As Abbott Elementary, a very good show, continues to receive accolades for its breakout first season that locked down an impressive 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, creator Quinta Brunson has been making the interview rounds to talk about the smash sitcom and about teachers getting the job done despite the struggles of teaching at an inner-city Philadelphia school.
While talking to The Wrap (prior to the Uvalde shooting), Brunson had nothing but love and respect for how teachers everywhere “just have to teach these kids.” As Brunson explains, “they just have to” despite everything that’s going on from underfunded school districts to the bleak and depressing realities of the world:
And I think in my life, I was getting a little exhausted of having the time and the space and the energy to talk about politics 24/7. My teachers don’t have that time. They are affected by the political decisions that are made, but at the end of the day, they have to do that job. They have to go home, they have to do that job. That’s it. End of story. And I think that it is fascinating. I value it very much, not because I think it should be the case, but because it is the case.
Finding comedy and “humanity” in those tough moments is what Abbott Elementary is all about. “Other shows or movies might show them as, ‘Woe is me’ in the school, but that’s not how many people are,” Brunson said. “They find their joy, they find their fun, they find their funny. You would think nobody ever laughs in a hospital, but you’ll go in there and see people, and that’s the kind of weird beauty and sickness of humanity. But I find it to be really resilient.”
Of course, Brunson slipped into comedy mode by bluntly revealing why she could never be a teacher. “I always felt, which is horrible, ‘They don’t make enough money. I can’t be one. I’m not that virtuous or good or patient,’” Brunson said before quickly adding. “Which is why I think they should get paid more.”
In the wake of Ray Liotta’s untimely death, his co-stars and Hollywood legends have been reacting to the news. One of Liotta’s best roles was his portrayal of real-life mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorcese’s legendary 1990 film Goodfellas, which snagged dozens of prestigious award nominations, and one Oscar win, and also gave us some of Hollywood’s most iconic comebacks.
Scorcese made a statement to People in which he praises the “gifted” actor.
I’m absolutely shocked and devastated by the sudden, unexpected death of Ray Liotta. He was so uniquely gifted, so adventurous, so courageous as an actor. Playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas was a tall order, because the character had so many different facets, so many complicated layers, and Ray was in almost every scene of a long, tough shoot. He absolutely amazed me, and I’ll always be proud of the work we did together on that picture. My heart goes out to his loved ones, and it aches for his loss, way too early.
Several more of Liotta’s costars have been paying tribute to the late actor, who allegedly died in his sleep while in the Dominican Republic. His on-screen wife Lorraine Bracco made a moving post on Twitter: “I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray,” Bracco said. “I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.”
Co-star Robert De Niro reacted to the news in another statement, “I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing. He is way too young to have left us. May he rest in peace.”
Liotta was busy up until his death, most recently filming Dangerous Watersalongside Eric Dane earlier this month. He also starred in last year’s The Sopranos prequel movie, The Many Saints Of Newark.
In recent days, rumors have been swirling that Taylor Swift could pop up in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Specifically, fans noticed that Swift’s name turned up on the IMDb page for the show’s upcoming 400th episode, which is titled “Out Of Blood.” The credit was later removed, but the show’s star certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Swift pop up at Grey-Sloan Memorial.
At an event promoting the 400th episode, Extra asked Pompeo if a Swift cameo could happen and she responded, “I think she’s pretty busy, but that would be fun. I would love it.”
Making an appearance on Grey’s would likely be a dream come true for Swift, since she’s been a fan of the long-running medical drama for years. In 2008, Swift’s “White Horse” appeared on the second episode of the show’s fifth season. In a video of her seeing that scene for the first time, she’s beyond excited.
Later, in 2015, Swift got Pompeo to appear in her “Bad Blood” video. Then, in 2019, she posed for an Entertainment Weekly photo in a pin-covered jacket, one of which featured Pompeo and Sandra Oh (in character as Meredith Grey and Christina Yang).
Gary Payton II has missed the past nine games after fracturing his left elbow in the opening minutes of Game 2’s Western Conference Semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies. Dillon Brooks committed a hard, unnecessary foul against him during a fast break, which brought Payton to the ground on an awkward fall and caused him to fracture his elbow.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Payton is progressing toward a return in the NBA Finals. Golden State advanced to the Finals with a 120-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Thursday’s Game 5.
“There’s optimism he will be back in the lineup as soon as Game 1 next Thursday,” Charania said. “The Warriors’ do-it-all defensive stalwart is on the cusp of a return.”
Warriors guard Gary Payton II (elbow fracture) is expected to return in the NBA Finals, sources say. Here’s how soon: pic.twitter.com/6TaaQri0Wc
The Warriors will face the winner of the Boston Celtics-Miami Heat series. Game 6 is Friday night and Boston holds a 3-2 lead, looking to closeout the series on its home turf.
Payton, 29, enjoyed a career year, breaking into Golden State’s rotation. He showcased his elite defense and versatile off-ball offense. In 71 regular season games, he averaged 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals on 67.9 percent true shooting. His return would be a massive boost to the Warriors’ perimeter defense against Boston’s multifaceted scoring attack.
Supernatural fans were thrilled when creator Eric Kripke managed to, as showrunner of The Boys, re-team with Jensen Ackles for Season 3 of the Amazon show. Ackles hit the weights hard to train for his role as Soldier Boy (a Captain America parody) and should antagonize the heck out of Homelander in the coming episodes. It should be a real trip to watch Antony Starr’s marvelous facial expressions as a result of this impending conflict, and let’s hope that the show can live up to its reputation as one of the most genre-bending and unapologetic swings in the superhero realm.
To that end, though, viewers wondered whether another Supernatural actor, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, might also join the gang. Kripke spoke with Entertainment Weekly and communicated that he’d really like this to happen. However, it’s not in the cards because Morgan is simply too in demand (especially within The Walking Dead universe) these days. From EW:
“Sad for me, happy for him: He’s currently the lead, along with Lauren Cohan, on the Walking Dead spin-off,” Kripke says. “So, schedule-wise, I don’t know. We might still remain star-crossed, unfortunately, because I did ask. We had a role come up, and my first question was, ‘Well, is Jeffrey available?’”
Morgan is, as TWD zombie-heads know, revving up for Isle of the Dead, in which his Negan and Lauren Cohan (with hatchet apparently firmly buried) will travel to New York City. The show’s marked for a 2023 debut, and with the Daryl-Carol shakeup elsewhere in the universe, it’s now up to Negan and Maggie to save the day. And maybe those Rick Grimes movies will actually happen someday, too. Fingers crossed.
When kids are growing up they love to see themselves in the dolls and action figures. It adds a special little spark to a shopping trip when you hear your child say “it looks just like me.” The beaming smile and joy that exudes from their little faces in that moment is something parents cherish, and Mattel is one manufacturer that has been at the forefront of making that happen. It has created Barbies with freckles, afro puffs, wheelchairs, cochlear implants and more. The company has taken another step toward representation with its first transgender doll.
Laverne Cox, openly transgender Emmy award winning actor and LGBTQ activist, is celebrating her 50th birthday May 29, and Mattel is honoring her with her very own Barbie doll. The doll designed to represent Cox is donned in a red ball gown with a silver bodysuit. It also has accessories like high heels and jewelry to complete the look. Cox told Today, “It’s been a dream for years to work with Barbie to create my own doll.” She continued, “I can’t wait for fans to find my doll on shelves and have the opportunity to add a Barbie doll modeled after a transgender person to their collection.”
Cox has spent her career breaking barriers and being a role model for transgender people who may not have had the courage to reach for their dreams. Seeing someone on the screen that represents their struggle winning awards and being accepted could be the push someone needs to step out of their comfort zone. But Cox wasn’t always so confident. The reason it was so important for her to have her own Barbie doll came from a conversation she had with her therapist around the shame she felt growing up.
u201cItu2019s giving u201cMay the fourth be with youu201d but sexy ud83dudda4n u2026n#maythe4 #maythe4thbewithyou #TransIsBeautifulu201d
Recalling the conversation in her interview, Cox said, “I was telling my therapist how I was really shamed by my mother when I was a kid when I wanted to play with a Barbie doll but I was denied. And I had a lot of shame and trauma about that,” Cox said. “And my therapist said to me, ‘It is never too late to have a happy childhood.’ She said, ‘Go out and buy yourself a Barbie and play with her. There’s a little kid that lives inside of you. Give her space to play.’ And I did.”
In an attempt to help our kids grow up happy, parents will make mistakes. After it was revealed to her that Cox felt shamed for her love of dolls as a child, Cox’s mother attempted to correct her previous misstep. The actor revealed that her mother started buying her Barbie dolls as gifts. “My mother bought me a Barbie doll. And on my birthday, my mother bought me another Barbie doll. For the next several years, she would always give me Barbies,” Cox said.
u201cLaverne Cox Honored with Special Tribute Collection Barbie Doll https://t.co/w4TgDiBfx5u201d
Cox continued, “Barbie has been a really healing experience for me as an adult and I hope Barbie fans of all ages can find healing and inspiration in this doll,”
As the U.S. reels from yet another horrendous school massacre, barely on the heels of the Buffalo grocery store shooting and the Laguna Woods church shooting reminding us that gun violence follows us everywhere in this country, I find myself in a familiar state of anger and grief and frustration. One time would be too much. Every time, it’s too much. And yet it keeps happening over and over and over again.
I’ve written article after article about gun violence. I’ve engaged in every debate under the sun. I’ve joined advocacy groups, written to lawmakers, donated to organizations trying to stop the carnage, and here we are again. Round and round we go.
It’s hard not to lose hope. It would be easy to let the fuming rage consume every bit of joy and calm and light that we so desperately want and need. But we have to find a balance.
When we have inhumanity violently shoved in our faces, we have to be reminded of our humanity. When we’ve witnessed the worst of us, we need to see who and what we can be at our best. When senseless, heinous acts turn the world upside down, we need to be reminded of what it looks like right-side up.
These weekly roundups of joy often include gratuitously adorable animal videos and such, and I would argue that there’s a place for such lightheartedness under normal circumstances. But this week, I want to focus on us, on the goodness and beauty of everyday humanity. To remind us of what we’re supposed to be—and what we still are—despite the horrors perpetrated by a handful of people.
If you’re looking for reminders of our humanity right now, whether it’s people doing good or good things about people, here are some simple things to get you started.
1. The beauty of forming unexpected connections with perfect strangers.
u201cOne man at this coffee shop just sneezed, the guy next to him said bless you, he said thanks and asked u201chey, what are you working on?u201d and now they are discussing Roman history in depth, both delighted with their new friend, itu2019s the most beautiful thing Iu2019ve ever seen???u201d
Humans also help out strangers—even ones they’ll never actually meet. Summer Clayton is the “father” of 2.4 million “kids” and he couldn’t be more proud. Read the full story here.
3. Andy Grammer and PS22 remind us of the power of music, especially when we make it together.
And they did it with a sweet song about being there for one another, no less.
“Children singing has such a special power,” wrote Grammer in his Facebook post. “I personally choked up multiple times throughout the day. The unbridled excitement and giddiness of an elementary school mixed with the sincerity and reverence they brought to this song was too much for me to handle.”
4. Humans help out struggling penguin babies with adorable stuffed surrogates.
Zookeepers have stepped in to help care for the newest inhabitants of the zoo’s Penguin Beach after it was discovered their parents were struggling with caring for them. The keepers have become the penguins’ stand-in parents, hand-rearing the little penguins in the zoo’s nursery and using stuffed surrogates for the babies to snuggle with.
Why is anthropomorphizing vegetables so hilarious?
8. The human instinct—and ability—to express ourselves through dance is just amazing.
May 25 was National Tap Dancing Day, so seems like a perfect time to dust off the “Tap” Challenge Scene with some of the most iconic tap dancers in the history of Hollywood. Look what humans can do. It’s a marvel.
9. The utterly pure, gushing expression of love from this wee one to their baby sister.
10. And this reminder of life as it should be—and can be—for our kids.
u201cThe teachers at the school nearby are throwing an outdoor kindergarten dance party with the music turned all the way up (they usually only do this on the last day of school). They look exhausted. The kids are, and I cannot stress this enough, DELIRIOUS with joy.u201d
I hate to yank us back to the present reality, but this is such a beautiful and fitting response to it. In the midst of our grief, we can create a space for joy and revel in it. Turn up the music. Let those babies dance till they’re delirious.
It’s what humans do.
As we navigate the awful, let’s keep looking for and lifting up and sharing the good.
In the wake of any mass tragedy like the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas earlier this week, total transparency is key to understanding exactly what transpired and finding ways to make sure a similar situation doesn’t happen again. At least that’s the way one would hope and think bureaucracy works. But as we’ve discovered over the past several days, officials both in the city of Uvalde and the state of Texas more generally don’t seem to have put a premium on honesty—to the point where even Tucker Carlson has called lawmakers out.
Now, with the help of eyewitness testimony and videos filmed at the scene of Robb Elementary School, the truth about what went down between law enforcement and the 18-year-old gunman who killed 21 people, including 19 kids, the truth is slowly coming to light—and, as Mediaite reports, it’s not pretty.
Originally, the story we heard was that a gunman arrived at the school on Tuesday morning and, after crashing his truck, immediately engaged with an armed school resource officer and, as a result, dropped a black bag full of ammunition before making his way into the school. Well, it turns out that wasn’t true. In fact, we’ve now learned that the gunman was in the school for approximately one whole hour before police even entered. On Thursday evening, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer attempted to get to the truth of the matter while discussing the tragedy with Texas Department of Public Safety Lieutenant Chris Olivarez.
Blitzer didn’t mince words when he asked Olivarez whether he thought it was “a mistake” that on-the-scene officers decided to wait an hour for a backup tactical team before attempting to enter the school and stop the shooter. The officer gave a very long and convoluted answer that explained how many officers entered the school, and who did what, but didn’t account for any timing. So Blitzer pushed again:
Blitzer: Don’t current best practices, don’t they call for officers to disable a shooter as quickly as possible, regardless of how many officers are actually on site?
Olivarez: Correct. The active shooter situation, you want to stop the killing, you want to preserve life. But also, one thing that of course the American people need to understand is that officers are making entry into this building. They do not know where the gunman is. They are hearing gunshots. They are receiving gunshots.
At that point, if they proceeded any further not knowing where the suspect was at, they could’ve been shot, they could’ve been killed, and that gunman would have had an opportunity to kill other people inside that school.
Yes, you read that correctly: Police waited an hour while a gunman was in the school killing children because, had law enforcement entered, “they could’ve been shot.”
As Mediaite wrote: “One girl inside the room reportedly bled for an hour after she was shot. She died at a hospital. It is unknown if that hour might have saved her life.”
Kanye West’s fashion endeavors continue to elevate. His latest collaboration with Yeezy, Gap, and Balenciaga has added another layer with a new global drop that’s available now. The latest release, previewed in Ye’s “Life Of The Party” video, was delayed due to the tragic school shootings in Uvalde, Texas. The Yeezy Gap Experience engineered by Balenciaga includes t-shirts, hoodies, joggers, caps, and other products featuring the signature design elements of the collaboration.
The campaign has been utilizing virtually rendered avatars, but fans do note they have seen the Donda artist wearing a flame embroidered cap that has piqued their interest. The Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga collection is now available to shop via Yeezy Gap, Farfetch, Luisaviaroma, and Mytheresa. This news comes on the same day Ye released a posthumous collaboration with XXXTentacion titled “True Love,” which accompanies the documentary Look At Me focusing on XXXTentaction’s life. Kanye West is also participating in the reimagination of McDonald’s iconic packaging alongside Naoto Fukasawa.
Ye can’t stop making headlines, but this is a well-received set of news. It is a major collaboration that could open the door for more fashion innovators down the road. Check out some more of the products available for purchase in the pictures below.
Yeezy Gap BalenciagaYeezy Gap BalenciagaYeezy Gap Balenciaga
Three days on from the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting, many of us are still trying to wrap our heads around the tragedy. While some call for compassion and understanding for the families of the victims, others are calling for action. However, the government representatives for the state of Texas have offered little in the way of solutions or useful suggestions beyond “arming teachers” — because that’s certain to work out (he wrote with as much sarcasm as he could muster.
Even rappers are tired of the non-response. 2 Chainz, who has three elementary-aged children of his own, vented his frustration with Texas Senator Ted Cruz, posting on Instagram taking the politician and his peers to task for their less-than-helpful takes. Cruz suggested that limiting school entries could be a way to prevent school shootings — instead of just, y’know, penning in potential victims and making it easier for a shooter to inflict damage and prevent authorities from intervening.
“These politicians, some of you n****s is dumb as f*ck,” Chainz said, not holding back. “Just ’cause you put a suit on… let me tell you something. The suit is the biggest cap in the world. When n****s be having on suits, man anybody wearing a suit, they think you put on a suit you supposed to be more intelligent. Man, I’ve been listening to some of you politicians and some of y’all n****s dumb as f*ck. That n****a Ted Cruz said, ‘Lock the back door next time.’ He said to prevent what happened, have the back door locked.” He ended the video with an expression of exasperated disbelief.
Only one thing is certain; this is a problem unique to the United States, as pointed out by a Sky News reporter directly to Cruz’s bewildered face. Until we do something differently, that may be unlikely to change anytime soon. Watch 2 Chainz’s reaction below.
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