Category: Trending

“Barbenheimer” fever has not only lit up the box office. It’s also lit up social media. For months, people simply couldn’t believe that two very different movies were being released on the same day — despite this once being a very, very common thing for decades and decades. But not everyone thinks all the memes are funny, and for a very good reason.

As per Deadline, Warner Bros. Japan issued a statement lamenting that the Barbie Twitter account, part of the Warner Bros. Discovery fold, has been reacting favorably to some of the Barbenheimer memes. One such memes finds Margot Robbie’s Barbie Photoshopped alongside Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer amidst an atomic bomb explosion. The Barbie account replied, “It’s going to be a summer to remember.”

Those at Warner Bros. Japan (very understandably) don’t think jokes about mushroom clouds decimating Hiroshima and Nagasaki are very funny.

“We consider it extremely regrettable that the official account of the American headquarters for the movie ‘Barbie’ reacted to the social media postings of ‘Barbenheimer’ fans,” the translated statement reads. “We take this situation very seriously. We are asking the U.S. headquarters to take appropriate action. We apologize to those who were offended by this series of inconsiderate reactions. Warner Bros Japan.”

The statement went viral, as did the hashtag “#NoBarbenheimer.”

Oppenheimer has not yet been released in Japan, but if it does get a release date it may be a tricky sell. It should be noted that the latest from Christopher Nolan is by no means funny nor does it handle the issue lightly. Like most Nolan films, it contains no jokes. Nolan has not exactly shared in all the “Barbenheimer” revelry.

(Via Deadline)

Shocking news has arrived from TMZ, which first reported that Angus Cloud, who portrayed drug-dealing Fezco “Fez” O’Neill on Euphoria died at age 25 while staying at his family’s home in Oakland, California. His cause of death has not been revealed, although TMZ published a family statement, which suggests that the actor had a rough time following his father’s death:

The actor’s family tells us … “It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an incredible human today. As an artist, a friend, a brother and a son, Angus was special to all of us in so many ways.”

They continue, “Last week he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss. The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence.”

Variety followed up with more confirmation.

(Via TMZ & Variety)

Ron DeSantis has been polling way, way behind Donald Trump ever since he formally entered the race, and it somehow keeps getting even worse. On Monday, The New York Times published the results of a new poll, which found that the Florida governor — who’s typically been trailing in the 20s — is now down by 37. What is Trump’s secret? Maybe it’s all those indictments he’s been collecting like Beanie Babies, which has done the opposite of turn off many voters. Now a DeSantis ally thinks he should jump on that bandwagon.

As per Yahoo!, GOP representative Thomas Massie, an old pal of DeSantis, joked — or maybe not really? — that maybe DeSantis should commit some crimes to get in the good graces of the American people.

“I’ve said we gotta figure out, we got to find some judge in Florida that’ll indict DeSantis quick, to close this indictment gap,” Massie told McClatchyDC last week. “It’s a truism that anytime someone is being persecuted, their camp rallies to their defense.”

Massie has endorsed DeSantis for the Republican ticket, but he did say he feels “sympathy” for Trump amidst his various legal woes, which have caused him to beg his own, possibly cash-strapped supporters for money.

But Massie’s still Team Meatball Ron, who he argues is nimbly threading that needle between running against Trump but not being for throwing his butt in the clink.

“I think Ron’s taken the right path, which is to be sympathetic to the former president’s plight,” Massie said. But when asked what DeSantis can do to reclaim his lost momentum, he was a little vague.

“He’s made some changes,” Massie explained. “[He’s] on the ground a lot more in Iowa, it seems to me. And also he made the decision not to go in front of the legacy, mainstream media, and do the long-form open interviews on camera. But now he’s doing that. I think those are the right decisions.”

Over the weekend, DeSantis suffered what looked like a medium-sized brain fart when a reporter pointed out that he was down 30 points from Trump in the key state of Iowa. Little did he know Monday would bring even worse news. Maybe now’s the time to worm his way back into the hearts of GOP voters by mishandling some classified government documents.

(Via Yahoo!)

A mom who admitted she packs her 2-year-old a meal when they go out to dinner has started an interesting debate on TikTok about restaurant etiquette and how it applies to young children.

The video posted by Ohio mom, Karlie Smith (unbreakablemomma on TikTok), has received nearly 600,000 views and has over 1,850 comments.

“Call me cheap, call me whatever, but if we’re going out to a restaurant, I’m packing my kid a meal,” Smith, 21, said in her post. “I do this for many reasons. On Friday nights, my family and I get together, and tonight, we’re getting food out. My son is not getting food out.”

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“For one, you want me to pay $6.99 for chicken tenders and fries that my son is going to throw half of it on the floor? You’re crazy,” she continued. “Also, whatever I pack is probably going to be healthier than what the restaurant has anyways.”

Smith’s example of a $6.99 kids’ meal is generous. In some parts of the country, a kids’ meal will set you back a lot more than that.

@unbreakablemomma

In the video, Smith demonstrated what she prepared for her son’s meal that day: a sandwich filled with peanut butter and jelly, banana slices, cubed cheddar cheese and a chocolate-flavored Lara bar, all neatly organized in a plastic container.

Smith added that when they get to the restaurant, her child can begin to eat immediately without having to wait for a server to take their order and the kitchen to prepare the food.

“I can just hand him this and let him go to town,” she said. “Also, my child is not opinionated. He does not care what he eats; he just wants to eat.”

The mother of two created quite a stir on TikTok after posting the video, with some people shaming her for bringing outside food into a restaurant. Many felt she wasn’t being fair by taking a seat without buying a meal, while others thought the restaurant was a good place for a child to learn patience. Others felt she wasn’t being fair by eating a restaurant-cooked meal while her child ate food from home.

“$6.99 is not a outrageous price. Eating out is definitely a experience a child deserves while everyone eats out,” Suki commented.

“It is sooo important that they learn patience at that age. The same two-year-old who doesn’t learn that becomes a screaming five-year-old,” Heth added.

“Someone once told me if u can’t afford to let your kid get whatever meal they want at a restaurant, u shouldn’t be eating out,” Kiana stated.

“You are paying for the seat at the table, not just the food. The price of the food to the restaurant is a tiny part of it,” LiverpoolLilac wrote.

However, many people felt for Smith and thought she was doing the right thing for her child and finances.

“This is a great idea and I will be using it! Why would I buy a 2-year-old a meal they won’t eat? People need to stop harassing you,” Katy Brown wrote.

“This is great cause restaurant food is rarely healthy for kids. Always chicken tenders and grilled cheese or corn dogs etc, and fries fries fries,” Luna added.

“This is so smart, my kids always waste out food & always eat what I make so thanks for this tip!” Ceryna said.

After the video was bombarded with comments, Smith told Today.com that, as a former server, she always leaves a tip that compensates for the food brought from home and cleans up the table.

Smith put out a follow-up video where she had some fun with the negative comments she received on the video.

@unbreakablemomma

Replying to @Kayla2022 the american girl doll is a paid actress

This article originally appeared on 5.26.23

Being the brand-new humans that they are, babies aren’t experts in anything, right?

Eh, not so fast.

However unconscious they are of their own expertise, babies are arguably experts at learning, We grown-ups tend to complicate the learning process with a whole host of emotional and psychological complexities—negative thinking, unrealistic expectations, shame, embarrassment— which cause us to give up when learning a new skill gets hard.

But babies? Babies just learn, without all of that baggage. And there’s a lot we can learn by observing them.

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Case in point: This baby trying to eat a strawberry with a spoon.

In a video shared by Dan Wuori, Ph.D., Senior Director of Early Learning at the Hunt Insitute, we see a baby in a high chair with a plate full of food, a spoon and fork. She picks up her spoon with a slice of strawberry on it and tries to put it in her mouth. But the strawberry falls off the spoon before it gets there.

She puts the spoon down, puts the strawberry slice back on it, then tries again. Again, the strawberry falls off before it reaches her mouth.

Then the same thing again. And again. And if we just look at her end goal—eating a strawberry with her spoon—she fails at it again and again. But she’s learning. Watch how her patient persistence and perseverance pays off:

— (@)

Now, she could have just picked up the strawberry with her fingers and saved herself from failing over and over again. But she was on a self-driven mission to use the tool she’s seen the big humans use.

And rather than get frustrated and give up after it wasn’t working, she kept at it. Without speaking a word, she says with her actions that she’s determined and confident that she can do it. She hasn’t learned yet that failure is frustrating or embarrassing. All failure is to her is a stage of the learning process.

— (@)

It’s also notable that the parent just watched (and giggled a bit) rather than intervening or coaching her. Some things are best learned by trial and error or just repeated practice, and often outside feedback can hinder that process more than help it. Even praise or cheering her on could have made the feat more about making Mom happy than about accomplishing the feat itself.

— (@)

Good lessons to remember when we are learning something new. Be patient and confident. Don’t let frustration or embarrassment get in the way. Keep trying. Don’t give up.

In other words, learn like a baby.

Actor Paul Reubens, best known for creating the iconic character of Pee-Wee Herman, died on July 30, 2023, at the age of 70. His death shocked many as he kept his six-year battle with cancer a secret.

Pee-Wee Herman ranks among television and film history’s most popular and imaginative children’s characters. In a world where many of Hollywood’s ideas are recycled, the Pee-Wee character was unlike any that came before or after.

He had the signature look of a red bow tie, drainpipe pants and a flat-top hairdo. He was part man, part child, and he lived a life of pure whimsy and kindness. But, occasionally, when driven to anger, he could become maniacal, like a kid throwing a tantrum. As we learned in “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” never mess with Pee-Wee’s bike.

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Entertainment Weekly perfectly summed up the character’s uniqueness and wide appeal.

​“…he was more than a kid-show host, or a pop-culture oddity, or a tongue-in-cheek, time-warped fusion of Pinky Lee and the bratty kid next door. He was all of these at once. Anarchic, creative, obnoxious, and liberating, Pee-wee appealed to all sorts: to kids and to parents; to mainstream stars like David Letterman, and to maverick artists like Batman director Tim Burton and Playhouse designer Gary Panter. Pee-wee struck a chord with any perplexed soul who has ever echoed his famous cry, ‘I know you are, but what am I?’”

Reubens left a final note to fans that was shared on Instagram.

“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years. I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”

— (@)

The Pee-Wee Herman character began as the star of a show for adults that played at midnight at the Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles in 1981 and later became an HBO special. In the character’s first full-length theatrical film, 1985’s “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” directed by Tim Burton, Reubens played a kid-friendly version of the character. The surprise hit film would lead to a sequel, “Big Top Pee-Wee” (1988), and a critically acclaimed children’s TV show, “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” which ran from 1986 to 1990.

“Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” earned 22 Emmy awards during that run, with Reubens being nominated for 14.

After an incident at a Sarasota, Florida, adult theater on Friday, July 26, 1991, Reuben’s image as a children’s TV host was tarnished, and CBS pulled all reruns of “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.” However, public opinion was decidedly pro-Reubens, with surveys showing that 9 out of 10 Americans supported him in the scandal.

Reubens reappeared as Pee-Wee at the MTV Movie Awards later that year, where he bravely poked fun at the controversy.

The scandal led Reubens to reinvent himself as a character actor, and he had scene-stealing roles in “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Blow, “ Batman Returns,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “30 Rock.”

He revived the Pee-Wee character for a successful Broadway run in 2010 and a final film, “Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday,” for Netflix in 2016. “Big Holiday” was a success with critics and fans, earning an 80% rating on “Rotten Tomatoes.”

Before his death, Reubens was putting the finishing touches on two new Pee-Wee scripts.

“Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer, and producer whose beloved character Pee-Wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness,” his reps wrote on Instagram. “Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit.”

See on Instagram

Over the weekend, noted breaking news reporter Trae Young sent out a tweet that said he’d heard rumblings that Kendrick Perkins had gotten tossed from a kids AAU game in Las Vegas after picking up double technicals arguing with referees.

On Monday, the good folks at the NBA Today were able to scrounge up the video of that event and pressed Perk on what happened that got him tossed. Perk explained that he wanted an explanation for why one of the kids on his team got tossed and couldn’t get it, so he just kept going until he got ejected. The best part of the video of Perkins’ explanation is how much joy it brings Brian Windhorst.

Perk immediately calling for the tournament director is even funnier than him just getting run from a children’s basketball game. He needed to go straight to the top — and still got told he needed to stand to the side for the rest of the game. While a very funny video, just generally parents and coaches in kids sports need to take some deep breaths and lower the expectations for officials working those games. I understand its a tournament and the money spent to be there and all of that, but not a lot of that is going towards officiating. There are gonna be mistakes when folks are making $15 an hour (maybe) to referee a kid’s basketball game, and we probably don’t need to go full Gregg Popovich on them, even though it is very frustrating.

Lil Baby’s It’s Only Us Tour may have been curtailed by recent events and lost one of its biggest openers, but as they say, the show must go on. The remaining stops on the tour are getting 30 tracks from across Baby’s discography, from fan-favorites like “My Dawg” and “Emotionally Scarred” to some of Lil Baby’s features like his verses from Drake’s “Girls Like Girls” and “Wants And Needs.”

Before launching this tour, Lil Baby released his third studio album, It’s Only Me, which was also his third No. 1 album, with 216,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. According to Setlist.fm, three songs from his It’s Only Us setlist come from his most recent album: “California Breeze,” “Heyy,” and “In A Minute.” Meanwhile, the album that gets the most exposure during his set is 2020’s My Turn, with six tracks, while 14 tracks overall are from single releases or features. You can see the full setlist below.

1. “Never Hating”
2. “Stand On It”
3. “In A Minute”
4. “Real Spill””
5. “My Dawg”
6. “Southside”
7. “Baby”
8. “Never Needed No Help”
9. “Pure Cocaine”
10. “Frozen”
11. “For The Night”
12. “Sum 2 Prove”
13. “Emotionally Scarred”
14. “Forever”
15. “On Me”
16. “All In”
17. “Wants And Needs”
18. “All Of A Sudden”
19. “EVERY CHANCE I GET”
20. “Woah”
21. “Low Down”
22. “Yes Indeed”
23. “We Paid”
24. “Heyy”
25. “Drip Too Hard”
26. “Waterfall Flow”
27. “Close Friends”
28. “Girls Want Girls”
29. “California Breeze”
30. “Freestyle”

San Francisco’s bright, glowing nightmare is over. Elon Musk has reportedly removed the giant “X” sign that was precariously installed on top of Twitter‘s headquarters over the weekend.

Since its erection, the massive “X” caused concern amongst local residents who either had to deal with it flashing a bright white light into their homes or walk underneath the hastily built structure that looked to be secured with nothing more than sandbags. Those two particular points escalated the issue with city officials who were denied access to the sign, which was reportedly built without a permit.

However, someone at the city clearly got through to Musk because the structure was quickly dismantled on Monday morning. Although, the wave of negative press probably forced Musk’s hand as well.

Via CNBC:

On Monday, CNBC saw workers dismantling the glowing X, removing its lights and an arm of the letter, after the construction drew criticism from neighbors and city officials.

Thirteen complaints have been initiated with San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspections. In the complaints, critics said the sign was put up without a permit, is unsafe, and is a nuisance; one complaint said that its flashing lights made it hard for residents to sleep.

Naturally, the jokes started flying on Twitter as yet another of Musk’s hasty business decisions spectacularly crumbled in a matter of days.

You can see some of the reactions below:

(Via CNBC)

In recent months, Immaculate Grid games have swept across the internet to capture the interest of all different types of sports fans. To my knowledge, three different sites currently house these grids, with options catering to MLB, international soccer, NBA, NFL, and NHL supporters. The objective is simple: input players who meet the criteria for intersecting squares, as the brilliant Steve Jones Jr. expertly did here. Not everyone aims for the lowest scores possible like the grid below, but it can be another fun wrinkle to dial up the difficulty level.

It is the ultimate game of remembering guys, and while some have an encyclopedic memory of rosters, others need to rely on guys they remember who have bounced from team to team. Among the most popular NBA choices are Ish Smith and Jeff Green, who have suited up for 13 and 11 teams, respectively. Between the two of them, they account for 18 of the league’s 30 total clubs. Yet Smith and Green are not the lone active players who should be inducted into the Immaculate Grid Hall of Fame once their careers conclude. An assortment of others have made pitstops in at least 25 percent of NBA cities throughout their tenure and a few more veterans will join that group as well once they appear in a game for their new teams in the fall.

So, today, we present to you the Immaculate Grid All-Stars, with some who will add a new team this October once the season starts. Some are guys you expect to find on this list, with memorable stops in a number of places. Others, though, include one game stints (Seth Curry has two of those!) you might’ve forgotten about or were traded four times in their first two years (hello, Garrett Temple). So let us refresh your memory and give you a little more ammo for your next spin around the Grid.

Ish Smith (13): Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets

Garrett Temple (11, going on 12): Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors (2023-24)

Jeff Green (11): Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets

James Johnson (10): Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers

Justin Holiday (9, going on 10): Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies, Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets (2023-24)

Robin Lopez (9): Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers

Seth Curry (9): Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets

Jae Crowder (8): Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks

JaVale McGee (8): Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns

Markieff Morris (8, could be 9): Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks

Wes Matthews (7, going on 8): Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks (2023-24)

Goran Dragic (7, could be 8): Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks

Christian Wood (7, could be 8): Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks

Delon Wright (7): Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards

Alec Burks (7): Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons

DeAndre Jordan (7): Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets

Danuel House Jr. (7): Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers

Thaddeus Young (7): Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors

Austin Rivers (7): New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans, Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves