Month: March 2021

The Obi-Wan Kenobi show headed for Disney+ has been a long time in the offing — so long it’s been unclear if it would ever get off the ground. It lost original writer Hossein Amini (Drive) a while back, but one thing it’s retained is star Ewan McGregor, who’s stuck with it through thick and thin, ready to reprise a character he hasn’t played in over 15 years. It’s reportedly set to start shooting soon — reportedly in Boston, no less — but they’re still adding cast members. And the latest happens to be a Game of Thrones alum.

As per Variety, Indira Varma — best known as Ellaria Sand, paramour to Pedro Pascal’s Oberyn Martell from Season 4 on — will play an as-yet-identified role on the show, one of many Star Wars programs destined for the streamer. The series will reportedly take place 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, which ended with our Jedi hero going Monty Python and the Holy Grail’s Black Knight on Hayden Christensen’s Annakin Skywalker. (Christensen, too, shall return, this time as Darth Vader.)

Varma made news about a year ago when she became one of the first celebrities to test positive for COVID-19. At the time the English actress was in rehearsals for a West End production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull. So it looks like she’s come a long way since last year.

(Via Variety)

History books are filled with photos of people we know primarily from their life stories or own writings. To picture them in real life, we must rely on sparse or grainy black-and-white photos and our own imaginations.

Now, thanks to some tech geeks with a dream, we can get a bit closer to seeing what iconic historical figures looked like in real life.

Most of us know Frederick Douglass as the famous abolitionist—a formerly enslaved Black American who wrote extensively about his experiences—but we may not know that he was also the most photographed American in the 19th century. In fact, we have more portraits of Frederick Douglass than we do of Abraham Lincoln.

This plethora of photos was on purpose. Douglass felt that photographs—as opposed to caricatures that were so often drawn of Black people—captured “the essential humanity of its subjects” and might help change how white people saw Black people.

In other words, he used photos to humanize himself and other Black people in white people’s eyes.

Imagine what he’d think of the animating technology utilized on myheritage.com that allows us to see what he might have looked like in motion. La Marr Jurelle Bruce, a Black Studies professor at the University of Maryland, shared videos he created using photos of Douglass and the My Heritage Deep Nostalgia technology on Twitter.

The effect is simply stunning.

(It may be worth noting here that Douglass deliberately never smiled in photos, as he wanted to counter the common narrative and caricature of the “happy slave.”)

Another Twitter user created a colorized animation of Douglass, which adds an even more realistic dimension to the moving images. They also created one with Harriet Tubman’s photos.

Product designer Adeniyi Sonoiki also created a Harriet Tubman animation from sepia-toned photos. Amazing.

People have responded to the animations with surprising emotion. Some have found themselves deeply moved by them. Others find the technology impressive, but also a bit disconcerting, as humanity careens toward more and more believable deep fake video technology. For the purpose of bringing pre-film-era historical figures to life like this, it’s really cool. For nefarious purposes, it raises the questions we all have about what happens when people are able to create fake videos that are indistinguishable from real ones.

Some people also shared that the moving images helped “humanize” these historical figures for them. On the one hand, that’s exactly why Frederick Douglass wanted his photos taken, so mission accomplished. On the other hand, we really shouldn’t need to see these Black icons in moving pictures in order to see their full humanity. Frederick Douglass wrote about his own life in great detail, with real stories that would shake any reasonable person’s soul. But of course, you have to have read his words to know that.

Perhaps one thing these animations will do is inspire more Americans to seek out those stories and to learn more about these people who are such an integral part of the journey of our nation. This letter Frederick Douglass wrote to Harriet Tubman after she asked him to write a recommendation letter for her is a good place to start:

Rochester, August 29, 1868

Dear Harriet:

I am glad to know that the story of your eventful life has been written by a kind lady, and that the same is soon to be published. You ask for what you do not need when you call upon me for a word of commendation. I need such words from you far more than you can need them from me, especially where your superior labors and devotion to the cause of the lately enslaved of our land are known as I know them.

The difference between us is very marked. Most that I have done and suffered in the service of our cause has been in public, and I have received much encouragement at every step of the way. You, on the other hand, have labored in a private way. I have wrought in the day – you in the night. I have had the applause of the crowd and the satisfaction that comes of being approved by the multitude, while the most that you have done has been witnessed by a few trembling, scarred, and foot-sore bondmen and women, whom you have led out of the house of bondage, and whose heartfelt, “God bless you,” has been your only reward.

The midnight sky and the silent stars have been the witnesses of your devotion to freedom and of your heroism. Excepting John Brown – of sacred memory – I know of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than you have. Much that you have done would seem improbable to those who do not know you as I know you. It is to me a great pleasure and a great privilege to bear testimony for your character and your works, and to say to those to whom you may come, that I regard you in every way truthful and trustworthy.

Your friend,
Frederick Douglass.

February has officially come to an end, meaning the annual March Madness tournament is just a few weeks away. But it seems as though ESPN may have been a little too eager for it to begin as they confused two very different rappers in a social media post.

It’s true that Future and 2 Chainz both have braided hair and released albums in 2020, but otherwise they’re two very different talents. But that didn’t stop the ESPN social media team from mixing up the two. ESPN shared a since-deleted photo on Instagram where they attempted to compare Wilt Chamberlain’s impressive 1960s stats to Future’s 2015 performance of his track “March Madness.” But rather than adding a photo of Future to the set, they instead confused him with a picture of 2 Chainz. ESPN’s page even went so far as to tag Future in 2 Chainz’s photo.

The post was up for only a few hours but that was plenty of time for it to be seen by thousands of people. Screenshots of the post flooded Twitter, and people began dragging ESPN over the confusion.

The incident led many to call for ESPN to diversify their social media team.

Check out some of the reactions above.

It’s fair to say Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic left a lot to be desired. He spent much of the last year underplaying it. When he tried to do more, he’d screw that up, too, pitching miracle cures and actually telling people to drink bleach. Even when he tested positive, he felt it more important to project a bogus sense of strength. He never told people to get masks, nor did he sing the praises of the vaccines that hit the market in his final weeks. So when news broke that he and Melania secretly got dosed before he left office, people were a little peeved.

As per The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, the former president and FLOTUS were both vaccinated at some point in January, before his term ended. It’s not clear when exactly they received the shots, though it’s safe to assume they received both doses, separated by the requisite three weeks, in the same place, as doctors advise.

Trump also told people to get the vaccine during his keynote address at this weekend’s CPAC, though it was buried in one of his frothing rants, not shouted to the rooftops like his continued spreading of the Big Lie.

On one hand: good! With the Trumps vaccinated, that means we’re two people closer to herd immunity. It also means his scores of supporters, who’ve been led to find the vaccine dubious, may flip-flop. (Or not!) On the other: Why didn’t he say something earlier? Is it so important he seem like a tough guy that he’ll let people think the vaccine is dangerous, just as he knowingly misled people about the severity of COVID-19? Of course, the answers to these questions should be obvious.

But people were still steaming.

They were mad that he spent so much time calling it a hoax only to get dosed anyway.

Some said they cut in line.

And many accused him of lying to his supporters, endangering not only their lives but the lives of all Americans, who need as many people to get vaccinated as possible to return to normal.

In any case, Trump may be gone but, alas, he’s still very much with us.

It’s now been almost an entire year since we were told to quarantine in our homes and limit our social contacts. But with a third COVID-19 vaccine approved and eligibility requirements expanding every month, it feels like the day we can safely board a plane and go somewhere else (please, anywhere else) is on the horizon. We — like you — have a pretty extensive list built up when it comes to which destinations are calling to us, but the question that’s really nagging at us isn’t where should we go but where should we go first.

To help us figure that out, we reached out to a pro — someone who spends every day in beautiful locales and has found a way to make a sweet vacation her actual job — Below Deck Sailing Yacht’s Alli Dore. The Bravo star was more than happy to help fill us in on which destination she believes should be first on any island lover’s travel wishlist.

In addition to joining the cast as the third stewardess in the newest season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Dore is a certified divemaster, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she picked a place that is surrounded by some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and coral reefs, Australia’s Whitsunday Islands.

“I chose this location because it is truly paradise,” Dore said. “The Whitsunday Islands are one of those once in a lifetime places to explore… You have all the gems Australia has to offer, from crystal waters to white sand beaches with a background of rainforest sounds, it’s really something special.”

Check out Alli Dore’s guide to the Whitsunday Islands below, and be sure to catch her on Below Deck Sailing Yacht when it airs on Mondays at 9 pm ET/PT on Bravo.

What is one thing everyone visiting the Whitsunday Islands must experience?

Sailing/Diving/Heart Reef

The Whitsundays needs to be experienced the only way it should be… by setting sail! There are so many stunning islands to explore, indigenous caves and landmarks — please ensure they are appropriate to visit before venturing, as some are very sacred and absolutely frowned upon to be exploring — and the most picturesque anchorages you’ve ever seen.

Of course, being a divemaster I insist when traveling please do not limit your adventures to land, you absolutely must explore the underwater world. Beautiful warm temperatures, tropical species such as turtles, Moray eels, groupers, Angelfish, Reef sharks and Manta rays, beautiful corals, and visibility of more than 25 meters.

…and one more thing!

If you plan to see any of the Whitsundays by air you must check out Heart Reef. Heart Reef is a composition of coral that has naturally formed into the shape of a heart. It cannot be dived or snorkeled, due to its protected area, but from an aerial perspective, it is one of those unforgettable moments.

What is the best breakfast spot in the Whitsunday Islands?

Buffet Breakfast at Pacific Restaurant

At the private island resort Intercontinental Hayman Island, the buffet breakfast at Pacific Restaurant is absolutely to die for. There are two types of people in this world, normal people and breakfast people. I am such a breakfast buff, so weaving around the gourmet selection of beautiful tropical fruits, cute little puddings and mueslis, countless bread and pastries and a spoiled for choice hot food spread is the perfect way to start your day!

Superior to the beautiful food is the incredible view. The Pacific Restaurant is ocean facing and the wall-less design makes it feel like an alfresco dining experience. It honestly is like you are looking at a postcard!

Where is the best hiking spot in the Whitsunday Islands?

Passage Peak — Hamilton Island

For hiking, Hamilton Island has a gorgeous hike called Passage Peak which is the highest point on the island. It gives you 360-degree views of surrounding islands and Catseye Bay. This hike doesn’t take longer than a couple of hours and is suitable for hikers from moderate to more fit levels.

Where is the best beach in the Whitsunday Islands?

Whitehaven Beach

Consistently reviewed as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world — the magical and pristine Whitehaven Beach. The color of the clear turquoise and bright blue water contrast against the whitest, finest sand you can imagine. It really is jaw-dropping.

What is the best bar or club someone visiting the Whitsunday Islands must go to? (after we’re Covid vaccinated, of course)

Airlie Beach

If partying is your thing then Airlie Beach is where you can bar hop, but please expect boozy backpacker vibes. Airlie Beach is on the mainland and definitely the spot for 20 and 30-somethings to let their hair down.

Personally, I skip Airlie for this reason — but hey, live it up!

Where is the best late-night dinner spot in the Whitsunday Islands?

Bam Bam

Being a vegan on holiday it can often be such a struggle to find really well done, healthy, clean plant-based options. I enjoy Bam Bam restaurant which is located by the infinity pool at Hayman Island Intercontinental resort. A delicious Asian fusion menu paired with the alfresco dining in the soft pool lighting and views of surrounding islands, beaches and rainforest really gives you that yummy, tropical vacay vibe. My favorite dish is the chili caramel eggplant.

What is your favorite thing to do in the Whitsunday Islands?

Lay-out on the adults-only Coconut Beach

My favorite island is Hayman Island, aka the Honeymoon island. Lush rainforest and total luxury at the private island resort of the Intercontinental. This is the perfect romantic escape. The day spa is really earthy and moody, my favorite amenity being the sauna/steam/cold plunge which is candlelit and ambient. Enjoy daily activities such as scuba diving, paddleboarding, kayaking, jet skiing, hiking, yoga, and daily sunset cruises, or just lounge by the multiple pools with fresh coconut and soak up the sun.

My personal favorite chill spot is the adults-only Coconut Beach because…no tan lines!

What is your most impactful memory from visiting the Whitsunday Islands?

I’m going to be completely cliché here and go to my yachting roots, the morning sunrise and sunset cruising on a yacht are my fondest memories.

These are the moments I truly stop and take in the beauty of this earth. It gives me a real sense of love and purpose on this planet. Protecting our oceans, marine life and the environment and all its living beings are causes that are incredibly important to me. I feel really empowered when I am reminded of what I do this for and hopefully, when we take people to these beautiful places it can inspire them also.

While Lady Gaga was shooting a film in Rome, the singer placed her beloved French bulldogs in the care of her dogwalker, Ryan Fischer. Fischer had taken the three dogs out for a walk when he was shot by thieves, who then stole two of Gaga’s pups. The two dogs were eventually recovered but Fischer was rushed to the hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound. Fischer still remains in the hospital, but he has now broken his silence for the first time to detail his side of the story.

Posting two photos of himself in the hospital to Instagram, Fischer described his “very close call with death” and how one of Gaga’s bulldogs was there to comfort him:

“I am still in recovery from a very close call with death and have kept myself (for the most part, I mean I am human) from the growing media story. I will write and say more later, but the gratitude for all the love I feel from around this planet is immense and intense. I felt your healing support! Thank you. I am humbled and grateful that attention and focus from the police were enough to get Koji and Gustav back to safety, and I know they are committed to bringing these criminals and attempted murderers to justice. I am so appreciative of everything you continue to do.”

Specifically addressing Gaga’s support, Fischer wrote: “your babies are back and the family is whole… we did it! You have shown so much support throughout this whole crisis to both me and my family. But your support as a friend, despite your own traumatic loss from your kids, was unwavering. I love you and thank you.”

Through 46 seasons, “Saturday Night Live” has had its ups and downs. There were the golden years of ’75 to ’80 and, of course, the early ’90s when everyone in the cast seemed to eventually become a superstar.

Then there were the disastrous ’81 and ’85 seasons where the show completely lost its identity and was on the brink of cancellation.

But for all the times it’s been proclaimed “Saturday Night Dead” by the press, viewers keep coming back because a bad cast or writers’ room never lasts too long.

The current season, 46, started off a bit rocky then hit its groove over the past four episodes. In fact, it’s enjoying its best ratings in four years and is ranked number one among all comedies on both broadcast and cable in the adults 18-49 demographic.

The “Amusement Park” sketch where a group of teens (Nick Jonas, Kyle Mooney, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim) struggle to pair up before going on an amusement park ride was a highlight of last week’s episode.

Amusement Park – SNL

www.youtube.com

One reason why “Saturday Night Live” has been so good over the past few episodes could be due to a new, wholesome tradition started by former “Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy. After hosting his episode on February 6, Levy left a note for the next host, Regina King, on the dressing room mirror.

“Regina! You got this! Much love, Dan,” he wrote.

via Iamreginaking / Instagram

Then, after King’s performance, she left a note for the next week’s host, “Bridgerton” star Regé-Jean Page.

“Regé-Jean, You got next and you are going to be amazing! I’m a big fan. Regina K.,” she wrote.

via Regejean / Instagram

Page then left a note for last week’s host, Nick Jonas. Jonas needed some extra encouragement as he was the host and musical guest at the same time.

“Just have the BEST time Nick! Rege,” he wrote.

via nbcsnl / Instagram

Now, no one knows if Jonas wrote an encouraging Post-it of encouragement for the next host, SNL mainstay Maya Rudolph. But her episode will air after a month-long break, on March 27.

One thing is for sure, that Post-it is going to have to be extra sticky to stay up that long.

Although no one has confirmed whether Levy started the tradition, if it was going on in the past, it wasn’t discussed publicly.

But it’s a great way for one person who’s had the honor of hosting to pass the torch to the next. No matter how talented the next host will be, there’s no doubt they’ll have the jitters. Hosting SNL is no easy task, you have one week to be the headliner of a 90-minute show where the lines, costumes, and sets are constantly changing.

Plus, you have to be able to stand out among a team of seasoned improv artists who do it every week. So, nice job, Dan. Hopefully your tradition continues until the last episode of the season when the last host’s Post-it reads, “Who whom it may concern … the host for the first episode of the 47th season hasn’t been chosen yet, but I hope you do great.”

Late last week, Bloomberg ran a story on the world of sneaker reselling, focused on “West Coast Joe,” whose real name is Joe Hebert. He is among the top sneaker resellers, flipping “hundreds of thousands of dollars” worth of sneakers each month, but at the end of the story it is revealed that his mom is Ann Hebert, who, until Monday, was Nike’s vice president and general manager of North America.

Hebert resigned on Monday following a weekend of anger from the sneaker community, as it seemed to be a clear conflict of interest for Hebert’s son to be flipping Nike sneakers at a preposterous markup — using a credit card and phone that were both in her name — when his mom was a VP at the company with plenty of inside access. Nike insisted they were aware of her son’s business in 2018 and said she hadn’t violated any company policy, but the public backlash was enough to force her to resign from her post.

The entire situation served as a case study in the inequity in the sneaker reselling business and how there are so often connections and backing from the “self-made” stars of the reselling industry that are hidden under the surface. Joe Hebert’s story is especially unique given his mother’s stature at Nike, and that made it all the more outrageous that he was able to capitalize on a system that his mom had a hand in running.

Saweetie has oftentimes showcased her unique ability to make unconventional concoctions with food. Back in June, the singer constructed a monstrous burger made out what looked like two McDonald’s cheeseburgers and a handful of fries, which fans jokingly labeled the “McGangBang.” But Saweetie is once again trending after she decided that the perfect topping for her plate of spaghetti was… ranch dressing.

On Sunday night, Saweetie’s stylist posted a video of her hair and makeup. The short clip went viral shortly after it was posted, but not because of the rapper’s glam. Instead, fans could not get over the fact that she was seen dousing her plate of spaghetti with ranch dressing.

Fans were quick to playfully drag the singer for her unique food combinations. “Saweetie’s stomach refuses to fight back,” one person wrote on Twitter.

Some fans were comparing her ranch/spaghetti combo to a prison meal.

Others were just plain confused by her ability to throw together seemingly random flavors.

However, Saweetie isn’t phased by people dragging her food tastes. “That actually sounds delicious,” she responded to one of her followers attempting to slight her food tastes.

Watch Saweetie pour ranch dressing on her spaghetti above.

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

Grimes has made a name for herself with her experimental music but now, she’s leaning into the experimental art world — and making a big profit. On Sunday, the singer released her first collection of digital artwork in collaboration with her brother Mac Boucher. Upon releasing the collection, the duo raked in an impressive $6 million in under half an hour.

Grimes’ WarNymph Collection Vol 1 art collection was sold through auction. But it wasn’t a typical art auction, rather, it was all done through cryptocurrency. Each digital art piece was accompanied by exclusive audio and could only be purchased with non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a type of cryptographic token that cannot be exchanged.

According to the collection’s description, Grimes’ WarNymph project was a commentary on identity in the digital age:

“The first of her kind, WarNymph is a digital entity spliced from a pixel DNA of the organic human, Grimes. Merging the raw images of a photogrammetry scan, enunciating her iconic tattoos, with a retopologized mesh that was sculpted, modelled, and morphed into a variety of forms before being permanently sealed into the body of a baby angel, a cherub. She exists in the liminal state of the virtual world, a Grimes narrative universe, within an alternate history of mythology and the infinite fragments of the future. She is a pioneer in the rapidly expanding metaverse.

Grimes, with the WarNymph project, explores the fluidity of identity in the virtual age: the ability to create, augment, and splinter ourselves into unlimited avatars, create boundless worlds, and build rich, complex lore.”

The collection went live on the NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway and sold out in just 20 minutes. Though Grimes made several million from the project, she’s not keeping it all to herself. According to Consequence of Sound, Grimes plans on donating a percentage of the collection’s proceeds to Carbon 180, an environmental NGO.

Check out Grimes’ WarNymph Collection Vol 1 here.