Month: November 2021

On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff selection committee dropped its first ranking of the 25-best teams of America as things stand right now. In the least-stunning turn of events imaginable, the undefeated Georgia Bulldogs sit atop the rankings, as Kirby Smart’s team has largely steamrolled opponents en route to an 8-0 record and unanimous No. 1 rankings in the eyes of the AP Poll and the Coaches’ Poll.

If the Playoff started tomorrow, the Bulldogs would be joined by second-ranked Alabama, third-ranked Michigan State, and fourth-ranked Oregon, with Ohio State and Cincinnati sitting just on the outside looking in at fifth and sixth. Here’s the remainder of the top-25:

1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Michigan State
4. Oregon
5. Ohio State
6. Cincinnati
7. Michigan
8. Oklahoma
9. Wake Forest
10. Notre Dame
11. Oklahoma State
12. Baylor
13. Auburn
14. Texas A+M
15. BYU
16. Ole Miss
17. Mississippi State
18. Kentucky
19. NC State
20. Minnesota
21. Wisconsin
22. Iowa
23. Fresno State
24. San Diego State
25. Pitt

While much of the top-4 will figure itself out — Georgia and Alabama will likely play in the SEC title game, Michigan State and Ohio State have a regular season matchup, and Oklahoma seems primed for a big move if it can win out with games against Baylor and Oklahoma State on the horizon — there were plenty of questions asked about these rankings. The biggest ones, at least with regards to the teams in prime Playoff position, involved Alabama at No. 2 despite a loss to Texas A+M and Cincinnati, which is undefeated and boasts a win over 10th-ranked Notre Dame, being on the outside looking in altogether.

Danni Washington is a lover of the natural world. A woman making waves and diving deeper into the health of our oceans while also advocating for women and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in STEM fields. A science communicator who uses her voice, social media platform, and engaging personality to serve a larger cause.

The world is taking notice of her efforts. Washington recently joined the judging panel for the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize, powered by Adrian Grenier’s 52HZ. This million-dollar competition, tied to a three-year accelerator program, will create and adopt alternatives to thin-film plastic — the material used in over 300 billion non-recyclable polybags every year.

“I want to see a science-informed society making better choices around building a regenerative future,” Washington says of her role as a judge in the competition (though it could also double as her overarching mission statement). “A future that’s for all of us.”

A first-generation Jamaican-American, Washington has a B.Sc. in Marine Science Biology, speaks around the globe about ocean science, and hosts podcasts and science-based TV Shows like Xploration Nature Knows Best, an educational TV series featuring innovations in clean technology and design, making her the first Black woman to host a nationally syndicated science show in the US. All of this is by design. Growing up in Miami, she grew curious about the ocean at seven-years-old. From that point on, her focus never wavered — though there have been obstacles along the path.

“I think the biggest challenge is being underestimated because I’m a Black woman,” Washington says. “I walk into a room and immediately people think, ‘Oh, she doesn’t have the skillset. She doesn’t have the knowledge.’ At this point in my life, I’m just used to it, and I’m excited to prove them wrong. It’s fuel for my fire. It always has been.”

Washington’s mom, Michelle, recognized her passion early and moved so that her daughter could attend a marine science magnet program. The school gave her a jumping-off point to launch her career arc. She celebrated her high school graduation by getting her diving certification, which she used to help land an internship studying great white sharks in South Africa, her first solo trip.

At the end of the project, Washington moved on to the University of Miami — becoming the first in her family to graduate from college. There, her mindset was to take every opportunity she could get her hands on.

“Get experience,” she says. “You have to find a way, and you can’t expect anyone to give that to you. You have to work and put in an effort.”

Witnessing a lack of representation firsthand, Washington set out on an unconventional path for a marine biologist after her graduation, deciding to focus on ocean science education, especially for girls and BIPOC youth. After winning a $10,000 grant from the surf brand Roxy, in 2008, she and her mom co-founded the ocean conservation non-profit Big Blue and You. The foundation is dedicated to sparking conversations about ocean conservation in young people through art, science, and media.

“The ocean absolutely has that power and that magic,” Washington says. “All I want is for everyone to experience it because then everyone would be inspired and want to protect it. It just begins with exposure.”

In 2011, at the historic Virginia Keys Beach Park in Miami — established in 1945 by the Black community as a response to segregation — Big Blue and You launched Art by the Sea. The now annual event encourages local marine scientists and students to come together at the beach and collaborate with local artists. It’s since expanded globally. Last summer, a coalition of organizations, led by Big Blue and You, supported students as they campaigned to convince more than 40 restaurants in Miami Beach to stop using single-use plastics.

“We can confidently say that we’ve just helped take 1.2 million pounds of trash out of the waste stream,” Washington says.

To extend her mission even further, Washington recently authored Bold Women in Science, exploring the paths of different trailblazing women in STEM. The message is clear: we can all be leaders in climate action. It’s about making decisions that benefit the planet and our shared sustainable future.

Is the work hard? Absolutely. Washington doesn’t sugarcoat it.

“There are moments where I sporadically break out in tears just because of the weight of it all,” she says.

Still, she preserves.

“I don’t like people telling me what I can’t do when they don’t even know me.”

Clearly, Washington’s mentality is unapologetically fierce. And the world’s oceans are better off for it.

A group of students at Hillsboro High School in Ohio was crushed when they heard the school play they had been working on was canceled because there were complaints about a gay character.

However, instead of taking the news lying down, they banded together to perform it at a community theater instead.

The students at Hillsboro were working on a production of “She Kills Monsters.” It’s the story of a high school senior who loses her sister in an accident. She then embarks on a journey to discover who her sister really was through the Dungeons and Dragons campaign she wrote.

In the play, it’s implied that the main character’s sister is gay.

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“We’re all excited,” student Christopher Cronan told WCPO. “We really wanted to do this, and when we heard it was going to be canceled we were devastated, and the overwhelming support from even outside of the state is great.”

The inclusion of a gay character in the school play led to a parent meeting where questions were raised about its sexual content. The theater students believe that the play was ultimately canceled due to the prodding of Jeff Lyle, an influential local pastor.

Via email, Lyle told WCPO that he was in favor of canceling the play but never spoke to the school board. Lyle said the play is “inappropriate for a number of reasons” that conflict with his personal religious beliefs, including implied sexual activity between unmarried people, foul language and innuendo.

The Hillsboro City Schools released a statement on October 25 that attributed the show’s cancellation to the play’s “use of inappropriate language, profanity, homophobic slurs, sexual innuendos and graphic violence.”

Laura Pickering-Polstra, a parent of one of the theater students, refuted the district’s statement by saying, “To set the record straight, the homophobic slurs had already been removed from the script by the directors before the Oct 18th parent meeting, which I attended. The sword-fighting wasn’t ‘graphic violence.’ It’s stage combat, not actual bloodshed.”

After the play was officially canceled, the students didn’t back down. Instead, they announced they would perform the show at a local theater where they won’t be censored. The one problem was that they didn’t have any funding for the project, so they set up a GoFundMe campaign with the modest goal of $5,000.

“While the play is no longer sponsored by the school, we are planning to perform the show in the summertime as a community theatre project with a different venue,” the organizers wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Without the show being sponsored by the school, though, we have no funds to produce it, which is why we need your help!”

Jake Zora, who has over 480,000 followers on TikTok, posted a link to the GoFundMe campaign. The video has received more than 315,000 views.

Hi gay 👋 We need your help today #gaytiktok #gay #lgbt #lgbtq #theater #school #drama

In just 10 days, the campaign has raised over $22,000, more than enough to stage the play. The students are looking to use the leftover money to start a trust to create a nonprofit theater group for young people in the Hillsboro community.

Pickering-Polstra thanked everyone who participated in the GoFundMe with a post on the site.

“I wanted to take a moment to tell you all how much your support, love, and encouragement have meant to all of Hillsboro’s theatre kids,” she wrote. “This week has been a roller coaster of emotions, but, thanks to you, no one will be silencing these amazing human beings.”

It can be hard for anyone to bounce back after being ridiculed, but especially a kid who is just figuring out how to make their way in this wacky world. Bullies only succeed when we change our behavior because of them, so it’s important that we don’t let jerky behavior keep us down and destroy our joy.

Ten-year-old Evan learned that lesson firsthand last week.

It all started with Evan preparing for his school Halloween party by getting decked out in a sweet Tony Stark costume, complete with facial hair makeup, glasses and pomaded hair. His mom, Jill Struckman, shared photos of him in his costume on Facebook.

True to Tony Stark style, Evan wanted to be driven to school in the family’s Mercedes, but his mom wasn’t able to take him so he had to take the school bus.

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“He was over the top excited about his costume…” Struckman wrote in another post. “He couldn’t stop smiling when he left home.”

Unfortunately, that excitement was ruined by some kids on the school bus who told him he looked stupid.

“Evan got to school and immediately went to the bathroom and washed his face,” Struckman wrote. “When he called he was crying and sooo hurt that he didn’t even want to stay for his party.”

“Kids need to understand that WORDS hurt,” she added.

After she got the call from the school, Struckman picked Evan up and took him out for a treat and a talk. She told TODAY Parents that Evan kept apologizing for washing his makeup off. “He kept saying, ‘we worked so hard on it,'” she said. “He was really thinking about how I would feel, which tells you a lot about him.”

Sometimes a little TLC from mom and a little space from the situation (and a little Starbucks as well) is enough to help a person rally, though.

“After going to Starbucks and talking through his feelings, Evan decided he didn’t want to miss his school party!!! So we went home and redid his AWESOME makeup and marched right back into school!”

“He was a little scared walking back into school,” Struckman told TODAY. “But he had a great rest of the day. And he was so proud of himself. It was absolutely a defining moment in his life. If he hadn’t gone back, it would have broken his spirit.”

Struckman shared in another post that Evan is a kid who usually enjoys standing out. “This boy has swagger and usually doesn’t let things that people say get to him,” she wrote. “I don’t want him to ever lose that and for a minute I thought he had let others’ opinions get the best of him and it crushed me!”

She also wrote that she doesn’t think the kids who bullied him are evil. “I think one kid said something mean and that others got caught up in it and it snowballed from there. It’s another important conversation we should all be having with our kids—DON’T just go along with something you know is not right… I think all kids just want to fit in and sometimes that might mean agreeing with something you know is wrong.”

Struckman’s posts on Facebook have received overwhelming attention, with thousands of comments of support pouring in. She says she’s also received countless messages from all over the world, as well as offers to send Evan money. He doesn’t need cash, she has said, requesting that people make donations instead. However, for the people asking if they can send him a card, she provided a PO box number.

What a great example of resilience on Evan’s part and loving support on his mom’s part. Bullying only prevails if we let it. Good job owning your own self, Evan. And good job, mama, for teaching your kid to be compassionate even as you teach him to stand up for himself.

When people picture Kal Penn, they most likely think of a certain stoner with a munchie-induced craving for hamburgers. Others might remember Penn’s two-year stint as an associate director in the Office of Public Engagement during the Obama presidency. But whether you associate him with White Castle or the White House, Penn recently revealed what most of the world did not know about him: that he is also the loving fiancé to his partner, Josh, of 11 years. His first public coming out came alongside the promotion for Penn’s new memoir, “You Can’t Be Serious.”

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The actor known for his roles in the “Harold and Kumar” movie series tweeted that the book delves into his story of growing up as the son of immigrants, moving out to Hollywood to pursue a dream of “making people laugh” (which apparently involved some racist auditions for shows like “Sabrina The Teenage Witch”) and taking a break from acting to work at the White House. The book also covers Penn’s relationship with his partner Josh, including their first date watching NASCAR.

I’m excited to share more about my book, You Can’t Be Serious https://t.co/sgcI1lHyQQ pic.twitter.com/zdf8e6KeBB

— Kal Penn (@kalpenn) October 7, 2021

According to People, “You Can’t Be Serious” details their meet-cute, with Josh arriving at Penn’s apartment with an 18 pack of Coors Light, ready to watch a car race. Penn wasn’t quite ready to think of this date as romantic. But don’t worry, this love story has a happy ending.

“I thought, ‘This obviously is not going to work out,'” Penn told People. “I have one day off from The White House and this dude is unironically watching cars go around and making left turns? Next thing you know, it’s been a couple months and we’re watching NASCAR every Sunday. I’m like, ‘What is happening?'”

I mean … if that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

For Penn, this aspect of his identity came later in life. He shared with People that “I discovered my own sexuality relatively late in life compared to many other people. There’s no timeline on this stuff. People figure their s— out at different times in their lives, so I’m glad I did when I did.”

Penn also shared that coming out to his parents was relatively easy, telling People that “I know this sounds jokey, but it’s true: When you’ve already told your Indian parents and the South Asian community that you intend to be an actor for a living, really any conversations that come after that are super easy. They’re just like, ‘Yeah, okay.'” He noted that everyone has different coming out experiences and that he was “very fortunate” to receive his family’s support.

Kal Penn, once one of People’s most eligible bachelors, corrects the record: He’s been with the same guy for 11 years. (And yes, he’s gay.) https://t.co/4S9Ye8Wcq3

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 1, 2021

Though Penn has been very eager to share his relationship, he had the challenge of respecting Josh and his family, who “don’t love attention and shy away from the limelight.” This includes a “big disagreement” on whether or not to do a huge wedding or a tiny wedding. Penn told People, “I want the big ass Indian wedding. Josh, hates attention, [has said], ‘Or we could just do quick 20-minute thing with our families and that’s it.’ So we have to meet halfway in the middle.” I think all couples are really just different versions of tiny wedding Josh’s and big ass wedding Kal’s.

Of course, we’re striving to create a world where instead of headlines reading “Kal Penn Comes Out and Is Engaged,” we can see something as simple as “Kal Penn Is Engaged” without needing a public announcement of sexual orientation. But the truth is that for many cultures this subject is still under a challenging stigma. And for someone like Penn to normalize it helps others like him make it normal too.

Take a look at some of the responses he’s received online.

One person wrote: “this was originally gonna be a generic Halloween tweet about a costume but given that he came out today & announced he is engaged to his boyfriend of 10 years I just wanna say thank you @kalpenn for inspiring a whole generation of Indian kids to break stereotypes. I owe u so much”

this was originally gonna be a generic Halloween tweet about a costume but given that he came out today & announced he is engaged to his boyfriend of 10 years I just wanna say thank you @kalpenn for inspiring a whole generation of Indian kids to break stereotypes❤️I owe u so much pic.twitter.com/tvlba0weSA

— abby govindan (@abbygov) November 1, 2021

This comment pretty much sums it up: “because of you I felt safe pursuing entertainment, and now thanks to you millions of LGBTQ+ indian people will get to see themselves represented in the mainstream media.”

because of you I felt safe pursuing entertainment, and now thanks to you millions of LGBTQ+ indian people will get to see themselves represented in the mainstream media🤩 how amazing

— abby govindan (@abbygov) November 1, 2021

Sometimes these seemingly small moments of expressing individual truth helps others live their lives in a more authentic way.

Others responded that they were disappointed in Penn’s announcement, including journalist Louis Peitzman, who wrote “Kal Penn coming out by announcing he’s marrying someone who isn’t me … that’s a choice.”

Kal Penn coming out by announcing he’s marrying someone who isn’t me… that’s a choice.

— Louis Peitzman (@LouisPeitzman) October 31, 2021

Considering that Penn has been listed as “Most Eligible Bachelor” by People magazine, I’d say he’s probably left many feeling unrequited love. It’s well worth the broken hearts, Kal! Congrats to you and Josh.

Penn told People that he wanted his book to feel like “sharing a beer” together while he brought people into his stories. You’ll be able to check out those stories for yourself on Nov 2.

Released this past June, Rostam’s Changephobia is already one of this year’s best albums. It shows the aesthetic that the former Vampire Weekend multi-instrumentalist and producer wanted to continue establashing on his own. Filled with tender songwriting, dream-like production, and a beautiful saxophone motif that underpins nearly every track, it’s can’t miss stuff.

Today, Rostam just put out the first of a two-part EP of Changephobia Remixes and it’s both a lovely companion piece to the album and a worthy standalone compendium of songs. Part I is highlighted by a swift hyper-pop spin on “Kinney” by PC Music’s A.G.Cook and a patio-ready backyard version of the album standout “4Runner.” On the latter, the duality of a ukelele and acoustic guitar makes the track feel especially intimate, like you’re sitting at a table with Rostam and friends as they play their instruments — a scenario akin to his Tiny Desk (Home) Concert from earlier this year.

Listen to “4Runner” (Backyard Version) above and check out the Changephobia Remixes Part I & II tracklist and album artwork below.

Part 1

1. “Kinney” (A. G. Cook Remix)
2. “These Kids We Knew” – (AK Paul Remix)
3. “4Runner” (Backyard Version)
4. “From the Back of a Cab” (Billy Lemos Remix)

Part 2

5. “Bio18” (Tabla Version)
6. “4Runner” (Easyfun Remix)
7. “These Kids We Knew” (Japanese Wallpaper Remix)
8. F”rom the Back of a Cab” (Ben Bohmer Remix)

Changephobia Remixes Part I is out today via Matsor projects. Listen to it here. Changephobia Remixes Part II is out on 12/02.

Cardi B has stirred up a bit of controversy with her recent comments about hip-hop. During an Instagram Live conversation, the rapper confidently declared that her music is what “n****s is missing in the club.” She added, “Cause when I go to the club, that’s what n****s wanna hear. I feel like we keep hearing the same song over and over and over again.” She also explained how she believed weed consumption by some of her fellow rappers negatively affected the overall landscape of hip-hop.

“These rappers nowadays, all of them wanna die,” she said. “They all wanna die. All these n****s need to stop doing lean and smoking weed. You know, this the thing about these rappers, right? They get money and they start buying too much muthafu**in’ weed, and too much lean and they make that slow sh*t.”

Cardi later returned to Twitter to clarify her comments.

“I just want a balance sorry if I worded things wrong,” she wrote. “I just love music that drop hard and turn the club up like dreams & nightmare & First day out by tee grizzly. A perfect balance of rap and turn up.”

Meanwhile, Cardi is preparing to perform at the upcoming 2021 AMAs as well as guest appear on Summer Walker’s upcoming album, Still Over It.

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

NBA fans have long complained about take fouls, which are a very annoying way that teams will prevent their opponents to pickup up an easy basket by committing a foul in the open court. While they are not clear path fouls, they functionally act the same way, and there have been calls for the league to figure out ways to police these so that they rarely (if ever) happen.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, that day may be on the horizon. Charania reports that the NBA Competition Committee had a conversation about the fouls on Tuesday, and in the aftermath, it relayed to the league that it supports figuring out some kind of rule change that would lead to them happening far less frequently.

This wasn’t the only thing on the agenda, as the committee apparently also discussed the non-basketball move rule change that has made it harder to draw shooting fouls by flailing around and seeking contact, along with the new ball that was adopted this year.

Still, take fouls are one of the surest ways to draw ire from fans, both because they prevent the always-exciting fast breaks and they usually slow the game down considerably. The most natural comparison for how this could be penalized, clear path fouls, leads to a team getting two free throws and the ball. There is no timetable regarding when the league could try to install these new rules, should they come to fruition.

The accidental shooting that left Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead and director Joel Souza wounded may wind up changing the entertainment industry. According to The Hollywood Reporter, in the wake of the tragic incident, a group of cinematographers are demanding that “functional firearms” be banned from sets, for fear of another such catastrophe.

Over 200 cinematographers signed a letter disseminated on Tuesday, among them Rachel Morrison (Black Panther), Bradford Young (Arrival), and Dana Gonzales (Fargo).

“We are Halyna Hutchins’ fellow directors of photography and we vow to not let her death be in vain,” the letter read. “We are calling for immediate action from our union leadership, our producers and our lawmakers to affect unified change on our behalf: BAN all FUNCTIONAL FIREARMS on set.”

Until the industry obeys their demands, the signees vowed that none of them would “knowingly work on projects using FUNCTIONAL FIREARMS for filming purposes.” They added, “We won’t sit back and wait for the industry to change. We have a duty to effect change within the industry ourselves.”

There’s already change afoot in the industry. Days after the accident, The Rookie, the cop show starring Nathan Fillion, banned “live” weapons from their set. Actor/director Olivia Wilde and performer Holland Taylor both advocated for a ban on “real firearms.”

In the nearly two weeks after the incident, one harrowing revelation after another has emerged. Crew members have admitted to not thoroughly checking the deadly prop gun and confessed they didn’t know where the live rounds came from. Meanwhile, star Alec Baldwin, who wound up unwittingly pulling the trigger of a prop weapon containing ammo, has spoken about how Hutchins was his “friend.”

(Via THR)

Hot off the success of Army of the Dead, Zack Snyder is back to work on a follow-up to his first-ever Netflix exclusive film: a sci-fi action entitled Rebel Moon. However, while the 300 and Justice League director is trading in hoards of the undead for legions of intergalactic enemies, the upcoming space-faring film sounds like it will still be every bit as much a spectacle as his first project for Netflix and, thanks to Deadline, we now know who is set to star in it.

According to the outlet, Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Mummy, Atomic Blonde) has been cast in Rebel Moon as a currently unnamed and “mysterious young woman” who is fighting back against an oppressive regime. You know… sci-fi stuff. The news comes after months of talent searching in which Snyder met with several actresses, including Boutella, to test for the part. Insiders said that once the group was narrowed down, Boutella immediately stood out to Snyder, and was quickly chosen for the lead. This is pretty major news for Boutella, as it will be the rising actresses first lead role in a blockbuster following her performances in several big films and series, including HBO’s Fahrenheit 451.

Announced earlier this year, Rebel Moon is an original science-fiction story co-written by Snyder, Shay Hatten, and Kurt Johnstad. The story is reportedly “set on a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy that finds itself threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius,” and follows “a young woman with a mysterious past” who is sent “to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them take a stand.” As of now, no additional roles or actors have been tied to the project, though Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Wesley Coller, and Eric Newman have all been attached as producers.