks, Suns, and Nuggets, which will be games they are underdogs in.

That said, they’ve thrived in that role all year and are capable of jumping up and biting anyone at any point if they don’t bring their best. The health of Lauri Markkanen, who sat out Monday’s win over the Kings with a back injury, is going to be something to monitor moving forward, particularly as they have a pair of back-to-backs left on the schedule. While it’s probably not likely considering the upcoming schedule for Utah, their visit to L.A. to end the season could be a play-in game for the play-in tournament, which would be truly incredible to see.

11. Los Angeles Lakers (35-37; 19-17 home, 16-20 road)

Remaining Schedule: vs. Suns, vs. Thunder, vs. Bulls, @Bulls, @Wolves, @Rockets, @Jazz, @Clippers, vs. Suns, vs. Jazz

There’s apparent optimism that LeBron James will be back in the Lakers lineup at some point before the end of the regular season, but when that happens is kind of important to how optimistic the Lakers should feel about their chances of making a move up the standings. The schedule isn’t exactly a gauntlet, but nine of their last 10 are against teams that will have something to play for, with the lone exception being a visit to Houston that should be a nice respite in the middle of a road-trip — I say should because last time they went to Houston, they lost.

Anthony Davis has looked really good again at times, which bodes well for L.A., but despite looking better, the results haven’t been there to vault them into firm play-in position. The road trip to Chicago, Minnesota, Houston, and Utah will be particularly important, as those should be winnable games despite being on the road, but L.A. hasn’t taken advantage of winnable stretched much this season. How they navigate that spell before coming back to L.A. for a “road” game with the Clippers and home tilts against the Suns and Jazz will determine where (and whether) their season continues into mid-April.

12. New Orleans Pelicans (34-37; 22-13 home, 12-24 road)

Remaining Schedule: vs. Spurs, vs. Hornets, @Clippers, @Blazers, @Warriors, @Nuggets, vs. Clippers, vs. Kings, vs. Grizzlies, vs. Knicks, @Wolves

It goes without saying that beating the Spurs and Hornets at home is a must for the Pelicans if they’re to have any chance of climbing into the play-in, because after that their schedule gets nasty. This is a team that was looking like a top-4 contender early in the year before injuries started to derail their season and they have simply not gotten back on track. Zion Williamson’s next evaluation for his hamstring injury is supposed to be this week, but given the lack of reporting on there being optimism about his return, I’m not anticipating him factoring into this stretch run much at all. Obviously their outlook changes dramatically if he can play at least half of these games, but if not it is an uphill battle.

A hellacious road trip is on the horizon, where beating Portland is going to be a must, and then they’re going to have to flex their muscle at home against four teams that are above them in the standings. It’s a tall order, but this team found a little something last year around this time to grind their way into the play-in and parlayed that to winning the 8-seed. They’ll need to capture that magic again to chip away at the teams in front of them.

It’s not a secret that celebrities are just like everyone else and sometimes struggle with mental health concerns. Amanda Bynes is no exception, and she has been quite open about her mental health struggles over the years. In 2013, Bynes was placed under conservatorship after a few mental health crises that put herself and others in danger.

Since the conservatorship was ended in 2021, Bynes has remained essentially out of public view and was scheduled to appear with her “All That” cast members at 90s Con. But recently, Bynes went in for a 72-hour psychiatric hold after experiencing a psychotic episode that led her to walking around downtown Los Angeles without any clothing. During a moment of clarity, the 36-year-old actress flagged down a car and called 911.

While walking around a busy city naked can certainly qualify as risk of harm to oneself, Bynes’ actions after regaining a sense of reality are important. There are two types of psychiatric holds: voluntary and involuntary. Clearly, a voluntary hold is more desirable and shows promise for marked improvement because you’re the one recognizing the need for psychiatric care. Bynes making the phone call herself shows that she knew, in that moment, her behavior was unsafe and she needed help.

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So what happens during a 72-hour hold? If you’ve never sought out or been placed under psychiatric watch or haven’t known anyone who has, what happens can feel like a mystery. When you’re placed on a temporary psychiatric hold, whether it’s involuntary or not, you get evaluated by a nurse or physician who will then call in for a psychiatric consult.

If the consulting psychiatrist decides that you meet the criteria to be admitted, they will find an available bed for you in a psychiatric facility if the hospital doesn’t have its own psychiatric floor. Most of the time, this can happen within a few hours, but sometimes it can take much longer. In the interim, the hospital staff works to keep you safe until you can be transported.

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Throughout the stay, you’re constantly being evaluated in indirect ways, such as if you eat your food, if you’re talkative, if you appear to be experiencing hallucinations, etc. Usually, after group and individual therapy as well as medication adjustments, they hold a meeting in which you are present to decide if you’re stable enough to return home or if longer care is needed. Longer care can mean adding days to your stay there or finding a longer-term facility for extended treatment.

The entire process can be scary if you don’t know what to expect, but with celebrities like Bynes having mental health crises more publicly, people may be curious about the process. It can also help people feel safe in seeking help when a public figure does so. The “All That” alum’s help-seeking wasn’t lost on her fans who applauded her decision and were determined to make sure people recognized her agency in the process.

“The fact that Amanda Bynes flagged a car down, told them she was having a psychotic episode and called 911 herself actually gives me a lot of hope for her well-being. That’s a huge deal. When she’s ready, I hope she can be proud of herself for that, Bassey Ikpi wrote on Twitter.

People are not only applauding that Bynes sought help on her own, they’re also pointing out the framing of stories around the star’s actions.

“Amanda recognized that she needed help. SHE was the one who made the 911 call to help herself. Please be mindful how you frame stories. Knowing that she understood she needed help and actively sought it is very important. Don’t take that away from her,” Alana posted to Twitter.

As someone who specializes in psychotic disorders, I can confidently say, in my experience, someone in psychosis actively seeking help is a big deal. Typically, if someone has been off of their medication for a while, they may not recognize that what they’re doing is outside of their normal or part of psychosis. But those who do recognize it and seek out help can sometimes catch their psychosis in a moment of clarity and address it before it spirals further out of control.

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— (@)

People who have psychotic disorders are still full, autonomous people who deserve respect and dignity, even in the throes of a psychotic break. What Bynes did was not only brave, it showed that she and she alone took control of her mental health in that moment, and that’s worth celebrating.

We’ve seen some moving America’s Got Talent stories before, but a recent viral audition absolutely requires a tissue warning. I tried to steel myself in preparation when I saw the “Admit it, we were *all* in tears after this” caption on the Facebook share of it, but I failed.

In a video that’s been shared more than 95,000 times, the “Britain’s Got Talent” audition shows two tiny little girls onstage with their grandmother. They introduce themselves as “Cally” (age 4) and “Savannah” (age 3) and “Nanny” (their “daddy’s mummy”) then the girls share that they are there to surprise their dad.

Dad—also known as Nick Edwards—is sitting in the audience. He thought the family was there to watch the audition on a fun outing; he had no idea that they had arranged a surprise audition for him, so when his girls and mom showed up on stage, he wondered what was going on.

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A “Britain’s Got Talent” spokesperson explained to the Daily Mail how they got Edwards mic’d up without giving away the surprise.

“When Nick entered the Palladium auditorium during ‘BGT’ auditions, he was approached to be part of our ‘gogglebox’ audience and told he would be mic’d up so we could capture his reactions throughout the day as he sat in the audience,” they said. “He was totally unsuspecting. We did this so we could mic him up without him suspecting a thing.”

As Edwards tried to figure out what his mom and daughters were doing on stage, Edwards’ mother explained to the judges and the audience that he sings a special song to his girls. She said they wanted him to come up and sing it. Naturally, not being prepared for an audition, Edwards was stunned. But the judges sent him backstage to “grab a glass of water” so he could compose himself and get ready.

“They gave me some time to warm up—about 45 minutes in total,” Edwards told This Morning. “They gave me my guitar my family brought down on the day, they [producers] said this is the song we want you to sing because we’d seen it on your Instagram.”

The song is an emotional doozy, especially if you’re a parent. “It’s a song I’ve felt quite attached to so I sing it a lot around the house,” Edwards told the judges before he started to sing. Once you hear it, you’ll see why he joked about trying to keep from crying while he sang it.

Lovely voice. Beautiful song. Adorable little girls. Not a dry eye in the house.

Tissue, seriously. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The fact that Edwards was able to pull off that audition with less than an hour of preparation was quite impressive. He told This Morning what he was thinking during that prep time.

“If I go out I’ve got two options here, I either go out and try to own it or I come out and it all crumbles…” he said. “The whole thing just went so quickly. I do remember playing and in a way my fingers started to get a bit jelly, I remember thinking ‘this is going to be a big moment for you.’ I don’t want to stuff it up.”

Stuff it up he did not. What a lovely performance, and what lucky little girls to have a daddy who shares his love for them in such a beautiful and creative way.

This article originally appeared on 04.22.22

Dragonslayer director Matthew Robbins is surprised as anyone that, here, in 2023, we are having an interview about his 1981 film that not a lot of people even saw in 1981. Robbins wrote Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, which just won an Oscar for Animated Feature, which kind of adds to the surrealness of this whole affair. You see, not a lot of people saw Dragonslayer on its release (though critics liked it and it was nominated for two Oscars), but it’s developed a cult following over the years (including by del Toro), but the only transfer that’s been available was a pretty decrepit-looking DVD. One so bad that even Robbins refused to watch it.

Which was all the more surprising when he was told there were some big Dragonslayer fans at Paramount and, not only that, those influential backers had convinced the company to restore the film and release it on a now gorgeous looking 4K disc that is now available as you read this.

Because a watchable transfer hasn’t been available basically since its release, there’s a whole generation who hasn’t seen Dragonslayer. Which includes a small role played by pre-Emperor Palpatine Ian McDiarmid that Robbins swears got McDiarmid the role in Return of the Jedi. (Then he says he’ll ask George Lucas himself to be sure when he sees him at lunch the next day. I wish I could go to this lunch.) But Lucas would have very much seen Dragonslayer since this wound up being the first non-Star Wars film that had its effects done by Industrial Light and Magic. And they’d get an Oscar nomination for their trouble, but wound up losing to another ILM movie called Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Robbins also directed The Legend of Billie Jean (a personal favorite of mine) and is thrilled that this is also a movie that seems to have resurfaced a bit as of late and he reflects on how he got an empowering film for women made when there weren’t a lot of those from that era, and the confusion of hiring two actors with the last name “Slater” to play brother and sister (Helen and Christian; the latter of which told us recently he had a huge crush on the former), but weren’t related in real life.

When I first heard they were going to make a Dragonslayer 4K, I was both very excited and a little surprised.

Well, same here.

Oh, you didn’t know?

I learned about it after the decision had been taken by the studio and I was very glad to be invited to take part, of course. I don’t live down in LA, but I went down there several occasions and sat in on the video sessions and talked with the audio crew as well and listened to what they had done. Over the several months that it was in production, I got to feel a lot better about what had been a really third grade… the original transfer to videotape. And then the DVD, which was just as bad.

I never saw this in theaters so this is the first time I’ve gotten to watch it the way it’s supposed to look, and it is just a gorgeous thing.

I mean, it’s shocking, heartening and depressing to hear you say that because I always felt … I would avoid seeing the film if it was a festival, or a workshop, or something like that because I couldn’t take it, honestly. It’s a beautiful-looking movie with very revolutionary effects for which they got a nomination, best special effects.

Which lost to Raiders of the Lost Ark. A forgotten movie that no one remembers.

[Laughs] Yeah, exactly. But from the same studio, wouldn’t you know it? But I was amazed really at how far the technology today has gone to clean up the mess.

See, this is surprising. I just assumed you or maybe Guillermo made some calls to get this 4K made…

No, I’m happy to report to you that Guillermo and I never made such a call. We made many calls to each other about lots of other things, but not that. But I’m happy to report that within the home entertainment Group and the various departments at Paramount who are involved in decisions like this, there was a lot of fondness for this movie. It’s my understanding that this came from the ranks of the artists and technicians involved in these restorations. “Hey, can’t we now finally do Dragonslayer?” The decision was taken and I was in front of it thereafter. So I was very surprised and very pleased that such a thing could take place.

So you said you have been avoiding watching it for a long time, so were you nervous at all digging into this again? How it might hold up?

A little bit, but I was also intrigued by the fact that the technical world has galloped so far. I was hoping that they could remedy, and in fact they could. When I first went down there, they showed me five little sequences that they already addressed for my approval. These are very, very sophisticated men and women doing this work. They could see the matte lines that were there. They could see the grainy skies and all the things that the movie had inherited when it was transferred to a commercial VHS.

I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not, but this movie was advertised in every comic book I had at the time. My parents wouldn’t take me because I was too young, even though I had seen The Empire Strikes Back and Any Which Way You Can, a movie about a bare-knuckles brawler. So my only experience was on HBO. Watching this disc felt like actually watching it for the first time.

Well, one of the best things about this new 4K is the sound, because these are the great days of Skywalker Sound. They built beautiful tracks in them. The legendary Walter Murch did the mix. So when I was at Paramount and they ran me how it was going to be, you listen to your movie, it was astonishing. I had not heard it like that since I had seen it on the big screen. It’s very a remarkable, wonderful job. I was still kind of amazed and delighted.

This is obviously before CGI, but the dragon looks amazing. It is actually an amazing-looking thing they built.

Yeah, it’s a terrific design. It was very influential. Over the years, I’ve seen other movies that have taken many of the elements that we established and happily transferred it. Peter Jackson in The Lord of the Rings inherited many of the elements of our dragon design. And I’ve seen stills of Game of Thrones. I’ve never seen Game of Thrones and intend to do so.

Dragonslayer also got an Oscar nomination for Best Score, and went up against, to this day, one of the most famous scores of all time, Chariots of Fire.

Yes, yes. But it was my pleasure to work with Alex North who was a very distinguished senior entity. He’d been a legend and had scored many great movies, that he wanted to do Dragonslayer was, I mean, it’s a wonderful score. He deserved that nomination. When you listen to that music, it’s pretty adventurous.

I feel like there are a large number of people that are probably in their 30s who’ve never seen this movie because it’s never been in this kind of format. And I think it gets kind of lumped in with, and no offense to the movies I’m about to say, but I think it gets lumped in with movies from that era like Krull. My point is I think there are a lot of people who are going to be surprised how good this movie is.

Well, I hope you’re right. I know what you mean. I came up in that era and I know what those other movies were like. But it’s just a big surprise, after 40 years, to be asked about the movie again. When Hal Barwood and I created that movie, we were working on a basic assumption about a story in which the world was gritty and real, not easy to inhabit in the first place, but with one fantastic element, a dragon. So it’s not a world of dosimeter fantasy with a lot of magic going on. I mean, I don’t know if we fulfill all those ambitions. But if you feel the movie can hold up today and not be lumped in with some of the other sort of down-market fantasy movies of the era that you’re talking about, then maybe because that’s what we had in mind. I don’t know that those ambitions were all that common at the time.

You had Emperor Palpatine in this movie. If you had only known at the time, maybe he would have stuck around longer in this movie.

I think George saw him in our movie.

Oh, is that what happened?

Sure.

Well, I guess that would make a lot of sense. That’s kind of great.

In my opinion. I’ll ask him tomorrow when we have lunch.

Wait, really?

I see George all the time. I’ll ask him. I have to tell you that when he introduced Ian McDiarmid into his cast of characters, I just thought it was a wonderful, normal bit of casting. In the early days of that whole series, it hadn’t taken up the enormity that it has now. So it was just a very normal thing. He’s a good actor. You saw him in Dragonslayer. He’d probably rely on that. Everything else, it’s all about him. But over the years, it is an irony that we did kill him off. I have no second thoughts about killing him off.

You also directed literally one of my favorite movies, The Legend of Billie Jean. In the last couple years, I’ve showed that movie to probably around 10 people and they all love it.

I get asked about that, too. It was not an easy production either, even without the special effects. But what can I tell you? Except it was a studio film and there were a lot of struggles over that movie, about the post-production, about how to cut the movie and finish it.

My friends who are women say it’s a very empowering movie that you don’t really see a lot from that era.

That’s true. I’ve been sent a few online essays on it by film critics, mostly essays from women, taking that point of view. I’m very happy about that because that was very much the spirit of the movie. The spirit of rebellion.

I talked to Christian Slater a couple of months ago and I brought up The Legend of Billie Jean and he just sighed and talked about what a crush he had on Helen Slater.

The damnedest thing is that Helen Slater was cast and we were looking, looking, looking, looking for somebody to play her little brother. When it turned out to be Christian Slater, it became impossible to convince the press, and anybody else, that they were not somehow legitimately brother and sister. They were just the real names. But he was 15, I think. It was pretty much his first movie. No, they were very exciting together. We had a great cast in that film. Today, when you look at that movie and the sexual predations of Mr. Pyatt, those issues today are certainly alive and kicking aren’t they?

Yes.

The fact that she led her rebellion and was a rebellion of young people, it’s kind of a romantic impulse on the part of all of us when we were making that movie to bring that to life.

And she goes viral before the internet existed. She starts a hashtag, “Fair is fair.”

[Laughs] Well, I’m happy to hear you mention that because, not quite as much as Dragonslayer, but it has come back into the conversation, that movie because of the sexual politics. That’s the engine driving that story.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Cardi B’s defamation lawsuit decision against Tasha K (Latasha Kebe) has officially been upheld in Appeals Court. Kebe had filed back an appeal that the $4 million suit’s verdict was due to a “very lopsided presentation of evidence to the jury.”

Now, Billboard has reported that the court viewed the fact that she did not present this argument in the trial as “forfeiting” a proper appeal reason.

“Defendant Latasha Kebe asks for a new trial, saying that there was insufficient evidence for the jury verdict against her,” the appeals court wrote. “But as she all but admits, she didn’t make either of the required post-verdict motions in the district court.”

“She never tells us where in the 5,500-page record the district court’s alleged errors can be found,” they added. “Because Kebe’s brief falls well short of what we require, she has abandoned this argument.”

Cardi B’s legal team also shared a statement with the publication, noting that they were glad the decision was upheld. The rapper had initially filed the lawsuit in 2019, citing a “malicious campaign” that spread false information about her.

“We’re obviously pleased that the Eleventh Circuit has affirmed the jury’s unanimous and important verdict, which we believe was more than amply supported by the evidence presented in the case,” the attorneys said.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

While there are many beer choices when it comes to spring drinking, we think the season belongs to the classic Gose. Named for the German city of Goslar, this beer has only gained in popularity over the past decade in the US, though its history can actually be traced back more than 1,000 years (it didn’t get really popular until the 1700s when the style came to the larger city of Leipzig).

Contemporary Gose-style beers are usually brewed with Pilsner malt and wheat malts with lactic acid added to the wort and coriander and salt for flavor. Originally, though the salty flavor came from the unusually high salinity of Goslar’s water. Salty, tart, and highly refreshing, the Gose is a perfect beer for the warm spring days ahead.

Now that we’ve made you thirsty, it’s time to actually find some Gose-style beers. Luckily, there are more than a few available at the average grocery store, beer store, and corner store these days. Keep reading to see eight of our favorites, ranked based on flavor and seasonal appropriateness.

8) Terrapin Watermelon Gose

ABV: 4.5%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

The first Gose ever made by Athens, Georgia’s Terrapin Brewing, Terrapin Watermelon Gose is a kettle-soured beer brewed with Pilsner malts and white wheat as well as Vanguard hops. Watermelon flavor and lactic acid give this beer a sweet, tart, acidic kick.

Tasting Notes:

The aroma is fairly muted with a light, generic-smelling watermelon aroma. Also, on the nose are yeasty bread and salty. The salinity continues on the palate and pairs with more watermelon fruity flavor, hay, citrus peels, and a ton of tart, lactic flavor. It’s refreshing and acidic but muted and one-dimensional.

Bottom Line:

If you’re a fan of synthetic-tasting watermelon and you prefer your beer slightly muted, this is the Gose for you. Otherwise, it might not be your full jam.

7) Cigar City Margarita Gose

ABV: 4.2%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Who doesn’t love a well-made margarita on a warm spring day? How about if it’s in beer form? Well, if that’s your jam, you’ll love Cigar City Margarita Gose. This Traditional German-style Gose is brewed with salt and gets its margarita presence from the addition of orange and lime peel.

Tasting Notes:

Cracking this beer open and taking in the nose makes you think you’re breathing in the aromas of a traditional margarita. There’s a lot of lime and salt. The palate continues this with tart lemon, orange, and lime being the main ingredients along with a decent amount of salt. It’s tart, salty, and loaded with citrus.

Bottom Line:

While not a bad beer, this is a bit of a one-trick salty, citrusy pony. It’s a beer for margarita fans plain and simple.

6) Dogfish Head SeaQuench

ABV: 4.9%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Few beers are as aptly named as Dogfish Head SeaQuench. This thirst-quenching beer is a mix of a refreshing Kölsch-style beer, a tart Berliner Weiss, and a salty Gose. It gets added flavor from being brewed with black limes, sour lime juice, and sea salt.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is all biscuit-like malts, ripe lime, and sea salt. The palate is tart, salty, and highly refreshing with flavors of wheat, lemon peels, lime pulp, and sea salt throughout. It’s the kind of beer that needs to be tasted to be believed.

Bottom Line:

This is a unique beer that definitely isn’t for everyone. But fans of this beer love its tart, salty, extremely thirst-quenching flavor profile.

5) Avery Gose Con Sandia

ABV: 4.5%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

If you’re a fan of Avery, you’ve probably enjoyed a can or two of its popular Gose-style beer called El Gose. Well, now the brewery has another version, and it’s called Avery Gose Con Sandia. It was created to pay homage to the Mexican tradition of adding lime and salt to beer. It’s a traditional German-style Gose with sea salt, lime, and watermelon.

Tasting Notes:

On the nose, you’ll find lime peels, lemon zest, wheat, sea salt, and light watermelon aromas. There’s more of the same on the palate. Drinking it reveals notes of yeast, wheat, tart citrus, sweet watermelon, and sea salt. Salty, sweet, and refreshing.

Bottom Line:

Sea salt, tart citrus, and fruity watermelon, this beer has everything you need in a refreshing spring beer. Crack one open and get an early start on the season.

4) Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose

ABV: 4.2%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Brewed with Pale 2-row malt, malted white wheat, rice hulls, house yeast, and Chinook hops, it gets added fruity flavor from the addition of watermelon (hence the Briney Melon name). Sea salt adds another dimension to this already memorable beer.

Tasting Notes:

Sea salt, coriander, watermelon, cereal grains, and wheat are prevalent on the nose. Sipping it brings forth hints of tart citrus, bright watermelon, and light acidity, with a slight salinity throughout. The finish is fruity, tart, and salty in the best way possible.

Bottom Line:

Citrus seems to be a popular Gose flavor, but so is watermelon. When it comes to the latter, Anderson Valley’s version is by far the best.

3) Two Roads Persian Lime Gose

ABV: 4.5%

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

The Beer:

This 4.5.% refresher starts off as a classic German-style Gose with an added kick of flaked rye. It’s blended with Persian lime juiced sourced locally. The result is a fresh, lime-filled, tart, salty Gose you’ll drink all year long.

Tasting Notes:

Yeasty bread, bright lime, citrus peels, cereal grains, and sea salt are big aromas on the nose. One sip and you’ll be immersed in a world of spices, sea salt, fresh lime juice, lemon zest, and a light, tart acidity throughout. The finish is loaded with more lime juice. It ends salty, tart, and dry.

Bottom Line:

While some fruit-centric beers (especially Goses) taste a little generic or synthetic, Two Roads Persian Lime Gose tastes like it’s a salty, tart beer mixed with a shot of fresh lime juice. Probably because it sort of is.

2) Westbrook Gose

ABV: 4%

Average Price: $13 for a six-pack

The Beer:

One of the first Gose-style beers many of us tried, Westbrook Gose doesn’t rely on random fruit flavors to add to the complexities of this well-made beer. This classic, German-style Gose is brewed with Acidulated and Pale malts, wheat, American ale yeast, and CTZ hops. It gets its unique flavor from the addition of coriander and sea salt.

Tasting Notes:

Before your first sip, you’ll be greeted with aromas of tart citrus peels, coriander, sea salt, and sweet wheat. That elegant, simple start leads your palate into a sip filled with funky yeast, lactic acid, lemon zest, orange peel, coriander, and memorable sea salt. It’s crisp, salty, and highly refreshing.

Bottom Line:

This beer shines in its simplicity. There’s nothing extra to take away from the sour, tart, spicy, salty flavor profile.

1) Creature Comforts Tritonia

ABV: 4.5%

Average Price: $14 for a six-pack

The Beer:

Creature Comforts Tritonia is a special beer. This traditional, German-style Gose is brewed with lime, sea salt, coriander, house lactobacillus, and cucumber. The result is a sweet, sublimely refreshing, salty beer well-suited for a hot day, but just as delicious on a cold one.

Tasting Notes:

A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. Bright, vibrant, freshly sliced cucumber is dominant. But there are also notes of fresh lime zest, funky wheat, and lightly floral, earthy aromas. Drinking it is like sipping on summer. There are notes of fresh cucumber, key lime, wheat, coriander, and a nice kick of salt throughout. Fresh, salty, sweet, and highly sessionable.

Bottom Line:

If you only drink one Gose, make it Creature Comforts Tritonia. Regardless of the weather outside, this salty, sweet, cucumber-centric Gose taste like warm, sunny weather in a can.

Two-thirds of Charlie’s Angels reunited on The Drew Barrymore Show on Tuesday. TV’s greatest (and most chaotic) morning show host was one of them, obviously, and she welcomed Lucy Liu as her guest to promote Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The Cameron Diaz-less pair also discussed the nude photos that Liu took of Barrymore while they were making the 2000 film.

“Do you know what I was actually trying to find? And of course I’m doing a mad scramble and I’m definitely gonna unearth it. I was trying to find the nude photographs you took of me on the set of Charlie’s in my dressing room,” Barrymore said. She asked the right person. “I have them. I do! Of course,” Liu responded. “And you look gorgeous, as you still do, and you’re so natural and so playful and having a great time.” She added, “I have a series of portraits of so many people with and without clothes on, guys!”

While she couldn’t locate her nude portraits, Barrymore was able to find a few “old pictures” of the trio together — one of which featured the host turning her butt toward the camera while Diaz and Liu posed next to her behind. “How cute,” Liu remarked. “Just hamming it up.”

When Barrymore wondered if we can “be like that until we pass on to whatever’s out there” next (“that” being “taking nude photos — with consent! — with your fellow Angels,” presumably), Liu replied, “It’s the only choice we have. That’s the only choice: to have fun and enjoy. Our kids, our lives, ourselves. If anything, this whole situation with the pandemic has taught us — or me — that we have to cherish every moment. We just do. And I do.”

I cherish every moment of The Drew Barrymore Show.

(Via EW)

Nigerinan singer Davido is gearing up for the release of his fourth studio album, Timeless. Today (March 21), Davido announced the album via Instagram, with a trailer.

The trailer comprises of tour footage, juxtaposed with clips from what appears to be new music video. In the trailer, Davido speaks via voiceover, saying. “There is a time for everything, a time to grieve and a time to heal, a time to laugh and a time to dance. A time to speak, and a time for silence.”

The grief he is likely alluding to is likely related to the loss of his three-year-old son, who died in a drowning accident last October.

In the post’s caption, Davido thanked his fans for their boundless support, as he took a brief hiatus following the accident.

“Thank you to everyone out there for your love and support that has held me down,” he said. “All the love and messages while I was away, the gifts sent, the concerts you all threw! I appreciate it all. Today, I want to remind you all that what is now Timeless, was once new. It’s time for new.”

Find the trailer for Timeless above.

Timeless is out 3/31 via Davido Music Worldwide and Sony Music Entertainment. Find more information here.