Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Republican Rep. Steve Scalise Got Vaccinated After Seeing The Delta Variant Numbers: ‘It’s Safe And Effective’

After months of saying he’ll eventually get the COVID vaccine, Republican congressman Steve Scalise got jabbed this past Sunday as he joins a host of conservative voices who have made a dramatic reversal on vaccination in light of the Delta variant. In a much needed public display, Scalise cited the rising case numbers from the Delta variant as the main factor for his decision, and he praised the process as “safe and effective” while knocking down conspiracy theories that the vaccine has been rushed. Via The New Orleans Advocate:

“It’s safe and effective,” Scalise said, noting he supported funding that allowed the Trump administration to fast-track the process. “It was heavily tested on thousands of people before the FDA gave its approval. Some people believe that it might have been rushed. That’s not the case. I’ve been vocal about that for months. I know their process has high standards. The FDA approval process is probably the most respected in the world.”

Scalise also revealed that his hesitancy to get the vaccine stemmed from the fact that he tested positive for COVID antibodies “a while back” and believed he was already immune. However, when he saw the numbers that “90% of people in hospitals” with COVID are unvaccinated, he said, “That’s another signal the vaccine works.”

While Scalise has joined Fox News personalities like Sean Hannity and Steve Doocy who have been encouraging people to get the vaccine, the congressman stopped short of endorsing a vaccine mandate.

(Via NOLA)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

‘Ted Lasso’s’ Brendan Hunt On Season Two, Alex Morgan Shoutouts, And Coach Beard’s Origin Story

Ted Lasso sports one of comedy’s more interesting origin stories.

Its genesis was a commercial gimmick NBC counted on to drive interest in its newly acquired Premier League scheduling back in 2013. Its present iteration is a half-hour streaming dramedy, filled with homespun humor and salt-of-the-earth characters that win it countless Emmys, Golden Globes, and, most recently, a Peabody Award. The evolution of Ted Lasso — like Ted Lasso himself — is the story of an underdog with good intentions, one that manages to completely exceed expectations.

And it continues in the show’s highly-anticipated second season, as Jason Sudekis’ titular coach tries to earn his English club some respect, on the pitch and off. New arrivals, familiar foes, and the introduction of an alter-ego known simply as Led Tasso all make the highlight reel for season two (we’ve seen the first four episodes) but the core of the show remains the same. It’s a story about friendship, perseverance, and the power of a perfectly baked biscuit.

UPROXX chatted with Coach Beard himself, actor/writer Brendan Hunt, to figure out the secret sauce of season two, dive into his love of the game we call soccer (it’s futbol everywhere else), and finally get to the bottom of a central mystery: Just what the hell is Beard’s real name, anyhow?

Congratulations. A Peabody Award is huge. I think, more importantly, Alex Morgan did a Ted Lasso dance after scoring a goal last month.

That is the correct order of importance.

Right. I was going to say is there one you point to and you’re like, ‘I think we made it now.’?

I don’t know. A Peabody Award is so mature. I think when I was a kid, I probably wasn’t dreaming of a Peabody Award, but I might have been dreaming of athletes I respect doing celebrations that I helped invent. So yeah, definitely Alex Morgan.

This show is still being discovered and talked about a year after it launched, which is unheard of in this streaming era. Why do you think that is?

I wish I knew. I think one is just the pace of it. We very intentionally take our time with the show and we have since the pilot. Comedy, sitcoms especially, have gotten faster and faster over the last, I don’t know, decade. I’m spit-balling here, but network sitcoms are down to 22 minutes so they’re just trying to fit in enough to make a story [and] 22 minutes is not a lot of time. We had the luxury of streaming to let the episode be as long as the story needs it. We let moments breathe. We have grace notes, as Jason is very fond of saying. I don’t know how many shows are doing that and are still funny. That might be one of the things that make us stand out. I don’t think it’s enough to explain the onslaught of positive tweets we so much appreciate, but I think it’s part of the recipe.

You also had a weekly release schedule which is unusual for streaming these days.

I think the only people who were mad about it not coming out all at once is people who’d gotten really used to watching everything all at once. I don’t think that’s the majority of people, and I don’t think that means it’s the best way to do it. I think coming out week by week was a huge positive for the show. It didn’t hurt Game of Thrones none either.

For season two, how did you balance the sunny, optimistic humor the show is known for with some of the tougher storytelling these characters need to grow?

One is that we just know what the arcs of these characters are. We know where they’re going. So that’s down the road. But then way back at the beginning, the central kernel of the beginning of this show is a premise that is screwball ridiculous, absolutely insane. An absolutely insane thing that would have never, never happened.

So because it’s so ridiculous and because we prefer to work at the height of our intelligence, we had to then play [it] as straight as possible, and then by extension of that, make the characters in it as real as possible. So those two things together just make it kind of organic for there to be this push-pull between a comedy side and an emotional side. I think we have a writing staff of people who all enjoy playing with that tension.

I’ve written a couple of plays that are comedies but that have emotional moments too. It keeps the audience off-balance in a really wonderful way. You can make the audience almost hold their breath for a moment in a way that you don’t necessarily get from a straight comedy. So one thing that does is, when the laugh finally comes along, it’s not just a laugh, it’s a release. That release, especially several releases over the course of a half-hour, can be a very healthy thing.

There was this really lovely interview that Ashley Nicole Black gave about her love for Coach Beard and the role he plays on the show. How does that role evolve in season 2?

Boy, that piece. I did not know that was coming, by the way, and then suddenly there it was. That was lovely. It was so lovely that I have forgotten the question that came at the end of that.

Does Beard’s role in his friendship with Ted change in season two?

I think I can tell you confidently with no spoilers that it doesn’t really change in season two, because he’s rock steady. His role is to fill in Ted’s gaps without anyone knowing that that’s what he’s doing, which is why it starts with getting on a plane with a book about the rules of soccer and learning soccer as quickly as possible because he knows Ted’s never going to fill that gap. Then another gap that Ted will have later is Ted not quite realizing how professional sports are different than amateur sports, and the results are important, and that that’s, as he says, okay. But yeah, his role is to fill in Ted’s gaps and to be a little bit Navy SEAL stealthy about it. Maybe he used to be a Navy SEAL. Oh, I’m going to write that down.

There’s so much mystique around Coach Beard that, that kind of leads to my next question Is Coach Beard his real name?

We don’t know yet. We just don’t know.

Come on.

Until it’s uttered by someone on camera, we’re all just speculating. Is his name Beard? Does he just have a beard? Is he Ted’s beard? There’s just a lot of options. I don’t want to commit to anything.

You and Jason recently announced the roster for the U.S. Women’s Olympic team. I assume that means you’re pulling for them this year. How did that come about?

I really get up for the women’s team in tournaments. In fact, the World Cup final two years ago, we had the whole writer’s room come to the bar with us. These are not really soccer fans, particularly so we say that the women’s team is part of the origin story. But how did that come about? They reached out to Jason, asking if he would like to do that thing, and Jason, as he often does, was like, ‘It would be more fun if I had company.’ It was a bit slap-dash, a little bit thrown together. But it was fun. Julie Foudy, I think she tweeted, ‘Best announcement ever.’

Probably the best review you could hope for.

Yeah, thank you, Julie.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Stephen Colbert Had Issues With Fox News Host Brian Kilmeade Equating Not Getting Vaccinated To… Cliff Diving?

After more than a year of being trapped inside and being forced to take up bread-baking as a hobby, it’s hardly surprising that Americans are Hulk-smashing down their doors to spend time within mere inches of actual human beings again. But it’s worth remembering that less than half of all Americans have been fully vaccinated against COVID, which is why cases are on the rise again in all 50 states. On Tuesday’s episode of The Late Show, host Stephen Colbert pointed out that “all the anti-vax propaganda on Fox News is not helping” and took particular issue with Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade.

You may recall that, just a few weeks ago, Kilmeade bizarrely claimed that Mein Kampf was part of his high school’s reading curriculum. Which, if true, would make his stance on COVID vaccinations far less surprising. After declaring that it’s not the government’s job to protect its citizens from a deadly virus that has already taken the lives of more than 600,000 people in the U.S. alone, Kilmeade turned COVID into a matter of personal freedom… then compared it to cliff diving.

“If you didn’t get a vaccination, that’s your choice,” Kilmeade said. “And if you want to go cliff diving this weekend, you don’t have to check with me! It seems a little dangerous, but I’m not going to judge you.” When Kilmeade’s co-host Steve Doocy, who is rarely the voice of reason, helpfully pointed out that “99 percent of the people who are dying from COVID are unvaccinated,” Kilmeade — who is vaccinated, by the way — didn’t hesitate in again declaring that “that’s their choice.” None of this computed for Colbert:

“So the brown-haired guy believes that being unvaccinated and maskless is the same as being a thrill-seeker who jumps off of cliffs. Well, that analogy does work if you first strap that cliff jumper to a group of old people.”

You can watch the full clip above.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

‘The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf’ Teaser Shows Off A More Dashing Monster Hunter (Than Geralt) Taking On… Zombies?

Geralt of Rivia might be the grumpiest beloved character on Netflix, but Vesemir’s younger years bring a whole other vibe for The Witcher franchise on Netflix. He seems, I don’t know, happy? And very non-grunty. For fans of The Witcher series on Netflix, that’s an intriguing development. This would be the teaser trailer for the franchise’s anime prequel movie, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which will help bridge the waiting gap between seasons.

The film gives Vesemir, who is Geralt’s mentor, an origin story. That’s especially relevant because The Witcher Season 2 will include the grown Vesemir, portrayed by Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve‘s mischievous Constantine). His take on the character shall undoubtedly be worth remembering, but in this anime, Theo James takes on the dashing version of the not-quite O.G. monster hunter. We see him slay all manner of menaces, including what appears to be an army of the undead.

This looks like a good time, bard or no bard. From the film’s synopsis:

The world of The Witcher expands in this anime origin story: Before Geralt, there was his mentor Vesemir — a swashbuckling young witcher who escaped a life of poverty to slay monsters for coin. But when a strange new monster begins terrorizing a politically-fraught kingdom, Vesemir finds himself on a frightening adventure that forces him to confront the demons of his past.

The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich co-wrote the film, along with Beau de Mayo. Han Kwang II is in the director’s seat, and Vesemir is voiced by Theo James. This film should go a long way to quench some fandom thirst before Season 2 arrives on December 17 (put it on the calendar). Meanwhile, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf will stream on August 23, only on Netflix.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Offset And Cardi B Had Their First Date At A Historic Sporting Event

Cardi B and Offset are one of the biggest power couples in music, and it turns out their their relationship started in an appropriately huge way.

Offset was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night, and he told guest host Anthony Anderson that his and Cardi’s first date was at a historic sporting event, saying, “My first date, I went big. I wanted to do something that was not normally done, you know what I’m saying? I wanted to have fun, and not so serious… enjoyable time. So I took her to the Super Bowl.”

The game in question was 2017’s Super Bowl LI. Sports fans know that game well, as it’s the one where Tom Brady and the New England Patriots famously overcame a 28-3 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons and pull off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.

Offset said he lost $10,000 betting on that game, but there was a silver lining: “I lost $10,000 that night, too. You know what I won? My wife!”

Elsewhere during the conversation, Anderson tried to find out the name of the couple’s upcoming child, but Offset said it’s still a “mystery.”

Check out the full conversation above.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

The ‘Twilight’ Movies Are Dominating Netflix’s Most-Watched List

Like a different kind of vampire, the Twilight movies are sucking the energy out of Netflix’s most-watched list. The vampire series, starring Kristen Stewart as Bella, Robert Pattinson as Edward, and the creepiest CGI baby that you ever did see as Renesmee, was recently added to the streaming service, where it’s dominating the top 10.

Netflix’s most-watched title in the U.S. as of Wednesday morning is something called Virgin River, which isn’t a Twilight movie but sounds like it could be, followed by the new season of Mindy Kaling’s excellent Never Have I Ever then the original Twilight at #3. The Twilight Saga: New Moon is #5, while The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 is #7, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is #8, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is #9. There are only (only?) five Twilight movies, and they’re all in the Netflix top 10.

You know what’s not in the top 10 because it’s clogged with sparkly vampires? Gunpowder Milkshake, the fun beat-him-up action movie with Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Carla Gugino, Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, and Paul Giamatti, or any of the Fear Street movies, or the new season of Tim Robinson’s brilliant sketch series I Think You Should Leave. Remember earlier when I said Virgin River would be an excellent alternate title for Twilight? That’s still true, but an even better one is Coffin Flops.

Also, if you have never seen any of the Twilight movies and want to watch the best one, go straight to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. It’s wild.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

The USWNT Got Hammered By Sweden, 3-0, In Its Olympic Opener For Its First Loss In 44 Matches

The USWNT failed to medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. After getting through group play, the Americans ran into Sweden, which beat them in penalties in the first match of the knockout round. A chance for redemption presented itself on Wednesday, when the two sides kicked off group play in Tokyo, but once again, the Swedes picked up a win.

This time, it was an emphatic 3-0 victory for Sweden, which snapped the USWNT’s 44-match winning streak and handed them their first loss since France beat them in a friendly in 2019. Forward Stina Blackstenius started the scoring in the 25th minute by burying a stellar cross from Sofia Jakobsson, which marked all of the scoring in the game’s first 45, although Rose Lavelle hit the post for the Americans just before heading into the locker room.

But instead of that chance shaking the Swedes, Blackstenius struck again less than 10 minutes into the second half. A headed effort on a corner by Amanda Ilestedt beat American keeper Alyssa Naeher but could not beat the post. By the time it landed to Blackstenius, she was totally unmarked, and while Naeher tried to challenge her, it was all for naught.

The moment where it perhaps became evident for the U.S. that it was not their day came in the 71st minute, when Megan Rapinoe threaded a pass to Christen Press, who was totally unmarked at the edge of the 6-yard box and had a completely open net. She couldn’t quite get her feet right, causing the ball to come off her feet awkwardly and hit the post, and a little more than 90 seconds later, Lina Hurtig, who came in for Blackstenius, sealed things with a header that found the back of the net.

While the Swedes are the No. 5 team in the world, the Americans were viewed as the clear-cut favorites to win this result. Now, they’re facing a major uphill battle to even win their group. They’ll need to beat both New Zealand (July 24) and Australia (July 27) emphatically, then hope one of them beats Sweden, then hope the goal differential in group play is so stark that they can secure the top spot. More likely, they’ll finish in second place and have a slightly different path to the Final — if they make it, of course — than originally planned.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Dolly Parton Recreated Her ‘Playboy’ Cover For #HotGirlSummer And Megan Thee Stallion Approves

Dolly Parton is basically a superhero at this point. Last year, she donated millions to help create one of the Covid-19 vaccines, made clear her support for Black Lives Matter, and even recently launched an ice cream flavor with the beloved Jeni’s.

Today, she decided it was time to remind the world that even at her age, she’s still got what it takes to rock a Playboy cover. Recreating her iconic, vintage cover for her husband Carl’s birthday, Dolly strutted her stuff in a tiny black teddy. She joked about how her body has outlasted the publication’s ability to release a print cover.

“Remember sometime back I said I was going to pose on Playboy magazine when I was 75?” Dolly asked in the social media clip. “Well, I’m 75, and they don’t have a magazine anymore. But, my husband always loved the original cover of Playboy, so I was trying to think of something to do to make him happy. He still thinks I’m a hot chick after fifty-seven years, and I’m not going to try to talk him out of that.” Clearly, this married couple is doing something right.

Don’t worry, she’s already gotten a co-sign from the patron saint of #HotGirlSummer herself, who quickly dubbed the country icon “Hot Girl Dolly”:

And since Megan just graced the cover of Sports Illustrated herself this week, she knows what she’s talking about. So no, there’s nothing Dolly can’t do.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Giannis After The Bucks Title Win: ‘I Could’ve Gone To A Superteam…This Is The Hard Way’

Less than a year ago, the Milwaukee Bucks exited the second round of the NBA Playoffs in disappointing fashion, losing to the Miami Heat in five games in the Bubble, and all of the talk about the Bucks for the next few months was about whether they would be able to hold on to Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The two-time MVP chose to sign his supermax contract to stay in Milwaukee, promising to eventually bring a championship to the place that drafted him, and on Tuesday night he delivered on that with an all-time performance in a Game 6 win over the Suns, scoring 50 points to wow the NBA world and earn his first championship. Afterwards, many quickly pointed out that this was a win for small markets, as a star stayed at home rather than searching to team up with another star and was rewarded with a title.

This wasn’t lost on Giannis himself, and when asked about winning a championship in Milwaukee after re-signing and what that meant to him, he didn’t hold back in noting that he did it “the hard way.”

Now, there are never really “easy” championships, but stars can certainly stack the odds in their favor to win one. Giannis, for all the flack he’s received after the last two early exits for the Bucks, has earned the right to pound his chest a bit and talk his talk here, though, and you can see how much it means to him to prove those who thought he couldn’t get it done leading the way in Milwaukee wrong. The superteam discourse and “does this ring mean more than others” talk is, sadly, inevitable, but you can’t blame Giannis for pounding the table, literally, for himself in this moment.

The Finals MVP’s postgame was filled with some tremendous moments,from his excitement in talking about how he and Khris Middleton made this happen to his guttural scream when Malika Andrews noted all three Antetokounmbros are now NBA champions, as well as getting emotional talking about what he hopes this can mean to kids around the world.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

The Nets And Lakers Opened As Betting Favorites To Win The 2022 NBA Championship

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks won four straight games over the Phoenix Suns to secure the 2021 NBA championship, finishing off the series victory in Game 6 on Tuesday evening. While there is plenty of time to praise Antetokounmpo for his brilliance and celebrate Milwaukee’s accomplishments, it is also never too early to look ahead to the 2021-22 campaign. In fact, some betting outlets put together title odds that were ready to roll out as the offseason begins.

Though the Bucks project to “run it back” with a loaded roster in an effort to repeat, the folks at William Hill Sportsbook actually list the Brooklyn Nets (+225) and Los Angeles Lakers (+400) as betting favorites to win the 2022 crown. The Nets famously came within a whisker of knocking off the Bucks, even while short-handed, and the Lakers are the 2020 champions with LeBron James and Anthony Davis projected to return healthy and motivated next season. From there, the Bucks have the third-best odds (+900), but there are some other notable contenders on the list.

Many will have their eyebrows raised by the presence of the Golden State Warriors (+1000) as the team with the fourth-best odds. The Warriors fell short in the play-in after winning only 39 games, but Golden State could push their chips into the middle on the trade market and Klay Thompson is on track to return after missing the entire 2020-21 campaign. Elsewhere, the Phoenix Suns (+1500) have the same odds as the Utah Jazz after Utah finished atop the West in the regular season and Phoenix made its run to the 2021 NBA Finals.

Things will undoubtedly change in the coming weeks as the draft and free agency loom. However, the betting market never sleeps, and here is the full list of odds from top to bottom.

Brooklyn Nets +225
Los Angeles Lakers +400
Milwaukee Bucks +900
Golden State Warriors +1000
Phoenix Suns +1500
Utah Jazz +1500
Philadelphia 76ers +1800
Los Angeles Clippers +2000
Denver Nuggets +2500
Atlanta Hawks +3000
Dallas Mavericks +3000
Miami Heat +3000
Boston Celtics +5000
Portland Trail Blazers +5000
New York Knicks +6000
Indiana Pacers +8000
Memphis Grizzlies +8000
New Orleans Pelicans +8000
Toronto Raptors +8000
Charlotte Hornets +10000
Chicago Bulls +10000
Washington Wizards +10000
Sacramento Kings +25000
San Antonio Spurs +25000
Minnesota Timberwolves +30000
Orlando Magic +30000
Cleveland Cavaliers +50000
Detroit Pistons +50000
Houston Rockets +50000
Oklahoma City Thunder +50000