Category: News

Splash House is right around the corner, which means it’s time to gear up for an epic weekend in Palm Springs. The legendary music festival and pool party hybrid is serving up a killer lineup for its upcoming event — featuring top-tier electronic acts like Dabin, Dombresky, John Summit, Nora En Pure, Sonny Fodera, Elderbrook, Malaa, Noizu, and more.

Among the performers is Elohim, a Los Angeles-based DJ, producer, and singer-songwriter who is also an avid Palm Springs lover — both when she’s preparing the hit the stage and otherwise. In fact, she even filmed the video for her new single featuring Yoke Lore, “Pastel Auras” out in the desert. Meaning that if you’re heading to Palm Springs for Splash House (or any other time of the year), Elohim has you covered.

Read on for Elohim’s full Palm Springs travel guide. She’s sharing her top spots to drink, eat, shop, and explore.

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Bar Cecil

Bar Cecil is a magical spot for that special dinner while you’re in town. I recommend making a reservation, but on a weekday you can walk up and most likely get a table. It’s beautiful, classy, and makes you feel special and fancy!

The food is delicious and the atmosphere is perfection.

Ernest Coffee

Ernest Coffee is a must for me to start the day when I’m in Palm Springs. Their coffee is delicious, the vibe there is awesome and if you show up early enough they might still have beautiful pastries!

Revivals

I make sure to always stop at Revivals when I’m in Palm Springs. Revivals is a vintage store with amazing prices and it is super clean and organized. I have gotten probably six of my favorite pairs of jeans there! Revivals Stores donate 100% of its profits, over $1 million a year, to support comprehensive medical and mental healthcare at DAP Health.

Fruit Wonders

Fruit Wonders is one of my favorite stops in Palm Springs every single time…and then I continue to go every day I’m there. The date shake is the most delicious smoothie drink I have ever had! You can add greens to it. They have fresh popsicles that they make. Everything is organic and very fresh and delicious!

Mmmm I can’t wait!

The Sandwich Spot

My absolute favorite sandwich in the world is The Sandwich Spot Palm Springs!!! They have a special oil they put on the sandwiches that is garlicky magic. I dream of this sandwich when I’m not there and I eat it multiple times when I am! Highly recommend.

Palm Springs Art Museum

I have been to the Palm Springs Art Museum countless times! It’s so relaxing to walk around and check out the art. They always have very inspiring exhibits that I love to see and I never want to miss any! I could walk around this museum every day. I just adore it!

Wabi Sabi Japan Living

One of my favorite shops! Wabi Sabi is owned by two wonderful kind humans (I love locally owned small businesses!). The store is so perfectly curated with home goods and has really great prices. Beware…You’ll want to buy everything!

Trading Post

Wonderfully curated “hipster” shop right in downtown Palm Springs. I love Trading Post and usually go multiple times when I’m in town. I love getting lost in all of the perfectly beautiful curated shops within the larger space. Clothing, jewelry, hats, shoes, beverages, home goods, new, vintage…it’s my dream store truly!

I hope you enjoy your time in magical Palm Springs!!! The desert is healing!

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a custodian at a school. Custodians are the backbone that keeps things running smoothly and they have to be a real jack of all trades.

After leaving the Navy and trying his hand at a few different careers, Stephen Hansell decided he wanted to work for the high school that he attended as a teenager, Klein Oak High School in Harris County, Texas,” he told Fox News Houston.

“I wanted to work for Klein ISD so that I could do something for the kids. Anything would do, as long as I could do my part,” Hansell told 11 Alive. So he took a job as the school’s custodian and developed a real love for the school, its faculty and students.

After two years of working as a custodian, Hansell realized his true passion. “It’s going to sound a little cliché, but shortly after becoming a custodian, I had a dream that I was teaching,” Hansell told Fox News Houston. It was a noble idea but being a teacher and custodian are two different skill sets.

Hansell wondered how to make the leap from the janitor’s room to the classroom.

“I eventually researched what I needed to do to become a teacher and am now in the Inspire Texas certification program with Region 4,” he told the Klein ISD. Inspire Texas has a teacher certification program that provides online and in-person instruction to help people become educators who will “inspire Texas children to develop their potential.”

Over the next two years, Hansell went through 300 hours of training, 30 hours of in-class observations and course work before passing his exams.

On August 10, Hansell will start teaching Texas history to seventh graders at Klein ISD’s Krimmel Intermediate and he can’t wait to inspire his students. “I’m excited for that first lightbulb moment where the student doesn’t understand something, I explain it, and they finally get it,” Hansell told 11 Alive. “It’s going to be the coolest thing ever knowing that I got to be a part of that and have that opportunity.”

u201cFrom custodian to Texas history teacher, this Klein alum is ready for his first semester https://t.co/TuGq0cMPKGu201d

— Spring Observer (@Spring Observer)
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Hansell says that going through the alternative credential program was “rough.” But he made it through the program, thanks to the support he received from his coworkers at Klein Oak. “The care they have shown along the way has motivated me to see this dream through,” Hansell told 11 Alive.

After 180 days on the job, Hansell will become an official certified teacher in the state of Texas.

Hansell’s story is a wonderful example of someone who embodies the true spirit of education because as the old saying goes, “Never cease to learn, until you cease to live.” Hansell saw an opportunity and pushed through the program in two years, while working at the same time, to set himself up for a career that he loves. It’s a reminder that we all have the ability to make big changes in our lives as long as we can dream big and find the courage to make it happen.

Since the invention of the automobile, humans have worked on innovative ways to make driving and riding in cars safer. From seatbelts to airbags to electronic stability control, cars today are safer than they’ve ever been.

Some safety features are also designed to make driving safer for people outside the car. Backup cameras have made backing out of a driveway far less nerve-wracking, allowing drivers to see those tiny tykes on trikes who sometimes dash by on the sidewalk. (Seriously the best invention.)

But along with increased safety features have come car design trends that make some aspects of new vehicles less safe. SUVs have been around for a while, and many families buy them for both comfort and safety. But as many SUVs have gotten bigger and taller, the blind zones in front of the car have become much larger and more dangerous than people might think.

KSDK News 5 reported in 2019 that “backover” accidents with children had reduced dramatically, thanks to backup cameras. However, “frontover” fatalities—children killed when a car rolls forward and hits them—had gone up over 60% in the previous seven years, largely due to the increasing size of trucks and SUVs.

“The hoods are much higher on these newer vehicles which is creating higher blind zones and people really just aren’t aware that there’s a blind zone in front where they can’t see,” Amber Rollins, director of KidsAndCars.org told the outlet.

The consumer investigation team at NBC 4 News in Washington, D.C. recently did a demonstration showing how far out a child has to be before a driver of a large SUV can see them in front of the vehicle. Most of us probably assume we can’t see a few feet ahead of us, but as the demonstration illustrates, the blind zone of a large SUV can be a whopping 16 feet.

u201cProducing this story has changed the way I drive. The risk of “Frontover” accidents. Our @NBC4ITeam investigation showed how the the #BLINDZONE in front of your vehicle might be bigger than you think. @susanhogantv @nbcwashington #Working4You https://t.co/LyGyFKcmrhu201d

— Rick Yarborough (@Rick Yarborough)
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The video from the report is eye-opening. Senior investigative producer Rick Yarborough shared on Twitter that producing this story has changed the way he drives.

Watch the demonstration to see how large some SUV blind zones really are:

Front-facing cameras would go a long way in helping drivers see what’s right in front of them, but unfortunately, they aren’t that easy to come by.

While backup cameras have been required by federal law on almost all new American-made vehicles since 2018, there are no requirements to have front-facing cameras and few manufacturers include them as a standard feature—a fact that Michael Brooks of the Center for Auto Safety says needs to change.

“I think the part that frustrates me the most is seeing safety technology sold as a luxury when everyone should have it,” he told NBC 4.

Indeed, if we have technology that can save lives, it shouldn’t be considered an upgrade like a better sound system or leather seats. As cars get larger, we need to make sure that they have the safety features necessary to reduce danger and save lives.

In the meantime, videos like this can help inform drivers—and parents of young children as well—about the dangers of blind zones. We need know and our kids need to know that those zones are much larger than we may think they are.

On Friday, July 29, Wiz Khalifa was celebrating the release of his sixth album, Multiverse, at a show at the Poppy Nightclub in Los Angeles. It was doing well until he went on a ruthless rant about the DJs who were spinning music at the event that night, DJ Mike Danger and MC Tron.

“I came here tonight to promote for y’all and have a good ass time and have a great time, but you know what I’m not gonna do? I’m not gonna sit here and let these hoe ass n****s act like this sh*t is acceptable,” he said.

The rapper has been under fire for this outburst, but today radio host Bootleg Kev has taken to Twitter to defend him. “Let’s clear up this Wiz sh*t,” he wrote. “I was there with him, & the dj & host TERRIBLE. After f*cking up his performance (4-5x) he finally snapped. I’m not condoning him slapping the hat off or none of that, and I know he regrets that. But so much led up to that point.”

He added: “Context is IMPORTANT. After they abruptly cut the first record off & had some weird echo effect sh*t going on he stopped and was NICE. In this video he’s saying ‘let’s get on the same page, y’all got too many cooks in the kitchen.’” In the thread, he provided videos for evidence. Check it out below.

Better Call Saul is almost at an end, with only two more episodes left to air. But something big has already happened: The prequel show, which explores the epic origins of Bob Odenkirk’s Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman (and maybe more aliases besides), has already finally looped back up with Breaking Bad, some 13 years after he first appeared on the show that started it all. (And no, they’re not de-aging actors.) It’s long been known that Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul reprise their roles as meth gods Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, but if you think they just show up for a token appearance, think again.

Odenkirk went on The View Tuesday, where he was inevitably asked about reuniting with the two stars, who made their Better Call Saul debuts on Tuesday’s episode, called, of course, “Breaking Bad” (and not to be confused with the Breaking Bad episode called “Better Call Saul”). But if you enjoyed that, there’s more where that cam efrom.

“The truth is, it was just the start,” Odenkirk said. “There’s more of them. The scenes that come up are powerful.”

Odenkirk also noted some false assumptions, saying, “I love that everybody thinks they’re gonna show up. Then they see them, they go, ‘Great. We did it — we saw them again!’ I’m like, ‘You never know what’s gonna come next on our show.’ So don’t be sure you’ve seen the last — I’m telling you, you haven’t.”

Indeed, at least according to the IMDb (not always a reliable spot, so take this with a quarry of salt), Cranston is listed as part of the cast in the next two episodes, while Paul is only on there for the penultimate one.

Odenkirk also took some time to reflect on the end of an era. “I think when I watch the final episode is when it’ll really hit me,” he told the crowd. “I think I’ll start crying, and I’ll call everybody, ‘We’re done!’”

You can watch Odenkirk’s appearance on The View above. The Cranston/Paul talk starts around the 2:30 mark. Better Call Saul episodes air on Monday, and it all ends on Aug. 15.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

On Tuesday, something rare happened in the defamation trial against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones: Alex Jones actually showed up. The InfoWars host has only been present in court for some of the trial, concerning debunked claims he’s made about the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, and he didn’t even show up the entire day. He skipped the morning session because he had other pressing matters: He had to record an episode of InfoWars, in which he made some predictably bizarre claims about the people suing him for defamation. (He also doesn’t appear to be done spreading Sandy Hook nonsense.) But he did show up for the afternoon portion, and he made a perfect spectacle of himself.

He began by not only showing up late, but used the time to rail against the judge.

During the trial, he put some mystery item in his mouth.

The judge, who’s clearly already had it up to here with Jones, told him to spit out what she assumed as gum. Jones said it wasn’t gum, claiming that he recently had a tooth pulled and was massaging the inside of his mouth with his tongue. When he offered to show her, she replied, “I don’t want to see the inside of your mouth.”

Speaking of, when he finally took the stand, he used his rare court appearance to brag about the efficacy of the vitamins he hawks.

He also talked about some of his biggest influences, including non-conspiracy theorist Larry King.

Jones also complained about his sore larynx, mere hours after recording an InfoWars special rather than attend the trial.

But you know who the real victim is here? Jones, because he says now he’s afraid to spread reckless conspiracy theories about other mass shootings, such as the one in Uvalde.

It was a big deal to have Jones on the stand. “I never intentionally tried to hurt you,” Jones told the parents from the stand. “I never even said your name until this case came to court. I didn’t know who you were until this came up.”

Also testifying that day were some of the parents of the victims, whom Jones has claimed were actors in a false flag operation. Scarlett Lewis, mother of slain 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, did not seem to buy his mea culpa, especially since he was making tall claims on InfoWars just that very morning.

“I think you know that Sandy Hook is real and that it happened,” Lewis told Jones. “But I don’t think you understand — at all — the repercussions of going on air with a huge audience and lying and calling this a hoax. … You don’t understand that.

“It seems so incredible to me that we have to do this,” she added. “That we have to implore you — not just implore you, punish you — to get you to stop lying. … It is surreal what is going on in here.”

The families of the Sandy Hook victims are asking for $150 million in damages, which could leave Jones with less than nothing. He’s already been losing money over the trial.

On Saturday, November 5th, the third annual Dia De Los Deftones Festival is coming back to San Diego and the Deftones have a history of booking talent for their music festival that’s on the way, way up. The diverse bash brings together heavy rock, hip-hop, and more to the Gallagher Square at Petco Park venue. This year’s lineup is no joke, with Freddie Gibbs, Turnstile, and Phantogram joining Deftones at the top of the bill for 2022.

For context, previous editions of the festival have included performances from an emerging Doja Cat in 2018 and Megan Thee Stallion in 2019, so it’s a good bet that somebody from this year’s lineup is headed for the top. Joining the headliners for the all-ages affair are rapper Audrey Nuna, punk band Destroy Boys, post-punks Provoker, and hardcore band ColdGawd.

“We’re hyped to be bringing back Dia de Los Deftones this year,” Moreno said in a statement. “We take a ton of pride in curating it; it’s a chance for us to put forth and showcase some artists that we love and respect, and put on an amazing day of music and culture for our fans. We’re excited to see everyone again out at Petco in November.”

Tickets go on sale on 08/05 at 10 am PST here with a pre-sale on 08/03 at the same time/link.

The sports world is still mourning the loss of the great Bill Russell. NBA players both past and present have paid their respects to the Celtics legend whose career stands singular even among the NBA’s greatest players. Russell’s winning legacy has already been memorialized through the NBA Finals MVP trophy, and until recently, Russell would appear at the Finals each season to present the trophy to its recipient. It was always a special moment because of the immense respect every player had not only for Russell’s legacy of winning, but also his contributions to the civil rights movement in a time where he faced intense racism.

In the aftermath of his passing, NBA legend Magic Johnson expressed his belief that the league should find another way to honor Russell. Johnson tweeted out his belief that NBA commissioner Adam Silver should retire Russell’s number 6 jersey league-wide.

The NBA does not currently have a number that is retired across the league. The closest parallel would be Jackie Robinson’s number 42, which is retired for all teams in Major League Baseball. The gesture would be fitting to commemorate a career that covered the horizon of the NBA world and went far beyond the court. Russell is as instrumental to the success of the NBA as any other person, it would only be fair that his number hang in the rafters forever.

While it’s common to have superhero movies that are bad, it’s not common for them to be so bad that they don’t even release them (except for that one time). But, as movies are readily available for viewers to stream and even pirate, studios have to pick and chose which movies actually go out into the world, and which ones are shelved for fear of turning into a meme or failed online campaign. The latest movie to get axed is the upcoming Batgirl movie, which will no longer be upcoming.

According to The New York Post, DC’s Batgirl starring Leslie Grace, J.K. Simmons, Michael Keaton, and Brendan Fraser (!!) was initially slated for an HBO Max release later this year, with an option for a theatrical run. But all of that came off the table, reportedly, once test audiences saw the movie. One source said the film was “irredeemable,” which caused HBO to cancel any plans to release it. Specifically, according to The Post, the screenings were “so poorly received by moviegoers that the studio decided to cut its losses and run, for the sake of the brand’s future.” Which sounds bad.

This might turn out to be one of the more expensive movie disasters in history, as the budget was estimated to be close to $100 million due to a wide range of COVID production delays. Filming took place from last November to March of this year, though it seems like it will now live in superhero limbo forever, along with Superman Lives and whatever on Earth is happening to that upcoming Flash film.

(Via The Wrap)

This Friday, Eminem’s highly-anticipated second edition of the Curtain Call greatest hits series will be out. The first Curtain Call album came out in 2005 and featured modern day rap standards in “My Name Is,” “Lose Yourself,” and “The Real Slim Shady.” Now that Em has shared the tracklist for Curtain Call 2, we see that it’s a lot heavier on tracks with guest features, but is ultimately just as bombastic as a whole.

The opening track to Curtain Call 2 is his 2020 collaboration hit with Juice WRLD, “Godzilla.” The tracklist also features prominent collabs like “Walk On Water” with Beyonce, “From The D 2 The LBC” with Snoop Dogg, the Ed Sheeran-featured “River,” “The Monster” with Rihanna, and even a couple cuts from his Bad Meets Evil side project with his Detroit compatriot Royce Da 5’9.” All in all, there are 34 tracks across two discs, including the never before heard “Is This Love (‘09)” featuring 50 Cent.

Check out the complete tracklist for Eminem’s Curtain Call 2 below.

Disc 1

1. “Godzilla” feat. Juice WRLD
2. “Lucky You” feat. Joyner Lucas
3. “Lighters” (Bad Meets Evil feat. Bruno Mars)
4. “Gnat”
5. “Cinderella Man”
6. “Walk On Water” feat. Beyonce
7. “Rap God”
8. “Love The Way You Lie” feat. Rihanna
9. “Won’t Back Down” feat. P!nk
10. “Higher”
11. “Berzerk”
12. “Not Afraid”
13. “From The D 2 The LBC” feat. Snoop Dogg
14. “Nowhere Fast” feat. Kehlani
15. “Fall”
16. “Phenomenal”
17. “Fast Lane” (by Bad Meets Evil)
18. “You’re Never Over”

Disc 2

1. “3 A.M.”
2. “Space Bound”
3. “Beautiful”
4. “The Monster” feat. Rihanna
5. “Venom”
6. “Crack A Bottle” feat. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent
7. “Is This Love (‘09)” feat. 50 Cent
8. “River” feat. Ed Sheeran
9. “Survival”
10. “Best Friend” (Yelawolf feat. Eminem)
11. “Darkness”
12. “Kings Never Die” feat. Gwen Stefani
13. “No Love” feat. Lil Wayne
14. “Headlights”
15. “The King And I” feat. CeeLo Green
16. “Farewell”

Curtain Call 2 is out on 08/05 via Shady Records/Aftermath/Interscope. Pre-order it here.