Month: July 2024

Cardi B did not refrain from throwing the BET Experience 2024 production team under the bus. That was an unsurprising development because Cardi never withholds her opinions, so there’s a fair likelihood that she will eventually comment on a reported copyright infringement lawsuit aimed at her single “Enough (Miami).”

On Wednesday, July 3, CBS 4 News (also known as Valley Central) first reported the news that McAllen, Texas artists Joshua Fraustro and Miguel Aguilar filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District Of Texas claiming “Enough (Miami)” used portions of their 2021 song “Greasy Frybread” “without permission.” (“Greasy Frybread” was used as a promotional song for FX’s Reservation Dogs.) The copyright infringement lawsuit seeks $50 million due to “substantial damages,” like financial losses and irreparable harm, according to Valley Central.

Cardi B, OG Parker, DJ Swanqo, Celebrity Booking Agency, Atlantic Records, and Warner Music Group are listed as defendants.

TMZ and New York Daily News also obtained the court documents.

Cardi B released “Enough (Miami)” in March, and the aggressive rap song peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 — charting for 14 weeks total.

Cardi B has yet to confirm a release date for her long-awaited sophomore studio album, but on June 29, she posted on X (formerly Twitter), “I have everything planned, locked, and ready to go. Every thing I said I would do this year, I’m going to do it. Nothing is going to stop me. I proved myself before, and I’m going to do it again… now rest.”

The Boys is traipsing through its penultimate season with the usual gross-out humor mixed with social satire. Over the past few weeks, Homelander went home and essentially killed everybody who surrounded him in childhood, and Hughie’s life continued to be hell that doesn’t let up this week in the “Dirty Business” episode. Petition for a nice trip to Aruba for Hughie? Yes.

We’ll talk about poor Hughie’s ongoing troubles soon, but Firecracker has been waiting for her “glory,” and it’s Fourth of July week, so she gets to lead. Don’t worry, her victory will probably be brief because Homelander is a fickle beast, and at any given time, plenty of other Supes (other than A-Train, who is over it) and humans would turn themselves inside out for the mega villain. He has options, although surely, his time will eventually run out, too.

How Low Will Firecracker Go?

The answer to that question: she will go as low as possible and perhaps even die in the process. In Firecracker’s eyes, however, she’s made an incredible amount of progress with Homelander, which of course, is a satiric take on the cheerleading, gun-toting certain MAGA congress-types who profess their undying loyalty no matter what their leader does. Firecracker is, honest to god, now voluntarily lactating to fulfill Homelander’s milk fetish, and she only had to risk her health (by taking a regimen of drugs that “enlarges the heart just a tiny little bit”) to get there. Suddenly, the far-right nightmare is Homelander’s favorite member of the Seven, even above Sister Sage.

This gave the audience the very bizarre visual of seeing Homelander splashed in the face with breast milk, followed by his surprise and absolute pleasure. Then things got weirder with him lounging on a couch as she nursed him. Yup, The Boys does not disappoint when it comes to spectacle, but if Firecracker thinks that this will win Homie’s favor forever, she’s clearly deluded. That’s especially the case because I have a hunch that Cate will eventually be a part of The Seven, and nobody kisses Homelander’s tush with as much convincing fervor as the female Gen V recruit. Again, I feel like Sam is simply going along with the ride because it’s a less excruciating experience than Godolkin University gave him, but Cate has 110% drunk the Homelander Kool-Aid.

In other words, enjoy this moment, Firecracker. Despite the extreme show of allegiance and devotion, you’ll explode or fizzle out due to Homelander’s voluntary lack of object permanence and — let’s face it — psychopathy.

Oh, Hughie

Where to start? He’s been endlessly traumatized since the opening moments of the series, and Hughie lost his dad last week. There’s no time to mourn, however, because this week, he has to spend the majority of his onscreen time in Tek Knight’s dungeon. There, Hughie experiences Ashley’s pee-soaked form of domination before Tek Knight’s obsession with holes almost ends Hughie’s life. There was a nice little moment when Starlight and Kimiko came to the rescue and wired Tek Knight’s money to Black Lives Matter, which turned out to be the ultimate torture for him.

After the dust settled, Hughie revealed that he is very much “not fine” (dude had a family tragedy, and then he was directed by Tek Knight to take off his pants and fart into a chocolate cake, so yes, therapy could be useful), and he could really use a time out one of these days. That day is not today. Or tomorrow. Or anytime in the next few weeks.

And speaking of breaks, MM…

MM landed himself in the emergency room and learned that his panic attack is probably a precursor to a heart attack if he doesn’t cut this vigilante stress from his life. I do appreciate that the show continues to make space for the (arguably) most complex character of the series, but importantly, MM is also very much the audience POV, and we need this dude to take care of himself.

What is Sister Sage plotting?

During this episode, we learn that Homie and Sage are lining up plans for dissidents to land in internment camps. The odd thing about this duo is the Sage doesn’t seem to care about making Homelander happy, so her end goal remains nebulous for now. And dammit, her lobotomy “vacations” that turn into Taco Bell rants are sadly funny.

The first rule of Fight Club…

Audience hunches were correct: Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character, Joe Kessler, is not physically present, and in fact, Butcher has been conversing with a figment of his imagination this entire time. The real Joe is dead, and he’s the devil on Butcher’s shoulder, as if Butcher needed that type of encouragement. Still, we learn that Butcher likely has a massive brain tumor due to taking Temp V, and we still haven’t heard more about those snaky things we saw crawling under his skin in the shower. Joe is also claiming to be inside of Butcher, so yep, this is totally a Tyler Durden thing. We will have to wait and see how that revelation hits Butcher next week.

Prime Video/Amazon’s ‘The Boys’ streams new episodes on Thursdays.

In January 2022, Bong Joon Ho began preparing his next film, Mickey 17, as the first project since his Oscar-winning Parasite helped launch him to international stardom. Since then, fans have been patiently (very patiently) waiting to see where he goes next, and it looks like the movie is one step closer to hitting theaters. Or at least we are one step closer to getting a different movie still of Robert Pattinson.

Much about the movie is still being kept quiet, but we know that Pattinson is very excited for you to see him potentially die over and over again, so it will be worth the long wait. As Pattinson so lovingly put it, Mickey 17 is “one of the funniest, bizarre sci-fi scripts I’ve ever read in my life,” so here is everything we know so far about the mysterious flick.

Plot

At CinemaCon this April, Bong said the film is about “a simple man who ultimately ends up saving the world.” That could mean many things!

Mickey 17 is based on Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel, Mickey7. Pattinson plays an “expendable,” which is a disposable employee on a human-led mission to colonize an ice planet. Pattinson refuses to let his replacement clone take his place, and thus drama ensues. According to the novel, when one Mickey dies, another is “cloned in his place with most of his memories intact, effectively rendering him immortal.” Pattinson sure loves his immortal characters.

The director also confirmed that Pattinson dies a lot throughout the movie. “The number is the number of times he dies. I killed him 10 times more. It’s a sci-fi movie, but it’s a human story,” he explained at CinemaCon.

Cast

Pattinson stars as various iterations of Mickey, mostly Mickey 17 and Mickey 18. Mickey 17, he says, is more optimistic, while 18 is more like “playing an evil brother” who is “out of control.”

The all-star cast also includes Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, Holiday Grainger and Thomas Turgoose.

Mark Ruffalo will play a “f*cking psycopath” (his words) named Hieronymous Marshall. He told Deadline, “This guy’s like a nasty dictator, fascist, narcissist; we know the type!” Ruffalo said about his character, who’s the commander of the space colonizing mission. “He’s as bad as any of these a**holes running around today.”

Release Date

This is where things get a tricky for Warner Bros. After multiple delays, Warner Bros. set the official release date to January 31st, 2025. This is the current date they are sticking with, which caused some fan pushback.

Last month, Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman (via JoBlo) claimed that “Mickey 17 is delayed because Warner Bros. won’t let Bong Joon-ho release his director’s cut. They want to release a more ‘accessible’ version.” Meanwhile, the director said that he had already submitted the film in November 2023. So, as of right now, it should hit theaters in January. Hopefully!

Trailer

We don’t have a trailer yet, but at CineEurope last month, Pattinson and Bong Joon Ho appeared virtually to present clips from the movie, so there is footage out there, and hopefully it will be released soon.

With just a few days left before ODESZA’s monumental closeout of their The Last Goodbye tour at the Gorge, the prolific electronic duo and their collaborators are racing against time to bring the immersive installation they’ve named ECHOES to their fans.

Earlier this month, we saw the duo teaming with SETUP and Snapdragon to plan this monumental project for July 4, 5, and 6 at the Gorge. This installation will be the duo’s most technically ambitious project to date, paying homage to their groundbreaking career, the community they’ve built, and showcasing their unrelenting commitment to technology and jaw-dropping visuals.

The first video, “The Journey Begins,” shows the duo working out how their recursive design and themes with Jenny Feter, Creative Director of the project, and the team from SETUP will come to life, in collaboration with the groundbreaking speed and efficiency of a Snapdragon-powered PC.

“I think it’s going to be really cool, I haven’t seen anyone do something like this,” ODESZA’s Harrison Mills notes. “It’s going to be really special.”

Out today, the second episode (above) shows the duo working tirelessly with the Snapdragon and SETUP teams across multiple time zones in Berlin, New York, Australia, Chicago, and California to bring the once-in-a-lifetime installation to the fans to bridge ODESZA’s special moments and music together to close out with a bang.

With the support of Snapdragon, the team has taken on the impossible. Stay tuned to see the incredible end result.

When we think about gifted conversationalists, we’re more likely to think of great talkers—those who wow us with their insights, wit, and charm. However, communication experts believe that if you want to make a great impression on someone, knowing how to listen goes a long way.

Those of us who love being verbose may think the world loves us because of how well we can talk. But the person sitting in front of you has a lot to say, and nothing makes them feel better during a conversation than your undivided attention.

As the old saying goes, we never quite remember everything someone has said to us, but we’ll never forget how they made us feel. When you actively listen to your conversation partner, they feel that you value them and are receptive to their needs. It also eases any feelings of conflict or resentment.

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After a good conversation, the person you spoke with should think, “Wow, that person really gets me,” instead of, “It was like I didn’t even exist.”

A study from 2016 on sales calls did an excellent job of quantifying the amount we should speak versus listen during a conversation. A marketing director at Gong.io analyzed 25,537 sales calls using artificial intelligence and found that the interactions where the salesperson talked 43% of the time and listened 57% of the time had the highest sales yield.

This finding has come to be known as the 43:57 rule.

Even though the study was conducted on business calls, the reason that it works should apply to social conversations as well. Paying more attention helps a salesperson identify the client’s needs and makes them feel comfortable spending money because they know it’s with someone who understands their interests.

It’s the same as a social situation where the person you speak to wants to know they are valued and you respect what they say.

This is excellent advice, but sometimes it’s hard to listen when you’re in a fun conversation and have a lot to say. Kate Murphy, author of “You’re Not Listening,” says it’s all about staying calm.

“Deep breaths are always good. They’re always good. Because it…calms down that fear response. It helps you get more centered,” Murphy told WBUR. “But also to develop your curiosity. Like I said, make it more important to be curious than to be right. And to go into every conversation with that mindset of how could I be wrong? Instead of, let me prove how I’m right.”

“That’s how you develop creative ideas. It’s how you cooperate. It’s how you find middle ground, or at least a peaceable existence,” Murphy added.

The idea that to be a great conversationalist one should master the art of listening is a bit counterintuitive. But, if you feel that you have a lot to say in conversations and can be interesting to listen to, imagine how great that’ll make others feel when you show that you enjoy listening to them as well. It’s a virtuous cycle where everyone wins.

This article originally appeared on 3.7.23

There’s one thing you can say about little kids that’s pretty consistent no matter who the kid is, and it’s that they’re brutally honest. Whether you have something stuck in your teeth or you’ve gained weight, a small child will inform you – loudly, and usually in front of others. But one preschooler’s moment of honesty is going viral for how relatable it is.

An exhausted and cranky 4-year-old named Jude has had enough. The little boy had just gotten home from school when he must’ve been asked something before the camera started rolling because his response was a #same moment.

“Listen. No, do you hear me? I’m cranky, I’m tired, I worked hard at school,” Jude says to his dad.

Jude’s mom, Amber Tinker uploaded the video to TikTok where it went viral with over 14 million views and over 1.5 million likes. The tiny grumpy human was clearly not interested in whatever shenanigans his dad was up to and he let him know it.

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Jude’s dad, Justin Tinker was attempting to tease the boy about messing with him later but Jude was having none of it. The preschooler quickly repeated that he was cranky and tired after working hard at school. He mumbles something as he walks towards a barn when his dad stops him.

“I’ve already got everything fed and watered. I already got the eggs, I did your job cause I knew you was tired,” Justin calls out.

Though his dad did his chores for him, Jude still didn’t feel like he got his point across because later in the video he repeats how cranky and tired he is. Both of his parents explained they also worked hard today and were tired but it was obvious that Jude out tired them all. In the end he declared he was getting a bath tonight. Maybe his mom will bring him a cold Capri Sun and light some candles while he soaks in a bubble bath. Preschool must be rough these days.

Watch the whole video below:

@judemywildchild

This boy has had enough! #HeyJude #Cranky #Tired #kidsoftiktok #Funny #Viral

This article originally appeared on 10.18.23

Unless they are working OBGYNS, had a bunch of sisters growing up, or chronically on WebMD, odds are that many men don’t have a detailed clinical knowledge of all the ins-and-outs of the female menstrual cycle. Heck, it can be perplexing enough to those that actually have menstrual cycles.

Apparently, all of this mystery surrounding that time of the month can make for excellent prank fodder.

In a video shared onto Instagram by @hairlookslondon, a girl films herself in front of a mirror peeling off either a sheer face mask…which just so happens to look like she’s actually shedding skin off her face. Granted, it could be real skin after a chemical peel of some sort. But one thing it’s definitely not is a PMS symptom.

But she tells her boyfriend it is anyway.

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In the clip, we see a shocked young man ask in horror “what is that?” as flesh pulls from the girl’s face.

Nonchalantly, the woman replies, “my skin…It sheds every month. Surely you knew that Aaron.”

No, Aaron most certainly did not know that.

She takes it one step further by saying that her entire body will soon shed, like a lizard. It happens to girls every month, for their time of the month. Duh.

The look on his face when she politely asks him to throw away the lifeless shreds…priceless.

Watch:

See on Instagram

In case anyone here needs this: skin shedding is most definitely not something that happens during a menstrual cycle. Shedding of uterine lining? Sure. But skin? Nah.

If you thought the video itself was hilarious, get ready to crack up at the comments women left playing along with the ruse.

“When woman live together for a longer period of time, related or not related to each other, we’ll start to synchronize shedding as well 🦎😮💨”

“PMS stands for Peeling My Skin… I thought everyone knew that.”

“Wait until you have kids!!!!…you shed so much more!!!! 😭”

“Little known fact: Garden sheds were originally invented so women had somewhere private to do their monthly shed. It’s an excellent fertilizer too.”

Another little known “fact”: shedding apparently varies widely across the world!

“In Jamaica, when the women shed their skin we go into the mountains where the shedding trees are and cover ourselves in shed tree sap to help the skin shed faster. It feels so good to finally talk about it.”

“As a Muslim woman myself, we aren’t allowed to share our shedding cycle with men in our family except husband. Hoping we will get there one day, where everyone can talk about this more openly.”

“In Germany when we shed we give the skin to make sausages.”

“In Brazil there are some indigenous tribes that bury the shed in the woods so the plants grow stronger and help the forest regenerate.”

“I’m Japanese. We have loads of beauty clinics here where they help our skins to shed properly. You know when we tried to shed in our teens? It was such hassle and some parts wouldn’t come off properly so it left spots. In clinics, they massage and plump the skin so it peels off in one piece from head to toe, it’s sooooo satisfying…”

“My Swedish grandmother made tea from her dried skin sheddings. Added a tiny bit of wild honey. It’s a great way to get your magnesium.”

Some kindly chimed in with their own “shedding tips.”

“Drinking loads of coconut water and eating watermelon a week before the shed starts has really helped me. It just peels off faster and easier. Hope this helps those who face difficulties with their shed. Staying hydrated is the key.”

“I feed my pets with the shedded skin parts, great source of collagen, especially for senior dogs.”

A few even praised this woman for trying to normalize this deeply guarded secret among women.

I’ve been with my husband 15 years and he’s only seen me shed once – I blamed it on a sunburn. We should normalize this

Others…weren’t so happy she publicly revealed something so “sacred.”

“I can’t believe she allowed him to see her shed. I do mine in private.”

“The fact that someone would come on the internet and publicly shed is weird AF 🥴 it’s supposed to be a private intimate phenomenon but you posting it for everyone to see.”

Gosh, the comedy gold just keeps going and going. Kudos to the community for understanding the assignment. Hope that fella isn’t too traumatized though.

A mother in Missouri has found a way to maximize date night with her husband. She left a note for her babysitter, giving her options to make more side cash by completing small tasks around the home.

The goal was to have a night out and to return to a cleaner and better-organized home. It makes sense. Most of the time, babysitters just sit around while the kid sleeps, so why not make their time more productive and profitable?

Katrina Ivan, a science teacher, posted the list she sent her babysitter on TikTok and the video received over 1.5 million views.

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​“You are more than welcome to hang out and watch TV all night, but if you want to make some extra $, these jobs are up for grabs,” Katrina wrote to her babysitter, a senior in high school whom she’s known for 4 years.

When the babysitter saw the list, she was excited to get to work and started cleaning the windows 10 minutes after Katrina and her husband left the house. Katrina realized her plan was working when she saw her cleaning the windows through her Ring camera. “She was like, ‘Heck ya!’ and got to work right away,” Katrina told Today.com. “I left all the supplies out for her so she didn’t have to feel weird hunting around for things.”

By the end of the night, the babysitter was able to clean the mirrors and windows, organize the toys, vacuum the couch and scrub and organize the silverware drawer.

“I think this is a great opportunity for your babysitter. You’re giving a choice, and I love that,” Lisa B wrote in the comments on the video. “This is a great idea!! Sometimes it’s boring to just to sit and watch TV. This makes time go by quicker and sometimes it’s things I would do to help,” Del added.

Most commenters applauded Katrina’s idea, although some thought she could pay a little better.

“I think $10 is too cheap for some of these tasks considering the amount of work/size of the mess,” Liz wrote. In a follow-up video, Katrina broke down the money she paid the babysitter that night.

@kivankc

Replying to @LISA B │✨ what i’m learning ✨ #greenscreen

Katrina agreed that the prices could go up a bit. “I’ll definitely be restructuring the prices to make this more fair in the future,” she wrote. However, she added that she paid the babysitter $75 for the night just to watch her 2-year-old son, who was asleep most of the time.

All in all, the sitter made $28.75 an hour, tax-free. Not bad at all.

In another follow-up, Katrina interviewed the babysitter, who said she enjoyed making some extra money. “That sounds great,” she said.

What questions do you have for the newly famous babysitter? She’s along for the ride, and enjoys the spotlight. Loving the money, and crushing the jobs we leave for her. Sorry friends, but she’s not available to book-this kid is wayyy to busy between date night babysitting for us, earning perfect grades, being involved in a zillion after school activiites, and taking night time Fire/EMS classes at night so she can start her CAREER fresh out of high school. Do I sound a little proud?!?

@kivankc

What questions do you have for the newly famous babysitter? She’s along for the ride, and enjoys the spotlight. Loving the money, and crushing the jobs we leave for her. Sorry friends, but she’s not available to book-this kid is wayyy to busy between date night babysitting for us, earning perfect grades, being involved in a zillion after school activiites, and taking night time Fire/EMS classes at night so she can start her CAREER fresh out of high school. Do I sound a little proud?!? #sorrynotsorry #sillyinterview #babysitter #bestbabysitter #sidequests #meetmybabysitter #cheers #toddlermom #momlife

This article originally appeared on 2.6.24

Long before Nicole Kidman began her long-term relationship with AMC theaters, she was committed to husband and country singer Keith Urban. The two have happily been together since 2006—which is a good run for any modern day marriage, but most certainly a Hollywood one.

And perhaps their nearly decades-long success can be partially attributed to one surprising communication rule: no texting.

While appearing on the Something To Talk About podcast in 2023, Kidman shared that she was the one who initiated the unconventional agreement.

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“We never text each other, can you believe that? We started out that way – I was like, ‘If you want to get a hold of me, call me…”I wasn’t really a texter.,” the “Moulin Rouge” actress shared.

She added that while Urban did attempt texting her a few items early on, he eventually switched when Kidman wasn’t very responsive. And now, 18 years later, they only call each other.

“We just do voice to voice or skin to skin, as we always say. We talk all the time and we FaceTime but we just don’t text because I feel like texting can be misrepresentative at times…I don’t want that between my lover and I,” she told Parade

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See on Instagram

There are, of course, some pros and cons to calling over texting. Research has shown that people who call feel more connected to one another vs. texting, with the voice being an integral component of bonding. As our society becomes increasingly more distant and lonely, finding those moments might be more important than ever.

At the same time, calling can invoke a lot more anxiety compared to texting, which could lead someone to not communicating at all. Also, I don’t know about you, but the thought of having to call my partner for mundane things like “don’t forget the eggs” would drive me crazy.

See on Instagram

But regardless of whether or not you adopt Kidman and Urban’s no-texting rule, perhaps the bigger takeaway is that relationship longevity depends on being able to establish your own rules. One that feels good and that each partner is able to stick to. Especially when it comes to communication.

As Urban himself told E! News at the CMT Music Awards, “I have no advice for anybody,You guys figure out whatever works for you…We’re figuring it out. You figure it out. Everybody’s different. There’s no one size fits all.”

Luckily, there are many ways to have good text hygiene, without having to do away with it completely. Very Well Mind suggests to avoid texting too many questions, and to be respectful of your partner’s schedule (probably best to not text them while they’re sleeping just to say “hey,” for example). Nor should texting be used to argue or deal with conflict. Lastly, probably save the lengthy, in-depth conversations for a phone call. Fifteen heart emojis are totally fine though.

This article originally appeared on 4.17.24

Kesha has a lot of independence to celebrate today. Most obviously is Independence day, the 4th Of July. But, she also dropped a new single, “Joyride,” that marks independence in two ways: It’s her first song not released on a Dr. Luke-related record label, and it’s her first release on her own label, Kesha Records.

As for the song, it’s appropriately celebratory. It’s a happy pop banger that sees Kesha letting loose as she sings on the chorus, “I’m just looking for a joyride, joyride / I’m just looking for a good time tonight / Baby, I want you to.”

In June 2023, Kesha and Dr. Luke’s long-running legal battle finally came to an end: Dr. Luke sued Kesha for alleging that he drugged and raped her in 2005, but the two ended up settling the dispute. Kesha said in a statement, “Only God knows what happened that night. As I have always said, I cannot recount everything that happened. I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one. I wish nothing but peace to all parties involved.”

This past March, Kesha shared a tearful video and a post celebrating the “first day I’ve owned my voice in 19 years.”

Listen to “Joyride” above.