Month: September 2021

Lil Nas X is determined to have the last laugh over any of his critics — and often does. With the release of the first Billboard charts to count his debut album, Montero, he got as much ammo as he’ll need for the foreseeable future. Coming in at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and landing three songs in the Hot 100 top 10, Nas has accomplished a pretty rare feat for any artist, let alone one dropping his official debut.

He knows it, too, thanks to a tweet from PopCrave that also noted even more songs from Montero that landed in the Hot 100 after the album’s first week. “wow,” he tweeted in response, taking the opportunity to gloat over all the detractors who figured he’d flop after “Old Town Road.” “i just became the first one hit wonder of all time to have 11 songs on billboard all at once.”

Among those songs are “Industry Baby,” the inescapable and controversial Kanye-assisted hit featuring Jack Harlow, “Montero” aka “Call Me By Your Name,” the song that sent critics from Boosie Badazz to Nike into a tizzy, “Scoop,” which features a standout verse from Doja Cat (who replaced Ski Mask The Slump God), and “Dolla Sign Slime,” the song that Drake missed out on but Megan Thee Stallion killed (in a good way).

As the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) demands better working conditions for crew members across film, TV, and Broadway, former Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl has voiced her support for the movement while also taking a moment to point out that she was basically tarred and feathered for bringing up the same concerns over a decade ago.

While none of the reports coming out of the pending IATSE strike have vindicated Heigl’s specific complaints, they do highlight an overall problem in Hollywood with pushing cast and crews too far with unreasonably long working days. Heigl was famously blasted for complaining to David Letterman in 2009 that the Grey’s Anatomy cast was forced to work a 17-hour day, which she labeled “cruel and mean.”

“Some of you may remember over ten years ago I was very vocal about the absurdity of the working hours crews and actors were being forced into by production,” Heigl wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. “Even Diane Sawyer interviewed me and not so kindly informed me ‘no one feels sorry for you.’ I very publicly and for many many years after got my ass kicked for speaking up.”

After detailing some of the unsafe conditions she personally witnessed, Heigl brought things around to support IATSE for taking a stand:

So this post is not for me. It is for the crew. It is for my family from another mother. It is for the champions and support systems and talented bad asses that I have the privilege of working with. I stand with IATSE. It is time for reasonable and fair work conditions, wages and hours to be more then just a priority they need to be the norm. Period. To all the crews on all the sets all over this great big world of ours. I support you. I stand with you. I thank you. Not one show. Not one movie. Can exist without you.

You can see Heigl’s full post below, which just a heads up, continues in the comments. She’s got a lot to say:

(Via Katherine Heigl on Instagram)

Kawhi Leonard took his time this summer, but eventually the Clippers star forward inked a 4-year, $176 million deal (with a player option in the fourth year) to stay in L.A.

It wasn’t the most money Leonard could have made, as taking a 1+1 contract, opting out, and then inking a 5-year max would’ve gotten him more annually, but coming off of an ACL tear, the star chose some stability with his contract decision. On Monday, Leonard spoke with the assembled media in Los Angeles about that choice and explained that there were two main reasons for choosing the longer term deal. First was to avoid storylines about him leaving the Clippers after next year and showing his commitment to the franchise, and the second was to allow him to feel comfortable coming back and playing this season if he’s able by already having a long-term deal locked in.

“Because I wanted to play,” Leonard says. “I mean, the best situation for me, to me, was to do a 1+1 and then opt out and sign a long-term, 5-year deal. But there’s a lot of concerns that that brings up for you guys and your job and it creates storylines that I’m going to leave the team. One thing, I wanted to secure some money, and I wanted to be able to come back if I was able to this year. If I would’ve took the 1+1, I probably would’ve not played just to be cautious and opted out and took a 5-year. I’m here. I’m here to be a Clipper. I’m not going to another team unless something drastic happens, but I’m here for the long run.”

It’s about as open and honest an answer as you’ll ever see from a player about a contract decision, and it’s clear that Kawhi wants to shut the door on any kind of rumors that he would leave the Clippers — again, as he says, barring something drastic. There were rumblings about it last year, but when Leonard chose L.A. he did so because of his family and nothing has changed in that regard, so he’s making sure there’s no confusion about his long-term plans.

More importantly to this season is the part about him hoping to play at some point this season. His ACL surgery was in mid-July and rehab on such an injury is, typically, anywhere from 8-12 months which does provide a window for a return. That said, each person rehabs differently and with his quad issues he’s had in the past, one would think there will be plenty of attention paid to ensure he’s not hurrying back at the risk of furthering any other problems. That said, the Clippers are a team with title aspirations and likely can’t reach those heights without Leonard, so if he could return for the playoffs that would very much change the calculus out West.

It can be expensive to have a pet. It’s possible to spend between $250 to $700 a year on food for a dog and around $120-$500 on food for a cat. But of course, most of us don’t think twice about the expense: having a pet is worth it because of the company animals provide.

But for some, this expense is hard to keep up, no matter how much you adore your fur baby. And that’s why Kenneth and Jill Gonsalves decided to help.

Kenneth had seen a man scraping together change in a store to buy pet food, so he offered to buy the man some extra pet food. Still, later that night he couldn’t stop thinking about the experience — he worried the man wasn’t just struggling to pay for pet food, but food for himself, too.

So he went home and told his wife — and immediately, they both knew they needed to do something. So, in December 2020, they converted a farm stand into a take-what-you-need, leave-what-you-can Pet Food pantry.

“A lot of people would have watched that man count out change to buy pet food. Some may have helped him out like my husband did,” Jill says. “A few may have thought about it afterward. But, only someone like Kenny would turn that experience into what we have today.”

“If it weren’t for his generous spirit and his penchant for a plan, the pantry would never have been born,” she adds.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth and Jill Gonsalves

At first, the couple started the pet food pantry with a couple hundred dollars of pet food they bought themselves. And to make sure people knew about the pantry, they set up a Facebook page for the pantry, then went to other Facebook groups, such as a “Buy Nothing group,” and shared what they were doing.

“When we started, we weren’t even sure people would use us,” Jill says. “At best, we were hoping to be able to provide enough to help people get through the holidays.”

But, thanks to their page and word of mouth, news spread about what they were doing, and the donations of more pet food started flooding in, too. Before long, they were coming home to stacks of food — and within a couple of months, the pantry was full.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth and Jill Gonsalves

“The pounds of food we have gone through is well, well, well into the thousands,” Jill says. “The orders from our Amazon Wish List alone include several hundred pounds of dry food, a couple of hundred cases of canned food, and thousands of treats and toys. But, that does not even take into account the hundreds of drop-offs, online orders, and monetary donations we have received.”

They also got many ‘Thank you notes’ from the people they helped.

“I would like to thank you for helping us feed our fur babies,” one note read. “My husband and I recently lost our jobs, and my husband [will] hopefully [find] a new one. We are just waiting for a call.”

Another read: “I just need to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I haven’t worked in over a month with a two-year-old at home. Dad brings in about $300/week. From the pandemic to Christmas, it has been tough. But with the help of beautiful people like you, my fur baby can now eat a little bit longer, and my heart is happy.”

Jill says that she thinks the fact that the pet pantry is a farm stand helps people feel better.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth and Jill Gonsalves

“When we first started this, someone who visited us mentioned how it made them feel good to be able to browse without feeling like they were being watched,” she says. “So, it’s been important to us to maintain that integrity.”

Jill and Kenneth aren’t sure how many people they’ve helped so far, but they know that their pet food pantry is doing what they hoped it would. “The pet owners who visit us, much like donations, come in ebbs and flows,” Jill says. “We have some regulars who have been with us since the beginning. We also have some people that come a few times, and we never see again.”

“Our hope is that they used us while they were in a tough spot, but they don’t need us anymore. In a funny way, the greatest thing would be if no one needed us anymore.”

Today, the Acushnet Pet Pantry is still going strong, but its stock is running low. If you want to help out, visit their Facebook page for updates and to find ways to donate.

This story originally appeared 2.13.15

Parenting is about being the best mom or dad we can be to our kids. Sometimes it’s simple. Other times, it might not be what we anticipated or imagined. But that doesn’t really matter — because there’s no straightforward manual for raising kids. And when we take on this gig, we’re responsible for loving our children unconditionally.

Jeff and Hillary Whittington wanted to be parents.

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They got pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful little girl. (Cuuuuute baby, right?!) They named her Ryland.

On Ryland’s first birthday, they learned she was deaf.

Like any parents would be, Jeff and Hillary were sad when they learned the news because of the additional challenges Ryland would face. Ryland received cochlear implants and learned to speak and hear. Things were going well.

But Ryland needed them to know something else.

Ryland wanted everyone to know that she was a boy. Some people told Ryland’s parents that it was “just a phase.” But the thing about phases is that they end. Ryland’s feelings and expression of them only got stronger.

Ryland’s feelings were not a “phase.”

Ryland was expressing who he was — a boy.

And the inability to be himself was too much to bear.

Shame is destructive and painful. And nobody — a child or an adult — should feel shame for who they are. Psychotherapist Ami B. Kaplan says: “Simply being different is enough for any child to develop some shame, but being different and getting messages from family, teachers, other kids and society that your difference is undesirable, less-than or something to be made fun of can create shame.”

Ryland continued to share the truth.

It wasn’t a phase. It was Ryland’s reality.

So Ryland’s parents did what any good parent should do. They listened and learned.

Jeff and Hillary reached out for help from professionals, learned everything they could, and came to the only conclusion that existed: Their child was transgender. Ryland was born with female anatomy, but Ryland’s brain identifies as male.

No matter Ryland’s gender, Ryland’s parents wanted him *alive*.

Studies show that 41% of transgender adults have attempted suicide. Take a minute to think about that number. It’s nine times higher than the average attempted suicide rate. Here’s what we need to know: “Suicide attempts were less common among transgender and gender-nonconforming people who said their family ties had remained strong after they came out.”

Makes complete sense, right? If you can live as your authentic self without discrimination or abuse because of who you are, you’re going to be a lot happier.

Ryland’s parents took that to heart. They began Ryland’s transition.

They cut his hair, and he began dressing and living as a boy. They began using the correct gender pronouns: him and he.

And Ryland was happy.

You know what? The people who mattered did the right thing.

Even if they’d lost all of their friends and family, I know the Whittingtons would have honored Ryland and supported him in his transition. But fortunately, they were surrounded by a lot of good people, and most accepted Ryland for who he was.

‘Cause here’s the thing…

There are many tragedies that can happen to our children. This is not one.

Ryland is happy now that he gets to live as himself.

As his parents said, “He’s still healthy, handsome, and extremely happy!”

No-strings attached parenting.

And there you have it. Parenting done right. When we become parents, we don’t get to have our kids live out our ideal vision of who they’ll be. We have to love and support them for who they are.

Don’t stop yet!

Ryland’s parents made an amazing video from which I created this story. Please watch it. I promise it’s incredible and moving and it shares a very important lesson.

If you have a child who doesn’t conform to society’s gender norms, this is for you. If you are raising children who do conform to society’s gender norms, this is for you, too, because it’s up to you to raise accepting, loving children who will treat others with respect and kindness. And really, it’s for everyone because the world can use more love, compassion, and empathy.

Want to help educate others and also spread some feel-good love? You can share this!

The Memphis Grizzlies came through the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs in 2021 for the first time in the post-Grit ‘n Grind era, as the young Grizz, led by Ja Morant, beat the Spurs and Warriors to earn the 8-seed out West.

It was the type of season that only builds excitement for fans, but this offseason saw Memphis continue to take things slow rather than trying to make a big swing with any major additions. They’ll focus on internal development with their young core and hope that gets them not only back to the playoffs, but can lead to even more postseason success after a feisty 5-game exit against Utah.

Roster:

Ja Morant
Dillon Brooks
Kyle Anderson
Jaren Jackson Jr
Steven Adams
Brandon Clarke
De’Anthony Melton
Desmond Bane
Tyus Jones
Xavier Tillman
John Konchar
Jarrett Culver
Kris Dunn
Ziaire Williams
Santi Aldama
Sam Merrill
Killian Tillie (two-way)
Yves Pons (two-way)

Projected Vegas Win Total: 41.5 at BetMGM

Biggest Addition: Steven Adams

The Grizzlies, as mentioned, didn’t do an awful lot this offseason in terms of trying to make additions to win now. Their biggest move was to deal Jonas Valanciunas to New Orleans for Adams, Eric Bledsoe (now in L.A.), and the 10th pick which became Ziaire Williams. Adams brings a different dynamic than Valanciunas to the frontcourt, with less impact as an offensive threat, but still a quality rebounder and, with strong defenders around him, can be a solid rim deterrent. The real answer here is, hopefully, a full season of Jaren Jackson Jr. after he played in just 16 games to end the season, including playoffs. That might mitigate some of the pain of losing Valanciunas.

Biggest Loss: Jonas Valanciunas

It’s hard to overstate how good Valanciunas was for Memphis a year ago, and having to navigate next season without him is going to be the biggest challenge for the Grizzlies. His 17.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game were, by far, the best on the team, and his 15.1 offensive rebound percentage played a big role in getting an offense that wasn’t particularly efficient (15th in the NBA in offensive rating) second chances when they needed them. Defensively he was also a big factor in their success despite not always carrying the reputation as a terrific defender, and his presence in the paint is going to be an uphill battle to replace on both ends.

Biggest Question: How good can Jaren Jackson Jr. be?

We have seen flashes of the talent that made him the No. 4 overall pick in 2018 — most notably a terrific sophomore campaign averaging 17.4 points per game — but he’s struggled to remain healthy. Now, with Valanciunas gone, he figures to be the offensive focal point in the frontcourt for the Grizzlies and, while so much focus will understandably be on whether Ja Morant has another leap in him, their success and whether they can replicate last season’s run to the playoffs will be dependent on how good (and healthy) Jaren Jackson Jr. is in an spotlighted role.

What Makes This Season A Success: Making the playoffs and positive growth from young players

Because last year saw them make the playoffs, that is now the expectation for Memphis no matter how daunting the task in the West. Beyond that, this offseason made clear that this is a franchise thinking about their future, and they’ll want to see the likes of JJJ, Brandon Clarke, Desmond Bane, and De’Anthony Melton all continue to show growth. They believe this is the core of the franchise, but I also think they want a bit more time to evaluate where the real needs are for upgrading. The fewer spots that look shaky the sooner they can try to make the moves to vault into West contender status, and that starts with backing up a great 2020-21 with more improvement internally this season at a number of spots.

What Makes This Season A Failure: Missing the playoffs and players taking steps back

This one’s pretty simple, missing the playoffs isn’t the only thing here, as a play-in berth probably wouldn’t make Memphis fans feel awful, but if it’s missing the playoffs because they see some guys take steps back from where they were a year ago, that will feel like they’re going in the wrong direction. This is a team feeling a tremendous amount of positive momentum after last season, but they mostly punted on this offseason. That could pay off if everyone keeps improving, but development isn’t always linear and, even if it’s not a disaster if guys stagnate or look a touch worse this season, it won’t make anyone in Memphis feel particularly good.

Offset may not be a Los Angeles native but it looks like his time in the city has left him with a close affinity for its local heroes. TMZ reports the Atlanta rapper was one of a number of high-profile well-wishers to help out with the costs of actor Anthony Johnson’s funeral. The Friday co-star passed away a week ago at the age of 55, receiving fond tributes from hip-hop stars like Bow Wow, Ice Cube, and Vince Staples.

Unlike those three, Offset had no personal connection to the late comic actor, but he did contribute to the nearly $70,000 that have been donated to the actor’s family’s GoFundMe. According to TMZ, Offset donated $5,000. Another notable donor was comedian Lil Rel Howery (Get Out) who gave $4,000. Michael Blackson, another comedy personality, helped raise $10,000.

Johnson’s widow will give the overage after paying for the funeral to the actor’s four children and start a standup comedy school for underprivileged youth. She also wants to advocate for entertainers to get life insurance, as Johnson’s sudden passing left his family scrambling to cover the funeral costs.

Before his passing, Johnson was known for acting roles in House Party, Lethal Weapon 3, and Menace II Society, as well as a standup career in the LA area.

Matt Amodio is officially a part of Jeopardy! history after he became just the third contestant to win $1 million on Friday. But regardless of what some fans think of his quirky answering style, he’s already done something far more important in the immediate sense as he continues to cruise through Season 38 of Jeopardy!: make everyone focus on the games, not the drama around the show’s disastrous search for a new host.

Aside from Amodio’s brilliance, recent news about the show has been nothing short of exhausting. Mike Richards was a bad pick to replace Alex Trebek, may have rigged the search that landed on him in the first place, and made decision-makers at Sony look bad for thinking his extensive baggage wouldn’t matter to the show’s biggest fans. Every other person seemingly in the running has had a bad news cycle or two, to boot.

Even the groundswell of support for a guest host like LeVar Burton got tiring. It didn’t help that, for a variety of reasons, he simply wasn’t very good at the job. Burton knew it and said it himself, but it didn’t seem to matter to those crusading for him to get a job he now has repeatedly said he doesn’t want.

No one is really immune here, though. Potential Trebek replacements have jockeyed for position and lobbied for public support for months now. Fan petitions, cryptic comments and intense scrutiny of their job performance on guest hosting weeks have become big entertainment news. It’s made things hard for contestants and fans alike, and all of that has distracted from what’s made the show so enjoyable for so long. Because if those in charge of Jeopardy! want to move past the PR wreckage of 2021, they need to pick a host that embodies the late Alex Trebek’s biggest mantra: it’s not about the host.

“You have to set your ego aside,” Trebek told Vulture in 2018 when asked what makes a good Jeopardy! host. “The stars of the show are the contestants and the game itself. That’s why I’ve always insisted that I be introduced as the host and not the star.”

Despite becoming synonymous with Jeopardy!, Trebek said again and again that the show was not about him. His focus, he said, was on making the three contestants on stage the reason people keep tuning in to watch.

“And if you want to be a good host, you have to figure a way to get the contestants to — as in the old television commercial about the military — ‘be all you can be,’” Trebek said in 2018. “Because if they do well, the show does well. And if the show does well, by association I do well.”

For many it always felt like Trebek had all the answers, even if that was just part of the gig. But because Trebek was a constant presence, the contestants actually became stars in their own right. Fans of the show had far more than just three Jeopardy! GOATS they can name offhand. While Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter are undoubtedly the show’s biggest names, contestants like Austin Rodgers, Arthur Chu and Buzzy Cohen are familiar even passive Jeopardy! watchers.

Cohen’s success in the show’s Tournament of Champions earned him a guest hosting spot this year. Watching he and Jennings take the podium and look the part was a good example of embodying that Trebek quote: both knew how to make contestants comfortable without stealing the show. Because before all the drama it was quirky personalities, impressive performances and viral blunders that once made Jeopardy! viral, with Trebek the professional foil to keep it moving with a steady hand.

The loss of that guidance has been notable since Trebek’s death in November but so, too, is the obvious change in what’s become important when watching the show. Turning the end of last season into a proverbial bake-off made what the hosts were doing on stage much more important than how contestants played or who could survive wave after wave of hosting change. It absolutely impacted the game, too.

Remember that Jeopardy! is a show built entirely on the host’s whims and wants. It was Trebek’s voice and cadence contestants studied in order to get the timing down for when to use their signaling device. Trebek himself was responsible for exactly how long contestants had to answer questions, his literal finger on the button of the game’s flow behind the podium. But with him at the controls, none of that was the focus. It was three smart people doing their best to answer questions under bright TV lights. Five episodes a day, if you’re lucky.

Amodio succeeding amid all this weirdness to win $1 million is an incredible accomplishment. But that Amodio has survived this gauntlet of host changes and incredibly weird on-set vibes and is still winning games immediately makes him one of the best contestants in the show’s history. If only because his run has given some of the show’s biggest fans time to breathe and just take in a very good player impressing night in and night out, too.

“Anyone else feel like we are watching just normal J! for the first time since November?” a member of the Jeopardy! Reddit board posted recently. “The only thing I look forward to/gets me through a Monday is the return of Matt on Jeopardy!” wrote another. And the warm feelings are certainly mutual, as Amodio admitted he’s reading all those kind words from afar.

What’s ahead for the Ph. D student if he keeps winning are more comparisons to Rutter, Jennings and Holzhauer and a much-hyped crack at the next Tournament of Champions. Fans are certainly rooting for him to stick around for a while, just to see how big those numbers can get before a worthy foe ends his run. It’s been too long since the contestants have been the focus on Jeopardy!, but Amodio has certainly done his best to distract everyone else from the mess happening all around him.

After years of allegations and court dates for R. Kelly, a verdict has finally been handed down: The New York Times reports that today, Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and eight violations of an anti-sex trafficking law. The singer now “faces the possibility of decades in prison,” the publication says.

A jury of seven men and five women found Kelly guilty of all nine counts with which he was charged, The Huffington Post reports. Along with the single count of racketeering, he was also convicted for eight violations of the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting people across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. The verdict arrived at about 3:15 p.m. ET this afternoon, on the seventh week of the trial.

Kelly is set to be sentenced on May 4, 2022 at 10 a.m. ET. Tilem & Associates notes the maximum penalty for violating the Mann Act is ten years in prison and a fine. Meanwhile, individuals found guilty of racketeering can face up to 20 years in prison and a fine. The New York Times speculates Kelly “could spend the rest of his life in prison.”

As for Kelly’s reaction to the conviction, the Times notes, “Kelly sat motionless in the courtroom as he was found guilty of all nine counts of the racketeering and sex-trafficking charges against him. His facial expression was hidden by a mask.”

Sean Spicer was the first in a long line of White House Press Secretaries during Donald Trump’s reign. He turned those traditionally informative audiences with reporters into a political sideshow, using the lectern as a place to sell lies about nearly everything from the size of Inauguration crowds to his boss’ private meetings with Russian diplomats at Trump Tower.

Sean Spicer was so bad at his job — and such a prolific liar — that he forever changed the way White House press conferences are now viewed by the public, so it’s truly wild that now, the man who once helped Trump vilify the press and contributed to the rampant spread of misinformation is now condemning the Capitol Hill riots his former employer instigated.

In a wide-ranging chat with Mediaite’s The Interview podcast, Spicer said he was upset over the Jan. 6th insurrection and Trump’s role in it.

“I think it’s very concerning,” Spicer said. “And you saw the fallout, frankly, in the Georgia Senate elections where we lost two seats, frankly, because a lot of people said, well, I’m not going to go out and vote if the system is [rigged].”

He went on to say that the attacks were “personal” to him because of the many years he spent in those buildings and cautioned those spreading Trump’s conspiracy theories: “I think that when there are people that fundamentally don’t believe that the system is fair, you’re going to have a problem.”

Of course, while Spicer was more than happy to drag his former administration, he got a bit defensive when the host asked about his own association with Newsmax, a conservative channel that embraced Trump’s voter fraud claims. Spicer’s now hosting his own show on the network and, despite Newsmax facing multiple defamation lawsuits, including one from Dominion Voting Systems, Spicer said he was proud of the work his news organization was doing.

“I’m not aware of any conspiracy theory that Newsmax pushed,” Spicer said when asked about the lawsuits. “So no, I’m very proud of our coverage actually.”

This guy was so much more fun when Melissa McCarthy could use him as a comedic punching bag.

(Via Mediaite)