Category: News

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks picked up their first win of the season on Thursday night. The Bucks went into Philly to take on the 76ers and came out on top, 90-88, with Antetokounmpo putting forth an MVP-caliber effort — Milwaukee’s All-NBA standout led the way with 21 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and a steal in 36 minutes of work.

It was a good first night at the office, especially considering the Sixers’ star big man, Joel Embiid, did not play as well as he’s getting into the flow of the regular season. This was also the first time that Antetokounmpo and Embiid stepped on the floor together since starring in a Google Pixel commercial with one another.

A number of other hoopers — LaMelo Ball, Jalen Green, Candace Parker, Kelsey Plum, Jayson Tatum — and celebrities are in the ad. Apparently, Antetokounmpo is pretty happy with how the final product looks, because during his postgame press conference after the game, he noticed the commercial was on out of the corner of his eye and stopped talking to the media to provide play-by-play.

The way his face lights up when he realizes it’s his commercial is terrific, while you can feel the disappointment as he comes to terms with the fact that this is not the version that has him and Embiid paying 1-on-1 with one another.

(For You)r Consideration is a weekly column breaking down the rappers and singers doing it RIGHT on TikTok and the viral trends and top songs taking over your FYP.

Bad B*tch Link Up

Dess Dior and Mariah the Scientist are “Stone Cold” in a new single that’s attracting the baddies of TikTok. The two Georgia-bred artists are known individually for their femme-forward lyrics, and their first collaboration effortlessly blends Mariah’s emotional crooning with Dess’s energetic rap singing. The track’s standout lyric supports hair tutorials, GRWM videos, and try-on hauls: “Said he callin’ from Atlanta, say he miss me,” a bar that’s also growing in popularity as a bad b*tch Instagram caption. With under two thousand videos to the sound, “Stone Cold” is only getting started on TikTok.

Remember The Time?

It’s been 30 years since Michael Jackson dropped “Remember The Time,” and like many other R&B classics, the track is resurfacing on TikTok amount a certain age demographic. It’s not just the old heads or the R&B lovers assisting the track’s resurgence but teenagers from all walks of life. The best of the youth tapping into Jackson’s Dangerous hit? A volleyball team with a unique locker room take on the video’s iconic choreography.

Songwriters Unite

Music fans and TikTokers are consistently fascinated with behind-the-scenes content on the app. From videos that unearth samples to throwback interviews of their favorite artists. Another favorite? Songwriters are breaking down the hits you may or may not know they penned. Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk took to TikTok to share the story of her efforts on Drake’s “Over My Dead Body” from his 2011 album Take Care. The oral history Chantal provides should be modeled by producers, songwriters, and all creatives who don’t typically get the star power for their musical efforts. Check out the story of “Over My Dead Body” below.

Grab Your Bestie

It’s a no-brainer GloRilla and Cardi B’s “Tomorrow 2” is blowing up on “the clock app,” as they call it. The sound is an opportunity to grab your best friend and lip-sync Cardi’s viral verse and to get creative mimicking her adlibs. Both Cardi and GloRilla herself have gotten sturdy to the track, but TikTokers are waiting for the duo to pop out on the app to the Bardi-assisted version. “Tomorrow 2” is the southern rapper’s 2nd most popular song on the app but trailing closely behind her most notable hit, “F.N.F. (Lets Go).” See Cardi and GloRilla get sturdy below.

The final line uttered by Taylor Swift on Midnights — the 3am Edition notwithstanding — is, “I’m a mastermind.” True, but she didn’t craft her 10th studio album out today (October 21) alone. Swift gushed over her Midnights collaborators on Instagram, especially Jack Antonoff.

“Midnights is a wild ride of an album and I couldn’t be happier that my co-pilot on this adventure was @jackantonoff,” Swift captioned her carousel. “He’s my friend for life (presumptuous I know but I stand by it) and we’ve been making music together for nearly a decade, HOWEVER… this is the first album we’ve done with just the two of us as main collaborators. We’d been toying with ideas and had written a few things we loved, but Midnights actually really coalesced and flowed out of us when our partners (both actors) did a film together in Panama. Jack and I found ourselves back in New York, alone, recording every night, staying up late, and exploring old memories and midnights past.”

Swift went on to shout out Zoe Kravitz, Lana Del Rey, Keanu Beats, Sam Dew, Jahaan Sweet, Sounwave, and more. As for that movie in Panama, Joe Alwyn and Margaret Qualley co-star in A24’s new romantic thriller Stars At Noon. Swift has been in a relationship with Alwyn for six years, and Antonoff reportedly got engaged to Qualley earlier this year.

Antonoff has been a credited producer and songwriter on every Swift album since 2014’s 1989, including her 2020 sister albums Folklore and Evermore. Named Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical at this year’s Grammys, Antonoff also accepted Album Of The Year for Folklore at the 2021 Grammys alongside Swift and Aaron Dessner.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Stream it here.

Arctic Monkeys dropped their new album, The Car, today. With its release, the alt-rock band also announced they’ll be hosting a livestream on YouTube of their NYC show at Kings Theatre that took place last month.

The “intimate” show notably had a no-cell-phone policy, as they played previously-unreleased tracks from the album, including the live debut of “There Better Be A Mirrorball,” and a handful of their career-spanning hits like “Arabella” and “Crying Lightning.” The livestream will run 45 minutes on YouTube, starting at 8 pm ET on October 23.

“The records we’re making now are definitely different now to the ones we probably thought we would be making when we started out – actually, we didn’t think we’d be even making records anymore,” lead singer Alex Turner told NME. “20 years ago, I didn’t envision ourselves going beyond… Well, the fact we gave ourselves the name ‘Arctic Monkeys’ alludes to the extent of ambitions we had. Clearly hardly any.”

In support of The Car, Arctic Monkeys are scheduled to continue touring, with dates in South America next month. From there, they will kick off a lengthy 2023 world tour across Australia, Europe, and North America. A complete list of tour dates is available here.

The Car is out now via Domino. Buy/stream it here.

After spreading misinformation about the murder of George Floyd and sharing anti-semitic comments to his millions of followers, Kanye West has been under fire. The latest to sever ties with him is the fashion brand Balenciaga, according to WWD.

The parent company Kering responded to the publication’s query about its relationship with West with a statement reading, “Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist.”

West performed at Balenciaga’s summer 2023 show during Paris Fashion Week. There was a photo of the rapper on their website; it has since been taken down. In May, the Yeezy Gap engineered by Balenciaga Collection launched globally, including t-shirts, hoodies, joggers, caps, and other products featuring the signature design elements of the collaboration.

Earlier this month, Adidas shared its own statement about working with West: “We are proud of our team that has worked tirelessly throughout our collaboration with [Kanye West] and the iconic products that were born from it. We also recognize that all successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values. After repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation, we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review. We will continue to co-manage the current product during this period.”

If you happen to live anywhere near a Dave’s Hot Chicken location, then you probably already know that the chain has grown a dedicated following over the past half decade. But you may not know that that following includes Drake, who invested in the growing sandwich chain last year. He loves it so much that he’s celebrating his birthday (October 24) by hosting a free giveaway at all Dave’s locations. You can get a free slider or tender. The announcement coincides with the company’s first-ever ad campaign, the darkly humorous “Don’t Die Before You Try It.”

Aside from getting fans to try his new favorite chicken chain, Drake’s birthday month — for which he’s named his entire brand (October’s Very Own) — has been going pretty well for the Toronto hitmaker. He kicked off the month announcing his upcoming show at New York’s legendary Apollo Theater, then celebrated his son Adonis’ birthday with a superhero-themed party at an arcade attended by fellow hip-hop stars like Chance The Rapper and Nicki Minaj. A week ago, he celebrated becoming Spotify’s first artist with 50 billion streams by debuting a new kit for FC Barcelona featuring his OVO owl logo (which worried Barcelona fans, as the dreaded Drake curse is even known in Spain).

Happy 36th birthday to Drake, and enjoy your hot chicken (if you can get it).

There’s been a lot of “ick” this season on House of the Dragon, including the foot stuff, Viserys’ “date” with 12-year-old Lady Laena, and the rotting king looking like Gus Fring, post-explosion. But for Matt Smith, who plays smirking prince Daemon Targareyn on the Game of Thrones spin-off series, his biggest “ick” scene was Daemon’s episode four visit to the brothel with his niece Princess Rhaenyra, played at the time by Milly Alcock.

“It’s hard. You’re constantly questioning it. But you have to take the modern-day morality away. It’s a different time. It’s a story, and the story requires that these two characters do that,” Smith told the Los Angeles Time about shooting the scene. “So you do it.” The Doctor Who actor said the show’s intimacy coordinator was “really good,” which made his and Alcock’s job easier. And gave them more time to giggle at naked people.

“Me and [Milly Alcock, who played young Rhaenyra] got on fabulously well and just laughed our way through that scene. It looks really serious, but me and Milly are just pissing our pants the whole time, laughing, going, “There’s all these naked people standing here. What are we doing?” You try and cut through the really weird tension of the room and make jokes.”

What “ick” will House of the Dragon have in store for us in the season one finale? We’ll find out Sunday!

(Via the Los Angeles Times)

Ever wonder why we have silent letters randomly nestled into certain words? Think about the “b” in “doubt,” the “p” in “receipt,” the “s” in “isle” … or “aisle” or “island” for that matter. How the heck did those get there?! Sure, the English language is notoriously a hodgepodge of words from different cultures, but usually there’s a reason behind it all. Even if that reason is bonkers.

The good news: There is an answer to this linguistic riddle. The bad news: As etymology enthusiast Rob Words explains in a fascinating video, the answer might infuriate you.

A logical theory would be that once upon a time, these letters were actually pronounced. Rob previously shared how this was the case for the letter “k” when it falls at the beginning of a word … thus ruining Arthur and Ka-nights of the Round Table forever.

But no. The truth is, as Rob puts it, much more “irritating.” Certain letters were deliberately put in by Renaissance scholars, who became interested in learning the Greek and Latin roots of English words. Which would have been fine, had they kept their interests to themselves.

Instead, they forced them into the public consciousness by inserting certain letters from the original Greek/Latin word into the (then) modern language known as Middle English, which was primarily influenced by old French.

Take, for example, the word “debt,” which comes from the Latin word “debitum.” By the time it was in Middle English, however, it became “dette.” Which is still how we pronounce it today. That makes it a perfectly fine spelling, don’t you think? But nooooo, nerdy nostalgia took over, and here we are, with words that carry a not-so-subtle (or “soutil,” as it once was) nod to the ancient past.

This is all just further proof that the English language is a glorious mess—without a “doute.”

Hey there, lovely people. Let’s talk about the kindness of everyday people.

A few weeks ago, I hit a deer on a dark, two-lane highway while driving a carload of kids home from a day at the theme park. In the 20 or so minutes it took to assess the damage to the car, three different strangers stopped to help me.

The first checked to see if we were OK. I said we were, but that I didn’t know how to get the deer out of the middle of the road so other cars wouldn’t run over it. He took care of the deer for me.

The second stopped as I was trying to figure out if the car was drivable. There was a section of the bumper that was dangling on the ground, and he helped me get it off so it wouldn’t drag while I drove. He also checked the wheels and the lights and looked for leaking fluids, then said it looked like we were good to go.

The third stopped just as I was getting into the car to drive the rest of the way home. By then, everything had been taken care of so I thanked them for stopping and we all went on our way.

We often hear the stories of bad human behavior because they grab people’s attention, but we don’t hear as often about the average kind deeds strangers perform all the time. Hitting that deer wasn’t fun, but it turned out to be a good reminder that most people really are kind.

We have some stories of human kindness for you in this week’s “10 things” list, as well as some sweet animal videos, a little Jack Black and Elton John, a touching mother-son reunion, the world’s most delightful hockey goalie and more. Enjoy!

1. Umm, why did no one at my high school job fair tell me ‘panda snuggler’ was a real job?!

u201cWho wants this job? ud83dude0au201d

— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden)
1665821393

I feel like this would have been a vital piece of information to have on hand when choosing a career path. Failed by the system, I tell you. Sign me up for all the panda snuggling courses ASAP.

2. Mic’d up hockey goalie delights people with his wholesome self-talk.

@nickthegoalie_1

Mine! #hockey #goalie #nhl #hockeyboys

As one commenter put it, “This is how I imagine a golden retriever’s internal monologue.” Yes, 100% golden retriever energy, and people can’t get enough of it. See more mic’d up videos from Nick the Goalie here.

3. Baby bird hasn’t figured out that the food doesn’t automatically enter its mouth.

u201cBirds are fed by their parents in their infancy. When the time comes to feed themselves, there can be some confusion when the food does not go into their mouth by itself.u201d

— Fascinating (@Fascinating)
1666133377

Oh, sweet baby birdie, this is so adorable and hilarious. “Why doesn’t this worm get in ma bellyyyy?” This is why we teach kids to cook and clean before they leave the house.

4. Jack Black takes the time to serenade a ‘School of Rock’ fan.

See on Instagram

Abraham is a 15-year-old who has a rare mitochondrial disease and is in palliative care. At a fundraising walk hosted by Jack Black, he got to meet the “School of Rock” star, and their interaction was such a pure, sweet moment. Love it when celebrities take the time to genuinely connect with someone. Read the full story here.

5. The kindness of this taxi driver and his wife is a prime example of the best of humanity.

See on Instagram

These kinds of everyday human connections that don’t make headlines happen far more than we know. Here’s to people extending an extra measure of kindness just because they can.

6. Watch the incomparable Sir Elton John pull out a crumpled piece of paper and play ‘Tiny Dancer’ for the first time.

u201cud83cudfa4ELTON JOHNnnud83cudfb5 TINY DANCER (1970)nnJust days after writing it, Elton pulls out a crumpled piece of paper, and plays his new song for the very first time.u201d

— James Leighton (@James Leighton)
1666111049

Wow. What a fun treat to see Elton John casually uncrumpling Bernie Taupin’s “Tiny Dancer” lyrics like a high schooler pulling out a homework assignment, and then playing, for the first time, a tune so familiar to us now. The birth of a legendary song, and he makes it look so effortless. Amazing. Read the full story here.

7. People share dance moves from their homelands and it’s pure delight.

See on Instagram

Dance is such a wonderful way for humans to express themselves, and experiencing different cultures through it is just delightful.

8. The way this guy cares for his cat, Professor Pouncey, is the kind of pampering we all deserve.

@professor_pouncey

Did someone say… Heated Basket Version 2.0…? #bengal #cat #ebike #electricbike

Putting in my request for a heated bike basket big enough for a human, please and thank you.

9. Mom surprised her son when she came home from military deployment early.

See on Instagram

And right after his sweet tribute to her, too. Dang, who is cutting all these onions?

10. Let’s hippity hop into the weekend with the enthusiasm of this horse race-loving doggo.

u201cTwitter needs this u2764ufe0fu201d

— Puppies Heaven ud83dudc36 (@Puppies Heaven ud83dudc36)
1665789416

Hope that brought some smiles to your world! Come back again next Friday for another roundup of feel-good finds. (And if you’d like to get them in your inbox each week, you can subscribe to our free email newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.)

Taylor Swift’s new album Midnights is out now and one thing people have picked up on is just how much Swift swears on it. (Vulture even has a ranking of “Swift’s Swear-iest Midnights Lyrics.”) The question is when it comes to profanity, how does Midnights rank in Swift’s discography?

It turns out Midnights is No. 1 and it’s not even really a contest.

A Reddit post from last year, shared following the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), showed that Swift’s album with the most swears (classified here as uses of the words “f*ck,” “sh*t,” “b*tch,” “hell,” “g*ddamn,” “damn,” and alternate forms of those words) was Evermore, with 18 total uses of swear words. That data could use to be updated now that Midnights has arrived, so I crunched the numbers.

Using the lyrics from the album’s songs, as listed on Genius, I tallied the uses of the aforementioned curses across the album (excluding the songs from the expanded 3am Edition) and found there were 28 swears: ten uses of “sh*t,” seven of “f*ck,” six of “damn,” three of “g*ddamn,” and two of “hell.” Add the mention of “dickhead” in “Question…?” and we have a total of 29.

As far as the song with the most curses, “Lavender Haze” is the winner with ten (“damn” six times and “sh*t” four). In a three-way tie for second with four swears each are “Maroon,” “Vigilante Sh*t,” and “Karma.”

Midnights is out now via Republic. Get it here.