Month: September 2021

Willard Scott, beloved TV weatherman, clown and notable member of McDonald’s history, died on Saturday at 87. The longtime showman has a lengthy career in entertainment that started in Washington radio.

As Today’s obituary of Scott detailed, the weatherman was known for far more than just giving out the forecast. He was Bozo the Clown, for starters, and also served as the first Ronald McDonald when the fast food company hired him to help sell burgers.

Scott, who joined TODAY in 1980, may have been best known for wishing happy birthday to fans turning 100, a feature that soared in popularity over the years, with images of centenarians appearing on Smucker’s jelly jars while Scott recognized them in front of millions of viewers.

…

In the 1960s, he also hosted children’s TV shows and appeared on WRC playing a wide range of characters, including Bozo the Clown, a bygone children’s icon who appeared on airwaves around the country in the ’60s and ’70s.

Scott also had the distinction of being the first person to play Ronald McDonald, appearing in commercials in the Washington area starting in 1963.

The news was particularly heartbreaking for Al Roker, who shared a special relationship with his fellow Today Show weatherman alumnus.

“He was truly my second dad and am where I am today because of his generous spirit,” Roker wrote on Instagram.” Willard was a man of his times, the ultimate broadcaster. There will never be anyone quite like him.”

Many from the Today Show’s past and present, as well as fans, shared memories and thoughts about Scott on Saturday.

Just days after Kanye West released Donda to the world, the rapper gave his first interview during a trip to Berlin. While speaking to the German tabloid Bild, the rapper previewed a collaboration between him and Andre 3000 titled “Life Of The Party.” Days later, it would be this same track that Drake played in full during a recent broadcast on Sirius XM’s OVO Sound radio show. It’s unknown how Drake got a hold of the full version of the song, but it’s one that found West delivering a few disses in the direction of the Toronto rapper.

Not wanting to be in the middle of Drake and West’s beef, Andre 3000 issued a statement about “Life Of The Party.” First, the Outkast counterpart spoke about how the collaboration came together.

“A few weeks ago Kanye reached out about me being a part of the Donda album,” Andre wrote. “I was inspired by his idea to make a musical tribute to his mom. It felt appropriate to me to support the Donda concept by referencing my own mother, who passed away in 2013. We both share that loss.” He then revealed why the song was left off Donda.

“I thought it was a beautiful choice to make a clean album but, unfortunately, I didn’t know that was the plan before I wrote and recorded my verse,” he added. “It was clear to me that an edited ‘clean’ format of the verse would not work without having the raw, original also available. So, sadly, I had to be omitted from the original album release.”

To conclude his statement, Andre noted that the version of “Life Of The Party” he received did not have a “diss verse” on it. He also expressed his desire to work with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Tyler The Creator, and Jay-Z.

The track I received and wrote to didn’t have the diss verse on it and we were hoping to make a more focused offering for the Donda album but I guess things happen like they are supposed to. It’s unfortunate that it was released in this way and two artists that I love are going back and forth. I wanted to be on Certified Lover Boy too. I just want to work with people that inspire me. Hopefully I can work with Kendrick on his album. I’d love to work with Lil’ Baby, Tyler and Jay-Z. I respect them all.

The No. 14 Miami Hurricanes are learning the hard way that there’s no good reason to ever play Alabama during the first week of the college football season. The Hurricanes looked totally outclass for the first half of their matchup with the reigning national champions, as the Crimson Tide took a 27-3 lead into the locker room.

At the very least, we got one particularly funny moment out of this (well, unless you consider Miami getting boatraced funny) when the ‘Canes thought they had a turnover and busted out one of my personal favorite traditions in college football, the turnover chain. The problem: The play in question was a little unclear, as it was unclear whether or not Alabama’s Roydell Williams recovered the ball.

The good news for the Tide was that Williams did, indeed, land on it. Unfortunately for the ‘Canes, this meant sadly putting the turnover chain back into a box and walking back out onto the field all upset.

There is something very sad about the turnover chain having to go back into storage because a play is overturned. It might have something to do with Miami being down by 27 points at the time this happened, but that is not clear.

One of college football’s best traditions popped up on Saturday afternoon: Gus Johnson’s first meltdown over something cool that he saw in a close game. Johnson was on the call as Penn State headed to Madison to take on Wisconsin in a battle of ranked Big Ten squads, and in one of the least aesthetically pleasing games we’ll watch this year, the Nittany Lions pulled off a 16-10 upset.

Wisconsin had a few chances late to pull ahead, perhaps none better than its 17-play, 67-yard drive while down by six. But despite getting the ball on the Nittany Lion 1 on first-and-goal, the Badgers couldn’t punch it in. The exclamation point came on the final play of the drive, when Graham Mertz was picked off by Jaquan Brisker and caused Johnson to have one of those calls that have made him beloved by college football fans.

Johnson screaming “WOW!,” declaring “WHAT A GAME!,” and then just saying the word “defense” a few times sets the bar pretty high for Gus Johnson Moments this season. The good news for other teams is that college football will assuredly have way crazier games than this one, so we fully expect Gus to lose his mind a few more times during the 2021 campaign.

Chadwick Boseman may be the most notable Hollywood star to quietly battle a cancer diagnosis in recent memory, and the one year anniversary of his shocking passing was a reminder that not every struggle is made public for even the most famous people in America. And Saturday brought another example of that after actor Stanley Tucci revealed he had also battled cancer in private.

Tucci gave an interview to Vera Magazine that was made public on Saturday where the actor detailed being diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and his subsequent battle for his life. As Deadline detailed, Tucci spent time on a feeding tube along with radiation and other treatments.

In an interview with Vera magazine, Tucci said he was diagnosed three years ago with a tumor at the base of his tongue. The mass “was too big to operate,,” and could only be treated with “high-dose radiation and chemo.”

Tucci said that the treatment was especially harrowing because of the experience he had with his first wife, Kate Spath-Tucci, who had breast cancer a decade ago.

“I’d vowed I’d never do anything like that, because my first wife died of cancer, and to watch her go through those treatments for years was horrible,” Tucci said. Spath-Tucci died in 2009 at age 47.

Still, Tucci disclosed that he did go through a period that included putting him on a feeding tube for six months along with other treatments. And thankfully, he doesn’t expect the cancer to return. He also said the process gave him new perspective on his life.

“[Cancer] makes you more afraid and less afraid at the same time. I feel much older than I did before I was sick. But you still want to get ahead and get things done.”

The news is certainly a shock to fans who had no idea the actor was even sick. But it’s good that Tucci is feeling better, and got to tell the world about what was a harrowing experience on his own terms.

This article first appeared on 9.16.17

assets.rebelmouse.io

“Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh.”

—Henry David Thoreau

No one escapes this world without a regret or two. Time and time again, when we hear the final regrets of the dying, they’re not about wishing they’d made money or worked more hours. They’re almost always about wishing they had the self-confidence to pursue their dreams or the time to stay in touch with loved ones. Recently, A Plus in partnership with Strayer University’s Ideal Year Initiative, put up a chalkboard on a New York City street and asked passersby to write down their biggest regrets. The people who wrote on the blackboard were from different walks of life, but their regrets were alarmingly similar.

What’s Your Biggest Regret? (Nobody Wants To Admit The Worst One Of All)

youtu.be

This article originally appeared on 09.14.17

Here’s an article to send to every jerk in your life who denied you the right to complain about your period cramps: A medical expert says that some women experience menstruation pains that are “almost as bad as having a heart attack.” John Guillebaud, who is a professor of reproductive health at University College London, spoke to Quartz on the subject, and said that the medical community has long ignored what can be a debilitating affliction, because it’s a problem that mostly inconveniences women.

“I think it happens with both genders of doctor,” Guillebaud told Quartz. “On the one hand, men don’t suffer the pain and underestimate how much it is or can be in some women. But I think some women doctors can be a bit unsympathetic because either they don’t get it themselves or if they do get it they think, ‘Well I can live with it, so can my patient.'”

---

And it’s a problem that can’t just be treated with common painkillers. Some people who experience dysmenorrhea, the medical term for painful menstruation, also suffer from endometriosis, a condition that can cause infertility if it’s not treated properly. But research on the subject is scant, so doctors often misdiagnose it, or dismiss the pain entirely. It’s estimated, however, that one out of 10 women has the condition.

Earlier this month, Girls creator Lena Dunham was forced to take a rest from show promotion and other work duties because she suffers from endometriosis. In a recent edition of her newsletter, Lenny Letter, Dunham wrote a frank essay about her struggle with the condition, and particularly with a medical institution that didn’t know how to diagnose her. She didn’t know how to put a name to her pain until she turned 24 and underwent laparoscopic surgery, “which is the only way to definitively diagnose endometriosis,” according to Dunham.

Quartz reporter Olivia Goldhill had the same problem. She suffered from frequent period pains that were as distressing as a slipped disk, she says. But doctors had no answer for her. “Before I had my MRI scans, I told my primary care doctor that the pain seemed to be triggered by my period,” she said. “He didn’t think this was relevant and ignored the comment.”

For now, the medical community has been dragging its feet to do research on the subject. Goldhill says the only thing people can do right now is talk about it, to heighten awareness. “Tell your doctor, your friends, your colleagues,” she wrote. “We need to talk about period pain long and loudly enough for doctors to finally do something about it.”

This article originally appeared on 09.26.17

Last week, Amber Smith from Warwickshire, England, revealed something about herself that many of her Facebook friends didn’t know: She suffers from crippling panic attacks. Smith shared her story by posting two completely different pictures of herself and the powerful imagery has been shared over 7,500 times.

“Top Picture: What I showcase to the world via social media. Dressed up, make-up done, filters galore. The ‘normal’ side to me.”

---

via Facebook

“Bottom picture: Taken tonight shortly after suffering from a panic attack because of my anxiety. Also, the ‘normal’ side to me that most people don’t see.”

Full post:

God knows why I’m doing this, but people need some home truths..

Top picture: What I showcase to the world via social media. Dressed up, make up done, filters galore. The ‘normal’ side to me.
Bottom picture: Taken tonight shortly after suffering from a panic attack because of my anxiety. Also the ‘normal” side to me that most people don’t see.

I’m so sick of the fact that it’s 2016 and there is still so much stigma around mental health. It disgusts me that so many people are so uneducated and judgmental over the topic. They say that 1 in 3 people will suffer with a mental illness at some point in their life. 1 in 3! Do you know how many people that equates to worldwide?! And yet I’ve been battling with anxiety and depression for years and years and there’s still people that make comments like ‘you’ll get over it’, ‘you don’t need tablets, just be happier’, ‘you’re too young to suffer with that’

F*** YOU. F*** all of you small minded people that think that because I physically look ‘fine’ that I’m not battling a monster inside my head every single day.

Someone actually said this to me one day ‘aren’t you too young to be suffering with anxiety and depression? What do you actually have to be depressed about at your age?” Wow, just wow.

I’m a strong person, I’ve been through my fair share of crap in life (the same as anyone else) and I will be okay. I have the best family and friends around me and I am thankful everyday that they have the patience to help and support me.
To anyone who is going through the same, please do not suffer in silence. There is so much support around – Don’t be scared to ask for help.

This is why I can’t stress enough that it costs nothing to be nice to others. Don’t bully others, don’t put others down and the hardest one of them all (as we have all done it at some point) don’t judge another person. We’re all human regardless of age, race, religion, wealth, job. So build one another up instead of breaking each other down.
Peace & love guys

Smith’s before-and-after photos perfectly symbolize how panic attacks feel, because they often come on without any warning. People suffering from attacks can experience shortness of breath, heart palpitations, trembling, hot and cold flashes or myriad other debilitating symptoms.

According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, over four million Americans suffer from panic attacks, and although they are emotionally debilitating, they can be overcome through cognitive/behavioral therapy. According to Thomas A. Richards, Ph. D, “Today, panic attacks and agoraphobia can be treated successfully with a motivated client and a knowledgeable therapist.”

This article originally appeared on 09.26.17

There’s an ongoing feud between people of the U.S. and Britain over who speaks correct English. Of course, the English invented the language which gives them an upper hand in the argument.

But Americans have a point when they bristle see words like “Leicester” being pronounced “Lester” or “Schedule” pronounced “Shed-joole” by the British. (Although, of course that’s what an American would say!) Then again, the English may be on to something when they describe New England accents as “grating.”

---

영국영어와 미국영어의 4가지 발음 차이(4 Pronunciation Differences btw British and American English) [Korean Billy]

www.youtube.com

In the video above, a YouTuber known as KoreanBilly discusses the differences between American and British English pronunciation from the perspective of a Korean person. People learning English as a second language may not be aware of the differences in pronunciation between the dialects that native speakers pick up easily. Billy discusses the differences in how both types of speakers pronounce the T, H, R, O and A sounds. After a few minutes of listening to him, its easy to see why your dialect sounds foreign to someone from across the pond.

The college football scheduling gods did football fans a favor during the first Saturday of the year. Unlike some past seasons where there are a number of high-profile games on at night, only one is in the spotlight this time around: fifth-ranked Georgia and third-ranked Clemson will square off in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte, with both teams entering this season having legitimate College Football Playoff aspirations.

Here’s every game that is on during the day’s evening window, complete with their kick times and television networks. All times listed Eastern.

Campbell vs. Liberty, 6:00 PM, ESPN3

Gardner-Webb vs. Georgia Southern, 6:00 PM, ESPN3

Akron vs. Auburn, 7:00 PM, ESPN+/SEC Network+

Eastern Illinois vs. South Carolina, 7:00 PM, ESPN+/SEC Network+

Monmouth vs. Middle Tennessee, 7:00 PM, ESPN3

Syracuse vs. Ohio, 7:00 PM, CBS Sports Network

Oregon State vs. Purdue, 7:00 PM, FS1

Texas Tech vs. Houston, 7:00 PM, ESPN

Missouri State vs. Oklahoma State, 7:00 PM, ESPN+/Big 12 Now

Baylor vs. Texas State, 7:00 PM, ESPN+

Nicholls vs. Memphis, 7:00 PM, ESPN+

Abilene Christian vs. SMU, 7:00 PM, ESPN+

Norfolk State vs. Toledo, 7:00 PM, ESPN3

Central Arkansas vs. Arkansas State, 7:00 PM, ESPN3

Southern vs. Troy, 7:00 PM, ESPN3

#5 Georgia vs. #3 Clemson, 7:30 PM, ABC

Florida Atlantic vs. #13 Florida, 7:30 PM, SEC Network

Northwestern State vs. North Texas, 7:30 PM, ESPN3

UTSA vs. Illinois, 7:30 PM, Big Ten Network

Northern Illinois vs. Georgia Tech, 7:30 PM, ACC Network

William & Mary vs. Virginia, 7:30 PM, ESPN3

Kent State vs. #6 Texas A&M, 8:00 PM, ESPNU

Montana vs. #20 Washington, 8:00 PM, Pac-12 Network

East Tennessee State vs. Vanderbilt, 8:00 PM, ESPN+/SEC Network+

Southern Miss vs. South Alabama, 8:00 PM, ESPN+

Duquesne vs. TCU, 8:00 PM, ESPN+/Big 12 Now

#16 LSU vs. UCLA, 8:30 PM, FOX

Bethune-Cookman vs. UTEP, 9:00 PM, ESPN3

Nevada vs. California, 10:30 PM, FS1

BYU vs. Arizona, 10:30 PM, ESPN

New Mexico State vs. San Diego State, 10:30 PM, CBS Sports Network

Utah State vs. Washington State, 11:00 PM, Pac-12 Network

Portland State vs. Hawai’i, 11:59 PM, Spectrum Pay-Per-View, Team1Sports app