Month: March 2024

There are a lot of reasons for people to get discouraged these days. The cost of living is through the roof. We’ve entered the early phases of an election year that Americans of all political stripes are dreading and an increasing number of people are dealing with mental health issues.

That’s why we’re sharing a simple piece of advice from Mel Robbins that can hopefully uplift those feeling down by providing them with a simple tool to help when they feel hopeless.

Mel Robbins is a popular podcast host, author, motivational speaker and former lawyer who caught the public’s attention with her 2011 Ted Talk, “How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over.”

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“If you’re feeling really discouraged right now or just in survival mode, I have some counterintuitive advice to give you and it’s based on research. I didn’t believe it when I first heard it, but it actually makes a lot of sense,” Robbins starts her video.

Feeling discouraged? Here is my counterintuitive advice. 

@melrobbins

Feeling discouraged? Here is my counterintuitive advice. #melrobbins #dailyinspiration #mindsetmotivation #negativethinking #overwhelm #positivechanges #findyourhappy #spotlighteffect

“See, when things in life feel very hard, our brain tends to focus on what’s not working,” she continued. “It magnifies the negative in your life and so it’s all you see. And when all you see is the negative, it impacts your energy, and you feel tired, drained, and exhausted by the negative in your life.”

Her solution? Add “one thing” to your life that you love that’s positive. Many people are struggling with money these days, but there are a lot of positive experiences people can enjoy that cost very little or are free.

“Go paint this weekend. Go to an Art Museum. Go hang out with a friend. Sign up for a class. Start running again,” Robbins says.

According to Robbins, adding one positive thing will help divert your attention from your problems and focus them on the things that make life worth living. “You have something to look for, and the positive energy starts to wash away all of the negative things,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense, but boy, oh boy, does it work.”

Psychological rehabilitation specialist Kendra Cherry agrees with Robbins in a piece she wrote for Verywell Mind. “When you find yourself ruminating on things, look for an uplifting activity to pull yourself out of this negative mindset,” she wrote. “For example, if you find yourself mentally reviewing some unpleasant event or outcome, consciously try to redirect your attention elsewhere and engage in an activity that brings you joy.”

One of the commenters on the video agreed with the importance of adding a little positivity to one’s life because they ahd experienced the benefits first-hand. “My boss had us journal 3 positive things that happened each day. Did it for 3 weeks and it changed my life for years. Need to start it again,” Kiki wrote.

“That’s amazing! Your boss was definitely on to something!” Robbins responded.

“Adding 1 positive thing instead of forcing everything to seem ok is great advice,” Eleni added. “You cannot ignore the reality, instead add positive moments.”

Reneé Rapp is postponing two U.K. shows. The news arrives as she has been dealing with illness, and lost her voice. Rapp made the announcement today (March 5) via Twitter, that she will be taking some time to recover.

“Guys, I’m sure you could tell but my voice was gone after last nights show,” Rapp said. “I’ve been sick for the majority of the European leg of this tour, and without any recovery time, I can’t seem to shake it. I’m being told that I need to rest my voice and not sing through for risk of long-term injury.”

To ensure that fans receive the highest performance quality, Rapp is postponing the final two Southampton out-stores. She plans to offer the new shows when she is back in town for Reading and Leeds festivals. Rapp said she is currently ironing out details for the make-up shows and will share the new dates before the end of the week.

“This tour is everything to me but holy sh*t am I burnt and I have to prioritize my health in this moment,” Rapp said.

Rapp isn’t the only artist whose had to reschedule shows due to illness. Recently, Adele announced that she was ordered by her doctor to take a break from performing as she has also been sick. As a result, all of her March shows have been postponed.

You can read Rapp’s full message above.

Playing H-O-R-S-E against Nikola Jokic really does seem like it would be a miserable experience. Jokic is incredibly good at a whole lot of stuff on the basketball court, and the case could be made that he is the league’s best tough shot maker, as he’s incredible at getting squared up and shooting the ball with the perfect amount of touch.

At the end of the first quarter of Tuesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns, Jokic showed off his tough shot making ability by beating the buzzer at the end of the first quarter. The two-time NBA MVP got the ball at the top of the key with just a hair under three seconds remaining, and immediately, Eric Gordon hounded him. Instead of panicking, Jokic simply spun into a Sombor Shuffle — his signature shot where he shoots a fadeaway off of his right leg — and did not even hit the rim.

As Brian Anderson of TNT mentioned, Jokic just does this kind of stuff all the time, which is completely insane, because this is not something that anyone should be able to do this effortlessly.

Seriously, they should bring back H-O-R-S-E at the All-Star Game and let Jokic make people look silly. At the very least, watching him and Luka Doncic go shot-for-shot would be fun.

“I don’t worry about money,” Donald Trump told Fox News on Tuesday when asked about having to pay over $455 million thanks to his New York fraud trial. But maybe he does? The former president has yet to fork over the scratch (for that, and for the latest E. Jean Carroll suit), which is rapidly accruing interest. What’s more, it looks like he’s going to clinch his third presidential nomination, which means he needs money. Perhaps some generous soul, someone far richer than he is, will bail him out. Perhaps that generous soul is the second richest person in the world.

Per The New York Times, on Sunday Trump reportedly met with Elon Musk — who just surrendered the title of richest person in the world to Jeff Bezos — plus a few wealthy Republican donors. It’s not known what they discussed, but Trump is on the hunt for additional major donors to take on the moneyed Joe Biden campaign.

Will Musk give Trump what he wants? Possibly. The sloppy Tesla/Space X/Twitter/X honcho, who has donated to both parties over the years, has been drifting rightward of late, enraged by what he calls “the work mind virus.” He’s even told his 100 million followers on his social media service that they should vote for a Republican Congress. Musk could very well singlehandedly wipe out the huge financial advantage Trump’s presidential successor has over him.

Though Trump has crushed polls and primaries alike — Super Tuesday predictably appears to be strongly in his favor — there are signs that he shouldn’t be so cocky. His last GOP rival standing, Nikki Haley, has not only refused to leave the race but has suggested she won’t back him if/when he does. Her supporters don’t seem to like him much, including one who called him a “lunatic” and implied that she won’t vote for either Biden or him come November.

And so congrats to Trump-voting Republicans: Your boy could very well be relying on the kindness of wealthy strangers.

(Via NYT)

Sea.Hear.Now Festival returns to the beaches of Asbury Park, NJ this fall. Over the course of two days (September 14 & 15), fans can enjoy performances from Noah Kahan, Norah Jones, The Gaslight Anthem, Action Bronson, Kool & The Gang, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, and many more.

In addition to the opportunity to see more than 25 different artists perform on three stages, ticketholders can also look forward to a professional surf contest and art installations throughout the beach grounds. As the festivities look promising, fans can’t wait to get their hands on tickets, and can begin purchasing passes as early as this week.

When do Sea.Hear.Now Festival 2024 tickets go on sale?

Fans can purchase tickets beginning Thursday, March 7 at 10 a.m. EST. One-day and two-day tickets will be available for purchase via the festival’s official website, where fans can register for a presale code starting now.

According to a press release, the pre-sale will be the most optimal way to purchase two-day general admission, GA+, VIP, platinum, or ultimate experience tickets. A general on-sale will begin at 11 a.m. EST if there are any tickets left.

You can see the full Sea.Hear.Now lineup below.

Some of the artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Back in December of 2023, Adele told The Hollywood Reporter that she wasn’t fond of other people covering her songs since they cannot relate to them on the same level.

“I don’t mind it when they do, but I’m just saying they’re never going to be able to emote it,” she said.

But had she heard Asher HaVon’s rendition of her power ballad “Set Fire To Rain,” she might be singing a different tune.

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The Alabama-based singer, minus a high-profile gig involving Barack Obama, was more accustomed to performing at church than on a massive stage.

Still, HaVon wowed judges on “The Voice” during his blind audition—beginning with rich, earthy tones that effortlessly soared to goosebump-inducing high notes.

“Asher, what an incredible voice you have,” Reba McEntire said afterwards. “Your range, your power, I couldn’t wait to turn around and see what you look like.”

John Legend, though he didn’t turn his chair for HaVon, seconded McEntire’s opinion, saying “it went in so many different places and your voice has so many different pockets that are very cool.”

Take a listen below:

Feeling chills? You’re not alone. Check out what other viewers had to say:

“Right out of the gate Asher sounded amazing and he just got better and better. Crazy vocal, range,and runs.”

“He took that steadying breath and out came this legit sound, deep and sonorous. It was a little surprising. I thought he’d be a high tenor. He showed the low but also got some squall, falsetto, and grit in there. Well done, man!”

“After the Intro I didn’t expect such a huge range. Asher nailed it!!! Great Performance.”

“This had me smiling from start to finish. This is probably the best rendition I have heard of this song and his voice is astronomical.”

“Absolutely gorgeous version of the song. Asher totally made that song his own!”

“This man is vocally exceptional. His voice was soulful and powerful. And the song choice further supported his voice.”

It might be true that no one can relate to a song the exact same way the creator of the song does. But we can infuse our own emotions and interpretations into those works, creating something fresh and new. It’s definitely one of the more magical aspects of the human condition.

There are very few things more annoying than forgetting to return your library books, especially if you forget multiple days in a row. Before you know it fines have racked up to a few dollars instead of the original ten cents. To some a few bucks may not seem like enough to keep you from going back to the library to get more books, but for some it can be a pretty significant barrier.

With everything becoming more expensive, the library is one of the only places people can go to check out things they need. Many libraries offer more than just books. You can check out free movies, audiobooks, computers, some libraries even have tools patrons can check out, making life a lot easier for people that just don’t have the money to purchase these things outright.

One Massachusetts library system didn’t want fines to be a barrier to people needing to check things out, so they came up with a fun initiative.

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Patrons of the Worcester Public Library can use their cat–any cat, really, to get out of paying their library fines. The library is hosting “March Meowness” the entire month of March where people can bring in photos of their cat in exchange for having their library fines forgiven. Worcester Public Library has seven locations and all of them are participating in the cat themed events, which go beyond forgiving library fines.

The library’s website explains, “We want you back at the library, so we are offering one month of fee forgiveness for lost or damaged items from the Worcester Public Library! Show us a picture of your cat, a famous cat, a picture you drew of a cat, a shelter cat – any cat, and we will forgive WPL fees on your library account.”

“We understand accidents can happen, and sometimes fees might hold you back from fully using your public library,” the library’s site continues.

Don’t have a cat or you’re allergic? That doesn’t matter, grab a few crayons and draw your best version of a feline friend. Even if the picture you draw looks like you drew a cat from memory while blindfolded with your dominant hand behind your back, Worcester Public Library will accept your abstract work of cat to forgive your fines.

“We at the Worcester Public Library are always looking for ways to reduce barriers. We know that a lot of people, unfortunately, through being displaced in housing, or life getting in the way in the global pandemic, lost a lot of materials,” Jason Homer, Executive Director of Worcester Public Library tells WBUR.

According to the library’s website on cats for library fees, they list several cat themed activities for the community to participate in, like DIY cat toys, Hello Kitty Party, Cat Eye Makeup Tutorial and more. But like all forgiveness programs, there is some fine print patrons need to be aware of before heading to the library.

• The item must be owned by the Worcester Public Library system.
• It must be lost for a minimum of two months.
• Things are not guaranteed to be waived, it’s up to the library staff.
• A patron with 5 or more items will need to be reviewed by a manager.
• If it’s suspected that the lost or damaged item is an attempt to “restrict access to diverse content,” fees won’t be forgiven.
• Account holder must be there.
• All “Library of Things Things” are excluded from forgiveness.

The Library of Things consists of things like sewing machines, electronic readers, projectors, computers, etc. that people can check out for personal use.

This isn’t the first time the library has done an initiative to forgive library fees but this is the first time it’s cat themed. Homer explained to WBUR that librarians love cats and decided to join in on the joke, “we’re really leaning in on the fact that, all in all, librarians are cat people.”

Since the library does their best to reduce barriers for their patrons, in 2020 they stopped collecting late fees altogether but still charge for items that are damaged or lost. Maybe more libraries across the country will use a fun approach like “March Meowness” to help library goers reduce obstacles in checking out items.

It’s a big night in Cleveland, as the Boston Celtics are in town to take on the Cavaliers in front of Jason and Travis Kelce, who are getting celebrated in the aftermath of the former announcing his retirement from the NFL. As it turns out, there were even more big names in attendance on Tuesday, as the greatest competitive eater of all time put on a show during halftime.

Joey Chestnut, who has famously defeated the concept of cholesterol, took part in a competition where he ate pierogies against three other guys. Over the course of two minutes, Chestnut was able to eat 39 pierogies, while his competitors combined to eat 23.

Truly a pitiful performance by those guys, who had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try and out-eat Chestnut and embarrassed themselves by all finishing in single digits. Grow up.

Anyway, this clip made its way to the TNT desk, where Shaquille O’Neal was very happy to see that “my boy” made a cameo to do what he does best at an NBA game.

Two things with this clip. For one, I am cracking up at Jamal Crawford having no idea what a pierogi is and Adam Lefkoe saying it’s “like a Polish ravioli.” For the other, my god, I wish this happened on a Thursday night and we could have Charles Barkley and Shaq making fun of each other, because you know that unlike the trio going up against Chestnut, they’d bring their A-games.

Dallas singer and rapper 4Batz has the internet abuzz. Late last year, he released his song “Act II: Date @ 8,” which has since proven to be a viral hit. As the hit garners more popularity, 4Batz is in the middle of a bidding war between the three major labels. The boy’s future looks promising, and now all he needs is one marker that has become a rite of passage for hip-hop and R&B artists in this day and age— a cosign from Drake.

But it looks like he may soon get the coveted seal of approval.

Will Drake remix 4Batz’s “Act II: Date @ 8?”

In an Instagram story posted last night (March 4), Drake shared an image of a screen playing an audio file. 4Batz and Drake’s longtime collaborating producer Noah “40” Shebib are tagged in the picture.

At the top of the file is a name reading “Date @ 8 REMIX S5V6b.”

Now, this could mean a lot of things. It could mean he sent a verse to 4Batz for consideration. It could also mean a remix is complete, and Drake was listening to final mixes.

But regardless, it looks like an “Act II: Date @ 8” remix is on the way, which could potentially open new doors for 4Batz. After all, we’ve seen how a Drake co-sign has boosted acts like Migos, Summer Walker, and more.

Donald Trump has been crushing both the polls and the GOP primaries, but is his re-election all but assured? Not exactly. There are some worrying signs that not everyone in the party is cool with electing someone who’s, say, threatened to be a “dictator.” A large chunk of voters in South Carolina chose Nikki Haley, Trump’s last rival standing, over him. Meanwhile one former Trump supporter sounded an awful lot like a member of the resistance when asked about him.

Per Mediaite, NBC News’ Shaq Brewster caught up with some North Carolina voters on Super Tuesday, one of whom did not hold back when asked why she switched.

“The man is a lunatic,” the woman said. “And I think he’s terrible for the country.”

When asked to explain why she thinks that, she replied, “Just that he lies, he cheats. He bankrupted millions of businesses and people. And I don’t see anything good about him.”

So what will she do if Trump is the Republican nominee, again, which he almost certainly is going to be. When asked if she’ll vote for Joe Biden instead, she said, “No.”

When asked what she’ll do then, the woman said, “I don’t know.”

Brewster also spoke with a man who’s decamped for Haley. “One, I think she would do a very good job,” he said when asked why he jumped ship. “And, two, I think Donald Trump is a threat to the well-being of our country.”

Neither comments were as nearly as over-the-top as the ones given by an 80-year-old Michigan woman last week, who went viral after calling the former president “pretty much an asshole, to coin a phrase.”

Trump, meanwhile, has really let the polls and primary wins get to his head, which seem to have made him think he’s more popular than he is — so popular that he claims “82 percent” of the country thinks the 2020 election was rigged. Which, you know, not even close.

(Via Mediaite)