Month: March 2023

(WARNING: Spoilers for this week’s Bel-Air episode will be found below.)

For the third episode in season two of Bel-Air, the main cast members find themselves in difficult positions. Last week, we saw Will struggle to shine as a basketball player at Bel-Air Academy without ruffling feathers with his coach and fellow teammates. Carlton is still working on finding new footing at Bel-Air Academy after his social status at the school changed in season one. This is all while he continues to battle anxiety issues. Hilary began her role as manager at the influencer house, but the partnership with Ivy that made it happen isn’t off to the best start. That’s on top of her new relationship with Jazz getting off to a rocky start, which included the surprised and slightly confused reaction from her parents when they heard the news.

In “Compromised,” the third episode of the new season, Will and Carlton pick up where they left off in planning a school protest for Mrs. Hughes who they believe was wrongly fired from Bel-Air Academy. Everyone is in on the protest from Ashley to Hilary to Mr. & Mrs. Banks and Will’s basketball teammates. The planning for the protest gives Carlton a chance to get closer to Yazmin, who is president of the Black Student Union, while also doing something for people that look like him at the school. Plans for the protest get bigger than expected, and soon enough, Carlton is pushed into the spotlight which makes him extremely nervous and triggers his anxiety. Elsewhere, Will’s passion for the protest is on full display which leads to him overlooking some of the other important things around him, and Hilary and Ivy’s business relationship looks like it’s heading straight for a brick wall as the two can’t seem to get on the same page.

The aforementioned events in the third episode of Bel-Air season two, titled “Compromised,” are soundtracked by songs that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene. You can find a list of them belong as well as details about the scenes that the records soundtracked.

Check out our Bel-Air season 2, episode 3 recap here.

Vodka Gravas & Wordsworth — “We Winnin’”

We hear this song around the 01:05 mark as Will and his teammates leave basketball practice together. One of his teammates, Tyler, makes a slick comment to Will about his ball-hogging ways which Will replies to by mocking him.

Kateel — Different Problems

Around the 02:03 mark, Will and Tyler talk things out ahead of their big game. Will apologized for before selfish and promised to be there for the time when it’s required. Lisa comes up to Will to talk to him.

4VR — “Guilty”

This song plays around the 04:52 mark as Will and Carlton are walking away from a meeting with Mrs. Bassin. Will overheard Mrs. Bassin’s request for Will to “get with the program.” Carlton expresses concerns with Will about the protest, but Will shuts them down and essentially tells him to be strong.

Easy McCoy — “Deja Vu”

At around the 05:56 mark, Easy McCoy’s “Deja Vu” briefly plays as the Bel-Air title flashes on the screen. This record is the theme song for Bel-Air

Magi Merlin — “Walking To The Dep”

We hear Magi Merlin’s record at the 06:05 mark as the Banks family is setting up at the house to welcome students to prepare for the protest. Ashley is a bit upset as she feels it’s her fault that Mrs. Hughes was fired, but Phil, Vivian, and Hilary assure her that she’s not to blame.

Obed Padilla — “Cheap Thrills”

Around the 11:02 mark, we hear this song as Yazmin asks Carlton if he can be the one to give the speech at the protest. Carlton nervously tries to get out of having to do the speech, but he fails, so the big moment is his to come through on.

Ivy States & Janaé E.

Ivy States and Janaé E.’s record checks in around the 20:24 mark as Hilary meets with the Simply Spiked representative at the influencer house. While she thinks the meeting is successful, she’s a bit disappointed to find out that the partnership is contingent on Ivy’s participation.

Sampa The Great — “Time’s Up” Feat. Kwon

We hear this record around the 32:46 mark as Will, Carlton, Yazmin, and other students walk out of their respective classes to begin the walkout. This goes against the agreement the trio had with the administration.

Blackillac & Caught A Ghost — “The Revolution”

The episode ends with this record playing as Will takes a banner from one of the teachers and races to the school roof to drop it for the students to see. The banner reads “Black Teachers Matter” and students begin to chant that phrase as well.

You can stream this week’s episode of Bel-Air on Peacock here.

New episodes of ‘Bel-Air’ are available Peacock on Thursdays at 5:01 am EST/ 2:01 am PST.

Before Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, James Cameron almost threw down with now-disgraced super-producer Harvey Weinstein in the middle of the 1998 ceremony. Cameron made the revelation during a massive retrospective on Titanic dominating that year’s Academy Awards, which prompted Weinstein to try and sign the director as he was going back to his seat. However, what Weinstein didn’t know is that Cameron was close friends with visionary director Guillermo del Toro who had been jerked around by the infamous Hollywood tyrant.

“He had told me the horrible shit that Miramax pulled on him when he made his first American commercial film, Mimic, and they fired him,” Cameron said. “The actors, led by Mira Sorvino, kind of revolted and wouldn’t work until they brought him back. Then, when the film was successful and well regarded, Harvey sort of jumped up to take praise for the movie.”

According to Cameron, that’s all he knew about Weinstein, which was enough to rebuff the guy right there on the spot. Weinstein, who’s used to getting his own way, did not take it well.

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

I’m on my way back to my seat with my editing Oscar, and this guy’s jumping up to introduce himself, saying, “If you want to come to work at a place that’s a friend of the artist, a friend of the filmmaker” — he’s holding his hand out, and I just blew him off. It was just an ugly little moment. But, yeah, I did defend Guillermo and I called Harvey on his bullshit, and then he got very loud and verbally abusive and almost potentially physically violent. And he was about to get clocked by an Oscar — which would’ve been highly appropriate, I think.

Looking back at the moment, Cameron was more fascinated by the crowd’s reaction than the fact that he almost brained Harvey with an Oscars statue.

“The hysterical thing about the whole moment was people around us were saying, ‘Not here! Not here!’” Cameron recalled. “It was kind of like, ‘It’s OK if you boys fight out in the alley, but don’t do it here at the Academy Awards!’”

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Taylor Swift’s music has been dissected and studied for thousands and thousands of hours at this point, and that includes in academic settings. Just last year, NYU’s Clive Davis Institute offered a course on Swift, and later that year, a course called “The Taylor Swift Songbook” was introduced at the University Of Texas. Now, though, we have perhaps the most granular Swift college class yet, as it’s going to be about just one song: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version).”

Starting this winter, a course called “All Too Well (Ten Week Version)” will be offered at the esteemed Stanford University. Per the Stanford website, the course will be part of the ITALIC 99 program, which offers “students an introduction to topics taught by alumni of the program” and are “student-led classes” that are “focused on hands-on learning.” The Swift course promises an “in-depth analysis” of the song led by instructor Nona Hungate.

The class will be held once a week for ten weeks, for 50 minutes each session. So all in all, students will go over just the one Swift song for a total of 8 hours and 20 minutes.

The ITALIC courses are offered as part of the Stanford Introductory Studies program and are described as “arts-minded, residence-based academic program for first-year students.”

It was a big collegiate year for Swift in 2022, even aside from the aforementioned: last spring, she received an honorary doctorate from NYU and gave a commencement speech.

Despite having everything going for it from being the spiritual successor to the highly-acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series to Matt Reeves’ involvement, Batman: Caped Crusader couldn’t survive the blood-letting that occurred after the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. The animated series was headed for HBO Max, but found itself off to Arkham in August 2022.

However, true to their word, WB Discovery hinted that the show could be picked up by another platform as the company focuses more on licensing its robust library. That is now the case with Caped Crusader, which has been given a two-season order at Amazon.

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

The animated series hails from Bruce Timm, Abrams and Reeves and was sold to a streaming rival as part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s efforts to monetize content by selling projects to third-party buyers. Reps for all parties declined to comment as formal deals have not yet closed.

Batman: Caped Crusader was first announced in May 2021, and is said to harken back to Timm’s 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, which stands as a benchmark for the Dark Knight’s animated storytelling. Comic book scribe Ed Brubaker is among the creative team and ran a writer’s room and serves as Timm’s right hand on the 10-episode first season.

Considering Batman: The Animated Series is often heralded as the pinnacle of Batman-based media, Caped Crusader is sure to find an audience with fans of the classic ’90s series, who hopefully have an Amazon account. In the meantime, it will be interesting to see which other DC Comics projects find homes on other platforms as new DC Studios head James Gunn has recently hinted that Netflix is reportedly eyeing a few properties.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

It used to be easy to be a casual Marvel fan. All you had to do was say “my favorite superhero is Iron Man!” or “Black Widow deserved better!” and move on with your day. Now, you have to know exactly which timelines your favorite superhero/alien is in without sounding like you have no idea why there is a giant-headed robot in the middle of this multi-dimensional space movie or who all of these Tom Hiddleston clones are and why they are using CGI goats as weaponry. It’s no wonder everyone is confused all the time.

It seems like Disney is starting to take note, especially after those lackluster Ant-Man reviews (hopefully Paul Rudd doesn’t feel too bad). During a conference this week, Mickey Mouse’s boss Bob Iger said that the company will be shifting gears in the coming years in order to focus on specific characters in a meaningful way. “I think a lot of all of them — they’re all my babies, in a way,” Iger began. “There are 7,000 characters, there are a lot more stories to tell.”

Now that he is a father of 7,000, Iger says that the company will reassess the types of Marvel stories they are telling. “What we have to look at with Marvel is not necessarily the volume of Marvel stories we’re telling, but how many times we go back to the well on certain characters. Sequels typically work well for us. Do you need a third and a fourth, for instance, or is it time to turn to other characters?” Do we? No! Did we get them anyway? Yes. A lot, actually. That’s when things start to fall a little flat.

Iger isn’t the only one who is on board with more streamlined storytelling. Just last month, Marvel boss Kevin Feige admitted that the company would be adjusting the pace of the next batch of MCU shows after fan feedback. Did we really need a Baby Groot series? Probably not, but it happened anyway. Hopefully, they don’t give Baby Yoda his own show, or else the power will go to his head.

(Via Deadline)

Michael B. Jordan wants to go the distance: from film to TV.

Every Creed movie has been bigger than the one before it. 2015’s Creed made an impressive $173 million at the worldwide box office, but 2018’s Creed II crossed the $200 million mark and 2023’s Creed III (3reed) just had the highest opening weekend of any sports movie ever. Not bad for a spinoff of a franchise that’s been around since the mid-1970s.

There’s nothing official about Creed IV yet, but director and star Michael B. Jordan has his sights set on not only more movies, but also TV shows. Welcome to the Creed-verse! Deadline reports that the success of the Creed films “could spawn an Amazon universe spanning both film and TV,” as Jordan has reportedly been taking meetings about “various Creed-related projects for the past year.” That could mean the band, but it’s probably about the boxer.

Details are sketchy because some of the conversations are still in exploratory stages but we hear that an anime series connected to the Rocky spinoff IP is in the works, and there are ideas for a companion live-action TV series. Also percolating is a potential project centering around Adonis Creed’s daughter, Amara, who was played by deaf actress Mila Davis-Kent in Creed III.

Jordan is a huge anime fan, so much so that some of the fight scenes in Creed 3 are inspired by his love of Naruto. “I watch anime every day,” he told Polygon. “It’s like these images are burned into my head. So when I was in preproduction and putting together the fight choreography, it was just second nature to me to reach for that.” His top-five anime recommendations: One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Bleach, and Hunter X Hunter.

Anime Creed sounds great, but where’s Anime Demolition Man?

(Via Deadline)

As The Last of Us TV show approaches its season one finale, it gives video game fans a chance to see one of the most powerful narrative moments in modern video game history brought to life through the amazing performances of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. And if they hit that mark right it should divide audiences in the exact same way the source material did back in 2013.

Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be 1000 words of “why the book (in this case video game) is better.” Instead, it is an opportunity to look back to the ending of the original game and discuss it. We have no idea how the TV show plans to handle such a monumental moment, but we do know how the game handled it.

Note: I am about to spoil the ending of the video game The Last of Us. If you have not played the game, or you’re watching the TV show, and you want to remain spoiler free then this is your last chance to avoid that.

To recap: Joel has woken up in a hospital facing the leader of the Fireflies, Marlene. Finally, after hours of one of the most emotionally torturous journeys any game has ever put us through, we are at our goal. Unfortunately, if there is anything the game has taught us at this point it’s there is never a time to celebrate. Marlene informs Joel that Ellie is being prepared for surgery where they will, in simplest terms, remove her brain to reverse engineer a vaccine since she is immune to infection. It’s at this moment Joel, not the player, is given a choice. Does he let the Fireflies take Ellie away from him for the potential good of humanity as a whole, or does he choose to take her away and let humanity fend for itself in an uncertain future?

Players have grown to know Joel well at this point. He is crass, violent, and until Ellie came around only thought for himself. He lost his daughter before the main story of the game even began, and after building a wall of stone around his heart has chosen to let Ellie inside of it. He loves Ellie the same way he loved his daughter, and now he is being forced to decide if he should lose his daughter again. He chooses not to. It’s an understandable decision that any relative would make if given the same choice. In a world full of selfish and terrible people why should Joel be forced to make these sacrifices? Why can’t others? That’s how he sees it anyway.

What’s incredible about this moment from a video game perspective is at the time players were used to always being in control, especially back in 2013 when games everywhere were experimenting with good choice-bad choice, gameplay. The Last of Us told the player that no, they won’t get a choice or an alternate ending for doing it differently, because that decision is up to Joel, cure be damned. He’s taking back Ellie and we are simply along for the ride.

The moments that play out for the player, as they’re forced to fight their way through the hospital, are full of emotional uncertainty. Is Joel making the right decision? Every enemy the player comes across leaves a bad feeling in the player’s stomach, because if they succeed they’re essentially defeating any chance at saving the world.

After escaping the hospital with Ellie, she awakens in the backseat of a car that Joel is driving away. It’s here where we see Joel’s true character reveal itself yet again. Ellie, still in a medical gown and not entirely sure what happened wants to know what’s going on. Joel explains that they found the Fireflies, and then lies to Ellie about everything. They’re no longer “seeking” a cure. It’s here where the game reveals to the player that Marlene is dead, at the hands of Joel, and he is going to do everything he can to protect Ellie from them. A look of disappointment on her face, Ellie rolls over in the backseat and turns away from Joel.

The final moments of the game feature some gameplay with Joel and Ellie where the player takes control of Ellie as the two work their way back to their new home, Jackson City. Joel forces conversation with a despondent Ellie throughout the final moments as it’s clear something else is on her mind. The player reaches the top of what they’re traversing and the game’s final cutscene plays out. Ellie makes Joel swear to her that everything he told her about the Fireflies is true, and at that moment you can see on Ellie’s face that she knows Joel is lying to her. It might be commonplace now for games to let players read characters through their facial animations, but this was still very novel at the time.

The thing about Ellie’s character is she has an incredible nose for nonsense. She’s known the entire time that Joel was lying to her from the very moment she woke up in the backseat of the car and it’s painful for her that Joel is choosing to lie to her again. This is someone she has chosen to open up to and see as something like a father to her. This isn’t some random person lying to her, but someone she has a deep connection with and that makes the lie so much more painful. How she responds to this in the future is up to the player’s interpretation, at least until we see the ripple effects in The Last of Us Part II, but we do know that at this moment she chooses to move on with the lie. Roll credits.

People are complicated, and all of us would love to believe that if we were put into the position of these characters we would choose to make the “correct” decision, but the reality is that many people are going to put themselves first. The Last of Us choosing to focus on that instead, with these characters in particular, is what makes the ending great. Joel isn’t a good person, but he’s not so unlikable that the player wants to see him fail. In a lot of ways, we can understand why he makes the decisions he does because in similar situations we might do the same. Ellie has spent her entire life trusting nobody else around her. So why is she choosing to go along with Joel’s lie at the end, or at least appearing to? Because she cares enough for him that she wants to believe in him. The ending doesn’t work because it’s another emotional gut punch, but because it proves just how broken these people are.

So how does the TV show approach a moment like this? Most fans of the game will be heartbroken if the TV show chooses to go in a different direction. It will feel like viewers who haven’t played the game are being deprived of some truly great and bold storytelling. We know from Bella Ramsey that the finale is going to be divisive, but how exactly is anyone’s guess. Whatever direction they choose to take, we just hope that it doesn’t rob those characters of what makes them special.

Did you know that the guys responsible for one of the most beloved and zany videos of 2014 are nominated for several awards at the upcoming Oscars? Because I sure didn’t.

Actually, let me back up. Somewhere in the recesses of my pop culture-addled brain, I was aware that the 2014 video for the DJ Snake and Lil Jon collaboration “Turn Down For What” was directed by 35-year-old director tandem Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels. And I also knew that Daniels directed the 2022 runaway smash at this year’s Academy Awards.

But somehow, my brain failed to connect the dots in any meaningful way until my editor pointed out to me that I’ve been talking about that movie pretty much nonstop since it came out last year, and that this was exactly the sort of connection that would allow me to do so in the music section. Also, it’s pretty darn nifty that Daniels were able to earn all those Oscar nominations by essentially just doing all the same things they did in their music video on a larger scale.

The track record for music video directors who turned to film has some truly wild variation. Sure, directors like Francis Lawrence (“Bad Romance,” “I’m A Slave 4 U”) went on to direct blockbusters (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay) while Spike Jonze (“Buddy Holly” and “Sky’s The Limit”) garnered critical acclaim for his arthouse films (Being John Malkovich, Her). But you also have Michael Bay and Hype Williams. The less said about Belly, the better.

But if you’d told people in 2014 that the people behind the unhinged “Turn Down For What” video would ultimately bring their transgressive commitment to chaos to the big screen – and earn 10 Academy Award nominations in the process – they might not have believed you. But in viewing Everything Everywhere All At Once, they’d see that all of the hallmarks of Daniels’ style remain intact. Which means that even after all their success, “Turn Down For What” might remain their greatest accomplishment yet.

In case you need a refresher on just how wild DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s video gets, here it is. The video opens on the rooftop of an apartment building, with a man staring into the camera as the beat builds. He leaps into the air in an apparent belly flop that smashes through the roof as the beat drops, landing in the apartment below. He proceeds to twerk on and/or hump practically every piece of furniture, terrifying the apartment’s occupant. She phones the police, and at this point, you’re likely expecting the story to proceed from what is an unusual but still altogether believable standpoint.

You’re wrong, though. So wrong. Not only does the phone officer’s face melt off a la René Belloq in Raiders Of The Lost Ark – one of many pop culture callbacks throughout Daniels’ work – but the dancing affliction of patient zero turns out to be somewhat contagious. After the lady’s clothes get blown off with a pelvic thrust, she joins in the debauchery, dropping her derriere right onto the first man’s face and once again crashing through the floor into the next apartment. This time, they disturb a family sitting down for dinner, leading to looks of horror and dismay as the process starts all over again.

The dance moves this time run the gamut of provocative Caribbean and South American styles (my favorite is the Brazilian Surra de Bunda, in which the female dancer rests her legs on her partner’s shoulders and then repeatedly smashes her posterior into his face… it’s so ridiculous) until the family gets into it too. The mother’s mammaries move of their own accord, the dad and daughter start headbanging, and before you know it, yet another apartment is practically demolished. And yes, they once again end up in the unit below, where at least an actual party is taking place.

The unsuspecting partygoers stare at the newcomers for a bit, and then things get really out of hand. A police officer sent over for the noise joins the party (of course), more furniture and flatware gets destroyed, and in the end, everyone ends up slumped over. That doesn’t stop the first guy’s sweatpants from twitching ominously as the video cuts to black.

When the video was first released, it was a phenomenon, leading to thinkpieces in Vox and on music interest sites, memes, and edits that made it even more ridiculous than it originally was. The internet couldn’t get enough; the song itself was licensed for use in films like 22 Jump Street, Furious 7, and the second Angry Birds movie, appeared in comedic sketches on The Tonight Show, and was even used in political campaigns like Rock The Vote and Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative.

But that video was a huge part of the reason it stuck – people couldn’t get enough of it (to date, it’s accumulated well over a billion views on YouTube). And it established many of the signature flourishes of Daniels’ direction style, from irreverent and downright vulgar humor to the prominently Asian cast – which was as revolutionary in its day as that of the multiverse-hopping Oscars multi-nominee. Much like the dancing contagion from the video, Everything Everywhere features a sort of “everybody was kung-fu fighting” plot element in which one character suddenly displays outsized combat proficiency before nearly every other character becomes a drunken master.

Slow-motion butt drops figure prominently into both works, both for comedic purposes and plot advancement. Even the concept of each apartment being its own little ecosystem before the dancers crash through its ceiling is echoed in the use of the multiverse, where each timeline is encroached upon by Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn as she seeks the means to defeat the “villainous” Jobu Tupaki. The film is littered with the same sort of pop culture references that led Daniels to nod to Indiana Jones; a song lyric absent-mindedly inserted into some dialogue by Kwan winds up leading to the song itself becoming the connective tissue between worlds.

Even the song’s title seems to reflect Daniels’ maximalist philosophy. As the multiverse shenanigans get nearly overwhelming, as so many plot points converge that you wonder how they’ll keep track, just when you think Everything Everywhere can’t possibly get any bigger, louder, funnier, more obnoxious, heartbreaking, or poignant, Daniels ask themselves, “Turn down for what?” and go even harder. As it turns out, that could be a winning strategy.

The dizzying preparation stage of soon-to-be-parenthood can be a little daunting. Everyone and their grandma—literally—bombards you with congratulations, advice and doomsday-like predictions about how your life is about to change.

People try to prepare you for parenthood by sharing horror stories or warning you about how hard it’s going to be with the best of intentions. Parenting can be tough, and going into it with overly rose-colored glasses can lead to some painful reality checks. But too many jokes about never sleeping again or anecdotes about toddler tantrums can also dampen what should be a joyful time of anticipation and excitement and make parenting sound like a total drag, which it’s not.

That’s why soon-to-be-dad Harris Fanaroff took to Twitter to ask parents what they really love about raising kids.

“I’m tired of hearing the…’You’ll never sleep again’ ‘Your travel life is over’ ‘Say goodbye to your weekends,'” Fanaroff wrote. “My first baby is joining us in the next 3 weeks and I’m excited, nervous, anxious, and grateful. I’d love to hear your favorite parts of having a newborn/baby/kids.”

Fanaroff tells Upworthy he thought he might get a couple of responses to his request. He never expected he would get a deluge of parents delivering the goods in the most heartwarming way.

u201cIu2019m tired of hearing theu2026nnu201cYouu2019ll never sleep againu201dnu201cYour travel life is overu201dnu201cSay goodbye to your weekendsu201dnnMy first baby is joining us in the next 3 weeks and Iu2019m excited, nervous, anxious, and grateful. nnIu2019d love to hear your favorite parts of having a newborn/baby/kidsu201d

— Harris Fanaroff (@Harris Fanaroff)
1678110244

“Babies are magic,” shared Mary Katharine Ham. “Just had my 4th, and it will never cease to amaze me how much you can love hanging out w a person you just laid eyes on and who also cannot talk. Nothing better than a baby snoozing on your chest. You have many moments of wonder & sleepy smiles ahead of you!”

Babies are magic. Just had my 4th, and it will never cease to amaze me how much you can love hanging out w a person you just laid eyes on and who also cannot talk. 😂 Nothing better than a baby snoozing on your chest. You have many moments of wonder & sleepy smiles ahead of you!

— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) March 7, 2023

“Waking them up in the morning,” wrote Teddy Mitrosilis. “Our 6 month old has the biggest smile every morning when we get her up, as if she’s genuinely astonished she gets another day. Enjoy every time you get to do that!”

Waking them up in the morning.

Our 6 month old has the biggest smile every morning when we get her up, as if she’s genuinely astonished she gets another day.

Enjoy every time you get to do that!

— Teddy Mitrosilis (@TMitrosilis) March 6, 2023

“Our baby girl hit 11 months today,” wrote Vincenzo Landino. “It’s amazing. Seeing her face in awe every time she experiences something new. Seeing how she picks up on little quirks from me and my wife already. It’s all so awesome. Just enjoy the ride. Do what works for you.”

Our baby girl hit 11 months today. It’s amazing. Seeing her face in awe every time she experiences something new. Seeing how she picks up on little quirks from me and my wife already. It’s all so awesome. Just enjoy the ride. Do what works for you.

— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) March 7, 2023

“Babies unlock a whole new and different part of life filled with those things, sure, but also of love, joy, happiness, meaning, and purpose,” wrote Jason Schulweis. “You get a brand new perspective on life, and your heart grows. It’s the best thing in the world.”

Babies unlock a whole new and different part of life filled with those things, sure, but also of love, joy, happiness, meaning, and purpose. You get a brand new perspective on life, and your heart grows. It’s the best thing in the world.

— Jason Schulweis (@jschulweis) March 6, 2023

“You will be more proud than you have ever been, and your heart will be heavy with burden (because of the crazy world) but full of hope because your child will know your love. don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” shared Kahlil Ashanti. “I have three boys and they are my joy.”

@HarrisFanaroff you will be more proud than you have ever been, and your heart will be heavy with burden (because of the crazy world) but full of hope because your child will know your love. don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I have three boys and they are my joy.

— Kahlil Ashanti (@kahlilashanti) March 7, 2023

Robbie Britt sang the praises of “the hand hold.”

“It’ll start with them grabbing a finger, and then one day you’ll be walking and you feel them reach up and grab your hand,” he wrote. “That’s when the heart melts!”

Harris — Nothing better than when the hand hold. It’ll start with them grabbing a finger, and then one day you’ll be walking and you feel them reach up and grab your hand. That’s when the heart melts!

Run your own race, enjoy the challenges, they are blessings! pic.twitter.com/whs8tJuJbP

— Robbie Britt (@CoachRB6) March 6, 2023

Jason Cohen agreed with the other answers and added, “Bottom line is the good stuff outweighs the negatives 100:1. Holding that little life, watching them figure out the entire world, the giggles and little hands on your face, seeing you in them, for good or Ill they’ll have to figure out themselves.”

Some good answers here.

Bottom line is the good stuff outweighs the negatives 100:1.

Holding that little life, watching them figure out the entire world, the giggles and little hands on your face, seeing you in them, for good or Ill they’ll have to figure out themselves.

— Jason Cohen (@asmartbear) March 7, 2023

So many parents chimed in with the things that make parenthood magical, wonder-filled and joyful.

“I’ve read probably about 200 of them to my wife,” Fanaroff says. “I’ve also had 100+ people message me directly to tell me how much they and their partner have enjoyed reading them and it’s been so refreshing for them to see.”

After receiving over 3,000 positive comments about having kids, Fanaroff says he’s most looking forward to watching his wife become a mom, hearing their baby’s first laugh and seeing their baby’s first smile. “And one that I never thought of until all these comments but apparently that new baby smell!” he adds.

Can confirm. Babies smell like heaven.

Fanaroff says the response to his tweet has been “amazing,” and it’s true. Not only is it an uplifting, positive boost for folks who are looking forward to welcoming a child to their family, but it’s also a good reminder for all parents of the beauty and joy that make the hard parts 100% worthwhile.

Sure, we early birds get the worm. But you know what we miss out on? Dancing at clubs. Laughing at comedy shows. Having a social life beyond anything brunch related, more or less.

I think I speak for all of us early risers when I say that we’d kill to go to certain events that our night owl friends partake in, if only it were when the sun was still shining and our energy levels were still high. We’re fun, we promise. But once the PJs are on…there’s just no going back, ya know?

Fear not, morning people. We have a new champion. And her name is Jamie Lee Curtis.

Curtis recently made headlines as an early-to-bed advocate after declining an invite to an Oscar’s nominee dinner at 7:30 p.m. The “Halloween” star earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.” This might have been her first Oscar nomination ever, but that doesn’t change the fact that “mommy goes to bed early.”

Speaking with Today (in jammies, no less) Curtis said, “I love the morning. I love the idea that I control the universe in the morning,” noting that her usual wake-up time is 4 a.m. Conversely, she noted, “Nothing good happens to me after 9 o’clock.”

While on the red carpet for the Film Independent Spirit Awards, Curtis took her sentiment a step further.

“I am going to just say this now as a taunt and as a suggestion,” she began, before challenging bands like U2 and Coldplay to offer matinees.

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“What about a 12 noon concert, Coldplay? What about it?!” she quipped.

Getting more riled up, she even called out The Boss.

“Bruce Springsteen, do a f**king matinee. You’re old! Why wouldn’t you let me come see you, Bruce Springsteen, in your glory days—pun intended—and do it at noon or 1 o’clock?”

Even settling for the wee hours of 2 p.m., New York theatre’s matinee time, Curtis agreed that “I will come and hear your five-hour concert, Bruce, at 2 o’clock, and I’m gonna be home and in bed by 7:30.”

Early risers of all walks of life couldn’t agree more.

“Yess!! I’m all about that vieja life, we need earlier concerts! Haha 🔥🙌😂,” one person commented

Another added “I’m not a boomer, but I am at a point in my life that I would not mind this at all…👏👏👏😂”

Morning people, you are seen. This is a trend that needs to be manifested. Here’s to living life to the fullest…at least until bedtime!