Category: News

When most people think of Julia Roberts, they think of “Pretty Woman” or “Ocean’s Eleven” or one of the other plethora of films she’s acted in. Most people don’t see her signature red hair and broad smile and immediately think of a civil rights icon. But there’s a connection that Gayle King encouraged Roberts to share during a recent interview.

Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King paid for the birth of the Academy Award winning actress when her parents were in a bind with medical bills.

Roberts explained to Gayle King that her parents became acquainted with the Kings after Coretta Scott King asked if her children could attend the acting school Roberts’ parents owned. The two couples became good friends after that, and thanks to a fateful phone call, Roberts was welcomed into this world carrying a little bit of unknown history with her.

The internet is buzzing with disbelief, because who the heck can say their birth was paid for by the Martin Luther King Jr.? Jay Willis commented on Twitter “No this is one of those history facts that my brain can’t process.”

Another commenter reminded us how recent this piece of history was, saying, “Illustrates just how young MLK was when he was assassinated and how recently he lived. Too many of us think America’s racist past was long ago. It is living memory.”

Most other reactions were just complete shock that this happened and isn’t documented, while others noted how uncomfortable Roberts appeared when she relayed the story. Turns out, there was likely good reason for the discomfort. Someone reposted a tweet from 2021 by Ashley Reynolds that included an article detailing how Roberts’ parents were targets of hate after they cast Yolanda King, one of the King’s children, as the lead in their play where she had to kiss a white boy.

The whole connection between the Roberts family and the iconic King family is simply fascinating. Listen to Roberts tell how the friendship happened below.

u201cToday is Julia Roberts birthday! 55 years ago MLK and Coretta Scott King paid for her parents hospital bill after she was born. Canu2019t stop thinking about this since I read it. Here she is talking about it with @GayleKingu201d

— Zara Rahim (@Zara Rahim)
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Here’s the problem with starting an argument with someone who’s clearly wrong. People with opinions that are not based on facts or logic have trouble with critical thinking, which also makes having a discussion with them terribly tricky because they don’t know the rules of engagement.

The first step to avoiding these situations is not having an argument. But if you have to settle a disagreement, it’s best to frame it as a discussion instead of an argument. The difference? “A discussion is a respectful exchange of information. An argument is a coercive attempt to be acknowledged as right or smart or sensitive,” Steven Stosny, Ph.D. writes in Psychology Today.

“In arguments, we invalidate feelings and undermine perspectives. In discussions, we validate feelings and expand perspectives,” Dr. Stosny continues.

One of the keys to having a good discussion is to listen to the other person and ask plenty of questions. This makes the other person feel heard and more likely for the two of you to find common ground. It can also reveal how much they know about the topic at hand.

But if you wind up getting into an argument, there are some telltale signs that you won the debate because the other person has been thrown from their facts and talking points and has to save face. A Reddit user by the name ViForYourAttention asked the forum, “What statement screams ‘I just lost the argument’? And they received a ton of great tactics and sayings that people turn to as a last resort.

The discussion wasn’t just full of great “gotcha” moments but a frank discussion on how to have an honest debate by learning to spot cheap tricks and personal attacks.

Here are 17 statements that scream, “I lost the argument.”

1.

“Pointing out a small discrepancy in an otherwise factual statement and pretending that invalidates their whole argument. ‘I saw you get in a blue car and drive off with your secret lover when you said you were going for a walk.’ ‘You’re completely wrong. It was a blue SUV, and I did go for a walk after.'” — jiyida8112

2.

“As soon as someone shifts the goalposts. It is important to be able to identify this. It is also important to know the difference between this and someone wording their initial argument poorly. … But in general shifting goalposts means that they were losing an argument because of a unstable basis, so they’ll shift their previously dogmatic basis to something more broad or they’ll change their entire opinion midway through a conversation. The way to combat it is simply to always keep in mind the original intent of the conversation. Know what the initial claims were and move on from there always keeping those in mind.” — Sovreign_grounds

3.

“I concede.” — Southern_Snowshoe

4.

“You spelled ‘x’ the wrong way.” — GustavoAlex7789

5.

“I know you r but what am I?” — MineDamnBrain

6.

“Any personal insult. As soon as you comment on the person and not the topic, you’ve lost.” — Aunt_Anne

7.

“[The moment someone says] ‘I don’t even care’ or ‘this is dumb.”‘ — KarlaKaress

XXXSimply unstable added:

“‘Whatever’ or ‘I’m over it’ or both combined into ‘Whatever, I’m over it!'”

8.

“You just lost a customer.” — Sucros

9.

“When my husband sits there with that look on his face. That look that says he is waiting for me to put together some obvious pieces that I missed. I always find those pieces eventually. And then I concede, with an air of torture because he’s always right. Always! As soon as I see that look, I lost.” — gecepix937

10.

“Saying something completely irrelevant to the argument that they found on your post/comment history.” — PM_ME_UR_FEET_69

11.

“‘Oh yeah? Well, I know someone else who thought that way. Adolf Hitler!'” — hawt_pawket

12.

“Do your research.” — Orenge01

13.

“‘You always have to get the last word.’ A statement made exclusively by people who are trying to have the last word, but are out of points.” — ScruffyTuscaloosa

14.

“‘I’m not talking about it anymore!’ Yeah, because you know youre making absolutely no sense.” — WRA1THLORD

15.

“Bringing up an entirely different topic. Whataboutism as they say.” — TDeath21

16.

“When they start projecting. For example, they start accusing you of something that they’re doing – like being bigoted. Or they start threatening to report or block you even though they’re in the wrong.” — HyperDogOwner458

17.

“You just always have to be right.” — sugabeetus

Earlier this month, Donald Trump may have played a large part in nixing the GOP’s hoped-for “red wave.” Has he learned his lesson, namely that he needs to at least cool down his evidently unpopular rhetoric? Of course not. Instead, he ignored party pleas and announced his third presidential campaign. And now he’s dining with anti-Semites (and Kanye West), which is horrifying even one of the most pro-Trump “news” sites out there.

As caught by Raw Story, even Breitbart was horrified to learn Trump had dinner at the resort in which he now lives with Ye as well as his new pal: Nick Fuentes. Who is Nick Fuentes? He’s the world’s most famous 24-year-old white nationalist Holocaust denier. He thinks women should lose the right to vote. He’s a self-described incel who thinks “dating women is gay.” Marjorie Taylor Greene has spoken at an event where he suggested Hitler wasn’t such a bad guy. Trump, Ye said, liked him a lot, saying he was “really impressed” with the cut of his jib.

Trump has since tried to backpedal on the dinner, claiming that he thought he was only meeting with Ye, who, he alleged, “arrived with a guest whom I had never met and know nothing about.” Is it better that Trump and his team don’t vet those who dine with the presumptive leader of the Republican Party?

The news was met with widespread disgust. How widespread? It even grossed out Breitbart News, the fervently pro-Trump site known for publishing creatively nonsensical conspiracy theories about the pandemic.

“These latest revelations turn what could have been a minor story into a major national narrative, where the GOP frontrunner for president in 2024 — the former president and as of now the only formal GOP candidate for the office in the next election — seems to have met with an open white nationalist, antisemite, and Holocaust denier in Fuentes,” two of the site’s writers wrote in a report. “Fuentes’ now-shut-down YouTube page is shot-through with racist and antisemetic rants that date as far back as 2014.”

Did Trump lose Breitbart? Almost certainly not. But enjoy this probably brief period in which they favor basic standards over fealty.

(Via Raw Story)

Thor has arguably the wildest arc of the MCU. Where Tony Stark/Ironman went from a ruthless businessman and snark machine to a selfless hero willing to lose his life to save the world, Chris Hemsworth’s Norse god has taken a stranger path. He began as a musclebound fish out of water. Then, with Taika Waititi’s Ragnarok, he got weirder. Then he got weirder still. If there’s a fifth solo installment — which may not even happen, given the already-packed MCU to-do list — it would have to go in yet another unpredictable direction.

“I don’t know if I’m even invited back,” Hemsworth admitted during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (as caught by Screenrant), “but if I was, I think it would have to be a drastically different version in tone, everything, just for my own sanity.” He added, “Thor lost his mind that last one. He’s got to figure it out now.” (Elizabeth Olsen, as you may recall, also isn’t sure if she’s coming back as her own character, Scarlet Witch.)

But change is really for Hemsworth’s benefit, as he explained:

“You look at Thor 1 and 2, they were quite similar. Ragnarok and Love and Thunder are similar. I think it’s about reinventing it. I’ve had such a unique opportunity with Infinity War and Endgame to do very drastic things with the character. I enjoy that, I like keeping people on their toes. It keeps me on my toes. It keeps me invested. I’ve said this before but when it becomes too familiar, I think there’s a risk in getting lazy then because I know what I’m doing.”

Waititi himself feels much the same way. Over the summer, the filmmaker, who helmed the last two Thors, admitted he’d want to change it up if he returned for the fifth installment. One thing they could change: Thor would be less ripped, so as not to irritate Hemsworth’s wife. Maybe not the doughy Thor of Endgame, but maybe somewhere in between?

(Via ScreenRant)

Election Night 2022 may be over, but NBC Sports gave political correspondent — and analytical legend — Steve Kornacki a good reason to dust off his khakis once again: Dogs!

As Digg spotted, Kornacki broke out his beloved Big Board to break down some of the most interesting findings related to the National Dog Show, which airs each year on Thanksgiving and this year was ruled by a French bulldog named Winston. That French bulldogs are the second most popular dog breed in America — just behind the Labrador Retriever, which has held the top spot for 31 years straight — are just some of the many facts Kornacki trotted out about our canine companions with no less of the enthusiasm he has for all things political.

The “big surprise,” according to Kornacki, was that the Standard Poodle is now the fifth most popular dog breed in the country — marking the first time in 25 years that the fancy-haired pup has cracked the top five, knocking out the Bulldog. “The Bulldog had been in the top five for two decades,” the stats daddy enthused, “but the Standard Poodle has bumped the Bulldog in terms of popularity.”

Kornacki went on to break down which cities you’re most likely to see these most popular breeds, and extrapolate the reasons why — though Cleveland’s favorite dog seemed to stump him. “I’m not sure why exactly, but in Cleveland the Labrador Retriever [is] the most popular dog,” he said.

Kornacki’s “favorite” part of the stats, for some reason, was a breakdown of the most popular dog names in the country, with Max and Luna dominating for male and female pups, respectively. As Teddy and Bear took the fourth and fifth most popular spots for male dogs, Kornacki guessed that this could be “people getting dogs in pairs and naming one Teddy and one Bear.” Is he correct? Who knows! Who cares!?

He also shared that in New York City alone, there are more than 5,500 dogs named Bella and more than 4,800 Maxes. “So go to a dog park in New York City, shout out one of those names, and prepare to be swarmed,” Kornacki gleefully suggested. (We would not recommend doing that.)

You can watch the full video above.

(Via Digg)

The end of the year tends to be mostly uneventful when it comes to new music releases, but Stormzy put his stamp on the holiday season with his third album, This Is What I Mean, which dropped today (November 25). Ahead of the release, he shared a personal letter inspired by Tyler The Creator.

The message concludes with Stormzy’s hopes for the new project: “People been tryna box me in for years but I hope this chapter at least makes my biggest critic say, ‘Hey, he’s sh*t but he loves music and I guess he’s gonna do whatever me likes’ lol. I pray you listen to this album in your own time, whenever you can. Listen to it properly with no distractions. I pray you listen to this album with an open heart and if you hate it after I promise to god I’m perfectly fine with that, I’m just grateful that you listened with openness. I pray that it moves you and captures your imagination. And I pray that someone, somewhere feels it.”

Read the full letter below.

“When Tyler, The Creator released the masterpiece that is ‘Igor’ he shared a message with it and I wanted to do the same but I was hesitant. Mainly because I would love for my music to do all the talking but I thought I’d share this message anyway.

I do a lot of interviews and I forget that everything I say will be shared far and wide, which is probably naive of me. Things that I say in real life don’t feel the same when I see it in text. I feel like I overshare, which makes me feel naked at times. But I do it so that you guys can understand me a bit better and to give the art that I make some context. I’m never ever purposely trying to defy genres or go against the grain. I’m never tryna do what is unexpected of me or what is expected of me. If I rap for 7 minutes it’s because in my spirit, in that moment, I just really wanted to f*cking rap. If I sing my heart out then it’s because my soul just absolutely had to. I love music. I love, love loveeeee music. I will rap for the rest of my life. I will sing for the rest of my life, I will make art for the rest of my life. And at no point will I ever do any of those things for any other reason than I just wanted to and it just felt good. I am not a calculated mastermind with the ability to gauge what kind of music to make and when I’ll make it, I literally just feel and then let it out. People been tryna box me in for years but I hope this chapter at least makes my biggest critic say, ‘Hey, he’s sh*t but he loves music and I guess he’s gonna do whatever me likes’ lol. I pray you listen to this album in your own time, whenever you can. Listen to it properly with no distractions. I pray you listen to this album with an open heart and if you hate it after I promise to god I’m perfectly fine with that, I’m just grateful that you listened with openness. I pray that it moves you and captures your imagination. And I pray that someone, somewhere feels it.

This is what I mean
and it’s what l’ve always meant.

God bless. Stormz x.”

Twitter has its upsides and downsides. Among the former is the one known as @dril, a mysterious figure who, since 2008, has been the unofficial king of “weird Twitter.” What will happen to him when/if the social media service he calls home goes down? In a rare, predictably hilarious interview, conducted by The Washington Post’s Taylor Lorenz, Dril declares he’s “not planning on leaving Twitter anytime soon,” partly because the other social media apps, like Mastodon and Hive, are “unusable basically.”

So for now, Dril remains on Twitter dot com, even if he doesn’t appear to be much of a fan of its chaotic, unfunny new owner, Elon Musk. For one thing, they have a past. Back in 2020, Musk effectively stole a post from him: a tweet, from 2013, about a “skeleton war” that Musk screengrabbed, cropped, then added a picture of three angry, sword-wielding skeletons. “Sounds right,” Musk wrote.

“He posted the tweet verbatim and cropped my name completely out of it,” Dril told Lorenz. “His girlfriend Grimes, she condones this sort of behavior. He’s stealing my posts and not even paying me.” Dril also claimed that Musk’s new, dicey policy about effectively shadow-banning “negative” posts, had already affected him. “He’s threatening to demonetize me when he’s already capitalizing on my content, and I’m not getting a cent.”

He elaborated:

“Say a Tesla ran into my son and killed him,” he said, referring to one of Musk’s other businesses. “Maybe I think that it’s fine, it’s not negative that a Tesla ran into my son and killed him. That’s fine, because it’s a work in progress.” Musk cannot know if a Tesla running over his son was actually very positive, Dril explained, and so it should not be ranked as a negative tweet.

Still, Dril is sort of enjoying the mess Musk has caused. “Everything he does is a comedic bit,” he explained. “He’s always trying to get a laugh, that’s why he makes all his cars suicidal. Just watching everything burn, it’s entertaining, that’s for sure.”

The interview also found Dril doing his absurdist shtick, in interview form. At one point he joked (or not!) that he’d be willing to work at Twitter if Musk offered him a job. “I think it would be my duty to answer the call,” Dril said. “I would absolutely do it. I would be his dog, I would follow his every order like a disgusting dog. I would beg for his mercy and I would learn to code if it pleased him.”

You can read the full interview over at The Washington Post. In the meantime, some Dril fan went above and beyond and catalogued his entire, 14-year output.

Earlier this month, Dwight Howard announced he was signing with the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan. Shortly after, in his debut with the Leopards, the eight-time NBA All-Star dropped 38 points, 25 rebounds, nine assists, and four blocks. Then, Shaquille O’Neal mocked Howard’s dominance by belittling the league itself, saying “this league reminds me of the Lifetime Fitness league.”

Howard, who’s been a longstanding source of jokes and mockery throughout his career from O’Neal, took exception to Hall of Fame center’s comments.

“You gotta stop hating. I ain’t never, in my life, came at you about your basketball career, your family, your kids or anything of the sort,” Howard said in a message directed toward O’Neal during an Instagram Live session. “Do not disrespect my teammates in this league and these people in Taiwan like that. That is highly disrespectful and is hating. You too old to be hating. You too big to be hating. You supposed to be Superman.”

Howard later called out O’Neal’s “hating” of JaVale McGee and said it almost cost McGee his NBA career. Since retiring and entering the media space, O’Neal’s crafted a persona partially based on aggressive, often unfounded criticism of current NBA players. Howard has often received some of the most prickly criticism. It’s clearly something that doesn’t sit right with him and he used his platform to address it, not just for himself but everyone.

BTS is on break at the moment, but the group’s members are still coming through with new material. RM recently confirmed that his new solo album, Indigo, is dropping at the end of next week, on December 2. Now, we know more about what the project is going to look like, as the tracklist has been revealed.

Indigo is a 10-song effort that most notably includes featured appearances from Erykah Badu on album opener “Yun” and from Anderson .Paak on the track right after that, “Still Life.”

Big Hit previously noted the album “recounts the stories and experiences RM has gone through, like a diary” and said, “RM has already given fans an honest look into his world through two mixtapes. Through Indigo, RM delivers his candid thoughts and feelings and showcases wide-ranging music through collaborations with various artists. We hope everyone’s excited about RM’s latest release!”

RM also said, “I’ve been working hard to prepare this since the beginning of 2019. Please show it a lot of love.”

Check out the full tracklist below.

1. “Yun” (with Erykah Badu)
2. “Still Life” (with Anderson .Paak)
3. “All Day” (with Tablo)
4. “건망증” (with Kim Sawol)
5. “Closer” (with Paul Blanco and Mahalia)
6. “Change Pt. 2”
7. “Lonely”
8. “Hectic” (with Colde)
9. “들꽃놀이” (with Youjeen)
10. “No. 2” (with Park Ji-yoon)

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

New albums tend to come less and less frequently towards the end of the year, but YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Quando Rondo had a joint effort, 3860, drop today (November 25). YoungBoy doesn’t seem particularly happy about it, though, as he’s claiming it was released despite his objections.

In a pair of Instagram Story posts shared today, NBA YoungBoy wrote:

“I had to tell Quando don’t nobody care as long they making a dollars off you I’ve begged for that tape to not be Released and quando respected my wishes I talk to missionaries everyday inside my home who probably gone ask me about that tape that sh*t not sitting on top of my heart right but just pay attention to what these people promote they are evil and don’t give a f*ck about us.

I see why they didn’t post my stop the violence message.

I’m trying to tell you n****s terrified of me boy the internet fooling you I don’t play that sh*t in no type of way that’s why I’m just gon stay out the way I see you trying to do some provoking.

Stop playing with me son you ain’t strong enough.”

Rondo, however, has been promoting the project, like when he shared the cover art last week.

Find scerenshots of YoungBoy’s original posts below.