Hide the pudding cups because Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is going to want to reach his fingers into a few after reading The New York Times report on his poor performance in the latest polls.

DeSantis, who’s struggled to define himself in the buildup to the Republican primaries as anything more than Donald Trump’s deflated punching bag, is now facing the cold hard truth of his waning popularity — in graph form. According to the Times, DeSantis has “steadily lost ground against Mr. Trump, whose own numbers have increased.” In one poll, Trump had a double-digit lead on his former ally while a broader survey of polls over the past two months shows a widening gap amongst the Republican frontrunners that’s not in DeSantis’ favor.

“It’s the trend that’s important, and the trend is unequivocal: Every single one of these polls has shown Mr. DeSantis faring worse than before, and Mr. Trump faring better,” the Times reports.

There are a few reasons for DeSantis’ fall from grace. While Trump has been testing out increasingly insulting nicknames for the Florida governor in the press — “Meatball Ron,” and “Ron DeSanctimonious” and “Tiny D” are his current favorites — DeSantis has yet to clap back, or even announce his 2024 Presidential Bid. Some worry he won’t be able to confront Trump on specific issues or put up much of a fight without alienating a large subset of the Republican base. Then there are the increasing number of headlines calling into question whether DeSantis is fit for office. His views on the war in Ukraine — he sees it as a “territorial dispute” — his relationships with teenage girls when he was a high school teacher, his wet blanket personality, and the insane way he eats pudding by hand (not one, not two, but three fingers?) have all contributed to his “weird divorced dad” energy that many voters find off-putting.

His treatment of the transgender community, his human trafficking gimmicks, and his commitment to gutting Florida’s educational system to make way for white supremacist lesson plans are also off-putting and asshole-ish, to say the least, but somehow we think it’s the fact that he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy you want to have a beer with is what will be his downfall with conservatives.

(Via NYT)

Shazam 2, aka Shazam: Fury Of The Gods, has the distinct flavor of too many cooks in the kitchen. True, superhero movies always have a thousand cooks in the kitchen, but this one especially feels like a confused college student trying on different identities for a semester at a time. Which is a shame, because the first Shazam is probably my favorite superhero movie of the last decade. The sequel is like watching a good friend come back from a study abroad with an affected accent that you can’t talk them out of.

Shazam 2 does have the occasional sparkle of that Shazam magic, especially in the early going. It isn’t nearly the insult to its predecessor that, say, Kick-Ass 2 was to Kick-Ass. Part of the beauty of Shazam was that it did genuinely feel like a movie aimed at 10 or 11-year-olds, in stark contrast to the Marvel approach, of aiming at bottle-fed adults. Shazam! was rendered in primary colors and was silly at times (the villains were the seven deadly sins!), but it was a direct appeal to actual human emotions rather than a sacrifice to the Gods of continuity. If there’s one aspect of superhero movies I’m not totally sick of yet, it’s the moment when the hero discovers his powers — a plotline Shazam! did better than probably anything since Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man movie.

Not only that, the was a foster kid (Billy Batson, played by Asher Angel, who turns into Zach Levi), not some descendant of an ancient line of demigods (how I love a superhero plot that doesn’t involve a monarchy), and rather than becoming part of some pseudo-governmental, supranational agency charged with protecting the rabble, the final battle seemed to be a kind of metaphor for the internal struggle to be a less shitty person. And all wrapped up in a love story about found family. Again, I love Shazam!

Now Shazam is back, but in exchange for granting it a sequel, the Gods of continuity want their pound of flesh. The plot Fury Of The Gods‘ writers (Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan) have cooked up manages to be both overly simplistic and painfully convoluted. There’s some sweetness to the story of these characters, but every time they try to scale it up into some broader, connected universe mythology it becomes this hideous hybrid beast, like a sitcom sprouting malignant tumors of naked commerce. I’m entirely serious when I say that a climactic moment in Shazam 2 has an actual Skittles commercial in it, complete with a little girl shouting “taste the rainbow!”

Billy Batson himself is struggling with “impostor syndrome” (could I just have one respite from thinkpiece-ready pop psychology terms, please?), and with the fact that his foster siblings-turned-superhero-squad seem on the verge of going their separate ways. MEANWHILE, disabled Freddy Freeman (played by Jack Dylan Grazer, probably the stronger actor of the two and also Brian Grazer’s nephew) is dealing with the indignity of having to maintain his identity as a disabled high schooler even when he can Shazam himself into a superhero (played by the always lovable Adam Brody). Billy explains all these insecurities, and that they stem from him being an orphan abandoned by his mother and gifted superpowers by a dying wizard, in a scene that seems to find just the right balance of winningly cheeky and nauseatingly post-modern.

It’s only when the Big Baddies show up that the movie sort of falls apart. Those baddies arrive in the form of the daughters of Atlas (the actual Greek deity Atlas), who are pissed that the Djimon Hounsou Wizard stole their powers and gave them to a kid. Now they’ve come to Earth to get them back, and also to retrieve “the seeds of life” and regrow the God realm they love. Just like it was in Thor: Love And Thunder, pitting Gods against humans is a whole can of worms that a superhero movie has neither the time nor the nuance to deal with in any real way. Why is it when commerce paints itself into a corner it always ends up trying to reinvent religion?

So, uh.. not only do the Shazam kids have to fight the Gods to defend the humans, but it turns out there’s also a bit of a sibling rivalry in the Atlas household. The most human-sympathetic sister, Anthea (Rachel Zegler) presents as a high school kid and doubles as Freddy’s love interest. The most vengeful sister, Kalypso, wants to punish humanity, and is played by Lucy Liu, which is a big problem because Kalypso yells a lot and while I enjoy Lucy Liu in most contexts, her intensely nasal yelling voice is like sandpaper on my ear drums. There’s also another sister played by Helen Mirren who is somewhere in between the other two.

Meanwhile, the “seeds of life” also grow deadly roots that manifest mythical bad guys (Cyclops, Minotaur…) who stomp around killing people. The seeds are also guarded by a giant wooden dragon that Kalypso rides. “Hey, Khaleesi!” Shazam yells at her at one point.

You can tell the writers are flailing when they start using pop culture references like drywall spackle (which is exactly how “humor” generally works in the MCU). To put a finer point on it, the character plot between the foster family (which has potential) doesn’t really connect at all to the larger mythological conflict, which is like someone put every shitty superhero movie trope into a blender. Shazam is so focused on trying to be something else that it loses what it actually had (genuine emotions!).

There’s a tension within DC, which has shown up in the last Suicide Squad (yes there were two), Black Adam, and now Shazam 2, between being the anti-Marvel (at which it displays occasional flashes of brilliance) and a sort-of poor man’s Marvel, which is awful thing for anything to be. That tension is starker than ever in Fury Of The Gods, which is half-kids family superhero movie and half-disastrous Marvel wannabe that plays like a fan-fiction sub-universe of Wonder Woman (don’t even ask, man).

If I could take you beyond the spoiler veil for a moment here (STOP HERE IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ SPOILERS)…

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…nothing exemplifies Shazam 2‘s identity crisis like the post-credits scene. This post-credits sequence stars Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee and attempts to tie in Shazam, a smart-alecky kids’ superhero movie, with Peacemaker, an R-rated HBO series. Is there any good reason for these two properties to connect? What if you just made two good things that were separate?

Instead, we see these characters trying to recruit Shazam into The Justice Society (which you probably don’t remember from its failed subplot in Black Adam). Shazam does a big joke speech about how the Justice League and the Justice Society should probably have different words so that people don’t get them confused. He pulls out his phone and starts googling synonyms. The “button” of the scene is him pitching “The Avengers Society.” Get it? Because The Avengers! Is Shazam Deadpool now? It all feels so pathetic.

Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can check out his archive of reviews here.

Remember the hit Pixar movie “Inside Out”? If not, it’s a cartoon where emotions are personified so you can sort of see what each emotion is thinking. It’s a really sweet, funny and surprisingly emotional movie. But a woman who goes by Georgia on YouTube took that concept and decided to recreate it using different types of neurodivergent diagnoses and features.

In the video, Georgia plays all of the characters who all interact with each other as they work on controlling what the human they’re inside does. The characters are “General Thoughts,” “Dyslexia,” “ADHD,” “Sensory Issues,” “OCD” and “Anxiety.”

Georgia is attempting to make dinner, but it’s a pretty intense process with all of these characters getting in the way, and while General Thoughts attempts to keep everyone on track…eh…it doesn’t work out so well.

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Watching how Anxiety and OCD feed into one another while ADHD drives just about everybody to the point of dysregulation is a pretty accurate portrayal of what it’s like to have neurospicy tendencies. Commenters applauded Georgia on the accuracy and felt seen by the creative display of what it’s like to live with neurodivergence.

“Omg I’m neurodivergent and I can’t describe how relatable this is both me and my mum are and we sat down and watched it together and I don’t think I’ve ever seen something more relatable xx thank you for doing things like this xx,” Estella Sylvester wrote.

“As a person with anxiety, OCD, and PTSD this video made me tear up. The accurate acknowledgment of conditions that are so stigmatized or romanticized means an indescribable amount to me, especially coming from a creator I’ve followed since I was a kid. We’re not defined by our conditions, but they follow us through every moment of every day, and that’s okay. Thank you for this Georgia, we love you <3,” Elle commented.

“I have autism and ADHD and my brain is literally like this… I always thought that no one would understand me. This video means everything to me and I’m so happy and relieved to know that I am not alone. Thank you and I love you Georgia,” Tess Sexton wrote.

If you’re neurodivergent, watch the video below to see how well Georgia portrayed neurodiversity. If you’re not neurodivergent, check out the video to get the inside scoop on how neurodivergent brains work. You may find it fascinating.

Have you ever wondered what happens in your brain when you’re smiling?

The act of smiling releases molecules in your brain called neuropeptides, which help you fight off stress. Then come smaller neurotransmitters such as serotonin (which acts as an anti-depressant) and endorphins (which provide mild pain relief). These chemicals may just be tiny molecules floating around in your brain, but they make a big difference in how you feel.

At Upworthy, we’re all about small things making a big difference. Whether it’s the life-giving sound of a baby’s laughter, the delight of a person dancing like no one’s watching or the beauty of a random act of compssion, little doses of joy can go a long way toward creating the kind and peaceful world we all want to live in.

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Hope this collection of small, happy things brings some big smiles to your faces!

1. The way this baby belly laughs every time the bird chirps. Oh. My. Goodness.

See on Instagram

There is nothing better than the sound of a baby laughing. It’s just pure, unhindered joy.

2. Shop owner gifts a $700 prom dress to a girl who drove six hours to her store.

@juicybodygoddess

I didn’t cry until I did edit #plussize #plussizetiktok #juicybodygoddess #plussizefashion

Summer Lucille opened her Juicy Body Goddess store precisely for moments like this. The way she hypes up her customers and helps them feel their own beauty is truly a joy to behold. See more of Lucille’s stellar service and read the full story here.

3. This girl is on fire, for real.

See on Instagram

Such confidence! Every kid deserves this kind of encouragement in their artistic expression.

4. A Fred Meyer store gave its entire Powerball bonus to the local food bank.

Not only that, but the corporate office also gave the store associates $10,000 to celebrate. Read the full story (including how the $754 million Powerball winner who bought the ticket saw a ‘sign’ that won her the jackpot) here.

5. Dad shares a genius way to handle a kid drawing on the wall.

See on Instagram

The ultimate “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” approach to parenting. Most kids will draw on a wall at some point, and while parents do have to teach when and where it’s okay to draw, there’s no harm in showcasing their artistry in the process.

6. Dad narrates his son’s trip to the mall ‘Look Who’s Talking’-style and it’s delightful.

@kingkeraun

Come get yall nephew ! 🙄

The voice-over comedy still hits. Way to go, Dad. Read the full story here.

7. Mom shares a perfect, real-life example of the ‘Dad is RIGHT THERE’ phenomenon.

@tinyann22

Moms can never get a minute of peace lol #momsoftiktok #momlife #ring #camera #kidsoftiktok

As a mom whose husband is a totally involved, hands-on parent who shares child-rearing equally, I can attest that this phenomenon is all too real no matter what. I have watched my children leave the kitchen where their father is cooking to come and ask me where to find something…in the kitchen. He’s right. there. A follow-up to this video shows the dad on the ring doorbell, tablet in hand, with the kid still telling Mom the tablet isn’t working. So darn funny.

8. Boy reassures rescue dog that he’ll be cared for and protected, and where’s my tissue?

See on Instagram

Gulp. What a sweetheart. And what a lucky doggo.

9. Dog sneaks around on tiptoe to get what he wants and it’s hilarious to witness.

Okay, Milton. That is too much. Read more about Milton’s sneaky habits here.

10. Here’s to the friends who immediately go in for the snuggle when they see you.

None

— (@)

​Monkey’s all, “Bring it in, buddy.” Too sweet.

Feeling better with those soothing neurochemicals flooding your brain? If you’d like to get these serotonin-pumping posts delivered to your inbox each week, you can sign up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest, here. Share the joy with someone who needs it and keep the feel-good molecules flowing!

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from EST Gee, Lil Keed, and more.

Now that the Grammys and Oscars are out of the way, expect to see the release schedule stabilize in the coming weeks. Even though things haven’t picked up quite yet, there have been a few notable new releases this week. Jpegmafia and Danny Brown teamed up for “Lean Beef Patty” to announce a full joint album, JID and Lute shared the video for their Creed III collaboration “Ma Boy,” and Westside Boogie shared his Live At The Novo EP to get fans hyped up for some new music. Doechii also released two versions of “Block Boy” with and without the controversial Kodak Black.

Also, Smino dropped “Wyoming Freestyle,” Logic shared his “Shimmy” video with Joey Badass, Russ got “Nasty” in his latest indie single drop, Diddy and The Weeknd added contributions to Metro Boomin and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’,” and 03 Greedo and Hit-Boy put on for the West Coast with separate releases.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending March 17, 2023.

Albums / EPs / Mixtapes

EST Gee — MAD

Louisvillian street rapper EST Gee released his last full-length project, I Never Felt Nun, last September, but we all know how prolific he is. MAD arrives just a week after Gee announced it, bringing 14 new tracks with features from Boosie Badazz and Young Scooter. It’s slightly more upbeat than some of his prior work but remains consistent with his tough-nosed output to date.

GloRilla — Anyway’s Life’s Great… Bonus Edition

The Memphis native’s EP proved that her “Let’s Go (F.N.F.)” success was no fluke, and here, she adds four new tracks. Three — “Don’t Know,” “Phatnall,” and “Get That Money” featuring Niki Pooh — have never been heard before, while the fourth is a stripped-down version of her dismissive anti-romance track “Nut Quick” sans Trina.

Lil Keed — Keed Talk To ‘Em 2

The Atlanta rapper was due for a huge breakout before his untimely death last year at the age of 24. His Trapped On Cleveland mixtapes and album, Long Live Mexico, were generating the sort of buzz that garnered Drake cameos at his shows and intense anticipation for a follow-up. Even with his label, YSL, in shambles due to the state’s RICO case against them, the sequel to Keed’s 2018 breakout tape proves his momentum would have continued.

Singles / Videos

Curren$y — “Essence Fest” Feat. Jermaine Dupri

The New Orleans vet switches lanes on this bass-thumping twerk anthem, a departure from his usual laid-back, breezy luxury raps. Jermaine Dupri gets him out of his comfort zone — which turns out to be a great idea.

Deante’ Hitchcock — “Drunk AF”

Another rapper gets out of his comfort zone, as Deante’ Hitchcock — the Dreamville-affiliated Atlanta rapper who broke out a couple of years ago with the rollout for his excellent debut Better — tries his hand at some melodic sing-rapping and proves equally adept there as he is at his usual punchline-laden style.

Kota The Friend — “One Life”

Brooklyn rapper Kota teams up once again with Statik Selektah, who provides some churchy organs for this contemplative track — appropriate, considering what Kota is contemplating is a trip to a church with the lady he wants to lock down for life.

Kyle — “Movin’”

On his last project, California anti-cool rapper/crooner Kyle adopted a new direction, moving from light, cheerful hip-hop to house-inflected 2-step, borrowing liberally from the catalog of overseas genre-benders like Craig David. He keeps that vibe while sprinkling in his original sincere rapping style here.

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

Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith have brought the magic of Inside The NBA to Turner’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament. All throughout March Madness, the duo will join the CBS studio show as it navigates the onslaught of games, and it only took two days of games for Barkley to unveil a story about himself that no one really needed to know.

Prior to the matchup between Pitt and Iowa State, Barkley complimented the support staff that takes care of all the little things for teams during the tournament. This is partly because in Barkley’s college years, he did not have this kind of support, which is why the Hall of Fame inductee revealed that he showered in his jersey after road games to keep his jersey clean.

Clark Kellogg did not seem to enjoy this story. Barkley was an efficient player in his time, but this level of laundry efficiency may be a step too far. The method begs a few questions: Were Barkley’s Auburn teammates also using the shower laundry method? Could a shower get a stain out? And where on a commercial airplane can you dry a basketball jersey?

Hopefully someone at Auburn University gave Barkley a few laundry tips — washers and dryers did exist in the 1980s. Whether it’s true or not, this story would have ended up on the all-time Inside The NBA list if he told it on the show.

Social media is overflowing with love for Lance Reddick after hearing the news that he passed away suddenly at age 60 on Friday. The veteran TV actor delivered noteworthy performances on The Wire, Lost, Fringe, and Bosch, among other projects (he was terrific on Corporate at playing his gravitas for laughs), and he was a beloved fixture in the John Wick movies. In fact, Reddick was in the middle of promoting John Wick: Chapter 4 and had interviews lined up next week to discuss his role in the film.

A welcomed presence in any project, Reddick was always an ace at portraying disgruntled authority figures, but the actor also had a comedic side that he loved to show off whenever he had the chance. That’s probably why one of the most prominent clips that keeps popping up in remembrance posts is his appearance on The Eric Andre Show, where he not only committed to the bit, but seemingly rattled Andre.

Hollywood is only just starting to react to Reddick’s passing. However, his Fringe co-star Kirk Acevodo was quick to remember his old friend.

“I’ve worked with Lance on OZ and then on Fringe,” Acevedo tweeted. “Too many stories and good times with Lance. You’ll be terribly missed. Jesus he was taken way too soon. Rest easy my friend”

DC Studios Chief James Gunn also sent out a tribute to Reddick shortly after the news hit.

“Lance Reddick was an incredibly nice guy, and an incredibly talented actor,” Gunn wrote. “This is heartbreaking. My love goes out to all his family, friends, and collaborators.”

You can see more social media tributes to Reddick below.

RIP to a legend.

During Ashley Graham’s awkward red carpet interview with Hugh Grant, she made at least one good point: The Vanity Fair Oscars party is definitely where Hollywood’s A-list goes to cut loose. At this year’s soiree, Seth Rogen smoked with Megan Thee Stallion, who confirmed her new album, and Pedro Pascal was floored at the possibility that he’d just gotten a glimpse of Rihanna.

Ciara also let it all hang out, both literally and figuratively, donning a backless, completely transparent fishnet dress. In fact, her gloved hands got the most coverage of anything on her body, save for nude pasties and a black thong covering her “goodies” (see what I did there). For what it’s worth, she was completely on-theme, as most of the Vanity Fair attendees showed up in sheer ensembles in homage to “barely there” old Hollywood glam.

Well, it didn’t take long for some segments of the online peanut gallery to zero in on Ciara, who is a lightning rod for people’s projections and petty criticisms. Some said she was dressed inappropriately as a married woman — which makes so little sense, I won’t even bother addressing how dumb it sounds — while others said she was presenting a bad role model (at a party where no kids were present).

Ciara herself, though, was unfazed by the nonsensical critiques and had the perfect clapback over on TikTok. In a video captioned “selective outrage,” she strolled through her living room clad in a bedsheet covering her entire body backed by the sounds of red carpet photographers. A sarcastic title card reads, “POV: How I’m pulling up to Vanity Fair next year.” The obvious implication is, of course, that she will not actually be doing that and will keep doing her while (some) dudes on the internet stay mad. Good for her. Check out her response below.

With the final season of Succession rapidly approaching, Brian Cox is reminiscing on what he’ll miss most about the HBO series, and more specifically what he won’t, which is method acting. Cox has not been shy about co-star Jeremy Strong‘s penchant for the acting style, which the Logan Roy actor has already described as “f*cking annoying.”

During a new interview on Succession ending, Cox trotted out some new profanities for Method acting, which in case he hasn’t mentioned it before, he freaking hates.

“It’s really a cultural clash,” Cox said. “I don’t put up with all that American sh*t. I’m sorry. All that sort of ‘I think, therefore I feel.’”

Cox then went long on why he thinks Strong is enamored by the approach. Via Variety:

“Just do the job,” Cox continues. “Don’t identify.” He points to the case of estimable Method actor Daniel Day-Lewis, with whom he worked on the 1997 film “The Boxer,” and blames those immersive techniques for Day-Lewis’ early retirement. “He retired at the age of 55, and I’m going, ‘That’s when the roles become really interesting. You’ve retired just at the point when actually the roles get better!’” Cox exclaims. “Of course, Jeremy was Dan Day-Lewis’ assistant. So he’s learned all that stuff from Dan.”

Rants about Method acting aside, Cox did admit that he will working with the ensemble, but much like his character Logan Roy, he’s not going to get all weepy about it.

“I’ll miss the cast, I’ll miss the atmosphere, I’ll miss the bonhomie,” Cox said. “Logan, probably, I’ll miss a bit. But upward and onwards.”

Succession Season 4 premieres March 26 0n HBO.

(Via Variety)