Category: News

While most people were worried about their morning coffee, astronauts aboard the International Space Station were forced to take cover and retreat to escape capsules after a cloud of “dangerous space junk” threatened the orbital station on Monday. NASA has yet to confirm the cause of the debris field, but the State Department is already blasting Russia as the prime suspect.

According to experts, the space junk sprung up after Russia tested a new anti-satellite missile on one of its own satellites, which is noticeably missing now, and near the scene of the debris. Plus it was pretty freaking huge. Via The Daily Beast:

Kosmos-1408 had an orbit above the ISS, and the missile strike that destroyed the satellite could conceivably produce a debris cloud that could fall in altitude and eventually threaten the ISS. Harvard University astronomer Jonathan McDowell tweeted on Monday that Kosmos-1408 was a “plausible candidate” for the debris cloud, and added that given the massive size of the satellite, he would expect “thousands of pieces of cataloged debris” to emerge from its destruction.

After the debris cloud incident forced astronauts to temporarily take cover, the International Space Station reportedly moved its position to avoid another potential collision. However, The Daily Beast reports that experts have raised concerns that continued military action in space could produce even more dangerous space junk that might never go away, even if it thinks about space baseball.

(Via The Daily Beast)

With less than two weeks left until Thanksgiving Day, you can bet the team behind Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Parade is hard at work ensuring every float and balloon is ready to make its grand appearance on November 25. While fans can expect to see countless familiar faces and beloved characters as they take the windy stroll down Manhattan’s 6th avenue, the big news this year is Macy’s newest addition to their parade balloon line-up: beloved Mandalorian‘s character Grogu (aka Baby Yoda).

As part of a collaboration between Macy’s, Star Wars’ production company Lucasfilm, and, oddly enough, collectible manufacturer Funko, the various companies have banded together to construct a balloon version of the hit Grogu Funko Pop! figurine. At 41-feet high, 29-feet long, and 37-feet wide, the balloon is a massive size increase for the little green guy that quickly became a fan favorite upon making his big debut in the hit 2019 Disney+ series The Mandalorian, but is every bit as cute. According to Funko creative director Reis O’Brien (via Decider), “cuteness” was actually Funko’s primary objective when helping to construct the balloon. While it fell about Lucasfilm to ensure they kept the “Grogu-ness” of the float, Funko was focused on making sure the giant-sized baby was certifiably adorable. Luckily, O’Brien said, the character already has a whole lot of adorableness to work with.

“Grogu as a character is… concentrated uncut cuteness, so he kind of does a lot of the heavy lifting just by his general look and feel anyway.”

According to O’Brien, a lot of focus went into making sure Grogu’s “nose, upper lip, and brow” all conveyed the right expression for maximum cute-ness. To help aide the cause, the team also spent a lot of time crafting his signature silver ball he is constantly chasing in the series in order to place the little guy in an adorable situation and show off his lil’ baby Yoda feet.

“When I first saw this balloon in person, I saw the feet dangle in the back and I was like, it’s so cute from behind,” Ben Butcher, senior vice president of creative for Funko recalled. “We’re going to win any cute awards for this show.”

However, cuteness wasn’t the only deciding factor that led to Grogu joining the Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade. According to Brian Mariotti, CEO of Funko, Grogu is first-and-foremost one of the biggest pop culture icons of the last few years, and almost represents a sort of resilience, considering recent events. After all, even in the midst of a pandemic, the Star Wars spinoff series’ succeeded in reaching cultural significance, and acted as one of a few media properties that kept pop culture lovers everywhere bonded. Ultimately, Mariotti said, creating a Grogu balloon felt like the obvious choice:

“How do we find something that’s so relevant in pop culture, but also feels like it’s fun?” Mariotti recalled. “And so you start going around and… You’re in the pandemic. There’s not a lot of new… Very little movies, very little new TV shows coming out. And the one piece of content that was kind of like our cowbell for the entire time has been Mandalorian.”

Luckily for the Funko team, Lucasfilm and Macy’s were both completely on board with the idea and gave the team the greenlight. Will Coss, executive producer of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, said he also believed Grogu felt right at home in the parade, as he embodies all the qualities that have made the event great for the past 95 years.

“Our goal is to create opportunities, to surprise and delight our fans of the parade, in person and at home. So we really try to seek partnerships that create that opportunity,” Coss said. “For at a moment’s notice, at a glance up in the sky, you see something, you feel something. And Grogu is a perfect testament to that character, who embodies all the things that the parade does, and in its long history of the parade, has done for 95 years.”

You can catch Grogu, and the rest of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons, on starting at 9 AM ET on Thursday, November 25 on NBC. Perhaps even more excitingly, you can also catch Star Wars next spinoff series, The Book of Boba Fett, when it premieres on December 29 on Disney+.

9-1-1 (FOX, 8:00pm) — An explosion at the hospital goes down while Dr. Hale’s performing surgery, and the 118 raced against the clock.

Ordinary Joe (NBC, 10:00pm) — James Wolk’s still playing three Joes. The musical one’s dealing with an upsetting loss, Cop Joe’s struggling with a big decision and blowback, and Nurse Joe’s feeling a blast from the past.

All-American (CW, 8:00pm) — Spencer’s feeling uneasy about the impending All-American game, and an old friend helps him gain perspective.

4400 (CW, 9:00pm) — Andre’s studying his new pals while the past rears its head, and at least a few of the 4400 are seeing some good news.

We’re Here (HBO, 9:00pm) — The Queens continue to recruit small-town residents and train them for onstage moments that they never dreamed possible. This week, they head to Watertown, S.D. to mentor identical twins.

Wakefield (Showtime, 9:00pm) — James is suffering from loss of identity and an almost deadly overdose while Tessa is devastated about an unrelated matter.

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Alicia Keys, Finneas

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Ellie Kemper, and Nate Smith.

In case you missed these recent streaming picks:

The Worst Shape Of My Life (YouTube Originals) — Granted, I’ve nearly lost track of all of the reality TV projects on the Smith family’s plate, but in this one, Will Smith will do his best to make you forget that Jada’s out there complaining about their sex life. Watch as he embarks upon a personal journey that seeks to dig himself out of the biggest fitness rut of his life. Can he get jacked? Only if he gets jiggy wit it.

Home Sweet Home Alone (Disney+ film) — There’s no Macaulay Culkin, no Joe Pesci, and No Daniel Stern here, but this still looks like a marvelous reboot to the franchise. Archie Yates stars as Max Mercer, who’s as resourceful as Kevin McCallister when his family inadvertently leaves him behind while on vacation. Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney star as two married thieves who wanna steal a priceless heirloom, and expect Kenan Thompson to make an appearance amid all the holiday hijinks.

Kristen Stewart recently said said she’s “probably made five really good films, out of 45 or 50 films.” She did not name which five films are the good films (it’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 five times), because she’s too busy writing one perfect TV show.

In an interview with the New Yorker, Stewart revealed that she’s developing a “gay ghost-hunting reality show with a friend.” The Spencer actress described the series as “a paranormal romp in a queer space,” adding, “Gay people love pretty things. So we are aiming for a richness.” People love to complain how they don’t make movie stars like they used to. This is true: they make them better now (the headline of the New Yorker piece: “How Kristen Stewart Became Her Generation’s Most Interesting Movie Star”). Did Joan Fontaine ever make a gay ghost-hunting reality show? Exactly.

Stewart also discussed her directorial feature debut, an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s award-winning memoir, The Chronology of Water. “I want to make something that’s gonna, like, stink and be horribly embarrassing, but also make you f*cking wet, and just be really honest,” she said. “Do you know what I mean? I want to do a coming-of-age movie that actually considers young women. They’ve never f*cking done it.”

Kristen Stewart could star in His Girl Friday, but Cary Grant couldn’t direct an embarrassing coming-of-age movie that makes you f*cking wet — and have Guy Fieri officiate his wedding. Something to think about.

(Via the New Yorker)

Every offseason in the NBA, players get together before training camp for informal workouts to try and accelerate their bond and be on the same page when it comes time for actual camp to begin. It’s a time-honored tradition, but it is technically illegal for the team to be involved in the planning or running of those workouts.

As such, these workouts are always framed as player organized — examples include LeBron James’ yearly pre-camp workouts for the Lakers in Las Vegas or Terry Rozier hosting the Hornets at his home in Miami this offseason — but rest assured, there is almost always a team presence there, it’s just never advertised. The Minnesota Timberwolves forgot about that last part this summer, as they hosted workouts at new owner Alex Rodriguez’s home in Miami and had the entire staff on hand, posting photos on social media of the pre-camp work.

On Monday, the league announced the organization was being fined $250,000 for flaunting the rules about offseason workouts so flagrantly, a reminder to other teams to keep their actions covert.

Teams are usually more careful than this — once while working for the Hawks website I had an entire question cut from a Q&A with Elton Brand because he referenced coaches running summer workouts and it could’ve gotten the team a similar fine — but the Wolves have learned the hard way that while everyone breaks these rules, the point is not to do so publicly.

Get ready to let the music play and dance your cares away — after more than 30 years off the air (and one dead movie project), Fraggle Rock is finally returning to television. Following the success of Fraggle Rock: Rock On! shorts, Apple TV+ announced a rebooted Fraggle Rock series, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, was in the works over on the streaming service. Just over a year later, we now have our first look at the upcoming show, which appears to be a vibrant yet incredibly faithful take on the original 80s cartoon.

Developed as a Muppets spinoff, Fraggle Rock follows four, tiny muppet “factions” — Fraggles, Doozers, Gorgs, and Silly Creatures — as they all interact with one another in a series of caves known as Fraggle Rock. Compared to the rest of the various Muppet-related franchises, Fraggle Rock was significantly more loud and silly, with less emphasis on education than the likes of Sesame Street and a greater focus on good ol’ fashioned fun, an idea that is perfectly reflected in the Fraggle’s somewhat envious 30-minute work week.

In the trailer, we see many classic characters — such as Gobo, Red, Wembley, Mokey, and Boober — as well as several newcomers. Apple’s statement on the series reveals the upcoming show will have an even greater emphasis on introducing those new characters and celebrating “our interconnected world” through the various Muppets:

“Jim Henson’s fun-loving, musical Fraggles are back! Join Gobo, Red, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and new Fraggle friends on hilarious, epic adventures about the magic that happens when we celebrate and care for our interconnected world.”

As of now, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock has not been given a release date but is anticipated to hit Apple TV+ sometime in 2022. The series is being executive produced by The Jim Henson Company’s Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford, along with longtime Henson collaborator John Tartaglia, New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer, and Dave Goelz and Karen Prell. In addition, Matt Fusfeld and Alex Cuthbertson will serve as the reboot’s primary showrunners, with Harvey Mason Jr. will executive producing its music.

The latest installment of Uproxx’s Behind The Video series is focused on Brooklyn drill pioneer 22Gz and his visual for “Suburban Pt. 2.” The song, a highlight from the 2020 album Growth & Development, is his biggest one yet, as it earned the rapper his first RIAA Gold certification just a few days ago. A video is a major component of any successful single and now 22Gz shows us what went into creating the attention-grabbing clip (which has over 29 million YouTube views).

22Gz says he shot the video “all in one day” on “my block” in Flatbush. He also noted that the clip’s gas station setting is actually an uncommon one given the context, saying, “In New York, we don’t really got gas stations in the middle of the hood like that. Luckily, we do, so I’m like, ‘Alright, f*ck it, we over there.’”

A black Chevy Suburban is also a focal point of the video (a logical decision given the name of the song) and 22Gz explained why that’s the case: “That’s the way it all started. I can hold more than a regular four-seater would, so we could ride eight-deep in the car and be acting like it’s a whole party in there.”

Elsewhere in the video, the rapper gets deeper into the clip and also responds to fan comments about it, so check out 22Gz’s episode of Behind The Video above.

22Gz is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Usually when we think of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, we picture kids getting to meet Batman, or going to Disneyland, even having a (well-deserved) shopping spree.

This generous young boy used his wish to help others.

Thirteen-year-old Abraham Olagbegi, who was born with a rare blood disorder requiring a bone marrow transplant, could have asked for anything from the nonprofit organization. Much to everyone’s surprise, Abraham wished for a way to feed the homeless in his neighborhood.

Mississippi boy, 13, uses ‘Make-A-Wish’ to feed homeless https://t.co/l88uYrtTgh

— All Things WSB-TV (@AllThingsWSB) November 11, 2021

Abraham’s mother, Miriam Olagbegi, was a bit shocked at the suggestion. She asked her son, “you sure you don’t want a PlayStation?” But Abraham was resolute.

Miriam told CBS News that Abraham shared this unconventional idea coming home from one of his doctor’s appointments. Their family used to feed the homeless every month before Abraham’s diagnosis. And apparently that monthly outing had a profound effect.

“My mom always says it’s a blessing to be a blessing so I just wanted to do something for other people to make it last long,” Abraham would later tell interviewers. I can’t imagine how satisfying it must have been for Abraham’s parents, who actively taught the value of giving, to experience firsthand how their lessons helped create such a generous human being.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation was also floored that the “remarkable young man” would use his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give back. Linda Sermons of Make a Wish Mississippi told WLBT that it was the chapter’s “first philanthropic wish in 20+ years,” and a “huge milestone.”

True to their mission, the organization fulfilled Abraham’s wish. By September, with food and supplies donated from churches and local businesses, Abraham was able to help feed about 80 people in one day.

“When the homeless people get the plate, some of them would come back and sing to us and thank us,” Abraham told CBS. “And it just really feels good.” Abraham’s mom proudly added “We’re just very excited to be able to continue on this endeavor. It’s just so rewarding. If I was out there on the streets, homeless, I would want somebody at some point to think of me and to do something special for me. So, that’s what I try to instill in my kids and we just try to pay it forward, by doing what we were raised to do.”

These feel-good moments will continue once a month until August of 2022. And even after that, Abraham plans to create his own nonprofit called “Abraham’s Table.”

Abraham didn’t totally miss out on fun gadgets, by the way. Make-A-Wish also donated a new laptop, ring light and microphone so that he could start a YouTube channel to inspire others. I’d say he’s off to a great start.

Iceland is known for its dramatic volcanic and glacial landscape and its fascinating culture. (Did you know that Icelanders don’t use family names for their last names? Now you do.) But who knew the Land of Fire and Ice also had a wickedly hilarious sense of humor?

In a tourism promotion ad, the public-private marketing organization Inspired by Iceland introduced the “Icelandverse,” where everything and everyone is real, with no need for “silly VR headsets.” It’s a direct trolling of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s video introducing the metaverse, right down the narrator’s haircut.

To get the full hilarity of the Iceland ad, watch the first couple of minutes of Zuckerberg’s “Connect 2021: our vision for the metaverse” video, if you haven’t seen it yet:

On the one hand, the metaverse does seem like the next logical step in technology, and there are probably some super cool ways we could utilize virtual internet reality. On the other hand, creepy Matrixy future much, Zuck? To his credit, he does poke fun at his reputation for seeming like an android just after the 5-minute mark, when he says, “I thought I was supposed to be the robot.” (But he also didn’t do a whole lot here to save himself from that reputation, either.)

We’ve all watched too many movies that prompt us to see a virtual-reality-filled future as overly detached and lacking in human connection. What the metaverse will really be like remains to be seen, but that perception—and the general consensus among many that Mark Zuckerberg is … well … odd—is what makes Inspired by Iceland’s promo video so perfect.

Watch:

Some said an open-world experience this immersive wasnu2019t possible. But itu2019s already here. And you donu2019t even need silly VR headsets. nnIntroducing, Icelandversen#icelandversepic.twitter.com/b1cf1REKl9

— Inspired by Iceland (@iceland)
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Right out of the gate, Zuck gets zapped with a zinger: “Today I want to talk about a revolutionary approach on how to connect our world without being super weird.” (If you didn’t think the first few minutes of the metaverse video was super weird, please go to minute 18:50 and watch for a bit.) The hair, the outfit, the camera work, the “water that’s wet,” the “skies you can see with your eyeballs”—it’s all just delightfully understated, wholesomely clever and perfectly effective.

Now I want to visit Iceland for the volcanoes, the hot springs, the waterfalls, the geysers and the Olympic-level trolling of one of the world’s most powerful billionaires. (Oh yes, and the “really easy-going” people.)

By the way, If you’re curious about what’s on their faces in the hot spring, it’s not sunscreen, but a mask. The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is known for its blue silica and algae mask that supposedly makes your skin radiant. (Reason #2849 to head to Iceland.)

Well done, Inspired by Iceland. If we can’t get to Iceland in real life, we’ll definitely visit you in the metaverse.

That was the case for 21-year-old Kallayah Jones, and her optimism paid off exponentially.

Jones had been unemployed for months, not to mention homeless for two years, jumping from friend’s houses to her grandparents’ home. Add onto that: having to search for jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, which I don’t need to tell you is no easy feat. So when she had her interview for a serving position at The Spot Sports Bar and Grill in Georgia, it’s understandable that Jones felt intense anxiety.

And yet, after the interview, Jones gave herself a moment of carefree happiness. And it changed her life forever.

The video of her dance is below:

Jones didn’t even know whether or not she got the job, but clearly felt like she nailed the interview. She would later mention in interviews that she was proud of being her authentic self.

The video shows the young woman carefully looking both ways and then (in what she thought was a private moment) beginning her exuberant parking lot happy dance over a job well done. A “moment of exhale,” she called it. A chance to release that anxiety and lighten up in spite of circumstances.

What Jones had failed to notice during her not-so-secret performance was the restaurant’s security camera, which caught the entire thing.

Dakara Spence, the manager who interviewed Jones, had been through a similar challenge, having been homeless herself for a period of time. Spence told reporters that she knew what it was like to be turned away for not wearing the right attire to a job interview, and that if she ever had the chance to give the same opportunity she had been given, that she was gonna do it.

But Spence’s empathy is not what won Jones the job. After seeing the security camera footage, she hired her on the spot.

One small moment became a viral sensation and pretty soon millions sharing Jones’ story. She made headlines, and was even gifted a check for $15,000 from Ellen Degeneres. And today, both Jones and Spence are great friends.

If you’re wondering how to do Jones’ fun moves yourself, she breaks it down in the video below. She suggests using it anytime you get a blessing or opportunity. But ultimately, it doesn’t have to be her jig. Just do your dance, whatever it is. Cause if Jones’ story is any indicator, being yourself can be the simplest way to allow a miracle.

In times of depressing unemployment stats and bleak headlines about inflation, a special thank you is owed to Jones for reminding us all that pure, unadulterated joy is not only contagious, it’s powerful. That new chapter you’ve been waiting for might only be one dance away.