Category: Trending

Monday marks three years since Chadwick Boseman’s unexpected passing. The beloved actor was only 43, with what seemed like a long and bright future ahead of him, when he died of colon cancer, which he had kept secret from all but those closest to him. One of the many esteemed thespians he worked with was Lupita Nyong’o, who used the third anniversary of his death to pay him moving tribute.

In the post, the Oscar-winning actress reflected on the “singular pain” she experienced upon learning of Boseman’s passing. The confusion was so profound that it took months to trust the feeling of joy again,” she wrote.

The post contained a photo of Boseman that Nyong’o had taken after they arrived in South Korea, back in 2018. “We had just learned to do the baby heart with our fingers,” she recalled, noting that in Boseman’s version of it, as seen in the picture, he’d added his “suave flare.”

“Death is hard to understand, maybe even harder to accept. But the love generated from the life he lived will fuel every anniversary marking his absence,” Nyong’o wrote. “Chadwick may no longer be in our photos, but he will always be in our hearts.”

Nyong’o and Boseman only got to act together that once, in the first Black Panther. She returned as Nakia, warrior and T’Challa’s ex-lover, in the sequel, which was in part an epic tribute to the series’ gone-too-soon star.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Imagine what it must be like to be hated by your favorite artists. If you’re a member of today’s Republican party, you don’t have to imagine. Ted Cruz is famously despised by Cary Elwes, the star of his favorite movie, The Princess Bride. Musicians are constantly telling Donald Trump to stop playing their songs at his rallies. Now a first-time GOP candidate joined their ranks.

As per The Daily Mail, Eminem has asked copyright licenser BMI to send a cease and desist to Vivek Ramaswamy, the businessman and pharma bro who’s joined the dozen or so Republicans trying to wrestle the party away from Donald Trump (or at least get a cushy job in his potential second administration).

In a letter to Ramaswamy’s team dated Aug. 23, a BMI representative says they “eceived communications from Marshall B. Mathers, III, professionally known as Eminem, objecting to the Vivek Ramaswamy campaign’s use of Eminem’s musical compositions (the ‘Eminem Works’) and requesting that BMI remove all Eminem Works from the Agreement.”

The letter added that “BMI will consider any performance of the Eminem Works by the Vivek 2024 campaign from this date forward to be a material breach of the Agreement for which BMI reserves all rights and remedies with respect thereto.”

Ramaswamy doesn’t play Eminem’s music at his campaign rallies; he raps them. Earlier this month he was caught butchering “Lose Yourself” in front of a crowd who probably counts few rap fans to begin with.

There’s an upside to this: If Ramaswamy is getting shade from an artist he loves, that means he’s officially made it in the GOP. Congrats? On the other hand, it means “My Name Is” will never sound the same to him again.

(Via The Daily Mail)

Imagine what it must be like to be hated by your favorite artists. If you’re a member of today’s Republican party, you don’t have to imagine. Ted Cruz is famously despised by Cary Elwes, the star of his favorite movie, The Princess Bride. Musicians are constantly telling Donald Trump to stop playing their songs at his rallies. Now a first-time GOP candidate joined their ranks.

As per The Daily Mail, Eminem has asked copyright licenser BMI to send a cease and desist to Vivek Ramaswamy, the businessman and pharma bro who’s joined the dozen or so Republicans trying to wrestle the party away from Donald Trump (or at least get a cushy job in his potential second administration).

In a letter to Ramaswamy’s team dated Aug. 23, a BMI representative says they “eceived communications from Marshall B. Mathers, III, professionally known as Eminem, objecting to the Vivek Ramaswamy campaign’s use of Eminem’s musical compositions (the ‘Eminem Works’) and requesting that BMI remove all Eminem Works from the Agreement.”

The letter added that “BMI will consider any performance of the Eminem Works by the Vivek 2024 campaign from this date forward to be a material breach of the Agreement for which BMI reserves all rights and remedies with respect thereto.”

Ramaswamy doesn’t play Eminem’s music at his campaign rallies; he raps them. Earlier this month he was caught butchering “Lose Yourself” in front of a crowd who probably counts few rap fans to begin with.

There’s an upside to this: If Ramaswamy is getting shade from an artist he loves, that means he’s officially made it in the GOP. Congrats? On the other hand, it means “My Name Is” will never sound the same to him again.

(Via The Daily Mail)

Melanie Trump, like the rest of the world, knows that her husband is an attention whore who relishes any opportunity to get in front of a camera — even if it’s just to take a poorly-lit mugshot. That’s why insiders close to the former first lady are warning both her critics and fans to not expect any comment from her when it comes to Trump’s time in the criminal limelight.

In a recent report from People, a family source claims that Trump’s historic mugshot and dozens of federal indictments he’s facing haven’t really registered on Melania’s radar because she’s too busy living that Palm Beach WASP mom life. “Melania is busy with her son and family and she pays only so much attention to these issues which captivate the media,” a source told the outlet with another adding, “Remember Melania is a mom with a not-yet-adult son to protect. A mug shot that everyone is talking about is just one more issue to wade through.”

Currently, Melania resides in Florida with 17-year-old Barron while Trump travels across the country holding rallies and popping into precincts for scheduled court appearances and criminal bookings. While her husband has a constant, insatiable need for attention, Melania seems happy to enjoy her enormous wealth the old-fashioned way — behind the golden gates of Mar-a-Lago and away from the curious eyes of the MAGA peasant class. Trump’s obsession with fame is nothing new to her which is why his impending trial — and the media storm it’s ignited — has left her largely unbothered. According to friends, Trump’s mugshot “does not upset her any more than anything else that has happened with Donald and his legal cases.”

Living is expensive, as we are all very, very aware. And for many of us, one job’s wages aren’t going to cut it, forcing us to get creative when it comes to making a little extra money.

In some ways, necessity really is the mother of invention. Nearly every niche talent, interest and/or skill set can be turned into a profitable business. Have a knack for finding cool, unique things at Goodwill? Sell them online. Willing to do simple chores that others can’t be bothered to complete? Offer those services. The world is your capitalist oyster.

In other ways, society is a serpent eating its own tail. When people are all but forced to squeeze a penny out of every moment just to make ends meet or dare to try to make life better for themselves, then suddenly the only value registered is monetary value. That causes potential soul-nourishing hobbies to be drained of their magic by constantly trying to turn them into a “brand,” never pursuing certain hobbies in the first place for fear that they won’t make money, chasing get-rich-quick schemes out of desperation, following less-than-virtuous business practices…the list goes on.

But let’s focus on the former for today.

Recently, u/bigdope-smallgirl asked folks on Reddit to share the ‘weirdest’ ways they make money. In a world where it seemed like we’ve seen every side hustle in existence, the answers were quite unexpected, not to mention lucrative, with some gigs raking in an extra $400 to $500+ a month. Perhaps most surprising of all—only one person seemed to mention selling pictures of their feet.

Here’s what they had to say:

“I had a plumbing backup and needed someone with a snake to clear the line. I looked on Craigslist, and everyone was charging $99 for the snaking. This one guy advertised for $69. I called him, he came, and he had my line clear in 20 minutes. We got to talking. He and his family had just come in from Ohio a couple of weeks before because their 8-year-old daughter needed medical treatment that was only available in Tampa. Before he left Ohio, he had bought a used electrical plumbing snake for $400. Upon arrival, he was instantly busy with snake jobs because his price was the lowest on all of Craigslist. According to him, he was making about $400 per day, and he was working it seven days a week. Good money in it once the initial investment is made, but of course, it is not a glamorous job.“

via GIPHY

—u/georgepana

“I host trivia. It’s a few nights a week for two and a half hours a night. It’s $50 each night plus the different venues hook you up with deals on food and drinks. Like, one place you get a free meal, which you can use for these giant pizzas that are normally $25. Or at another place, I get free drinks. It’s pretty chill, and I make about $500 a month. It helps.” —u/hothouseflowers

“Once a month, on a Friday night, I host a parents’ night out and babysit overnight. I still have a swing set, a tree swing, and such so kids come to my home. I charge around $50 a child and I serve dinner and dessert, we play outside until dusk, come in and get cleaned up/put pjs on, and then watch a movie. Depending on weather and age of kids, we may use our blowup movie screen and projector and watch the movie outside along with popcorn and juice boxes. Afterwards, it’s brushing teeth and getting settled down in sleeping bags. We set up camp in the family room, and kids fall asleep quickly. I’m up by 8 a.m. making breakfast to feed the little people, and parents pick up around 9:15. I usually watch 8 to 10 kids, and it’s an easy $500. Kids LOVE the night, and I have more demand than space available.”

—u/furryfreeloader

“I bake fruitcakes from scratch, using pecans instead of walnuts, and cream sherry in lieu of harsher liquors. I use 1/2 pound loaf pans, so no one is stuck with a lot of leftovers. Baking begins in September, through October, so the cakes have time to soak up the sherry. Business is pretty good, I can do a few hundred dollars or more easily, and still have folks clamoring for more.“

via GIPHY

u/Cuyler_32087

“I do clinical studies. I was on an antibody one where the total pay is like $6k. I got $300-700 a month for the first few months for a blood draw and 1 infusion. And once I complete it next month I get a $1,500 “bonus” for completing the whole thing.“

—u/mystictofuoctopi

“I have a flea market booth. The most lucrative part about it is freeze dried candy I buy from a local business. I buy in bulk and have 100% markup and still sell a crapload of candy! It helps that the local mall has pretty much the same stuff for three times the price. People want to try it but don’t want to pay those prices, so they get excited when they see mine and buy three for the price of one mall candy. It’s silly, but I’m happy with it.”

—u/greenonioncrusader

“I watch for class action lawsuits and join when I qualify. I’ve made a few hundred the past couple of years, but my main motivation is how tickled my husband gets when a random check arrives. Am always looking for ways to impress him, LOL.“

—u/vavamama

“I ‘teach English’ online, basically just chat with people. One of them is a kid where we do a 50/50 reading and watching Pokémon or Godzilla. So I get paid minimum wage to watch Pokémon and old Godzilla movies.“

—u/the_polar_bear__

“I crochet and sell dolls.“

—u/blackcatspat

“I had an Etsy shop reselling vintage and antique cast iron cookware that I would find in rusty condition and restore to be collected or used again. Just recently shut the shop down due to time constraints, but it was a great little side gig at the time, and I enjoyed it.“

—u/tannergd1

“I DJ weddings and provide light shows for bands coming through town. It started off just as a hobby, and it spread through word of mouth. People pay so much money for DJs and bands for weddings that it makes my charge of $100 an hour look really cheap.”

—u/hottytoddypotty

“I watch local Facebook groups and find odd jobs there quite a bit. People are always looking for random help. Last weekend, I made $25 by going to a lady’s house and clipping her cat’s toenails!“

—u/prinessbeca

“One thing I did was a mock jury I found on Craigslist. Went to a law firm where they catered food, drinks, and snacks. We got to listen to a case and deliberate like an actual jury would, and the whole thing was recorded. Got paid $200 plus travel fees for about three and a half hours worth of work.”

—u/caughtyoulookinn

“I worked as a victim for a military training drill. It was $100 per day, paid in cash. If you did all three days of this exercise, you got an extra $25. They are coming back to my area in two months.”

—u/wagonhitchiker

“I met a dude once who sold feeder roaches to Petco, PetSmart, etc. He was making, like, $200k off his garage.“

via GIPHY

—u/the_dumb_engineer

“Back in college, I put together furniture — 80% of the time for older folks who ordered flat pack furniture and couldn’t put it together themselves. I enjoyed the puzzle of putting together IKEA furniture, and I usually had an interesting conversation or two with the older generation.”

—u/selkie_queen

“I sharpen knives and tools to supplement my income. Startup costs are pretty low, and if you go to a farmers market in a wealthier part of town, you can usually get a decent amount of business. Kitchen and pocket knives are usually the standard, but if you can sharpen tools like lawn mower blades, shears, chisels, etc., you can get a decent amount of consistent return business. Anywhere from a couple hundred to about $1k a month depending on how much I am working at it.“

—u/os_jytz

“Not that weird, but I model for art classes. I have a full-time job, but I usually do classes a month and get paid in cash, which is nice.”

—u/7hecavalry

“I sell plant cuttings and seedlings! Spring time I just sell my extra peppers and tomatoes, and then have some well-loved houseplants that need a haircut every so often. I just root the cuttings in water and eventually pot and sell. It’s not a ton of cash or anything, but it’s a nice way for my hobby to pay for itself over time. Also, I’ve been growing pomegranates from seed because where I live, they are an uncommon houseplant. The local garden center sold small trees for $129+! I had no problem growing the little guys for a few months and selling for $20; whereas, the seed packs were $5 for a bunch.”

via GIPHY

—u/induceddaftfan

And last but not least…

“Not a job or a real way to make money but, in Washington State, every time at the grocery store I would snag the tossed losing lottery tickets in the lotto garbage cans. Scan them into the 360 app and get points, 1700 points was equal to $25 on gift cards. I made about $825 in one year just by doing that, $125 of that $825 was from winning thrown away lottery tickets. People just tossing winners in the garbage can. Once I found a completely unused scratched ticket, also got a few free tickets in bonus rounds that people just tossed.”

—u/runninginpollution

The names we choose to give our children can significantly impact their lives. Multiple studies from across the globe have found that a person’s name can influence their employment, social and economic outcomes.

Unfortunately, humans make snap judgments about one another, and having an unusual name can lead people to make unflattering assumptions. “We’re hardwired to try to figure out in a heartbeat whether or not we want to trust somebody, whether we want to run from somebody,” Northwestern University researcher David Figlio said, according to Live Science.

However, an increasing number of parents are giving their children non-traditional names to help them stand out. “Parents are trying to be original, almost branding their kids in an era where names are viewed on the same level as Twitter handles or a website URL,” writer Sabrina Rogers-Anderson said.

Ruby, a mother on TikTok, took a hard stance on parents giving their children names that sound childish in a post that’s received over 11 million views. Ruby says she named her kids as “adults, not babies” hoping they would never “outgrow” their names.

@rubyyvillarreal

#stitch with @nikkiruble love having nicknames as they are younger and it doesnt mean they will perfer it over their name as they get older. Just gives them options 🤷🏻‍♀️ #nicknames #babynames #babytok #adultnames #pregnancytiktok #toddlersoftiktok #momtok #momlife #babynames #babyname

“The whole concept when I was trying to look for a name and choose a name for her is I did not want her to outgrow her name,” she said in the viral video. “I wanted the name to fit her as a baby, as a toddler, as a child, and into adulthood. So, it’s like I really am happy with what I ended up with naming her and it just fits her so well.”

She captioned the video, “love having nicknames as they are younger and it doesn’t mean they will prefer it over their name as they get older. Just gives them options.”

People in the comments responded with modern names they think that kids will outgrow.

“My name is Koazy and I’m here for a job interview,” Stalker joked. “Hello sir, I am Bluey Mason Garrison! I was called in for a job interview last Tuesday,” Pastel Purr added.

“I can’t imagine knowing [a] 30-year-old named Emma or Posie,” Mikey wrote.

However, a lot of people commented that names that seem like they’ll be outgrown will sound fine in the future when those names are popular with the new generation. “Kids grow up with their generation having their own names on trend. They will be normal adult names when they are grown,” Kerry wrote.

“Names grow with the generation,” Lauren added. “The name Dennis sounded like a baby name once too. Names grow up just like generations.”

@rubyyvillarreal

Replying to @19eighty_5 my kids name and the process 😬 #babynames #nicknames #babytok #adultnames #momsoftiktok #momlife #momtok #pregnancytiktok #toddlersoftiktok #babyname #babyfever

In a follow-up video, Ruby shared the names she gave her children. Her girl is named Karla Esmerelda and her boy is called Deluca.

“I just really liked how simple, how bold, and strong that the name by itself just really kind of is. Doing some research names with the letter K tend to be like very bold and powerful names, so I really wanted it with a K and not with a C,” she said.

She named her son Deluca, after a doctor on “Grey’s Anatomy.” She said she chose the name because there was nothing to connect it to, and it sounded “nice.”

This article originally appeared on 4.26.23

Living is expensive, as we are all very, very aware. And for many of us, one job’s wages aren’t going to cut it, forcing us to get creative when it comes to making a little extra money.

In some ways, necessity really is the mother of invention. Nearly every niche talent, interest and/or skill set can be turned into a profitable business. Have a knack for finding cool, unique things at Goodwill? Sell them online. Willing to do simple chores that others can’t be bothered to complete? Offer those services. The world is your capitalist oyster.

In other ways, society is a serpent eating its own tail. When people are all but forced to squeeze a penny out of every moment just to make ends meet or dare to try to make life better for themselves, then suddenly the only value registered is monetary value. That causes potential soul-nourishing hobbies to be drained of their magic by constantly trying to turn them into a “brand,” never pursuing certain hobbies in the first place for fear that they won’t make money, chasing get-rich-quick schemes out of desperation, following less-than-virtuous business practices…the list goes on.

But let’s focus on the former for today.

Recently, u/bigdope-smallgirl asked folks on Reddit to share the ‘weirdest’ ways they make money. In a world where it seemed like we’ve seen every side hustle in existence, the answers were quite unexpected, not to mention lucrative, with some gigs raking in an extra $400 to $500+ a month. Perhaps most surprising of all—only one person seemed to mention selling pictures of their feet.

Here’s what they had to say:

“I had a plumbing backup and needed someone with a snake to clear the line. I looked on Craigslist, and everyone was charging $99 for the snaking. This one guy advertised for $69. I called him, he came, and he had my line clear in 20 minutes. We got to talking. He and his family had just come in from Ohio a couple of weeks before because their 8-year-old daughter needed medical treatment that was only available in Tampa. Before he left Ohio, he had bought a used electrical plumbing snake for $400. Upon arrival, he was instantly busy with snake jobs because his price was the lowest on all of Craigslist. According to him, he was making about $400 per day, and he was working it seven days a week. Good money in it once the initial investment is made, but of course, it is not a glamorous job.“

via GIPHY

—u/georgepana

“I host trivia. It’s a few nights a week for two and a half hours a night. It’s $50 each night plus the different venues hook you up with deals on food and drinks. Like, one place you get a free meal, which you can use for these giant pizzas that are normally $25. Or at another place, I get free drinks. It’s pretty chill, and I make about $500 a month. It helps.” —u/hothouseflowers

“Once a month, on a Friday night, I host a parents’ night out and babysit overnight. I still have a swing set, a tree swing, and such so kids come to my home. I charge around $50 a child and I serve dinner and dessert, we play outside until dusk, come in and get cleaned up/put pjs on, and then watch a movie. Depending on weather and age of kids, we may use our blowup movie screen and projector and watch the movie outside along with popcorn and juice boxes. Afterwards, it’s brushing teeth and getting settled down in sleeping bags. We set up camp in the family room, and kids fall asleep quickly. I’m up by 8 a.m. making breakfast to feed the little people, and parents pick up around 9:15. I usually watch 8 to 10 kids, and it’s an easy $500. Kids LOVE the night, and I have more demand than space available.”

—u/furryfreeloader

“I bake fruitcakes from scratch, using pecans instead of walnuts, and cream sherry in lieu of harsher liquors. I use 1/2 pound loaf pans, so no one is stuck with a lot of leftovers. Baking begins in September, through October, so the cakes have time to soak up the sherry. Business is pretty good, I can do a few hundred dollars or more easily, and still have folks clamoring for more.“

via GIPHY

u/Cuyler_32087

“I do clinical studies. I was on an antibody one where the total pay is like $6k. I got $300-700 a month for the first few months for a blood draw and 1 infusion. And once I complete it next month I get a $1,500 “bonus” for completing the whole thing.“

—u/mystictofuoctopi

“I have a flea market booth. The most lucrative part about it is freeze dried candy I buy from a local business. I buy in bulk and have 100% markup and still sell a crapload of candy! It helps that the local mall has pretty much the same stuff for three times the price. People want to try it but don’t want to pay those prices, so they get excited when they see mine and buy three for the price of one mall candy. It’s silly, but I’m happy with it.”

—u/greenonioncrusader

“I watch for class action lawsuits and join when I qualify. I’ve made a few hundred the past couple of years, but my main motivation is how tickled my husband gets when a random check arrives. Am always looking for ways to impress him, LOL.“

—u/vavamama

“I ‘teach English’ online, basically just chat with people. One of them is a kid where we do a 50/50 reading and watching Pokémon or Godzilla. So I get paid minimum wage to watch Pokémon and old Godzilla movies.“

—u/the_polar_bear__

“I crochet and sell dolls.“

—u/blackcatspat

“I had an Etsy shop reselling vintage and antique cast iron cookware that I would find in rusty condition and restore to be collected or used again. Just recently shut the shop down due to time constraints, but it was a great little side gig at the time, and I enjoyed it.“

—u/tannergd1

“I DJ weddings and provide light shows for bands coming through town. It started off just as a hobby, and it spread through word of mouth. People pay so much money for DJs and bands for weddings that it makes my charge of $100 an hour look really cheap.”

—u/hottytoddypotty

“I watch local Facebook groups and find odd jobs there quite a bit. People are always looking for random help. Last weekend, I made $25 by going to a lady’s house and clipping her cat’s toenails!“

—u/prinessbeca

“One thing I did was a mock jury I found on Craigslist. Went to a law firm where they catered food, drinks, and snacks. We got to listen to a case and deliberate like an actual jury would, and the whole thing was recorded. Got paid $200 plus travel fees for about three and a half hours worth of work.”

—u/caughtyoulookinn

“I worked as a victim for a military training drill. It was $100 per day, paid in cash. If you did all three days of this exercise, you got an extra $25. They are coming back to my area in two months.”

—u/wagonhitchiker

“I met a dude once who sold feeder roaches to Petco, PetSmart, etc. He was making, like, $200k off his garage.“

via GIPHY

—u/the_dumb_engineer

“Back in college, I put together furniture — 80% of the time for older folks who ordered flat pack furniture and couldn’t put it together themselves. I enjoyed the puzzle of putting together IKEA furniture, and I usually had an interesting conversation or two with the older generation.”

—u/selkie_queen

“I sharpen knives and tools to supplement my income. Startup costs are pretty low, and if you go to a farmers market in a wealthier part of town, you can usually get a decent amount of business. Kitchen and pocket knives are usually the standard, but if you can sharpen tools like lawn mower blades, shears, chisels, etc., you can get a decent amount of consistent return business. Anywhere from a couple hundred to about $1k a month depending on how much I am working at it.“

—u/os_jytz

“Not that weird, but I model for art classes. I have a full-time job, but I usually do classes a month and get paid in cash, which is nice.”

—u/7hecavalry

“I sell plant cuttings and seedlings! Spring time I just sell my extra peppers and tomatoes, and then have some well-loved houseplants that need a haircut every so often. I just root the cuttings in water and eventually pot and sell. It’s not a ton of cash or anything, but it’s a nice way for my hobby to pay for itself over time. Also, I’ve been growing pomegranates from seed because where I live, they are an uncommon houseplant. The local garden center sold small trees for $129+! I had no problem growing the little guys for a few months and selling for $20; whereas, the seed packs were $5 for a bunch.”

via GIPHY

—u/induceddaftfan

And last but not least…

“Not a job or a real way to make money but, in Washington State, every time at the grocery store I would snag the tossed losing lottery tickets in the lotto garbage cans. Scan them into the 360 app and get points, 1700 points was equal to $25 on gift cards. I made about $825 in one year just by doing that, $125 of that $825 was from winning thrown away lottery tickets. People just tossing winners in the garbage can. Once I found a completely unused scratched ticket, also got a few free tickets in bonus rounds that people just tossed.”

—u/runninginpollution

There is no stopping the Barbie train (or Barbie spaceship or Barbie canoe or Barbie deluxe camper). The movie just defeated Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 as the highest-grossing global release from Warner Bros., which shows that maybe that movie would have done better if Hermione was the lead. Just a thought!

Barbie just crossed the $1.34 billion mark, which would be enough money to buy around 4 million Barbie Dream Houses and start your own little commune. Variety also reports that the movie will likely top The Super Mario Bros Movie to become the top film of the year at the global box office. Has anyone checked on Chris Nolan lately?

Meanwhile, Gran Turismo managed to rack up nearly $53 million since its release, while DC’s Blue Beetle underperformed with just $81.8 million. How will James Gunn get out of this one? He really won’t say.

On the other hand, Oppenheimer’s explosion is about to reach the $800 million mark which is, admittedly, a lot of money. But not as much as Barbie, so there’s that. In Nolan’s terms, Oppenheimer has just beaten out Interstellar but hasn’t yet reached Inception levels of box office earnings. Basically, Cillian Murphy is doing okay since he starred in two of those three, so we can celebrate Margot for a little bit while he hopefully eats a nice pasta dinner to celebrate. Same goes for Matt Damon.

(Via Variety)

Kari Lake had a very strong reaction to Donald Trump’s court date for his election-interfering actions up to and including the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building. Considering the former president is already facing charges for inciting violence, you’d figure the last thing Lake would want to do is incite violence. But when has basic intelligence stopped any of these people from doing anything?

While visiting Steve Bannon’s podcast, Lake, who is reportedly jockeying to be Trump’s running mate, encouraged the MAGA listeners to ignore the news and prepare for a fight because that’s what God wants them to do. Hoo boy.

Via Raw Story:

“Don’t believe all the news you’re reading,” she insisted. “Most of it is complete lies and garbage, and it’s meant to get into your mind and psychologically bring you down. We are winning. They are not winning. Donald Trump is winning.”

“The American people are winning, but it’s going to be a fight, a street fight, a fist fight the next year,” Lake added. “And so we’ve got to strengthen ourselves and know that, that God has put us here for a reason.”

While Lake’s rhetoric is, again, concerning in light of the fact that Trump already provoked one MAGA mob to breach the Capitol, her remarks are right at home on Bannon’s podcast. The former presidential advisor has also urged Trump’s supporters to target Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and District Attorney Fani Willis. In fact, Bannon even went so far to cite January 6 as an example.

“This is why I keep saying the J6 thing with President Trump in Georgia,” Bannon told the crowd at Mike Lindell’s Election Summit. “We’re going to ram the stealing of Georgia down her throat, and we’re going to ram it up the ass of the governor.”

(Via Raw Story)

The Walking Dead franchise ended its flagship series last year and will put long-running spinoff Fear The Walking Dead through the rest of its final reinvention soon. In the meantime, a trio of spinoffs promises to keep this undead world alive without going overboard or full MCU. That’s a positive thing, too. We don’t need too much of this gang, and semi-regular Sunday installments are the right amount. So far, I enjoyed the Dead City spinoff with Semi-Old Negan and Maggie, and eventually, Rick Grimes and Michonne will appear in their joint series. If we do want to make an MCU comparison, though, TWD‘s appeal seems to be outlasting that of Marvel Studios. Also, Mr. Daryl Dixon’s spinoff appears to be kind-of my Loki.

That is to say, Daryl is an underdog and favorite of many TWD fans. That’s the case despite him not appearing in the original comics (the character was created for Norman Reedus) and despite his unimpressive series debut. He begins as “the hillbilly little brother” but emerges as someone who you’d always want to have your back.

Also, those still waters do run deep when Daryl allows that to happen. We will talk more about who Daryl became by the end of TWD when his Daryl Dixon spinoff — or Daryl In Paris, because I’ll never tire of my dumb joke — grows closer to premiere time. First, one must acknowledge that AMC is serious about the Daryl spinoff because Reedus’ crossbow-wielder has already received a second-season renewal. Also, if one wishes to adequately prepare for more Daryl, no one has time to rewatch eleven full seasons, but is there (as with Justified), one essential episode?

I gotta admit that it took some whittling to get there. After all, there are plenty of badass Daryl moments, like when he whipped out a rocket launcher on a group of Negan’s Saviors (S6 E9, “No Way Out”). There’s his troubled relationship with big brother Merle and the tearful scene when he had to put Walker Merle down (in S3 E15, “This Sorrowful Life”). There are endless explorations of his friendship with Carol and one of his first gestures (giving her a flower during that represented strength during S2 E4, “Cherokee Rose”) that touched her. There’s the moment when he first met Dog (S10 E18, “Find Me”) and the time when he ridiculed the Jesus nickname during a Rick-Daryl buddy comedy episode (S6 E10, “The Next World”). And don’t forget when Daryl led a Walker horde on his motorcycle (S6 E1, “First Time Again”)

Lots of pivotal moments add up to Daryl as a whole, but there is one episode that fully captures my unwashed boo’s essence.

First, it must be noted that Norman Reedus is talking about his new show in an unexpected light: “We’re making art, and there’s moving dialogue.” He added, “I feel like we’re not cranking it out for numbers on a Sunday night.” Whereas it’s fair to say that most Daryl moments were not filled with moving dialogue. He kept much close to his sleeve, but the inner workings of Daryl did emerge from time to time. That will be my overriding reason for naming S4 E 12, “Still,” as the most crucial rewatch before The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

“Still” is an episode that lays Daryl Dixon’s rawness out for the audience to see. We saw hints of his emotional pain before this time, particularly in S2 E5, “Chupacabra,” when he hallucinated Merle taunting him. We also saw his inner compassion through his dogged efforts to find Carol’s daughter. In “Still,” however, we gain a fuller picture of both of these sides. Overall, it’s a terrifying but also life-affirming two-person play between Daryl and Maggie’s younger sister, Beth (Emily Kinney).

To set the stage, The Governor’s siege on Rick Grimes’ group scattered the survivors living in the prison. Somehow, Daryl and Beth ended up escaping together. This was a fairly silent endeavor until Beth decided to start pressing Daryl while he only wanted to enjoy his rattlesnake dinner.

At this point, Beth is tired of Daryl acting mute and simply surviving. She’s desperate to feel a bit “normal” and like someone her age would feel in non-apocalyptic surroundings. So, she convinces Daryl to go on a search for booze, and he emotionlessly relents. This leads to a nightmarish jaunt through the remains of a country club and, eventually, Beth breaking down at a bar before she takes her first-ever drink. Daryl, in his own way, acknowledges her emotional state: “If you’re gonna have your first drink, it ain’t gonna be no damn peach schnapps.”

This decision takes them to a house that very much resembles the “home” where Daryl grew up. This is where a moonshine-fueled drinking game leads to the feeling that Daryl is holding a lot back. We learn that he’s never gone on vacation or had frozen yogurt or “gotten anything from Santa Claus.” He’s offended at her suggestion that he may have been in prison before, either as a criminal or as a guard. This leads to something that we seldom see from Daryl: a total loss of cool and control. He takes a swipe at her prior suicide attempt and commences crossbow antics with a Walker.

Through this defense mechanism, one the the strongest members of Rick’s bunch shows us his weakness. And in contrast, the physically weak Beth shows her emotional strength. She calls bullsh*t on Daryl for pretending like nothing matters and that those who were lost meant nothing: “Now god forbid you let anybody get too close.” He, in turn, confesses that he feels like he didn’t do enough to stop The Governor and save Beth’s dad. It’s a powerful exchange, and that includes this embrace, something that Daryl does not resist but certainly wasn’t used to experiencing.

Their bond grows from this moment forward, and thank goodness it stayed platonic and sibling-like, unlike what some ‘shippers wanted, because there’s quite an age gap here.

In retrospect, this episode makes Beth’s future death hit much harder when it arrives in Season 5. That’s especially the case after — during the heat of their argument — Beth goaded, “You’re gonna miss me so bad when I’m gone, Daryl Dixon.” When Daryl carried Beth’s dead body out of a hospital, he might have been recalling the time when they decided to burn down the moonshiner’s house and give it the finger.

With this gesture, Beth helped Daryl leave his past behind, and it’s not that Daryl necessarily became more sociable in the post-Beth era. He did, however, gain more outward shades of his personality, some that might be of use to him when he suddenly washes ashore in France with no idea how he got there. He won’t know the language of the people that he meets, and he might need to open up again during a quest to return to his (new) home, The Commonwealth.

‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ will ride on September 10. On a related note, ‘Ride With Norman Reedus’ will return with Keanu Reeves on the same night.