Month: October 2023

Is there a perfect time of year to get pregnant? One that avoids having to skip even looking at holiday foods for fear of stirring up morning sickness? That offers a stress-free wardrobe transition? Makes swollen feet, frequent urges to pee, and relentless heartburn somehow more bearable?

According to one mom—the answer is yes.

In fact, this month not only makes pregnancy a cakewalk, it even gives parents a kid with the best astrological sign, if you’re into that sort of thing.

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In a now-viral post, mom and content creator Love Frances Chie claims this magical window of opportunity exists only between “the end of July or the month of August.”

She of course is speaking from experience.

“I was lucky enough to have this with my first, and it was the best,” she boasts in the clip.

For one thing, Chie attests that with a Late July/August conception, morning sickness should be over just in time for the holiday season. “That means you’ll be feeling good and ready to chow down on Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

(It goes without saying that this isn’t always the case, especially for moms who suffer from HG. But generally speaking, nausea wanes around month four, according to Mount Sinai)

@lovefranceschiee Replying to @Olivia Best time to get pregnant ✅ nothing tops it, prove me wrong 😌👌🏽 | #greenscreen #pregnant #pregnancy #pregnanttiktok #firsttimemom #momsoftiktok #fypage ♬ original sound – Love Frances Chie 💕

Second, beginning a pregnancy in late summer means more time in comfy, cozy, easily stretchy clothes.

“Seven of your months will be spent in the cold weather so you get to wear oversized sweaters, hoodies and sweatpants, and be comfy. Also, since it’s cold you’re not missing out on a thing,” she says. Honestly, great point.

Lastly, having a spring baby might help with postpartum, offering new moms more opportunities to get out and get some fresh air throughout the summer, Chie notes.

Plus, moms could be “lucky enough” to bring a Taurus into this world, which Chie calls the “best sign.” They are known to be reliable and down-to-earth, both good things!

Chie invited other parents to challenge her opinion on what month is best for getting pregnant, and it wasn’t long before thousands chimed in.

Some wholeheartedly agreed. One viewer wrote. “Hell yeah pregnant in July and due in April 🥰🥰”

Another added, “I CAN CONFIRM THIS. My 2nd was end of April and THE BEST PREGNANCY & PostPartum! Enjoyed Summer & she was walking by next Summer(1yr)AMAZING!”

Others weren’t so convinced.

One viewer argued the winter was actually the best time, writing “end of December! you’ll have a September baby and still have good weather on birthdays. and you can snuggle with your baby in the cold months 💕

Another felt like the end of spring, not summer, was best. “I would say end of March/April. Cute bump summertime, jumpers in autumn, Birth at Christmas (I’m due 19th), off work until Jan 2025. 👌🏼” they commented.

One person even joked that Chie’s proposed conception season is a no-go as it risks giving birth to a “Gemini baby.” The astrology bias is real, y’all.

And while these varying opinions might make for a fun discussion, Chie’s did conclude her video with the caveat that “every baby is a blessing, no matter when they are conceived, and we should all feel very blessed that we were able to bring forth life.”

I think, no matter what conception month or sun sign we think is best, that we can all agree on that.

And just for fun: if you want to hear Chie’s “worst months” for getting pregnant, you can find them here.

As the reviews for Loki Season 2 continue to drop, there’s an overwhelming issue that repeatedly pops up: Jonathan Majors.

Shortly after the premiere of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where the actor made his full debut as the MCU’s next big bad Kang the Conqueror, Majors was arrested on assault charges that brought his skyrocketing career to a screeching halt. However, Majors still appears in Loki Season 2, and according to reviews, his presence is much more prominent than Marvel has revealed.

In a new interview with Variety, Loki executive producer Kevin Wright opened up about why Majors is still in the new season despite facing assault charges. According to Wright, Loki Season 2 is the first time that Marvel shot a series that didn’t require additional photography and had every thing locked by the end of 2022. Months before Majors’ arrest.

“We went out there with a very specific idea of what we wanted this to be, and we found a way to tell it in that production period,” Wright said. “It’s very much what’s on screen on Disney+.”

As for why Marvel didn’t reshoot scenes following Majors’ arrest, Wright said that would’ve been “hasty” given Majors has yet to stand trial. (As of this writing, his next court date is October 25.)

“I know as much as you do at the moment,” Wright told Variety. “It felt hasty to do anything without knowing how all of this plays out.”

However, that decision has led to Majors’ awkward presence being noted in reviews for Loki Season 2.

“Majors is in this second season of Loki so much (at least through the first four episodes I saw) that it would be impossible to just take him out,” Mike Ryan wrote for Uproxx. “His imagery as Kang is everywhere. My best guess is Marvel just decided, well, here it is, and fully expect a bunch of pieces like this one to come out since it’s the first time we are seeing Majors in literally anything since his March arrest.”

“To say he’s a distraction would be an understatement, considering the role’s prominence in ‘Loki’ and its impact on the MCU’s future,” IndieWire‘s Ben Travers wrote. “Majors’ talents are undeniable, and he’s mercifully disarmed here — more comic relief than terrorizing villain — but it’s hard to kick back and enjoy his frenzied energy or stilted intonations when you know the monstrous accusations levied against the man in real life.”

Loki Season 2 premieres October 5 on Disney+.

(Via Variety)

While many popular shows are often found on your run-of-the-mill streamers like Hulu or Netflix, the real stars of the world are all found in one place: The Food Network. Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, and the Mayor of Flavortown himself, Guy Fieri, are just a few of the iconic alums of the network. The Food Network is where people go when they are artists. So Selena Gomez is making the trek over to the cable network for a fun holiday special of her wildly popular series, Selena + Chef, and this move just makes sense.

Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays will debut on The Food Network on November 30th (for those of us who don’t have cable, you can also stream it on Max, thankfully). “The holidays have always meant so much to me. It was an honor to have these amazing chefs in my kitchen to introduce some of their favorite foods and what makes the holidays special for them,” Gomez said, via Deadline. The amateur cook is bringing on real-life chefs Eric Adjepong, Alex Guarnaschelli, Michael Symon, and Claudette Zepeda on board for the special.

Season four of Selena + Chef premiered last summer, and while no updates have been made regarding an upcoming season, many fans were speculating that the series was gone for good after Max went on a show-canceling spree. It seems like they are appeasing the fans with the holiday specials which is just as nice!

This is just one of the many various hobbies that Gomez has, in addition to starring in Only Murders In The Building, releasing catchy pop tracks, and being BFFs with Taylor Swift, which we all know is a full-time job. How does she find the time?!

(Deadline)

If this past Friday’s release of Latto’s new single “Issa Party” was your first time being exposed to Baby Drill, you might just be wondering who the young Atlanta rapper is and how he’s connected to the former Uproxx cover star. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here’s what you need to know about Baby Drill.

At just 22 years old, Baby Drill — whose real name is DelQuristo Wilson according to independent Atlanta courtroom reporter George Chidi — has already had a full life. Baby Drill had been accused last year of murder and violations of Georgia’s controversial RICO law, which has recently come under scrutiny for its broad application in the case against Young Thug and YSL. Before that, though, he told Revolt he was sent to boot camp at 15 after catching an armed robbery charge, among others, and pursued a welding certification at Georgia Tech.

However, music and the streets kept calling, and apparently, he’s proven receptive to both (allegedly). Encouraged by fellow rappers and early successes in collaborating with established names such as 21 Savage, G Herbo, and Young Nudy, he’s been pursuing rap with a greater fervor than ever. Now, he’s apparently signed — or at least affiliated — with PDE, Young Nudy’s label (and the accused gang, for which he received those charges last year, since dropped). His connection with Young Nudy is likely the source of his working with Latto; during her Uproxx photo shoot, she insisted that Nudy is currently her favorite rapper from her hometown. The duo has worked together multiple times in Baby Drill’s short time in the business, including on his second mixtape Drill Season.

The appeal in Drill’s music — which is inspired by the migratory mini-genre from which he takes his name — is in its descriptive, unfiltered accounts of street life in Atlanta. Those accounts are also why he’s found himself in hot water with the authorities, and hopefully, he can find the balance between authenticity and offering up evidence. If he can, he could have a long career ahead of him and not a long prison sentence.

Ex-President Trump’s fourth indictment came with a bonus piece of curiosity for non-MAGAs: Would the notoriously fast-food-loving Trump be truthful about his weight? The answer, as people found out quickly, was “nope.” He was allowed to self-report at 6’3″ and 215 pounds, which no one believed because there is an array of pro athletes who handily illustrate those measurements. Who else didn’t buy it?

That would be seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger, who knows a thing or two about physiques and was on hand to discuss his new self-help book, Be Useful. In the above video, Arnold can be heard elaborating on how he threw the mattress of his son, Patrick, out the window. As well, Jimmy Kimmel could not resist broaching the subject after the 6:30 mark above: “You are one of the foremost experts on the male physique, bodybuilding, etc. When you size him up, what would you guess that man weighs?”

Arnold at first declined to name a number but did elaborate on what he could “do for fitness.” Then he made his thoughts fairly clear with this instruction: “Run around yourself three times and you’re going to be in great, great shape.” The FUBAR star then likened the weight lie to climate change denial, and Kimmel pressed the actor to name a number, which led to this: “I think everyone laughs about it because he does not look like he weighs 215 … he’s a little more like 315.”

Struggles with weight are of course nothing to poke fun at in and of themselves, but Trump’s insistence on keeping himself happy with a 100-pound lie is on a whole other level. The late night shows are back, baby.

Doja Cat isn’t the only musician pulling inspiration from the underworld into their music. The lead single for duo Sleater-Kinney’s forthcoming album, Little Rope, takes its name from a rather grim destination. Today, the group announced their project due out at the top of the year with a haunting new video for the lead single, “Hell.”

In the visual co-directed by Ashley Connor and starring Miranda July, the gritty rock track examines the religious pitfall as they sing, “Hell is just a signpost when you take a certain path.” Last year, Sleater-Kinney released the 25th-anniversary edition of their Dig Me Out album. That career reflection could’ve served as the inspiration behind their spooky track.

You can watch the video for “Hell” above. Continue below for the artwork, tracklisting, and Little Rope Tour dates.

Little Rope is out 1/19/2024 via Loma Vista Recordings. Find more information here.

Little Rope Tracklist

1. “Hell”
2. “Needlessly Wild”
3. “Say It Like You Mean It”
4. “Hunt You Down”
5. “Small Finds”
6. “Don’t Feel Right”
7. “Six Mistakes”
8. “Crusader”
9. “Dress Yourself”
10. “Untidy Creature”

Little Rope Tour dates

11/10/2023 – London, UK @ Pitchfork London Roundhouse
11/19/2023 – Mexico City, MX @ Corona Capital
02/28/2024 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
02/29/2024 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
03/01/2024 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
03/02/2024 – Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey Theater
03/04/2024 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
03/05/2024 – Dallas, TX @ Studio at the Factory
03/06/2024 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater
03/08/2024 – New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theater
03/09/2024 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
03/11/2024 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
03/12/2024 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
03/13/2024 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
03/14/2024 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
03/16/2024 – New York, NY @ Racket
03/17/2024 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
03/18/2024 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
03/20/2024 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
03/21/2024 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
03/22/2024 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
03/23/2024 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
03/25/2024 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
03/26/2024 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
03/28/2024 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
03/29/2024 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco
03/30/2024 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
03/31/2024 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
04/02/2024 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
04/03/2024 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
04/04/2024 – Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue
04/05/2024 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom

Sufjan Stevens is set to release his new album, Javelin, in just a few days. Before the record drops on Friday, he has shared another preview with “A Running Start.” Opening with a calming acoustic guitar line, Stevens spins a sweet and emotional tale about love.

“I see the light upon the lake / The silver moon, the water snake / A pair of eyes, a gentle breeze,” he paints the picture. “I know, I know the time has come / To ask you for a kiss / Don’t go, my lovely pantomime / Receive of me my only wish.”

It follows past Javelin releases, including “So You Are Tired” and “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” — tapping into different aspects of feelings.

The indie musician also was in the news, as he is currently in treatment for Guilliain-Barre Syndrome. “It’s a slow process, but they say I will ‘recover,’ it just takes a lot of time, patience, and hard work,” he previously shared on Instagram. “Most people who have GBS learn to walk again on their own within a year, so I am hopeful. I’m only in my second week of rehab but it is going really well and I am working really hard to get back on my feet.”

Check out Sufjan Stevens’ “A Running Start” above.

Javelin is out 10/6 via Asthmatic Kitty. Find more information here.

Damian Lillard is now a Milwaukee Buck after a months long saga this summer that saw him request a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, try to force his way to Miami, and ultimately let other contenders like the Bucks know he would be open to joining them.

While things were very quiet for most of August and September, things started to heat up again over the last two weeks prior to Lillard being traded, with lots of rumblings about other teams getting in the mix outside of Miami, headlined by the Toronto Raptors. There was a very serious push, by all accounts, from Toronto to land the star guard despite the Raptors not being on his list of preferred destinations. That had Lillard a bit on edge as he waited to find out where he’d be moving, and that stress was not helped by a prank from Raptors forward OG Anunoby.

At Bucks media day, Lillard sat down with Chris Haynes and told the story of getting a “Welcome to Toronto” text from Anunoby that had him panicking trying to figure out what was going on, only to find out OG was just messing with him.

Anunoby is known for being extremely stoic, but has a very dry sense of humor and this is an unbelievably funny prank (that I’m sure Dame did not find funny at the time). Not picking up when Dame called and letting that stress drag out a bit longer before calling back and laughing at him is truly incredible, and while Dame was surely sweating, it’s extremely funny in hindsight.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took a big swing last summer when they traded a bunch of picks and some important role players to Utah for Rudy Gobert. His fit with Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt was a bit questionable, but the hope was the 3-time DPOY and the best shooting big man in the league could figure it out on both ends of the floor.

Unfortunately, they never got a chance to spend as much time on court together as hoped, and the results were uneven in the limited action they did get together. As a result, even with a sensational year from Anthony Edwards, the Wolves floundered a bit, ultimately nabbing the 8-seed in the West Play-In before losing to the Nuggets in the first round. This summer has been much quieter in Minnesota, as they’re hoping to benefit from some more continuity and remaining patient until they can see a (hopeful) full season of this group before making any more significant changes. Still, there are some new pieces and additions and we’ll grade out the team’s summer of work as they get set for an important season.

Draft: B

The Timberwolves will need to be creative to add players through the Draft in the coming years given the amount of capital they gave up for Gobert, but they did an excellent job of bringing in some talent despite the lack of a first this year. Leonard Miller from the G League Ignite headlines their second round haul, alongside Jaylen Clark from UCLA who is signed to a two-way. The 6’10 forward popped last year for the Ignite alongside Scoot Henderson and there were plenty of evaluators that put a first round grade on Miller, who averaged a double-double in the G League last season. Getting him at No. 33 in a trade with the Spurs given his upside and potential versatility on the wing certainly seems like a success for the Wolves given what they had to work with coming into the Draft.

Free Agency/Contract Extensions: B-

The Timberwolves didn’t make any groundbreaking moves, but they did solidify their depth this offseason. Their best move was re-signing Naz Reid to an extension prior to free agency opening, locking in one of the best backup bigs in the NBA long-term and providing themselves with a terrific insurance policy for their two star big men should either miss time. Beyond bringing Reid back, they also re-signed Nickeil Alexander-Walker and added Shake Milton and Troy Brown to bolster their guard and wing depth behind Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley Jr. after seeing Taurean Prince and Austin Rivers leave. Overall this will be mostly the team it was a year ago. I do like all four of their main signings from this summer, but they figure to be floor raisers rather than ceiling raisers and this team still hinges on what their stars will do which keeps this grade from being particularly high.

Trades: INC

The Wolves didn’t make any trades this summer beyond the Draft night move to acquire Miller, which isn’t surprising given how active they were last summer and at the deadline. A full season of Conley and Towns should be the biggest additions this team gets compared to last year, when they got 24 and 29 games from each, respectively. Edwards continues his rise to superstardom after a big summer with Team USA, and Towns appears to be healthy and in good spirits coming into the season for the first time in a few years, which I think could be very big for this team. How he fits with Gobert is still a question mark and I’m not totally sold it can work to the level they seemingly believed it could when they gave up so much for Rudy, but this should be a better team than last year, even if they weren’t particularly active this offseason.

Foo Fighters recently announced that they will be hitting the road with their Everything Or Nothing At All Tour in 2024. Tied to the band’s recent album, But Here We Are, the shows start at New York’s Citi Field on July 17, and will end on August 18 in Seattle.

For those who are looking to attend one of their US shows next year, here’s what to know about getting tickets. There are quite a few presales taking place, including a Citi Cardmembers option, a Foo Fighters fan club one, and an official Platinum presale that opened at 10 a.m. local time today. On Thursday, there will be a Spotify presale, along with an AEG/Radio/Venue one, according to Ticketmaster.

For those just looking to obtain general tickets, they are set to open to the public this Friday, October 6 at 10 a.m. local time. Throughout the tour, Foo Fighters will also be joined by some rocking opening acts, including The Breeders, Courtney Barnett, Pretenders, The Hives, Amyl And The Sniffers, and many more.

It will also mark their first full run with Josh Freese replacing the late Taylor Hawkins on drums.

A complete list of dates for Foo Fighters’ Everything Or Nothing At All Tour, along with more information, can be found here.