Category: News

Over 1,000 miles separate Philadelphia and Florida, but they share something in common: They attract some real characters. There isn’t an equivalent for “Florida Man” in the City of Brotherly Love, but real heads know it’s a hotspot for one-in-a-million eccentrics. (If Mare of Easttown had a major flaw, it’s that it didn’t have enough Philly weirdos.) So what happens when a Philadelphia Man moves down to a place where residents bite spring breakers in the face for littering? You get something like the viral video below.

NBC 10 out of Philadelphia proudly reported on the exploits of one Abdul Gene Malik, a former combat veteran and Philly native who reinvented himself as a gator wrangler in Central Florida. When one of the reptiles wound up hanging outside of his home, he got inventive.

The video shows Malik laying down a plastic trash bin, slowly pushing it towards the beast as it hisses at him, all while a nervous crowd watches. (And in one case records it.) Things get especially tense towards the end, when the lid accidentally slams onto the gator’s head. Instead of losing his cool, Malik takes advantage of the confusion, making a quick and final push to scoop the critter up. At that point he tips the can over, the gator fully captured. Cue applause.

According to The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conversation Commission, they receive a year average of 16,000 alligator complaints. Still, if you’re a Floridian who finds a massive, scary reptile lurking outside your home, remember that Malik is a professional. And probably a former Wawa customer.

(Via NBC News Philadelphia)

Here’s the latest update in the Britney Spears’ conservatorship saga: Today Judge Brenda Penny has officially ruled that Jamie Spears is suspended as the conservator of Britney’s estate. TMZ reports that a temporary conservator has been appointed. John Zabel, who is a CPA — unlike Britney’s father — will be temporary conservator of the estate until December 31st. Even though Britney’s own testimony about her father’s abuse and mismanagement seems like proof enough that the situation was dire, it wasn’t until new information came to light in The New York Times‘ follow-up documentary on the subject, Controlling Britney Spears, that real legal momentum to remove Jamie from the situation started to build.

According to the documentary, Jamie had been illegally bugging Britney’s home as part of his surveillance system. That’s a crime in California, where two-party consent for recording is in place, and even the FBI is reportedly looking into the situation. Britney’s recently-hired new lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, has also submitted a request that the conservatorship be terminated sometime this fall, and requested a hearing on the matter in the next 30 to 45 days. No ruling was made on the status of the conservatorship itself, but with the direction of the judge’s ruling today, it seems more likely than ever that the situation will finally be resolved and Britney will be free again.

America’s urban areas are often known as concrete jungles due to their abundance of asphalt and lack of parks and natural grassy areas. These neighborhoods are often populated by low-income, communities of color because of discriminatory lending practices known as redlining. These policies, which date back to the 1930s, were put in place to reinforce racial segregation and reallocate city funds to white neighborhoods.

Redlining policies perpetuated inequality that was not only economic but environmental as well.

The buildings, roads, and unnatural infrastructure that make up urban areas absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes. This turns urbanized areas into “heat islands” that experience warmer temperatures than greener, less populated neighborhoods.

Richmond, Virginia’s urban heat islands can reach temperatures as much as 20 degrees warmer than the greener areas of the city. Heat islands look to become an even greater problem in the coming years as extreme temperature shifts caused by climate change become more common.

To help create green space in heat-island communities, Capital One is supporting the Arbor Day Foundation and Groundwork RVA with $75,000 in grant funding to plant and distribute roughly 300 trees in affected neighborhoods across Richmond.

“Greenspace and access to fresh food [are] vital to the communities we serve. We are proud to work with Groundwork RVA and the Arbor Day Foundation to help address those needs here in Richmond,” said Andrew Green, Director of Capital One’s Office of Environmental Sustainability.

Together, the three organizations will strive to improve green infrastructure in three areas that have been identified as some of the hottest, least-resourced in Richmond.

Photo courtesy of Capital One

“That coalition is working hard to use resources to mitigate the disparate impacts that those communities have had,” says Rob Jones, Executive Director of Groundwork RVA. “There’s an open conversation in Richmond about how to ameliorate inequities that stem from the direct connection between the discriminatory practice of redlining and the communities impacted by urban heat island effect today.”

The effort began, appropriately, on Earth Day in April of this year when Groundwork RVA’s Green Team and Green Workforce — cohorts of Black and Brown high school students and recent graduates in Richmond — created a volunteer event to plant 50 fruit trees at Sankofa Community Orchard to enhance food access in the city.

The Earth Day project also distributed 50 shade trees to residents.

Members of the Green Team and Green Workforce plan to plant the remaining 250 trees by the end of the year, focusing on neighborhoods in Southside Richmond that have a lot of concrete and a real lack of shade.

The volunteers are also building and maintaining green infrastructure in a variety of ways, including the development of rain gardens, rain capture systems, and permeable pavement.

Several of Groundwork RVA’s participants live in Richmond’s Hillside Court housing project. Volunteers are looking to plant trees in the community to work in tandem with its recently launched mini-farm project to help address the food desert.

“It’s so surreal to see how we can take empty places and turn them into a spot for people to grow food and enjoy the space,” says Darquan Robertson, a Groundwork RVA Green Workforce participant and Hillside Court resident. “I want people in this community to feel like this space is meant for them.”

Photo courtesy of Capital One

Over on Richmond’s Hull Street, the goal is to cool down the neighborhood by filling many of the area’s vacant tree wells with high-quality, shade-producing trees.

Through support from Capital One and the Arbor Foundation, Jones says that Groundwork RVA will be able to purchase equipment, such as a watering truck, needed to sustain its efforts to support the growth of each tree during the two years that follow planting.

“We’re thankful to receive funding from Capital One and the Arbor Day Foundation to plant more trees and build healthier neighborhoods,” Jones said. “This work is not only vital for our communities today but the survival of future generations, especially as we tackle climate change.”

Last year, for the second-year in a row, the Portland Trail Blazers lost in the first round of the playoffs. It prompted a coaching change, with Terry Stotts exiting after nine years and Chauncey Billups taking over. It also prompted a summer of Damian Lillard trade speculation that, as of now, hasn’t led to Lillard actually demanding a trade or being seriously linked to another team.

Roster:

Damian Lillard
C.J. McCollum
Norman Powell
Jusuf Nurkic
Robert Covington III
Larry Nance Jr.
Cody Zeller
Ben McLemore
Anfernee Simons
Greg Brown
Tony Snell
Nassir Little
Patrick Patterson (non-guaranteed)
Dennis Smith Jr. (non-guaranteed)
Quinn Cook (non-guaranteed)
Marquese Chriss (non-guaranteed)

Projected Vegas Win Total: 44.5

Biggest Addition: Larry Nance Jr.

Effectively swapping out Derrick Jones Jr. for Nance is good business by Portland. Nance can play a few positions, can defend, can offer some secondary playmaking, and is a solid, if reluctant, three-pointer. He’s not a co-star for Damian Lillard, but he’s a reliable rotation player that Portland can actually play in the playoffs. They need more of that level of player.

Biggest Loss: Enes Kanter, Carmelo Anthony, and Zach Collins

Kanter, Anthony, and Collins are not irreplaceable. In fact, it’s probable that Nance and Cody Zeller are collectively better than them next year. It’s certainly better to have Nance than Collins, as Collins didn’t play at all last year due to injury. But it’s still an adjustment worth watching for a roster that is otherwise the same.

It’s also possible that Stotts is the biggest loss. Perhaps he was just at the end of his run in Portland and a chance was needed, but he seemingly got the most out of that team every year. Will Billups do the same?

Biggest Question: Are the Trail Blazers meaningfully better?

Portland has reason to think that it’s better now than it was last year, particularly if Billups succeeds as a coach. But are they so much better that they go from being the sixth seed last year — and just barely out of the play-in tournament — to one of the top-four teams in the Western Conference? Even if the Clippers take a step back with Kawhi Leonard out and the Nuggets aren’t at their best without Jamal Murray, the West is loaded. Portland has an uphill battle to fight.

What Makes This Season A Success: A deep playoff run

What Damian Lillard, at age 31, wants drives the Trail Blazers. What he seemingly wants right now to contend and make a real push for an NBA title while he’s still in his prime. If the Blazers cannot do that and at least make a Western Conference Finals run akin to what they did a few years back, then further change might be coming to Portland, whether they like it or not.

What Makes This Season A Failure: Missing the playoffs/only making the play-in

If Portland somehow misses the playoffs or finds itself in the 7-10 range as a play-in tournament team, then this season won’t be what they were hoping for. If the former happens, then everything has gone off the rails perhaps due to a Lillard injury or something else catastrophic. If the latter happens — which feels like a possibility considering how good the West is — then they face an uphill battle to even get out of the first round. Would anyone in Portland be happy with that outcome?

Ashnikko made our rising pop stars list at the beginning of this year, and her fierce, darkly funny sound has continued to unfold throughout 2021. Kicking off with her Demidevil project in January, she’s been busy doing things like starring in her “Slumber Party” video with Princess Nokia and collaborating with Lady Gaga on the Dawn Of Chromatica remix album for a new version of “Plastic Doll.”

Now, she’s back with two brand new singles, and both “Panic Attacks In Paradise” and “Maggots” build on her sound in unexpected ways. Check out her thoughts on writing both singles below.

“‘Panic Attacks In Paradise’ and ‘Maggots’ were both written when I was in a very low place,” she said. “‘PAIP’ is a commentary on how much I was annoying myself at the time. I was healthy and my career was going great. I was in a metaphorical “paradise.” But alas my brain chemistry had other plans. I was an insufferable mess, so obsessed with my own hurt. I was leading it around with me like a rabid dog, letting it bite anyone I came into contact with. Where ‘PAIP’ is soft and forlorn, ‘Maggots’ is pure rage. I’m casting a protective shield of electricity around myself and daring anyone to try to cross it. I’d rather be a raging b*tch than let people take advantage of my kindness. I will take every parasite burrowing its way into my flesh and flatten it under my boots.”

Listen to the softer “Panic Attacks In Paradise” above and the rageful “Maggots” below.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is one of those Republicans who are too hot for Fox News. Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave her with too many other credible outlets to talk to. Perhaps that’s why the controversial congresswoman — last seen bringing Scooby Doo memes to the floor of the House of Representatives — found herself talking to someone who goes by the name “Catturd.”

You might remember this “Catturd” gentleman. His Twitter handle “catturd2” — alas, plain old “catturd” had already been taken — went viral late last year after former president Donald J. Trump re-tweeted three of his posts, all spreading voter fraud misinformation. His Twitter bio describes him as “The impeach 46 turd who talks s*it.” He also writes “parody novels” with names like The Adventures of Cowfart, Literally.

And on Wednesday, Catturd appeared on the same podcast with an elected member of Congress.

It was Greene, though, who seemed starstruck. After being introduced on the show, entitled Patriots In Talk Show, she gushed that she was on the same program as a guy who named himself after animal feces.

“You’re one of my favorite Twitter accounts,” a visibly excited Greene told a beaming Catturd. She added, “I said I’d rather be on Catturd’s podcast than Fox News.”

You can listen to the whole shebang here, all two hours of it, which no doubt offer a window into a strange and disturbing and wacky subset of the far right. Or you could just keep living your life.

(Via Raw Story)

Good news for Mark Hoppus fans! He just announced on Instagram that he is officially cancer free. “Just saw my oncologist and I’m cancer free!!” he wrote on Instagram today. “Thank you God and universe and friends and family and everyone who sent support and kindness and love. Still have to get scanned every six months and it’ll take me until the end of the year to get back to normal but today is an amazing day and I feel so blessed. Can I get a W in the chat?”

Earlier this year the Blink-182 member let fans know that he was battling with the disease, and has been keeping the public informed about his journey along the way. Like plenty of other cancer patients, he lost his hair due to chemotherapy, and debuted a new bald look around the 4th of July. Around September, fans knew that the chemotherapy portion of his treatment had ended, but this new diagnosis is the best possible outcome.

In a potential silver lining, he also shared that the diagnosis helped improve his somewhat tenuous relationship with his bandmate Tom DeLonge. Sometimes the worst moments in life do help people realize what’s most important, so that’s a win for fans and the two musicians alike.

Sending all our hope for a speedy recovery to you, Mark!

The Wonder Years (ABC, 8:30pm) — At the very least, it’s worth tuning into this reimagining to see whether the different perspective (from the Fred Savage-starring original show) will be a successful one or, well, not so much. Savage is executive producing and (sometimes) directing here, and the focus here is on an African-American family and their home base in 1960s Montgomery, Alabama. Don Cheadle narrates as the adult version of Dean (played as a 12-year-old by Elisha “EJ” Williams), who’s not only going through the usual tween ordeals but also the experience of being part of a Southern Black family that’s, of course, navigating vastly different circumstances than the franchise’s white O.G. family. This week, Dean experiences heartbreak and betrayal for the first time, and the grown-ups take their empathy in the wrong direction, which Dean might use to his advantage.

Riverdale (CW, 8:00pm) — Alice’s imaginary musical fantasy world takes center stage, all while attempting to make the Coopers the portrait of happiness again, but mom has different ideas.

Archer (FXX, 10:00pm) — Archer and the gang are attempting to dispense with their enemies, all while a stranger and a scavenger hunt are pivotal elements.

American Horror Story: Double Feature (FXX, 10:00pm) — Deadly conspiracies that have been building for decades swoop in on college students who are taking a camping trip. Never go camping, man.

Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens (Comedy Central, 10:00pm) — Awkwafina’s semi-autobiographical series is deep into its second season, in which she gazes into the future with starry eyes.

The Chestnut Man (Netflix series) — This Danish psychological-thriller series (from The Killing‘s creator) finds its roots in Nordic noir. The story follows police (within a Copenhagen suburb) who discover a brutal murder, which is accompanies by (bizarrely enough) a small figure rendered with chestnuts. That accessory leads to the possibility of a serial killer at hand, which all might be tied to a politician’s daughter’s fate.

No One Gets Out Alive (Netflix film) — A young immigrant woman takes up residence in an American boarding house, which turns out to be a much more terrible deal than it seems. The low price arrives with disturbed tenants and nightmares for all and echoes from the basement, and soon enough, she realizes that the house is evil and a living nightmare, all where screams go unnoticed, including her own.

Sounds Like Love (Netflix film) — This fluffy movie presents a fashion assistant who’s attempting to get over a devastating blow to the heart, all while the man in question keeps surfacing in her life, to screw things up while her best friends are going through similar ordeals. Can they all get their sh*t together? Let’s hope.

What If…? (Disney+ series) — We’re in the multiverse, baby. The MCU’s officially launching headfirst into that realm after Loki‘s season finale. Enjoy this show full of alternate realities that stand separate from the existing canon (thus far), including Agent Carter taking the super-soldier serum, T’Challa materializing as Star Lord, Doctor Strange feeling some real pain, and Black Widow and Nick Fury taking on a murder mystery while Tony Stark eats a donut. Will Tony Stark die again? Knowing this show, probably so.

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Maluma, Michael Gandolfini, Giveon

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Anita Hill, Alessandro Nivola

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Demi Lovato, Neal Brennan, Audrey Nuna Ft. Saba, Nick Baglio

In case you missed these streaming picks from last Wednesday:

Dear White People: Volume 4 (Netflix series) — Enjoy this version of a post-pandemic future while the characters take on senior year look back on their most pivotal year yet. This season’s a 90s-inspired musical event that’s also Afro-futuristic in its bent, all to prove that moving forward often involves the all-important act of looking towards the past.

Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends: Season 1 (Disney+ series) — Spidey completists will dig this collection of stories about Miles Morales and Ghost-Spider, who team up with Spidey to form the Spidey Team. So much Spidey! Also, enjoy Trace the Spider-Bot.

FaZe Clan has built a reputation as a haven for some of the coolest personalities in e-sports, with ties to basketball through LeBron’s son FaZe Bronny and plenty of hype in the ever-growing gaming community. FaZe has always made it clear that their scope stretches well beyond just e-sports or video games, though, with a focus on becoming one of the biggest lifestyle brands in the space.

And that’s not the only space the brand is intent on conquering, as they made clear this week with the announcement of their first musician and gamer, FaZe Kaysan. Check out his introduction video below:

Not content to simply roll out this artist with a walkthrough detailing how cool his every day life is, the company also shared a new song that was co-produced by Kaysan and Wondagurl. And while plenty of hip-hop artists thrive off the collaboration ecosystem, Kaysan is coming out of the gate strong with a pair of rappers on his debut single that plenty of fledgling artists would be thrilled to have co-signs from — Future and Lil Durk. On the production side, Wondagurl was also thrilled to be involved and praised Kaysan’s enthusiasm.

“It was a lot of fun connecting with Kaysan on this project,” WondaGurl said of the track. “He has a great vibe and is super enthusiastic, two things that are really important to me when I’m working with new artists. Kaysan has a vision for himself and is driven to succeed and make his mark.”

HBO is still basking in the glow of The White Lotus, one of the best TV shows of 2021, but there’s big premieres on the horizon: season three of Succession on October 17, and season 11 of Curb Your Enthusiasm and season five of Insecure on October 24.

It’s also the final season of Issa Rae’s Emmy-nominated series about glowin’ up and growin’ up, which “continues to follow our favorite characters as they evaluate their relationships, both new and old, in an effort to figure out who and what comes with them in this next phase of their lives,” according to HBO. You can watch the trailer above.

“To sum it up in three words: grounded, growth, and legacy,” Rae told Vogue when asked what fans can expect in season five. “When I started, I knew when it would end and the space the characters would be in, but didn’t know the ending — I’m excited for people to see it.” She added that she’s “flattered that people think I’m an idiot for ending it. Without a doubt, it was mostly positive feedback and I’m going to miss the show.”

Insecure, which also stars, Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell, Amanda Seales, Kendrick Sampson, and Courtney Taylor, returns to HBO on October 24.