Month: September 2021

The later slate on Saturday isn’t exactly filled with must-watch games. But the good news for college football fans is there’s a whole heck of a lot worth watching to start the day this week. Nebraska and Oklahoma renewing their rivalry, Cincinnati going to Indiana, and Florida playing hosts to Alabama are the headliners this week, but there are tons of good games worth keeping an eye on.

Here’s everything slated to kick off during the early window this week. All times EST:

Nebraska vs. #3 Oklahoma, 12:00 PM, FOX

New Mexico vs. #7 Texas A+M, 12:00 PM, SEC Network

#8 Cincinnati vs. Indiana, 12:00 PM, ESPN

#15 Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia, 12:00 PM, FS1

#16 Coastal Carolina vs. Buffalo, 12:00 PM, ESPN2

Michigan State vs. #24 Miami, 12:00 PM, ABC

Northern Illinois vs. #25 Michigan, 12:00 PM, Big Ten Network

Chattanooga vs. Kentucky, 12:00 PM, ESPN+/SEC Network+

Southeast Missouri State vs. Missouri, 12:00 PM, ESPN+/SEC Network+

Tennessee Tech vs. Tennessee, 12:00 PM, ESPN+/SEC Network+

Western Michigan vs. Pittsburgh, 12:00 PM, ESPN3

Albany vs. Syracuse, 12:00 PM, ACC Network

Boston College vs. Temple, 12:00 PM, ESPNU

UConn vs. Army, 12:00 PM, CBS Sports Network

Minnesota vs. Colorado, 1:00 PM, Pac-12 Network

Nevada vs. Kansas State, 2:00 PM, Big 12 Network.ESPN+

Purdue vs. #12 Notre Dame, 2:30 PM, NBC

#1 Alabama vs. #11 Florida, 3:30 PM, CBS

Kent State vs. #5 Iowa, 3:30 PM, Big Ten Network

Georgia Tech vs. #6 Clemson, 3:30 PM, ABC

Tulsa vs. #9 Ohio State, 3:30 PM, FS1

SMU vs. Louisiana Tech, 3:30 PM, CBS Sports Network

Florida State vs. Wake Forest, 3:30 PM, ESPN

Delaware vs. Rutgers, 3:30 PM, Big Ten Network

Eastern Michigan vs. UMass, 3:30 PM, FloFootball

Baylor vs. Kansas, 3:30 PM, Big 12 Network/ESPN+

Long Island University vs. Miami (OH), 3:30 PM, ESPN+

Bryant vs. Akron, 3:30 PM, ESPN3

Elon vs. Appalachian State, 3:30 PM, ESPN+

Idaho vs. Oregon State, 3:30 PM, Pac-12 Network

USC vs. Washington State, 3:30 PM, FOX

Georgia Southern vs. #20 Arkansas, 4:00 PM, SEC Network

Mississippi State vs. Memphis, 4:00 PM, ESPN2

Northwestern vs. Duke, 4:00 PM, ACC Network

Ball State vs. Wyoming, 4:00 PM, Stadium

Colorado State vs. Toledo, 4:00 PM, ESPNU

Sacramento State vs. California, 4:00 PM, Pac-12 Network

Arkansas State vs. Washington, 4:15 PM, Pac-12 Network

Murray State vs. Bowling Green, 5:00 PM, ESPN3

Louisville hosted UCF on Friday night in what became a wild back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading leads and big drives, but the action really picked up late in the fourth quarter.

UCF, trailing by seven, marched down the field to score a game tying touchdown thanks to the legs of quarterback Dillon Gabriel, scampering into the end zone with 1:21 left on the clock. That set the table for Louisville to try and answer with a scoring drive of their own or else the game would go to overtime, barring something crazy. Because this is college football, naturally something crazy happened.

Malik Cunningham, who had one of his best games in recent memory on Friday, rolled right with 30 seconds to play and tried to fit a pass over a lineman, who tipped it in the air and picked it off himself in Louisville territory, giving UCF a great chance to set up a game-winning field goal attempt.

It is a wildly athletic play from the big fella to tip it up, locate it, and haul it in for the interception. However, on the very next play, Louisville would answer back with a tipped ball interception of their own, except they were able to run it back for a touchdown and win the game.

It was the absolute nightmare situation for UCF, which was just trying to get to a makeable field goal distance, only to have a pass behind a receiver bounce into the air and fall into the waiting arms of a Cardinals DB, who knew exactly what to do with it and make a house call. UCF’s effort at a miracle to end the game ended in disaster, as the ball got lateraled back to Gabriel, who ended up getting hit hard and was on the ground for a considerable amount of time after the game was over grabbing at his left shoulder/collarbone area.

For Louisville, it was a huge win as Scott Satterfield was starting to feel some heat under him after the opening week loss to Ole Miss, and this will hopefully get them back on the right track. For UCF, it’s a gutting way to lose, but more importantly, they’ll be concerned about the status of their starting quarterback for next week and beyond.

Even though it’s now September, it’s still the “Summer” in Jaden’s universe. The lighthearted single is off the young musician’s latest release, CTV3: Day Tripper’s Edition, which is the deluxe edition of his Cool Tape Vol. 3, a mixtape that earned our RX distinction for excellence. “Summer” and other tracks like “Bye” and “Cabin Fever” helped build the tape’s eclectic nostalgia, and the new video for “Summer” is full of the same colorful wistfulness and throwback vibes.

Cramming a whole massive crew of people into a technicolor school bus, Jaden’s penchant for Summer Of Love-style visuals are on full display here, tying directly into the aesthetic that already defined the mixtape. In this new self-directed video, he switches between crisp, clean shots of the bus and himself rapping in front of it in a purple blazer, and hazy, throwback visuals that recall the ’60s and ’70s with their vibe. It’s just more proof that even though he’s only 23-years-old, growing up around show business has all but guaranteed that Jaden’s eye for cinematography and his ear for music are both much more developed than your typical twenty-something. Watch the new video above and read our review of Cool Tape Vol. 3 right here.

With the release of her brand new “Rumors” single featuring none other than Cardi B, Lizzo is back in a big way. Which means the always-vocal artist is back to advocating for herself even when bullies try to fat-shame her, and making silly internet videos and freestyles for fans and other artists to enjoy. Luckily, today she’s focusing on the latter, taking a carefree approach to her still overlooked rap skills by employing them to praise BTS.

First, the pop star let fans know she’s in the studio and working, and asked what they’d like to hear her write about:

Then a fan suggested something about a true friendship, like the one between V and Jimin from BTS:

And that was all it took to get Lizzo cooking. Flipping an old snippet from Barney’s classic “I Love You” song, in under twenty seconds she had an homage to the relationship between V and Jimin, which has long been a beloved focus of their fans.

Hey, this might not quite be good enough to make the new album, but it’s still impressive that she can turn a freestyle around so quickly. Now let’s hope she keeps doing what Remy Ma suggested and ignoring the trolls with all her might.

G-Eazy is gearing up to release his fourth studio album, These Things Happen Too, which will be out next Friday, September 24. Ahead of the album’s release he’s shared several tracks, including “A Little More” with Kiana Lede and “Down” with Latto.

Today, he dropped a brand new single and video featuring another collaborator, Demi Lovato, an artist who has faced similar scrutiny as the Oakland rapper. As his debut album from 2014 was called These Things Happen, this new installment serves as a follow-up to his breakout, and if this new single “Breakdown” is an indication, the rapper is going to get brutally honest about what he’s been through. Most notably, the rapper’s break up with Halsey was well-documented as the pair had the hit single “Him & I” together prior to the relationship’s end, and were supposedly working on music right up until the end of their time together. He also faced further scrutiny for a 2018 drug possession incident in Sweden.

Headlines about their relationship flit by in the video, which frequently features a split screen of Demi and G-Eazy, both trying to handle what they’re going through. Demi’s struggles with addiction and recovery have also been well-documented, and they even released a tell-all documentary getting into the details of what happened. Directed by Daniel CZ, the video offers a searing reflection on fame, shame, and celebrity culture. Check it out above.

Marcus Smart is one of the NBA’s best defenders, regularly finding himself on the All-Defense team for his work on that end for the Celtics both as a tremendous perimeter pest and a physical defender down low on the switch.

Like a lot of great defenders, where Smart prides himself is in his effort level on that end. While defense requires plenty of skill, ability, and basketball IQ, what tends to stand out the most with great defenders is the effort they give — particularly the case with someone like Smart who is regularly on the floor going for loose balls and jumping passing lanes for steals. So, it should come as no surprise that when he was asked by a fan on Twitter how they can improve on defense, he focused on the effort part, but the best part of his response was saying that you can never accept losing, while using a very odd example for that.

Clearly, Marcus isn’t a big John Adams guy. Typically the saying is “no one remembers who did [whatever] second,” but being president is almost the exception to the rule because, well, we tend to remember most presidents (for better or worse).

Smart even has some ideas for Weird Celtic Twitter photoshops based on his rather hysterical analogy.

If you’d like to tell Smart he’s wrong here, be my guest, but I’ll choose to take this saying and put it into my own lexicon going forward.

Sometimes the most innocuous question can give a predator all the information they need to stalk, harass, or assault a woman. That’s why Instagram’s “safety queen” Cathy Pedrayes has made a series of videos showing women the best times to lie to a stranger.

We’ve all been raised to tell the truth, but when it comes to being safe there’s no reason we should feel compelled to give out personal information to a random stranger. Pedrayes’ videos do a great job at not only showing women when to lie and but how to feel comfortable doing so.

Pedrayes originally started making videos about philosophy and being a “mom friend,” but soon fell into making clips centered around safety because of her unique background.

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“I questioned whether I was even qualified to talk about it, but then I realized my life experiences did qualify me,” she told Rutgers. “Working on television with stalkers, growing up during the days of the cocaine cowboys in Miami, having family from Latin America where personal safety habits are much more common: yes, I had enough experience to talk about it.”

In most of her videos, she wears a blue dress and pearls. The necklace and earrings are a tribute to her grandmother who gave them to her when she passed away.

In addition to being a “safety queen” on social media, Pedrayes has appeared on QVC and “The Doctors.”

In her first “Situations When It’s best to lie” video she takes on how to handle cab drivers and workers that come to the house.

How should women deal with cab and Uber drivers that get too personal?

Here are some of the lies you can tell when you’re alone and you don’t want anyone to know.

Here are some hip-pocket, go-to lies for when someone asks where you live.

More situations when it’s best to lie.

Did you know that the simple act of smiling can trick your brain into feeling better, improve your health, and even help you live longer? It’s true. Science says.

If you’re looking for a reason to smile, here are ten of them.

1. The way this grandma says, “I’m so happy to see you!”

A young woman shared that her grandma always comes to check on her when she hasn’t come out of her room for a while. “You want some food???” This is just too wholesome. Watch the whole thing.

2. These two geese were mesmerized by a man playing harmonica in a Taipei park.

Qiqi and Fanfan are into it, y’all. Listen to them try to join in a few times.

Geese gather around man playing the harmonica at the Daan Forest Park in Taipei.

The geese are named Qiqi and Fanf… https://t.co/F0vQxiW4T6

— GoodNewsCorrespondent (@GoodNewsCorres1)
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3. Ryan Reynolds and a special guest singing six-part harmony? Yes, please.

The Grace Kelly TikTok challenge had people singing the chorus to Mika’s 2007 song “Grace Kelly” with various harmonies. I won’t give away the cameo here, in case you haven’t seen it yet. So fun. Read more about it here.

Late to the Grace Kelly Tik Tok trend but WAY early for our Christmas movie musical. 🎵 ➡️ @mikasounds https://t.co/QdpfMv7QJw

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds)
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4. This dad knew his daughter was a prankster, and yet she managed to trick him anyway.

Aryanna’s got skills. Dad knows she’s got skills. The way he immediately looks all around for traps and still gets surprised. That grin on her face, too. So dang funny. Read the full story here.

5. Norm MacDonald’s heartwarming advice to a fan who lost his mother.

The iconic comedian’s passing at 61 came as a surprise, but his advice for how to handle grief is a lesson for us all: “Take all the love you have for her, Pablo, and give it freely to all that you meet. Your mom will look down upon you, happy and proud.”

6. A Portland cat cafe reopened, and all the cats up for adoption got homes in less than a day.

First of all, the cafe is called Purrington’s. I mean, come on. Second of all, it’s a cafe where you can hang out with cats that need homes, which is awesome. The cafe had hit some snags in recent years with COVID restrictions and whatnot, but on the day of its reopening, every cat got a home. Yay for the kitties. Read the full story here.

7. This is seriously the greatest “walk of shame” I’ve ever seen.

At first, you’re thinking, “Why is that guy walking into a park pond?” Then it’s, “Ooooh. I see.” Then finally, “OMG that right there is what living life to its fullest looks like.”

The walk of shame.. 😅 https://t.co/QAc7ckPV0Q

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_)
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8. The U.S. is reportedly buying 500 million more vaccines to donate to the rest of the world.

We’re all in this together, literally. The only way we’re going to get the pandemic under control is to make sure everyone has access to COVID vaccines. The need is great, but we’re stepping up to help meet it. Love to see the U.S. taking leadership on this front.

Read the full story here.

Photo by Mat Napo on Unsplash

9. New Zealand firefighters offer a Haka to honor the first responders who perished on 9/11.

Okay, this one might make you smile and cry at the same time. Such a beautiful offering and reminder of how connected we all are.

10. Watch this street photographer help an elderly Italian woman see her own beauty.

Dino Serrao’s TikTok channel is the place to go when you want to be reminded of the unique beauty in every human being. All of his videos are great, but this one is so heartwarming. Their interaction is so sweet, but her recognizing her own gorgeousness after initially telling him she didn’t want her picture taken is just wonderful.

I hope that brought a little joy and hope into your day! Come back to Upworthy again next Friday for ten more reasons to smile. 🙂

Hip-hop duo Armand Hammer have been making bold and thought-provoking music for just shy of a decade — but don’t call them ahead of their time. Rather, rappers Billy Woods and Elucid are making music for now. After putting out several records, including the 2021 LP Haram with Eminem’s current DJ, The Alchemist, Armand Hammer are finally getting the recognition they deserve. Charting their success in a recent Magnum Scenes video presented by Uproxx, Armand Hammer explain why they live up to their label as the “best lyricists on the planet.”

Born and raised in Queens, New York, Elucid never second-guesses himself when it comes to his music. That’s why when he first discovered Billy Woods, he knew they were destined to be musical partners. Known for his quick-witted lyrics, Woods’ love of the written word was inherited from his Shakespearean scholar mother. “For me, the trust was almost immediate because I’ve seen what he could do by himself,” Elucid said of the duo’s creative connection.

Armand Hammer didn’t pop off overnight. Instead, they made a name for themselves organically by booking their own shows with their favorite creatives. At the time, Elucid says a certain type of rap was “pushed to the side” in favor of commercially successful music. But Armand Hammer have always stayed true to their sound. “I still have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder about that because I never stopped doing the thing they said stop doing,” Elucid said.

Elsewhere in the video, Armand Hammer talk about their indie record label Backwoodz Studioz, so check out the above and explore the other musicians covered in the Magnum Scenes series here.

Additional footage by Alexander Richter

When mentioning developers of some of the biggest video games in the world we hear the usual names: Electronic Arts, Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft, etc. However, nobody ever mentions Zynga, which is unfortunate because they are the developers of some of the most popular games ever, including Farmville. Yes, they’re the ones responsible for everyone sending you requests to go visit their farm on Facebook all those years ago, but while the notifications may have annoyed some, they were great for others. Farmville was a delightful, albeit addictive, game that brought many people into the world of gaming.

This is why it should come as no surprise to see that Snapchat, seeking out a game of their own, has decided to enlist Zynga’s help to develop a game that is going to be something like an Among Us clone called ReVamp. However, unlike when Fortnite attempted their own Among Us clone, this one actually feels kind of original. It also appears that, while it’s definitely taking inspiration from the hit party game, they’re more going back to the roots of the game concept entirely using Vampires as the enemy. A traditional Halloween-style villain that’s killing others and trying to lie their way to victory? Sounds a lot like the classic game Werewolf.

Among Us doesn’t own the entire concept of doing mini-games to complete a goal while there’s a traitor amongst you, and they’ve never pretended that they do, but it’s funny to see these games starting to appear everywhere after it took the world by storm when everyone was looking for something to do from their homes in 2020. One thing that Among Us and the developers are really great about though is crossovers so maybe this means we’ll get an Among Us bitmoji crossover at some point with ReVamp? That would be awesome. I want to run around my snap map looking like an Among Us person.