Hairstyles and grooming are a way of life, and the same goes for athletes and celebrities. When superstars come out with new haircuts, fans tend to go out and emulate them to match their styles. From new facial hair styles, to completely new hairstyles, this infographic below provides insight into some of our athletes most popular hairstyles and how to go about getting them during your next visit to the barber shop.

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This is pretty amazing seeing Bruce Springsteen playing “Rebel, Rebel.” I wish we could have seen him singing it with Bowie himself, but this tribute is just awesome. Bowie covered several of Bruce’s songs early in Bruce’s career and they remained friends over the years.

I have no idea why Minneapolis bartender Marco Zappia chose to name his drink the Miner’s Son. The closest thing I can find to a cultural reference in the name is that it’s also the name of a restaurant in North Bay, Ontario — so maybe that’s it, and maybe it isn’t. I do know, however, that Zappia’s concoction makes very nice use of a mixer I haven’t really explored at all.

I like tea probably slightly more than the next person, so I guess it’s somewhat surprising that I haven’t really been on top of the not-really-new trend towards using both hot and cold teas in various mixed drinks. Don’t ask me why I’ve been so remiss, but at least I was finally nudged along by a gloriously free bottle of Famous Grouse Scotch, the best selling Scotch in the UK, paired with something called Owl’s Brew The Famous Mint Tea, a very tasty product designed to be combined with the aforementioned whiskey.

I have to say that I agree with apparently most of the population of the British Isles that the Famous Grouse is an extremely likable Scotch. I just might start using as a default here at Casa de DOTW, and I already mentioned that the Owl’s Brew Mint Tea is pleasant on the tongue — it’s also extremely sweet. However, I’m not at this point 100% sold on combining it with Scotch on its own, as the Owl’s Brew bottle suggests. It’s not bad, it’s just that this mysteriously named recipe, which adds a bit of lemon and seltzer to the mix, is what really seems to bring out the best in all these good products.

The Miner’s Son

1 1/2 ounces The Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky
3/4 ounce Owl’s Brew The Famous Mint Tea
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/3 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 ounces seltzer water
1 lemon twist (garnish)

Combine all the liquid ingredients in a Collins glass, though I think a double rocks or perhaps a smallish highball glass will also work in a pinch. Stir, and add your lemon twist, which Mr. Zappia would like you to properly express, I suspect. (Here are some good instructions on that score, though I would argue us non-pros are just fine using a vegetable peeler and dispensing with the fancy knife work.)

****

The weather is about as cool as it gets out here on the West Coast right now. Even so, the Miner’s Son makes for a nearly irresistible libation and it’s appeal will only increase when El Nino finally makes his exit. It’s a blend of sweet, tangy, minty, and, uh, tea-y flavors that’s pretty darn hard to resist.

On the theory of not fixing what ain’t remotely broke, I dispensed with my tradition of trying the drink out with a Brand X base spirit. I did, however, try it with half a tablespoon of superfine sugar in place of simple syrup. Despite having exactly the same amount of calories, that came out slightly less sweet …and, arguably, a bit better.

On another experiment, however, I found that, while the terms “seltzer,” “club soda,” and “soda water” tend to be used almost interchangeably at times, in this case it might be best to stick to the strict meaning of seltzer water, which is simply plain carbonated water. Club soda, by contrast, contains some additional sodium. Using it seemed to throw the balance of the drink slightly off. Sometimes tiny differences aren’t all that minuscule.

John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Max Martini, Dominic Fumusa, David Costabile, Toby Stephens

Michael Bay

Michael Bay has wasted the better part of the last decade making “Transformers” movies, each one more awful than the last, so it’s always refreshing when he takes a break from the blockbuster franchise to produce smaller films (comparatively speaking) like “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.” Based on Mitchell Zuckoff’s book about the 2012 attacks in Libya, “13 Hours” is an exhilarating and surprisingly apolitical military thriller that reconfirms why Bay is one of the best action directors in the business. Though the movie isn’t without the typical Bayisms (from the overuse of slow motion and lingering shots of the American flag, to the corny dialogue), it thankfully plays more to his strengths as a filmmaker.

John Krasinski stars as Jack Silva, a former Navy SEAL who has reluctantly resorted to military contractor work to help pay the bills. He’s the newest member of a six-man security team – the innocuously named Global Response Staff (GRS) – tasked with protecting a small group of CIA operatives working out of a top-secret outpost in Benghazi. Tensions within the city are already boiling over following the death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, so when U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens (Matt Letscher) makes a peace trip to Benghazi and insists on staying in a nearby diplomatic compound instead of under CIA protection, the GRS is placed on high alert.

The rest, as they say, is history. On the evening of September 11, 2012, Islamic militants attacked the poorly guarded compound where Ambassador Stevens was residing, and while the GRS – comprised of Silva, team leader Tyrone Woods (James Badge Dale), Kris Paronto (Pablo Schreiber), Dave Benton (David Denman), Mark Geist (Max Martini) and John Tiegen (Dominic Fumusa) – was ready to mount a rescue attempt within minutes, they were forced to stand down by the CIA chief in charge (David Costabile). When the team finally arrived at the compound, the damage had already been done, but it was just the beginning of their hellish night as they returned to the CIA annex to defend against wave after wave of rebel attacks until support arrived.

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Every Tuesday, I review the newest Blu-ray releases and let you know whether they’re worth buying, renting or skipping, along with a breakdown of the included extras. If you see something you like, click on the cover art to purchase the Blu-ray from Amazon, and be sure to share each week’s column on Facebook and Twitter with your friends.

WHAT: During a manned mission to Mars, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is left behind by his crew after he seemingly dies in a storm. But when it turns out that Watney has survived, he must use his skills and intelligence to keep himself alive on the barren planet long enough to make contact with NASA and await rescue.

WHY: Although it’s the third film in as many years about astronauts in distress, “The Martian” is a smart, captivating and humorous adaptation of Andy Weir’s bestselling novel that covers very different narrative and emotional territory than “Gravity” and “Interstellar.” For starters, it’s a lot more uplifting than most sci-fi fare, eschewing the usual doom-mongering for a story about the power of optimism and perseverance that also doubles as one heckuva recruitment video for NASA. (Who knew science and math could be this much fun?) Matt Damon is perfectly cast as the Everyman astronaut forced to “science the shit” out of his seemingly impossible predicament, while the supporting cast – including Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejifor and Jessica Chastain – is absolutely stacked with talent. This is hands down Ridley Scott’s best movie since “Gladiator,” and it owes a lot to Drew Goddard’s screenplay, which takes a lighthearted approach to the high-stakes drama in order to produce one of the most purely entertaining crowd-pleasers in years.

EXTRAS: In addition to a pair of production featurettes, there are some fictional promo videos made for the film and a gag reel.

FINAL VERDICT: BUY

WHAT: Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), a cyber security engineer who suffers from social anxiety disorder, is recruited by a mysterious hacker named Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) to help take down an evil corporation that he believes is destroying the world.

WHY: USA Network hasn’t garnered much acclaim with its recent crop of original series, so when “Mr. Robot” debuted last summer to rave reviews, audiences were quick to stand up and take notice. Though the psychological thriller isn’t quite as groundbreaking as many have suggested – largely because its big twists have been executed better before – it gets off to a strong start thanks to Rami Malek’s breakout performance and a solid supporting cast. The hacker elements are really compelling, but once the show starts to dive more into Elliot’s psyche, it begins to unravel. Not only is Elliot an incredibly unreliable protagonist, giving the writers free reign to do whatever they want with little consequences, but the drastic change in direction midway through the season is so sudden that it feels like creator Sam Esmail got impatient allowing the story to develop organically. He burns through nearly two seasons’ worth of story in only 10 episodes, and while some viewers will appreciate that type of gung-ho attitude, a more disciplined approach would have resulted in a more rewarding payoff.

EXTRAS: There’s a making-of featurette, deleted scenes and a gag reel.

FINAL VERDICT: RENT

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