Month: November 2023

After an offseason that saw the Miami Heat heavily involved in trade rumors, most notably for Damian Lillard, they entered this season without making any significant additions. That placed a heavy burden on their star players to carry the load, and through the start of the season their depth concerns have been apparent but covered up by the recent play of Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Jimmy Butler.

On Wednesday night, the Heat moved to 4-4 with a win over the Grizzlies to pick up their third consecutive win. Unfortunately, that win came at a price as Tyler Herro suffered an ankle sprain when he stepped on Jaren Jackson Jr.’s foot and had to leave the game. On Thursday, Shams Charania provided an update on Herro that was not particularly good news, as the young guard will miss at least two weeks time, including 10 days in a walking boot, after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain.

Herro is averaging 22.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game to start the season, providing them with much needed offensive creation from the backcourt and shooting a very robust 41 percent from three. He is leading the team in scoring and is second in assists, and given Miami’s lack of ball-handling on the roster, it figures to be difficult for them to navigate his absence. Kyle Lowry will need to take on an even bigger creative role, as will Butler and Adebayo to fill in the gaps. Guys like Josh Richardson and Jaime Jaquez Jr. likely will see their minutes load increase with the void left by Herro, and Miami will face quite the challenge until he returns.

Reacher is back, and he’s got a whole new release schedule for Season 2. The hulking giant played by Alan Ritchson will bust heads a little differently this time around as Reacher Season 2 slides into a weekly release schedule.

Like its title character, Reacher Season 1 slammed onto Amazon Prime Video with all of its episodes dropping at once. The series proved to be a huge hit for the streaming platform thanks to Ritchson’s no-nonsense performance and his imposing figure that made it very clear that you don’t want to be on the wrong side of the ex-military powerhouse.

For Season 2, Amazon is going to stretch these things out, so there’ll be plenty of Reacher to go around heading into winter. Here’s the release schedule:

Episodes 1-3: December 15, 2023
Episode 4: December 22, 2023
Episode 5: December 29, 2023
Episode 6: January 5, 2024
Episode 7: January 12, 2024
Episode 8: January 19. 2024

Here’s the official synopsis:

Pulled from his drifter lifestyle, Reacher reunites with three of his former teammates turned chosen family to investigate, including Frances Neagley (Maria Sten); Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan), a forensic accountant for whom Reacher has long had a soft spot; and fast-talking, switchblade-wielding family man David O’Donnell (Shaun Sipos). Together, they begin to connect the dots in a mystery where the stakes get higher at every turn, and that brings about questions of who has betrayed them—and who will die next

Reacher Season 2 premieres September 15 on Amazon Prime Video

You can’t get anything by those Swifties. A Taylor Swift fan account appears to have discovered that the singer may be changing the setlist for her history-making Eras Tour when it goes to South America, noting in a tweet (they’re still tweets, now and forever) that some of the songs she’d played throughout the tour weren’t in the rehearsal set for her upcoming Buenos Aires show. “‘The Archer,’ ‘Long Live’ & ‘Cardigan’ were not played during today rehearsal!” it read, concluding that this means “Taylor probably modified the tour setlist to add more songs!”

If that’s the case, it’ll mean her hardcore fans back home might be a little salty about missing out — or have all the more reason to hop a plane and try to catch a tan in Argentina (that is, if they can still get tickets). Then again, fans will have plenty of new T. Swift content to hold them over with the re-release of 1989 currently dominating the charts and her Eras Tour movie doing the same at the box office (which rumor has it isn’t the only movie she’s involved in this fall).

There are some skeptics online who believe that the only reason Swift did not sing those songs was to save time due to less choreography, and noted that “Cardigan” was played during the sound check, so take the above speculation with a grain of salt. Swifties love their theories, but this could turn out to be just another one of those that falls in the “wishful thinking” pile.

Have you ever seen someone live out their dream in real-time? Maybe. Have you ever seen someone singlehandedly bring back a discontinued food item for fun? Honestly, probably. But it never gets old when people are rewarded for their efforts, which is why these stories keep happening.

“Dollarita Steve” or Steve Mazzari as he’s known to his close personal friends and many Instagram DMs, went viral recently for his love of slammin’ Dollaritas, specifically during an earthquake that hit California. The “earthquake” thing was just a side note, though, as everyone quickly became obsessed with the Dollarita Steve and forgot about the fact that some tectonic plates were shifting around a bit. It happens often!

Not only did Dolarita Steve get the attention of the nation, but also captured the attention of your favorite casual eatery, Applebees. The chain teamed up with Steve to promote the return of the Dollartia, which will remain at the SF location through November. By “promote” they mean he really just stands there but now he gets at least a little bit of credit for the craze.

The people of Applebees nation (who are not allowed to use the term the Beehive for obvious reasons) are not unfamiliar with the popular drink. The Dollarita (not to be confused with Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Taco, because they have similar names when you read it after one too many margs) first made its way onto the scene in 2017 and quickly became a fan favorite. The chain brought the drink back earlier this fall, and now Steve is doing his part in making sure that it stays. Of course, people are weird about it, but whatever, the guy is just helping his friends get some cheap drinks…while also cashing in some Cameo money.

Now is your time to slam some ritas before Applesbee’s jacks up its price back up to $8.

But this all raises another important question…

Who is going to be the brave soul to bring back Applebee’s cheesecake shooters?!!?

Did Vladimir Putin’s cosmetology train strike again? Earlier this year, the world heard about Putin’s so-called “ghost train” not only being his stealthy way to travel in between presidential homes, including his pickle-stocked compound, but also giving him several helping hands for one of his favorite pastimes: pursuing that Russian fountain of youth.

The 71-year-old oligarch was said to actually be slightly panicking at the beginning of his war on Ukraine, not because of the loss of life but because his Botox supply had allegedly begun to shut down. Before long, it became clear that Putin was still getting that fix, and it sounds like he has added some other indulgences to his self-care roster.

Ukrainian Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko would like to draw everyone’s attention to this Kremlin video clip of Putin looking unnaturally jolly. And newly bulbous.

There’s something going on there for sure. People tend to fixate upon Putin’s health, and that includes his changing appearance. This isn’t the first time that he has showed up looking refreshed, but here, the train went overboard, and people were all over it. Responses include the rhetorical question of “Storing nuts for the winter?” As well, Botox, fillers, steroids were mentioned, and yes, body-double speculation happened, but we don’t include any of that latter category until a joke at the end.

An account actually calling itself “Putin’s Double” has weighed in, too.

Zach Bryan has now partnered with Bud Light, as the company is aiming to expand more into country music. The news of Bryan’s partnership comes after many conservatives had boycotted the beer.

As part of Bryan’s collaboration with the company, he will headline Bud Light’s Super Bowl LVIII Weekend event, which is running for the second year. It is now titled “The Bud Light Backyard Tour Presents Zach Bryan.”

According to a press statement from Bryan, he points out how he’s been drinking Bud Light since he was “old enough to” and has written many songs with one. His partnership is also going to a good cause that helps military service members.

“When Bud Light asked if I would be involved, I didn’t hesitate after I learned the immense amount of support going into Folds of Honor, fallen service members, first responders’ families, and loved ones,” Bryan shared. “It is a privilege and honor to provide help in any way to veterans and all the people who make this country as great as it can possibly be.”

“Bud Light has always been at the center of great music moments, we couldn’t be more excited to return to our country music roots by teaming up with Zach Bryan, who is one of the most compelling artists in country music right now,” Todd Allen, Bud Light’s Vice President of Marketing, added. “Bryan is known for connecting with and bringing fans together, and we can’t wait to put on a great show for fans ahead of the Super Bowl.”

Bryan’s Bud Light Super Bowl concert will be held on February 9, 2024, at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan venue in Las Vegas.

Zach Bryan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

If you have bet on, or even followed, NFL football for long enough, you might know that the maddening losses stick in one’s head much more than perhaps the fortunate wins. That is certainly the case from Week 9 of the 2023 season in this space. At the top level, we posted a 3-2 mark and that is never something to scoff at in the ultra-difficult world of NFL evaluation. With that caveat out of the way, the two losses were rather excruciating.

The Carolina Panthers threw not one, but two pick-sixes on the way to a 14-point loss in a game in which they were catching 8.5 points on a teaser. The Panthers out-gained the Colts by more than 75 total yards, held Indianapolis to fewer than 200 (!) total yards, and still didn’t get there. The other frustrating defeat came with the Dallas Cowboys in a national game that many consumed. Dallas had a turnover at the three-inch line when they threw a pass (?) short of the goal line on 4th and goal. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott also stepped out of bounds on a two-point conversion that would’ve covered the game for some (including us) and pushed for others. Then, Dallas had yet another chance to score in the final seconds before completely imploding. Dallas finished with 5.8 yards per play to 4.9 for Philadelphia and out-gained the Eagles by more than 100 yards.

Yes, I’m bitter.

At any rate, Week 10 brings another set of challenges, and before we get to our five selections, let’s take stock.

• Week 9: 3-2
• 2023 Season: 25-17-3

Come get these winners.

Carolina Panthers (+3.5) over Chicago Bears — Caesars

Look, I don’t like this any more than you do, but we must stand on principle. The Bears are laying more than a field goal with Tyson Bagent? I might have to swear off the Panthers if this goes poorly, but it also helps to get more than a field goal with a total in the 30’s.

Green Bay Packers (+3) over Pittsburgh Steelers — FanDuel

We’ve had the Steelers a couple of times this season, and I think Mike Tomlin might be a wizard. Pittsburgh is somehow 5-3 with a -30 (!) point differential, and it’s time to fade. Green Bay hasn’t exactly dominated this season either, but I like this with a full field goal.

TEASER: Cincinnati Bengals (-0.5) over Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills (-1) over Denver Broncos — – FanDuel

This isn’t my favorite kind of teaser, and it’s pretty square. I still like it. Houston earned a lot of attention with last week’s win, and CJ Stroud is the real deal. The Texans are banged-up, though, and now facing a different level of competition on the road in Cincinnati. Then, on Monday, I’m buying low on the Bills again at home. That one is pretty straight-ahead and Denver’s two-game winning streak helped us to get this in range.

Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints UNDER 41 points — DraftKings

Josh Dobbs pushed the Vikings to a memorable win last week and the Saints covered half of a teaser for us. This also feels like a game that should be an utter slugfest. Neither team has played a great schedule when it comes to opposing defenses, and Minnesota appears likely to lean more toward the run with Josh Dobbs and injuries to pass-catchers. I also trust the Saints defense and 41 is a key number to grab.

Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns UNDER 38.5 points — FanDuel

AFC North slugfests! Both teams rank in the top three of the NFL in scoring defense and total defense. Cleveland is No. 1 in defensive DVOA. Baltimore is No. 2 in defensive DVOA. Both teams want to run the ball. I know this is a low total, but Baltimore is 10-6 to the Under in the last 16 division games. Cleveland is 9-5-1. Let’s do this.

Chris Porsz was tired of studying sociology.

As a university student in the 1970s, he found the talk of economics and statistics completely mind-numbing. So instead, he says, he roamed the streets of his hometown of Peterborough, England, with a camera in hand, snapping pictures of the people he met and listening to their stories. To him, it was a far better way to understand the world.

He always looked for the most eccentric people he could find, anyone who stood out from the crowd. Sometimes he’d snap a single picture of that person and walk away. Other times he’d have lengthy conversations with these strangers.

But eventually, life moved on and so did he. He fell out of love with photography. “Those pictures collected dust for 25 years,” he says.

Then, a few years ago, Porsz found those 30- to 40-year-old photos and sent them to be printed in his local newspaper.

And remarkably, people started recognizing much younger versions of themselves in his shots. “There was this lightbulb moment,” he says of the first time someone wrote to him about one of his photos.

Eventually, he became curious about the people he’d photographed all those years ago, and he decided he’d try to find some of them. It wouldn’t be easy — the photos were taken a long time ago, and Porsz didn’t have names or contact information for many of the people in them.

But he did find some of them, sometimes in extraordinary ways. “Some were absolute million-to-one coincidences,” he says.

Like the time he went out on a call (he’s a parademic these days) at 3 a.m., and the man he was there to treat recognized him as the photographer who’d snapped his picture all those years ago. On another call, he asked a local shopkeeper if he recognized any of the subjects in the photos. He did.

Once Porsz began posting about the project online — he calls it “Reunions” — it became easier and easier to reconnect with his former subjects.

Many were eager to recreate the old shots as best they could, like Layla Gordon, who Porsz originally photographed drinking milk in 1983.

Others groups, like these schoolgirls, had fallen out of touch. “Reunions,” fittingly enough, brought them back together.

Porsz says that his subjects, like this wild-haired couple, were strangers to him 30 years ago. Now he considers many of them friends.

In all, Porsz has collected over 130 before-and-afters in his new book.

The response to Porsz’s work has been more than he ever imagined.

He’s personally heard from people all over the world who’ve been inspired by his project and want to try to recreate it themselves. But beyond that, he just hopes it brings a little warmth and happiness to the people who see it.

“It’s important for me for my photography to make people smile,” he says. “Because there is so much sadness in the world.”

And while the project is finished for now, don’t count out the possibility of “Reunions Part 2” somewhere down the line.

“I’d love to meet these guys in 2046 when I’m 94 years old,” Porsz says.

This article originally appeared on 11.30.16

Adrienne Osuna is a fitness blogger with a focus on weight training. After years of struggling with her weight, this mother of four finally got serious about her health, adopting a rigorous schedule of power lifting, cardio, and intermittent fasting to lose weight, gain muscle, and kick ass.

And while her personal regimen might be a little too ambitious for most of us, she’s still inspiring—because she keeps it real.

An image she posted on her blog is going viral for pointing out that focusing on your weight is a misleading goal. The before-and-after pic shows her before she started lifting and after—a complete physical transformation which resulted in a staggering one pound of weight loss.

After she went viral she made another Instagram post revealing she was actually a pound heavier in the after photo. Unfortunately, that post has since been made private.

She would later explain that she felt it was important to reclaim her image because it had been used in advertisements for weight loss products, and that’s not what she’s about.

“But I DID NOT use anyone’s products to do this,” she wrote in a post which since been made private. “This was all hard work in the gym lifting heavy weights and intermittent fasting.

Kudos to Ms. Osuna for getting the word out—fitness isn’t about a number, it’s about having awesome muscles you could use to punch a hole through a plaster wall.

This article was originally published by our partners at someecards and was written by Matt Nedostup.

There are creative, romantic proposals, and then there’s this one.

Lee Loechler recently proposed to his girlfriend, Sthuthi David, by taking her to a packed theater to see her favorite Disney movie, Sleeping Beauty. Little did she know that Loechler had spent six months altering the animation of the film’s most iconic scene, changing the characters to look like the couple themselves and altering the storyline to set up his Big Question. And that’s only the beginning.

Watching David’s face during the scene change is sheer delight, as her confused look proves that she has no clue what is about to happen.

The set-up is great, but the magical moment when Loechler’s illustrated self tosses the engagement ring to his real-life self? That’s when we all toss up our hands and say, “OKAY, man. You win at proposing. Everyone else must bow before you now.”

The whole proposal—the re-illustrations, the heart jokes (David is a cardiologist), and the bride-to-be’s surprise when she finds herself surrounded by friends and family—it’s all perfection. Just watch:

Amazing, right? Lee Loechler set the bar ridiculously high, but even the most cynical among us have to give him props for his creativity.

Reddit users’ responses to the video were hilarious, and reflect what we all feel watching this masterpiece.

“Welp this guy went and did it, theres no point in any of us proposing now he’s out done us all.” – XXLpeanuts

“I was just gonna propose to my girlfriend in the Starbucks parking lot where I first told her I loved her. Welp, that ain’t gonna do anymore…” – mattrva

“I proposed to my wife in front of Disney Castle in Orlando and I’ve never felt less proud about it than after watching this video lol. For real though this is one of the best proposals I’ve ever seen, bravo.” – thenaniwatiger

“I thought I was smooth with my bridge and lilyponds on a blacksand beach in Hawaii….. this guy just went and rewrote theatrical history, broke the forth wall, made a 4th dimensional joke and timed it perfectly, made a highbrow doctors joke, conspired with the internet, and filled a theater with family and friends.” – ooooopium

“Goddamn I am cold, cynical bastard and you just warmed my heart with how hard you just crushed it, my dude. I’ll say it. I am flat out envious.” – Dr_Frasier_Bane

Congratulations and best wishes to the lovely couple. May you truly live happily ever after.

This article originally appeared on 01.09.20