Category: News

Love is definitely in the air. Spring has brought forth flowers, warm evenings and romance. After all the bad news cycles we’ve had, who wouldn’t be up for a little joy in the friendly skies? A couple who had joked about flying off to Vegas to get married found themselves saying their nuptials while the fasten seatbelt sign was turned off, 35,000 feet above any chapel. The couple, Pam and Jeremy, decided they would travel to Vegas once they realized that the joke about getting married in Sin City wasn’t actually a joke, and they really did want to do it.

The two booked an appointment with a Vegas chapel for Sunday night but while they were in the air from Oklahoma City to Dallas, they discovered their connecting flight to Vegas had been canceled. As luck would have it, another passenger, Chris, who found himself stranded in Dallas overheard the couple worrying about not making their appointment at the chapel and stepped up. Chris happened to be an ordained minister and when he heard they may not make it to their own ceremony, he offered to marry them himself. As all three were already headed to Vegas, they turned to Southwest to grab the last three tickets to the city, and this is where it gets interesting.

Pam was wearing her wedding dress, likely in an effort to save time once the plane landed when they finally made it to their destination. The pilot on their flight, Captain Gil, noticed the unusual attire and asked her about her get-up, given that most people wear something lounge-worthy to fly. After explaining to the pilot, and maybe even a little embarrassment, the soon-to-be bride got a surprising response to her joke about getting married on the plane. Captain Gil said “Let’s do it!” This would be the second time in one week that Pam got those surprise words coming from a man standing before her— the first landing her in a wedding dress on a full flight heading to Vegas.

Planes must be equipped to handle everything because before Pam and Jeremy could process what was happening, the crew started decorating the plane with toilet paper streamers. The flight attendants fashioned a sash for the minister out of snack mix pouches. A professional photographer was on board and grabbed the most fantastic pictures of an unforgettable event. And don’t think they forgot about the guest book. A passenger pulled out an old notebook and scrawled “Wedding Guest Book Southwest Flight 2690 4/24/22,” and passed it around to all the passengers, who signed with their seat numbers and well wishes for the bride and groom.

The newlyweds will likely never forget this event and neither will their surprise guests and crew from the flight. It’s doubtful the couple had planned to crowdsource their wedding while on a plane but this has to be the best impromptu wedding anyone could ask for.

Crayfish (or crawdads or crawfish depending on your locale) are also known as mudbugs and bottom-feeders but to some, they’re still worthy of love and affection. Just ask one Texas woman.

TikTokker Jeni Mejia found a crayfish on the floor at her local H-E-B in Houston, Texas, asked the guy behind the counter if she could have it and he obliged. While most people would have treated the little guy with the same respect they would a roach (or you know, made him into a tasty snack), Mejia saw a precious life and took it home to live in her luxurious fish tank.

“Gave a crawfish a second chance at life,” she titled her TikTok video documenting the rescue that has received over 3.7 million views.

@_jenimejia_

Gave a crawfish a second chance at life ❤️🦞#fyp #crawfish #HEB

After Mejia introduced the crayfish, now known as Crawford, to the rest of her fish in her aquarium, some commenters feared it would make a meal out of them. “Don’t put him with your fish he’ll eat them I put one with my fish 2 and he ate them all,” 4Letas wrote. “I tried this once and he or she killed all my fish lol never again,” Ben Lopez added.

However, after the first six days, the grateful little guy has kept to himself. That’s good for Mejia and the other fish because according to Encyclopedia Britannica a crayfish can live up to 20 years, depending on the breed.

Here’s the most recent update on Crawford, he seems to be thriving in his new habitat which has to be more stimulating than life in a tank at the Houston H-E-B.

@_jenimejia_

Reply to @nshtx.jr update 🦞 I need name suggestions 🤔💭#fyp #crawfish #TalkingTree

“He has not ate any of my fishes,” Mejia captioned on the video. Here’s hoping it stays that way.

Crawford is clearly one lucky mudbug.

Stand up comedy seems easy, but it’s not. First, there’s the arduous task of actually creating material–being able to look at life through a certain lens, then having enough skill to translate that perspective into jokes that actually land. Plus there’s the whole bearing-your-soul-to-a-room-full-of-strangers aspect, one of the most common fears known to man.

Giphy

These factors combined perhaps don’t seem like a recipe for helping mental health, but as it turns out, stand-up comedy is proving to be a powerfully effective therapy tool. Just ask Angie Belcher, founder of Comedy on Referral.

Belcher has taught comedy for a decade, and over the years students would comment how much “stronger, more resilient and happier they were after exploring their personal histories through stand-up comedy.” It not only helped change their perspective, but sharing it all on stage put them in a “powerful position” to change their narrative of painful memories…possibly inspiring others to do the same.

“As a comedian, you could be the reason why someone in your audience does something differently,” Belcher told The Guardian

Comedy of Referral is a six-week program that allows people to process traumatic experiences by turning them into five minute comedy sets. Similar to the way art therapy helps explore difficult emotions through different mediums, students navigate personal issues through the use of theater games, as well as group and one-on-one work as they channel their “comedic persona.” Participants are supported by psychologists in order to avoid triggering any past trauma.

Watching comedy has long been researched and documented as a constructive way to cope with tragedy. Laughter itself produces endorphins that help release stress. It inspires empathy and connection. It can even help reduce stigmas surrounding certain mental health conditions. The Comedy on Referral program is proving that creating comedy can be just as helpful as consuming it. Their website claims that through stand-up coaching, trauma can become “more manageable as the story becomes one of validation and redemption rather than an unpleasant experience.”

The theory appears to be spot on. After a highly successful trial NHS-course for trauma survivors in Bristol, England, London’s NHS (National Health Service) has agreed to fund Comedy on Referral so that private practices throughout the country can prescribe the course to men at risk of suicide. Lourdes Colclough, head of suicide prevention at Rethink Mental Illness, noted that this demographic is an especially “hard-to-reach group.”

“Even though they’ve been diagnosed, [they] don’t think they have an issue and so won’t go to counseling or attend anything signposted [as] ‘suicide prevention’,” she reflected. But this is exactly the kind of challenge that Comedy on Referral is designed for. The unique curriculum uses creativity and humor to help people not only feel comfortable enough to open up, but come out being able to experience their life in a more empowering way.

Humor can be the friend we need when life gets hard. In times of uncertainty, crisis, and despair, it can uplift us from the inside out, and remind us that joy is a basic human need.

“I hope that participants will use what they learn on the course in their practical everyday life, so that they go into future endeavors with joy, hopefulness and playfulness rather than taking out their bully teenager-persona or their depressed 20-something persona or their grieving mother-persona or whatever it is,” said Belcher.

Comedy of Referral has plans to support as many people as possible. In addition, Belcher is also in talks to extend the program to young people with autism and ADHD, the Guardian reported.

Through programs like Comedy on Referral, people can learn to harness humor for themselves, and in the process become resilient, hopeful, and of course, funnier. Not a bad trade-off.

Two years ago, the Gonzales family let Leela (named after the one-eyed character played by Katey Sagal on “Futurama”), their Shih Tzu, outside to go to the bathroom and the dog never returned. “We searched for months down the neighborhood. We thought a coyote or something got her,” Mark Gonzales said according to My San Antonio. The family had given up all hope of finding Leela until a strange event bought them back together.

On Mothers Day at 8:20 pm, police were called to the H-E-B store in Lytle, Texas after reports that a man had fled the store after stealing a $15 bouquet of flowers.

“The guy gets into a car with paper tags and drives off,” Lytle Police Chief Richard Priest said. “Then the [H-E-B manager] noticed the guy left a little brown Shih Tzu in the shopping cart. I’ve never had somebody leave their dog there when they commit a theft,” Priest said. “Nothing says I love you mom like stolen flowers.”

The police took the dog to a local shelter where its chip was checked and they discovered it belonged to the Gonzales family. The next day, Mark’s wife, Belinda, got a call from Lytle Animal Care and Control saying they had their long-lost dog.

“We were visiting a friend in the ICU, having breakfast, when she got the call,” Mark said. “It was totally unexpected. Thank God my wife got her chipped, spayed and her shots back in 2018.”

Gonzales said his wife is “tickled to death” to have Leela back home and that their son is in for a big surprise when they get home.

“When she got lost, he was eight. It feels good. I encourage people to chip their dogs, either way you might get your dog back,” Gonzales said. “This is a strange way to get my dog back, but at least we got her back.”

The police believe they know who the man is because he visited the shelter in an attempt to get the dog back after stealing the flowers. The suspect who is in his 40s faces a Class C citation for theft. The good news for the Gonzales family is that even though Leela was associated with the man who committed the crime, she won’t face any charges.

“The dog isn’t facing any charges, as we can’t prove he engaged in the theft,” Priest joked. “Hopefully, the dog hasn’t been on (a) 2-year crime spree and picked up bad habits.”

Studies show that microchip programs have been very effective at reuniting lost pets with their owners. A 2015 study on over 7700 microchipped animals found that the reclaim rates were substantially higher for pets with chips.

Chipped dogs that were picked up by shelters made it home 52% of the time, versus 22% of the non-chipped, and 39% of chipped cats found their owners versus just 2% of non-chipped.

If your dog is chipped make sure you have updated their information with the service provider. The study also found that 35% of pets with chips that wind up in shelters have an incorrect or disconnected phone number associated with the pet.

Mother’s Day can cause a mix of emotions for a lot of people. Some of us have mothers who raised and nurtured us in love, with whom we treasure our time. Some of us have complicated or downright toxic relationships with our mothers that make Mother’s Day little more than a painful reminder. Some of us have had to say goodbye to a beloved mother earlier than we would have hoped, making Mother’s Day a bittersweet day of memories and remembrance.

When we miss our mom on Mother’s Day, it can be hard to figure out how to commemorate the holiday. Do we grieve? Do we celebrate? Both? Neither?

Every person’s experience with the loss of a loved one is different, but one TikTok user shared how they celebrated their first Mother’s Day after their mom’s passing in the sweetest, silliest way.

In a post on Tiktok, user @chacha.blue wrote, “First Mother’s Day without my mom… I decided to do something that would’ve had her crying with laughter and spread wildflower seeds in a bee costume.”

The video shows the user joyfully prancing around in a bee costume, complete with honeycomb glasses. The “bee” carries a bag of seeds, tossing them about and joyfully meeting people they encounter. The end of the video shows a photo of their mom in the garden, with the words “Love you mom.”

The video was also shared on Reddit, where it has gone viral.

“Today was my first Mother’s Day without my mom…” the Reddit post read. “She loved gardening and was a total goofball. So, in her honor I ran around the neighborhood throwing wildflower seeds in a bee costume and met some fun folks while at it… I just wanted to share since it made this day a little easier.”

So sweet. Watch:

@chacha.blue

First Mother’s Day without my mom… I decided to do something that would’ve had her crying with laughter and spread wildflower seeds in a bee costume. 🌸🐝

(For those wondering about the wisdom of randomly tossing seeds around, the poster clarified in the comments that the seeds were flowers that are native to California, where they live, and were specifically slow-spreading varieties so as to avoid an invasive plant situation.)

People loved the video, especially those who were also missing their moms on Mother’s Day.

“If this is how you are celebrating her, your mother must have been absolutely awesome,” wrote one commenter. “May her memory be a blessing to you.”

“I love this. I’m also spending Mother’s Day with my mom who was gone too soon,” wrote another. “Thanks for honoring your mom well. You left my day on a much better note. Hugs.”

“I am picturing your mom running along with you all day but her bee suit has little angel wings,” shared another.

Honoring a loved one who has passed in a way that we know they would have loved is a lovely form of remembrance. And when that loved was was “a goofball,” the sillier the remembrance the better. Perhaps we can all go out and do something for someone we miss that would tickle their funny bone this week, and bring a little joy to others in the process.

In 2019 and 2020, Burna Boy declared himself king of afrobeats with his fourth and fifth albums African Giant and Twice As Tall. For what it’s worth, the star Nigerian singer proved that he was worthy of the title with the projects. African Giant gave Burna worldwide recognition, together with the release of “Ye,” while the success of Twice As Tall was stepped after it gave Burna his first Grammy award. Nearly two years after he released the award-winning album, Burna is ready to bring things to a new level, and its starts with his new single, “Last Last.”

On the new record, Burna conquers heartbreak and reinforces the claim that he is the best of the best. The track also arrives with a grandiose video that captures him in a celebratory mood around friends as he flaunts his lavish mansion, flashy jewelry, and of course, his Grammy trophy. “Last Last” was released together with an announcement about Burna’s sixth album.

Love, Damini, with the latter word being the singer’s first name, will arrive on June 30. Burna first announced the project last month at his Madison Square Garden show where he became the first Nigerian singer to have a headlining performance at the legendary venue. Love, Damini will feature 19 songs including “Last Last” and the previously released “Kilometre.”

You can watch the video for “Last Last” above.

Love Damini is out 6/30 via Atlantic. You can pre-save it here.

Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

On the heels of two home victories to even the series at 2-2, the Philadelphia 76ers fell flat in Game 5, losing by a 35-point margin against the Miami Heat. That flop set up a situation in which the 76ers needed a Game 6 home win to avoid elimination but, after a competitive first half, things flew off the rails for Philadelphia. With the help of a huge third quarter run, the Heat secured a 99-90 victory, sending Philadelphia to elimination and Miami to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Heat picked up where they left off in Game 5, scoring on the first three possessions of the game. That gave Miami a quick 7-0 lead and immediately put even more pressure on Philadelphia at home.

Philadelphia did quickly recover, using an 11-2 run to take the lead. Unfortunately, the 76ers suffered a significant loss during that run, with veteran wing Danny Green carried to the locker room and ruled out for the rest of the game with a knee injury.

The Heat used an 8-0 run late in the quarter to build an eight-point edge, but the 76ers managed to cut the deficit back to three after 12 minutes. Philadelphia won the possession battle in the opening period, thanks in large part to Miami’s six turnovers, but the 76ers didn’t fully capitalize with shaky shooting.

In the second quarter, the 76ers actually took a three-point lead, but Miami managed to get into the locker room with a one-point lead at halftime. Neither Jimmy Butler (3-of-10 from the floor) or Joel Embiid (5-of-14 from the floor) found a great deal of efficiency and success, but Miami’s Max Strus led all scorers with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 3-of-5 from three-point distance.

If anything, it felt fortunate for Philadelphia to be within one after a half in which the 76ers shot just 40 percent with 10 assists. That positive fortune did not continue to open the second half, with the Heat taking control. Miami used a 19-4 run, including 12 points from Butler, to open a double-digit lead for the first time at 68-52.

It was a struggle for the 76ers on both ends of the floor, with Butler and company getting loose and the offense cratering. Philadelphia scored only four points in almost eight minutes, beginning the third quarter by missing 13 of their first 15 shots.

Reserve guard Shake Milton did attempt to bring the 76ers out of the wilderness, scoring seven points in a two-minute period to help Philadelphia climb back within 11 at the end of the third quarter. Still, it was the lowest-scoring quarter (15 points) of the series for the 76ers, leaving an uphill battle with the season on the line.

Just moments into the fourth quarter, the task went from difficult to virtually impossible for Philadelphia. Miami scored eight points in the first two minutes of the closing period, capitalizing on a couple of Philadelphia turnovers to take a 19-point lead.

From there, the 76ers never trimmed the deficit to fewer than 11 points until the final minute, and it was a highly disappointing performance from the home team on the whole. Aside from a strong second half from Milton, visible effort from Maxey, and an admirable performance from Embiid playing through injury, it was difficult to find overwhelming positives for Philadelphia. Their lack of effort given the circumstances was notable, even for those on the other side as Jimmy Butler couldn’t believe an offensive rebound he got off a miss that turned into the dagger from the corner.

Of note, Harden took only nine shots (and no free throws) in the game, including only two attempts in the second half, and he was generally a non-factor in the proceedings. That leads to an ever-interesting discussion about his future in Philadelphia and, if nothing else, Harden adds to a troubling list of flummoxing playoff performances.

As a team, the 76ers were simply unable to generate efficient offense with Embiid scuffling and Harden operating in relatively invisible fashion. Philadelphia scored less than a point per possession in the game, shooting 41 percent from the floor and 32 percent from three-point range with only seven free throw attempts.

Miami’s offense did not light the world on fire in Game 6, especially when it came to 7-of-28 shooting from three-point range. Still, the Heat were strong from two-point range, and Miami received standout performances from Butler (32 points, eight rebounds) and Strus (20 points, 11 rebounds) to go along with stingy and effective defense.

The Heat will now await the winner of the ongoing series between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, with the Bucks holding a 3-2 lead in advance of Game 6 on Friday. Miami will have home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals as the No. 1 seed and, even if Milwaukee is able to close things out on the other side of the bracket, the Heat will have a one-day rest advantage to boot.

Last year’s disastrous Astroworld festival, helmed by Travis Scott, resulted in nearly 5,000 claims of injuries and 10 documented deaths. Several lawsuits have been filed against Scott and Live Nation, the lattermost produced the festival. In a recent lawsuit, a Dayton, Ohio woman named Shanazia Williamson is suing Scott, Live Nation, Scoremore Holdings, and ASM Global for wrongful death, following a miscarriage she experienced after attending the November festival.

Williamson claims she was trampled during a crowd surge at the show, which resulted in injuries to various parts of her body, including her shoulder, back, chest, leg, and stomach. In documents obtained by TMZ, Williamson alleges that the defendants’, “failure to plan, design, manage, operate, staff, and supervise the event was a direct and proximate cause of Shanazia’s injuries and death of her and Jarawd’s [her partner] unborn child.”

Amid the controversy, Scott will still perform at this year’s Billboard Music Awards. His performance, along with that of country singer Morgan Wallen, comes as a result of Diddy demanding the two be allowed to perform, in a motion to “uncancel the cancelled.”

“To have Morgan and Travis be able to come back and touch the stage again with the mindset of getting a second chance at life,” Diddy said to Billboard, “everybody in the room is getting a second chance at life because we’re back inside with no masks on.”

After the absolute joy that was The Guest, Dan Stevens is finally reteaming with director Adam Wingard. The Godzilla vs. Kong director has brought the Downton alum on board for the monster-smashing sequel for Legendary’s awkwardly named “MonsterVerse.” It’s monsters, it’s a universe, it’s a portmanteau. They really need to workshop that. Details on the project as sparse, and Stevens is the first to be cast, but filming is already slated for this summer in Australia.

After the release of Godzilla vs. Kong, Wingard told Deadline the following about a potential sequel:

“I would absolutely love to continue. The clear starting point we teed up, exploring Hollow Earth, I think there is a lot more to do there. This is a pre-history of Planet Earth, where all the titans come from. We tee up some mystery in this film, things I want to see resolved and explored and pushed to the next level.”

The end of Godzilla vs. Kong saw an uneasy truce between the two gigantic monsters, so the sky’s the limit on where the next installment could go, whether that means new, city-destroying rivalry or a team-up against even more formidable super-beasts. Maybe it will be a trenchant exploration of the inner demons of doubt plaguing Godzilla and Kong, or a bittersweet examination of their challenging friendship. Or maybe it’ll just be CGI monsters attacking each other with atomic breath. Either way, Dan Stevens will be right in the thick of it.

(Via Deadline)

Alex Jones has never been described as “mild-mannered,” but he’s really gone off on a bender lately. In the face of impending bankruptcy (since he lost lawsuits for trash-talking all of those Sandy Hook parents) and finding himself potentially on the hook over helping stir up the January 6 insurrection, the InfoWars frontman is truly beyond behaving in a rational way. He’s turned on QAnon and taken to running around shirtless for no reason.

Yet there’s one thing that Alex Jones knows for sure, which is that Roger Stone is a “gladiator” and deserves legal fund donations. He says as much in the above video (via Raw Story). Stone, too, is looking shady for his Jan. 6 doings, and both of them are in a lot of hot water. Case in point: Jones is freaking out again about money, and now, he’s outright demanding that people buy his InfoWars testosterone or something. Things to make one virile. And manly. What?

“This is life and death!” Jones raged. “So go to InfoWarsStore.com and get amazing products. If you don’t support us, you’re helping the enemy!” He added, “When you keep us in the fight, you keep yourself in the fight!”

Well, you gotta admire his energy and wonder where he’s sourcing that stuff. It can’t possibly be from that “big bowl of chili” that he consumed before his child-custody trial years ago. Watching him fly off the handle never ceases to be entertaining, but apparently, it’s ceasing for Alex Jones to be profitable.