Month: May 2024

I have a confession to make. I’m 48 years old, my youngest child is in high school and I can’t stop watching “Bluey.”

For the uninitiated, “Bluey” is a kids’ cartoon from Australia aimed at 5 to 7-year-olds. It’s been nearly a decade since my household has seen that demographic, so when people kept telling me I should watch “Bluey,” my reaction was basically, “Yeah, I’ve already done my kiddie show time, thankyouverymuch.”

Then my almost-15-year-old started watching it just to see what the fuss was about. And as I started tuning in, I saw why people love it so much. I figured it was going to be a wholesome show with some good lessons for kids, and it is.

But it’s also laugh-out-loud hilarious.

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As I got sucked deeper and deeper down the “Bluey” hole, I also saw why so many adults say the show is healing their inner child. It doesn’t just have good lessons for kids; some episodes are a masterclass in creative, engaged, positive parenting. Now I’m hooked, along with the rest of my family of 40-somethings and young adults. We even have favorite episodes that we rewatch, for goodness sake.

So what is it that makes “Bluey” such a beloved show for all ages?

The kid actors are fantastic. Seriously, so darn funny.

The children who play 6-year-old Bluey, her 4-year-old sister, Bingo, and their various cousins and friends are outstanding. Their voices are cute, but they’re also top notch comedians.

One of my personal favorite bits on the show is when the kids pretend to be grannies. Here’s a clip with Bluey, Bingo and their cousin, Muffin, pretending to be grannies at their neighbor’s yard sale.

It gets even funnier when the “grouchy granny” encounters an actual, real-life grouchy granny who wants to buy the granny mobile and haggles with her. (We’ve watched this episode four times. It only gets funnier.)

The parents teach lessons through imaginative play

The clip below shows how Bandit (Bluey and Bingo’s dad) creatively uses a unicorn puppet to drive home the importance of good manners and personal care habits when Bluey won’t stop chewing with her mouth open.

Using characters that struggle with whatever a kid needs to learn is a great way to help drive home a lesson. And doing it with silliness and creativity makes the learning process both enjoyable and effective.

Also, the parents’ love for each other shines through in the show in adorable ways.

The parents share their own learnings along the way

Bluey episodes are short—the full episode below is less than 7 minutes—and it’s amazing how much they can squeeze into them. Here, Bluey’s mom teaches Bluey not to compare herself to others by sharing her own comparison story from when Bluey was a baby, which also includes a lesson for the parents who may be watching as well. It also tugs right at the heartstrings at the end.

I’m just consistently amazed at how well the show executes on every level.

It’s therapeutic—literally.

For folks with positive childhoods, the show is nostalgic and comforting. For those with tough childhoods, the show can feel healing. And for people who raising their own kids, it can be a resource to help them be better parents.

My colleague (and Licensed Clinical Social Worker) Jacalyn Wetzel says she recommends “Bluey” to clients who are having a hard time with parenting.

“When parents of young children mention that they’re struggling with being able to emotionally regulate through their child’s tantrums, outside of talking to them about ways children express unmet needs, I often recommend the cartoon ‘Bluey,'” she says. “Bluey behaves very much like a typical preschooler, which sometimes means she accidentally pushes buttons or does something wrong. The way her parents interact with her in those moments are great examples of acknowledging a child’s emotions and responding with kindness, understanding and age appropriate terms.”

The show includes real-life parenting moments that can be hard to navigate, so she encourages parents to watch how the parents interact with Bluey and Bingo. “Parenting doesn’t come with a handbook but ‘Bluey’ is helping those that maybe didn’t have the best example of it growing up, and that’s special,” she says.

It’s just a near-perfect show in almost every way. There’s even some silly potty humor if that’s your jam. (See what I mean? A little something for everyone.)

You can watch full seasons of “Bluey” on Disney + and find clips and some full episodes the “Bluey” YouTube channel.

This article originally appeared on 12.1.23

Mental health is something that is just recently starting to be understood in a different light. In previous years you’d hear the term mental health and think about all the negative stereotypes that came along with it. But as people learn more and become more open about their own mental health challenges, public perception is shifting to a more compassionate response.

One person who is no stranger to compassion is the 90s icon, Jewel. When she first stubbled on the scene in the mid 90s she had no intention on becoming a music superstar with music that continues to encourage millions to be compassionate, kind humans. Recently Jewel spoke with Upworthy about the impact her music makes on people and her many projects, including the imprint she’s leaving on the mental health field.

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“My fans calling themselves the Every Day Angels, was just this movement in my fanbase of like how can they answer miracles for other people. Not miracles, maybe that’s not the right word the right word but answer prayers or just help basically. That it doesn’t take some huge heroic nonprofit. It’s just about being kind and paying attention to what your community needs,” Jewel said in an interview with Upworthy.

Paying attention to community needs is exactly what Jewel has been doing when she’s not busy writing soul touching music, singing, creating art or hangin out with her son Kase. The Grammy nominated singer has been quietly working on an immersive art exhibit that was recently unveiled at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

The exhibit aptly titled “The Portal” transcends viewers into a world that melds together art, mental health and technology in a way that sort of forces you to slow down to absorb what’s around you. Each piece created has a special meaning to the artist and tells a journey of her own healing as she moved through the healing process after her divorce from rodeo cowboy Ty Murray.

“The journey of my healing the last 10 years was sort of everything I put into that art experience. It started with me just sort of dropping to my knees at 40 and saying, ‘I just don’t know how to move forward. I need to learn a new way,’ and asking for help. For me that’s what the hologram represents. It’s sort of the answer to that prayer,” Jewel reveals.

The EP, which carries the same title as the exhibit, essentially brings that part of the exhibit into public view. It’s a unique mix of guided meditation and music that coincides with a drone powered light show at Crystal Bridges. But with the EP released to the public, people can experience the beautiful amalgamation in the comfort of their own homes.

It takes the sounds of real life and places them in the background as Jewel guides you through meditation. The slow beating of a heart is palpable forcing your nervous system to slow down as she moves you through letting go of the troubles of the day before heading into an upbeat song.

“The meditation at the beginning with the heartbeat, there’s no light show during that. That’s just a two minute audio meditation that works with people’s nervous systems. I chose a heart rate that’s probably slower than more peoples are at,” Jewel tells Upworthy. “When we hear a heartbeat and we hear a heartbeat rate our own physiology because of mirror neurons, your physiology starts to respond.”

The singer tells Upworthy that her goal with the drone show coupled with the guided meditation was to create the posture of awe. It’s the posture people take when they see something awe inspiring, she descries it as when someone looks up with their mouth agape taking in something beautiful. Jewel says this awe posture is something that she witnessed during the eclipse as New Yorkers stopped to see the moon pass in front of the sun.

But the art exhibit is hardly the only thing Jewel is currently working on. The multi-platinum artist is co-headlining a tour with Melissa Etheridge and has co-founded a new mental health platform called Innerworld.

Innerworld is bridging the gap in mental health care through its virtual platform. Jewel cofounded the company with Noah Robinson who is also the CEO of the platform that integrates technology with mental health to provide affordable and accessible mental health options for people who may be lacking accesses or need additional supports.

Innerworld allows users to access the platform via virtual reality headsets, which serves a deeper purpose according to Robinson.

“My realization that I was gay at the age of 13 led me into a deep depression and I escaped by living in an online virtual world as an anonymous avatar for over 10,000 hours. I found a community that saved my life and gave me the courage to come out of the closet.

My experience led me to wonder: instead of designing virtual worlds like casinos to trap people with hits of dopamine, what if psychologists could build a mental health app to help people come back to reality more empowered than they left it? That’s why we created Innerworld: to translate scientifically validated mental health tools into a 24/7 community where everyone can get the help they need.”

The mental health platform created by Robinson and Jewel has different tiers starting at free and currently capping out at $120 a month. Each tier provides users with different levels of support with the highest tier giving users access to licensed mental health professionals along with everything else that’s available in the lower tiers. Affordability and accessibility were both crucial to the singer.

“We knew we wanted to create a mental health intervention platform that was based in science, that was tracking clinical outcomes. We are a clinical research platform and we knew we wanted to do something that scaled and something that was affordable,” Jewel says. “For us it was coming up with something that could meet everybody’s needs but still being very affordable.”

Listen to “The Portal” below:

So, if you’re keeping up, Jewel has been painting, sculpting, mothering, writing, singing, preparing for a tour, and creating a virtual mental health platform. But she isn’t one to make it seem like she’s able to do it all without help from others. The singer was very clear that she relies on her village to help her and sometimes she has to chose what is more important to her in that moment, which may be refreshing for other working moms to hear.

All these ripples of kindness and empathy coming from the singer isn’t the least bit surprising. Here’s hoping that these ripples turn into waves of change in the world of mental health accessibility and the embracing of preventative mental health measures through meditation, art and other forms of healing.

The NBA Draft does not feature an elite prospect, and that has made this year’s buildup to the Draft fairly light in terms of hype. When that happens, networks and media outlets go in search of something that grabs attention, and the quest of Bronny James to join his father in the NBA is among the biggest.

James is a second round prospect who will need to impress in workouts (which he got a good start to doing so at the Combine), but his very famous father making it known he wants to play with him adds further intrigue to his situation. Bronny, for his part, has said that’s not a goal of his, and he just wants to end up on a team that wants him for his own merits as a player.

Even though he’s not expected to go on Night 1 of the Draft, there is ample conversation about James in the lead up to the Draft, and Kendrick Perkins asked for ESPN and the rest of the media to pump the brakes when it comes to Bronny.

“Let me say this, we have to stop. We have to stop as the media and everybody else shining the light on Bronny, cause there’s other players that deserve our attention – the lottery guys, the guys that are actually gonna get drafted in the first round. We’re talking about a young man that’s possibly going in the late second round or not getting drafted at all. I’ve never in my four years of working here, I’ve never sat on a table and we’re talking about a second round pick.”

As Chiney Ogwumike and Ramona Shelburne defended the attention Bronny’s been given, Perkins continued to push back.

“What does that have to do with his son being at the NBA Combine? We didn’t shine the light on Scottie Pippen’s kid like this. We can’t move the goalposts and feel like we’re gonna do it when it’s convenient for us.”

Now, I will say, the sports media has always moved goalposts to cover the things that get the most views. That is, arguably, the core principle of what we do. The sports media did not cover players parents before LaVar Ball and really haven’t after, it was just a thing people seemed to really be interested in (either because they loved it or hated it).

Overall, I think Perk makes very fair points, and I think there’s an important balance to strike when it comes to how we talk about Bronny. It is, as Chiney and Ramona point out, a big story that LeBron’s son is trying to make it to the league, and the reason it’s different from Pippen’s son or any other kids of ex-NBA stars is that LeBron is still in the league. He’s also made it clear that he wants to play with Bronny, even if Bronny seems less interested in that, and because LeBron is a free agent this summer, there is a prevailing idea (right or wrong) that the team that drafts Bronny has a chance to add LeBron.

That is the biggest reason why this story is as big as it is, along with the fact that there isn’t a dominant prospect at the top. That said, it’s going to be important for Bronny not to be the leading story of this draft because, as Perk rightly explains, he’s a fringe NBA prospect at this point. That’s not to say he can’t make it in the league, but he has a lot to show still and didn’t really get that chance in a very strange year at USC and it would do him a disservice to talk about him ad nauseam.

We will see how much ESPN heeds Perk’s pleas when they cover the Draft this June, particularly with the Draft being split into two nights. The second round could feature an awful lot of Bronny coverage, and Perk won’t exactly be thrilled by that on the desk.

After handing out the major awards earlier in the playoffs, the NBA is spending this week announcing the players named to the league’s All-Rookie, All-Defense, and All-NBA teams. After leading the way on the All-Rookie first team, Victor Wembanyama got his second honor on Tuesday, becoming the first rookie to make it on the All-Defense first team in league history.

He joins DPOY Rudy Gobert, fellow DPOY finalist Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, and Herbert Jones on the first team, as voters took advantage of there not being positional requirements anymore to load up with big men on the first team. The second team is where the perimeter defenders got their honors, led by Alex Caruso who finished one voting point shy of Davis for the final First Team spot.

All-Defense First Team

Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves)
Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
Bam Adebayo (Heat)
Herb Jones (Pelicans)
Anthony Davis (Lakers)

All-Defense Second Team

Alex Caruso (Bulls)
Jalen Suggs (Magic)
Derrick White (Celtics)
Jaden McDaniels (Timberwolves)
Jrue Holiday (Celtics)

Holiday edged out Lu Dort for the final spot on the second team, with Dort coming up two points shy of Holiday in the voting. He may have been hurt by the Thunder all splitting votes as Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous Alexander finished with 21 and 19 points respectively.

TV network renewals and cancellations feel particularly dramatic this year. This tension could be observed after CBS’ decision to cancel NCIS: Hawai’i after a cliffhanger season finale. Fans of NBC’s Law & Order: Organized Crime also seemed frustrated with the delay in renewing the Elliot Stabler-focused series, which eventually surfaced as a Peacock-exclusive renewal with Mariska Hargitay vowing for Stabler to make another SVU crossover for Olivia Benson’s sake. However, answers are still lacking for a CW series that has regularly nabbed the network’s highest viewership but somehow did not appear on their Fall 2024-25 list of shows as announced.

Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva now has an update on Walker (starring Jared Padalecki), for which the publication received word from the Austin, Texas sets, which are being broken down to save money while awaiting an official verdict. “The dismantling is already in full force, with crew members taking other jobs,” Andreeva has written. “While the move is not permanent — If a renewal ultimately comes, the sets can be put up, with producer CBS Studios saving money on stage rental in the interim — it illustrates how close to a cancellation Walker is.” Here’s more from Deadline:

Under normal circumstances, a Season 5 renewal for Walker should be a no-brainer — it is the CW’s most watched series. Yet, a pickup — even if it comes — will also have to come at the right price for the show to come back. As Deadline reported last month, Walker cannot continue without a significant increase in its license fee, believed to be currently at $500k-$550k an episode …The target is to get the fee close to the $1M an episode mark, which would make it financially feasible for CBS Studios to continue.

The show’s fourth season is still running, even as this drama continues to unfold. Either way (renewal or cancellation), a decision could take until July 31 (after which the cast’s options will expire) to come together, so the wait might soon grow even more uncomfortable. Previously, prequel spin off Walker: Independence was cancelled in 2023 after a single season.

(Via Deadline)

Health issues have forced singer Victoria Monét to drop from the lineups of several upcoming festivals in June, including Governors Ball, Blavity, and The Roots Picnic. Monét announced the show cancelations via her Instagram Story, writing, “I am gutted to share that I will no longer be able to perform at Governors Ball (NYC), Roots Picnic (Philadelphia) or Blavity (Nashville) this June.”

“I am so sorry,” she continued. “Candidly I have been dealing with some ongoing health issues that have to be addressed right now, but I will be back out there soon, that’s a promise! Please know it wasn’t an easy call but it’s definitely for the best. All other shows are still moving forward as planned. See you soo.”

The “On My Mama” singer is still billed to appear at festivals including Broccoli City in July and Lollapalooza Chicago, Outside Lands, and Victoria Park London in August.

Earlier this year, Victoria Monét reached the peak of her career so far with a Best New Artist win at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in February. In March, she also won two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding New Artist and Outstanding Album for Jaguar II. With those wins in her back pocket, her latest setback is likely to become nothing more than a set-up for a comeback.

Considering it made people (mostly conservative commentators) lose their marbles, you would think that the most-watched sketch from season 49 of Saturday Night Live would be from the episode hosted by Sydney Sweeney. Specifically, the Hooters sketch. But nope! “Hooters Waitress” — which is exactly what it sounds like — has 5.4 million views on YouTube, placing it #8 for the season, according to Decider. Here’s the top 5:

#5. “State of the Union Cold Open” (5.96 million)

#4. “Protective Mom 2” (6 million)

#3. “Washington’s Dream” (8.9 million)

#2. “I’m Just Pete” (13.7 million)

#1. “Beavis and Butt-Head” (15.3 million)

Yup, it’s the sketch that made the usually-composed Heidi Gardner channel her inner Jimmy Fallon and start uncontrollably laughing.

“It feels like it was just this huge release in a lot of ways for people,” she told IndieWire about the sketch, which stars Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day as guys who look a lot like Beavis and Butt-Head. “You’re not watching SNL in 2024 expecting to see Beavis and Butt-Head. So I think that was a fun generational thing for people to feel nostalgia… And then the fact that we all got the giggles, people have told me, ‘Oh, seeing you laugh that hard gave me permission to laugh that hard and just really be like, This is so stupid.’”

Stupid, and very popular.

(Via Decider)

Actor Billy Crystal once referred to Robin Williams as “my closest friend,” and the pair worked together as well. They hosted 8 “Comic Relief” charity events in the ‘80s and ’90s with Whoopi Goldberg and starred together in Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet” (1996), “Father’s Day” (1997), and Deconstructing Harry” (1997).

In 2014, 2 weeks after William’s death, Crystal was given the difficult job of eulogizing his dear friend at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Crystal only had a few minutes to express his love for Williams and describe his incredible contribution to comedy, but he did a commendable job speaking for the countless people left heartbroken by his death.

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“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, [being] the spokesman for everybody in front of 17 million people,” Crystal later admitted.

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Over the course of 3 minutes, Crustal shared Williams’ comic brilliance by recounting a time when he improvised as a Russian baseball player on live TV. He also shared his humanity by sharing how he spent time with his older relatives at family gatherings.

Finally, he summed up Williams by putting his indescribable brilliance into words.

“For almost 40 years he was the brightest star in a comedy galaxy,” Crystal said. “But while some of the brightest of our celestial bodies are actually extinct now, their energy long since cooled. But miraculously, since because they float in the heavens so far away from us now, their beautiful light will continue to shine on us forever. And the glow will be so bright, it’ll warm your heart, it’ll make your eyes glisten and you’ll think to yourselves, ‘Robin Williams—what a concept.’”

Season two of Bel-Air wrapped up by bringing viewers up to speed on Will’s basketball career, his love life, Carlton’s personal struggles, Phil and Vivian’s career moves, and more. It’s been a little over a year since the show’s second season came to an end, and while a third season was confirmed, its release date was not shared until earlier this week. At long last, Peacock announced that season three of Bel-Air will debut on August 15. A press release for the new season confirmed that the upcoming episodes would be focused on Will’s first summer in Bel-Air.

“No school. No uniforms. Just summer sizzle. Pools, beach parties, bonfires, fireworks, Juneteenth celebrations and lots of summer lovin’,” the press release noted. “Season 3 explores questions like, how do you prove yourself in a world that views you in limited ways? How do you reach beyond your comfort zone to create new opportunities for yourself? How does a family rebuild broken trust?”

Morgan Cooper, executive producer and director of Bel-Air, also shared a statement on the upcoming season. “Everything has a little more kick to it this season; the colors are more vibrant, the sound is elevated, the cinematography is more immersive,” he said. “The vibe really sets the tone for Will’s first Bel-Air summer: Three months to shine, explore and make moves under the LA sun.”

He continued, “In season 3, Will’s ready to level up his way, even if it means going against the grain of what’s expected. His potential is limitless, but he still has a lot to learn. As Will expands his horizons, we see the Banks family navigating new, complex relationship dynamics. It’s definitely a season of change for everyone, and we can’t wait to share this next chapter of Bel-Air.”

Stay tuned for more on Bel-Air season three and scroll down to view some first-look images from the upcoming season.

‘Bel-Air’ season 3 debuts on Peacock on August 15. Seasons 1 and 2 of ‘Bel-Air’ are available now to stream on Peacock.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

Since the last update of this weekly R&B column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists.

Kehlani announced her fourth album Crash and revealed its cover art and release date while also helping to narrate the announcement video for the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s newest team. 6lack joined Russ for their new song “Working On Me” and NxWorries took a step closer to their upcoming album Why Lawd? with their new single “FromHere” featuring Snoop Dogg and October London. Elsewhere, Ravyn Lenae will headline Aminé’s The Best Day Ever Festival.

Here are some new releases from the past week that you’ll enjoy:

NxWorries — “FromHere” Feat. Snoop Dogg & October London

Eight years removed from their stunning debut Yes Lawd!, NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) are weeks away from unveiling their second album Why Lawd?. Following “Where I Go,” “Daydreaming,” and “86Sentra,” NxWorries offers a fourth single thanks to “FromHere” with Snoop Dogg and October London. The slow-burning effort laments the loss of a lover with echoes from London and a mountain of questions from .Paak, all before Snoop Dogg arrives to close out the song.

Trevor Jackson — He Don’t Know

Trevor Jackson keeps the new music coming with his new EP He Don’t Know. It follows Heads Up from earlier this year, and arrives with five songs and a feature from Haben. He Don’t Know lives as a part two for Heads Up as Jackson assumes the role of the secret man in a woman’s love life while also delving into the highs and lows that exist in and outside the bedroom.

T-Pain — “On This Hill”

T-Pain promising run of recent releases continues with his latest single, “On This Hill.” The powerful single finds T-Pain standing firm in his beliefs and seizing control of the moment and freedom he gifted himself through ending a relationship with a woman who brought him more pain than joy.

Lila Iké — “He Loves Us Both” Feat. HER

Jamaican reggae singer Lila Iké and HER join forces for a record they say was inspired by Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine.” The reggae tune brings two women to the center as they learn that their romantic interests are shared with the same man. Despite this discovery, both Lila and HER are set on continue their foray into love regardless of their partner’s infidelity.

Elijah Blake — “Sugarwater & Lime”

With Elijah. still on the way, ELijah Blake offers a hopeful record with “Sugarwater & Lime.” On it, he reflects on attempts to heal and repair a relationship from heartbreak, noting “We can’t make lemonade / From sugarwater and lime,” but “maybe we can heal from heartbreak / In due time.” “Sugarwater & Lime” follows “Ghostbusters” as singles from Elijah..

Elmiene — “Sweetness” Feat. Leon Thomas

Following the completion of his North American tour, rising UK singer Elmiene invites Leon Thomas onto his lovelorn single “Sweetness.” Following Elmiene’s opening verse, Thomas checks in to mourn his own loss of love and even name drop a popular record of his.

Lekan — “Brand New”

The future is looking very bright for LA singer Lekan. He signed on as an opener for Tems’ upcoming Born In The Wild World Tour, and to celebrate, he dropped his second single of the year with “Brand New.” The forthright single presents Lekan with his cards on the table as he ponders a fresh start with a lover, seeing that their growing relationship deserves as clean state, so long as his companion feels the same.

Vedo — Next Chapter

The streak of activity continues for Vedo. Following two albums released in 2023, he returns with his eighth album Next Chapter. Fourteen songs and a feature from Rotimi make up this project which Vedo says “symbolizes victory, prosperity and overcoming obstacles in my life and in my career.”

Kallitechnis — “Wound Up”

With her Mood Ring EP nearing and arrival, Montreal singer Kallitechnis offers another single with “Wound Up.” The motivated and upbeat single makes use of summery production as Kallitechnis breaks free from the expectations and limitations placed upon her by society. Instead, she flies away and soars above them all.

Victor Ray — “Falling Into Place” Feat. Debbie

Ahead of his I Tried out on June 14, Victor Ray and UK singer Debbie join forces for their powerful and heartfelt single “Falling Into Place.” The magical duet captures the romantic feelings in place after meeting that special someone. According to Clash, Ray explained that the song was “inspired by the rush of emotions that you get when you meet a stranger that you know could end up becoming a lot more than that to you.” He added, “I met someone who made me feel this way and I knew that it might not work out, but I chose to believe it will.”

Cherrie — “GoGetter”

Swedish singer Cherrie shares her third single of year with “GoGetter.” Though the record, which follows “Såg Som De E” and “44,” is mostly in Swedish, it’s still an extremely infectious listen that is worthy of a place on your summer playlists.

Check out this week’s R&B selections as well as favorites from past weeks through our Best New R&B Songs Of The Week playlist.