Month: July 2024

Chicken tenders have come a long way. What was once the most basic of orders — a dish reserved for picky indecisive eaters — has become a powerhouse in the fast food space. The days of over-processed mystery meats are behind us (for the most part!) and there are restaurants whose entire businesses revolve around the mighty chicken tender.

Some days… I’ll even take a tender above a chicken sandwich.

I know that sounds crazy but here is what the tender has over the sandwich: fewer carbs, fewer calories, a smaller footprint (which is important if you’re eating while driving), and a more focused and pronounced flavor. The chicken tender doesn’t need a bun, cheese, or veggie accouterments to be delicious, it just needs to be juicy, and deliver on the promise of its name — be tender.

Best of all, it’s infinitely easier to dip a chicken tender than a chicken sandwich. But things in fast food move, well, fast, and that means food is always changing. Recipe alterations, new formulations, different food sourcing — if you’ve ever felt like your favorite dish used to be better, that’s probably not your memory playing tricks on you.

That’s why it’s our mission to keep you up to date on the best fast food, which is why we’re once again tasting all the chicken tenders we could find and ranking them from worst to best. This is, to date, our biggest chicken tender ranking ever with 20 different chicken tenders. That’s a lot of chicken, so let’s dive in already and get you fed.

20. Del Taco — Crispy Chicken Strips

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

I’m a big Del Taco supporter. I think the chain is doing Mexican food better than Taco Bell, and its non-Mexican offerings (fries and cheeseburgers) are also way better than you’d expect, but unfortunately my love doesn’t extend to the chicken strips.

The biggest offense these strips commit is the batter. It’s less a breading and more of a loose sleeve that separates from the chicken after a single bite. The chicken itself is also pretty bad, it’s rubbery to the point of being inedible.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Pour Del Taco’s hottest hot sauce, Del Scorcho, all over these tenders. Hell, don’t even eat the chicken strips, just squirt the sauce right in your mouth and you’ll have a better experience.

The Bottom Line:

The most skippable chicken strips of all time.

Find your nearest Del Taco here.

19. Sonic — Crispy Chicken Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

When it comes to its chicken tenders, Sonic is still living in the past. While some of the better restaurant chains out there offer whole cuts of chicken filet freshly breaded and fried, these Sonic tenders taste like what you’d find in the freezer aisle at your local grocery store.

The chicken is dry, stringy, and poorly seasoned, offering a bite that tastes mostly like flour and black pepper.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Sonic’s Signature Sauce. It’s a Carolina-style BBQ sauce which adds smokey, sweet, and tangy elements to this otherwise bland chicken.

The Bottom Line:

Sonic is known for its delicious side orders, this is not one of them.

Find your nearest Sonic here.

18. Arby’s — Chicken Fingers

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

I will never understand why any restaurant chain would choose to call chicken tenders “chicken fingers.” It’s like telegraphing to the world “These aren’t good!” Arby’s Chicken… Fingers (shudder) are pretty awful. The chicken is dry, the flavor is that cheap flour and black pepper blend, and the fingers are over-fried.

I’ve never had an order of chicken fingers from Arby’s that didn’t taste like the fry oil needed to be changed.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

BBQ sauce, but there isn’t enough sauce in the world to make these things enjoyable. So consider yourself warned.

The Bottom Line:

You’re at Arby’s, why the hell are you ordering chicken? Get the roast beef!

Find your nearest Arby’s here.

17. Dairy Queen — Chicken Strips

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Dairy Queen, I have to ask, why are you making food at all? Stick to the desserts and you’d be beloved! Anyway, having said all that, these DQ chicken strips aren’t terrible. But that isn’t to say they’re good either.

The chicken is meaty and thick, but the overall flavor of the breading is pretty bland. These chicken strips desperately need salt and pepper, and if DQ is going to go that far they might as well add garlic and onion powder as well.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

If you want to make these strips at least decent, order a side of Country Gravy. It’ll add a savory element to the chicken that is desperately needed.

The Bottom Line:

Remember when Dairy Queen had a deep fried burrito? Bring that back DQ and ditch these chicken strips if you have to.

Find your nearest Dairy Queen here.

16. Jack in the Box — Crispy Chicken Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

There was a time when Jack in the Box’s chicken tenders were some of my favorite. No, they wouldn’t top a list, but they were reason enough for me to pull into JiB’s drive-thru. Then the pandemic happened.

When Covid-19 hit, JiB felt the need to reformulate its chicken tender recipe and what we got in place of the original were awful. Yes, these tenders are meatier than the old ones, but the chicken is totally dried out and flavorless. This chicken tender is all texture and breading, with only one real flavor note: salty.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Frank’s Red Hot will help mask the lack of flavor here. It’s not technically a dipping sauce, but its delicious.

The Bottom Line:

I’m hoping for the day Jack in the Box brings back its original chicken tender recipe. But I’m not holding my breath.

Find your nearest Jack in the Box here.

15. Burger King — Chicken Fries

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Do Burger King Chicken Fries count as a chicken strip/tender? I don’t think so, but it’s the closest thing to a chicken tender Burger King has on the menu so I’m going to go ahead and include it.

Because this isn’t quite a cut of meat, what we have here is a sludgy meat texture. It’s off-putting. But, if you’re willing to not look too deeply at the “meat,” the flavor works. It’s a zesty mix of paprika, black pepper, and onion. Dip it in some sauce and you’re guaranteed an enjoyable experience.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

BBQ sauce works best with the zesty flavor of the breading.

The Bottom Line:

The closest thing on this list to a guilty pleasure. It’s not “technically” a chicken tender, but it’s not a nugget either.

Find your nearest Burger King here.

14. Dairy Queen Honey BBQ Sauced & Tossed

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Dairy Queen is kind of cheating by dousing these chicken tenders in sauce. Although I really dislike the un-sauced counterpart, I can’t deny that these are pretty good.

Each bite is meaty, and the flavor is a satisfying combination of sweet and peppery notes with a smokey finish. I still think Dairy Queen should focus on dessert, not food, but hey, if you’re hungry and at DQ, these get the job done.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Treat it like wings, dip it in ranch!

The Bottom Line:

Pretty good… for Dairy Queen.

Find your Dairy Queen here.

13. Carl’s Jr — Hand-breaded Chicken Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Carl’s Jr’s hand-breaded tenders are a significant jump up from everything we’ve ranked below this entry. But as good as they are, they don’t compare to what is in the top ten.

The flavor is great, the breading is a mix of onion and garlic powder, black pepper, and salt, but they are a bit over-battered. That results in a chicken tender that is mostly crunch, and very little meat. In my experience, they’re often lukewarm, meaning Carl’s Jr. has these sitting under a heat lamp waiting to be ordered.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Dip it in Carl’s Jr.’s best sauce — Sweet Bold BBQ for an infusion of brown sugar sweetness and light spice.

The Bottom Line:

Not the best chicken tender you’ll ever have but significantly better than everything ranked lower on this list.

Find your nearest Carl’s Jr here.

12. Long John Silver’s — Chicken Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

What I love about Long John Silver’s chicken tenders is the bright, crispy, and airy batter. Unlike most chicken tenders — which are breaded in flour — these taste as if they’ve been battered in corn or potato starch.

Breading aside, the chicken is a juicy cute of white meat. What I don’t love about these is that they taste just a bit fishy. That’s probably because LJS fries its chicken in the same fry oil as its fish. It’s not a dealbreaker for me, but it might be for some people.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Louisiana Hot Sauce does a lot to distract from the fishy flavor.

The Bottom Line:

Great breading, juicy chicken, but a slight fishy flavor holds them back for me personally.

Find your nearest Long John Silvers here.

11. Rally’s — Fry-Seasoned Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

If you love Rally’s fries, you’re going to love the tenders. This tenders features the same zesty garlic-forward pepper-heavy flavor that makes the fries so addictive. The chicken is thick and wonderfully juicy. My only real issue with these is they’re incredibly greasy. So greasy that you’re going to find a small puddle of grease under each tender.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

BBQ adds a sweet smokiness that pairs excellently with the fry-seasoning.

The Bottom Line:

Rally’s fries in chicken form!

Find your nearest Rally’s here.

10. Rally’s — Buffalo Fry-Seasoned Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

It’s not a major improvement, but we can’t deny that the Buffalo Fry-Seasoned Tenders are a step above the non-sauced version. Joining the zesty flavor is a smoldering sweet and sour flavor that stains the palate in the best way.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

No sauce necessary, but feel free to deep these in ranch if you want that boneless wing vibe.

The Bottom Line:

A slight step-up from the non-sauced version.

Find your nearest Rally’s here.

9. Church’s — Chicken Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

The Texas chicken chain Church’s is not quite as good as KFC, and not nearly as good as Popeyes. Save for the biscuits, which are admittedly the best, I find myself going here more out of convenience than any real desire for the chicken.

This chicken tender is good but not great. It’s juicy, crunchy, and crispy, with a hint of buttery savoriness on the back end. I wish I liked it more because for whatever reason I’d love to support Church’s over KFC, but these chicken tenders fail to make a lasting impression on me.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Church’s Signature Hot Sauce. It’s bright, citrusy, and heavy on the habanero.

The Bottom Line:

Really good, but instantly forgettable.

Find your nearest Church’s here.

8. KFC — Extra Crispy Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

KFC has some of the best chicken tenders in the game. They are well seasoned with a mix of earthy black pepper, a bit of salt, and a hint of garlic with an addicting sweet aftertaste. The breading is heavy, yet has a light airiness to it that makes its audibly crunchy, which is always a satisfying element.

But I’d like these so much more if KFC would give us Original Recipe Tenders instead of the Extra Crispy variety. For that reason alone, I almost always prefer to order the Original Recipe nuggets in place of these crispy tenders.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Dipping sauce is for nerds, use the mashed potatoes and gravy instead!

The Bottom Line:

So close to greatness, but there are better options out there.

Find your nearest KFC here.

7. Popeyes — Mild Chicken Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Popeyes just doesn’t miss. These Mild Chicken Tenders have a pronounced garlic and onion powder flavor, a crispy exterior, and a slightly sweet aftertaste. My only gripe, and its a small one, is that the chicken tenders are so wildly breaded that sometimes you get more crunch than actual meat.

Normally, that would knock it down a few spots for me but the flavor is so undeniable that I can’t rank these any lower.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Skip the sauce and drizzle these in honey to help emphasize that sweet aftertaste.

The Bottom Line:

Choosing mild over spicy is never fun, but if the mild tenders are stacked higher under the heat lamp, order them, that means they’re fresher.

Find your nearest Popeyes here.

6. Wingstop — Chicken Tenders (Louisiana Rub)

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Wingstop Chicken Tenders are kind of the ugly duckling of the Wingstop menu. My guess is they are only on the menu because of picky children who for some reason think they don’t like chicken wings.

Ranking these was tough because there are over 10 variations, from wet sauces to dry rubs. My favorite choice is the Louisiana Rub, a dry rub season blend that includes a whole lot of paprika, black pepper, garlic, onion, and a hint of cayenne.

It’s floral, savory, and peppery with a gentle kiss of heat. Still, I rather just order the wings, you get more bang for your buck anyway.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

It really depends on what flavor you get. For me, I eat these sauceless, but if I got buffalo or lemon pepper, I might want to dip each tender in ranch.

The Bottom Line:

Pretty good, but the wings are superior in every way, so you should order those instead.

Find your nearest Wingstop here.

5. Jollibee — Chicken Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

If you haven’t been to Jollibee yet, remedy that and believe all the hype that is put upon this small change. These chicken tenders taste unlike any other chicken in the fast food landscape. It has a slightly sour and sweet flavor counterbalanced with salt and a juicy and tender bite.

The breading is my favorite part, it’s light, airy, and crispy, like Long John Silver’s but without that fishy aftertaste.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Add a savory element that complements the buttery finish by dipping these in Jollibee gravy.

The Bottom Line:

Jollibee’s chicken tenders are a must-eat for the uninitiated. If you’ve never eaten at Jollibee, start with this dish.

Find your nearest Jollibee here.

4. Popeyes — Spicy Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Undeniably delicious. The breading here is unbeatable, it’s crunchy and has a great blend of garlic and onion notes, buttery elements, and a strong kick of cayenne pepper on the backend.

Here is the thing though, as good as these tenders are, and let me reiterate, they’re delicious, still the quality of chicken is surpassed by a few other big fast food chains. I ranked all of those higher.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Offset some of that heat with honey!

The Bottom Line:

Delicious and legitimately spicy, but there are better options out there.

Find your nearest Popeyes here.

3. Chick-fil-A — Chick-n-Strips

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

Chick-fil-A’s Chick-n-Strips are so close to being the best in fast food, but the quality control is all over the place, which is strange considering Chick-fil-A is pretty consistent with its other food products. I think that comes down to these not being quite as popular as the nuggets or sandwich, resulting in the strips sometimes sitting around cooked and waiting to be ordered.

When it’s good, it’s great. The chicken is so juicy that it melts in your mouth. The breading is full of rich floral black pepper notes and just a hint of sweetness on the aftertaste.

Still, I’d rather order the nuggets, and that’s a sign that these aren’t worthy of the number one spot.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Add some sweet and sour complexity by dipping things strips in Polynesian sauce.

The Bottom Line:

They’re delicious, but more often than not you’re going to be better served ordering the nuggets or sandwich.

Find your nearest Chick-fil-A here.

2. Dave’s Hot Chicken — Tender (Spice Level: Hot)

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

I’m just going to come out and say it — Dave’s Hot Chicken Tenders are too f*cking big. Seriously, a single strip is sometimes as big as a small human’s foot. Yes, that’s a weird image to have when talking about food, but I’ve never looked upon these tenders without being slightly disturbed, so you’ll just have to live with that weird image.

Dave’s Hot Chicken is a relatively new chicken chain that is taking the country by storm. Most of the restaurant’s dishes revolve around the chicken tender, even the chicken sandwich is just a giant tender in a bun. The chicken is available in seven different spice levels, but I think the best is simply “Hot.”

A single bite kicks your salivary glands into overdrive. After the initial kick of heat, slightly sweet notes take over, finishing with a smokey aftertaste. That journey of flavors is absolutely addicting and will keep you coming for bite after bite, despite how on fire your mouth will be.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

Dave’s sauce, but that’s not saying much because it’s your only option.

The Bottom Line:

An amazing drool-inducing chicken tender, but I still think that our number one pick beats it. But if you’re after spicy chicken, this can’t be beat.

Find your nearest Dave’s Hot Chicken here.

1. Raising Cane’s — Chicken Tenders

Tasting Notes & Thoughts:

I’ve gone back and forth on Raising Cane’s several times. When we first ranked chicken tenders, I gave this the top spot. When Dave’s burst onto the scene, recency bias made me vote in its favor last year. But here we are in 2024 and now that I’ve re-tasted everything, I have to give it to Cane’s once again. These are hands down, the best chicken tenders in all of fast food.

Let’s talk about its weak points first — the size and shape of tenders are incredibly inconsistent. Sometimes you get ripped off with a tender so tiny it’s practically a very large nugget. But even with that weak point, these just taste so damn good.

The tenders are made from never-frozen breast meat that is marinated for a full 24 hours before being hand-battered in restaurant, and fried to order. Because of the fresh preparation, this chicken is juicer and tastier than the competition. The batter is a simple mix of salt, garlic, and onion powder, but there is also a slight buttery aftertaste and a hint of lemon on the backend.

I think this chicken tender is further elevated by just a bit of black pepper, so ask for some on the side and dust to taste.

Best Dipping Sauce Available:

The brand’s coveted Cane’s Sauce adds a savory umami quality to every bite thanks to its mix of mayo, ketchup, Worcestershire, and spices.

The Bottom Line:

The gold standard when it comes to fast food chicken tenders. Tenders are Cane’s only food product aside from fries, cole slaw, and toast. They’re so good that the menu doesn’t need to be expanded.

Find your nearest Raising Cane’s here.

Christina Applegate recently listed her bucket-list goals that she hopes to complete with “the days I have left,” and hopefully, those requests come through for her. Since her MS diagnosis a few years ago, Applegate has expressed her belief that she is likely done onscreen with acting jobs, although she has been able to podcast, during the course of which she opened up about watching plenty of reality TV even though she rejected an opportunity to star in RHOBH about a decade ago.

A particular Applegate favorite happens to be the popular Love Island, which she loves so much that she’s watched every episode, but there are a few things that she cannot stand about the series. The Dead To Me star even went so far to call this a “beef” with cast and crew. There were two issues, actually, and Applegate started off with a tame declaration.

“I have a beef with production and contestants,” she wrote on social media. “Can you pls stop making weird sounds with your water bottles?like holding straw in mouth and chewing it and not sipping. Or girls with long nails making clicky clackety sounds on ha.”

Oh, but she wasn’t done yet: “Also to add to my Love island rant. White deodorant on the armpits in the heat is gross. Now you all are very attractive people, please use clear deodorant!!! The white puss [sic] looking sh*t in the folds is not bueno. This is just me helping you be the best version of you.”

Nope, not finished yet either. Another user responded with a take about how when deodorant “curdles,” then “[i]t reminds of something too graphic to share.” And Applegate certainly did not mind articulating this phenomenon: “Well I will say it for you. Yeast infection. That’s all I see now.”

Yikes. Love Island peeps, if you’re watching this, yup, nab some clear deodorant. Your laundry will also thank you.

The Smurfs have led a relatively low profile over the past few years, aside from a few presenting gigs, but they are an important part of pop culture. Everyone knows that Smurfs are blue, cute, and approximately three apples high. They were first introduced in 1958 and continued to appear in comics, books and TV shows. Katy Perry was the iconic Smurfette in the 2011 CGI adaptation, and most recently, the little guys were featured in 2017 reboot Smurfs: The Lost Village. Since then, a lot has changed.

Paramount Pictures acquired the film rights to the franchise in 2021, which means a whole new Smurfs extended universe is in the works with the upcoming installment, The Smurfs Movie. But they will still be the Smurfs we all know and love.

Earlier this year at CinemaCon, director Chris Miller revealed work-in-progress footage, which is heavily inspired by the original comics.“The DNA in Peyo’s original drawings guide so many creative choices in the film,” Miller said. “It’s the blueprint for the kind of film I want to make. All of the action lines and thought bubbles from the comics are going in the movie, and the comics have inspired the style of animation to be fun and buoyant, with plenty of squash and stretch.”

Gather your smurfballs (that are a real thing) and get ready for a whole new Smurf-y adventure! Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming reboot.

Plot

The Smurfs Movie is pretty mysterious at the moment, but we do know that it’s going to be a musical, featuring new tracks written and performed by Rihanna. Not only that, but the singer is also attached to produce and star as Smurfette. At CinemaCon, Paramount Chief Brian Robbins called Rihanna “the most legendary Smurfette ever,” as if anyone ever had any doubts.

According to the longline, the movie “sets out to answer one of life’s biggest questions: What is a Smurf?” so this could be an origin story, or one Smurf’s journey to self-discovery. Or it could be a Barbie situation where a Smurf becomes too self-aware. We’ll see.

Cast

Rihanna isn’t the only big name in The Smurfs Movie. Earlier this year, it was announced that the cast would include Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, JP Karliak, Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Nick Kroll, James Corden, Octavia Spencer, Hannah Waddingham, Sandra Oh, Alex Winter, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, Kurt Russell, and John Goodman.

Release Date

The movie will hit theaters on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2025. Romance is alive and well.

Trailer

No trailer just yet! But you can watch some Smurfball to prepare.

The Golden State Warriors saw a franchise legend leave this summer, as Klay Thompson’s frustrations with his role and the team’s refusal to pay him long-term led him to seek out a deal elsewhere, ultimately landing in Dallas on a 3-year, $50 million deal.

However, the Mavs didn’t have cap space and in order to secure Thompson’s services, they needed to offer him more than the mid-level exception they had at their disposal. As a result, they worked out a sign-and-trade with the Warriors that was initially a three-team deal that sent Josh Green to Charlotte and a pair of second round picks to Golden State (along with a large trade exception).

It didn’t take the Warriors long to figure out how they wanted to use that exception, but in order to maximize their return, they opted to turn the initial three-team sign-and-trade for Thompson into a five-team extravaganza that saw three different players get signed-and-traded.

They started by bringing in Kyle Anderson on a 3-year, $27 million deal from Minnesota, sending the Wolves a future second round pick and creating a healthy trade exception for the Wolves. Two days later, they found the successor to Thompson’s role as sharp-shooter, getting Buddy Hield on a rather complicated 4-year, ~$37 million contract (with $21 million guaranteed) in a sign-and-trade with Philadelphia, moving one of the Dallas second round picks to the Sixers (and, of course, a trade exception).

By folding both of those deals into the initial Klay trade, they were able to bring in two players to build out depth at the two-guard and power forward spot for Thompson. It’s not often we get a five-team trade in the NBA, but this is also the value of doing business early in the free agency moratorium period, as you can tack things onto a trade before it becomes official on July 6 when the league year actually begins.

The full trade, now that it’s seemingly done, looks like this:

Mavericks get: Klay Thompson
Warriors get: Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield
Hornets get: Josh Green
Timberwolves get: Future second round pick, cash, trade exception
76ers get: 2031 Dallas second round pick, trade exception

Kids can seem pretty unappreciative at times. Parents often sacrifice a lot to give their child the best, just to have it thrown in their face, or in the bin. This is something that Haley Hassell recently discovered when she went to three different stores to get her daughter the latest trendy pencil case.

When Hassell gave her daughter the pencil case, she threw it in the bin complaining that everyone already had it. That’s when Hassell decided to teach her daughter the perfect lesson.

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In a Facebook post, Hassell explained:

“[Daughter] learned a tough love lesson today… I went to 3 different stores to get that LOL pencil box you see in the trash there. When I surprised her with it this afternoon (just knowing she would be ecstatic) she stared at it and threw it in the trash and slammed the bedroom door. She yelled ‘that’s stupid, everyone in my class has that..I don’t want it anymore!'”

“OK So by this time there was probably smoke coming out of my ears and I’m trying real hard not to completely lose it on this kid that I have worked so hard to completely take care of financially on my own & make sure she always gets what she needs and then some. BUT I thought I had always taught her to be grateful & know how lucky she was but apparently sis needed a small wake up call!”

“SO before completely going Madea mad on my child I check myself and say, ‘okay that’s fine, let me go get the one you’re going to use.’ Came back with her new pencil box, which is the Ziploc bag. She lost her mind! Suddenly the LOL Box she just trashed was good enough and the Ziploc bag was horrible…but it’s too late for all that.”

Yes, Hassell gave her daughter a Ziplock bag as a pencil case since she didn’t appreciate the LOL one.

“I told her to get the LOL out of the trash and we would be finding a child to give it to tomorrow..one whose mommy and daddies don’t have money for any school supplies or someone who may not even have a mommy or daddy.”

“I explained to her she’s not entitled to anything special and she is taking for granted how lucky she is. So for now she will be using a Ziploc bag & will personally be delivering the nice box to a child that could benefit from it. Maybe I overreact sometimes but I would’ve done anything to have all the things she does as a child. I truly believe changing your perception & just being grateful can turn around any situation in life.”

Commenters seemed to love the punishment, with one user writing: “I’m down for this. Yes it’d be easier to give in, but sometimes you gotta teach them the principle of the matter.”

While another added: “I think you responded appropriately. Maybe she can earn the one she decides she wants at some point.”

Others were less receptive of the idea, with a commenter writing: “I guess I pretty much interact with my child on a regular basis, you know, take them with me when buying stuff for THEM so I know what they want. I talk to my child and care about their feelings. I don’t fear monger them. But hey, good job being a monster mom!”

Personally, I fully support mom on this one and think it’s important to teach kids to appreciate what they have. If you don’t, they’ll most likely turn into terrible adults.

This article originally appeared on 8.24.19

Call off the fireworks. No pyrotechnic comes close to the combustibility of Kendrick Lamar’s newly released “Not Like Us” video. Directed by Lamar and Dave Free, the six-minute video incorporates many of the Los Angeles legends present at Lamar’s The Pop Out — Ken & Friends Juneteenth concert. Within thirty seconds, Tommy The Clown asks Lamar, “What’s the password?” Lamar whispers, “I see dead people.” And we’re off.

“Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, Dot, f*ck ’em up” was previously celebrated for the exquisite Amazon Prime Video camerawork when Lamar delivered the bar during The Pop Out, but Lamar one-upped that by using it here to dictate the cadence with which he bats the living daylights out of an owl piñata. “DISCLAIMER: NO OVH*ES WERE HARMED DURING THE MAKING OF THIS VIDEO,” the screen reads. (Drake may disagree.)

Lamar cruises around his native Compton, California and immerses with a large crowd of people dancing in the street, which feels very “God’s Plan“-coded, but I could be galaxy-braining that.

“I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither,” Lamar spits as DeMar DeRozan appears. (DeRozan is from Compton but starred for the Toronto Raptors from 2009-18.) But the most notable cameos come from Lamar’s family. The video switches to black-and-white and meets Lamar dancing with Whitney Alford, his longtime partner, and their two children, Uzi and Enoch, in their living room.

So many statements were made, explicitly and subtly, throughout the video to coincide with lyrical allegations, but the video ends quietly with the poignant and straightforward metaphor of Lamar walking away from a caged owl in a dark room.

Lamar released “Not Like Us” in early May at the height of he and Drake exchanging diss tracks. “Not Like Us” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the theme song to Lamar’s ongoing victory lap.

Watch the “Not Like Us” video above.

When Kendrick Lamar and Drake started beefing earlier this year, I’m not sure anyone expected one of the diss tracks in their back-and-forth to become the song of the summer, but Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” has become an inescapable anthem that just keeps building momentum.

First there was “The Pop Out”, where Lamar filled the Forum in L.A. and drew millions of viewers on Amazon for a celebration of Los Angeles, culminating in him performing “Not Like Us” not one, not two, not three, not four, but five times in a row to close out the show. During his fourth time running it back, he brought up seemingly all of L.A. onto the stage, including a pair of NBA players, as L.A. natives Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan gleefully danced on stage.

The victory lap continued as shortly after “The Pop Out”, Kendrick was seen filming the “Not Like Us” music video, and the Compton native dropped the visuals on July 4. In the video, DeRozan makes an appearance during Lamar’s “I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither” line (2:42 mark), referencing the former Raptor’s stint in Toronto. Getting one of Drake’s beloved Raptors players to make a video appearance in a diss track is a special kind of twist of the knife from Kendrick, who has looked to find every possible way to make Drake miserable during this beef.

As for DeRozan, he is still figuring out where he’ll play next season, as it seems increasingly unlikely he’ll be back in Chicago and is exploring sign-and-trade options — which figure to include Los Angeles as a possible destination.

How does Taylor Sheridan do it? The Yellowstone king might have secretly cloned himself with everything that he has put on screen over the past handful of years. These days, A-listers are clamoring for starring roles in his shows, and Landman is no exception. Actually, this Texas-based series might have the most impressive ensemble cast known to Sheridanland, and it actually exists, unlike that Matthew McConaughey show that has reportedly hit multiple bumps in the planning stages already.

Of course, the Yellowstone shows are where Sheridan’s bread and butter initially surfaced, but he has branched out far and wide with Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Tulsa King, Lioness, and next up: Landman. Let’s talk about the famous faces who signed onto this project, filming details, and what else to expect.

Cast

Heck, let’s talk about this section first because most of the recent updates on Landman concern its impressive ensemble. This journey began when Sheridan wrote this series with Billy Bob Thornton in mind, and the Fargo and Sling Blade star did not think twice before pouncing on the starring role of Tommy Norris, a wheeling and dealing oil company crisis manager. His private life will also be fair game, so Ali Larter will portray Tommy’s ex-wife, and their children will be portrayed by Michelle Randolph and Jacob Lofland. Additionally, Demi Moore signed on as Cami, who is married to a Norris friend and associate, and Jon Hamm is Monty Miller, an oil-industry titan.

Later-breaking cast additions include TV powerhouse Michael Peña as well as Andy Garcia, along Mark Collie, Kayla Wallace, James Jordan, and Paulina Chávezwith.

During the course of filming (and Hamm revealed that filming was halfway finished in March), the series has sent out calls for oil-field extras experienced in the industry as well as athletes for college-campus scenes.

Plot

As Sheridan devotees already know, Taylor Sheridan owns multiple sprawling properties and has filmed parts of existing Yellowstone series there while also using the premises for lucrative cowboy camps, too. The prolific writer hasn’t revealed whether any Landman filming will take place on these properties, given that Landman‘s description promises that this “drama is set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas and described as a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs.”

A great deal of filming has taken place in or around Fort Worth as the story takes inspiration from the popular Boomtown podcast (which arrived in 11 parts) and tracks “an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.”

Jon Hamm has raved about scripts for the series, which he declared are “based on oil speculators and what they called landmen, which are the guys that run around and try to acquire mineral rights and land rights in the hope of speculating and finding oil.” In addition to the business at hand, expect interpersonal drama to add wrinkles because there simply have to be some soap opera flourishes in this Sheridan production.

Release Date

Tentatively plan on an early 2025 release while Sheridan juggles his dozens of other projects.

Trailer

With production still underway, no teaser trailer has surfaced yet, but previously, Sheridan spoke in this interview about how this show will stay consistent with his other series while unveiling “a forgotten part of the American experience.” And onward to Texas!

Bullying is a huge problem. According to DoSomething.org, 1 in 5 students ages 12-18 in the United States are bullied during the school year, and approximately 160,000 teens have skipped school because of bullying.

So when Randy Smalls of South Carolina discovered that his teenage daughter was making fun of a classmate over her clothes and makeup, he took swift action.

Smalls instantly felt sympathy for Ryan Reese, a seventh-grader at Berkeley Middle School, having been bullied in his youth. So he took money meant for his daughter and went on a shopping spree with Ryan to get some new clothes and a makeover.

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Smalls’ wife and Ryan’s mother Richauna Reese are friends, but they weren’t aware of the bullying until recently. The families got on the phone after speaking to Ryan, and Smalls asked if he could take Ryan to buy new clothes and get a makeover at the beauty salon.

Smalls used money initially intended to buy his 13-year-old daughter some new clothes, but after learning about her bullying, he decided to spend the money on Ryan instead.

“I say, ‘When you laugh along, you’re co-signing the bullying,” Smalls told Yahoo News.

“My daughter was upset, especially because she is into fashion,” he said. “So she came with us and helped pick out Ryan’s new clothes.”

While his daughter was at church, Smalls took Ryan to the beauty salon and paid for twice-a-month appointments until the end of the year.

After hearing about the good gesture, local salons have also offered to keep Ryan looking stylish for the next few months.

Richauna, Ryan’s mother, told Yahoo News that her daughter was struggling after the recent deaths of her father, grandfather, and aunt, as well as non-epileptic seizures caused by the stress.

The shopping trip has helped Ryan immensely. “I wasn’t expecting it. I just started to cry. It (the bullying) was really sad for me because I had lost my grandpa, father, and aunt, and it really took me deep down in my depression,” Ryan explained.

“This is the first time I have seen a parent take such a stance on bullying,” Richauna added.

Smalls was overwhelmed by the response and says that it’s helped his daughter see her mistake.

“I didn’t expect for this to get big but I’m glad if other parents [can learn from it],” Smalls said. “My daughter learned her lesson.”

“As parents, we have to take responsibility for what our children do,” Smalls told ABC’s Strahan, Sara, and Keke. “We can teach our children, but when they go and are around other children they can veer off a little bit. When situations like this happen, we have to take action and be the parent and not the friend.”

And the pair seem to be getting along better for the experience. “They’re cool now,” Richauna said.

Watch to young girls break down the story in this adorable YouTube video:

This article originally appeared on 12.4.19

Adult twins interacting with babies is pretty hilarious.

Thankfully, a dad shot some footage of his young son meeting his twin, and our lives are better because of it.

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Stephen Ratpojanakul (he’s in the sweater … I think) is a dad to a baby boy named Reed. Stephen also has a twin brother named Michael.

When baby Reed got confused figuring out who was who, I almost expected this dude to make a cameo appearance:

First, they both wore glasses.

Stephen Ratpojanakul (he’s in the sweater … I think) is a dad to a baby boy named Reed. Stephen also has a twin brother named Michael.

When baby Reed got confused figuring out who was who, I almost expected this dude to make a cameo appearance:

First, they both wore glasses.

And finally, they both took their glasses off. Baby Reed returned to the previous station.

True story: Parenting will crush you if you don’t bring your sense of humor along.

Parents know how mentally and physically exhausting the job can be. It’s also a job where many of us spend an inordinate amount of time second-guessing ourselves for the decisions we make.

The immense power of laughter is a great way to relax, boost our immune systems, and relieve stress. Sometimes, we laugh to keep from crying. And other times, we just laugh because our kids are absolutely hilarious.

Judging by the laughter and giggles, it’s easy to tell that the twins truly love this little boy — and it’s heartwarming to see all three of them enjoying some good times together.

All it takes is a smile for parents to know “you’ve got this.”

The video is going viral — and don’t be surprised if this becomes a twin trend.

With almost 34 twins per 1,000 live births in the U.S. today, there are more genetic lookalikes in the U.S. than ever before. Be warned, tiny babies — somewhere there are some adult twins plotting to have some innocent fun at your expense.

Without further ado, here’s the video.

This article was written by Doyin Richards and originally appeared on 02.10.16.