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With nothing else going on in the NBA world as we still await the full schedule release, most all of the talk in basketball circles is about the future of Kevin Durant. The problem is, there’s not been any movement on that front for awhile, with things stalled out in this dead period.

That means we get a lot of speculation and rumors from third parties, which can lead to headlines like “Kevin Durant could retire before playing for the Nets again.” Those headlines came from aggregations of Marc Stein’s latest newsletter than simply rehashed some things he’d heard from people around the league who were simply indicating how serious Durant was about his trade request, not an actual report this was on Durant’s mind.

However, because we are all wandering aimlessly through this content desert, some fell for the mirage thinking it was an oasis and jumped on the chance to do something. The result was Durant, who has not been willing to speak publicly about much of anything regarding his request, finally breaking his silence on the situation to shoot down the “comical” rumor and make sure no one believed he was retiring any time soon.

It’s pretty funny that Durant would have to say that, but there’s enough people willing to take that anecdote at face value that it had to be said. The trade request situation (and alleged ultimatum laid down) still roll along and it’s possible that Durant has to ramp things up on his end come training camp, but that’s still over a month away and would simply involve him no-showing and taking the fines, not threatening to retire while starting a 4-year deal.

As the rye whiskey category continues to grow, new takes on the style hit the shelves at breakneck speed. That’s a double-edged sword as some of those new whiskeys are… kinda shitty. A little research goes a long way — which is precisely where I come in.

For this blind tasting of new rye whiskeys, I grabbed eight brand new American ryes that landed on my desk over the past few weeks. The throughline for these bottles was “American rye” and “new.” That’s it. Once poured and blind tasted, I ranked them before my wife revealed what each bottle was.

Spoiler alert, this was a really hard ranking. All of these whiskeys were top-notch. Be warned, I had to split some serious hairs to rank these.

Our lineup today is:

• Catoctin Creek Ragnarök Rye Whisky Batch2022
• High West Rendezvous A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys Batch no. 22C17
• Pursuit United Blended Straight Rye Whiskey 2022 Batch
• Starlight Distillery Single Barrel Huber’s Old Rickhouse Rye Whiskey Finished in Tokaji Barrels Barrel no. 22-2040-1
• Stellum Rye Fibonacci Blend #1
• New Riff Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel no. 16-2075
• Bradshaw Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
• Jefferson’s Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Cognac Casks Barrel no. 57

Let’s get into it!

Also Read: The Top Five Rye Whiskey from the Last Six Months on UPROXX

• All 19 Brands From The Buffalo Trace Distillery, Ranked
• The Single Best Bottle Of Whiskey From Each Of The 50 States
• The 50 Best Rye Whiskeys Of 2021, Ranked
• We Tasted Rye Whiskeys Blind To See If Any Of Them Could Beat Willett
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

This one opens with a hint of … butter candy? … on the nose with a bespoke cola spiciness, a hint of sour orchard fruit, and plenty of dark yet sweet wintry spice with a dry cedar edge. The palate opens with soft vanilla next to some cardamon and cinnamon with a sour quince vibe. The end is part warm and woody spices and part soft brown sugar with a buttery edge and some light dark and sharp cinnamon.

This was pretty nice.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

The nose draws you in with layers of orange oils, old cumin, fresh leather, and a hint of old pear. The palate leans into the orange citrus vibe while apple cider that’s damn near fizzy leads to a hint of sweet black licorice ropes with a walnut/caramel/ginger cookie feel. The end is light but full of apricot and walnut clusters made with light molasses.

Again, this is really nice. It ends a little light but that’s okay.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Caramel with a dark feel to it mixes with a hint of green chili, cumin, and brown sugar with an edge of sour orange and old leather. The palate leans into soft and creamy vanilla with rye spiciness that feels more wintery than peppery next to sweet cherry syrup, vanilla candies, and old porch wicker. The end maintains the sweet spice with a good mix of vanilla, sour cherry, and brown sugar sweetness to counter the soft spices.

I liked this a lot. It feels both classic and fresh. It’s a good mix.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Old wicker canes and cardamon pods lead to nutmeg, golden sultanas, date skins and pits, and a whisper of fresh red chili on the nose. The palate lays down a lush vanilla foundation and builds layers of soft winter spices, quince jelly, allspice berries, and apricot skins with a whisper of dry cedar bark and waxy cacao nibs. The end lets the vanilla soften everything toward soft and lush raisins with a hint of nutshell and stonefruit in the background of the silken finish.

This is just great — a top-tier pour of whiskey, rye or not.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this is classic with old oak next to orange-laced honey with a dash of spicy chocolate and a hint of cold tomato soup creating this thin umami line at the back of everything. The palate has a nice ABV kick that leads to spiced apple fritters with pear skin and stem vibe before a hint of buttercream counterpoints forest moss and some Earl Grey. The end has a nice and classic cherry and vanilla vibe with a hint of chili heat and old tobacco in a cedar box.

This is really good. It’s not quite as good as the last pour (this was more “classic” than “wow”) but hits some high marks.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Freshly cracked hazelnuts dominate the nose and lead to worn boot leather, old and slightly molded porch wicker, old clove, dark chocolate sauce, and a hint of red peppercorns. The palate starts off with hazelnut shells before diving into a deep matrix of dried roses, vanilla husks, allspice berries, clove buds, and a chili-chocolate sauce with a flake of salt and dusting of singed peanuts. The end is lush thanks to the vanilla and just spicy enough thanks to the chili-chocolate and red peppercorns with plenty of soft hazelnut rounding things out.

This is freakin’ delicious and fresh. This is the sort of pour that had me asking, “where have you been all my life?”

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with soft leather and Dr. Pepper spices next to plenty of vanilla and a deep sense of burnt popcorn (that’s slightly rough). The palate is oaky put white peach and brown sugar cut through it with a sense of subtle winter spices and mild peppercorns. The end mixes soft vanilla with old oak as a butter toffee and spiced cherry tobacco finishes things off on the senses.

That nose was a little off for me (burnt popcorn isn’t ideal) but I think it would have benefitted with some water to allow the creaminess to come through more. That said, it was well-round and finished strong.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Soft old leather and meaty raisins with a good dose of sharp cinnamon cut with floral and fresh honey with a mild creaminess. The palate is plummy and full of lush vanilla with a plum pudding vibe next to a hint of orange studded with cloves while soft nutmeg smoothes everything out. The end brings the fresh honey back and laces it with rich and almost burnt orange oils next to a mix of old cedar bark and dry cinnamon wrapped in dry tobacco.

From my notes: “This is another winner.”

Part 2: The Ranking

8. High West Rendezvous A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys Batch no. 22C17 — Taste 2

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

High West Rendezvous Rye just got a make-over on the label. The juice in the bottle is still a blend of High West’s own 80 percent rye and 20 percent malted rye mixed with MGP’s classic 95 percent rye and five percent malted barley rye. Once blended, the whiskey is proofed down and bottled.

Bottom Line:

It blew my mind that this ended up last. This is only last in the sense that I blind tasted eight great whiskeys and I had to rank something eighth. This had the lightest end but was otherwise a really solid rye pour.

7. Bradshaw Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey — Taste 7

ABV: 51.9%

Average Price: $44

The Whiskey:

Terry Bradshaw’s brand new rye is a compliment to his new bourbon. The juice is made at the Green River Distilling Company (now part of Bardstown Bourbon Company) from an undisclosed mash bill. That whiskey ages for a mere two years before proofing and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was, again, really nice. It’s a little on the young side but doesn’t feel overly fruity or crafty. It reads and tastes like a solid rye.

6. Pursuit United Blended Straight Rye Whiskey 2022 Batch — Taste 3

ABV: 54%

Average Price: $65

The Whiskey:

This release is a blend of whiskeys from Kentucky and Maryland/ The Kentucky rye is from Bardstown Bourbon Company (a 95 percent rye), which is contract distilling and aging whiskey for Pursuit United. The other rye (and the biggest component) is from Maryland’s famed and beloved Sagamore Spirits and is a 52 percent rye. Over four-year-old barrels from each warehouse were masterfully married to create this expression with a touch of water to bring the proof down a notch.

Bottom Line:

This year’s release felt like a step up from last year’s with more maturity in the juice but also a more dialed flavor profile. This is a great pour to track down.

5. Catoctin Creek Ragnarök Rye Whisky Batch2022 — Taste 1

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $99

The Whisky:

This collaboration brings together Virginia’s Catoctin Creek with thrash metal legends, Gwar. The juice in the bottle is classic Catoctin Creek rye aged in new white oak and finished in sugar maple and cherrywood casks. The barrels are blended and proofed before bottling in specially labeled bottles with metal die-cast toppers representing each member of the band.

Bottom Line:

This was a solid pour of whiskey. It worked really well neat and provided a great flavor profile. Still, this is the top of the first four that all could have been tied for second place.

4. Jefferson’s Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Cognac Casks Barrel no. 57 — Taste 8

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

This release from Jefferson’s leans on masterfully selected barrel picks. The sourced juice is picked from single barrels of cognac-finished rye whiskey and bottled with a touch of proofing water.

Bottom Line:

This one felt both classic and fresh with a deep flavor profile that was accessible. It’s just easy drinking while still having some real depth. You cannot ask for more.

3. Stellum Rye Fibonacci Blend #1 — Taste 5

ABV: 57.56%

Average Price: $99

The Whiskey:

This new whiskey from Stellum (part of Barrell Craft Spirits) celebrates the Fibonacci sequence — that’s the sequence of numbers that are the sum of the previous two numbers. To mimic this, the blenders at Stellum selected six rye barrels and blended them with each barrel becoming the sum of the last two barrels. The results were bottled without any proofing or fussing.

Bottom Line:

Well, I guess you can ask for more as this delivers just … more. The nuances are sharper and the flavors are deeper. There’s a lot going on in the flavor profile but it all makes sense and builds toward a crescendo.

Make sure to add a little water after the first nosing and tasting to really let this one bloom in the glass.

2. Starlight Distillery Single Barrel Huber’s Old Rickhouse Rye Whiskey Finished in Tokaji Barrels Barrel no. 22-2040-1 — Taste 4

ABV: 51.5%

Average Price: $55

The Whiskey:

This Indiana rye from Huber Winery’s Starlight Distillery is an instant classic. The juice is made from Starlight’s 85 percent and 15 percent malted barley rye mash. It’s then aged for at least four years before moving into a Hungarian Tokaji barrel for a final rest. The whiskey is then picked one barrel at a time and just proofed before single-barrel bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is a “wow” whiskey. The flavor profile is extraordinary yet so familiar and welcoming. This would have been number one had the next pour not been such a fun surprise.

1. New Riff Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Barrel no. 16-2075 — Taste 6

ABV: 52.1%

Average Price: $55

The Whiskey:

This whiskey from New Riff is a unique take on the style. The juice in the bottle is 100 percent American rye made with 95 percent classic rye and five percent malted rye. That mash is fermented and distilled before resting for several years in new oak. Once a single barrel hits the perfect spot, it’s bottled as-is one barrel at a time.

Bottom Line:

This had a beauty to it that was wonderfully nuanced and unique. That hazelnut note was so distinct and delicious, especially with the subtle chocolate melding with the hazelnut and soft spiciness. This is a winner.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

I know I’ve said this above a few times now, but all of these bottles are worth giving a shot. That’s not a cop-out — just a fact. This is a great group of whiskeys.

If you need a recommendation, then New Riff or Starlight is the best bet. Both of those whiskeys are just phenomenal. The Starlight bottle is going to be harder to find outside of the Ohio River Valley area, which sort of makes New Riff the ultimate recommendation by default since it’s available pretty widely. Go get yourself some!

A 9-year-old boy named Kendrick attended his first ever concert in Detroit on Sunday night. Naturally, he went to see his idol Kendrick Lamar play at the Little Caesar’s Arena. And Lamar, who has been creating lasting moments already on The Big Steppers Tour, made this an unforgettable first concert experience for the younger Kendrick and for everybody else who was in and around the concert in Detroit.

While performing “Count Me Out,” Lamar noticed his 9-year-old namesake, who had written on a poster-board sign, “My name is Kendrick. This is my first concert. Can we take a pic.” Lamar looked over at the boy holding up the sign and flashed a huge smile while rapping the song like there was an immediate connection between the pair. Then, he broke his stride to address young Kendrick.

“It’s your first concert? You will forever be great,” he said as the crowd roared amidst all the feels. “You’re great right now – you can do whatever you put your mind to, you know? You understand that? I remember when I was your age as well, dreaming. Lil Kendrick, do what you wanna do in life.”

But that was just the first part of the magical evening for 9-year-old Kendrick. He met his idol after the show, who scribed a note to him on the back side of the poster board. It read: “Young Kendrick, thank you for coming. I’m glad we got to exchange energy. You are special. Continue to manifest the great energy you possess!!! See you next time!!! Luv!!!”

This experience equates to catching a foul ball in your first baseball game. Except instead of a foul ball, the team asked you to play outfield and you caught the last fly ball off a no-hitter. Bravo Lil Kendrick.

Megan Thee Stallion is unapologetic in her approach to music and certainly isn’t shy when it comes to her lyrics. But her new album, Traumazine, finds her exploring some new emotional territory, addressing frayed relationships, broken trust, and grief over the deaths of her parents.

In a new interview with Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis of Apple Music, Megan explained how the album allowed her to write about new subjects she never did before.

“Usually when I write songs… I could be sad and I’ll write a song like ‘Body,’” she elaborated. “Or I could be pissed off and I’ll write a song like ‘Freak Nasty.’ I don’t write songs about how I feel, I write songs about how I want to feel. So I feel like, on this album, it’s probably the first time I figured out how to talk about what I want to say… express myself a little bit more. So that’s just how I’ve been living life. And I feel like it’s been so easy for people to tell my story for me, speak on my behalf because I’m a nonchalant person, I feel like. And people be talking about me and I be like, okay. But like I see now that it can get out of control so I feel like I wanted to just take control of my narrative, take control of my own story. Tell it my way, tell it from me.”

You can watch Megan’s interview with Apple Music above.

Traumazine is out now on 1501 Certified Entertainment/300 Entertainment.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There are certain things you just can’t help staring at: sunsets, puppies, Twitter, and the LA Lakers, for instance. There is something intrinsically compelling about the purple and gold with all of their wins, losses, tragedies, and spectacles. That’s why we’re talking, once again, about a project focused on the team and their rich and wild history, following the delicious dramatization of Winning Time and a docuseries focused on Magic Johnson’s life and times. Now we have Legacy: The True Story Of The LA Lakers, a Hulu-made 10-part docuseries from Training Day director Antoine Fuqua in his latest foray into documentary filmmaking and iconic athletes; a series with a story that spans more than 40 years encompassing the entire reign of the Buss family and mononymous legends like Kareem, Magic, Shaq, Kobe, and LeBron.

Current Lakers CEO Jeannie Buss is producing, so it’d be understandable if that sparked some trepidation about whether this is the real story, unfettered by PR concerns and preciousness, but Fuqua assures that there were no guardrails from on high, telling us that every question that got asked got answered. Besides, did Michael Jordan’s involvement with The Last Dance stop it from being interesting? That one is, of course, the easiest comp for this series, though Succession also might be another fit considering the story it’s telling about its larger-than-life patriarch and his children as they try to find their way in and around his kingdom. Family does come first in this story, both the Buss family and the on-court families (quarrelsome as they have been at times) that propelled the Lakers’ multiple dynasties.

Below, Fuqua expands on the series’ focus, the enduring appeal of the Lakers story, navigating conversations about the loss of Kobe, and why comparisons to Winning Time don’t bother him.

What is it about this story that is so compelling, warranting multiple projects?

Well, it’s fascinating what Dr. Buss achieved, a man that came from very humble beginnings. The organization is worth billions of dollars, and he left an incredible legacy for his children. I think it’s the great American story, if you will. What I find most fascinating about it is if this was The Godfather, Jeanie’s Michael Corleone. She winds up getting the first chance as a female owner, and all the things she went through; family drama. All the things the players went through, off camera as well as on camera on the court. I just found it to be rich, and fascinating, and you couldn’t write a Hollywood script this complex.

Was there anything that was off limits or just pushed to the side that Jeanie [Buss] or Magic or any of the others were reluctant to talk about?

Not at all. No. We put them all on the table. Every question we asked, they answered, and we didn’t hold anything back in the context of the story; 10 episodes. We talked to the brothers; Jeanie’s family as well. We talked to her other family members, and everyone spoke their truth. It’s all on camera.

How does this differ for you from when you’re doing a scripted piece as far as your level of immersion?

Well, it depends on the project. I got involved with this two and a half years ago now, so that’s a lot more time involved in the project. You have a blueprint or map of where you want to go, what you’d like to do, and then you start talking to people. Then it starts to take you down other pathways, naturally. Stories you don’t know. It just comes down to the interviews. Documentaries are definitely different in that way where you have to be able to pivot, to quickly go get the information and do the research and do your due diligence to make sure that you’re showing the truth on camera as it’s unfolding. It’s quite different.

Are there specific ways that this is satisfying to you, this kind of storytelling, over scripted storytelling?

Yeah. You’re always surprised because you don’t know the dialogue. In a script, you know every word and you know every turn. You know where to pivot. In a documentary, you’re getting to know the characters. The goal is to go into situations and interview people you think you know, and then you discover more about them as they open up, hopefully. They tell you things, and you start to really see from the inside.

I imagine, this long in the game, that’s exciting as a challenge for someone with as much experience as you have.

Oh, yeah. I love it. You got to exercise all the muscles, right?

I’ve seen five episodes, which takes us right to the point of Shaq signing with the Lakers. How far does this go?

All the way up to pretty much now.

So, if Kyrie goes to the Lakers, then you got to film another episode covering next season. Is that the deal?

[Laughs] No. No, we’ll be done [by then]. Unfortunately. I wish it would happen so I could put it in there, but I don’t think we’ll know anything about that for a while.

Obviously, there’s going to be a large focus on Kobe, not necessarily just his playing career but his unfortunate end. What can you say about those episodes and just the emotionality of those interviews? I’m sure it’s still a very fresh wound for everyone.

Yeah. They were difficult for everyone. Long moments of silence. What do you say? You’re talking about something that, like you said, that’s very fresh, very fresh, and it’s very emotional. Those interviews are hard.

Does that extend into conversations with his family, or does it stay mostly with his on-court and business family?

Mostly, it’s just been with the team and Jeanie and Linda; the people that knew him in the Laker organization. We’re having conversations now with the family about possibly a little bit more, but we’ll see. I’m not done editing.

As you said, this is keeping you on your feet and you don’t really know where this is going to go in a lot of places with the story as you’re telling it. You know the Lakers, you know the mythos of it. What is the one thing that just knocked you out and that was really surprising to you?

I think it’s really how they all feel like they’re family. It really surprised me how they all talked about Dr. Buss. Sometimes, you hear one or two people talk about Dr. Buss or talk about an individual in a certain way, and you think, “Okay. Everyone didn’t love him like that,” but they all really came and had their own personal story. Even times when they disagreed with him and they felt like they were treated a certain way, everyone loved the man because of how he treated them. He was a unique owner. He hung out with some of the team and partied with them, and he was just sort of like a regular guy. You know what I mean? He had his feet planted on the ground. I find that fascinating. We all wish that the people we do business with, just about all of them, 99.9% of them, would have something amazing to say about us and genuinely mean it if someone asked about us.

When Winning Time, the scripted version of Jeff Pearlman’s book came out, obviously, there was some controversy with some of the stuff and the portrayals of some of the people in it, specifically Jerry West. When you’re seeing those stories break as you’re working on this, what goes through your mind?

Not much because it’s entertainment. A lot of it’s made up. A lot of it’s just untrue. Not that it’s not entertainment. Not that it’s not well done. Not that there are not extremely talented people all involved all the way around. It’s just not the truth. For me, as long as no one’s looking at that to be the definitive truth, I got no problem with it. The goal of the documentary is to tell the truth, the real story of the Lakers, the real journey, and I think there’s room for both. I don’t think there’s a problem with it. That’s just entertainment. That’s a show.

It’s such an incredible story that it defies melodrama. I remember watching the Spencer Haywood thing where he was going to kill the coach. You’re like, “There’s no way that that happened,” and you look it up, and you’re like, “Oh, shit.” It’s like, “Okay. Well, it’s not exactly how they portrayed it, but some shit almost went down.”

Right, you can’t make it up. If you didn’t see certain things, you’d go, “Ah, that couldn’t have happened. That can’t be true.” Then, you see the reality. Some things are close, there’s some crazy shit that happens, but, again, it’s all entertainment. This one’s really important because it is the legacy and it’s the legacy of Dr. Buss and his family, so there’s a bigger responsibility, I think. At least for me, it is a big responsibility to get it right. [But] I have an appreciation for Winning Time and the entertainment value of it.

‘Legacy: The True Story Of The LA Lakers’ is now streaming on Hulu.

Bobby McFerrin is best known for his hit song “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” which showcased his one-man vocal and body percussion skills (and got stuck in our heads for years). But his musicality extends far beyond the catchy pop tune that made him a household name. The things he can do with his voice are unmatched and his range of musical styles and genres is impressive.

The Kennedy Center describes him: “With a four-octave range and a vast array of vocal techniques, Bobby McFerrin is no mere singer; he is music’s last true Renaissance man, a vocal explorer who has combined jazz, folk and a multitude of world music influences – choral, a cappella, and classical music – with his own ingredients.”

McFerrin is also a music educator, and one of his most memorable lessons is a simple, three-minute interactive demonstration in which he doesn’t say a single word.

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In a video shared by the World Science Festival, McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale by prompting the audience to sing specific notes when he stands in specific places on stage. With just his body movements and a handful of sung notes, he turns the audience into an instrument, showing them how intuitive the pentatonic scale truly is for all of us.

The pentatonic scale has five notes per octave instead of the seven we often think of as standard (the heptatonic scale). The pentatonic scale is thought to have been used since pre-ancient times and is found in nearly every culture in the world. Its beauty is in its simplicity; many folk songs have been composed using only the notes in this scale.

Perhaps that’s why it seemed so natural for the people in the audience to know what notes to sing when McFerrin moved without him telling them which notes to sing beyond the first few. It’s a delightful demonstration of how music connects us in an innate, inexplicable and seriously incredible way.

Watch the demonstration from the “Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus” event in 2009:

Many people have tried to take the classic story of The Wizard of Oz and make it something…different. Most recently, James Franco took a disappointing stab at it in Oz The Great and Powerful, while the NBC series Emerald City was a lackluster retelling that only lasted a season. Now, it looks like Warner Bros is taking advantage of those last few failed stories and creating their own modern take on the iconic story. What could go wrong?

Deadline reports that Kenya Barris, the mind behind Black-ish and its various spinoff shows, will be writing and directing a new take on Wizard Of Oz for Warner Bros. His company Khalabo Ink Society will be producing.

While most of the production details are under wraps, the company is stressing that this will be a “reimagining” of the classic tale, which is based on the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from 1900. Of course, the 1939 musical version is the one fans all know and love, though it’s unclear which direction Barris will take. There are 14 books in the original series, so realistically, any of them could be in the running!

This isn’t the first movie to take place in the Oz Multiverse. The highly anticipated adaptation of Wicked, an unofficial prequel to Wizard of Oz, is currently beginning production with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo set to star. So…it looks like we will all be visiting Oz at some point soon…whether we want to or not.

(Via Deadline)

When I arrived at Outside Lands festival in San Francisco last weekend, I was skeptical of whether Post Malone would work as a Sunday night headliner on the main stage. This is the same stage that acts like Stevie Wonder, Metallica, and Arcade Fire have closed down before and now this guy was gonna follow suit?

I’ll admit, I haven’t been the biggest fan of Post Malone over the years. He always struck me as an artist who benefited from being white (he did), sliding from hip-hop to rock to country and back seemingly on a whim. But now, as he has become one of the biggest pop and hip-hop stars in the world, the challenge is to present himself with authenticity.

It’s hard to be at a concert these days and not wonder what the “new normal” is that we’re living in. With COVID rates still all over the map, what are we risking by being at a concert, let alone a festival with tens of thousands of people around you for a headlining set? I’ve found that you really need to surrender to the circumstances to be able to approach the connection we used to feel with artists before March of 2020. Surrender to the music, surrender to what might be in the air, and just let go. It’s a slippery proposition, but we need live music right now more than ever. And there’s not a more powerful concert moment lately than when an artist helps get you over that hump of anxious energy so you can be in the moment.

As Post Malone walked out onto the stage, with a red cup in hand, one of the first things he said to the crowd was, “I’m here to play some sh*tty music and get f*cked up!” The crowd of tens of thousands roared. I sorta rolled my eyes and wondered if this was just a shtick. But what I soon came to realize about him, is that he was absolutely wrapped up in the moment the entire time.

You see, the thing that’s the most fascinating about Post Malone on stage, is that he’s up there by himself in front of a wall of lights and the occasional pyrotechnics that erupt around him. There’s no DJ, there’s no hype man, no band, etc… So it really raises the stakes because the attention is always focused entirely on him.

He stood there in white Chuck Taylors, a T-shirt with Cameron Tucker’s face from Modern Family emblazoned on it, and cut-off jean shorts that showed off all of his lower body tattoos. He opened with “Wow,” from 2019’s Hollywood’s Bleeding, then went into “Wrapped Around Your Finger” from the newly released Twelve Carat Toothache, followed by “Better Now” from 2018’s Beerbongs & Bentleys. It struck me just how much the Post Malone discography had grown and when I looked around during “Better Now” especially, the most diverse crowd of the weekend was easily the biggest, too. And everyone was moving. The crowd was gripped.

As Posty’s performance kept going, I found myself increasingly interested in everything he was going to do next. On “I Fall Apart,” he bent over and straddled the mic with his mouth, hands behind his back, while singing as loudly as he could. When that song ended, he grabbed an acoustic guitar and took a seat to sing “Stay” and “Go Flex,” a cigarette in between his fingers the whole time. It was a pure display of emotion.

I loved the way he danced and moved and worked the crowd; losing himself, his happiness was galvanizing. When he played “White Iverson,” the song that first put him on the map eight years ago, it felt like a real moment of togetherness for the crowd. And even if it has its limits sometimes, his leaned-out Gen Z falsetto was endearing and pure.

But it was the way that he was unapologetically himself that stuck with me the most. He sings about getting f*cked up (and sometimes about the ramifications of it, too) and he presents himself like he’s in the same mind-state as the crowd when he’s on stage. He’s beaming, he’s partying, but he reflects on his insecurities, too. “Thank you so much for your love and support over the years,” he told the crowd. “The world has been such a sh*tty place and it just feels so beautiful to be out here with you to have a good time. I feel like I’m the luckiest f*cking guy in the world. How everyone was so patient with me and supportive of me. You know…this long stretch we’ve had.”

He presented the notion that he needed this just as much as we did and in that moment, the stage sort of disappeared. By the time he closed with “Rockstar” and “Congratulations,” it felt like we were all there getting f*cked up together, except one of us was singing and their gratitude showed. Here was an artist who had to be misunderstood before he could be accepted. Surely we can all relate.

And I came around to Post Malone that night. When he smashed his guitar and then set it afire in a controlled blaze, then smashed it some more to extinguish it and gave the pieces to the crowd before walking off? I felt that. And there was something especially powerful seeing it all with 20,000 other people. Because we’re all still trying to figure out what the new normal is in this world and Post Malone’s wild performance made so much sense in its own chaos.

Because it’s ok to party your face off and lose your mind for a while. This generation has been privy to way too much BS and it’s not stopping anytime soon. But if we can just let go, and surrender together, we might still make it.

Quentin Tarantino is not just an iconoclastic filmmaker. He’s also an eccentric film watcher. He’s seen everything, and he has lots of unusual, sometimes surprising opinions about them. For instance, he loves Top Gun: Maverick just like everyone. But he also vastly prefers a certain franchise entry that very few like to one that most people adore.

The maybe-retiring auteur and noted feet fetishist made an appearance recently on the podcast ReelBlend, where he did what he often does: run his mouth about cinema. At one point, they wound up talking Indiana Jones movies, where he dropped two hot takes: the beloved threequel Last Crusade is bad and the despised fourquel Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is not.

“I like Crystal Skull more than the Sean Connery one,” Tarantino said. “I don’t like the Sean Connery one. I don’t like [that] one at all. … That’s such a boring one. It’s boring! And he’s not an interesting character. The joke is made immediately. It’s like Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.”

For those not in the know, Tarantino was referring to a much-derided, little-remembered 1992 cop comedy in which Estelle Getty plays Sylvester Stallone’s mother, from a brief period in which the sometime Rambo tried his hand at jokes. (See also: Oscar.)

Is Tarantino wrong? Last Crusade is few people’s picks for the finest Indiana Jones romp, and maybe Crystal Skull — a big money-maker but often seen as a stepdown in the series — deserves a re-evaluation. It’s been 14 years. Maybe the guy who keep rewriting history in his movies is right and it’s time to revamp how he think about Indy films.

(Via IndieWire)

Today, Nipsey Hussle received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in an emotional ceremony, where his partner Lauren London gave a speech dedicating the star on what would have been his 37th birthday. “I think I speak for the entire city of L.A. when I say that we’ve always known Hussle was destined for greatness,” she said.

“This moment only amplifies that for us,” she continued. “Nip would have been honored by this moment. I think he would want everyone to remember that you can’t get to what’s possible unless you commit to moving forward. That doesn’t mean forgetting where you come from, but requires acknowledging the reality you were born into and the power you have to change that reality for the better.”

“So whenever you’re in the city of angels and you see this star, I hope it encourages you to break away from whatever might be holding you back and for you to run your marathon until God says that it’s finished. Nip will forever live in our hearts. I’m grateful for the love and support the world has shown us but especially I wanna thank the city of Los Angeles. I love you, and as y’all know the marathon continues.”

Others who received stars on the Walk Of Fame today included singer Ashanti, hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas, the late Carrie Fisher, former NFL player Michael Strahan, and actor Michael B. Jordan.

Hussle was killed on March 31, 2019 when he was shot by Eric Holder in front of his Marathon Clothing store. Holder has since been convicted of murder and is awaiting sentencing.