Category: News

When biology professor Dr. Austin Shull received an important email from one of his students, he likely expected it to be about a homework assignment. Instead, the assignment was for him. If he was up to the task, that is.

With her subject line reading “REALLY IMPORTANT,” the student explained how she was currently in the online queue to purchase highly coveted Taylor Swift tickets, but her anatomy practicum class was fast approaching. You can see the conundrum.

The proposal was simple—if Dr. Shull agreed to watch her spot in line on her laptop while she took the class, it would make her “entire year.” Keeping in theme, her email concluded, “please please please don’t be the anti-hero.” For those that live under a rock, “Anti-Hero” is one of Swift’s latest singles. Where have you been?

Anyway, Shull agreed. And not only did he make his student’s entire year, he melted hearts from sharing his story.

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Shull posted the email to his Twitter, along with the quip, “You have to serve many roles when you’re a professor and advisor…” and it wasn’t long before the tweet went viral.

The professor then clarified with another tweet saying “for those asking did I oblige the student’s request…” along with a picture of the student’s laptop showing the Ticketmaster screen. More than 2,000 were ahead in line. Such is the power of T Swift, people.

After that, Dr. Shull was being hailed as “professor of the century” for his act of kindness.

One person noted, “Seriously, Professors like you are who we remember. Who make a difference! You understand that things, life, outside of school does exist. And life experiences can mean so much!! It’s a small thing but probably meant so much to her.”

For those asking did I oblige the student’s request… https://t.co/OuVzpEySDs pic.twitter.com/tZX62FFJfz

— Austin Young Shull (@YoungShull) November 15, 2022

Other professors apparently found themselves in similar situations. One shared that they allowed their students to “set up the laptops on a spare table and watched them through 3 hours of dissection. I was just jealous cause I didn’t get into the pre-sale!”

Just check out this outpouring of love below.

My mental health really needed this today. Thanks for not being the antihero lol 😂

— Jenneccentric.eth  (@jenneccentric) November 16, 2022

An icon for us all

— Erika | EBD (@miss0amerika) November 15, 2022

This is fantastic. Bravo 👏

— mr. t (@Flipper_san) November 16, 2022

In the end, Dr. Shull’s generosity paid off, because the student succeeded in not only nabbing concert tickets, but she “did well on her practicum too,” according to his subsequent post.

This feat is all the more remarkable considering that scoring tickets to the latest Taylor Swift concert has been the source of stress and drama for many a Swiftie. So high was the demand for entry into the beloved pop singer’s Eras Tour that Ticketmaster announced that it would cancel general public ticket sales, a decision that caused dismay not only among fans, but Swift herself, who sent an Instagram story sharing that the experience has been “excruciating.”

@graceh00ver got her tickets everyone!!! (Oh and i think she did well on her lab practicum too 😉) https://t.co/DhCd22UyN3 pic.twitter.com/OOFmeNrh9w

— Austin Young Shull (@YoungShull) November 15, 2022

You don’t have to be a Taylor Swift fan to know how life changing it can be when someone is supportive of your passions. Great teachers do this in so many ways, and Dr. Shull’s story is just another sweet example. Kudos to him for leaning into his compassion and understanding that joy is just as important as classwork, and for clearly making his students feel safe enough to be themselves around him. This professor played his role of “hero” perfectly.

Aaron Carter‘s longtime manager Taylor Helgeson has finally spoken out following Carter’s tragic death, which occurred earlier this month. In an interview with Page Six, Helgeson revealed that Carter did not appear to be well in his final days.

“He looked thin. He was extremely tired,” Helgeson said. “He just looked like he needed to be doing anything but working. He looked like he needed to be taking care of him.”

Helgeson also said that Carter was working on an album, as well as a memoir. The memoir has since been postponed indefinitely.

Although Carter evidently didn’t appear physically well, Helgeson said Carter was excited to get to work on various projects.

“He didn’t seem okay,” Helgeson continued. “Now, when I say that, I think it’s really important to kind of context that…He didn’t seem okay physically…[but] mentally, he was the most excited I’ve seen him in months. He was very intelligent and he was very conscious of what people wanted to see from him. We had so much stuff going on and, you know, Aaron was a really prideful guy in his own right, too”

Earlier this week, ET reported that Carter had been cremated, with a cause of death to be determined. A funeral ceremony will take place at a later date.

Much like the rest of us on Twitter last night, Killer Mike poked fun at the app’s possible demise. “Happy 420 Stoners,” the Run The Jewels rapper wrote. For some, it took a while to catch on to his joke, with some fans even hinting they were too high to get it.

“And here’s my dumb *ss blinking at the calander and counting months on my fingers like ‘sh*t I thought that was April,’” one person wrote. “Confusing us west coast potheads sir… Took me a minute!” another added.

However, one fan took a different approach to Killer Mike’s joke. She wrote that she would be hosting her wedding on April 20, 2024, otherwise known as National Stoner Day to most.

“My wedding date is 4.20.2024,” Rudy, the user, commented. “Not just for the holiday but it’s a palindrome date.”

“BIG Congratulations!” Killer Mike quoted the lucky future bride’s post. “If Twitter still exist and u remind me I will send ya’ll a small gift. Happy 420 to come.”

The exchange was so light and heartfelt that we genuinely hope that Twitter sticks around, at least until her wedding day in 2024, so we can find out what Killer Mike intends to send for her gift… Obvious bonus points if it’s something weed-related.

Brockhampton is going out with a bang. In addition to their much anticipated seventh album, The Family, the rap group released a surprise eighth album called TM today (November 18). Tomorrow, the group will perform their final show at The Fonda in Los Angeles.

While this may be their last show as a group, Brockhampton member Kevin Abstract has assured us that there’s no bad blood between him and his bandmates. Last year, upon the announcement of the band’s eventual disbandment, Abstract took to Twitter to reiterate that Brockhampton still has last for each other, and their break-up won’t mean that this is the last you hear of them/

“we all love each other and we wanna continue making the best music we can everybody just getting a lil older and got a lot to say outside of group projects,” said Abstract. “we’ve dedicated the last ten years of our lives to making music together this next project we’re just doing what’s rite”

In an interview with GQ, Brockhampton member Romil Hemnani hinted that the other members may pursue solo projects.

“…at a certain point, people deserve to give their lives to themselves,” said Hemnani. “So it feels like it’s time to let everyone just spread their wings and do the things that they want to do. Being in a group, I love it so much, but there’s also compromise. And I think everyone kind of deserves the shot to do what they want—no compromises.”

Fans unable to make Brockhampton’s final show via Amazon Music’s Twitch channel.

The Family and TM are out now via Question Everything and RCA Records. Stream them both here.

The GOP has long heralded itself as the all-American “traditional family values” party — this despite the fact that a twice-divorced adulterer and scam artist whose own wife accused him of rape has been calling the shots for the past several years. And while many Republicans are finally beginning to turn their backs on Donald Trump and look toward greener-pasture politicians, their actions are proving that those aforementioned family values aren’t as innocent as they once were. So much so that even Fox News seemed surprised.

As Mediaite reports, Kentucky congressman James Comer, the incoming chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee when the Republicans officially retake the House in 2023, spoke with Fox News’ Bret Baier about what his top priorities will be. At the top of that list? Investigating Hunter Biden.

While many Republican congressional candidates spent the bulk of their breath talking about inflation and the economy, going after the current president’s adult son seems, well, petty. Seemingly even to Baier, who asked Comer: “For the people who look at this and say, ‘What did you take from the midterm elections?’ Republicans talked about focusing on issues such as immigration, the economy, and inflation. Why roll this out today as the first kind of foot forward?”

Comer didn’t balk while responding that:

“Well, we have the Commitment to America. It had four different tenets: One tenet, holding this administration accountable. The Oversight Committee is 8 percent of the Republican conference. So we’re focused on identifying waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government.”

The other 92 percent of the committee, Comer promised, will be focused on, ya know, immigration and stuff. “We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” he noted.

You can watch the interview here on Mediate.

(Via Mediaite)

While Rick Caruso, who reportedly spent $100 million running to be Los Angeles’ next mayor, lost to Democrat Karen Bass, he still received a lot of support from prominent celebrities ahead of the election. One of them being pop star Katy Perry, who faced backlash from fans after supporting the Republican candidate… who only switched to being a Democrat in January.

“I am voting for a myriad of reasons but in particular because Los Angeles is a hot mess atm,” Perry posted, complete with an image of her posing with her ballot, as she clearly voted for Caruso. She also included some colorful hashtags like #doyoubutjustuseyourvoteok and eventually turned off the comments.

Perry’s fans were shocked by the move, as she previously had voted for Hilary Clinton and advocated for maintaining Roe V. Wade. Meanwhile, Caruso’s past policies include being linked to anti-abortion organizations and pledging $1 million to seemingly support abortion rights (but never donating).

Other Caruso supporters include Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian, so at least Perry can place herself in normal billionaire company. “Los Angeles is fortunate to have someone like Rick Caruso running for mayor,” Musk wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “He’s awesome.”

“Elon, thank you for your support. L.A. is the greatest city in the world. I would be honored to be her next mayor and serve the city that I love,” Caruso replied. Despite all of his vocal celebrity supporters, Bass still won the mayoral election.

View some additional fan reactions to Katy Perry’s polling pick below.

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, the holiday season is officially upon us. And December will be here before you know it. If you’re Donald Trump, that means it’s time to start wishing a “Merry Christmas” to everyone — even if you don’t celebrate the holiday. If you’re Melania, you might offer someone a snide “Merry F***ing Christmas,” then complain about it later.

While the former First Couple may no longer be able to force their garish holiday aesthetics on the White House, they can attempt to profit from the holiday from the diehard MAGAs who still believe in what they’re selling. And what Donald is selling, literally, is a festive $40 roll of Christmas wrapping paper that tells Joe Biden to go f**k himself. Because the former president is classy like that.

As Raw Story reports, Team Trump’s latest money-making scheme combines three of his favorite things: Christmas, grifting, and insulting the man who beat him in the 2020 presidential election. New York Magazine’s Margaret Hartmann was clued into the former president’s latest scheme via a fundraising email, which she wrote about on Thursday:

Following a protracted battle with my spam filter, a few months ago I finally started receiving the emails I signed up for at DonaldTrump.com. It has been a delight. Every few days I get a message with some bit of ‘URGENT NEWS’ from my ‘favorite president.’ On one very exciting week in early October, I got messages from both Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. Regardless of which Trump is reaching out, the emails always end with a personal invitation to give them money, which I find very on-brand.

Was I flattered to learn that Trump considers me one of his ‘Best supporters,’ despite the fact that I’ve never actually given him a dime? Sure,” continued Hartmann. “But 40 DOLLARS for a single roll of ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ wrapping paper? I guess Trumps can afford to drop that much on rude wrapping paper, but I usually snatch up generic holiday gift wrap at HomeGoods for $3 a roll. To make matters worse, it’s not even cute or clever ‘fuck the president’ wrapping paper. For a donation of just $5 more, the National Republican Senatorial Committee will send me two rolls of this adorable paper featuring Trump in a Santa hat and the phrase ‘Don’t Be a Snowflake.’”

Not to be outdone, Melania is also getting in on the gifting grifting. The recent Christmas convert is selling her own line of ornaments with inspirational, and grammatically incorrect, messages like: Be Best.

(Via Raw Story)

Election denier Kari Lake is still refusing to concede in Arizona’s gubernatorial race despite Democratic incumbent Katie Hobbs scoring a pretty decisive majority of votes during the 2022 Midterms. And while she battles against reality, and Tom Petty’s estate for using his music in campaign videos posted to social media, she’s also teaming up with Donald Trump to give meandering speeches at senior citizen conventions down in Florida.

Lake paid a visit to Mar-a-Lago earlier last night to speak in front of a sparse crowd of MAGA supporters where she threw out a bunch of trigger words that have been historically proven to rile up her ignorant right-wing base. Lake, who embraced both Trump and WWE matriarch Linda McMahon on stage, used the event to spread more baseless theories about voter fraud in her home state.

“They had to do everything they could to stop us. Ballot harvesting. They had to shut down the machines on Election Day, but we know their tricks and they think they can slow and pour cold water on a movement. It is not possible people,” Lake said, desperately trying to liven up the geriatric crowd.

Still, despite hiring a legal team to fight against her own election loss, Lake’s closing comments made it seem like she wasn’t too hopeful the results would be overturned.

“I’ll tell you this right now, I don’t know what my future holds other than [that] I’m going to continue to fight for this country,” Lak said. “But I will do everything in my power to make sure this man is back in the White House.”

(Via The Gazette)

While many people speculated that Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde were broken up two months ago after they didn’t show any PDA during the press run for Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling at the Venice Film Festival, the stars were just being extremely professional. Why take away attention from Wilde’s directorial efforts and Styles’ acting chops (or Spitgate???) But now, it seems as though the “As It Was” singer and Wilde have split, or are at least “taking a break.”

“The public pressure on them has been difficult,” a source told People. “They’ve had ups and downs throughout the relationship.” The source indicated that the couple are choosing to take time to focus on their own priorities at the moment. For Styles, that includes taking the Love On Tour to Mexico and South America for a number of dates before 2022 is over — and nevermind that he just came down with the flu and had to cancel three of his LA dates.

“He’s still touring and is now going abroad,” the source confirmed to People. “She is focusing on her kids and her work in L.A. It’s a very amicable decision.”

Wilde has two children from her previous marriage to Jason Sudeikis. She has attended Styles’ concerts in the past and even brought the kids along to an LA show this week. But it seems as though that was a fond farewell to a…friend? “They’re still very close friends,” the source said of the pair. While another source added that, “Right now, they have different priorities that are keeping them apart.”

Big Sean and Jhene Aiko‘s family has grown by one. Today, Aiko took to Instagram to announce the birth of their baby boy.

Their baby was born last week, on November 8, and Aiko revealed that his name is Noah Hasani.

“after 24 hours of labor, a total lunar eclipse, and while it was pouring rain… he came,” Aiko said in her Instagram post’s caption. “my baby Yoda, my Sani.”

In her post was a collection of photos, mostly of her surrounded by family and loved ones at the time of the birth. Also, at a nearby windowsill was a framed picture of her late brother, Miyagi, surrounded by crystals.

Sean also took to his Instagram to share the news, also recalling the rain and eclipse, saying, “he’s here safe and sound. Happy, Healthy and everything we could ever ask for and more. Any and everything for you Son.”

Noah is Aiko’s second child and Sean’s first. In an interview with Billboard back in June, before the two even announced they were expecting, Aiko said the best advice she could give to parents is to find a responsible balance.

Take moments to yourself and find gratitude in those moments, even when you have to do laundry. That’s why I like driving. It’s also important to spend time with your kids and find the joy in that because they grow up so fast. You’ll miss when they were with you all the time.