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If there’s one thing a determined parent will do, it’s make sure their kid is getting their needs met. Even if that means they have to reinvent the wheel to do it. Rachel Griffin Accurso, or as parents across TikTok and YouTube know her, Ms. Rachel, found herself without any real options for additional resources to help her toddler who was diagnosed with a speech delay.

Accurso was looking for a developmentally appropriate show for her son but she wasn’t having any luck. That’s when she decided to take her teaching degree and get to work on creating her own show. It became a family business when she teamed up with her husband, Broadway composer Aron Accurso, who has been there every step of the way. He’s even in the episodes singing along.

“Songs for Littles” has infiltrated homes across America. If you have a toddler and internet access, you’ve likely heard of it. The show has more than a billion views on YouTube. Yes, that’s billion, with a “B.” Ms. Rachel also has more than 19 million likes on TikTok and has speech pathologists everywhere singing her praises.

Accurso is intentional with all of her videos, doing close-ups on her mouth when introducing new words and pausing to “hear” responses from her viewers after asking a question. In her interview with Today, Accurso admitted, “A lot of things I teach are things I wish I had known for my son.” She explained that everything she does is backed by research and is recorded in her small apartment in front of a green screen.

Parents on TikTok often upload videos thanking Accurso or showing off the skill their child learned from watching her show. The journalist who interviewed “Ms. Rachel” for Today even got to record an episode of “Songs for Littles” with her.

Check out the cute video below:

This article originally appeared on 01.10.23

For years, college football fans have turned on their televisions on a Saturday morning to check out the College GameDay crew. If they flip it on early enough, they’ve been greeted by Big & Rich, who have let fans know that GameDay is comin’ to your city.

That changed this year, as GameDay announced in the lead-up to the season that a trio of artists have taken over the theme song duties. In a video posted to the show’s official Twitter account earlier this week, Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson, and Cadillac Three revealed that they’ll put their own spin on “Comin’ To Your City,” and on Saturday morning, we got our first taste of the new track.

While this Saturday’s college football slate isn’t exactly the most exciting in the history of the sport — it is Week 1, after all — the GameDay crew is unsurprisingly down at the biggest game of the weekend. While they’re not on a college campus, the show made its way to Charlotte for a battle between North Carolina and South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium. It’s a matchup of two Power 5 teams with high-powered offenses and two of the nation’s most prominent quarterbacks in Drake Maye of the Tar Heels and Spencer Rattler of the Gamecocks.

Singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett, known for his breezy country-influenced pop hits, died this Friday. The news was confirmed in a statement on his official website.

“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music, and dogs,” read the statement. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”

Known for hits like “Margaritaville,” “Cheeseburger In Paradise,” and “Come Monday,” Buffett’s music was often attributed to an “island escapism” form of sound, which continued throughout most of Buffett’s career. Another one of these hits was 2003’s “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere,” a duet with Alan Jackson. Fans of Buffett often called themselves “parrotheads” and wore Hawaiian-style shirts to his performances.

The song “Margaritaville,” itself, inspired Buffett to open similarly themed restaurants and hotels in Florida, New York City, and Las Vegas.

In a very quick blink-and-you-miss-it moment in the 2015 film Jurassic World, Buffett is seen escaping a resort with two margaritas in hand as dinosaurs run amok.

At the time of writing, a cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

According to Variety, Buffett is survived by his second wife Jane, their two daughters, Sarah and Savannah, and son, Cameron.

During Beyoncé’s Renaissance show tonight as the first of her Los Angeles dates at SoFi Stadium, she brought DJ Khaled as a special guest to entertain and energize the crowd before her set even started.

And he too had some surprises in store. During DJ Khaled’s set, he brought out even more famous faces, including 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, Roddy Ricch, Coi Leray, Offset, and Lil Wayne, to perform with him.

DJ Khaled treated the audience to some of his biggest songs, including “All I Do Is Win.” Wiz Khalifa played “Young, Wild, & Free,” as the two sung along to the carefree track.

Later on in the set, Leray performed her hit song, “Players,” which got a boost in popularity through TikTok. (She was also an Uproxx cover star.)

Fans attending Beyoncé’s SoFi Stadium show tomorrow (Sept. 2) will also get a chance to see DJ Khaled as an opening act — possibly with new and/or returning special guests to join him. He had first revealed the news through Instagram.

“I’m telling you now GET THERE AT 7 PM!” DJ Khaled captioned his post from earlier this afternoon. “Trust me! History in the making!”

Check out some more clips from DJ Khaled’s opening set at Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour below.

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

Niall Horan has unveiled additional tour dates in UK and Ireland to meet demand for his upcoming world tour — in support of Horan’s album, The Show.

The new shows will be held in August and September, with tickets going on sale on Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. BST. There will also be an early presale on Sept. 6, with more information available on his website.

“My favourite thing in the world is being on tour,” he said. “Performing my songs for my fans and sharing those incredible moments together are the reason why I write music in the first place.”

“There’s nothing better than watching the crowd sing back to you, with all that emotion on their faces and knowing that they’re attaching the song to something meaningful in their own lives,” Horan added. “To me, that’s always the greatest thing that can ever come from songwriting.”

Horan also teased that Mexico, South America, and Asia will have show dates in the future.

Continue scrolling for the complete list of Niall Horan’s tour dates.

2/21/24 – Belfast, UK @ SSE Arena Belfast
2/23/24 – Dublin, IE @ 3Arena
2/27/24 – Birmingham, UK @ Resorts World Arena
3/1/24 – London, UK @ OVO Arena Wembley
3/4/24 – Cardiff, UK @ Cardiff International Arena
3/5/24 – Manchester, UK @ AO Arena
3/7/24 – Antwerp, BE @ Lotto Arena
3/8/24 – Paris, FR @ Zénith
3/11/24 – Berlin, DE @ Mercedes-Benz Arena
3/12/24 – Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena
3/15/24 – Stockholm, SE @ Hovet Ice Hall
3/18/24 – Lodz, PL @ Atlas Arena
3/20/24 – Munich, DE @ Olympiahalle
3/21/24 – Milan, IT @ Mediolanum Forum
3/23/24 – Madrid, ES @ WiZink Center
3/26/24 – Düsseldorf, DE @ PSD Bank Dome
3/27/24 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome
4/26/24 – Auckland, New Zealand @ Spark Arena
4/28/24 – Brisbane, Australia @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre
5/1/24 – Sydney, Australia @ Quodos Bank Arena
5/3/24 – Melbourne, Australia @ Rod Laver Arena
5/29/24 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Hard Rock Live
5/31/24 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
6/3/24 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
6/7/24 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
6/8/24 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
6/11/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center for the Performing Arts
6/14/24 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
6/15/24 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
6/18/24 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
6/19/24 – Bangor, ME @ Maine Savings Amphitheater
6/21/24 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
6/22/24 – Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
6/25/24 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
6/26/24 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
6/28/24 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
7/7/24 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
7/9/24 – Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
7/10/24 – Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
7/12/24 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7/16/24 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
7/17/24 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
7/19/24 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
7/20/24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
7/23/24 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
7/24/24 – Ridgefield, WA @ RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
7/26/24 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/27/24 – Inglewood, CA @ The Kia Forum
7/30/24 – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
7/31/24 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
8/23/24 – Dublin, IE @ Royal Hospital Kilmainham
8/27/24 – Manchester, UK @ Co-Op Live
8/28/24 – Leeds, UK @ First Direct Arena
8/30/24 – Newcastle, UK @ Utilita Arena
8/31/24 – Aberdeen, UK @ P&J Live
9/03/24 – London, UK @ The O2

Lady Gaga kicked off her Las Vegas residency last night (Aug. 31). And she also had a special speech to make during part of her set, while she performed her 2011 anthem, “Born This Way.”

“I’ve got something to say about trans rights in this country,” Gaga addressed the crowd.

“You got something to say, you gotta speak up, right?” she added, going on to sing the following popular lyrics. “There’s nothing wrong with loving who you are, ’Cause he made you perfect babe / I’m beautiful in my way / ‘Cause God makes no mistakes.”

“And you know, sometimes you hear people say things like, ‘I don’t always know what to say,’” Gaga continued with her speech. “Just listen. Don’t say nothin’. Listen to the stories of real people’s lives.”

Gaga is set to continue her Gaga Jazz & Piano residency through October 5 at Dolby Live at Park MGM. Fans can expect to hear both new spins on her popular songs and covers of selections from the Great American Songbook. Throughout times of the night, she was also joined by a live band, in order to channel the spirit of the music she created with the late Tony Bennett.

Check out the clip of Lady Gaga’s opening night speech below.

Celine Dion’s sister, Claudette Dion, recently opened up about Celine’s battle with Stiff-Person Syndrome in a new interview with Hello! Canada.

“It’s an illness we still know so little about,” Claudette said. “There are spasms – they’re impossible to control. You know who people often jump up in the night because of a cramp in the leg or the calf? It’s a bit like that, but in all muscles.”

“She’s doing everything she can to recover,” she added. “There’s little we can do to support her, to alleviate her pain. We’re crossing our fingers that researchers will find a remedy for this awful illness.”

Claudette also acknowledged that Celine knows how much the fans are also hoping for her recovery.

The Canadian pop star shared in an emotional video from December that the illness does “affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.” Because of this, Celine paused from performing live to try to recover.

According to the article, Celine is also working with “a great team of doctors” in Las Vegas and canceled her Courage World Tour “until I’m really ready to be back on stage again.”

The late, great Gene Wilder brought us so much magic through his delightfully quirky, timelessly charming, endlessly memorable roles, not least of which is the mysterious, top-hat-wearing chocolate factory owner, Willy Wonka, for the hit film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

From Wonka’s first entrance, pitifully limping towards Charlie and the other confused golden ticket bearers…all before thrusting himself into an impressive somersault…you knew you really were about to be taken on a fantastical ride of pure imagination.

According to Historic Vids on X, formerly known as Twitter, that beginning moment was entirely by Wilder’s ingenious design.

“One of the key reasons Gene Wilder introduced the limp…was to make it difficult for the audience to tell if he was lying or not,” Historic Vids wrote, saying that Wilder felt it would keep the “audience guessing” as to the character’s true intention.

Therefore, the limp was much more of a psychological quirk than a physical one, adding on a delightful piece of nuance and complexity.

Watch below, with that context in mind:

One of the key reasons Gene Wilder introduced the limp to Willy Wonka’s character in the 1971 hit film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was to make it difficult for the audience to tell if he was lying or not. The limp was a deliberate part of Wilder’s performance strategy to… pic.twitter.com/LxGdt07KXJ

— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) September 1, 2023

One commenter added the fun fact that Wonka only agreed to take on the role if he could do a limp-somersault-bit, knowing the kind of mercurial effect it would have.

Some actors really do seem to be born for the roles they play. Gene Wilder as Wonka is certainly one of them. Yes, the role has been reincarnated by Johnny Depp and is soon to be once again by Timothée Chalamet, each with their own unique interpretations. But there’s no denying that Wilder left behind a little bit of his wondrous soul in his version, and we are so lucky to have it.

Living permanently on a cruise ship seems like a dream of the uber-wealthy. You spend your days lounging on the deck by the pool or touring an exotic location. Nights are spent dancing in the nightclub or enjoying live entertainment.

You no longer have to worry about traffic, cooking or laundry. Your life has become all-inclusive as long as you’re on board.

At Upworthy, we’ve shared the stories of a handful of people who’ve been able to spend their lives on a permanent cruise because they’ve figured out how to do so affordably. Or, at least, at about the same cost of living on land.

Insider recently featured the fantastic story of Ryan Gutridge, who spends about 300 nights a year living on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas. He only leaves the ship for a few weeks a year during the holidays.

Gutridge works in IT as an engineer for a cloud solution provider and can do his full-time job right from the ship. “I do meetings in the morning and afternoons, but I can also go to lunch and socialize or meet people at the gym,” he tells Insider. “I’ve even met people that I stay in contact with and that have come back and cruised on this ship with me multiple times since.”

— (@)

Gutridge says that living and working on a cruise ship has improved his mental health. “Working from home was isolating. I don’t have kids or pets, so it’s easy to become somewhat introverted, but cruising has really helped and made me a lot more social,” he says.

So, how does he afford life on a permanent vacation?

“I have a spreadsheet that automatically records all my expenses, which helps. I also set a budget every year,” he says. “This year, my base fare budget is about $30,000, and last year when I started really looking at the numbers and evaluating how much base fare I paid to be on a ship for 300 nights, I found it was almost neck-and-neck with what I paid for rent and trash service for an apartment in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.”

Currently, the average price for a one-bedroom apartment in Fort Lauderdale is $2,088 which would cost Gutridge about $25,000 a year.

Gutridge believes that the key to living on the ship affordably is loyalty programs. He’s actually spending less in 2023 than he did in 2022, even though he’s spent more time cruising.

“Now, because I cruise so often with Royal Caribbean, I’ve moved up in its loyalty program. My drinks and internet are free. If people are going to do something like what I do, I recommend trying different brands because they all offer something different. But once you commit to one, you should stick to it so you reach those loyalty levels,” he says.

When he’s not on the ship, he makes doctor and dentist appointments and spends time with his friends. Then, it’s back on the high seas, where he has a routine. Monday through Friday, he works, eats healthy, and goes to the gym. On the weekends he’ll let loose and have a few drinks.

If the ship arrives at a location he enjoys, he’ll take a PTO day from work and go sightseeing.

Eventually, Gutridge wants to get rid of his apartment and sell his car, so his primary residence is a Royal Caribbean ship. “I have a strong relationship with the crew on this ship,” he says. “It’s become a big family, and I don’t want to rebuild those relationships on another ship — I joke that I have 1,300 roommates.”

Social media can be used to spread education and overall helpful information, but it can be hard to decipher what’s true and what’s not. Especially if the person making the video or writing the post speaks with authority, as if this is information you should already know and now you’re somehow behind the curve in knowledge.

Recently, a trend has popped up of influencers insisting that belly buttons are connected to multiple nerves, veins and organs in your body and exclaiming that rubbing caster oil in your belly button will provide you with immense health benefits. Doctors and nurses on Tiktok simply explained that belly buttons are a scar that leads to nowhere but didn’t discourage people from greasing up their belly buttons.

But when it comes to medical information, not everything can be assumed harmless misinformation. There has been an uptick in videos of pregnant influencers encouraging others to refuse the glucose drink that helps detect gestational diabetes.

The women in the videos cite unknown chemicals and dyes in the glucose drink and insist on eating things like fruit, jelly beans, fruit juice and even soft drinks instead. Ironically, things like jelly beans, juice and soft drinks all have dyes and hard-to-pronounce chemicals in them. This trend tipped the scales from quirky and harmless to misinformed and dangerous, which has had doctors, nurses and licensed dietitians ringing all of the alarms.

Jen Hamilton, a labor and delivery nurse, posted a video responding to some of the misinformation she was getting tagged in.

“Okay, I have to talk about the scariest pregnancy trend that I’m seeing on social media right now,” Hamilton explains. “This trend and the misinformation around it will 100% kill babies, if it hasn’t already, and that is the encouragement to pregnant people to refuse the gestational diabetes screening in pregnancy. Or the use of unvalidated alternatives to the glucose screening test.”

To show an example, Hamilton plays a short clip of a pregnant person holding a bottle of Coke with writing on the screen that says, “Come with me to do my glucose test. 26 weeks pregnant!” Hamilton obscures the pregnant person’s face and screen name for their privacy, but the implications of refusing proper glucose screening using the approved Glucola drink can have severe complications, which Hamilton gets into further in the video.

You can watch the entire video below, including some clips from other professionals Hamilton added to her post:

@_jen_hamilton_