Month: June 2023

Dish soap is one of those things that you have to buy even if you have a dishwasher. Sometimes pots need to soak or you only need to wash out a bowl and spoon for a late-night snack. Either way, there’s no real getting around buying dish soap, and there’s nothing more frustrating than using soap that has the consistency of water, or worse, leaves your dishes greasy.

Nothing makes me want to throw dishes in the trash faster than grabbing a “clean” dish from the dish rack and feeling that familiar slimy film slip across your fingertips. That’s it. Paper plates for all eternity. But why does that happen and what does dish soap actually do? Once again, Melissa Pateras, the queen of “laundry-tok,” has an answer and it’s fascinating.

In this particular video, she brought along two friends to help her explain what the deal is with dish soap—a disembodied Ken and Barbie doll glued to two different bottles of dish soap.

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Ken is Palmolive and Barbie’s head and extremities are attached to the bottle of Dawn. Pateras uses the dolls to explain that the difference between dish soaps is usually the surfactants. (I think it’s a safe guess that most people aren’t thinking about surfactants when shopping.)

“Think about Dawn as Barbie and Ken as Palmolive. Now think about surfactants as outfits. Barbie has a huge wardrobe of outfits and accessories, whereas Ken only has a few, mostly just the same in different colors,” Pateras says while holding the two bottles. “Now, if Ken is all you have to play with, he’s fine, but he’s never anybody’s first choice.”

@melissadilkespateras

What soap would you choose #dishes #dawn #compare #barbie

She explains that while Ken can do things, Barbie has had over 80 careers and has adapted over the years, while Ken has essentially stayed the same. Obviously, we’re still discussing dish soap, but the visual and descriptive explanation helps bring the point around before she does a test with both soaps to demonstrate how the surfactants work.

“I understand surfactant so much better now. Thank you,” one commenter wrote.

“I loved this!!!! And I learned something,” another person said.

One thought she should be compensated by Dawn for her demonstration, writing, “Melissa I stg if Dawn doesn’t pay you for this…”

Through her demonstrations, there’s a clear better choice, and it’s Dawn. Now whether the dish soap giant will send Pateras a check for her entertaining and informative video is yet to be determined, but maybe she’ll get a few free bottles of the good stuff.

Americans are waiting longer to have children than they ever have in history. Since 2007, the birth rate for women in their 20s has fallen by 28%. Over the past three decades, the median age for women giving birth has jumped from 27 to 30.

“The story here is about young women, whose births are plummeting,” Caitlin Myers, an economist at Middlebury College, told The New York Times. “All of a sudden, in the last 10 years, there’s this tremendous transformation.”

There are many reasons for the change in the birth rate. Women are dedicating more of their time and energy to building their careers and putting off having children. Further, the cost of living and raising children makes it prohibitive for younger people to have kids.

A poll taken earlier this year found that more than 50% of 18 to 34-year-olds said they would consider having children if the cost of living was lower.

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Actor Chris Pratt, star of two of the summer’s biggest hits, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” thinks that people should push back against the trend of waiting until later in life to have kids. He says he got the idea from fellow actor and father, Adam Sandler.

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Pratt has three children—Jack, 10, whom he had with his first wife, Anna Faris, and Lyla Maria, 2, and Eloise Christina, 1, from his second marriage to Katherine Schwarzenegger. The couple tied the knot in 2019.

“People say all the time, ‘Don’t rush to have kids.’ I personally disagree,” Pratt told Men’s Journal. “Rush. Have them. Of course, make sure you find a great partner but don’t wait.”

“I was talking to Adam Sandler a while back, and he said, ‘Every day you wait is a day they don’t get to have you in their life,’” he continued. “The younger you have kids, the more time they get to have with you. It’s wild. Having kids is incredible. The things you normally take for granted in life are new.”

Sandler, 56, has two daughters Sadie, 17, and Sunny, 14.

“As they grow up, it becomes more about connecting with them as individuals and what makes them unique,” Pratt continued. “The softness of their hearts. How their minds work. How they’re the same as you. How they’re different.”

Sandler and Pratt have a point. The earlier you have kids, the more time you can spend with them. You will also share the years when you are healthier and more energetic. When many people think about the time in their lives they spend with their kids, they only consider when they are young and living at home. But the adult parent-child relationship can also be very meaningful.

As a parent, having more years with your child also means you’ll have more time with your grandchildren as well.

However great the advice sounds, Sandler and Pratt are both very successful actors, and they probably don’t have the same concerns about having the means to raise children that most parents do. So, it’s a little easier for them to believe that people should have children while they’re younger instead of waiting until they are more financially stable.

But that being said, most parents would probably agree that they hope to spend as many years with their children and grandchildren as possible.

Nikola Jokic is an NBA champion for the first time in his career, delivering one of the great playoff runs in NBA history on his way to a Finals MVP and Denver’s first ever NBA championship.

However, after the game the celebration from Jokic was fairly muted. He was clearly happy about winning the title, but it seemed as much a relief that the season was over as much as it was jubilation to be a champion. In his walk-off interview, he responded to Lisa Salters‘ question about how it feels to be a champion “the job is done, we can go home now.”

He was apparently not joking about his plans to immediately head back to Serbia, where he spends his offseasons with his horses, family, and friends (I believe in that order). In his postgame interview at the podium, Jokic was informed that the Nuggets championship parade is not until Thursday and he looked like a man who just found out he has to change some non-refundable travel plans — “No, I have to go home.”

This is the face of a man who spent his whole weekend telling himself Monday was his last day of work for the whole summer if he got the job done, only to learn after taking business that he can’t leave until Friday. The reason? You guessed it, his horse is racing on Sunday.

Adding to Jokic’s tough night of revelations at the podium was him trying to see if Novak Djokovic text him to congratulate him, only to see his phone blowing up and tossing it aside in disgust.

Jokic’s postgame celebration wasn’t all looking gloomy at the fact that he still has to work or respond to a bunch of texts, as he did tackle Jamal Murray into the pool in the training room, looking very happy about it all.

The second season of All-American: Homecoming came to a close earlier this year and it was unknown if the show would be renewed for a third season. The question was left unanswered for some time by its home channel CW as it was lumped in with two other shows that were under review for season renewals. “We’re still looking at those analyzing these shows… and looking at our budgets in 2024,” Brad Schwartz, President of Entertainment at The CW, said about All American: Homecoming as well as Superman & Lois and Gotham Knights. Nearly a month after that statement was given, we finally have an answer for All-American: Homecoming season three.

Will There Be A Season 3 Of All-American: Homecoming?

At long last, All-American: Homecoming was officially renewed for a third season by CW. The show was renewed for another season alongside Superman & Lois. “We are thrilled to bring All American: Homecoming and Superman & Lois back to The CW,” Schwartz said about the renewals according to Deadline. “These series are two of our strongest performers across our linear and digital platforms with some of the most passionate fanbases in all of television. We are grateful to our partners at Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions for their continued collaboration, and we cannot wait to get started on the new seasons.”

Though the renewal is good news, it does come with some bad news. Season three of All-American: Homecoming will only have 13 episodes, a decrease from season two’s total of 20. There will also be some cast reductions that could include series regulars as well as supporting roles.

The season three renewal of All-American: Homecoming joins All-American in the renewal realm as that show was given the green light for season six.

All American: Homecoming’ season 2 is now available to stream on Netflix.

It’s been more than three years since Kiana Ledé gifted the world with a full-length project. That last body of work was her 2020 debut Kiki which was certainly one of the better R&B albums of that year. Since then, Ledé has taken on the ups and downs of life, love, and everything in between and it’s led to the upcoming release of her sophomore album Grudges. The project is just days away from becoming available to fans who have waited years for it, so with that being said, let’s get you up to speed with everything you need to know about it.

Release Date

Grudges is locked in for a release on June 16. It comes three years after Ledé released her debut album Kiki.

Tracklist

Ledé announced the tracklist for Grudges just days before its release. The tracklist goes as follows:

1. “Bitter B*tch” (Introlude)
2. “Irresponsible”
3. “Promise Me”
4. “Gone” Feat. Bryson Tiller
5. “Gemini Slander”
6. “LMK”
7. “Jealous” Feat. Ella Mai
8. “Focus”
9. “Damage”
10. “Too Far”
11. “Deeper”
12. “Grudges” Feat. Kiki & Friends
13. “Deserve”
14. “Same Type”
15. “Where You Go” Feat. Khalid
16. “Closure”
17. “Magic”

Features

Kiana Ledé’s Grudges comes with features from Bryson Tiller (“Gone”), Ella Mai (“Jealous“), and Khalid (“Where You Go”). The album’s self-titled track is listed with a feature from “Kiki & Friends” and based on the tagged names on an Instagram post that Ledé used to announce the tracklist, the “Friends” could be Joyce Wrice, Sinead Harnett, Kyle Dion, and Destin Conrad.

Singles

Ledé has released three singles ahead of Grudges. They are “Irresponsible,” “Jealous” with Ella Mai, and “Deeper.”

Tour

A tour in support of Grudges has yet to be announced, but if we had to guess, you can bet that Ledé will hit the road for Grudges.

More Details

In a cover story interview with Fault Magazine, Ledé shed some light on some aspects of Grudges.

In response to the most “emotionally challenging song” to write on the album:

I would say the most challenging to write was “Deserve.” I had to go back to the time I got raped and process all of the complexities of the situation. I had to choose to forgive myself for some of the choices I made following my rape. Including keeping in contact with the person who did it to seek some sort of closure since I know I wasn’t in a space to seek justice. I realized that putting the blame on myself was more about having control to protect myself. I had to release the grudge I held against myself and really put the blame on him. This song is the closest to revenge I’m gonna get and I am comfortable with that.

In response to the “biggest change” Ledé has felt on this album compared to other projects:

I think this album is just more grown. I have lived more life and processed my experiences from a more mature perspective. (Even though some shit still be toxic – ha.)

Grudges is out 6/16 via Republic Records. Find out more information here.

While much of the sports world was focused on Denver on Monday night, where the Nuggets won their first NBA championship with a 94-89 win over the Miami Heat, Texas and Stanford were playing for a spot in Omaha at the Men’s College World Series.

After splitting the first two games of their super regional in Palo Alto, the two teams still hadn’t separated themselves through 8.2 innings in the third game of the set to decide who would advance. Stanford put runners on first and second with two outs, but Texas was able to get a pop-up that seemed destined to send the game into extra innings.

However, the entire Texas team lost the sky-high pop fly in the lights, watching it fall to the outfield grass in front of the right fielder, who was standing there helpless.

Stanford’s runner on second did his job, running it out until the umpire made the out signal, and to his surprise that hadn’t happened when he got to home plate to score the winning run, taking off as his teammates chased him to celebrate their trip to Omaha. It is an all-time thrill of victory/agony of defeat moments, as Texas’ entire team seemed to be in shock, all collapsing to their knees trying to process how that was how their season ended. It is as brutal a way to go out as there is and just a gutting feeling for the right fielder and everyone else who just flat out lost the ball off the bat and could never find it in the worst possible moment.

Jonathan Wilson creatively pulls from everything around him. Whether he’s working with frequent collaborators such as Father John Misty or making something near and dear to him, such as his song, “There’s A Light,” nothing is left unexplored. On his latest single, “Charlie Parker,” off his forthcoming album Eat The Worm, the multi-instrumentalist channeled the tragic life story of another music legend.

Named after the late jazz pioneer Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, the song explores the saxophonist’s tragic battle with drug and alcohol addiction. Throughout the song, Wilson taps into the darkness addicts cope with at their lowest points.

The second verse is the most piercing, as Wilson sang, “Well I guess I needed cheap thrill and long limousine / I hankered for whiskey and pretty ladies plenty / I hunkered right down, and I passed me around / I fell asleep under a Satanic spell / I wrestled with substance I struggled for fame /, But I came back singing this melody / Yes, I came back whistling a pretty melody / So said melody it will happen now.”

In a statement, Wilson discussed the inspiration behind the song, saying, “‘Charlie Parker’ is one of my favorite songs on Eat the Worm. It’s a fantastical and fictitious flight of fancy and fantasy. It also touches on the ups and downs of my life over the past decade as a touring musician and more. It’s filled with strings, horns, fuzzy guitars, tubular bells, and a few bebop elements as well, hence the name. In a way, ‘Charlie Parker’ encompasses what the new record is all about adventure, fidelity, and fun.”

Listen to the full track above. Check out Eat The Worm’s tracklist below.

1. “Marzipan”
2. “Bonamossa”
3. “Ol’ Father Time”
4. “Hollywood Vape”
5. “The Village Is Dead”
6. “Wim Hof”
7. “Lo And Behold”
8. “Charlie Parker”
9. “Hey Love”
10. “Stud Ram” (vinyl exclusive)
11. “B.F.F.”
12. “East LA”
13. “Ridin’ In A Jag”

Eat The Worm is out 9/8 via BMG. Find more information here.

For the first time in NBA history, the Denver Nuggets have earned the right to be called champions. Despite trailing at halftime against the Miami Heat on Monday night at Ball Arena, the Nuggets were able to rally in the second half and pick up a 94-89 win in Game 5 to secure the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Unsurprisingly, Nikola Jokic had a masterful game to cap off one of the best postseason runs we’ve ever seen en route to being named NBA Finals MVP, scoring 28 points on 12-for-16 shooting from the field with 16 points and four assists in 42 minutes of work. His reaction to this triumph in the immediate aftermath was rather muted, but that wasn’t the case for his two older brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, who have become fixtures at his games over the years.

Those two famously very large dudes were pretty pumped after the game, and they celebrated by doing what anyone would do in this situation: Picking up their brother’s boss and joyously throwing him in the air.

Was there also an attempt at picking up the two-time NBA MVP? You bet.

Anyway, back to that first video, just look at how happy Michael Malone is at all of this! He’s having the time of his life. This is, truly, what sports are all about.

The Denver Nuggets won their first NBA championship in franchise history on Monday night, beating the Miami Heat 94-89 in a gritty, sloppy, but thrilling Game 5.

It was the crowning moment for Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and company, who shook off questions of their postseason viability in a thoroughly dominant postseason run that saw them drop just four games en route to a championship. It was also the third championship win in two years for the franchise’s owner, Stan Kroenke, as he also owns the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Rams. As such, you would think Kroenke would know how the trophy presentation interview works.

You would be wrong, as Kroenke for reasons unbeknownst to anyone, did the entire interview speaking directly into Lisa Salters’ ear as she tried her best to hold the microphone in front of him.

It was really weird! So weird, in fact, that ABC cut away from Kroenke talking entirely to show Nikola Jokic and other members of the Nuggets celebrating behind him as he continued to talk directly into Salters’ ear — who should be commended for handling a very awkward situation like a pro. The only thing I can think of is that it was very loud and Kroenke for some reason thought Salters needed to be the one to hear him talk, not the people in the arena or on TV, but even so it was very uncomfortable.

You can also rest assured that the screenshot of that moment will immediately become a new mansplaining meme, as Salters tried her best to hold her composure as he talked directly into her ear.

On Monday night, the Denver Nuggets came back from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat the Miami Heat, 94-89, and earn the franchise’s first NBA title.

As usual with this iteration of the Nuggets, superstar center Nikola Jokic was at the heart of it all — he wrapped up Game 5 with 28 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, and one block. As a result, Jokic earned Finals MVP for his sensational efforts this series.

Shortly after the game, Jokic spoke with ESPN’s Lisa Salters, who asked him how it feels to be an NBA champion. Jokic, deadpanned and sincere, responded in quintessential Jokic fashion.

“It’s good, it’s good,” he said. “The job is done, we can go home now.”

Jokic is a brilliant basketball player. Not only he is the league’s best player, but he’s already among the all-time greats. Despite that, Jokic often seems to consider this sport is a hobby he happens to excel at during media appearances. His disposition minutes removed from notching the NBA’s crowning achievement is yet another example of that.

Denver and Jokic have now put a bow on a dominant season, capped off by an otherworldly playoff run. They led the West almost the entire year, rampaged through the conference to make the Finals and went 16-4 in the postseason. And now, Jokic is simply ready to go home. The job is done.