Month: April 2024

Navigating the American healthcare system can give you a rage induced headache. Between the monthly premiums, copays, coinsurances and deductibles, it’s enough to make you feel like you’re going to lose it. But then there’s finding a doctor that’s in network that can convince the insurance company that you actually need the procedure they want to do.

Tarek Ziad, frustrated with the process of trying to schedule with an ophthalmologist took to Instagram with an original song that he sang a cappella. The song has people howling with laughter while simultaneously commiserating with the struggle of navigating referrals for specialty visits.

According to the lyrics of the song, the man was told he needed to see an ophthalmologist so he called his insurance company to see who was in his network. Ziad sings that calling his insurance company was no help because he was then told that he needed to contact his medical group. But what’s a medical group? It’s like peeling back an onion.

Ziad sings, “so you go online and you look at all the ophthalmologists and you call them one by one and you go through 29 ophthalmologists and every single one either doesn’t answer your call or they don’t actually take your medical group. They say ‘we’ve never heard of that medical group.'”

Commenters related to his struggle trying to get into the right kind of doctor, or any doctor at all working within the American health insurance system.

“The realest thing I’ve seen in a phat minute,” one person says.

“God the database being out of date and/or simply inaccurate is so infuriating. ‘oh, no, I don’t take that insurance.’ or ‘I used to but I stopped years ago idk why they still loist[sic] me,'” another writes.

“You’re going places. Not the ophthalmologist, but places,” someone jokes.

“Step aside star spangled banner, there’s a new national anthem,” a commenter jokes.

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A post shared by Tarek Ziad (@tarekaziad)

All joking aside, there were doctors in the comments expressing their frustration and sorrow around insurance companies. One commenter says it was cheaper and faster for her to fly back to Morocco to see an ophthalmologist for eye surgery than having it done the the United States. Yikes. Hopefully, Ziad can get in to see the right doctor soon. Maybe his next viral hit will be about billing.

Once upon a time, our only option for getting clothes clean was to get out a bucket of soapy water and start scrubbing. Nowadays, we use fancy machines that not only do the labor for us, but give us free reign to choose between endless water temperature, wash duration, and spin speed combinations.

Of course, here’s where the paradox of choice comes in. Suddenly you’re second guessing whether that lace item needs to use the “delicates” cycle, or the “hand wash” one, or what exactly merits a “permanent press” cycle. And now, you’re wishing for that bygone bucket just to take away the mental rigamarole.

Well, you’re in luck. Turns out there’s only one setting you actually need. At least according to one laundry expert.

While appearing on HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast, Patric Richardson, aka The Laundry Evangelist, said he swears by the “express” cycle, as “it’s long enough to get your clothes clean but it’s short enough not to cause any damage.”

Richardson’s reasoning is founded in research done while writing his book, “Laundry Love,” which showed that even the dirtiest items would be cleaned in the “express” cycle, aka the “quick wash” or “30 minute setting.”

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Furthermore the laundry expert, who’s also the host of HGTV’s “Laundry Guy,” warned that longer wash settings only cause more wear and tear, plus use up more water and power, making express wash a much more sustainable choice.

Really, the multiple settings washing machines have more to do with people being creatures of habit, and less to do with efficiency, Richardson explained.

“All of those cycles [on the washing machine] exist because they used to exist,” he told co-hosts Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson. “We didn’t have the technology in the fabric, in the machine, in the detergent [that we do now], and we needed those cycles. In the ’70s, you needed the ‘bulky bedding’ cycle and the ‘sanitary’ cycle … it was a legit thing. You don’t need them anymore, but too many people want to buy a machine and they’re like, ‘My mom’s machine has “whitest whites.”’ If I could build a washing machine, it would just have one button — you’d just push it, and it’d be warm water and ‘express’ cycle and that’s it.”

According to Good Housekeeping, there are some things to keep in mind if you plan to go strictly express from now on.

For one thing, the outlet recommends only filling the machine halfway and using a half dose of liquid, not powder detergent, since express cycles use less water. Second, using the setting regularly can develop a “musty” smell, due to the constant low-temperature water causing a buildup of mold or bacteria. To prevent this, running an empty wash on a hot setting, sans the detergent, is recommended every few weeks, along with regularly scrubbing the detergent drawer and door seal.

Still, even with those additional caveats, it might be worth it just to knock out multiple washes in one day. Cause let’s be honest—a day of laundry and television binging sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?

To catch even more of Richardson’s tips, find the full podcast episode here.

This article originally appeared on 2.4.24

The Zach Wilson era in New York is coming to an end. Wilson, the former No. 2 overall pick whose tenure with the Jets has been defined by poor play and high-profile benchings, is getting sent to the Denver Broncos in a trade that includes late-round NFL Draft picks getting swapped, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Wilson burst onto the scene after his final year at BYU, when he went from a late-round pick to one of the top quarterbacks in his class. Whether it was because of the team around him or his own struggles to get used to the NFL, he was unable to reach the highs that he achieved in college once he got to the league, as he’s thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in his career and consistently posted one of the worst QBRs in the league.

Ahead of last season, New York attempted to upgrade under center when it traded for Aaron Rodgers in the offseason. However, Rodgers tore his achilles on his first drive as a member of the Jets, which led to Wilson getting his job back. While he had the best year of his career, that wasn’t an especially high bar, as he went 221-for-368 (60.1 percent) for 2,271 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He was benched later in the season as the offense struggled to take advantage of New York’s elite defense, and rumors popped up that 2023 would be his final year with the team.

The Broncos have an opening under center after the decision was made to cut Russell Wilson. Currently, the team’s QB room includes Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci.

Every week, Billboard unveils the top 10 songs on the latest Hot 100 chart. The most recent rankings, for the chart dated April 27, are out now, so let’s run down who had this week’s biggest hits.

10. SZA — “Saturn”

SZA finds herself re-entering the top 10 this week as “Saturn” gets a bump up from No. 15 all the way to No. 10.

9. Noah Kahan — “Stick Season”

Kahan just got a new personal best, as “Stick Season,” after spending last week at No. 10, climbs up to a new high of No. 9 this week.

8. Ariana Grande — “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)”

What Grande can be friends with is the top 10 as “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For You Love)” maintains its No. 8 spot from last week.

7. Sabrina Carpenter — “Espresso”

Congratulations are in order for Carpenter, who has her first top-10 single of her career with “Espresso.” Also of note is that “Feather,” which was Carpenter’s first top-40 hit, hits a new high on this week’s chart at No. 21.

6. Jack Harlow — “Lovin On Me”

“Lovin On Me” has become a top-10 mainstay in recent months and even after all this time, it’s still only just outside the top 5.

5. Beyoncé — “Texas Hold ‘Em”

After hanging out at No. 6 last week, “Texas Hold ‘Em” returns to the top 5 at it leads the Hot Country Songs chart for a 10th week.

4. Teddy Swims — “Lose Control”

Swims’ breakout hit is still doing well for the song as it maintains control at No. 4.

3. Benson Boone — “Beautiful Things”

The same is true for Boone, who hasn’t yet managed to get to No. 1 but it still doing great at No. 3 this week.

2. Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar — “Like That”

“Like That” was No. 1 for its first three weeks on the Hot 100, but the time has come for that streak to end, because there’s a new champion on the latest chart.

1. Hozier — “Too Sweet”

For a long while, it seemed that 2013’s “Take Me To Church” would make Hozier a one-hit wonder, as it was his only single to chart in the top 10 (in the top 35, even), peaking at No. 2. Now, though, it’s no longer the biggest chart success of his career, as “Too Sweet” just became his first No. 1 single. It’s also the first chart-topper by an Irish artist in decades, since Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” in 1990.

(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent All American episode will be found below.)

Throughout six seasons of All American, we’ve known Spencer James to be the hero for everyone around him, whether it be his family, friends, girlfriend, or community. For the next episode in season six, Spencer now has to figure things out for himself. The new episode follows the events before, during, and after Spencer’s 21st birthday. It isn’t the smoothest night for the star college football player, and now, hangover and all, Spencer has to put the pieces together and right his many wrongs from the rowdy night.

When Will All American Season 6, Episode 4 Come Out?

The fourth episode of All American season three, titled “Black Out,” will arrive on April 22. The Adrian Dukes-written and David McWhirter-directed episode will be available on Monday, 4/22 on the CW TV channel at 8pm EST/PST. The episode will later be available to stream on the CW app and website at 3 am ET/12 am PT. A synopsis for “Black Out” can be found below:

After celebrating his 21st birthday, Spencer enlists Coop’s help to figure out what happened at his party the night before; Olivia and Jordan reminisce about their childhood with Billy; Asher deals with the fallout of a tough decision he made.

You can also watch the trailer for All American season six, episode four below:

New episodes of ‘All American’ are available on CW TV on Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT and on the CW app and website at 3 am ET/12 am PT.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has a reputation for running hot with umpires and getting himself ejected for using some colorful language to express his displeasure with calls. As such, he’s not one to get the benefit of the doubt from many home plate umps, but on Monday, Boone got ejected two batters into a game against the A’s when he didn’t even say anything.

After voicing his displeasure with home plate ump Hunter Wendelstedt, he got warned not to say another word. The camera lingered on Boone, who calmly took the warning and stayed quiet before Wendlestedt turned and informed him he was gone, causing the Yankees manager to rightfully lose his mind.

Boone and another coach point to behind the dugout to plead their case that it was a fan, not Boone, who yelled at the umpire the second time. Wendelstedt didn’t care to hear out Boone, who finally had a legitimate gripe about a wrongful ejection.

YES Network showed a replay from a camera with a wider view on the dugout that showed the fan in the blue a row behind Boone was the one that yelled at the ump, who then tossed the Yankees skipper.

It is truly an incredible moment, as the Yankees will play the rest of the game without Boone in the dugout because a guy in the first row yelled at the ump.

The wait for an aespa full-length studio album has been long, but it won’t last much longer. The South Korean K-pop phenomenon (and March 2023 Uproxx cover stars) announced Armageddon as their first LP with a 26-second trailer entitled “Armageddon INTRO.”

The video is vague, as is the case with any teaser worth anything, as we see an abandoned swampy crop circle up-close and then from the sky. The clip is soundtracked by eerie keyboard instrumentals.

Meanwhile, aespa created a collage with six Instagram grid posts that collectively reads, “ONLY I CAN DEFINE MYSELF.” The caption for each post confirms that Armageddon will be released on May 26.

aespa’s official website is home to even more teasing, with the same “ONLY I CAN DEFINE MYSELF” message — only, this time, it morphs into an ambiguous logo. The bottom of the website has a countdown clock alongside, “Starts from May 2.”

However, Billboard reports that the first single, “Supernova,” will be released on May 13. So, keep your eyes peeled for more aespa announcements sooner than later.

In the interim, GISELLE, KARINA, NINGNING, and WINTER will bring their World Tour In Cinemas concert film to the big screens on April 24 and April 27. Find ticketing information here.

Watch aespa’s Armageddon album teaser above.

One of the biggest songs of 2023 was Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s song “Barbie World,” which interpolated Aqua’s 1997 hit “Barbie Girl.” However, it wasn’t the only song to sample that song. In 2022, Saweetie previewed a clip of her own song, “Icy Girl, Icy World,” generating some impressive buzz months before “Barbie World” was tapped to feature on the Barbie film’s soundtrack. Unfortunately, her song was never released and fans awaiting the Bay Area rapper’s big comeback were left disappointed. While one of her collaborators on the song offered his own take on the situation, Saweetie never addressed why she shelved “Icy Girl”… until now.

When a fan on Twitter (never calling it “X”) posted a clip of Saweetie previewing the song during a livestream and asked, “What happened to this?” Saweetie’s response was short and simple. “Warner wouldn’t clear it,” she explained.

Although it appears Saweetie is still signed to the label, she hasn’t been shy about calling out Warner in the past. Earlier this month, she called on the label to approve the budget for the rollout of her single “Nani,” which she’s been teasing for weeks. And in 2020, she vented her frustrations with the label for flubbing the release of her song “Best Friend” with Doja Cat.

Meanwhile, although Saweetie said she didn’t mind Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice “borrowing” her idea for the Barbie soundtrack, her co-writer on the song, Jason Martin (fka Problem), censured the bigger star for what he saw as dirty business. “I can confirm this song and idea was sent to her last year to submit for the Barbie movie,” he posted on Twitter. “It’s sad to see that the original artist has been pushed off a song that was her idea and was meant for both of them.”

For a few days now, Fortnite Festival has been teasing a new season, its third. The green color of the promotional graphics had some thinking that Billie Eilish would be the headliner. Well, if you also made the prediction, you were correct.

Eilish herself confirmed today (April 22) that she will be playing the Fortnite Festival Main Stage, and soon: April 23, 2024.

As for what else will be going on in Fortnite Festival when the Eilish campaign begins, we don’t know for certain yet. But, we can look at past collaborations, like the recent one with Lady Gaga, for an indication.

Presumably, any Eilish-themed rewards will only be available via the Premium Track and not the Free Track. The Premium Track for the Gaga run included rewards like Chromatica Guitar, The Gaga Collection Loading Screen, Chromatica Keytar, “Poker Face” Jam Track by Lady Gaga, Enigmatic Gaga Outfit (aka “skin”). So, expect items of this ilk to be available starting tomorrow. As seen in Eilish’s post, the new Eilish skin hearkens back to her 2019 era, when her look was more green than it has been in recent years.

For further updates, keep an eye on Fortnite socials and the Fortnite game itself.

Who watches The Watchers? You will.

Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for The Watchers, the directorial debut from Ishana Night Shyamalan, the daughter of M. Night Shyamalan (she was a second unit director on his previous films Old and Knock at the Cabin).

Based on author A.M. Shine’s novel of the same name, the Gothic horror film follows 28-year-old artist Mina, played by Dakota Fanning, “who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.”

What does the Shyamalan family have against the outdoors? Jeez.

Shyamalan told IndieWire that The Watchers “ultimately expands into a sort of dark fairy tale, fantasy essence. And that’s the thing I really love most of all. In many ways, it’s using the horror genre to enter another space, and that becomes a surprise of the journey as well. So hopefully people will be vibing with it.” You can vibe with the trailer above.

The Watchers, which also stars Georgina Campbell, Oliver Finnegan, and Olwen Fouéré (will Ishana make a cameo like her dad always does in his movies?), opens in theaters on June 14.