Month: July 2023

Robert Downey Jr. has been in the film business for a very long time — since he was five, when he acted in his dad’s 1970 comedy Pound. It’s been a sometimes rocky road, but the last 15 years have been especially good to him, thanks in part to hooking up with Marvel. In a new interview with The New York Times, he gets particularly reflective — in at least one case surprisingly so.

During the interview (in a bit teased out by Deadline), Downey — who in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer plays one of our quasi-hero’s foes — named the “two most important films I’ve done in the last 25 years.” Shockingly, neither one was Iron Man, the movie that not only gave him a comeback but made him bigger than he’d ever been. But judging by what he picked, “important” to him is more about what they meant for his career than about quality.

The first is The Shaggy Dog, Disney’s 2006 remake of their 1959 semi-classic, which starred Tim Allen, with Downey second-billed. Why is the Shaggy Dog remake so important to him? Because, he said, “that was the film that got Disney saying they would insure me.” (The actor had a long history of drug and law enforcement issues, which had cost him jobs because he was uninsurable.)

The second is Dolittle, which was, as he put it, “two-and-a-half-year wound of squandered opportunity.” He admits, after bidding adieu to Tony Stark with Avengers: Endgame, he “hastily” went into what he thought could be “another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise.” Even then he wasn’t entirely cocksure about it.

“I had some reservations,” Downey confessed. “Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited enough about the merits of the execution. But at that point I was bulletproof. I was the guru of all genre movies.”

Clearly the massive failure of Dolittle earned Downey a life lesson. He describes Oppenheimer — in which he plays Lewis Strauss, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Chair who went after the “father of the atomic bomb” in the mid-‘50s over his past dalliances with communism — as a “demarcation line” over what kinds of movies he’ll do post-Marvel. Unlike with Dolittle, he knew, with Nolan, he was in “capable hands.”

Despite all this, he still should have made one of them Zodiac.

You can see the fruits of Downey’s labors when the super-sexy Oppenheimer opens on July 21 — the same day you may be one of the tens of thousands also seeing Barbie the same day.

(Via NYT and Deadline)

If you have ADHD or know someone who does then you’re probably aware that living with the disorder can be a bit debilitating at times. Important dates get missed, there feels like a constant state of disorganization and unfortunately forgetfulness can extend to forgetting the existence of entire people. But sometimes having ADHD feels like a fun superpower when you’re suddenly hyper-focused on the correct thing that needs to be done.

It’s also something that presents differently in different people but there are some common threads that every person with ADHD can relate to. That’s what makes this song Brave Dave made and uploaded to TikTok such a banger. The TikTok creator managed to take a tune most Millennials are familiar with from the cartoon “Animaniacs” and change the lyrics to perfectly encapsulate ADHD symptoms.

The song is impressive in general because if you’re familiar with Yacko, Wacko and Dot, then you know they talk and sing at a pace seemingly inhuman.

Brave Dave seems to have no issues keeping pace with the fast tongue twisting nature of the song, even with the new lyrics it seems near impossible to sing. But Dave masters it and has united ADHDers across the globe…well, at least the ones in his TikTok comments.

“I need this on my phone to listen to randomly throughout the day when I remember it exists,” one person says.

“I’ll just show this to my doctor,” another person writes.

“I have now listened to this 15 times…. Just chasing the serotonin,” someone else says.

“This was FANTASTIC. Such a fun, spot-on description of the realities of ADHD. Thanks for your creativity and for posting,” another commenter writes.

Without further delay, you too can get your dopamine hit from the increasing speed of the song as it goes on. Check the video out below.

@brave.dave

just a throwback to a little ditty I forgot I made 😂 #adhd #adhdtok #adhdtiktok #humor #song

A man tried to rob a nail salon in Atlanta, Georgia. However, surveillance footage shows that things didn’t go at all like he had planned. But you know what they say: one robber’s tragedy is the internet’s comedy.

The video itself is short and sweet. The man walks in and yells, “Get down! Give me all your money!” to the customers. But did the customers budge? No. Not even a little bit. Even the workers go on about their business. Maybe there’s a language barrier, or maybe it’s obvious the guy doesn’t actually have a gun. Either way, they remain shamelessly unfazed.

Realizing he’s already lost the fight, the robber walks out empty handed (well, save for one snatched up iPhone…so not a total wash, right?) and it wasn’t long before the failed attempt began making rounds across news stations and social media.

Sure, there’s something serious to be said here about how badly this could have gone and how it is normally safest to comply when a robber asks for your belongings. But since no actual harm was done (other than to the robber’s ego, perhaps) people couldn’t help but joke about how ridiculous the situation was.

Here are some greatest hits from the comments on YouTube:

“‘No one was hurt.’ I guarantee the robber’s feelings were hurt.’”

“The true definition of ‘attempted’ robbery.”

“I didn’t know I would feel bad for a robber.”

“They didn’t even take their feet out of the pedicure water for this foolishness.”

“He got third degree burns from those people.”

“If you live in Atlanta long enough you start to lose your fear of death.”

“Well, that’s ONE way to stand up to a criminal.”

And perhaps the greatest comment of all: “A nail salon filled with overwhelmed moms just getting some ‘me’ time. What he was doing was bad behavior and they are like ‘whatever you have nothing on my 2-year-old.’” So. Very. True.

While this failed robbery attempt might not make us feel great about humanity, only a month ago a different robbery attempt had a much more touching ending when the situation was de-escalated simply by giving the robber a hug.

It just goes to show that human beings are a complex bunch, capable of both great compassion and great cruelty. So when things could have gone way, way worse, perhaps the best thing we can do is simply give ourselves a good laugh. It’s a way of thanking our lucky stars that crisis was avoided for another day.

Back during the 90s things were just more simple in video games. Back before AAA budgets, cutscenes, and cinematic storytelling dominated the market we saw a lot more games that were unashamedly a video game first. This level of self-awareness allowed to developers not only be silly but try out new things, especially when they got their hands on an established license. This is how we got such weird and….delightful(?) games such as Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City, Pepsiman, and Street Fighter: The Movie arcade.

So when I saw a video today of someone recreating Whose Line is it Anyway? but as a fighting game for the SNES, I did not recoil in horror, but instead let out a gleeful shout because this was the exact kind of nostalgia I wanted it to be. The intro screen, the character select screen, the oddly good character models with poor everything else, it was beautiful and put me right back in 1998.

All I can think after watching this is how much I want it to be a real thing, but exactly like this. Nobody should make a modern version of a Whose Line fighting game, they can play Street Fighter VI instead, but they should absolutely make one that would fit perfectly on the Super Nintendo. Since no developer in the world is going to do this, and the creators of Whose Line would probably never share their license for this, that means it’s up to the fans. Someone, make our dreams come true and let Wayne Brady fight Drew Carey in a bad video game.

Post Malone is living his rock star life on the road, with his If Y’all Weren’t Here, I’d Be Crying Tour making stops across North America. While fans enjoy the “Mourning” rapper’s sold-out shows, the real party might actually be taking place backstage. In a video posted to Twitter, Post Malone and Militarie Gun’s frontman Ian Shelton had an epic impromptu performance of the band’s breakout song “Do It Faster.”

In the video, the pair screamed the lyrics “Push me up, push me ou-out / Waste my time, waste my life /As I sit and wait for you /I don’t see, when it’s up to me / Why I got to be your stooge.””As they did, things momentarily became too lively, as they began to spill the beverage out of Shelton’s cup. But neither were fazed as they continued singing.

After the clip went live, fans of the group demanded a future collaboration from the musicians. One flat-out asked, “Collab when?”

Another is hoping for a full hardcore project from Post Malone, writing, “The video of him screaming on stage and now this! When will post malone release his hardcore album.”

Malone recently shared that new music is on the way. On Instagram, he told his fans, “I’ve spent a bit in the studio lately working on new music, and I am so excited to share it with you, thank you for your patience and support y’all. You make my heartbeat. I just wanted to say hi, and hopefully, I’ll be posting more on here. My brain is in a super dope place, and I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time.”

Veteran center Andre Drummond recently exercised a player option to remain with the Chicago Bulls for the 2023-24 season. Drummond just completed his 11th season in the NBA and, after two All-Star appearances and four rebounding titles, the 29-year-old has settled into a complementary role as a valued backup center in the league.

With that as the backdrop, Drummond recently spoke to and coached a group of young players with an overarching message of consistency. It was captured on video with a motivational bent.

“To be pouting on the bench, making faces, not cheering your f***ing teammates on when we’re down 8 the entire game, come back and go up by 3, and you’re not celebrating that,” Drummond said. “I’m gonna tell you something. Fellas, I was that guy. I was a $100 million guy. I was pouting. I was upset when I wasn’t playing. And I had a bad attitude. I went from $100 million to a f***ing league minimum… They don’t care how many rebounds you get. How many threes you make. They care about you being as a person. Are you a good teammate? Are you a good locker room guy? Are you someone they can count on each and every night?”

Drummond can speak with clear authority here, and he acknowledged that he was using his personal experience as a player who was formerly making top-tier money before finding himself unwanted by teams outside of being a minimum player, largely due to his effort and attitude rather than his skill. This is a valuable message to players of any age, but especially for young players entering the next phase of their careers at any level. Drummond clearly hopes they can learn from his mistakes so they don’t have to go through what he did in being humbled by the business of the NBA.

The Detroit Pistons entered this offseason with a ton of open cap space, but ended up being very quiet on the free agent market. Instead, they used that space to acquire veterans on expiring deals in trades from other teams, with Joe Harris and Monte Morris joining the Detroit backcourt for next season.

It’s a patient approach from a franchise that just bottomed out this past year and is looking to make some strides next year, but also provide an environment for their young players to grow as players (just with some better veteran talent around them). For a team like the Pistons, seeing what they have is important, as they have some decisions to make going forward regarding who to pay and extend.

On Monday, they made the first of those decisions, agreeing to a 4-year, $64 million extension with big man Isaiah Stewart.

Stewart averaged 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in 50 appearances last season for the Pistons, putting forth his most productive season, even if his efficiency waned as he learned how to split time between center and power forward (something he hadn’t had to do previously). It’s clear Detroit believes in Stewart as part of their frontcourt of the future, but it is an interesting extension given there’s a bit of a logjam inside for the Pistons. Marvin Bagley III has two years and $25 million left on his deal, while James Wiseman and Jalen Duren are both still on their rookie deals. How those pieces all fit together is a big question for next year in Detroit, but Stewart’s position seems pretty assured long-term.

Helping Stewart’s cause is that he’s the beneficiary of a very light payroll in Detroit next year ($71 million committed prior to this extension). They’ll need to hit the salary floor next year somehow, and Stewart bumping up to $16 million per year will help. We’ll have to wait to see if there are any options or non-guarantees, but for now it seems like a full 4/64, per Woj’s full story on the deal.

The 2020 election wasn’t great for Donald Trump, who’s faced an avalanche of legal headaches ever since. But it also wasn’t for Fox News, who aired a lot of his and his cronies’ election fraud nonsense — and, unlike Trump, have already paid the price. Earlier this year they settled with Dominion Voting Systems for a fortune over the airing of conspiracy theories by the likes of Tucker Carlson, who they subsequently fired. But that might not be the end of their Tucker-related legal woes.

As per The New York Times, lawyers representing one Ray Epps, a two-time Trump voter repeatedly smeared by Carlson on his then-Fox News show, are reportedly moving ahead with a defamation lawsuit against the network.

“We informed Fox in March that if they did not issue a formal on-air apology that we would pursue all available avenues to protect the Eppses’ rights,” said Michael Teter, one of Epps’ lawyers. Since they’ve done no such thing, Teter says, “That remains our intent.”

Epps was present the day of the Jan. 6 riot, taking part in demonstrations, even leading a charge to march to and enter the Capitol building. Later video, though, shows him pleading with the whipped-up crowd to calm down and turn back. Epps met with federal agents to discuss his role that day, but he, like many who were outside the Capitol but didn’t go inside, were not charged. He could, though, still be charged.

But Epps wound up being singled out by conspiracy theorists, claiming he was a secret government agent. Carlson, who as recently as last week was still calling the Jan. 6 siege an inside job and that the crowd that day was “filled with federal agents,” mentioned Epps in nearly 20 episodes. His actions caused Epps and his wife to flee their home in Arizona and sell their wedding venue business and ranch after a flurry of death threats.

First Amendment experts told NYT that Epps has a “viable” case against Fox News, one that’s similar to Dominion’s lawsuit, which ended with Fox News forking over $787 million. On top of that, the network still has to worry about that $2.7 billion suit from Smartmatic, another voting technology company.

Epps’ potential lawsuit is not a slam dunk. His legal team has to prove that by being defamed his reputation is in tatters. The people who don’t like him are mostly Jan. 6 criminals and those who sympathize with them. But it could also force Fox News to fork over more damning intel that may show they knew the Epps story was bunk — and we know the kind of stuff that happened the last time the network had to provide that kind of dirt.

In the meantime, you can watch Epps’ appearance on 60 Minutes from two months back below.

(Via NYT)

One of the most joyous parts of childhood is hanging out with friends. But friendship isn’t just about having a good time. These relationships give kids a sense of belonging, self-esteem and help them develop vital social skills.

That’s why it’s devastating for kids to be ostracized and bullied by their peers.

A young boy named Shayden in Amarillo, Texas, was so in need of friends that he went door to door to try to find some his age. He stopped by Brennan and Angel Ray’s home, and the interaction was caught on their doorbell camera.

“I just wanted to see if you knew any kids around, like, 11 or 12, maybe, because I need some friends. Really bad,” Shayden told Brennan through the doorbell camera. Unfortunately, they don’t have any kids Shayden’s age, so Brennan tried to redirect him to another house on the block. “Well, um, they’re not my friends anymore because they’re bullies to me,” Shayden admitted.

After learning that the Ray family only has a 2-year-old daughter, Shayden replied: “They’re just like the most cutest things I have ever known.”

@brennanray

Its takes 2 seconds to make someones day, you never know what people are going through until you get a chance to talk to them. This young man is well mannered, kind, and brave. So tiktok can we help shayden make some friends???#fyp #bekind #nobullying #love #kindness #letschangetheworld

The fact that Shayden had to knock on doors to find someone his age to play with is an unfortunate thing to watch.”

“He is like my younger brother. I hope he finds some true friends and that he doesn’t continue to get bullied, no one should get bullied,” Tiktok user krive’s girlfriend commented on the post.

“Awww, this breaks my heart, I was bullied all through school, and I was miserable all the time. Poor kid. I hope life gets better for him,” Shayne Moss added.

The video went mega-viral on TikTok, receiving over 67 million views. So the Rays used their notoriety to help their new friend by creating a GoFundMe to help Shayden and his family.

“We are raising money to help buy him a gaming system, school clothes and hopefully some amusement park tickets and anything else he may want or need,” the Ray family wrote on GoFundMe. “100% of the donations will be given directly to Shayden and his family, he may raise enough to take a family trip. Let’s continue to show kindness to Shayden, and raise awareness for bullying and suicide prevention!”

@brennanray

We finally got to meet Shayden! He had the same energy in person as he did over the doorbell camera. A pure bundle of joy. We have exciting news for yall coming soon, stay tuned! 💪🏽💪🏽 #fyp #shaydenstrong #kind #happy #sweetkid

The Ray family paid a visit to Shayden’s family, and in a follow-up video, they saw his rock collection and some funny videos he loves watching online.

“We finally got to meet Shayden!” the Ray family wrote on TikTok. “He had the same energy in person as he did over the doorbell camera. A pure bundle of joy.”

While it’s depressing to see that Shayden had to go to such lengths to find a new friend, it’s beautiful to see how the public reacted to the story and did what they could to bring some joy into him and his family’s life. Even though Shayden may have trouble making friends right now, the outpouring he’s received should let him know that he is loved and that there are many great people in this world who can’t wait to meet him.

Everyone needs a good pep talk every now and then. That goes for doggos too. Perhaps especially for doggos who get an unfair bad rep.

A proud pit bull mama named Tiffney Ross recently went viral for the motivational speech she gave to her pup (whose name appears to be Dior, according to previous videos) just before heading out to doggy day care.

“Listen, before we leave, we gotta have that talk, okay?” Ross warns Dior, who is all smiles and tail wags.

“Listen, before we leave, we gotta have that talk, okay?” Ross warns Dior, who is all smiles and tail wags.

“You a pit bull. Which means people are gonna label you a monster the minute you walk out the door,” Ross continues. “You can’t be out on these streets actin’ a fool like these chihuahuas, cause you don’t get no second chances. You always gotta be on your best behavior and I know that’s hard, okay?”

Ross then tells Dior that even though people might carry the false belief that she is born dangerous and avoid her out of fear, she cannot control the “ignorance” of others. All she can do is her best, “be humble and hold her head up high,” and know that she is “the most amazing dog in the whole entire world.”

Just before instructing Dior to grab her things to head out, Ross says,” I will do everything in my power to make sure that you make it to your third birthday, okay? Mamma loves you.”

@tiffneys.ross Have to have that talk with my baby🥰🥰 #bully #fypchallenge ♬ original sound – Kenisha bell

Viewers were quick to comment on how Ross’ video appeared to have a double meaning, noting how many Black mothers have to bestow this kind of pep talk upon their sons. Pitbull discrimination has become a metaphor for the bias against Black males in the United States, even having similar language associations. As actor Michael B. Jordan famously worded it: “Black males, we are America’s pit bull. We’re labeled vicious, inhumane, and left to die on the street.”

In her book “Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon” author Bronwen Dickey traces back how closely linked the two really are, explaining how in the 70s Latino and Black communities in poorer urban areas came to rely on pit bulls since they were a more affordable breed. As the 80s brought about constant news stories depicting Latino and Black men as “thugs,” pit bulls were vilified right along with them.

Fortunately, pit bulls are slowly but surely being released from their bad reputation, thanks to relentless advocates fighting to show just how sweet, friendly and even keeled they actually are. Not to mention goofy as heck.

And I mean, if there’s any doubt as to their innocence…just watch Dior. That is the face of a furry angel.

Be it humans or animals, made-up biases are harmful. But having someone in your corner can make all the difference.