Month: July 2021

The Fourth of July, and the holiday weekend itself, are jam-packed with the finer things in life. Great times with friends, cold beer and stellar menswear…yes, stellar menswear. There are plenty of 4th of July sales that guys everywhere would do well to shop. Whether you’re hunting for sneakers, home goods or bedding, discounts abound. There’s even a special deal for Maxim readers on a new vacation blazer.

Brands you know and love have slashed prices to low, low levels, so start the holiday weekend the right way: By saving some of your hard-earned cash and stocking up on style essentials in the process.

Adidas 

Use the code JULY for up to 30% off shoes and accessories through July 6. 

BASK Poolside Supply

Maxim readers can take 20% off the luxe poolside brand’s toweling blazers and free shipping with promo code MAXIM.

Bespoke Post

Get up to 50% off the well-stocked Bespoke Post Sale section this weekend. 

Bloomingdale’s

Deals range from 30% to 50% off, plus an additional 50% off clearance items.

Casper

The bedding brand is offering up to 30% off mattress bundles, 15% off mattresses and 10% off everything else with code JULY4TH.

Crane & Canopy

Get up to 70% off bedding, sheets, rugs and decor. 

Eddie Bauer

Take 50% off your entire order at the famed outdoor gear retailer.

EyeBuyDirect 

Get 30% off lenses and an additional 20% off frames with code SALETIME.

Florsheim

Get 50% off select end-of-season styles with the code MES2.

Filson

Take an additional 20% off at checkout through the Filson Summer Clearing Sale.

GREATS

Use the code COOKOUT25 to get an extra 25% off sale styles. 

Huckberry

Get free U.S. shipping on orders of over $98, and stock up on everything from swimwear to watches in the Huckberry Sale shop.

Le Club

Get 50% off sitewide at the men’s swimwear brand with the code INDEPENDENCE50 through July 4th.

Lowe’s

$50 off select Weber grills ad special buys on patio sets.

Macy’s

Save on men’s apparel and more with deals ranging from 20 to 60% off.

New Balance

The famed sneaker brand is offering 10% off sitewide and free shipping with the code JUL10.

Outdoor Fellow

Buy one candle, get 60% off a second candle with the code BOGO60. 

Proclamation Goods

Get $50 off the award-winning Proclamation Duo cookware set and receive a free Proclamation Dinner Bell.

Rugs.com

Get an extra 70% off with free shipping and returns now through July 6th, then take up to 60% off new arrivals from July 7th through July 13th. 

Taylor Stitch

Get up to 30% off sitewide and $20 back on every order over $200 with the brand’s Peak of Summer Sale. 

Todd Snyder

Take up to 50% off select styles.

Sur La Table

20% off orders through July 5. 

Tropical Bros

Get 20 percent off sitewide until July 20th

Wayfair

 Get up to 70% off on home, outdoor and office furniture.

Escaping to a luxe private island resort often entails decamping to far-flung locales like Fiji, The Maldives or Belize. Even if you have the budget to splurge on such a rarefied getaway, it can be a huge hassle to get there. 

Savvy travelers who would rather skip a 16-hour flight to French Polynesia can instead luxuriate at an exotic island paradise right here in the U.S. on Little Palm Island, a lush destination dotted with 30 thatched roof bungalows in the lower Florida Keys.

This acclaimed 4.5-acre retreat on Little Torch Key is less than 30 miles from the touristy bustle of Key West, but it feels like a different planet. The adults-only resort first launched as Little Palm Island in 1988, and after being ravaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017, was rebuilt in 2020 with the goal of becoming America’s premier private island getaway.

Little Palm Island is accessible only by boat or seaplane. To get there by car from Key West, you’ll need to take U.S. Highway 1 North to Mile Marker 28.5, turn onto Pirate’s Road, then roll into the parking lot of Little Palm’s “Welcome Station” and departure dock, where guests check in and board a ferry to the island.

The resort’s signature coconut rum-spiked “Gumby Slumber” cocktails are offered to passengers before the 15-minute trip on the hotel’s handsome wooden motor yacht, The Truman, a nod to the former president and sometime Key West resident who frequented the property when it was still known as Little Munson Island. 

Nowadays, guests arriving at Little Palm Island are greeted by a gorgeous mosaic of sandbars, mangroves, and coconut-bearing palm trees swaying in a warm tropical breeze.

Walk along the crushed seashell paths that traverse the resort’s jungle-like foliage and you may encounter tiny Key deer, scurrying iguanas, and countless species of birds, including herons, pelicans and egrets that spend their days diving for fish near the beachfront.

The exclusive property’s spacious thatched roof bungalows are brimming with a classic British West Indies design aesthetic and luxe amenities like outdoor showers, private decks, vaulted ceilings, copper bathtubs, four-poster beds and elegant tropical-chic decor. 

Many of these bungalows boast sweeping ocean views, and all are adorned with charming wooden signs etched with guests’ names.

As LPI is capped to just 60 guests, you may not encounter anyone when you amble to the pool to chill out in a cabana, sit under a scalloped beach umbrella or take a complimentary kayak or stand-up paddleboard for a quick trip around the mangroves.

More adventurous guests can indulge in aquatic off-island activities like snorkeling and scuba diving at Looe Key Reef—the world’s third-largest barrier reef—located just a short boat ride from the island. 

Rod-and-reel enthusiasts have the enviable options of choosing from spearfishing, deep-sea fishing, reef and wreck fishing and, perhaps best of all, backcountry flats fishing for the elusive, hard-fighting local “Big Three” of bonefish, tarpon and permit. Other excursions include dolphin encounters, seaplane day trips, tandem skydiving and eco-tours.  

Guests who’d rather just chill out and relax would do well to book an appointment at the property’s newly-renovated spa. SpaTerre is housed in a striking open-air, two-story atrium and offers soothing treatments ranging from CBD-infused massages to sound therapy treatments on a quartz sand table. 

The island’s sole restaurant, a reliably good eatery called The Dining Room, has indoor and outdoor seating perfect for sunset views, and serves guests poolside, on the beach, and via room service. 

Standout dishes include locally sourced seafood favorites like fresh pink Key West shrimp cocktail, cracked stone crab claws, spicy tuna tacos, grilled black grouper, and, naturally, an excellent slice of Key Lime Pie. 

There’s also a formidable list of fine wines and plenty of Kaluga caviar to gorge on if you’re in the mood to inflate your bill further before checking out. With rooms starting at $1,900 per night, Little Palm is ideal for special occasions like a celebratory couple’s getaway, or as the site of an idyllic wedding location.

It’s no wonder that LPI recently made Condé Nast Traveler’s 2021 Hot List, as well as being named among the “Top 10 Resorts in the U.S.” and “Top 50 Resorts in the World” in the travel bible’s Readers Choice Awards.

If you’re looking for a less budget-busting Keys experience, check into LPI’s more affordable sister property, Ocean Key Resort, conveniently situated near Key West Harbor and party-hearty Duval Street. But for a truly special and relaxing vacation, Little Palm Island deserves its elite status as a bucket-list-worthy destination. 

For booking information, visit littlepalmisland.com.

Bruce Buffer is known as “The Veteran Voice of the Octagon”—and for good reason. As of 2021, the 64-year-old has been serving as the UFC’s chief announcer for 25 years. 

In that time, Buffer has announced hundreds of fights, some of them all-time classics featuring MMA legends Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Of course, that’s not all Buffer has going on. When he’s not roaring in the Octagon, Buffer is managing his brother—boxing announcer Michael Buffer—and keeping busy with a number of interesting ventures.

Maxim recently caught up with the legendary Octagon announcer to discuss his career with the UFC, his favorite fights and fighters, his life outside the cage, and plenty more.

At this point, Bruce, you’re as synonymous with the UFC as the Octagon itself. What does it mean to you to be such an important part of the organization?

I promote the UFC, I support it, I do my job, but the show’s about the fighters and the fans. It’s not about me. I’m there to enhance the moment for the fighters and enhance the moment for the fans. That’s my goal. I walk out, I feel the energy, and it’s great to be a part of something as amazing as the UFC.

We’ve all seen and heard you inside the Octagon, but in terms of behind-the-scenes preparation, what does the job entail?

There’s a lot of preparation, preparation of my fight cards, which takes three to four hours by the time I’ve done everything. The UFC is a well-oiled machine. I get the fighter bios from them. Of course, when I get to the show, there’s the weigh-ins, there’s often changes [to the fights], there’s this, that, and the other that needs to be done.

Aside from the prep of my cards, I actually just train. I want to be in the best shape I can, I want to give it my all physically. But I don’t rehearse, aside from making sure I have the fighters’ name [pronunciations] down and the stats. If you notice, I rarely even look at my cards when I’m announcing, I kind of just absorb it when I’m writing.

Aside from that, it’s about getting out there and feeling the energy of the crowd, whether it’s only a hundred people at the [UFC] Apex center in Las Vegas or 20,000 in Houston or Arizona. The bottom line is it’s me and the fighter when I get in there, and I just want to feel the energy of the moment, and hopefully the energy of the crowd. Then I just let it go.

I’ve got to ask about the suits. You’re known for being a lavish dresser on fight nights. Why is dressing well important to you?

I’ve always loved to dress well. I mean, I’m a surfer, so I can relax in a bathing suit or Lulu Lemon during the day, but I have no problem putting on the suit or the tuxedo at night. When it comes to show night, I like to be a first-class image when I walk in, I like to represent the brand well.

I have these amazing tailors, King & Bay out of Toronto, Canada. We’ve had a five-plus year relationship now. I’ve helped them build their brand, they’ve helped build my brand with the tuxedos and smoking jackets and everything they’ve made for me. As a matter of fact, this year is my 25th anniversary of announcing in the Octagon, so for every single pay-per-view, we’re creating a brand new jacket, and it’s really cool.

I read these articles where people are calling me a fashion icon, which kind of makes me laugh, but if that’s the way they perceive it that’s all good. I just go out there and do my thing.

You’ve been at this for 25 years. How much longer do you intend to keep announcing?

Buffer: I put everything I can into my announcing, and the moment I can’t perform physically, vocally, then it will be time for me to retire. But my passion just keeps growing so that’s not going to happen any time soon. I’m good for another 10 years at least.

You’ve watched a lot of fights over the years. Are there any that really stand out in your memory?

You’ve got to remember I’ve been doing this for 25 years, so I’ve seen probably every fight there is in the Octagon, and I’ve probably forgotten more than I can remember. It’s very difficult, if not impossible to say what the best fight would be, but I can give you examples of great fights.

One example is back to the finale of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, when Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin fought. I even lost character a bit and said to the audience when I was announcing the winner that ‘you’ve just seen the greatest fight ever in the Octagon.’ I caught a little flack for that because it’s not my role as the announcer, but at that moment, I couldn’t help but say it.

Then you look at the wars we’ve had recently… Let me put it this way: every time I think I’ve seen the best fight, two months later, two shows later, with all the entertainment the UFC brings, I see another amazing fight. These male and female warriors, these Octagon warriors, they’re like Superman or Superwoman and it never ceases to amaze me.

The GOAT debate always gets people talking. In your opinion, who are the best fighters of all time?

It’s a long list. Definitely Jon Jones, even though he’s not retired. Definitely Georges St-Pierre. You could even put Chuck Liddell in there, given the way he paved the way for the UFC. Randy Couture, most definitely. Israel Adesanya is on his way. And of course Amanda Nunes has proven herself to be the GOAT of women’s MMA. She’s just an amazing fighter.

Expanding on that, which fighters have most enjoyed watching most over the years?

There’s tons. I’m very happy to see Miesha Tate coming back, I’ve always enjoyed watching her fight. Georges St-Pierre, he’s one of the GOATs, most definitely. You’ve got the great Chuck Liddell—how could you not love watching Chuck Liddell do his thing? Jon Jones too.

And look at the other fighters we have today, like [UFC flyweight champion] Brandon Moreno. He’s one of my favorite fighters, all around. He’s a great young man, father, fighter. He’s cerebral, he’s fighting for his country, he has a great attitude—the whole bit.

Are there any fighters on the UFC roster that you see as future superstars? Anyone you can see becoming the next big thing?

There’s definitely a couple, but I think a big superstar you’re going to see is going to be Brandon Moreno. I think he’s going to be catching on with fans and have a long career for himself. I’m very impressed with him and I’m so excited to watch his evolutionary process.

Israel Adesanya too, definitely. I love watching his process. And let’s see how Francis Ngannou does. Everyone loves the heavyweights.

There are some big fights on the horizon. Which fights are you most looking forward to?

My eye is always on the next fight. So right now I’m just focused on Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier [at UFC 264 on July 10]. I do so many fights, you might ask me about a fight I did two weeks ago, and I’ll have a hard time remembering because I’m so focused on going forward. There’s just so much to absorb.

So right now my whole focus is on UFC 264, which is going to be an amazing night. Poirier’s coming out fighting for family, fighting for his future. Conor, with the gazillions he’s worth, is fighting for pride, fighting for his own goals. They’re coming from two different directions to a certain extent, but the same direction to another extent. So the buildup to the fight is going to be awesome.

I’ve got to ask you about the Paul brothers, Logan and Jake. These guys are making a lot of waves inside the combat sports industry, and not everybody is happy about it. What are your thoughts on them and the influencer boxing trend?

Logan’s a friend of mine. I know Logan and I like Logan a lot. I’ve met Jake, and they both kind of walk to a different tune. This whole thing—I call it exhibition boxing—reminds of something that was very successful that my brother and I were involved in, which was the Fox celebrity boxing shows that they had some 15 years ago. When those happened, and you had C and D-list celebrities—and I mean that with all respect—going in and throwing punches at each other, people were really interested because of all the fanbases [celebrities] bring.

The one thing about the Logan and Jake Paul boxing events is that boxing fans are an older demographic than mixed martial arts and UFC fans. When Logan and Jake fight, they’re bringing eyeballs to the sport. That’s very important, [for new fans] to see and appreciate the beauty of boxing. 

Sure, they’re making $10 million, $20 million, and they’ve just had two or three fights, but you’ve got to remember: they’re the ones with the following. They have a right to earn that money, and the boxing events that they’re putting on, they’re creating a lot of fanfare, a lot of attention, and a lot of criticism too, because people are wondering how YouTube influencers are out there making all this money when serious boxers aren’t making that kind of money. Well, the bottom line is branding and marketing.

Nobody’s taking anything away from the professional boxers. It’s just another show, and not all of [these types of events] will do as well. I know there was another show recently with TikTok influencers, and they did not hit the numbers they wanted to hit. So you don’t want to have too many of these events. You don’t want to create a saturation. But in my mind, if you do it correctly and market it correctly, you’ll have successful events, entertaining events, and everybody walks away happy.

You’re a busy man outside of your work with the UFC. What else have you got going on?

Well, I manage my brother, Michael Buffer’s, career. I have not stopped doing that. There’s a lot of licensing and involvement around that famous phrase “let’s get ready to rumble,” and his appearances, which are picking up as the pandemic is calming down.

I also have my Puncher’s Chance bourbon, which just won three gold medals for tasting awards in America, and three gold medals for design of the bottle. We’re considered one the fastest-selling bourbons in America, and it’s really come out of the gate strong.

You’ll also be hearing in three or four weeks about the release of my own It’s Time energy product line. This is going be coming out of England, and it’ll be international, all over the world, with distribution centers in the United States. It’s an all-natural energy product.

I have my own cologne and toiletry line that’s going to be released all around the world, too, in the next few months.

You recently got involved with a company called MILLIONS.CO, an e-commerce platform that helps athletes connect with their fans. Tell us about the company and how you got started with them.

MILLIONS approached me. The owners and my co-founders are very passionate about the project. They’ve had much success in the app industry. They definitely don’t need to work, but this is a passion project for them because they love boxing, they love the UFC, they love the whole concept of athletes and how they put everything toward being the best they can be. But in a lot of cases, just like with entertainers, talent is not always the best at branding, not always the best with business.

A lot of athletes think ‘I need a million followers, 500,000 followers, 100,000 followers before I can even sell a t-shirt.’ Well, that’s not true. You have a following. You’ve got people who want to know how you train, how you eat, how you live, along with how you perform, whether it’s in the ring or the cage. 

Aside from waiting for, in a fighter’s case, your purse that night, after you train for eight or 10 weeks, you should be able to monetize and have communication with your fan base. That’s where MILLIONS comes in. We want to help the athletes get to that point.

It’s a big hit right out of the gate with a lot of boxers, MMA fighters, Muay Thai fighters, whatever the case might be, but it’s not just going to be limited to that. The beauty about MILLIONS is that we’re going to build this so it’s for every athlete out there. You could be a volleyball player, baseball player, football player—it applies to everybody.

I see this as a very long-term project to make it the leading social commerce video platform, which connects the sports world to their fans. And so far, so good. It’s really doing well for a lot of people.

The acid-blooded aliens of the Alien film franchise have always been like a horrible swarm of giant, parasitic insects, but most of the movies — the watchable ones, anyway, sorry, Alien vs. Predator — have presented isolated situations in which the final Boss battles come down to one alien creature vs. one desperate human with nothing to lose.

Noah Hawley, who will helm a new TV series based in the Alien / Aliens fictional universe for FXX, wants to change up that dynamic in a dramatic way, according to a report in Vanity Fair. 

Hawley sat down for a discussion of season 4 of the same network’s Fargo (he’s the showrunner) but the conversation pivoted to his Alien series. Asked, “What’s next for you?” Hawley said in part:

What’s next for me, it looks like, is [an] Alien series for FX, taking on that franchise and those amazing films by Ridley Scott and James Cameron and David Fincher. Those are great monster movies, but they’re not just monster movies.

They’re about humanity trapped between our primordial, parasitic past and our artificial intelligence future—and they’re both trying to kill us. Here you have human beings and they can’t go forward and they can’t go back. So I find that really interesting… 

Don’t expect to see Sigourney Weaver‘s Ripley show up in Hawley’s series, however. “It’s not a Ripley story,” Hawley told Vanity Fair, “She’s one of the great characters of all time, and I think the story has been told pretty perfectly, and I don’t want to mess with it.”

Hawley said his Alien series will be “set on Earth also.” He noted that in previous alien stories everyone was “always trapped… Trapped in a prison, trapped in a spaceship.” 

“I thought it would be interesting to open it up a little bit,” Hawley continued, “so that the stakes of ‘What happens if you can’t contain it?’ are more immediate.”

It’s worth noting that setting up a new tale in which the Xenomorphs are running rampant and free is a great way to find enough fodder for ten episodes of cable drama.

Noah Hawley also told VF that he has written “the first two scripts,” so it sounds like the show is a done deal. He expects to begin production in spring 2022.

One look at Pia Mia, and you might think she stepped out of a fairytale. She didn’t, but her path to stardom reads like one. 

Discovered on a visit to L.A. from her tropical island home of Guam when she was 17, she was barely off the plane before she was signed. While having a cup of coffee at Urth Cafe on Melrose Avenue, a woman asked if she was a singer. The woman turned out to be married to one of Babyface’s producers. 

“I was starting to get really comfortable in the studio during that time, and finding my footing. As a young woman, I was starting to establish how I wanted to sound and what I wanted to say. It was an important part of my life and my career as a person,” she recalls about that first, crazy year in the industry. 

“That was a point in my life when I was writing from my journal and using my life as inspiration for the music.” 

Her big break came in 2013 when she and producer Nic Nac completed a cover of Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” So it seemed like serendipity when she was invited to a dinner party at the Kardashians’ house, and who should be there but the man himself. 

“I didn’t know Drake was going to be there. And I was called out on the spot to sing. So, that was a little bit nerve-wracking,” she says of the impromptu performance that went viral, changing the trajectory of her career. “I wanted him to like it and clearly I was inspired by him. It was good, and I think everyone liked it.” 

Within months of the Kardashian dinner, Pia was teaming with Chance the Rapper on “Fight For You” for the sci-fi film, Divergent. Also in 2014, “Hold On, We’re Going Home” turned up on her debut EP The Gift, including two singles: “Red Love”, a ballad about heartbreak, and the pop-influenced “Mr. President.” 

A year later, “Do It Again,” featuring Chris Brown and Tyga, was her first song to make the charts, landing at 71 on the Billboard 100.

 “I had this idea and I wanted to put my spin on it. And then we played it for Chris and Tyga and they loved it and wanted to get on it,” she recalls about the hit song that was featured on Jimmy Fallon’s TikTok challenge last May with J.Lo. 

“It represents who I am, from the video, from the song itself. It was the perfect representation of me as an artist. I’m so grateful to Nic Nac and Marc [Bassy] and Chris and Tyga and everyone that was a part of it.” 

While she’s already collaborated with a number of pop music giants, her dream is to work with Taylor Swift and Cardi B. She also has more plans for the big screen. In 2019 she played Tristan in the movie After, based on the bestselling series of teen novels, and created the theme song as well. 

While the camera surely loves her, movies remain a passion second to music. With the world opening up again, she can’t wait to get on the road, and has a new song, “Miss Me,” dropping this summer. 

Eight years feels like a lifetime since the day she showed up in L.A., a teenager with an angelic face and staggering vocal resonance—who now has over six million Instagram followers. 

“The best thing I ever did when I came to the industry was to be straight-up honest with my intentions, and what I’m doing and what I want,” she says of lessons learned in the music business. 

“It’s hard to find genuine people in this industry you can go work with. So, keep your circle small, that’s a crucial thing to do in Hollywood.”