Category: Trending

Mannequin Pussy, Philadelphia’s boldest punk band, has just given fans what they’ve desperately wanted: new music. Since 2021, supporters have jammed out to the group’s EP Perfect, patiently waiting for their next release. Now that Mannequin has some downtime after a few billed shows, including one opening for Bikini Kill, they’ve decided to drop a single, namely “I Got Heaven.”

The track, which was produced by John Congleton, marked Mannequin’s glorious return. But the record isn’t the only thing the band had to offer. To support the track, Mannequin teamed up with directed Mason Mercer and Anthony Miralles for its new video. As in their past videos, including their last EP’s title track, “I Got Heaven,” shows off members Colins “Bear” Regisford, Kaleen Reading, Maxine Steen, and Marisa Dabice’s bold creative choices.

In the NSFW video, Mannequin, along with Mercer and Miralles, reimagine how simple a stripped-down life living on a farm could be. They sport overalls, distressed jeans, and, for some scenes, even nothing at all.

Frontwoman Dabice shared a note about the inspiration behind the track, saying, “‘I Got Heaven’ is a song intended to merge the sacred and the profane and to serve as a reminder that we are all perfect exactly as we have been made and that no one gets to decide how a life should or should not be lived.”

She added, “Heaven is here on a planet that gave us everything we needed to survive. Heaven is in the plants and in the water and in the animals who we share this world with. Heaven is inside of me and inside of you. The weaponization of Christianity for political means, for individual profit and power, as a tool to intentionally divide us is one of the greatest threats to our modern world and a threat to our ability to find solidarity through love. To allow the hatred and the violence and the noise to rise is to reject our sacred purpose as individuals, which is simply to love.”

Watch Mannequin Pussy’s “I Got Heaven” video above.

Donald Trump may have had a bad end to his 2022, but he’s been crushing the GOP primary polls for months now. This is despite all those indictments, despite doing things like burying his late wife on a golf course, and despite not being able to spell simple words like “rumor.” (Or “hamburger.”) But a new Emerson College poll shows a rare dip in his polling, which may be due to skipping the polls or getting arrested.

As noted by Newsweek, the new poll shows Trump with 50 percent backing among GOP voters. That may sound like a lot, and it’s still head and shoulders over his second place rival, Ron DeSantis, who’s at 12 — a big descent from hit peak at 29 back in January.

But Trump himself has fallen, too. His polling peaked April, when he rose all the way up to 62, when DeSantis was a mere 16. The former president’s polling has been in a steady, if not steep, decline ever since, hitting 59 in June and at 56 on August 19, just a week-and-a-half ago. Now he’s at 50, the lowest he’s had since Emerson started this polling last June, when Trump entered at a robust 55.

This is just one poll, but it suggests that, despite Trump’s beliefs that racking up criminal charges only makes him stronger, that maybe he’s not as Teflon as he once was. What could account for him shedding six points in less than 10 days? In that time, Trump famously skipped the first GOP debate, instead sitting down for a very dull chit-chat with Tucker Carlson. He also turned himself into a jail in Fulton County, Georgia, where he made dubious history.

Maybe GOP voters are finally considering moving on from the guy who helped foment a failed coup. Perhaps they’re eyeing a move to Vivek Ramaswamy, who’s polling at 9, just behind DeSantis, and who cemented his status in the Grand Old Party by pulling a Ted Cruz and making one of his favorite artists hates his guts.

(Via Newsweek)

For being such a whimsical brand, Disney sure knows how to throw a gut punch. From Bambi’s mom, to Ellie in “Up,” Disney has delivered some truly heart-wrenching death scenes that send everyone straight to tears.

But perhaps the most painful of all comes from a mid-90s Disney classic called “The Lion King.” You know where we’re going with this.

Yep, it’s Mufasa’s death. This one just hurts on so many levels, from seeing a father desperately try to save his son, to the agonizing betrayal, to Simba pitifully attempting to wake his father up, to laying under his paw one last time…sorry, does anyone have a tissue?

Turns out, that scene has an effect on more than just humans.

A woman named Zoe Ansary recently filmed her rescue dog, Bosco, watching the tragic moment, and it’s honestly so beautiful seeing how emotionally invested the sweet pup is.

“He cries at the same part I cried at when I was 4 😭,” Ansary’s onscreen text reads as poor Bosco wails while seeing Simba say, “….Dad?”

Grab a tissue and watch:

@bosco.and.the.fam

Finally watched lion king together and this is what happened 😭😭😭 #lionking #doglionking #rescuedog #intuitivedog #sensitivedog #dogwatchingtv #tvdog #goodboy #dogsoftiktok #tiktokdogs #humandog #dog #fyp #foryoupage #wholesome #wholesomecontent

Ugh, shoots right to the heart, doesn’t it?

The video quickly racked up 15.9 million views on TikTok, with thousands sharing their awe at how perceptive Bosco was.

“Bro is conscious,” one person commented.

Another added, “He’s so sweet and smart.”

One person noted how this scene clearly has an effect on pretty much everyone, writing, “We ALL cry at the same part no matter what age or species 😭😭😭😭😭.”

Ansary ended up showing Bosco the live action remake, which premiered in 2019, to see if he would have a similar reaction.

Below is a video of him watching Scar double-cross Mufasa. You be the judge.

@bosco.and.the.fam

Someone said show him the live action and show his reaction to Scar. He is defintley can sense scar is bad 😭 #rescuedog #intuitivedog #lionking #tvdog #dogwatchingtv #goodboy #lionkingdog #wholesome #wholesomecontent #fyp #foryoupage #dogsoftiktok

OMG—the way he whimpers and runs to Mom when the big bad shows up.

One person summed it up perfectly with their comment: “Dogs can really sense who is a villain.”

Humans might have a habit of projecting their own emotions onto animals, but with moments like these, it’s hard to deny that sentient beings do in fact have a shared sense of empathy and understanding for certain things.

There are so many good things people love about social media. It can keep you connected to family members that you no longer live near. You can find community in hobbies and special interests that other people share with you. It can even be used as a source of income if you’re savvy enough to figure that out.

But with as much good as there is on social media, it can also be the source of emotional and mental distress. Between online bullying and internet trolls who just set out to harass unsuspecting people, social media can feel like a double-edged sword. In one instance, it’s making you feel less alone in the world, then in another, it’s making you feel unimportant. It can be difficult to navigate, especially as a child.

Kevin Gabor, a little boy with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), better known as brittle bone disease, found himself the target of internet trolls on TikTok.

Kevin has been using TikTok to build an online community because it’s too dangerous for him to play outside. But for some reason, he was the target of mass reporting in an effort to get his account banned. Mass reporting is when a group of people report your videos or profile page repeatedly in order to get a creator permanently banned, forcing them to start their platform all over again from zero followers. Instead of giving up after the trolls tried to take his account down, Kevin decided to try to appeal to them, and in return, he found a whole community.

“You know I can’t play, I can’t run. I can’t hang out with friends outside. I can’t do a bunch of stuff,” Kevin pleads. “Because I could break something and I have an online community so that I can share and have friends with and you’re trying to take that away from me.”

@k3vingabor

😢😢

His tearful video didn’t go unnoticed. It was viewed over 10.5 million times and the TikTok community rallied behind the boy and his family, sending followers and even Legos his way. Creators from all over made videos showing their support for Kevin, including Rosie O’Donnell. His account quickly grew to a million followers

Mandy, a creator who answered Kevin’s call, compiled a video of multiple creators wishing him well and encouraging others to follow him and do the same. Heartwarming doesn’t seem like a strong enough description. You might need to grab a tissue for the video below.

@pottymouthpollyanna

This is INCREDIBLE! I kept tearing up making this.❤️ #fyp #foryou @K3VIN_G @Rosie ODonnell @Aaron9toes13.0 @Scott D Henry @John Colbert @SusanmorrisChapter2 @Thomas Bishop @Kelly Musler @Overopinionatedbrit3 @Valhalla Viking @21 pineapple @Dr. Rubin, MD @the.liberal.trucker @LittleBricksCharityGuy

Everyone loves a champion, especially when the winner represents the country we call home. Seeing a dedicated athlete standing on the tallest podium, a gold medal around their neck, the national anthem playing as the flag is raised—it’s enough to inspire a bit of patriotism in even the most hardened of hearts.

But the idea of a champion sharing that top podium with another country’s athlete is apparently a bridge too far for some, as American pole vaulter Katie Moon (formerly Katie Negeotte) found out at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

Moon and Australian pole vaulter Nina Kennedy tied for gold at the competition, each clearing 4.9 meters and and then falling three times on their attempts at 4.95 meters. Rather than continue competing to see who would be the sole winner, both women opted to share the World Champion title.

For some, it was a lovely bit of mutual sportsmanship, but for others, it was an unwelcome concession. In a viral post on Facebook, Moon shared that some people had called her and Kennedy “cowards,” “shameful” and “pathetic” for their decision to share the win.

Though she didn’t owe anyone an explanation, Moon decided to offer one anyway.

“I know you can’t make everyone happy in this world, but in an effort to help people understand the sport that I love so much, I would like to explain my mentality in that moment,” she wrote. “The pole vault is not an endurance event. We have a short window of jumps. Once the fatigue sets in, it not only becomes more difficult, but dangerous. The sport has seen everything from athletes just landing funny with minor tweaks, to horrific accidents.”

Moon explained that a World Championship is more draining from an emotional standpoint than a regular competition, in addition to the obvious physical demand. She and Kennedy had vaulted for nearly four hours in 85-degree heat and were both exhausted.

“My step (the point where I jump off the ground into the takeoff) to vault safely has to be in almost the exact same spot every time, give or take a few inches,” she went on. “My last few jumps, that takeoff step was moving further and further out, giving us real data showing my fatigue even with adrenaline. To walk away healthy and with a gold medal, while celebrating with my friend that had jumped just as well, was a no-brainer. Part of the reason we’ve reached the highest level is by listening to our bodies, and knowing our limitations.”

To say that I’ve seen mixed…

This is such an important point and one that truly can’t be overemphasized. We saw similar negative reactions from people when Simone Biles got the “twisties” during her last Olympics. She knew her body, she knew something wasn’t right, and yet people still chastised her for not pushing herself to continue competing—as if she hadn’t already proven that she had the heart and soul of a champion time and time again.

Moon finished her explanation with no apology and no regrets: “We decided that in this particular moment, sharing glory was just as good as earning it outright. I understand that people want to see a clear winner. It is the exciting part of sport. But in this instance, it was without a doubt the right decision, and one that I will never regret. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a ‘win at all cost’ mindset to have a champion’s mentality.”

That line is worth repeating: “You do not need a ‘win at all cost’ mindset to have a champion’s mentality.”

It’s actually OK for there to be two gold medal winners, especially at the highest level of competition. We know these athletes are giving it their all. We know they’ve trained as much as they possibly can for a world championship competition. If two athletes show up with equal ability at the top of their sport, more power to them.

Moon’s defense of her decision to share the gold wasn’t necessary, but her explanation of the risks athletes take when they push themselves too far is a helpful one. Sports competitions are meant to celebrate excellence and make us all better for it, and if the person actually standing on the podium is happy about the outcome, it’s no one’s place to take that away from them. Thank you, Katie Moon, for the beautiful reminder.

Over the weekend, singer Adele went into full momma-bear mode when she came to the defense of a fan at her latest Las Vegas residency performance. Adele has a young son of her own (Angelo), so it was a glimpse into how protective she can be of those in harm’s way.

Those guardian skills will come in handy when Adele officially decides to expand her family. In a recently surfaced clip, Adele, while chatting with a supporter attending her Weekends With Adele show in Vegas, confessed that may happen sooner than people think. As the woman sought her help in choosing her unborn daughter’s name, Adele let slip, “I really want to be a mom again soon.”

Adele then revealed that she and her boyfriend, sports agent Rich Paul, have been considering it for a while. “I’ve actually been writing lists,” she said. “Every time I see a name that I like, I write it down in my phone.”

The woman revealed that she’s torn between two names, Parker and Spencer, to which she replied, “Well, I can’t say Parker because Rich [Paul] really likes that name. So, Spencer. I like Spencer. I also like Ray.”

Last year, during an appearance on BBC’s Desert Island Discs, Adele told host Lauren Laverne, “I definitely would like a couple more kids. It would be wonderful if we can. If not, I’ve got Angelo. I just want to be happy. I love being a mom.”

Donald Trump’s historic mugshot earned lots of mockery. But for MAGA world it was a win. Sometimes cash-strapped fans even gave the allegedly wealthy former president millions of their hard-earned bucks. No one liked it more than Jesse Watters, the guy who now runs Tucker Carlson’s vacated 8pm slot on Fox News. After the image went live, Watters went a bit above and beyond in his praise. “He looks good,” he said. “And he looks hard.” Watters is so in the tank for the mugshot he even praised some Trump street art that was actually mocking him.

On his show Monday night, Watters had a segment about a new mural in Atlanta, Georgia, where Trump was arrested and booked. In the video showing the mural that aired, it hadn’t yet been completed. But Watters was sure it was done in genuflection.

“The mugshot’s up on the side of buildings in the inner city,” Watters told viewers. “The 2016 phenomenon’s happening all over again. Trump won the election because of a laser-light focus on the forgotten man. The bond was formed back then that could never be broken.”

What Watters didn’t know was that the Trump mugshot mural was not praise. It was mockery.

As per Fox 5 out of Atlanta, the mural was erected in the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark by popular muralist Chris Veal. Chris Veal is no fan of Donald Trump. Nor did he intend his latest work as praise, as Watters believed. Indeed, when the mural was completed, Veal had added a dialogue box bearing the words “M.A.G.A. My Ass Got Arrested.”

Still, Watters saw other reasons to believe Trump had gotten his 2016 mojo back, claiming the mugshot “has broadened his appeal to Black Americans.” Watters even said his garbage man told him he was buying a bunch of Trump mugshot t-shirts as Christmas presents. (It’s August.)

Perhaps folks like Watters are right that the mugshot will “backfire” by igniting his base. Or maybe it will backfire on Trump because more voters than not won’t want to put a possibly convicted criminal back in the White House. Who’s to say.

Over the weekend, singer Adele went into full momma-bear mode when she came to the defense of a fan at her latest Las Vegas residency performance. Adele has a young son of her own (Angelo), so it was a glimpse into how protective she can be of those in harm’s way.

Those guardian skills will come in handy when Adele officially decides to expand her family. In a recently surfaced clip, Adele, while chatting with a supporter attending her Weekends With Adele show in Vegas, confessed that may happen sooner than people think. As the woman sought her help in choosing her unborn daughter’s name, Adele let slip, “I really want to be a mom again soon.”

Adele then revealed that she and her boyfriend, sports agent Rich Paul, have been considering it for a while. “I’ve actually been writing lists,” she said. “Every time I see a name that I like, I write it down in my phone.”

The woman revealed that she’s torn between two names, Parker and Spencer, to which she replied, “Well, I can’t say Parker because Rich [Paul] really likes that name. So, Spencer. I like Spencer. I also like Ray.”

Last year, during an appearance on BBC’s Desert Island Discs, Adele told host Lauren Laverne, “I definitely would like a couple more kids. It would be wonderful if we can. If not, I’ve got Angelo. I just want to be happy. I love being a mom.”

There have been plenty of over-the-top reactions to Donald Trump’s escalating legal woes. There’ve been calls for civil war, or at least, as per Kari Lake, a “fist fight.” Others, like his wife, have simply brushed it off. Others are simply cringe-inducing. Perhaps the biggest face-palm of a reaction to Trump being arrested and booked in Georgia last week, complete with a mugshot, came from the MAGA network One America News, who aired a rap video so embarrassing even staffers are appalled.

The video in question finds notoriously self-owning Trump rapper Forgiato Blow joining forces with OAN star Dan Bell for the song “Real America.” Over an epic two minutes, Blow raps things like, “If questioning the outcome of the election is a crime then give me life!” He does so, of course, while wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with Trump’s mugshot. At one point 83-year-old OAN owner Robert Herring shows up, bearing sunglasses and, for some reason, a flak jacket.

The Daily Beast spoke to some OAN staffers, and they didn’t like it much either. Some of them walked out during filming, which was done last minute, prompting those that stayed to simply roll with it.

But the reviews afterwards from the staff weren’t very fresh. Some of the vitriol was directed at the host that let it happen. “I need to leave OAN ASAP! I am sick and tired of Dan Ball’s antics, and so are so many others,” another OAN anchor told the Beast.

Others, including both current and former staffers, were so appalled by the “bizarre” video they said they were “officially taking OAN off my resume after watching this.”

But at least in terms of metrics, it was a success. In a statement Ball gushed, writing, “We’d like to thank all the American Patriots out there who downloaded the song ‘Real America’! Within the first 24 hours of the songs release we reached #11 on the Top 100 ITunes billboard charts in the Rap/Hip-Hop genre, all thanks to you! God Bless you.”

You can watch the video below, if you dare.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Wow. I never thought about how rare this is before, but many people literally can go their whole lives without experiencing the vastness of space and their own smallness.

It used to be something that everyone saw any evening when they walked out their door.

It used to be that when you looked up at the night sky, you would see deep into the farthest reaches of space and time, but now…

Nope.

Not anymore. We’re lighting up our cities like never before.

Over 99% of Americans in the continental U.S. live in areas that are considered light polluted.

Most of them have no idea what the night sky is even supposed to look like.

Looking up at the night sky helps us remember how tiny we are. The sight of the Milky Way stretching out into the deep distance has inspired philosophy, science, and poetry for literally all of human history. Until really recently.

Luckily, something as simple as flipping a switch can instantly end light pollution. Even using different kinds of lights can help.

Here’s how Los Angeles decreased its light pollution by switching to LEDs.

Are you scared of total darkness?

This article originally appeared on 02.12.15