Month: October 2023

With the release of Drake’s long-awaited album For All The Dogs, he helped his friend and infrequent collaborator J. Cole reach a new career milestone. Their song from the album, “First Person Shooter,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart earlier this month, giving Drake a history-making 13 chart-topping hits.

However, it may surprise some longtime listeners of the two blog rap icons that it’s only J. Cole’s first No. 1 on the Hot 100. Despite entering the public consciousness around the same time as Drake, J. Cole had yet to reach the pinnacle of the hot singles chart. The closest he’d ever come to date was No. 2, twice: once in 2021 with his The Off Season single “My Life” featuring Morray, and again earlier this year as a feature on Lil Durk’s “All My Life.” Prior to those peaks, his Revenge Of The Dreamers III single “Middle Child” topped out at No. 4.

Meanwhile, Cole has fared better on the hip-hop-centric charts. All of the above-mentioned songs reached No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, with the exception of “Middle Child,” which peaked at No. 2.

Regardless of how long it took Cole to reach this high watermark, it’s an accomplishment that no one can take away — and that may make it easier to return, if prior chart histories of acts like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, and Doja Cat are anything to judge by. He should be getting the chance to do so soon; he’s been teasing his album The Fall-Off for some time, and many fans believe it’s due sometime next year.

The NBA is returning to its classic format for the All-Star Game. After making a few tweaks to the game over the last few years, the league will go back to having its midseason showcase pit the best players in the Eastern Conference against the best players in the Western Conference.

The news was announced on Wednesday during an event in Indianapolis, the city where the game will take place next year. There was also a press release put out by the league, which confirmed that the All-Star Draft is gone, as is the target score at the end of the fourth quarter. However, the team that wins each quarter will still earn money for charity.

As the league celebrates basketball’s deep roots in the state of Indiana, the 73rd NBA All-Star Game will feature the return of both the classic matchup between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference and the traditional scoring system with four 12-minute quarters. The voting process to determine the NBA All-Stars will remain the same, with 12 players selected from each conference.

While the NBA All-Star Game will no longer have an untimed fourth quarter or conclude when one team reaches or surpasses the Final Target Score, the teams will continue to compete to win each quarter for a charitable organization of their choosing.

The NBA decided to shake up its All-Star format back in 2018, when the top vote getter from each conference was named captain. The two would draft their teams — first on TNT with the Inside the NBA crew before doing it live before the game last year. Additionally, in 2020, the NBA decided to adopt a version of the Elam Ending to determine a winner, as a target score was set entering the fourth quarter by taking the score of the leading team and adding 24 in honor of the late Kobe Bryant.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the league was placing a priority on increasing the competitiveness of the game.

Wheel of Fortune rarely gets the press that its evening game show sister Jeopardy! does. But when it does, it’s usually because a contestant made a doozy of a blunder. (Sometimes that contestant is Snoop Dogg.) Monday saw one that wasn’t so much an epic gaffe as a mini-tragedy, with one player who was so close, and yet so far away, from a cool million.

Per Decider, that contestant’s name was Izzy Santiago, who earlier in the show bragged to host Pat Sajak about his “good memory,” and how his brain “takes pictures of numbers and letters, and it just remembers it.”

Alas, that trick did not help him when he lucked into nabbing a $1 million slat on the wheel, with only a couple letters remaining. At the time the puzzle read “_RA_I_G _AME_ FROM A HAT.” Santiago’s total was $2,250. There were no vowels left, so Sajak instructed him to “spin it or solve it.”

Santiago decided to solve it. “Drawing games from a hat,” he replied. As you might surmise, he was one letter off. One of his opponents, Frankie, subsequently guessed correctly with “drawing names from a hat.”

Sajak took pity on Santiago, telling him, “You know, in addition to the regular nervousness you get up here, now here’s a million dollars, and all this stuff, and what am I doing?”

Santiago agreed that he just “got so nervous.”

We all have massive brain farts now and then, but most of us don’t have them on television, while playing a game, with a million bucks at stake. Poor Izzy. This one stinks.

(Via Decider)

Before House of the Dragon arrived, I distinctly remember a lot of fretting over whether the show would be as popular as Game of Thrones, especially after viewers felt slightly burned by that show’s final season. Fortunately, the people turned out with entire NYC buildings lighting up with the same fiery scene of the series premiere. The prequel didn’t let up from there, and let’s just say that HBO made the right move by picking the Targaryen gang to launch the next phase of George R.R. Martin’s source material.

House of the Dragon is based upon the Fire and Blood novel, and people are digging the show hard. They really cannot get enough of those doomed Targaryens, even if we know what happens to the clan as of a few hundred years in the future. Before Daenerys went on to be the Khaleesi, however, Rhaenyra and Daemon lead Team Black against the Hightower-based Team Green in the Dance Of Dragons civil war, which is where Season 2 picks up. All of the fury over Luke’s death will cause much more bloodshed, and with fewer shows on the release schedule right now, these dragons should dominate.

When will Season 2 premiere, however? HBO hasn’t clued us in on a precise date as of yet. However, filming was not interrupted by the Hollywood strikes, given that it filmed in Europe. So, we should expect a Summer 2024 return, which is actually much quicker than the final GoT seasons.

Additionally, the premiere episode will be called “A Son For A Son,” so we might see some literal vengeance after the events of the Season 1 finale. Team Black will be united with House Velaryon and have command of the seas, and both Team Black and Team Green will have dragons on their side, but it sure seems like Aemond cannot control the biggest dragon of all. It’s probably a really good thing that Paddy Considine’s King Viserys will no longer be around to see his two families do their best to take each other out. RIP!

With the launch of her new podcast, former The View co-host Meghan McCain continued to prove her bonafides as a serious political commenter by… inviting indicted Congressman George Santos on her show as a guest. Yup, that’ll do it.

During the interview, the two praised a February 2023 performance where drag queen Meatball parodied Santos, who was making headlines at the time for his seemingly endless trail of lies and his recently uncovered past as a drag queen himself. McCain called the performance a “badge of honor” while Santos said it was “flattering” and “hilarious.”

However, the two found themselves being mocked by Meatball, who said they both missed the point.

“I have been dying to know what he thought about the performance since it went viral seven months ago, and I am gagged, to say the least,” Meatball told Entertainment Weekly. “I’m honored that Congressman George Santos thought I did a good job, but, his husband is right. It was a clear mockery.”

Meatball went on to note that McCain and Santos clearly don’t know how parody works.

“I do believe they both misunderstood the context and intent of the performance,” she said before roasting Santos even more. “Every day I become more and more obsessed with the news surrounding Congressman Santos and his inability to read the room or have any awareness to how he’s being perceived. The delusion is what I love, and I think a lot of drag queens live in a world surrounded by delusions, so, maybe that’s why I feel so connected to my king, George Santos. Politics is just drag with money?

You can watch Meatball’s performance below:

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

It’s quite common for people to fantasize about their wedding day—the ceremony, the bridal party, the dress, the cake—and some people spend months or even years meticulously planning every detail. People even spend thousands of dollars hiring wedding planners to make sure that the big day stays fully organized and all the moving parts come together without a hitch.

But no matter how well you plan, sometimes things that simply can’t be predicted happen. And how you and your beloved handle the hitches and glitches on your wedding day can say a lot.

Especially when that hitch or glitch is something major…like watching the beautiful, four-tier wedding cake—the one you spent time choosing and lots of money creating to share with your wedding guests—come crashing to the ground right in front of you.

---

That’s what happened to one couple who eagerly watched as the caterers who were carrying their wedding cake tripped on their way into the room, sending their cake to an untimely demise in spectacular fashion.

The video, shared by @the.sarik on Instagram, is only about 10 seconds long, but it tells a whole beautiful love story in the reactions of both the groom and the bride.

Watch:

See on Instagram

First of all, hope those waiters are OK. But secondly, staying calm and making the most of a bad situation is a huge character plus, and this groom clearly has those qualities in spades. You can see in the bride’s face that she knows it, too.

“Her eyes show that she knows she got the right guy,” wrote one commenter.

“The way he just called her to eat is just phenomenal,” shared another.

“‘Cake is still cake.’ Yelling at those waiters won’t solve anything, but it can ruin their whole lives,” wrote another. “They know their mistake, and they can be corrected privately. May the reaction of this man be an inspiration to us all, to care for the feelings of other people more than material things.”

“Of all the things that could ruin a wedding day, I’m glad the husband knew this didn’t have to be one of them,” shared another.

When unpredictable things do happen, it’s largely the reaction of the people involved that determines whether they become tragic tales or entertaining stories. If what we saw in the video is any indicator, this couple will be telling their grandkids someday about how the guys carrying their wedding cake tripped and ruined it, and how Grandpa’s response won Grandma’s heart all over again.

This article originally appeared on 7.27.23

Anna Trupiano is a first-grade teacher at a school that serves deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students from birth through eighth grade.

In addition to teaching the usual subjects, Trupiano is charged with helping her students thrive in a society that doesn’t do enough to cater to the needs of the hard-of-hearing.

---

A six-year-old child farted so loud in class that some of their classmates began to laugh. The child was surprised by their reaction because they didn’t know farts make a sound. This created a wonderful and funny teaching moment for Trupiano.

Trupiano shared the conversation on Facebook.

See posts, photos and more on Facebook.

While the discussion Trupiano had with her students was funny, it points to a serious problem faced by the deaf community. “I know it started with farts, but the real issue is that many of my students aren’t able to learn about these things at home or from their peers because they don’t have the same linguistic access,” she told GOOD.

“So many of my students don’t have families who can sign well enough to explain so many things it’s incredibly isolating for these kids,” she continued.

Trupiano hopes her funny story about bodily functions will inspire others to become more involved with the deaf community by learning sign language.

“I would love to see a world where my students can learn about anything from anyone they interact with during their day,” she told GOOD. “Whether that means learning about the solar system, the candy options at a store, or even farts, it would be so great for them to have that language access anywhere they go.”

This article originally appeared on 12.14.18

PawsLikeMe might know you better than you know yourself.

Hello from the other siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!!! I’m a dog and I love youuuuuuuu!!!

Because PawsLikeMe knows about your dreams.

Your DOG dreams, that is.

How? A dog-human personality quiz!

A sophisticated one, too! From their website:

“The personality assessment is based on 4 core personality traits that influence the human-canine bond; energy, focus, confidence, and independence.”

It also takes into account environmental factors and other special circumstances as well.

It’s not uncommon for dogs that are adopted to be returned because they just aren’t compatible with their owner’s life.

---

PawsLikeMe aims to stop dog-owner mismatch by playing dog matchmaker! Its goal is to help people find the right dog for them.

Need a dog that’s friendly with kids but loves learning tricks and is also house-trained? DONE. Have other specific requirements? DONE!

Ya got options.

When you go on the website, you can opt to just answer the four most important questions in a dog owner’s life:

1. What’s your energy level?

2. What kind of parties do you like?

3. What kind of dog personality do you want?

4. What is your personality like?

After those four questions, you can begin searching for a doggie match.

Or you can opt for the full questionnaire (you should) … and basically feel very, VERY understood.

I took the full PawsLikeMe quiz, and when I saw the results I was kindof taken aback:

PawsLikeMe GETS ME!

Then I was the whisked away to dogs who are just ready to love me.

Listen. My apartment in NYC doesn’t allow dogs. But if it did? I’d be 91% ready to adopt Carli. She’s perfect, and I love her. CUE ADELE and her songs of lost opportunities to love!

With all the 80 gajillion personality quizzes out there in the world, this one is hands down THE BEST.

Take it for yourself! You won’t regret it.

This article originally appeared on 11.06.15

Dalton Ross wanted to make sure his family didn’t miss him too badly while he was studying abroad in London.

To help them cope, the 22-year-old Tennessee native did what any selfless college student would do…

---

He sent his mom a life-size cutout of himself.

“I thought maybe they’d put it in the living room corner until I got back to remember I exist,” he explained about the cutout, which came with a short note: “You’re welcome.”

But like any clever mom, Susan Talley couldn’t just stash this amazing piece of work away when it arrived about two months ago.

No, no — she had better plans in mind.

Talley decided the cardboard version of her son could be a great companion “while the real one is in Europe.” So she brought him along with her to events, like basketball games …

Can you spot cardboard Dalton in the stands?

… trips to the doctor’s office …

… and sub sandwich runs.

Fake Dalton celebrated Valentine’s Day with a fellow inanimate object.

He enjoyed playing with a furry, four-legged friend in the sunshine.

And he appreciated a good bedtime story, just like the rest of us.

The photos of fake Dalton are spreading like wildfire.

Without showing her son the photos first, Talley went ahead and uploaded them to Facebook. And after Dalton shared them on Imgur — explaining his mom “seems to be entertaining herself” while he’s gone — the story sent the Internet into a buzzy frenzy.

“The attention is crazy,” Ross told Upworthy, noting the story has gained so much traction that a restaurant featured in one of the photos, O’Charley’s, sent the family a gift card.

“I hope my mom’s holding up all right,” he said. “It’s awesome though.”

Fake Dalton has been hitting the batting cages…

… taking in some nightlife…

… and celebrated Easter with his family.

Although the viral reaction to the photos has been a bit nuts, Ross isn’t all that surprised his mom was up for a good laugh.

“Oh yeah, my mom is very funny,” he explained to Upworthy. And it’s a good thing, too: Laughter can be a great tool in improving the quality of family dynamics and boosting a loved one’s emotional health. (A student studying abroad should especially keep that in mind, considering being away from loved ones and familiarity can be tough.)

“We’re a big family of jokesters.”

Bravo, mom, for setting the bar very high ahead of April Fools’ Day.

This article originally appeared on 03.30.16

The Phoenix Suns exhausted most of their draft picks over the last calendar year making trades to bring Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to the desert. While understandable all-in moves, the Suns spent much of this summer after acquiring Beal working diligently to try and acquire some second round picks in order to have something available to them in the form of draft capital going forward.

Having picks is crucial to not only making trades, but also having the potential to add young players to the roster on cost-controlled contracts that are much less than a veteran minimum. James Jones made a number of moves to sell off some first round pick swaps and veterans like Cameron Payne in order to get the Suns back to having six future second round picks at their disposal. Unfortunately, that total will be dropping down to five future seconds as the Suns will lose one after the league found them guilty of tampering this summer.

No, it wasn’t in acquiring Beal or Jusuf Nurkic or one of their household names. Instead, they had impermissible contact prior to free agency opening with…Drew Eubanks.

Eubanks is a nice backup big man, averaging 6.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season in Portland, and he is back to backing up Nurkic in Phoenix. However, that is not usually the caliber of player you see teams tamper to get, but it does make sense given the timeline of how the Suns operated this summer. Some were surprised when the Suns pulled their qualifying offer on Jock Landale prior to the start of free agency, but they quickly signed Eubanks (among many other free agents) shortly after free agency opened. That process likely got them on the NBA’s radar, and sure enough the league determined they were in contact with Eubanks prior to when they were allowed to and now are short a second round pick for it. For most teams, that wouldn’t be a considerable penalty, but in Phoenix where second round picks are extremely valuable right now, it actually is.