You usually only hear a few names brought up whenever someone is asked to pick the GOAT basketball player. There’s Michael Jordan, there’s LeBron James, every now and then you’ll hear someone cite Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career of excellence in the sport, or Bill Russell’s 11 championship rings in a 13-year playing career.
In a recent clip while promoting his new movie Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Will Smith decided to go in a different direction. The question got posed to himself and his co-star Martin Lawrence, and while Lawrence used a pretty common argument in picking Jordan (he was undefeated in the NBA Finals in his career), Smith leaned heavily on his Philadelphia roots in naming his GOAT — and no, he did not pick Sixers legend Allen Iverson or Philly native Kobe Bryant.
“I mean, ok, so you got a Greatest of All-Time,” Smith said. “I think there has to be avenues. Like, for me, the GOAT basketball player for my life — for my life — the GOAT basketball player is Julius Erving. Like, the basketball player that changed my life.”
Erving spent 11 years as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, and was an important piece of their NBA championship winning team in 1983. Smith would have been a teenager in Philly at that point, so it probably isn’t a big surprise that he holds Dr. J in such high regard.
A great opera voice is a learned art, not a natural-born gift like other styles of singing. It takes discipline, physical training, and to truly wow the audience, the performer must be a great actor and athlete as well.
“Singing opera is to ordinary vocal activity what distance running, triple-jumping and pole-vaulting are to ordinary exercise,” said Sir Antonio Pappano, music director of the Royal Opera House wrote for the BBC. “Which means that singers and, almost as important, those who teach them are locked in the same kinds of relationship that obtain between elite athletes and charismatic coaches.”
So what goes on inside of the head and throat of an opera singer while they perform?
German baritone Michael Volle performed “Song to the Evening Star” by German composer Richard Wagner while inside of an MRI scan to give people a never-before-seen look at how an opera singer produces such a haunting sound. It’s a pretty freaky-looking image, but shows the amazing control these performers must have to hit such powerful notes.
Photographer James Balog and his crew were hanging out near a glacier when their camera captured something extraordinary.
They were in Greenland, gathering footage from the time-lapse they’d positioned all around the Arctic Circle for the last several years.
They were also there to shoot scenes for a documentary. And while they were hoping to capture some cool moments on camera, no one expected a huge chunk of a glacier to snap clean off and slide into the ocean right in front of their eyes.
It was the largest such event ever filmed.
For nearly an hour and 15 minutes, Balog and his crew stood by and watched as a piece of ice the size of lower Manhattan — but with ice-equivalent buildings that were two to three times taller than that — simply melted away.
As far as anyone knows, this was an unprecedented geological catastrophe and they caught the entire thing on tape. It won’t be the last time something like this happens either.
But once upon a time, Balog was openly skeptical about that “global warming” thing.
Balog had a reputation since the early 1980s as a conservationist and environmental photographer. And for nearly 20 years, he’d scoffed at the climate change heralds shouting, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!”
“I didn’t think that humans were capable of changing the basic physics and chemistry of this entire, huge planet. It didn’t seem probable, it didn’t seem possible,” he explained in the 2012 documentary film “Chasing Ice.”
There was too much margin of error in the computer simulations, too many other pressing problems to address about our beautiful planet. As far as he was concerned, these melodramatic doomsayers were distracting from the real issues.
That was then.
In fact, it wasn’t until 2005 that Balog became a believer.
He was sent on a photo expedition of the Arctic by National Geographic, and that first northern trip was more than enough to see the damage for himself.
“It was about actual tangible physical evidence that was preserved in the ice cores of Greenland and Antarctica,” he said in a 2012 interview with ThinkProgress. “That was really the smoking gun showing how far outside normal, natural variation the world has become. And that’s when I started to really get the message that this was something consequential and serious and needed to be dealt with.”
Madalyn Parker wanted to take a couple days off work. She didn’t have the flu, nor did she have plans to be on a beach somewhere, sipping mojitos under a palm tree.
Parker, a web developer from Michigan, wanted a few days away from work to focus on her mental health.
Parker lives with depression. And, she says, staying on top of her mental health is absolutely crucial.
“The bottom line is that mental health is health,” she says over email. “My depression stops me from being productive at my job the same way a broken hand would slow me down since I wouldn’t be able to type very well.”
She sent an email to her colleagues, telling them the honest reason why she was taking the time off.
“Hopefully,” she wrote to them, “I’ll be back next week refreshed and back to 100%.”
Soon after the message was sent, the CEO of Parker’s company wrote back:
“Hey Madalyn,
I just wanted to personally thank you for sending emails like this. Every time you do, I use it as a reminder of the importance of using sick days for mental health — I can’t believe this is not standard practice at all organizations. You are an example to us all, and help cut through the stigma so we can all bring our whole selves to work.”
u201cWhen the CEO responds to your out of the office email about taking sick leave for mental health and reaffirms your decision. ud83dudcafu201d
Moved by her CEO’s response, Parker posted the email exchange to Twitter.
The tweet, published on June 30, 2017, has since gone viral, amassing 45,000 likes and 16,000 retweets.
“It’s nice to see some warm, fuzzy feelings pass around the internet for once,” Parker says of the response to her tweet. “I’ve been absolutely blown away by the magnitude though. I didn’t expect so much attention!”
Even more impressive than the tweet’s reach, however, were the heartfelt responses it got.
“Thanks for giving me hope that I can find a job as I am,” wrote one person, who opened up about living with panic attacks. “That is bloody incredible,” chimed in another. “What a fantastic CEO you have.”
Some users, however, questioned why there needs to be a difference between vacation time and sick days; after all, one asked, aren’t vacations intended to improve our mental well-being?
That ignores an important distinction, Parker said — both in how we perceive sick days and vacation days and in how that time away from work is actually being spent.
“I took an entire month off to do partial hospitalization last summer and that was sick leave,” she wrote back. “I still felt like I could use vacation time because I didn’t use it and it’s a separate concept.”
Many users were astounded that a CEO would be that understanding of an employee’s mental health needs.
They were even more surprised that the CEO thanked her for sharing her personal experience with caring for her mental health.
After all, there’s still a great amount of stigma associated with mental illness in the workplace, which keeps many of us from speaking up to our colleagues when we need help or need a break to focus on ourselves. We fear being seen as “weak” or less committed to our work. We might even fear losing our job.
Ben Congleton, the CEO of Parker’s company, Olark, even joined the conversation himself.
In a blog post on Medium, Congleton wrote about the need for more business leaders to prioritize paid sick leave, fight to curb the stigma surrounding mental illness in the workplace, and see their employees as people first.
“It’s 2017. We are in a knowledge economy. Our jobs require us to execute at peak mental performance,” Congleton wrote. “When an athlete is injured, they sit on the bench and recover. Let’s get rid of the idea that somehow the brain is different.”
What do you get when you combine an infectious beat, an empowering message and a bunch of energetic tweens with delightfully thick Irish accents?
You get “The Spark,” this summer’s bangin’ anthem that people around the world can’t stop playing.
The young rappers from Cork and Lisdoonvarna—cities on opposite coasts of Ireland—came together to create this absolute banger for Cruinniú na nÓg, a national day of celebrating youth creativity in Ireland, which takes place on June 15.
The song and video were released as part of the Rhyme Island youth rap initiative created for the event, with kids ages 9 to 12 participating. It almost immediately began to spread on social media, with people raving over how catchy and fun it is. (People have been clamoring for a month for the song to be released on streaming, and we’re thrilled to share that as of June 14, you can officially find “The Spark” on Spotify.)
“I’m about to be screaming I SEARCHED FOR MY SPARK AND I FOUND IT all summer.”
“AI SHERCHED FOR ME ShPARK AN A FEUND EHT!!!!”
“If the clubs aren’t playing this song this summer then I’m leavinggggg.”
“This has no right to go this hard.”
“The Cork accent has found its calling.”
Even the Duracell battery account weighed in with “This is the kind of energy we live for.”
Many people shared that they love that the kids look like kids and not little adults. And with lyrics like this, how can you not walk away with a little extra spring in your step?
I searched for my spark and I found it
Everybody in the crowd start bouncin!
If we see a dream you know we’re gonna chase it
So get over any fear you have just face it!
You can do it like we do it, don’t doubt it
Any obstacle we find a way around it
If you’re proud of who you are and what you do, shout it!
The kids worked with local producer GMCBeats and The Kabin Studio, a music and creativity-focused nonprofit in Knocknaheeny, a suburb of Cork, to create the song.
“The response has been amazing,” said Garry McCarthy (GMCBeats), the creative director of the Kabin Studio and co-producer of “The Spark.” “The kids’ energy and positivity have inspired people worldwide. It’s been all over TikTok especially. It’s bonkers, we’ve never seen something like this!”
Dancers on TikTok have been coming up with dances to go along with it, so here’s one to try if you get the urge to get up and dance with the kids:
pov: youre running away from those irish kids DC: us!!!! #fyp #sparksong #irishkids #viral #dance @Stephanie
The Kabin Studio shared the hope that the song’s popularity will result in more people supporting young artists:
“‘The Spark’ is more than just a tune; it’s a celebration of creativity, resilience, and the unbreakable spirit of youth. As it continues to inspire listeners worldwide, The Kabin Studio hopes to channel its success into furthering their mission of supporting young artists locally and in direct provision.”
On the occasion of Taylor Swift playing the 100th show of her record-breaking The Eras Tour in Liverpool, England on Thursday, Swifties were expecting a big announcement. Well, they got one — and it has nothing to do with Reputation (Taylor’s Version).
When Is Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour Ending?
The “Fortnite” singer confirmed that The Eras Tour is ending in December.
“This is the very first time I’ve ever acknowledged to myself and admitted that this tour is going to end in December,” she told the crowd. “That feels like so far away from now, but then again, it feels like we just played our first show on this tour, because you have made this so much fun for us, that we wanted to do a hundred shows, 150-something shows that we have on the whole tour, and you know, I think that this tour has really become my entire life.”
This means Swift’s final dates on The Eras Tour will be on December 6, 7, and 8 in Vancouver, Canada.
Before then, however, she will continue to travel throughout Europe before heading back to the United States for stops in Miami, Florida (October 18 to 20); New Orleans, Louisiana (October 25 to 27); and Indianapolis, Indiana (November 1 to 3). All told, she’ll have played 152 shows during the economy-boosting tour, becoming a billionaire in the process.
In a new interview with Variety, Beckham offered his perspective on a potential reunion. To preserve the specific and ever-important context, the piece says immediately before introducing the relevant quote, “But don’t expect to see Posh, Baby, Sporty, Scary and Ginger Spice back in an arena.” Beckham is then quoted as saying:
“Unfortunately, that’s not happening. Victoria was so pleased to see the girls, and it was a massive part of her life, the girls, but obviously, all the girls have got their own things going on. They will do certain things together at certain times. But Victoria’s full on with her beauty and fashion businesses. If anyone’s busier than me, it’s her.”
He also added, “There’s nothing more that I’d like to see than the girls on stage again, so I’ll still work at it, don’t worry!”
This comes after the Beckhams had a viral moment last year: In the Netflix documentary series Beckham, David told Victoria to “be honest” as he caught her apparently embellishing elements of her childhood.
I thought we already settled this, but apparently, here we go again. South African hitmaker Tyla recently appeared on The Breakfast Club radio show, where a line of questioning undoubtedly designed to generate a viral moment regardless of the consequences for the 22-year-old star was shut down by her protective publicists.
As Charlamagne The God — who’s never been known for his tact and sense of nuance regarding fraught topics — asked her what it means to be “coloured” in South Africa (again, here’s a refresher for those who need it), a voice can be heard from off-camera asking, “Can we not, por favor?”
Tyla, who was already a star in her home country before “Water” broke in America, has had a stellar year to date, releasing a well-received debut album fueled by the Gunna-featuring remix of her breakout hit and cross-cultural collaborations with stars like Becky G and Skillibeng.
Although she was forced to cancel her highly anticipated headlining tour for health reasons, her star continues to rise. And with her previously addressing the differences in how America and South Africa do systemic racism, it’s clear she has no time for the Breakfast Club crew’s usual shenanigans.
She addressed it in her Cosmopolitan Interview and that’s enough.
What more do people want?? A DNA test?
Stop being obsessed with people’s race and identity – it has nothing to do with you! pic.twitter.com/yGKS3JwNl8
Peaky Blinders first premiered in 2013 and ran for six seasons before wrapping up in 2022. Since then, a lot has gone down: Cillian Murphy has won an Oscar, Paul Anderson was arrested for cocaine possession, and Tom Hardy has been zooming around aimlessly on a bike. So why not bring the crew back for another go around!
A Peaky Blinders movie was announced at the end of last year, and Murphy is on board to return. It seems like his costar Tom Hardy, who played the Alfie Solomons, leader of the Jewish gang, could appear as well.
While promoting The Bike Riders, Hardy revealed that Alfie will “100%’ be back with the Blinders crew.
Hardy told SkyNews, “100% Alfie will definitely make an appearance, but I don’t know when”, he said, adding “and I don’t even know if he will, that’s just me punting,” Hardy joked. Even if it isn’t official, the fact that Hardy is interested is a good sign.
“100% Alfie will definitely make an appearance” in Peaky Blinders
I spoke with #TomHardy at the UK gala screening of his new film The Bikeriders for @skynews
Not much else about the movie has been revealed, but it’s expected to begin filming this fall. “It’s gonna happen. It’s gonna happen this September,” creator and writer Steven Knight told NME in April. “I’m just doing the final polishes, which will continue up until the day before we start shooting. But we’re there. We’ve got everything sorted, we’ve got all the commitments we need, we are ready to go,” he added. It’s nice that Hardy has finally proven Sir Patrick Stewart wrong.
Chappell Roan formally launched her career with the 2017 EP School Nights, but things have especially accelerated over the past year or so. Her 2023 debut album The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess peaked just outside of the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and it spawned the hit song “Red Wine Supernova,” which is currently closing in on 100 million streams on Spotify. She followed that with the April single “Good Luck, Babe!,” which, as her first top-40 song, is her biggest success to date. The demand is clear: Bonnaroo just moved Roan to a larger stage for this weekend’s festival.
Roan is going through a significant career transition right now, and it turns out the process isn’t always easy.
As Billboard notes, between songs at the Raleigh, North Carolina stop of her Midwest Princess Tour on June 12, Roan got emotional and explained to her audience, “I just want to be honest with the crowd: I just feel a little off today because I think that my career is just kind of going really fast and it’s really hard to keep up. And so I’m just being honest that… I’m just having a hard time today.”
After a pause, she continued, “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to give you, like, a lesser show, it’s just like, there’s a lot going on. So, just thank you for understanding. This is all I’ve ever wanted, it’s just so… it’s just heavy sometimes.”
Check out the clip below.
Chappell Roan tears up onstage at Raleigh concert:
“I just want to be honest with the crowd. I feel a little off today, because I think my career is going really fast and it’s hard to keep up. I’m just being honest, I’m having a hard time today.”
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