Category: News

While many fans took to social media to wish the late Michael Jackson a happy birthday on August 29, which would’ve marked his 65th, some noticed that his daughter, Paris, didn’t say anything on any of her channels. This prompted a slew of vitriol from Jackson’s followers, saying that she purposely ignored his birthday.

Though MJ’s birthday had not ended yet, Paris took to Instagram to address the messages she had received.

“I just got off stage and I’m very sweaty,” Paris said. “So today’s my dad’s birthday and back when he was alive he used to hate anybody acknowledging his birthday, wishing him a happy birthday, celebrating it, nothing like that. He actually didn’t want us to even know when his birthday was because he didn’t want us to throw a party or anything like that.”

She continued, saying, “That being said, social media is apparently how people express their love and affection these days,” she said. “And if you don’t wish someone a happy birthday via social media, it apparently means that you don’t love them, you don’t care about them. There have been times where I don’t post anything for my dad’s birthday and people lose their f*cking minds. They tell me to kill myself and they’re basically measuring my love for my own father based off of what I post on Instagram. So, I made you guys a little video and I hope you enjoy it.”

The Instagram clip then transitions to another video. In the video, Paris, who is seen onstage, speaking with a crowd of fans, acknowledging the work of her father, and how he set the precedent for her.

“It’s also my dad’s birthday and he would have been 65 years old today,” she’s seen telling the crowd in the live footage. “He put 50 years of blood, sweat, and tears and love and passion into doing what he did so that I could stand up here on stage in front of you and scream into a microphone. So I owe everything to him.”

The video then turned back to Paris speaking directly to her Instagram followers, whom she encouraged to volunteer their time or make donations to animal rights activism groups or climate change awareness groups.

You can see the full clip above.

Steve Elzinga, the owner of Erie Orchards in Michigan has publicly apologized after reportedly confronting a Muslim family and accusing them of stealing peaches. The incident occurred earlier this month, and it took Elzinga over two weeks to issue a statement where he notably does not detail his actions that were caught on video.

“My sincere apologies to Joe Mahmoud, his wife, family, and the whole community for my remarks and actions on Sunday, August 13. I am very sorry,” Elzinga wrote on the Facebook page for Erie Orchards. “As a family business we have made a conscious effort to be a welcoming place for all in an often fractured world, and Sunday’s incident, sadly, did not reflect that. What occurred does not align with my values, beliefs, and heart of inclusion for everyone. I sincerely regret this and offer my deepest apologies.”

According to Mahmoud, after he made a $70 purchase, an employee at the orchard told his young daughters that they could take a bag full of peaches home for free because they were most likely rotten. Thinking they’d just wrapped up a “peaceful family outing,” Elzinga approached the family’s car where the situation quickly went south.

Via Facebook:

He opened my vehicle door, began to rifle through our bags on the floor, and without any provocation, he stated, “You people are always stealing.” Shocked and willing to rectify any misunderstanding, I explained the information his staff had given us and that we were more than willing to pay for anything necessary. Then, to our horror and in front of my young girls began expressing openly racist sentiments, stating he didn’t want Muslims at the orchard, all they do is steal, and that he didn’t need us to patronize his business.

Elzinga began demanding that Mahmoud pay him $58 for the small bag of peaches that were only priced at $2.49. Mahmoud handed the bag back to Elzinga, who at that point was proudly admitting he’s racist on video, and the family attempted to leave. That’s when Elzinga got violent.

“As the man got super aggressive with his actions and as it became clear he had not called the police I began to fear for the safety of my family,” Mahmoud wrote. “I told him I was leaving and I began slowly backing out to make sure he would to get hurt. He then began to ram his shoulder into my truck.”

Fortunately, Mahmoud caught most of the encounter on video, which you can see below:

(Via Yousef Abu Jenna Mahmoud on Facebook, Erie Orchards and Cider Mills on Facebook)

U2 is kicking of their U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere Las Vegas residency shows in a big way. Ahead of the limited concert engagement, which kicks off at the end of next month, U2 will launch a special fan portal called Zoo Station: A U2:UV Experience.

Designed in collaboration between U2 and the band’s longtime creative director Gavin Friday, Zoo Station will boast over 12,000 square feet of space within The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. Zoo Station will take place on two floors, as fans will be able to access interactive exhibit space.

Inside Zoo Station will be the Anton Corbijn Gallery, which will feature five decades’ worth of video footage and photography work from photographer Anton Corbin, who is curating the space.

Fans can also purchase merchandise from the U2 Pop-Up Shop, which will offer music titles from U2, as well as brand-new merchandise.

Zoo TV Cinema, which will be curated by U2’s The Edge, will show five film screenings daily including rare and unreleased concert footage from international U2 shows, as well as new documentary films, like Beyond The Tour and A Day In The Life Of The Edge.

The ground floor, which will hold the gallery, the pop-up shop, and interactive installations, will be open to the public and free to enter. However, the top floor, which will hold Zoo TV Cinema, will grant access to ticketholders.

Zoo Station opens September 28, and U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere, which will open The Sphere venue, runs from September 29 to December 16.

An interesting discovery during the middle of the NBA playoffs has led to the a referee’s immediate retirement. In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the league announced that Eric Lewis decided to retire from officiating.

“NBA referee Eric Lewis has informed the league office that he is retiring, effective immediately,” the league said in a statement. “In light of his decision, the NBA’s investigation into social media activity has been closed.”

As the statement references, Lewis was at the center of a controversy back in May when basketball fans noticed the peculiar activity of the Twitter account @CuttliffBlair. There were plenty of hints that indicated Lewis was the person behind the account, both in who it followed and, more importantly, the activity. The account largely tweeted at people who were commenting on NBA officiating, and whenever this would happen, its posts would make it a point to defend Lewis.

The NBA, unsurprisingly, decided to launch an investigation into this, although it was not clear why the investigation ended just because he retired. While this was not nearly as big of a Twitter burner scandal as the one that saw Philadelphia 76ers executive Bryan Colangelo lose his job in the team’s front office, Lewis was not named one of the officials who got to work the NBA Finals, which he got to do in each of the previous four seasons.

“OK Boomer” is a catchphrase that has come to perfectly encapsulate the generational divide in modern American politics. It has also led to some moments of pure comedy gold.

But it turns out that one of the great all-time standup comedic minds was literally decades ahead of the game when it came to dragging Boomers for selfish, hypocritical, and entitled behavior. In his 1996 stand up special “Back in Town” George Carlin devoted a glorious two minutes and twenty-seven seconds to putting Boomers in their place.

“A lot of these cultural crimes I’m complaining about can be blamed on the Baby Boomers,” Carlin says, beginning what would become a now legendary rant.

“I’m getting tired of hearing about Boomers,” Carlin continues. “Whiny, narcissistic, self-indulgent people with a simple philosophy: ‘GIMME IT, IT’S MINE!’ ‘GIMME THAT, IT’S MINE!’ These people were given everything. Everything was handed to them. And they took it all: sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and they stayed loaded for 20 years and had a free ride.”

“But now they’re staring down the barrel of middle-age burnout, and they don’t like it. So they’ve turned self-righteous. They want to make things harder on younger people. They tell ’em, abstain from sex, say no to drugs; as for the rock and roll, they sold that for television commercials a long time ago…so they could buy pasta machines and Stairmasters and soybean futures.”

Or, as one person on Reddit commented on Carlin’s video: “My feeling about baby-boomers is that they were one of the first generations to really adulate and idolize the idea of youth, and youth empowerment but when they themselves reach senior ages their own ideas were working against them so they changed to demonizing youth.”

But Carlin wasn’t done there. He says the Boomers have not only become hypocrites, they turned their own generational shift into cutthroat, corporate catchphrases that guilt and shame others who don’t comport to their world view.

“You know something? They are cold, bloodless people,” Carlin says.

“These people went from ‘Do Your Own Thing’ to ‘Just Say No.’ They went from ‘Love is All You Need’ to ‘Whoever Winds Up With the Most Toys, Wins.’ And they went from cocaine to Rogaine.”

Carlin’s bit concludes in epic fashion with an all-encompassing take down that applies to, well, literally everyone. But the next time you hear a Boomer ridiculing young people or defending their own legacy, just show them this clip and remind them that Boomer criticism is something that transcends age, gender or race. Heck, even if you’re from the Boomer generation, this clip is just too good to not enjoy and share.

This article originally appeared on 02.20.20

Actor, comedian, and self-proclaimed “voicetramentalist,” Michael Winslow was just about everywhere in the ’80s. His incredible ability to make sound effects with his voice and uncanny beatboxing skills landed him the role of officer Larvell Jones in all seven “Police Academy” movies.

He also did voiceover work in “Gremlins” and appeared in Mel Brooks’ “Spaceballs.”

But Winslow was forced to scale back his career in 1993 after the death of his first wife Belinda Church. As a single father, he had to stop appearing in films so he could spend more time with his children.

He continued to star in the occasional commercial, perform stand-up comedy, and make guest appearances, but he didn’t have the profile he once had.

Back in July of 2021, Winslow stepped back in the spotlight with a performance on “America’s Got Talent.” After some prodding from his son, he decided it would be the perfect venue to relaunch his career on television.

In the ’80s, he was known as “The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects,” but things have changed since then, he now claims to have “hundreds of thousands.”

“Now, after raising my two kids, I’m in a different phase. I think this is my time,” Winslow, 62, said on the episode. “And America’s Got Talent is the place for me to show the world I still have something to offer, I still have some sounds to make. There’s still room for a little more.”

Judge Simon Cowell was excited to see Winslow when he took the stage. “We know you!” Cowell exclaimed. “I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you are here!”

Winslow then gave a stunning performance where he impersonated the chimes on an airplane, beatboxed to Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” and performed Jimi Hendrix’s version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” His performance was proof that after five decades in show business Winslow hasn’t lost a step and, in fact, he may be at his peak.

After his performance, Winslow won a standing ovation from the audience and four “gigantic yeses” from the panel.

“My life has changed again for the better, and I’ve gotten another blessing,” Winslow told Terry Crews after leaving the stage. America’s Got Talent is the place for me to show I still have something to offer. I’ve still got some sounds to make, and there’s still room for a little more.”

Winslow is a great reminder that sometimes when celebrities seem to fade away, it isn’t necessarily because they’re washed up or past their prime. They are humans with real challenges just like the rest of us and real-world events can affect their career trajectories. It’s great to see such a wonderful performer get another shot at the big time.

This article originally appeared on 07.14.21

There are a lot of reasons to feel a twinge of nostalgia for the final days of the 20th century. Rampant inflation, the aftermath of a global pandemic and continued political unrest have created a sense of uneasiness about the future that has everyone feeling a bit down.

There’s also a feeling that the current state of pop culture is lacking as well. Nobody listens to new music anymore and unless you’re into superheroes, it seems like creativity is seriously missing from the silver screen.

But, you gotta admit, that TV is still pretty damn good.

A lot of folks feel Americans have become a lot harsher to one another due to political divides, which seem to be widening by the day due to the power of the internet and partisan media.

Given today’s feeling of malaise, there are a lot of people who miss the 1990s or, as some call it, “the best decade ever.” Why? The 1990s was economically prosperous, crime was on its way down after the violent ’70s and ’80s, and pop culture was soaring with indie films, grunge rock and hip-hop all in their golden eras.

The rest of the world was feeling hopeful as globalization brought prosperity and Communism fell in Europe and Asia.

The mood in America would swiftly change at the turn of the century when the dot-com bubble burst in 2000 and the 2001 9/11 attacks would lead to the never-ending “war on terror.”

A Reddit user by the name purplekat20 was clearly feeling some ’90s nostalgia on May 16 when they asked the online forum to share “What ’90s trend would you bring back?” A lot of people noted that it was a lot cheaper to get by in the ’90s, especially considering gas and rent prices. Others missed living in the real world instead of having one foot in reality and the other online.

Here are 17 things people would love to bring back from the 1990s.

1. 

“Inflatable furniture and transparent electronics.” — Dabbles-In-Irony

2.

“Hope.” — DeadOnBalllsaccurate

To which HowardMoo responded: “I hate this despair thing that’s all the rage these days. I miss optimism.”

3. 

“The ’90s web was the best web. People actually made their own home pages. Now it’s all social media.” — IBeTrippin

4. 

“Affordable housing.” — Amiramaha

5. 

“Ninety nine cent per gallon gas.” — Maxwyfe

6. 

“The ‘mean people suck’ statement everywhere. People seemed generally a lot happier and kinder back then. It was a nice reminder to be kind.” — simplyintentional

7. 

“Being detached. Not being attached to an electronic gadget every minute of every day.” — SuperArppis

8. 

“Calling fake-ass people ‘poser.’ The state of social media and ‘reality’ tv demands that this word be taken out of retirement.” — rumpusbutnotwild

9. 

“Grunge music.” — ofsquire

10. 

“I want movies to be the same caliber as ’90s.” — waqasnaseem07

Cremmitquada nailed it on the head with their response, “Everything has been redone. It’s all recycled ideas now.”

11. 

“Pants that didn’t have to be super-tight to be in style.” — chad-beer-316

12. 

“People really expressing themselves. Very few people take any risks with style anymore, or they do something ‘different’ that’s just enough to still conform. In the ’80s and ’90s there were people doing crazy things with hair and piercing and just didn’t give a fuck. I don’t think I’ll ever see that come back.” — FewWill

13. 

“Great animated TV. Spongebob started in the 90s (99 but it counts), Hey Arnold, X-Men, Batman, Justice League, Dexter’s Lab, Powerpuff Girls, Boomerang cartoons… the list goes on.” — Phreedom Phighter

14. 

“Fast food restaurant interiors.” — Glum-Leg-1886

Another fantastic photo of Taco Bell in the 1990s, before the disease of modernismpic.twitter.com/GIiAyNWxiu

— Jules (@Jules)
1590273071

15. 

“Hypercolor shirts and neon puff paint designs on t-shirts. But here in a few months, that’ll be changed to abortion and voting rights, probably.” — TheDoctorisen

16. 

“News that was news instead of rage bait.” — nmj95123

17. 

“We had a stable country with a vigorous economy. In fact, we drew a budget surplus some of those years.” — jeremyxt

This article originally appeared on 05.17.22

Over the past few years, Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) have been getting a lot of grief from the generations that came after them, Gen X (1965 to 1980), Millenials (1981 to 1996), and now, Gen Z (1997 to 2012). Their grievances include environmental destruction, wealth hoarding, political polarization, and being judgemental when they don’t understand how hard it is for younger people to make it in America these days.

Every Baby Boomer is different, so it’s wrong to paint them all with a broad brush. But it’s undeniable that each generation shares common values, and some are bound to come into conflict.

However, life in 2023 isn’t without its annoyances. Many that came about after the technological revolution put a phone in everyone’s hands and brought a whole new host of problems. Add the younger generations’ hands-on approach to child rearing and penchant for outrage, and a lot of moden life has become insufferanble.

These problems weren’t created by Boomers but by their hyper-online children and grandchildren who can’t seem to get their faces out of their phones.

A Reddit user named AnitaVodkasoda took to the AskReddit forum and asked posters to admit there were some things that Boomers got right. “What is something you can say ‘I’m with the boomers on this one’ about?” they asked, and many responses came from people fed up with the modern-day frustrations caused by technology and social media.

Here are 19 things that people think that Boomers got right.

1. App exhaustion​

“Any business which requires you to use an app. I don’t want to download an app, make an account, and remember said password for the account. Especially because the app doesn’t even work a lot of the time or is extremely convoluted with the frontend design.” — Sammy_Henderschplitz

2. Let kids play

“Kids do great with totally unstructured outdoor play. They don’t need an organized game or activity. If you take a bunch of kids to a park and keep an eye on them they’ll figure out stuff to do together and often come up with creative and interesting things that adults wouldn’t have thought of. Just keep them physically safe and let them run around and do kid stuff. You don’t need to curate everything.” — HeavyHebrewHammer

3. Pricey concerts

“Concert ticket pricing is too high. Once you get in a beer is $17!” — Whatabout-Dre

4. Tip creep

“Every business asking for tips at checkout. Digital menus. Not being able to own things anymore like software or having to pay monthly fees for car features.” — mutualbuttsqueezin

5. Phones at concerts

“Phones at concerts. I take one pic when the artist comes on and then I just enjoy the show. You’re never gonna look back at your sh**** videos with you singing off-key in the background lol just enjoy the music.” — Used_Eraser

6. Kids online

“Social media is unhealthy and children shouldn’t have unrestricted access to the internet.” — horrorflowers

7. Lazy tablet parents

“Parents who let their kids use tablets in public spaces with the volume all the way up, no headphones, and not doing it to stop an imminent tantrum (if they truly cannot get the kid out of that shared space for some reason) are trashy af. Fight me.” — kishbish

8. Bring back knobs

“Touchscreens in cars suck.” — sketchy_painting

9. Bad customer service

“Calling any business and getting an automated system that takes you 12 minutes to get through, doesn’t answer your question, and you can’t get a real person.” — SexyJesus7

10. Raising entitled kids

“The ‘my kid is never wrong’ attitude every parent seems to have now. And we wonder why there’s a teacher shortage.” — Cinderjacket

11. Emojis in work emails

“Learn to write a professional email. The number of Gen Z kids I’ve had who send me emails without salutations, with emojis and shorthand like lol omg etc, without proper spelling and punctuation, is crazy. That is fine for texting or exchanges with people you’re friends with, but it’s not for the workplace.” — pistachiobees

12. Paper straws

“Paper straws suck.” — JohnYCanuckEsq

13. Face tattoos

“Don’t get tattoos on your face.” — Disastrous-Aspect569

14. Gender reveals

“Just tell us if you are having a boy or girl. Or wait until the baby is born. We don’t need to assemble for some ridiculous reveal. I don’t want pink or blue dust all over the place.” — Kevin Dean

15. People are too sensitive

“I think people tend to be too sensitive, personal outrage shouldn’t be so important. It’s disheartening to see so many people whine and cry and fight over inconsequential nonsense while pressing issues remain unaddressed.” — Empathetic_Orch

16. TV sounds terrible

“Movies, and some TV shows for that matter, are mixed idiotically these days. I don’t appreciate having to crank the volume way up to hear the whispered dialog, only to have a music swell or explosion or something blow my head clean off. No amount of tweaking my sound system has fixed this.” — broberds

17. Affordable housing

“Being able to afford a house.” — The-Black-Douglas

18. Blinded by the lights

“Headlights are too damned bright now.” — 15all

19. The people on your lawn

“Get off my lawn.” — Disastrous_Motor_189

Regardless of what you’re going through, self-care is important.

I once read something that said, “It’s not the hard times that define you, it’s how you respond.” One important tool when it comes to dealing with personal challenges is self-care.

What is self-care? The University of Kentucky’s Student Affairs Center describes self-care as “[A]ny intentional actions you take to care for your physical, mental, and emotional health.”

In times of stress, trauma, or crisis, practicing self-care can help manage your health.

While self-care isn’t the be-all and end-all to dealing with stress, it can be a valuable recovery tool. Here are a few self-care suggestions from Crisis Clinic.

1. Exercise — even a little bit.

Don’t worry, we’re not talking about running a marathon here. Your form of exercise can be as light or as intense as you want it to be. Don’t have access to a gym? No problem! Take a walk around the block, try a yoga routine on YouTube, climb the bleachers at your local high school track, go window-shopping at the mall, or give your home a speedy power clean. There are tons of ways to get your endorphins pumping, and any number of them can have a positive impact on your mood.

2. Give yourself permission to focus on someone outside yourself.

Making someone else feel good is a great way to lift your own spirits. Try volunteering or call up an old friend or family member you haven’t talked to in a while and brighten their day.

3. Give and get physical touch: A hug can do wonders.

4. Give yourself permission to feel bad: Schedule it in your day. Remind yourself that your reactions are normal.

Sometimes the worst thing you can do when you’re feeling down is to beat yourself up for feeling down. Remember you’re human and everyone has good days and bad days.

5. Give yourself permission to feel good.

Everyone’s feel-good solution is different. Just be careful and make sure not to partake in activities that could cause harm to yourself or anyone else. Get some ice cream, watch your favorite movie, or laugh at a fart joke! Sometimes when we’re going through something difficult, we keep ourselves from experiencing joy because we don’t think it’s appropriate or we think we don’t deserve it. Remember that it’s OK to laugh and feel good during times of sadness, even if it’s only for a moment.

6. Structure your time and develop a routine.

Finding time for friends, family, work, play, and everything in between can be difficult, even on your best days. Too often when we’re extremely busy or stressed, we forget to make time for even simple things like lunch or quiet time. To make things easier on yourself, try setting alarms on your phone or online calendar for everything from meetings and appointments to taking your vitamins. There are also tons of productivity apps you can use to set for daily, weekly, and even hourly goals if needed. Not a fan of digital scheduling? Try a paper planner or giant laminated calendar to help organize and structure your days.

7. Engage in practices that are meaningful to you, such as prayer, walking in the woods, sitting quietly, reading inspirational material, taking a bath, or writing in a journal.

8. Take breaks from periods of isolation.

Everyone needs alone time now and then, but try setting a timer for yourself so you can get some fresh air and connect with others.

9. Talk it out — even with a professional.

Don’t have health insurance or access to a health care professional? There are tons of free resources that can connect you with someone online or by phone. Check out yourlifeyourvoice.org for videos, articles, and local resources for people struggling with depression. Also, the Crisis Clinic (the wonderful organization behind this self-care list) has a 24-hour hotline.

10. Get plenty of rest so that you feel refreshed and relaxed.

Don’t underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep! If you have trouble sleeping at night, try turning off the TV and electronic devices like your cell phone and computer at least one hour before you want to go to bed. A cup of hot (decaf) tea before bed can be helpful. Also, things like regular exercise, stretching, and calming music can help your body successfully power down before bedtime.

Self-care shouldn’t just be for the tough times. Make it a habit worth keeping.

The tricky thing about self-care is that when you’re feeling down, exercising or going to see a doctor is usually the last thing on your mind. That’s why it’s important to make self-care a part of your daily life. Self-care can be an important tool for times of crisis, but it’s much easier to implement if you’re taking care of yourself during the good times, too.

This article originally appeared on 12.22.15

Jackie Robinson was an amazing baseball player with serious conviction.

He had the same level of conviction in his demand for real, substantive legislation about civil rights.

He was the first black player, EVER, in baseball’s major leagues in America — he would know.

Real change doesn’t happen all at once. But we get there faster when voters speak up and say they expect more from our elected leaders.

Take the slow path of civil rights in America. Voters like Robinson helped push for real equality when he sent this telegram to The White House and President Eisenhower in 1957:

In the wake of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling stating that segregated schools were not cutting it, the 1957 Civil Rights Act began taking shape under Eisenhower.Eisenhower signed the half-loafy 1957 bill, but that was just the beginning of a nation setting itself up to specifically make rights more available to everyone (and to make denying people those rights subject to some real penalties).The 1957 act was the first civil rights legislation passed since the mid-1800s, but it was was mostly lip service; it didn’t do enough to tackle the huge problem of racism and prejudice in America.

There’s no doubt about it, Robinson was hardcore. He did not sleep on the quest for equality.

You gotta admire athletes and people in the public eye who stick their neck out and use their public voice for equality!

And the fact is, they did have to wait a little bit longer. In 1960, another civil rights act passed. Then again in 1964, another civil rights act. We’re talking two separate presidents to get America at least starting to get in front of that whole racism thing. And we’re still working.

Robinson may not have gotten what he wanted right off the bat, but demanding more and not giving up hope was vital to keep the momentum going and build real change.

Bit by bit, we’re building a more equal country.

Think of marriage equality. We weren’t getting all wins in the court system over the years, but each fight helped to change public opinion until polls started showing that the majority of Americans believed in marriage equality. And then, finally, that Supreme Court ruling in June 2015.

Conviction and equality win, and so does love.

This article originally appeared on 09.21.15