Category: News

If there’s one thing Donald Trump Jr. is consistent about, it’s being inconsistent. Which is why the human flip-flop’s recent attempted Twitter takedown of Joe Biden has even the fiercest animal advocates (read: me) laughing at the level of inane hypocrisy.

What makes this meme yet another embarrassing misstep for the former president’s equally dumb-as-a-bag-of-hammers son? Well, as Wonkette reports, first there’s the fact that Jr. is gasping like Blanche DuBois over a series of viral images showing dogs in cages at Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, which were being falsely shared as photos of military dogs being heartlessly discarded as part of Joe Biden’s order to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. They were not. In an effort to clear up the questions surrounding these images, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby told Defense One:

“To correct erroneous reports, the U.S. military did not leave any dogs in cages at Hamid Karzai International Airport, to include the reported ‘military working dogs.’ Photos circulating online were animals under the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue.”

Kabul Small Animal Rescue is an animal clinic and rescue organization that has been working tirelessly to help evacuate the pets of those people leaving Afghanistan for the past year. And also working hard to set the record straight about the no-context images people are sharing on social media.

But what makes any part of this news-worthy, as it relates to Don Jr., is all the false pearl-clutching he’s doing despite being a proud—and well-documented—slaughterer of wild animals for sport. Donald and his brother Eric made headlines around the world when disturbing photos of them posing proudly with all the animals they killed (or paid someone else to kill so they could pose with) during a trip to Zimbabwe. And if you’ve ever wondered where your tax money goes, One Green Planet wants to make sure you know that in 2019, $77,000 of it went to pay for secret service for the then-president’s adult son to travel to Mongolia in order to murder an argali sheep. Put another way: Nearly $80,000 of Americans’ hard-earned money went to ensuring that no harm came to the president’s forty-something son while he gleefully killed an innocent (and very rare) animal for the ‘gram.

(Via Wonkette)

For all of you still humming “Bezoooos, Jeffrey Bezooooos” and “A white woman’s Instagram…,” well, I have some good news: The songs from Bo Burnham‘s Emmy-nominated Netflix special, Bo Burnham: Inside, are coming to vinyl and CD on December 3. According to a press release, the limited-edition vinyl for Inside (The Songs) will be exclusively sold at Target, Urban Outfitters, and certain indie retailers.

Inside (The Songs) impressively held a spot in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 for six non-consecutive weeks. Also, back in July, Billboard reported that “Bezos I” and “Bezos II” saw increased streams in the wake of the Amazon founder’s trip to space. Bezos’ flight took place on July 20, and on July 20 and 21, “Bezos I” earned 1.4 million on-demand streams in the US, up 22 percent from 1.2 million during the two days before the launch, July 18 and 19. “Bezos II” also experienced a jump as it went from 263,000 to 304,000. Together, the two songs were streamed 1.7 million times on July 20 and 21, up 21 percent from the 1.5 million streams on July 18 and 19.

When the actor, director, and comedian originally announced Bo Burnham: Inside, he simply tweeted: “Hi. i made a new special. it was filmed by me, alone, without a crew or an audience, over the course of the past year. it is almost finished. i hope you like it,” along with a video of himself playing the piano. He added, “For those asking how i filmed the first shot alone, i didn’t. that shot is from the end of my last special, five years ago.”

Burnham’s last two specials, 2013’s what. and 2016’s Make Happy, were both released on Netflix. Since then, Burnham wrote and directed Eighth Grade; starred in The Big Sick; and appeared as a subversively dickish nice guy in Promising Young Woman.

Inside (The Songs) will be available on limited-edition CD and vinyl on 12/3 via Imperial/Republic Records. Stream it here.

As Drake fans have noticed, the rapper has been putting up billboards in various cities promoting the impending release of his album Certified Lover Boy. But right after the Certified Lover Boy promo appeared, Kanye put up a number of Donda billboards in Drake’s hometown city of Toronto, seemingly trolling the rapper. But it now seems as though Kanye is waiting for Drake’s album to drop to see if reigniting their beef is worthwhile.

According to a report from TMZ, the Donda rapper’s manager, Bu Thiam, says that things are “cool” between Ye and Drake as of now. But that could all changed depending on the content of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy album. If Drake opts to take some shots at Kanye on any of the songs off his upcoming album, then Ye would “almost certainly” have to reply.

TMZ recently caught up with Thiam at LAX, who spoke to the situation. “Listen, it’s two creatives taking jabs at each other but it did get rectified,” Thiam said. “We’ll see. [Drake’s] album comes out, I think in a couple days, Friday, so depending on what he says on his album. We’ll see.”

Certified Lover Boy officially drops on Friday, and Drake has shared which collaborators are set to appear on the album. So far, the rapper has confirmed features from Jay-Z, Young Thug, Future, 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Giveon, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Durk, Yebba, and Project Pat.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Without question, LeVar Burton’s work on Reading Rainbow has made him a beloved figure to millions of people thanks to his 26-year run on the PBS series dedicated to promoting childhood literacy. The show became a staple for teachers who made it the most watched PBS program in classrooms, outpacing even Sesame Street. Now, Reading Rainbow is getting the full documentary treatment thanks to XTR Studios, which calls this “milestone in television history” more important than ever in “our current era of distance learning.”

Titled Butterfly in the Sky, the Reading Rainbow documentary will be directed by Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb, according to The Hollywood Reporter:

The film will feature archival footage and interviews with Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton along with the major broadcasters, educators, and filmmakers involved in the show that encouraged a love of books and reading among children.

News of the documentary arrives as Burton comes off a guest hosting stint on Jeopardy! that was the direct byproduct of an overwhelming fan campaign calling on Sony Pictures Television to make him Alex Trebek’s successor. His fans argued that Burton educational work on Reading Rainbow made him the perfect candidate to host the once-revered quiz show.

While Burton ultimately didn’t get the top Jeopardy! job thanks to an increasingly frustrating situation involving Mike Richards, who was recently fired as executive producer after attempting to make himself the new host, Burton handled the situation with humility and graciously thanked everyone for the outpouring of love.

Although, he may have had a little cheeky fun when Richards was forced to step down. The man’s only human.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

This article originally appeared on 05.12.15

In this hilarious and enlightening new animated video from Blue Seat Studios, consensual sex is explained in a way that everyone can understand. By replacing sex with a cup of tea, this crudely drawn short offers a clear picture of what “saying yes” looks like.

The script for this video came from blogger Rockstar Dinosaur Pirate Princess, previously reported here.

This article originally appeared on 03.04.15

In this video from the Ad Council, they brilliantly use an X-ray screen to show couples as skeletons in love, but it’s when they reveal the true identities of the people that they really pull at the old heartstrings. Apparently love really is blind, and it only takes a few creepy bone people to prove it.

Watch:

Love Has No Labels | Diversity & Inclusion | Ad Council

youtu.be

This article originally appeared on 08.16.18

Lately, art history majors have become something of a pop culture punching bag. Not only has the phrase become short-hand for “unemployable in today’s economy,” they’ve also been ridiculed by President Barack Obama on national television. But will the gentle art of aesthetic study finally get the last laugh?

Middle Earth Organics is known for their organic pasta sauces, each label featuring a famous Italian painting. While this would normally be an NBD, the painting they chose for their tomato and porcini mushroom sauce has been stirring up controversy online.

The woman in the painting above is not staring with intense concentration at a pot of delicious, simmering sugo.

The image is “Judith Beheading Holofernes,” a painting by Caravaggio. Judith, seen above, is not making an al dente delight. Judith is cutting off some dude’s head.

As 11points.com noted, “That unfortunate painting selection could’ve been avoided if they’d just hired an art history major.” You heard it here folks. Pasta sauce companies: the future of global arts employment.

This article originally appeared on 09.12.17

High school is tough enough for the average 17-year-old girl. Anyone who stands out is a target for whispers and hushed laughter in the in hallways or, at worst, public ridicule. That’s why Maddie Cable, 17, from Charlotte, North Carolina, was less than enthusiastic after being told she needed to wear a large plastic brace to school for at least six weeks.

Cable was in a car accident with her mother in November, and she fractured her T12 vertebra. After doctors stabilized it with rods and pins, Maddie was fitted with the massive brace.

Via Facebook

“At first, I felt very self-conscious about the brace,” Cable said. Then her friend Sarah Chako had the brilliant idea of turning the bland-looking brace into a badass steampunk armor corset using metallic spray paint, gear-shaped stencils, acrylic paint, and metal framing trim. Steampunk is a sci-fi/retro style that combines futuristic steam-powered designs and American “Wild West” aesthetics.

Via Facebook

“I enjoy wearing it now,” Cable said. “It makes me feel more confident.” Her mother is pleased, too. “People are initiating conversation instead of just staring,” Cable’s mom, Linda, told HuffPost. “She feels like they see her, and not just her injury.”

Cable’s story is a great example of what you can do with some creative thinking, good friends, and steampunk power. She turned a depressing situation into an opportunity to express herself.

This article originally appeared on 08.14.18

When Bobby Wesson posted a love letter to his wife on Facebook under a beautiful photo of her sleeping next to their son, he must have known she would love it. What he couldn’t have known was that it would go completely viral, and now more than 680,000 other people love it, too.

In Wesson’s touching letter, he applauds his wife’s dedication to her work as a nurse and all the love and sacrifice she puts into that difficult job every day. His final line perfectly sums up his feelings: “My wife is a nurse. My wife is a hero.”

Check out the beautiful photo and complete letter below.

This is my wife taking a nap. In an hour she will wake up, put on her scrubs and get ready for work.

The tools and items she needs to perform her job will be gathered and checked meticulously—her hair and makeup will be done quickly. She will complain that she looks awful. I will disagree, emphatically, and get her a cup of coffee.

She will sit on the couch with her legs crossed under her and try to drink it while happily playing with the toddler that’s crawling all over her.

She will occasionally stare off blankly as we talk; silently steeling herself for the coming shift. She thinks I don’t notice.

She will kiss the baby, she will kiss me and she will leave to go take care of people that are having the worst day of their entire lives. Car wrecks, gunshot wounds, explosions, burns and breaks – professionals, poor, pastors, addicts and prostitutes—mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and families—it doesn’t matter who you are or what happened to you.

She will take care of you.

She will come home 14 hours later and remove shoes that have walked through blood, bile, tears and fire from aching feet and leave them outside.

Sometimes she will not want to talk about it. Sometimes she can’t wait to talk about it. Sometimes she will laugh until she cries and sometimes she will just cry – but regardless of those sometimes she will be on time for her next shift.

My wife is a nurse. My wife is a hero.

Conservative commentator Candace Owens is usually feuding with pop stars, including Harry Styles, Demi Lovato, and Cardi B (who infamously once said, “I gave that bitch 2 million followers”), but lately, her ire has been directed elsewhere: the coronavirus.

She proudly tweeted that she’s unvaccinated while referring to herself as a “scientific marvel,” frequently rails against mask mandates, and labeled the vaccine “pure evil.” But Owens is apparently worried enough about catching COVID (which she called a “communist attempt to kill the middle class” and “the greatest political scam in the history of the world”) that she went to get tested — and got denied.

Owens tweeted that she “just received an e-mail from a Covid testing facility that they are REFUSING to administer a test to me because they don’t like my politics.” The email, which the Daily Beast identifies as being from Colorado-based lab owner Suzanna Lee, reads, “I’ve just learned of this testing request and as the owner of this business am going to refuse this booking and deny service. We cannot support anyone who has pro-actively worked to make this pandemic worse by spreading misinformation, politicizing, and DISCOURAGING the wearing of masks and actively dissuading people from receiving life-saving vaccinations.” It continues:

“My team and myself have worked overtime, to exhaustion, unpaid and underpaid this past year, spending our own capital to ensure that our community remains protected. It would be unfair to them and to the sacrifices we have all made this year to serve you”

Here’s the full message:

If Owens was hoping to garner sympathy, her plan backfired:

(Via the Daily Beast)