Year: 2024

David Beckham was not afraid to call out his wife, Victoria, on their Netflix special, Beckham, when the former “Posh Spice” (falsely) claimed to have grown up “working class.” To Victoria’s credit, she handled that moment well, which probably says plenty about their cheeky dynamic and long-lasting (especially by Hollywood standards) marriage. Also, they weathered that reported Tom Cruise breakdancing, which is surely not the most unexpected sight that they have seen together.

To briefly recap the “be honest” moment, that was the reaction that David had while cameras were rolling for a Victoria interview. The former professional footballer was not supposed to be at home, but of course, David proved everyone wrong by coyly busting in as soon as Victoria made that claim.

In case you missed that Netflix moment, feel free to relive it.

Via Hollywood Reporter, Beckham (during an awards-season consideration event over the weekend) looked back at this moment alongside director Fisher Stevens, who was apparently “very angry with me” for his unscripted moment:

“It was Victoria’s first day filming, and she was sat there in the lounge, looking great. She had the dogs running in and out and Fisher thought that I’d left the house, but I was in the kitchen making a coffee before I went to the office … I put the set of headphones on, and all of a sudden I heard my wife go, ‘Well, we’re down to earth.’ … And I was like, ‘No, no, no.’ As soon as I heard her say, ‘We’re working class,’ I stuck my head in and I was like, ‘Be honest.’”

Fisher then admitted to being “quite upset” that David had interrupted the interview, “but it actually turned out to be brilliant.” Very quickly, he did realize, “We have gold, I think.’” Finally, the world realizes that Beckham is actually very funny. You can watch the remarks on video below.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

It has often been said that rap is wrestling — i.e., that the tangled web of feuds and over-the-top personalities that make up hip-hop’s galaxy of stars is just a reflection of similar rivalries in the world of sports entertainment. But now, Drake and Kendrick Lamar have the opportunity to make the saying literal, as the WWE’s Shawn Michaels has invited them onto the promotion’s NXT brand to settle their differences with Michaels as mediator. Now that would actually be exciting.

Of course, considering the WWE has just entered its “Triple H” era — titled after the stage name of chief content officer Paul Levesque, who took over for the ousted Vince McMahon — there’s a non-zero chance that all of this was just a kayfabe buildup for an in-ring rivalry for the two rap superstars. After all, there are only so many achievements left for them in their chosen field, so why not branch out?

(I’m only sort of joking here —- obviously, there’s got to be some real bad blood after Kendrick accused Drake of pedophilia while Drake insinuated Kendrick’s kids are his, but wouldn’t it be hilarious if they had really been planning this all along?)

They wouldn’t be the first music stars to enter the ring; in recent years, Snoop Dogg has dished out haymakers to The Miz, and Bad Bunny has frog-splashed Damien Priest into oblivion. So, it wouldn’t be completely out of the realm of possibility to see Drake and Kendrick don some tights and come to (scripted, but no less painful) blows.

The NBA Playoffs have gone from 16 teams to eight now that the first round has been completed, meaning half of the teams that got to the the playoffs have officially started their offseason.

A first round exit can affect teams differently, depending on what the expectations were on them coming into the year. For a young team like the Orlando Magic, this feels like the building block to something else and a lesson on what’s needed to reach the next level. For banged up teams like the Sixers and Bucks, it’s a disappointing end that will lead to “what if?” thoughts and force them to sort through what gets fixed if they’re healthy and what still needs to be addressed even if they were at full strength. And then for a veteran team like the Phoenix Suns, with cap space tied up and little in the way of flexibility, there’s an awful lot of soul-searching required because reinforcements aren’t on the way.

The common thread, no matter what stage you fall in as a team, is that there is clearly improvement needed as a team to accomplish your goals. As a front office, the task is to figure out how to address those areas of need that were exposed at the playoff level with the resources you have available this summer. Here, we’ll highlight a trade or free agency target for the eight teams eliminated in the first round, as they look to bounce back in 2024-25.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers are a mess and have a lot of uncertainty to deal with this offseason. Paul George and James Harden can both be unrestricted free agents and if they lose either or both, they still won’t have any cap space to replace them. That puts a lot of pressure on them to make the right decisions about what to offer those stars, and there’s reportedly trepidation on their end to give George a full four-year max. That’s understandable, but the alternatives aren’t great. The truth is, there isn’t an obvious fix to this Clippers team. They’ve always had talent, it just has never coalesced into much of anything. Lawrence Frank said Monday they won’t just try running it back, but also noted they want to bring back Harden and George if they can.

My guess is, if they can bring those two back, they’ll look at a trade involving Norman Powell to bring in some frontcourt help. The rotation behind Ivica Zubac was a real problem and after investing so heavily on the wing in recent years, it might be a good idea to try and parlay some of that into some more floor balance. If the Magic (who we’ll get to in a bit) are willing to part with one of their bigs, Powell could be a good fit going back to Orlando as they really need shooting. Jonathan Isaac looked very good in spurts coming back from injury, and is a DPOY caliber guy, just with health concerns. If the Magic are set on keeping Isaac, maybe Wendell Carter Jr. is more expendable and would be a very nice addition to the L.A. frontcourt, particularly with the way he’s grown as a shooter.

If that doesn’t come to fruition, I think they’ve got to look at adding some depth behind Ivica Zubac in free agency. Precious Achiuwa might not be a priority in New York given their frontcourt rotation is a strength, so maybe he’d be available and would provide them with some energy off the bench. That’s not exactly a “change the team’s trajectory” signing, but as we’ve learned by now, no one available for the minimum will.

Target:Wendell Carter Jr. (trade), Precious Achiuwa (free agency)

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers enter this offseason feeling an awful lot like they did a year ago, this time losing to the Nuggets in five close games instead of four. They will once again be attached to plenty of trade rumors, with both of the Atlanta Hawks star guards (Trae Young and Dejounte Murray) being potential targets. I’m not totally sold they’ll be able to pull off a big swing via trade, but if they are bringing back LeBron James I’d expect them to at least try. I’m not sold on Murray being the answer, but I would guess he’s more available than Young, particularly given what the Lakers have to offer.

From a free agency standpoint, they won’t have any real money to throw around, but whether they make a splashy trade for backcourt help or not, they have got to figure out a viable backup center behind Anthony Davis. Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, and Mo Bamba simply were not functional options for playoff basketball, and while it’s not easy to find good help on the vet min market, I think Andre Drummond would be a genuine upgrade (even if he’s not a ceiling raiser) for a Lakers team extremely light on size in the middle.

Target: Dejounte Murray (trade), Andre Drummond (free agency)

Miami Heat

Things are going to get interesting quickly in Miami, as they have a big decision to make regarding Jimmy Butler extension talks. At this point, it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen, and they have to figure out what the short- and long-term are going to look like for the franchise. The Heat will almost assuredly be in the mix once again for a star guard via trade, but after swinging and missing last year on Damian Lillard, the trade package they’ll be shopping didn’t really gain much more value. On Monday, Riley indicated Miami may be focused less on star chasing than they are on acquiring depth. So, what does a Miami offseason that’s more about depth than stars look like?

Well, there’s not much money to spend, but they need to add more players that can be trusted in the postseason. Their depth took a hit this year and while the backcourt figures to be where they look on the trade market, I think generally they need more “Heat guys” around their core group. One guy who would fit the bill would be Naji Marshall, who morphed into a good shooter on top of being a very strong defender this year, and would be a wing I think Erik Spoelstra would very much enjoy having in his rotation.

Target: Naji Marshall (free agency)

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks have some work to do this summer, even understanding their three stars weren’t healthy in their early exit. Their depth was always going to be a question, and their defense was a real issue from start to finish this season. Milwaukee can’t make wholesale changes to this roster, but they should be looking to find some 3-and-D depth on the wing and maybe an upgrade in the frontcourt.

I think it’s possible they look to do so by trading Bobby Portis, who had a rough series and was on the block at the deadline. The Bucks might feel they can address the backup big man position more easily than getting wing help with what they have available in free agency. If so, they might take a look around the league and see if Portis plus a young player might net them some more immediate help. Dorian Finney-Smith would fit the bill financially, and would provide some of what the Bucks need in terms of more defensive versatility, while still providing a spacing threat.

Target: Dorian Finney-Smith (trade)

New Orleans Pelicans

We saw against the Thunder the limitations of this New Orleans offense as currently constructed. Even if Zion Williamson is on the floor, they really lack a player that creates for others. Brandon Ingram’s struggles and looming free agency next year make things very interesting, as the Pelicans will need to decide soon if he’s part of the long-term future or if they’d be better off moving him for some help in a position of weakness while letting Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III step into larger roles. That is what I would do, but what you get back for Ingram is a bit of a mystery. He’s clearly talented, but his skillset is not one that every team is clamoring for and his value certainly took a hit with his postseason run.

So, what if the Pelicans are dangling Ingram and picks for another star who maybe isn’t in a perfect fit with their current team? I think my first call this summer if I’m David Griffin is to my old team in Cleveland, and see whether they’re willing to split up their guard duo to bring in some more balance on the wing. Donovan Mitchell was incredible to close out their series with the Magic, but his future in Cleveland has been a question for a bit. I think there’s a decent chance the Cavs are able to re-sign Mitchell, but if they do, given how this year went, I’m not sure they’ll want to keep Mitchell paired with Darius Garland long-term. If I’m the Pelicans, I’d be happy with either one, but I think Garland would be a particularly tremendous fit in New Orleans. He struggled after returning from injury this year and never really found his fit back in the lineup with Cleveland, and a fresh start might be good for all parties involved in this deal.

Target: Darius Garland (trade)

Orlando Magic

The Magic have to feel the best out of all the teams in this group, with a talented young core and a lot of cap space. What I think they need the most — a veteran point guard who can shoot — isn’t something I really see available at this moment. It’s possible we could see Chris Paul hit the market and be an option to fill that void (but he might be more interested in a more veteran contender), but the ideal guy (Mike Conley or, while he doesn’t let it fly all that much, TJ McConnell) just won’t be out there to sign. Plus those two won’t likely be considered for trade.

As such, I think they’ll look for shooting. As I noted above, there are guys that they might be able to trade for (Norman Powell being one of them), while Klay Thompson is a name already attached to Orlando’s free agency wishlist. I actually think they look a little more north and try to pry Malik Monk out of Sacramento. Monk fits the Magic’s timeline a little better than Thompson and gives them more on-ball juice than Klay at this stage of his career. Having a more reliable microwave type scorer, who can also serve as a spot-up threat around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner when not leading a bench unit, would be an upgrade for the Magic as they look to continue moving up the East standings next year.

Target: Malik Monk (free agency)

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers got tremendous efforts from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, but their two stars simply didn’t get enough support. Tobias Harris is the biggest culprit there, averaging under 10 points per game in the first round, and with him coming off the books, they’ll be looking to upgrade his spot. There are other roster needs on this team beyond a wing upgrade (they still need a more reliable backup center than Paul Reed, especially when going up against a bigger team like New York), but wing is where they will start.

With the Sixers being in an incredible position of having max cap space this summer thanks to Maxey being an RFA (who will get a max deal after they use that space), they can go big game hunting to add a third star either in free agency or via trade. The name everyone is connecting to Philly is Paul George, and he certainly seems like an ideal fit for this Sixers squad between Maxey and Embiid. If George does end up re-signing in L.A. (or goes elsewhere), then things get real interesting because the Sixers have a lot of money that they won’t have again and will need to use it to make a long-term impact, either via free agency or in a trade.

Target: Paul George (free agency)

Phoenix Suns:

Finally, we have the Suns, a team with very few options this summer, but an awful lot of improvement needed. That’s a tough combination, and after Mat Ishbia and James Jones’ comments coming out of their first round sweep against Minnesota, it sure seems like the plan is to run it back. Maybe they try to find a trade involving Jusuf Nurkic to bring in some help, but given they have no picks to offer, any trade has to be with another contender, and I’m having a tough time finding a contender that would want to bring in Nurkic (that doesn’t mean it can’t happen, I’m just not seeing it).

Truthfully, there just aren’t many avenues to upgrade this roster other than going back to the vet minimum well. That doesn’t usually work well, but one position they have to address is point guard. There are a handful of options they could go with, whether that’s Patrick Beverley, Delon Wright, or Kris Dunn. I’ll go with Dunn, who had a nice year in Utah and would give them someone at least capable of running a second unit. If he’s willing to take a vet minimum, that’d be one heck of a value.

Target: Kris Dunn (free agency)

There are some movies that could only have been made in the ’90s, simply because the premise is just too insane to work now. A movie where you have to keep driving a bus or else it will explode is just insane enough to work in 1994, because in 2024 that bus might have been a Tesla and could have already exploded before it left a lot.

Speed is a perfect storm of weirdness tied together by Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock’s infectious charm. The film follows SWAT officer Jack (Reeves) as he tries to save a bus full of civilians (including Bullock) after a bomb is triggered to detonate if the bus goes below 50 mph.

At the end of the movie, the two leads share a kiss, despite barely looking at each other the entire time. Bullock and Reeves joined the podcast 50 MPH to celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary, and Bullock admits the ending was a little unexpected.

“We didn’t really look at each other in this movie except for maybe three times, three or four times where there was just — because we were constantly battling the elements,” she said. “And I think that’s what made it so electric, too, is that, watching it, I guess you want them to connect. So, that was really clever, a really clever setup to sort of, you know, keep people apart. Foreplay, I guess.”

Even more unexpected than the ending was the films’ success. Speed went on to become a cult classic, win two Oscars and helped launch Bullock and Reeves’ friendship.

Reeves added that the two were able to be so convincing because the stakes felt a little real. Reeves added, “I think, you know, working with Sandy and being in that moment, you know, making — being able to pretend at such a believable way at heightened circumstances. You know, going into that bandwidth of, like, ‘Oh, my God! Oh, my God! What are we doing?’” Now, Reeves is really used to fast cars, so he knows what he’s doing.

(Via IndieWire)

Studies show that after the death of a spouse, getting a divorce is the second most stressful life event a person can have. It’s even worse than going to jail or losing one’s job.

Going through a divorce can be incredibly stressful because it involves significant changes in nearly every aspect of life. The process can feel overwhelming, from emotional upheaval and legal complexities to financial adjustments and parenting challenges. It often means redefining personal identity and future plans, which requires time, patience and support from loved ones to navigate successfully.

However, there can be many positive sides to getting a divorce, the biggest being able to get away from someone who is causing you grief. It can also be a means of escaping a tough financial situation or distancing yourself from toxic in-laws.

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Getting divorced can also open the door for some much-needed personal change.

A Redditor who goes by BondEmilyBond asked divorced people on the AskReddit subforum, “What’s the most surprising thing you learned from getting divorced?” Many people were happily surprised by some of the lessons they learned from getting divorced and the positive outcomes they never expected.

While the post could have easily turned dour, many shared that getting a divorce allowed them to grow in ways they never expected. The separation was also an opportunity for many of their spouses to grow as well.

Here are 13 of the “most surprising” things people learned from getting a divorce.

1. “The person you married is not the same person you divorce.” — Royal_Arachnid_2295

“Very true! One thing I learned getting divorced fairly young (33) was that we only have one life, you have to make sure you’re happy. Marriage was not the partnership I expected, especially after having kids. I was doing the majority of the household work while also doing the majority of the childcare and working full time. I suddenly realized this couldn’t be the rest of my life. And things are so much better now.” — Klopije

2. Sometimes, everyone needs to change

“How I DID need to change certain parts of myself and my life, but I was not the entire problem in our marriage.” — Ughfinethisusername

3. “I expected to be heartbroken but mostly just felt relieved.” — Oddwithoutend

“What is worst than being alone? Wishing you were alone.” — AnnatoniaMac

“When the time came for me to spend my first night in my shi**y apartment, I unlocked the door, walked in, sat down on my couch, turned on my TV and then it hit me: No matter what I did that night, nobody was going to yell at me. And I felt so much relief in that moment, I was free and I didn’t even realize that I hadn’t been. I came to love that shitty apartment. My daughter and I lived there for three years (she’s with me 50% of the time) and those were three of the happiest years of my life.” — Spcoalpresense

4. You’re never completely rid of your ex

“Not from my experience, but having children with your ex means you’re not really rid of them, ever. They will always be around unless the children choose to remove themselves from their lives at some point. That includes the extended family, too, so it’s a package deal at every event. It’s not like they magically go away after the kids turn 18, though you do get to deal with them a little less.” — Magicrowantree

“This is true, but I learned that it’s much, much, much easier to be divorced with kids than it is to be unhappily married with kids.” — Rusty0123

5. “I felt even more lonely when I was married.” — bunbunzinlove

“First husband and I went to see ‘The Misfits,’ the 1961 Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable movie at the vintage movie house. At the very beginning, she’s getting a Nevada divorce, and tells her husband: ‘If I’m going to be alone, I want to be by myself.’ He doesn’t realize it, but that was a turning point in our marriage; that line floored me.” — Flahdgal

6. Lawyers are expensive

“Sometimes you have to pay them to be able to communicate with someone you’re not able to communicate with.” — Youngest_Syndrome_78

“Your lawyer is as expensive as your relationship was terrible/you or your ex is stubborn.” — Youngest_Syndrome_78

7. Being alone is freedom

“How content I could be on my own. Never having to compromise throughout the mundane moments because you are living alone is very freeing.” — Independent_Sunshine

“You know what I feel when I walk into my small divorce apartment? Peace! Blessed peace. No one’s criticizing me. I’m not responsible for someone else’s disappointing life choices. I am not his rage sponge, anymore. Goodbye, McMansion in the suburbs. Don’t miss you.” — Kit3399

8. The stress can be unbearable

“You can almost die from grief and disappointment.” — HeartofGold48

“During one of our last fights, I fainted, fell backward on the concrete floor, and got a concussion and MRI. Apparently, stress can do that. The physical impact of divorce is something I never expected.” — Haunting_Cattle2138

9. True love is awesome

“Pretty much how awesome life can be with a caring, kind, supportive spouse. I had no idea how bad I had it until the old one abandoned ship, and I met the true love of my life.” — Relax-Enjoy

“This is so true. If you’ve been in an emotionally abusive relationship for a long time, experiencing real love is just astounding.” — InactiveUser247

10. Unhealthy can be normalized

“You know, I remember at one point in my marriage thinking ‘I guess this is just how it works.’ After being unhappy for so long, it just seemed like the normal. But I’ve definitely found out that no, it’s not how it works! A relationship can be happy and supportive, without you feeling like you have to do all the work!” — Anothercrockett

“Same. I put my emotional and physical needs on a shelf, just chalking it up as ‘my lot’. The rest of my life was great (kids, family, friends, house, money, pool)… It wasn’t until she dropped the D-word on me at the beginning of the year that I let my feelings of neglect out.” — IBSeanB

11. You’re more attractive than you thought

“How many men I knew that wanted to date me lol.” — OK_Acanthistta5022

“My current partner also had this realization. The moment her separation became public then certain ‘friends’ were circling. She was still of the opinion that women can have truly platonic male friends, which they can, but the majority I believe have other motives.” — LordBiscuits

12. Couples are great at putting on a facade

“When I got a divorce, it turns out it was the beginning of a spree of divorces in my neighborhood among my friends. In a 2 year period, 5 couples I knew in my neighborhood got divorces. All of them, to a tee, were couples that I thought were very happily married. It sparked a lot of frank and open conversations among me and my newly-divorced friends about marriage, relationships and goings-on that I had never had before. Turns out I was living a really dull and sheltered life. I was astonished at how much infidelity was going on, for example. There were shenanigans going on everywhere. … So the takeaway for me was, couples can be very good at putting on a fake front of happiness.” — framptal_tromwibbler

13. You can still be friends

“You can still be mates. It’s not all ‘burn your ex to the ground’ sh**e. It is perfectly possible to get on with everyone (including in-laws). Sometimes marriages just do not work out.” — CarpetGripperRod

“Plus, the new partner can actually be pretty ace! She’s wonderful to my kids and has always treated me with nothing but love and respect. My kids come first and I can’t see any downside to them having more love in their lives.” — Substantial-Land-248

Kindness is simple. But in our complicated world, it’s easy to forget. That’s why we have catchy little words of wisdom, like “do unto others” or “be the change you’d like to see in the world,” to help us remember the power of connecting to our hearts and each other.

These proverbs might resonate differently, depending on an individual’s values, but ultimately they all say the same thing: choose to be a good person. And honestly, whatever rhyme gets us there is a good one.

Recently, user MeringueOne7397 asked the Reddit community: “What is an unwritten rule that you always follow?” and the responses are a brilliant example of this concept. While some answers are perhaps a bit more poetic, others are completely mundane. But they all point towards a path that includes compassion.

Check out 17 of the best ones, and see if you might want to incorporate a few yourself.

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1. “If you make the mess, you clean it up.”

2. “Let people off the train before you get on.”

3. “Be hesitant to take criticism from people you wouldn’t go to for advice.”

4. “Never answer a ‘stupid’ question like it’s a stupid question. There’s a reason the person didn’t know, didn’t get it or misunderstood. Not knowing information is not stupid.”

5. “When walking down the sidewalk, phone is in my pocket. If I need to look at it — move aside then take out the phone.”

6. “Always be polite. I don’t care what I’m doing or what kind of a day I’ve had. I always make sure to say ‘hey how are you?’ And ‘thank you, have a nice day’ whenever I talk to people like shop assistants. Politeness is so underrated in general.”

7. “Don’t cheat. Let vehicles merge. Be kind.”

8. “Always be nice to everyone you can, you never know when you will need help from someone.”

9. “If someone has headphones in, don’t try to talk to them.”

10. “Assume someone is just venting, and offer comfort and listening unless they specifically ask for advice. ask if they want advice if you have any to give.unsolicited advice can often come off the wrong way.”

11. “When driving, wave when someone lets you over.”

12. “You don’t call people after 9:00 Unless they specifically said that you could or it is an emergency.”

13. “Waving to the person behind who let you into traffic…I will not quit doing it. Basic good manners.”

14. “Never blindly accept statements as true, even if they are from people you trust. Not because they are lying to you, but oftentimes people just make mistakes or are bad communicators.”“

15. Don’t make fun of things people can’t control i.e. their teeth, their laugh, etc. You could be giving someone a lifelong complex and insecurity that can have untold emotional damage.”

16. “Treat others as I want to be treated. Assume benign intent (until proved otherwise).”

…and last but certainly not least…

17. “Put your damn cart in the collection area after grocery shopping.”

The first Monday in May, also known as Met Gala day, is the day when everyone you know suddenly becomes a third year fashion merchandising student (with a minor in art history) who knows all about couture!

The gala attracts designers and big name fashion icons, but the only that people fans really care about are the beautiful celebs and their commitment to the theme, or lack thereof. This year’s co-chairs are Zendaya, Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, and Jennifer Lopez.

This year, the Met Gala will celebrate the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and CEO explained the meaning behind the exhibition:

The Met’s innovative spring 2024 Costume Institute exhibition will push the boundaries of our imagination and invite us to experience the multisensory facets of a garment. ‘Sleeping Beauties’ will heighten our engagement with these masterpieces of fashion by evoking how they feel, move, sound, smell, and interact when being worn, ultimately offering a deeper appreciation of the integrity, beauty, and artistic brilliance of the works on display.

This year’s 2024 Met Gala dress code is “The Garden of Time,” so named for J.G. Ballard’s 1962 same-named short story. We can expect some flowy florals (groundbreaking!) along with some interesting nature-inspired styles. “It is very much an ode to nature and the emotional poetics of fashion,” Andrew Bolton, the curator in charge of The Costume Institute, said.

Hopefully Jason Derulo has some good grips on his sneakers.

Nearly 300 years ago, Benjamin Franklin gave us the saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Oddly enough, he was talking about fire safety in that instance, but it holds true for health as well. It’s arguably better to proactively prevent a problem than to wait for a crisis you have to fix.

It’s taken a while—and there’s still a ways to go, especially when it comes to insurance coverage—but disease prevention has caught on in the physical health world. We don’t just treat illness when it comes; we know we need to proactively maintain good physical health. We have PSAs about eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising regularly to prevent heart disease. We have dieticians and nutritionists who research what foods our bodies need (and need to avoid) to function at their best. We consume calcium to prevent osteoporosis and wear sunscreen to ward off skin cancer. We talk about the importance of sleep to let our bodies repair themselves.

Kids learn about physical health maintenance and disease prevention in health classes, and they should. Why don’t we teach mental health maintenance the same way?

For sure, the dramatic rise in mental health awareness and education in the past decade or two has been extraordinary, fulfilling a long-neglected need. People are far more aware, accepting and understanding of mental health issues than in the past, and we’ve come a long way in removing the stigma of mental illness.

But our approach to mental health awareness and education is still largely reactive. “If you struggle with anxiety/depression/etc. it’s okay to seek help and here’s where to find it” is the most common messaging. And that’s great—a huge step up from “Suck it up, buttercup. If you need therapy, you’re a psycho.” It’s good that we’ve normalized going to therapy if you have a mental health issue, and it’s good that we’ve reduced the shame of taking medication to manage mental health disorders. However, as a parent whose kids have struggled with various degrees of anxiety, I think we need a more proactive approach—one that focuses on mental health maintenance and provides tools that might prevent disorders from spinning out of control in the first place.

When I started taking my daughter to therapy for a debilitating anxiety disorder, I was surprised to find out how much I didn’t know about how anxiety actually functions. I knew the basics of the “fight, flight or freeze” response and I knew anxiety meant that instinctual survival system was overreacting. What I didn’t know was that the logical approaches my husband and I had tried to calm that system in our daughter were actually making her anxiety worse.

Thanks to her therapist, we learned all about the amygdala (the brain’s fear center), what it responds to and what it doesn’t. My daughter learned to recognize the cues that her anxiety was in its early stages, like a snowball starting to roll down a mountain, and how to manage it before it became a thundering avalanche. We learned that our repeated reassurances that everything was fine actually reinforced her anxiety instead of alleviating it, which is totally counterintuitive. My daughter learned how to talk to her brain when it told her something she feared was going to happen. Instead of saying, “No, that bad thing isn’t going to happen,” (the amygdala really hates being told it’s wrong), she learned to say things like, “Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong—let’s wait 10 minutes and see what happens.” That small difference in language inside her own head made a world of difference. Literally life-changing.

I don’t have an anxiety disorder, but sitting in on her therapy sessions helped me learn a ton about how brains work in general. And it definitely helped me be better able to help my children. In every session, I kept wondering, “Why have I not learned these things before? Why do they not teach us about managing thoughts and feelings in school?” We all have brains. Most of us struggle with our brains misbehaving sometimes. One in three adults will deal with an anxiety disorder in their life, and many more will experience fear or worry that doesn’t rise to the level of a full-fledge disorder, so isn’t “How to manage the amygdala” something all of us should learn?

Imagine if we started developing skills and tools to manage our brains at a young age instead of waiting for mental health disorders to develop before learning them. Schools started down that road with social-emotional learning (SEL), which teaches teaches kids about recognizing their emotions and manage them with breathing exercises and the like, but SEL unfortunately got wrapped up in the craze over curriculum and has been banned in some states. But we don’t need that large of a curriculum umbrella for simply teaching kids how their brains work. This is basic health information. Maybe people worry that proven mindfulness techniques will turn too woo woo or something, but there’s plenty of evidence-based, research-backed, non-controversial tools we can share to manage and maintain our mental health.

And I’d argue such knowledge is far more useful to the average person than, say, knowing how to factor quadratic equations.

I have personally witnessed how passing on the strategies we learned with my daughter to her younger siblings helped them learn to manage their own anxiety so much earlier. Could we have prevented my daughter’s anxiety disorder completely? I doubt it—some of us are genetically hardwired with certain tendencies. But I do think we could have prevented it from becoming debilitating if we had known from the start how to navigate what her brain was doing, saving her years of anguish and frustration.

While we can’t necessarily prevent mental health disorders, we can set people up with a much fuller mental health toolbox a lot earlier than we do. We all benefit from understanding our own thoughts and feelings, and the idea that we should all learn more about how our brains work is…well, a no-brainer. Of course we need to treat disorders when they occur, but let’s get proactive in how we manage mental health as well. With mental health issues reaching epidemic levels, it could only help.

It seems far fewer people were impressed with Drake’s latest Kendrick Lamar diss than The Boy might have hoped. After he dropped “The Heart Part 6” last night, he may have seen it as a victory lap, but fans online appeared to view it as more of a white flag of surrender after Kendrick Lamar spammed Drake with nonstop diss tracks over the course of the weekend.

Metro Boomin, who pretty much started all this in the first place after inviting Kendrick onto his and Future’s joint album We Don’t Trust You, summed up his feelings with a Chris Paul highlight. Heading over to YouTube, he took a screenshot of the video title that best suited the moment: “Chris Paul hits a huge three to cut the lead down to 42.”

For those who aren’t into sports, the analogy likens Drake emptying the clip on “The Heart Part 6” to a heroic, but ultimately futile effort in a competition in which his loss is inevitable. In basketball, being down 42 points isn’t quite an insurmountable lead, especially in the first half of a game, but it’s also basically a war of attrition in which there have historically been very few winners. Digging out of such hole requires not only impressive levels of skill and endurance but also borderline miraculous luck — i.e. “an act of God.”

Unfortunately for Drake, it doesn’t look like any deities are coming to his rescue anytime soon. Meanwhile, fans are comparing him to another NBA star thanks to Metro, pairing Kyle Lowry highlights with Metro’s “BBL Drizzy” beat

Will Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend Monday’s Met Gala? Nobody in the know has answered that question definitively, although speculation still persists. On a more concrete note (either sadly or fortunately, depending on your perspective), Jared Leto has confirmed that he will not be seen on this red carpet tonight wearing a Choupette costume or anything else.

As a result, we might have to settle for moments that might only be nearly as entertaining as Aubrey Plaza not mincing words over the Leto antics, although it must be noted that Doja Cat’s 2023 kitty costume went over better by general consensus.

This year’s theme may or may not bring cats to mind for attendees, who will be dressing for “The Garden of Time” theme (a tribute to J.G. Ballard’s 1962 short story) before attending the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” exhibit. Co-hosts include Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth, and here is a certainty: some guests and their stylists will inevitably demonstrate the apparent difficulty in nailing these themes.

Where can you watch the Met Gala red carpet arrivals? E! will be airing their customary “Live from E!: 2024 Met Gala” coverage beginning at 6:00pm EST, and Vogue will also be hosting a stream from their website. Get ready for the most outrageous fashion event of the year.