Month: May 2024

Tom Brady was notorious for keeping his cool during stressful moments as quarterback for the New England Patriots. But there was nothing chill about his reaction to a recent joke made at the Patriots’ owner expense.

During The Roast of Tom Brady, which premiered over the weekend on Netflix, comedian Jeffrey Ross joked, “Tom became a Patriot and moved up to New England, and on the first day of training camp, that scrawny rookie famously walked into the owner Robert Kraft’s office and said, ‘I’m the best decision your organization has ever made. Would you like a massage?’” Brady was so upset about the joke, a reference to police saying they recorded Kraft paying for “sex acts” at a Florida massage parlor, that he got up and told Ross, “Don’t say that sh*t again.”

Was he actually mad, or was he doing a bit? Roast veteran Nikki Glaser thinks it was the former, and based on comments made by comedian Andrew Schulz, I agree. “They told us no jokes about happy endings with Bob Kraft,” he said on his Flagrant podcast, US Weekly reports. “Because I had a Bob Kraft tag.”

After Schulz, 40, revealed his plan to make a joke about Kraft during the Sunday, May 5, live special, he claimed Netflix shot it down. “They were like, ‘Tom asked us not to do anything with the massage sh*t,’” Schulz noted.

Schulz understood, especially given the fact that Kraft wasn’t sitting on stage with the rest of the roast participants. “I was like, ‘Alright cool, the guy is coming here for this thing,’” he said. “Like, whatever. He’s not getting roasted. He’s sitting in the f*ckin’ stands.”

Judge for yourself below.

(Via US Weekly)

What do you get when you combine comedian Trevor Noah, tennis legend Roger Federer and the world famous clock-making, chocolate-brewing, Alpine-skiing symbol of neutrality, Switzerland?

Apparently, a delightfully charming train ride through the Swiss countryside and perhaps the greatest tourism ad ever made.

Both Noah and Federer shared a tourism ad they collaborated on for the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland, and people are loving it. It’s one of those ads that people don’t care is an ad because it doesn’t really feel like an ad and it’s so enjoyable to watch. (It’s also incredibly effective—like, give us alllll the train rides through Switzerland, please.)

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The ad plays like a mini-documentary of Noah and Federer filming a Swiss tourism ad gone wrong. The two men—both of whom are half-Swiss in real life—appear to hop on the wrong train while arguing about whether or not the ad they are filming is funny (or whether it even should be).

What follows is a tale involving Swiss punctuality, hospitality and stunning natural beauty, all wrapped up in wholesome hilarity.

Check it out:

Thousands of commenters have chimed in with how enjoyable and effective they found the ad:

“This clip is brilliant and I am definitely going to travel on that train in Switzerland in the near future. Excellent work,” wrote one commenter.

“Usually, I hate tourism ads because they’re always so clichéd and unoriginal, but this one hooked me from the beginning,” shared another. “Switzerland is such a beautiful country, and this ad singlehandedly convinced me so. Looking forward to this train ride sometime in the future! :)”

“This is criminally short!” wrote another. “I wish for a full hour! I can’t seem to get enough of them.”

Noah and Federer shared their experience making the video with Financial Times, and their “behind the scenes” stories are as delightful as the ad itself.

Federer, who is an official Switzerland Tourism Ambassador, shared how much he has enjoyed making Swiss tourism ads with Robert DeNiro, Anne Hathaway, and of course, Trevor Noah. He said the shoot with Noah brought him back to his own childhood.

“I was always on trains, leaving home, looking out of the window, seeing the trees and the fields go by and thinking, ‘Will I be a good tennis player? Will I not? Will I win, will I not?'” he said.

Several parts of the ad point to how strict the Swiss are about being on time, and Noah shared that there were a few instances while filming when a train really did almost take off with them inside.

“They weren’t even going to hold it for us,” he said. “We were like, ‘Oh, we’re making an ad,’ and then they were like, ‘Yeah, and the train has a schedule.'”

“We were laughing,” Noah said, imagining what would have happened if a train really had left with them on it. “Like, would that become the meta joke? Does that become the joke in the joke?”

If you enjoyed the train tour ad, take a few minutes to see Noah and Federer share how it came to be and how much fun they had making it.

This article originally appeared on 4.5.23

The human body is amazing. People that have figured out a way to command their body to do reality defying acts are just as fascinating. There’s nothing quite like watching someone feel them music, moving so smoothly from one movement to the next while they dance.

Dancing can be a beautiful expression of art and creativity, connecting people through music and movement without even speaking the same language. One dancer from Brazil is turning heads on social media with moves so fluid and robotic that people are questioning if he’s human. Maikon Alves uploaded a video recently of him dancing to “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas.

To say his dance moves are impressive would be an understatement. Alves pops his chest to the beat while slowly stepping in place making it look like he’s gliding from move to move. Some movements are crisp and sharp like a robot while others are so fluid it’s nearly unbelievable that it could be coming from a human.

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While the man’s moves do look slightly out of this world, he is indeed a real person, or at least he appears to be in other videos on his page. Commenters ranged between being in awe of his abilities and questioning if he was human.

“Loved. I like how everything is in sync – from the music to the moves to face expressions. 👏👏👏 and your cool personal style,” one person writes.

“Doesn’t even look real it’s that good..!! Love this,” someone says.

“You will be the dance instructor for the children of our AI overlords someday,” a commenter thinks.

“Nah, this is God-level pop-locking,” someone compliments.

Even Nicole Scherzinger, actress, singer and former member of the pop group and dance ensemble, Pussycat Dolls gave Alves praise saying, “you are a legend!” Watch his reality defying moves for yourself.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Maikon Alves (@maykonreplay)

This article originally appeared 3.3.24

There are people that rely on service dogs for their everyday functioning. In the past they were mostly associated with blind people, known as seeing eye dogs or guide dogs. But service dogs are trained to do all sorts of things, recognize when someone is about to have a seizure, a diabetic emergency and more. They’re truly highly trained life saving animals that need to go where their humans go so they can do their job–alert them so they can be safe.

This vital role service dogs play is the reason their existence in public spaces is protected by federal law, even if that establishment doesn’t allow dogs. But there has been an uptick in people attempting to treat their Emotional Support Animals (ESA) as service animals or acquiring fake paperwork. ESAs are not trained professionally to be in public spaces and just about any animal can become an ESA with some paperwork usually completed by a mental health professional.

Service dogs are typically trained professionally for 1-2 years before they’re released to their new family full time. The process of getting a service dog can cost anywhere from $15k-$50k according to GoodRX. But the rise of imposter service dogs is causing real life issues. One man took to social media to explain how he was asked to leave a business due to his seeing eye dog.

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Paul is blind and uses a seeing eye dog in public spaces, he shared a video to his social media page, Matthew and Paul explaining the ordeal and why he thinks it happened. “I’m blind and I just got kicked out of a restaurant in Seattle. I walked in with my guide dog Mister Maple and immediately somebody walked up to me and said ‘no pets allowed only service dogs.'”

Paul says he confirmed that Mister Maple was indeed a service dog before the man asked if he was an emotional support dog. After showing the man his dog’s guide dog harness which was attached to the dog, the man accused him of lying about his blindness.

“A lot of people in the blind community still have functional vision,” Paul recalls saying. “But it’s like I have a pinhole of vision, it’s all I can see.”

The man supposedly tells Paul, “it’s not my first rodeo,” after hearing the explanation of why he has a guide dog. But when the bewildered blind man offers to come back with Mister Maples paperwork the man threatens to call the police.

In the caption of Paul’s video he writes, “this is just a reminder that if you or someone you know has purchased a fake service dog vest or fake papers, it may be contributing to a larger problem that impacts those who really need these amazing dogs!”

You can watch the entire shocking story below:

Tems announced the release date for her debut album, Born In The Wild, today, but she wasn’t done divulging her future plans yet. Shortly after revealing the release date of her debut, she also announced the tour dates for the Born In The Wild tour. Kicking off in London on June 12, the routing brings the Nigerian star back to the US on August 22 to start the North American leg of the tour in Miami Beach, Florida, then after completing the North American leg in Los Angeles, October 1, she will head to Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Tems’ tour openers will include the UK-born OVO chanteuse Naomi Sharon (who is fresh off her own <em>Obsidian tour) and singer-songwriter Lekan. You can RSVP to be notified when tickets become available here and see the full tour dates below.

Tems’ Born In The Wild Tour Dates

Europe:

6/12 — London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
6/15 — Paris, France @ L’Olympia
7/4 — Oslo, Norway @ Sentrum Scene
7/8 — Berlin, Germany @ Tempodrom
7/10 — Cologne, Germany @ Carlswerk Victoria
7/12 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
7/16 — Montreux, Switzerland @ Montreux

North America

8/22 — Miami Beach, FL @ The Fillmore
8/24 — Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Cafe
8/26 — Dallas, TX @ Gilley’s South Side Ballroom
8/28 — Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
8/30 — Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
9/01 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
9/03 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
9/05 — New York City, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
9/07 — Toronto, ON, Canada @ History
9/11 — Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena
9/13 — Montreal, QC, Canada @ L’Olympia
9/15 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
9/17 — Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom
9/22 — Vancouver, BC, Canada @ The Queen Elizabeth Theatre
9/25 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO
9/27 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
9/29 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Theatre At Virgin Hotel
10/1 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre

Africa

10/19 & 25 — TBA

Asia

11/5 — TBA

Australia

11/09 — Melbourne @ Margaret Court Arena
11/12 — Brisbane @ Fortitude Music Hall
11/15 — Sydney @ The Hordern Pavilion

Duran Duran were on top of the world in the ’80s (they’re still crushing it now with 2024 tour dates and their 2023 album Danse Macabre), an especially memorable era for the group. If that’s a time you’ve been wanting to revisit on vinyl or CD, the band has you covered via their recently announced reissue series.

This includes their first five albums: Duran Duran, Rio, Seven And The Ragged Tiger, Notorious, and Big Thing. Between these projects, you get favorites like “The Reflex,” “A View To A Kill,” and “Hungry Like The Wolf.”

How To Buy Duran Duran’s Vinyl Reissues Of Their First Five Albums

All five albums are due for release on July 19 via Warner Music and can be pre-ordered here. These albums have long been out of print and this is the first time the collection will be available in their original 1-CD and 1-LP formats (and with remastered audio, too). The vinyl editions were cur at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London.

There’s a lot of attention to detail here, as even the album artworks have been restored to the original sleeve designs, a process that was overseen by Malcolm Garrett, the designer responsible for the band’s first three albums.

Rebecca Ferguson does not seem to take herself too seriously but delivers a commanding performance on Silo, which is one of the most fantastic shows on Apple TV+. The post-apocalyptic series, which is adapted from Hugh Howey’s groundbreaking (from a self-publishing standpoint) books (Wool, Shift, and Dust) turned into a sleeper show with the streaming service not hesitating to renew for more below-surface dubious adventures.

As readers realize, the second book takes a sharp left turn with a split story, and it remains to be seen whether Apple TV+ will try to cover both main arcs or stick with Juliette as she leaves Silo 18 for neighboring territory (and scant company). At the end of the first season, she is the only non-governmental member of her silo to realize that more exists in the outside world, so let’s talk about where the architecture of this show could go next.

Plot

Filming is complete on this season, so the finishing touches are in the works, and Hugh Howey is thrilled with what he’s seen, as the author wrote on social media: “I’ve seen season two and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen.”

***SPOILER ALERT (FOR THE BOOKS) AHEAD***

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Dang it, Howey knows that he is teasing the biggest question on the table: will there be different timelines, as with the books, in order to show how the silos came into existence? Much time was spent in Silo 1 for the second book with extended trips into Silo 18, as Juliette voyaged into the deep to fix flooding, so that she and Solo could hope to tunnel back to her home. This will follow up on the first season finale, when viewers saw that the projected image in the helmets was fabricated, and the outside world is truly as desolate as it appears from within the silos. Juliette is the first person to survive long enough to travel over the hill, which leads Bernard into panic territory because he knows what she is about to discover.

Here’s where things get tricky for plotting a second season: The first season stuck fairly close to the Wool subject matter with a few key differences, like Common’s character (Sims) being expanded and also wearing questionable clothing in a world where nobody has looked that cool for hundreds of years. Will the second season make even more significant changes?

The difficulty here is that diving between timelines and silos might grow complicated onscreen. As in, setting up Silo 1’s inhabitants and their freeze-unfreeze cycle could get messy. Much could go wrong, and arguably, this season will have been more difficult to adapt from a storytelling standpoint. We have heard zilch from Apple TV+ and Howey on how that complexity will be handled. The most telling clue that we’ve received is from Ferguson herself. She previously told Variety, “It gets incredibly intense… wet.”

So, we know that Juliette will plan to drain Silo 17 as with the books. She will attempt to find the digging machine at the bottom, so that she and Solo can go tunneling. We also know that there will be four total seasons, as opposed to three books from Howey. So, that could conceivably mean that the world wrought by Senator Thurman, Donny, and Anna could be saved for a third season, but wouldn’t that make the second season awfully sparse?

Yes, Silo 1 needs to be revealed soon as with the books. Fingers crossed.

Cast

As mentioned already, Rebecca Ferguson will head into Silo 17 to meet Solo, a pivotal character whose casting has somehow not been announced yet. We can also expect to see Silo 18 events, including glimpses of a freaked-out Tim Robbins as Bernard and Common as Sims. As already mentioned, we could possibly meet a new host of Silo 1 characters, and Reddit’s been fancasting. (Hey, Alden Ehrenreich is pretty busy these days, but he would make a fantastic Donald Keane, and Kristofer Hivju would be an inspired choice for Solo. Also, is Donald Sutherland free to portray Senator Thurman?)

Release Date

Apple TV+ is being secretive about a release date, but late 2024 seems perfectly plausible, given the straightforward shooting style of this series.

Trailer

Since Apple TV+ hasn’t graced us with upcoming footage yet, here’s a look back at Juliette in the first season’s final moments, when she was about to discover that dozens of other silos exist.

One of the best horror movies of the 2020s is Ti West’s X, a creepy slasher that portrays the horrors of unchecked ageism. The movie stars Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, and Kid Cudi as a group of young adults looking to shoot a porno on a rural Texas farmhouse, and featured the most iconic musical performance of 2022.

The surprise prequel, Pearl, hit theaters just months later in September 2022, and now we finally get to see what Maxine has been up to since she wandered off the old couple’s property covered in blood.

Maxxxine acts as a sequel to X, so Goth will be playing Maxine instead of Pearl. It’s a little confusing. But she’s finally on her way to becoming a star! Nobody will stop her, not even an extremely dangerous murderer!

“If you’re expecting it to be part of this X movie and people will be killed, yeah, I’m going to deliver on all those things,” West told EW. “But it’s going to zig instead of zag in a lot of places that people aren’t expecting. It’s a very decadent world that she lives in, and it’s a very aggressive world that she lives in, but the threat shows up in an unexpected way.” While the plot might be a little unexpected, here’s what we do know about the upcoming horror flick.

Plot

We are not on that rural farmhouse anymore! MaXXXine brings the titular star to the terrifying setting of Los Angeles in 1985, where the only thing bigger than the hair is the number of serial killers out and about.

Six years after the initial farmhouse massacre, sole survivor Maxine is living in California attempting to jump from adult film star to A-list film actress. Unfortunately, she’s not the only person who has a history of murder. If you’re not up-to-date on your ’80s true crime stories, 1985 is when the real life Night Stalker terrorized California. But that doesn’t stop Maxine from pursing her dreams of being a star.

“I see MaXXXine as a superhero movie – that’s how I read the script,” Goth told SFX Magazine. “Maxine, as a character, has come a long way. She’s a survivor, she’s gone through a lot. When we meet her again, in this new world that she’s in, she’s really fought for everything that she has, and she’s not about to give that up. She’s going to fight for what she has. She’s a badass. There’s a strength to her. And she’s a really proactive, determined, focused woman. She goes after what she wants, and she’s not really going to take no for an answer.”

Cast

The Maxine Extended Universe continues to feature some iconic names alongside Goth as the leading lady. This will technically be singer Halsey’s film debut (her film Americana with Sydney Sweeney debuted at SXSW last year but does not have an official release date).

Emily In Paris bangs-haver Lily Collins also stars, as does The Crown‘s Elizabeth Debicki, who portrays a stern film director. Michelle Monaghan and Bobby Cannavale act as LAPD detectives, while Giancarlo Esposito plays an adult film agent. Finally, Kevin Bacon stars as a private detective.

Release Date

Are you looking for another Barbenheimer?? You can catch MaXXXine in theaters on July 5, the same weekend as Despicable Me 4. Maybe Despicable Xine?? Maxx Me? Let’s brainstorm!

Trailer

The first trailer was released last month. Check it out below:

“I wish Pooh were here. It’s so much more friendly with two.” — Piglet

Winnie the Pooh creator A.A. Milne was onto something when he wrote that line, and not just because he tapped into the common human experience of boredom and loneliness. As a viral X thread shows, things are not just more friendly with two, but also more productive.

Eli McMann shared how his husband started scheduling his friends to come visit him in shifts while he gardens, and people are praising it as a genuinely effective life hack.

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“My husband has been doing gardening all afternoon and he has been scheduling his friends in shifts to come and sit with him while he does it so he has company,” McCann wrote. “He is not asking for their help. He just wants them to be present. He has given each a watermelon popsicle.”

— (@)

He then shared photos of what he means, with his husband doing yard work and a friend just sitting nearby chatting with him.

They moved to the backyard.

— (@)

It’s such a brilliantly simple concept that serves multiple purposes. For one, it allows a person to get things done that need to be done while also having some social time. How often do we lament not having time to get together with friends because we have too much to do? Adding friends to our “things to do” that require mostly physical work and not focused attention and brain engagement is a great way to do both.

But there’s also the idea of “body doubling,” which people with ADHD use to help them stay on task. Body doubling might sound like a sci-fi/horror term, but it simply means having another person present while you do something you might normally struggle to stay engaged in. While there’s no research yet to prove that it works, people with ADHD swear by the effectiveness of simply having another person present while you work at something.

Commenters on Instagram shared:

“As someone with ADHD, I feel this so much. I can accomplish so much when someone is around, or when I find out someone’s coming over unexpectedly. 😆 It’s true, we need a village.”

“Body doubling for the win! It’s awesome that he has willing friends too.”

“Body doubling is the best way to get things done. My ex-husband often asks if I need him to come over and double for me. It’s the best. 🙌“

“I love this! I’ve needed to go through a costly storage unit for years, but it’s creepy to go alone. So I haven’t done it. I don’t even want help. Just company 😆“

“We do this in our house. Don’t need help with the chores, just moral support and company for a chat. ♥️“

Other people shared how they’ve used this habit themselves to both get things done and nurture friendships.

“Growing up in Vermont my friends and I had a rule—each of us would do our own chores, then move on to the closest house of the friend still doing chores – this way we all got to hang out together while getting things done. We always jumped from house to house until we landed on the friend who was still bogged down in chores – that was Leighton, who lived on a small family farm, and had the heaviest workload tending to stock. We would power through his work until he was free and we could all fish together as group in the nearby stream. 35 years later and those guys are still my closest friends.”

“My mum in Aus and I in London, clean our kitchen together while on video call… Another way a mum can be there for her child ❤️😊🙏“

“Yes! I’ve asked mom friends to come hang out while I fold so much laundry. Makes it so much more enjoyable.”

“This is why I talk to my best friend for about an hour a few times a month. Usually one of us has an annoying chore to do and need exactly this. Used to do it with my grandmums but they’ve passed 😢“

“I do this too. Ask friends to hang out with me while I garden, or sometimes other tasks. It’s nice to have the company even if they’re just sitting there and chatting with me.”

Here’s to friends who make everything easier just by being there.

Fresh off the release of his new album, Almighty So 2, Chief Keef has announced a 17-city tour to promote it. He’s calling it A Lil Tour, and setting off on July 16 in Boston alongside openers from his label 43B, Lil Gnar and The Glo Boyz.

The album, which was five years in the making and was originally slated for release last spring before the date was pushed back to 2024, dropped today G Herbo, Lil Gnar, Quavo, Sexyy Red, and Tierra Whack.

Tickets for Chief Keef’s Lil Tour go on sale on Wednesday, May 15th at 10 AM local time. You can find more info on ChiefKeef.com.

You can see the full schedule of tour dates below. Almighty So 2 is out now via 43B.

07/16 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
07/18 — Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live at 20 Monroe
07/19 — Minneapolis, MN @ Armory
07/22 — Detroit, MI @ Fillmore Detroit
07/24 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
07/25 — Washington, DC @ Echostage
07/26 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
07/27 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
07/29 — Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
07/31 — Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place
08/02 — Miami Beach, FL @ The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre
08/05 — Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
08/06 — Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
08/09 — Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
08/10 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
08/11 — Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
08/13 — San Francisco, CA @ The Midway