Month: June 2024

A 42-year-old mother wondered whether she did the right thing by disciplining her 18-year-old daughter, Abby, who disinvited a friend from vacation because of her weight. The mother asked people on Reddit for their opinion.

For some background, Abby had struggled with her weight for many years, so she went to her mother for help. The two set up a program where Abby was given a reward for every milestone she achieved.

“Four months ago, she asked that I don’t get her any more rewards and add it up to her birthday gift, and for her gift she wants a vacation I will pay for, for her and her friends instead of the huge party I had promised for her 18th. I said OK,” the mother wrote.

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So, instead of a series of small gifts, Abbey wanted one large one, a vacation with two of her friends. The vacation would also celebrate Abby’s 18th birthday. The mother agreed and booked the trip for the 3 girls.

“Fast forward to last weekend, we started preparing for her vacation,” the mother wrote. “I called the other two girls’ parents to confirm the girls would be and learned Abby’s best friend Betty isn’t going. Betty loves traveling and was looking forward to the vacation, so I asked why. Apparently, Abby uninvited her because ‘she is too chubby to look good in pictures.’”

When the mother approached Abby about the situation, she doubled down on her comments to Betty. “I calmly talked to Abby and reminded her how Betty would feel being left out for such a reason, and she went off with, ‘I didn’t work so hard for this vacation so my pictures will be ruined,'” the mother wrote.

Abby then asked Betty to contact her mom and say that she decided not to go on the trip because she wasn’t feeling well. Betty refused to lie, and Abby sent her a “ton of hateful texts and body-shaming insults.” Betty shared screenshots of the texts to the mother, and she promptly canceled the entire vacation.

Now, Abby’s father, who shares 50-50 custody with the mother, is livid, and Abby won’t speak to the mother. The mom asked the Reddit
AITA forum to see if she was in the wrong, and the commenters overwhelmingly said she did the right thing. “Some of my friends agree on my approach, while others think I should have put my daughter first,” the mother said.

The most popular commenter was short and to the point.

“Teaching your daughter to not be a horrible human being IS putting her first,” Due_Laugh_3851 wrote. “I commend your strength and parenting skills. This was the right thing to do and would’ve been hard to do. Well done, you deserve to go on the holiday yourself,” Loud_Wallaby737 added.

“… uninviting someone because you only want skinny people in your pictures is a disgusting attitude frankly. Sorry, I just don’t find a nicer word for it. I am totally with you that this needs to have consequences, and while I’m very much against breaking promises, I do believe this is an exception. Like you said, your daughter knows what it feels like. She (but anyone really) should be supportive of friends wanting to lose weight if that is the case and if it isn’t they she should just mind her own
business body,” SensitiveSires wrote.

One of the few people who thought she was in the wrong believed that the mother set her daughter up for failure.

“[You’re wrong] for giving your daughter who is a child rewards for weight loss. Her behavior of value based on weight shows she likely has developed disordered eating patterns and attitudes and this will cause her a lifetime of pain,” tamtheprogram wrote.

The silver lining to the story is that many people who commented said that even though her daughter did something very hurtful, she’s still a teenager and there’s a chance she’ll realize the error of her ways.

“The daughter is just a teenager, she still has a lot of time to learn and grow up. Writing off her entire future as a mean girl when it’s very rare to be the same exact person you were at 18 as you grow up is a lot,” Stephapeaz wrote.

This article originally appeared on 9.18.23

Ellis Bextor’s 2024 North American headlining tour kicked off at August Hall in San Francisco, California on May 30. The British star played in San Diego on May 31, and she will next perform at 9:30 Club in Washington, DC on Monday, June 3.

Below is Ellis‐Bextor’s setlist based upon fans’ chronicling on setlist.fm from opening night in San Francisco, and find Ellis-Bextor’s upcoming tour dates here.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor called Uproxx from her European tour bus in March, and the “Murder On The Dancefloor” singer spoke about how excited she was to bring her tour to North America.

“The whole thing is pretty dreamy,” Ellis-Bextor said. “For a while, I’ve had a little cluster of American fans. They’d say ‘Come to America!’ and I was always like, ‘Oh, I don’t know, it feels risky.’ Putting this on sale and seeing people buy tickets is incredible.”

Here Is Sophie Ellis‐Bextor’s 2024 North American Tour Setlist

1. “Crying At The Discoteque” (Alcazar Cover)
2. “Take Me Home”(Cher Cover)
3. “Music Gets The Best Of Me”
4. “Young Blood”
5. “Hearing In Colour” (Interlude/Costume Change)
6. “Hypnotized”
7. “Mixed Up World” (Audience Choice)
8. “Dancing Queen” (ABBA Cover) (Audience Choice)
9. “Get Over You”
10. “Lady (Hear Me Tonight)” / “Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)” / “Can’t Fight This Feeling” / “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”
11. “Not Giving Up On Love” (Armin Van Buuren Cover)
12. “Like A Prayer” (Madonna Cover)
13. “Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)” (Freemasons Cover)
14. “Murder On The Dancefloor”

Encore:

15.”Bittersweet”
16. “A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed” (Theaudience song) (Acoustic)

If you imagined that Cobra Kai — which will never die — would live on for future generations as an increasingly popular baby name, I would bet that you might not guess which name is pulling off that wizardry. Spoiler alert: It ain’t Anthony LaRusso.

TMZ recently revealed the coveted moniker (and “the second fastest-rising boy name”) that would never have appeared on the Social Security Administration’s annual hit baby-name list without the Netflix continuation of The Karate Kid franchise. That would be Chozen, the character who barely made it out of Season 5 alive after battling with Terry Silver and has transformed from antagonist to a hero and a much goofier character on the Netflix series. Actor Yuji Okumoto touched base with TMZ:

Yuji Okumoto tells TMZ he always thought the name was cool, but since Chozen was such a d-bag in the 1986 film, he never imagined parents would want to name their kid after him!

Yuji tells TMZ it was getting old hearing “a**hole,” among other unpleasant comments from random fans, so the character’s return has been awesome for several reasons.

It must be noted that, although currently rising, “Chozen” sits around #800 on the SSA list, so it sounds like there won’t be several Chozens in any given classroom like Twilight did to Bella awhile back. Yuji, however, is stoked and “[l]ooking forward to meeting the young Chozens in the future.” Same.

(Via TMZ & CBS)

Sabrina Carpenter has a thing for making substantial announcements before performing at festivals. In April, Carpenter prefaced her impressive Coachella 2024 debut by releasing “Espresso,” which has ballooned into the biggest hit of her career — reaching Adele’s bedtime routine and the Billboard Hot 100 top 10. Now, Carpenter is preparing to perform at Governors Ball Music Festival 2024 on Saturday, June 8, and there will be even more curious eyes on her setlist after her latest announcement.

On Monday, June 3, Carpenter revealed that she would release Short N’ Sweet, her sixth full-length studio album, on August 23.

“I am so excited to announce my brand new album Short N’ Sweet coming in August,” Carpenter said in a statement. “This project is quite special to me, and I hope it’ll be something special to you, too. I also have a surprise coming for you on Thursday night so keep an eye out.”

To that end, a press release confirmed that “new music” is due out on Thursday, June 6, which probably explains Carpenter’s teaser video from yesterday, June 2. The 25-year-old pop supernova posted a 14-second video across her social media accounts showing her kissing the camera and leaving lipstick marks on the lens before a groovy instrumental plays.

Carpenter’s last LP was Emails I Can’t Send in July 2022 — home to Carpenter’s “Nonsense.”

Short N’ Sweet is out 8/23 via Island Records. Find more information here.

Vince Staples just dropped his new album, Dark Times, to widespread critical praise. His final album under Def Jam, its release signals a new chapter for the Long Beach rapper, who also just announced the renewal of his Netflix series, The Vince Staples Show, for a second season. Now, he’s hitting the road to promote it on the Black In America Tour, which he announced today. He’ll be supported on the tour by singer Baby Rose.

Running from mid-October to early November, it’s not the longest tour, sticking mainly to major cities, but if you can get to one, it’s sure to be one hell of a show. If not, there are always his performances at a slew of festivals this summer, including Lollapalooza, Flow Festival, and more.

Tickets for the Black in America Tour go on sale Friday, June 7th at 10AM local time. Pre-sale begins Tuesday, June 4th at 10AM local time. You can find more information on VinceStaples.com.

10/14 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern*
10/18 — New York, NY @ Terminal 5**
10/20 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner*
10/21 — Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall*
10/23 — Toronto, ON @ History*
10/24 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem*
10/26 — Detroit, MI @ Masonic Cathedral Theatre*
10/28 — Minneapolis, MN @ Palace Theatre*
10/30 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom*
11/02 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo*
11/03 — Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom*
11/05 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield*
11/06 — Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall*

There was a time before Robert Downey Jr. was a former Marvel icon-turned Oscar winner, if you can even believe it. The actor has starred in plenty of movies over the years, but none of them highlight the beauty of dysfunctional families quite like Jodie Foster‘s Home For The Holidays.

Foster directed the classic 1995 family drama, which starred a young RDJ as Holly Hunter’s younger brother Jack and Dylan McDermott as Jack’s friend Leo who arrives for the holidays. In Variety‘s recent “Actors on Actors” series, the two colleagues chatted about their on-set experience 30+ years ago.

The Iron Man actor asked Foster if she remembers putting the two young actors “in check” during rehearsals, which Downey described as “so out of control.” She didn’t, but that’s because she’s a professional!

Foster explained, “I don’t [remember]. But I was used to working with children, so that’s something I do well. I say to them, ‘If you move, I’m going to step on your foot really hard.’” There is nothing like the light threat of violence to ensure child actors that they do their jobs. The best part is that Downey Jr was actually 29 at the time, a full-grown adult. But that’s showbiz!

She continued, “You have a big mouth and a crazy mind that loves the freedom of being in the moment, which is not who I am, but who I wish to be—somebody that’s free like you.”

Despite his on-set behavior, Downey still had a great experience with Foster. At the time, he was in his late twenties and was no stranger to Hollywood. “I was pretty out of my mind the whole time we were shooting, but I remember it feeling like one of the most relaxed performances in the history of cinema,” he said. It’s a stark contrast (get it??) to his most recent role as the least-relaxed man in the history of the world.

(Via Variety)

Cher is generally unfazed by the criticism of her relationship with Alexander “AE” Edwards, a Universal Music Group executive who is 40 years younger than the 78-year-old impending Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2024 inductee. Cher is also unfazed by Edwards’ decision to fight Travis Scott and Southside at Cannes last month.

“I’m Proud of Alexander,” Cher wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, June 1, and yes, Cher’s erratic capitalization remains unedited for effect. “He Didn’t Start The fight Against 2 Men,… He finished it, Gotta Love Him.”

TMZ reported the physical altercation, complete with grainy video footage, and cited unnamed witnesses who claimed that Edwards “was the instigator, as he ran up on stage and initiated physical contact” with Scott at Richie Akiva’s annual amFAR The After party on May 23. Last week, TMZ caught up with Edwards at Los Angeles International Airport, where Edwards (sort of) clarified what actually happened.

“Shout-out Southside,” Edwards said. “That’s my n****. I know he was defending his boy and doing what he was supposed to be doing as his boy. I don’t got no hard feelings. It is what it is. It went how it went. That’s it.”

Edwards explained that he “doesn’t wanna fight” and denied initiating but acknowledged “I’m gonna protect myself and my people.” He also assured any concerned fans that Cher was not upset, using Future and Metro Boomin’s “GTA” as a reference point when describing Cher’s reaction: “Like Future say, ‘Whatever I’m with, my b*tch with it, too.’ My woman, but the lyrics are the lyrics.”

TMZ’s original report relayed that “the fight started after both Travis and Tyga were on stage behind the DJ booth,” and Scott appeared to become upset after Richie Akiva told the crowd, “We got T-Raww, AE, and Travis in the building” — “possibly a Kylie Jenner exes thing.” Edwards is a close friend of Tyga’s.

With the release of his new single “Houdini” in the rearview, Eminem fans are now looking forward to the release of his upcoming album, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce). Em announced the album in late April after teasing fans with a phony album announcement to start the month — April Fools!

So, when is Eminem’s new album, The Death Of Slim Shady, scheduled for release?

Although no formal release date has been given as yet, Eminem did give a release window, “Summer 2024.” That means that the album could be out as early as this month, and as late as September. However, Eminem has made the album available for pre-order for “one week only” as a limited-edition digital release with an exclusive bonus track. You can pre-order the album on Eminem’s website.

In addition to releasing his twelfth studio album this year, Eminem had previously announced plans to produce a documentary about stan culture — although it seems that it’ll be specifically about Eminem fans rather than the larger phenomenon. Fans looking for new music from their hero received a new song, as well, in the form of “Doomsday 2,” which appeared on the Lyrical Lemonade album, All Is Yellow, with a video featuring a slew of artists he’s inspired over the years, including Big Sean, Cordae, Denzel Curry, JID, and Teezo Touchdown.

Usually, when you read a story about people being confronted in a grocery store parking lot, it’s bad news. But not this time. Back in November of 2023, Portland, Oregon-based photographer David Frazier had an uplifting experience in the parking lot of a New Seasons market after being approached by a female admirer.

He later told the story on TikTok in a video that received over 3.4 million views.

While making a quick run to the store, Frazier parked next to a woman driving a Tesla. He noticed she was eating, hanging around and “vibing,” so he flashed her a smile and went into the store, where he picked up a bite to eat.

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Upon returning to his car, the woman was still there. She rolled down her window and asked Frazier, “Hey, are you single?” Frazier was taken aback by the question and replied: “Sadly, yes, I am. Um, also very gay, though.”

@wowrealneat

Dear New Seasons Parking Lot Girl, you’re so cool and ily ❤️ #fyp #portland #parkinglot #xoxo

He told the woman he was flattered and that asking never hurts. “You’re just so handsome,” she replied. Frazier returned the compliment, calling her “pretty,” and the two shared a laugh and went their separate ways.

But the interaction stuck with Frazier. He thought it took real “guts” to tell a stranger you think they’re attractive. He also felt that it was “kind” and “flattering” for her to compliment him. “She seemed like such a genuine and kind and earnest” and “cool” person, he said in the video.

He hoped the TikTok video he made would eventually reach her somehow. “You have uplifted me in a way that I didn’t know I needed, and it made me feel amazing, and I just wanted to say thank you and I hope you have such an incredible weekend,” Frazier told the woman through his post.

He also invited her to get a “friend coffee.”

Five weeks after Frazier posted the video, it successfully reached its intended audience of one. It was seen by Tifanie Mayberry, the woman driving the Tesla. She shared a reaction video where she watched Frazier’s original post. The video received over 11 million views.

@tifaniemayberry

#duet with @David #fyp WOW!! Never expected for this to come back around like this. OMG. The internet is internetting and I LOVE it!!

Mayberry followed the reaction video up with another, explaining that her behavior in the parking lot that day was a perfect example of where she is in life. She’s 35, single and ready to settle down and have kids. If that means she has to be a little forward in approaching men, so be it.

“So what you’re witnessing is me just being like no BS and being ‘like okay if I see me a good one, I just like to lasso them, and reel ’em in’ and be like ‘Hey, I’m interested,’ and that’s just kind of where I am in life. And apparently, this one got back to me in a very unexpected way,” she said.

Mayberry added that she has yet to speak with Frazier but is looking forward to meeting him. She hopes that one day he’ll even make it to her wedding.

@tifaniemayberry

Well its been a very funny ending to 2023, and I have to say it ended things on such a great note for me 🥹❤️✨ Thanks TikTok!! @David – Coffee in the New Year?!

This article originally appeared on 1.5.24

Sabrina Carpenter could easily ride “Espresso” throughout this summer. The flirty, self-assured song is stuck in everyone’s heads, including Adele’s, and continues to chart in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 after peaking at No. 4 last month. But it would appear that Carpenter plans to add another summer banger to the menu.

On Sunday, June 2, Carpenter posted a 14-second video across her social media accounts showing her confidently strutting toward a camera and kissing the lens, leaving ambiguous lipstick marks. The 25-year-old actress-turned-pop star smiles, flips her hair over her shoulder, and walks away while a groovy instrumental plays.

Of course, this could mean literally anything. Carpenter did not caption the video, making this all the more mysterious. The instrumental snippet at the end would seem to indicate that Carpenter is preparing to drop a single. This could also be the beginning of an album rollout, considering Carpenter last released Emails I Can’t Send in July 2022. Who knows? Carpenter has repeatedly proved, especially by ad-libbing the “Nonsense” outro, that she has no problem expressing her unfiltered thoughts. Rest assured that, in due time, she will make it explicitly clear what this video foreshadows.

Carpenter is scheduled to perform at Governors Ball Music Festival 2024 next Saturday, June 8, at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in New York City. It might be worth noting that Carpenter’s “Espresso” release coincided with her Coachella 2024 set, so it’s possible that a song drops around Gov Ball.