Category: Trending

Need a little dose of joy? How about 10?

Welcome to this week’s roundup of delights, which includes an inspiring haka, a gorgeous duet between Pink and Kelly Clarkson, the sweetest little pancake maker, the most adorable acorn people you’ve ever seen and more.

If you’re looking for some reasons to smile, we’ve got you covered. Enjoy!

1. The magical world of “Becorns” taps right into our childlike wonder.

David Bird was a toy designer at LEGO before he started creating the acorn characters he dubs “Becorns.” The scenes he creates by setting up Becorns and waiting for wildlife to find them are peak joy. They even have their own names and personalities! See more and learn about how the idea came about here.

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2. Students greet their teachers and classmates with a back-to-school haka in New Zealand.

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These Māori students from the tribe of Raukawa are showing their utmost respect to their teachers and fellow students with this traditional haka. So beautiful.

3. Pink and Kelly Clarkson met up on Clarkson’s show and delivered a stunning duet of “What About Us?”

Not only is this an awesome message, but both of these singers are known for their rich, powerhouse voices, so putting them together was a stroke of brilliance. A whole album of duets, please! Read the full story here.

4. Daddy and daughter pancake day—can we make this a whole show?

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It’s just cuteness upon cuteness. What a sweet relationship these two have, and it’s also a masterclass in encouraging language development. Good job, daddy.

5. Adele’s reaction to this man holding up his late wife’s picture is what it’s all about.

@adeleaccess

A very special moment from Adele’s concert this past Friday ♥️ #adele #weekendswithadele #adelevegas #adelelive #someonelikeyou #whenwewereyoung

Genuine human-to-human connection. Love to see it. Read the full story here.

6. Kid snuck his family’s toaster to school so he could share their stash of Pop-Tarts.

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Scroll through for the whole story. What a guy. (These are the kinds of kids teachers actually adore. If only all kids were this thoughtful!)

7. Keanu Reeves surprised a small town pub with an unexpected visit.

The staff at The Robin Hood pub in Tring, Hertfordshire, about 30 miles outside of London, got the surprise of a lifetime when Keanu Reeves walked in the door. He enjoyed a pint and some fish and chips and then, in typical Keanu style, praised the kitchen crew while shaking their hands. Read the full story here.

8. Seriously, the kid who wrote this poem deserves some kind of prize.

u201cGive the child who wrote this the Poet Laureateu201d

— Cara Lisette (@Cara Lisette)
1675280714

And the illustrations! So flippin’ clever and cute.

9. The cast of “Saturday Night Life” couldn’t keep it together during the “Lisa from Temecula” skit.

SNL may have its ups and downs, but there is nothing funnier than when the comedians themselves can’t keep from laughing. “Lisa from Temecula” will definitely go down in cast-cracking history. Read the full story here.

10. If none of that got you smiling, this almond-obsessed ninja cat surely will.

Everyone’s cat is its own brand of weird, but oh. my. goodness. “Her best friend is an almond.” It’s too much. What a treasure of a cat this lady landed.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s roundup! To get these posts sent to your inbox each week, sign up for our newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.

Drake reportedly must appear for a deposition or appear in court in the XXXTentacion murder trial.

Today (February 9) Rolling Stone obtained a court order filed by the defense attorney for Dedrick Williams, one of the three suspects. Attorney Mauricio Padilla reportedly submitted a possible alternative theory linking Drake to the murder of XXXTentacion, due to their rumored feud before XXXTentacion’s death.

The publication states that Padilla attempted to subpoena Drake last month, noting that Drake was served properly, however, didn’t show up for a deposition.

According to the court order, Drake must show up for deposition on Friday, February 24.

“If deponent Aubrey Drake Graham does not appear to deposition he must appear before this court on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 at 10 a.m. EST at so [sic] the court can determine why he should not be held in contempt.”

During opening arguments that took place on Tuesday, February 7, Padilla cited an Instagram post shared from XXXTentacion’s Instagram account in February 2018.

“If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi [Drake’s Instagram handle]. I’m snitching right now,” read the Instagram post, which XXXTentacion later deleted and claimed was posted as his account was hacked.

At the time of writing, no actual evidence against Drake has been presented in court, however, Padilla has reportedly tried to subpoena several other artists, including Offset, Quavo, and 6ix9ine.

It’s a good thing that there are an infinite number of alternative universes, because at least in a few of them, John Leguizamo played The Vulture/Adrian Toomes in Spider-Man: Homecoming. As we all know, the role went to Michael Keaton who brought his Batman legacy to the winged “bad” guy facing off against Peter Parker. This was also a few years after Birdman, the Oscar-winning film where Keaton also played a winged superhero, so all of that was swirling in the ether of Homecoming, connecting it to superhero history and a kind of craggy, weathered prestige. Make no mistake: Keaton was excellent in the role and played it only as he could.

But it was almost Leguizamo. Maybe even more than almost. According to the actor in an interview for ComicBook.com, he and Marvel were in final negotiations when Keaton decided he wanted the role after all, and the producers had an awkward question for Leguizamo.

“They asked me if I would give it up and I said, ‘Well, okay I guess,’” Leguizamo said. “‘[Marvel]said, no, we’ll work with you again, we’re gonna!’”

So far, that hasn’t come to pass. And why not?

“They offered me something tiny, and I’m going, ‘Nuh-uh!’” Leguizamo concluded.

It’s a heartbreaking story of what might have been. Granted, these moves are common negotiating tactics for both actors and studios, but it’s a shame Leguizamo was on the losing end on this one, especially because he would have cruuuussshed the role.

Viola Davis recently became the 18th member to join the honorary EGOT club after she won a Grammy last weekend for the audiobook version of her memoir. However, some casual fans might be curious: What exactly is an EGOT?

First things first, the EGOT stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. For somebody to ‘EGOT,’ it means that person has to win (at least one) of each of those four awards. And it’s very difficult to do, but there are a ton of celebrities currently that are only one award shy of joining Davis.

There are also other special honors in the entertainment world. In addition to the EGOT, there is the ESOT — which swaps out someone not needing to win a Grammy but a Screen Actors Guild Award instead.

In this category, there are only ten winners so far. Davis is already one of them, as she achieved her ESOT in 2017.

Lastly, there is the prestigious PEGOT, which means all of the former EGOT winners would have had to win either a Peabody award or a Pulitzer.

There are only five people that have done so: Barbra Streisand, Mike Nichols, Rita Moreno (Peabody winners), Richard Rodgers, and Marvin Hamlisch (Pulitzer winners).

Celebrities! They’re just like us!

Paul Rudd had the same reaction we’d all have if we got a chance to speak to Martin Short, Steve Martin, or Meryl Streep — let alone all three. Let alone acting alongside them. Rudd may be a superhero, but that trio are royalty.

“Surreal doesn’t even cover it,” Rudd told Entertainment Weekly. “For a comedy fan like myself, Martin Short and Steve Martin, that’s Mount Rushmore. I mean, truly hero worship. To get to work with them, I still kind of can’t believe it. Selena [Gomez], I adore. I’ve worked with her a couple of times and she’s the greatest. And then when I heard Meryl Streep was on board, it just didn’t seem real. It still doesn’t seem real.”

Ant-Man popped up in the final episode of Only Murders in the Building season 2 following a time jump and launching the season 3 mystery of where he bought that awesome trench coat (and also who killed him). Naturally, we’ll get to learn a bit more of who his character (stage actor Ben Glenroy) really is, how he’s mixed up with the Arconia 3 outside of starring in their Broadway play.

So what’s it like working with Short and Martin? “It’s just constant insults,” Rudd said. “To just hear them knock each other but there’s so much love between those guys … it’s just so fun to have a front-row seat to all of that.”

The Quantum Realm’s got nothing on that.

(via EW)

Everybody’s talking about the new season of Netflix original series, You. One of the show’s biggest fans is rapper Cardi B.

Today, the “Up” hitmaker changed her Twitter avatar back to a picture of Penn Badgley’s character, Joe Goldberg, on the heels of the show’s fourth season.

The show’s official Twitter account caught wind of the photo change and replied to her saying, “Back in her Goldberg era.”

This isn’t the first time Cardi has expressed her fandom over You either. In 2021, for the show’s third season, she switched her profile pic to Joe peeping out the window — and Badgley followed suit by switching his to the Bronx rapper. She also received a PR package with blue baseball cap, matching that of character Joe, with text reading “HELLO, YOU…”

A month earlier, Badgley appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he lauded Cardi’s social media savvy. Cardi later shared a clip from the episode, expressing her elation, saying, “OOOOMMFFFGGGGGG HE KNOWS ME!!!”

Netflix then changed their Twitter bio to read “Petition to get Cardi B to guest star in Season 4 of You!,” which prompted the rapper to pitch an idea for the episode.

“So it’s episode 1 and I’m at Paris Fashion week shutting it down! I turn around and there stands YOU,” she said.

Perhaps a cameo may manifest in the near future.

Season 4, Part 1 of You is now streaming on Netflix. Part 2 is set to premiere on Wednesday, March 9.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Rina Sawayama is set to perform at Elton John’s AIDS Foundation Oscars Party next month after confirming the news on social media. Eric McCormack and MJ Rodriguez are also set to appear at John’s popular viewing party on March 12.

“Founded by my wonderful friend @eltonofficial, they’re on an incredibly important mission to end HIV stigma and inequalities around the world, and to spread more love and compassion,” Sawayama tweeted.

“I am overjoyed to be reuniting with old and new friends on one of my favorite nights of the year, especially after missing last year’s viewing party due to an unfortunate clash of schedules with my ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour,” John shared in a statement via Rolling Stone. “As always, I am so appreciative of every attendee, donor and sponsor who continues to support the Foundation’s work across the globe in the fight to end AIDS. With such meaningful generosity, we can make a healthier and more inclusive world.”

Sawayama and John have been close friends for quite a while. Between collabing on a version of her song “Chosen Family” and speaking highly of each other in past interviews, her performance announcement is just another step.

“Elton doesn’t realize how many people’s lives he’s made by contacting them and telling them that their work is great, that the work is seen,” she told the New York Times in their 2021 joint interview.

David O. Russell is moving on from the commercial and (mostly) critical failure of Amsterdam to make a movie about 1970s toy sales reps “on a life and death mission to save themselves, their marriage and their live-wire twelve-year-old daughter, on the road in middle America.” With the film trying to cut deals at the European Film Market, IndieWire is reporting that Keke Palmer and Sacha Baron Cohen are attached to star.

In the hands of a different writer/director, this would be a straight comedy with a funky premise, but Russell’s style typically leans heavily on the drama side of dramedy while still playing coy about how strange (and wonderful) humans can be. Granted, after stories about abusive behavior on set and actors that refuse to work with the guy anymore, it takes some effort to get excited about a new Russell film.

It’s possible that this pairing might pique a little interest. Palmer is a hurricane who can basically do anything, and Cohen is a singular figure who nonetheless blends seamlessly into mainstream projects despite countless hours living as Borat. It’s a potent combination.

Super Toys (please be a working title) is still in pre-production, so it’s also conceivable that it won’t get off the ground.

(via IndieWire)

Director Welby Ings describes Punch as “two connected love stories; one between a father and his son, and the other between two young men.” The New Zealand film is still festival hopping, but the trailer immediately puts it on the map as one to watch out for.

Here’s the official synopsis: “Jim (Jordan Oosterhof) is a promising teenage boxer, training under the watch of his demanding and alcoholic father (Tim Roth). When Jim develops a relationship with a male classmate (Conan Hayes), the two are forced to navigate isolation, homophobia, and the brutality of small-town life. As Jim discovers what it means to be gay, he realizes how little strength has to do with heroism.”

From the intimate cinematography and indie aesthetic to Roth’s subtle mastery, the film looks remarkable, sitting well within the lineage of other romances like Moonlight where identity starts to crumble in the face of something the main character really wants. Is it boxing? Maybe. But there’s definitely more to life, even if your dad says there isn’t. Then again, there’s no way that Roth’s alcoholic father character will be an obstacle in his son’s romantic life, right?

The debut feature from Ings, Punch played the New Zealand Film Festival but doesn’t have a firm release date in the US yet. Hopefully, it will soon.

The Phoenix Suns shook up the West playoff race late Wednesday night when they landed Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets.

The trade immediately vaults the Suns back into the championship favorites tier in the NBA, as he will provide them with an awful lot of the things that they desperately needed in their last two playoff trips. Going to Brooklyn are Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson — Jae Crowder got rerouted to Milwaukee — along with a host of future first round picks. While the Nets listened to offers on both, they decided to keep the two young wings to add to their growing collection of forwards. Both players made their way to Brooklyn on Thursday and were in attendance for the Nets game against the Bulls, with Bridges doing an interview with Jared Greenberg on the TNT broadcast.

When asked what his reaction was to the trade, he had a pretty grounded view of it all, saying “I get it, sh*t…[KD]’s one of my favorite players.”

There are times where a guy is blindsided by a deal, but given the talks that took place this summer, Bridges probably had at least a bit of an idea that if Durant were in fact to be on the market again, his name would come up. As such, he understands the business of it all, even if it still came as a shock to be moved in the middle of the night.

Bridges also talked to Greenberg about how he found out about the trade, as he learned about it because his now-former teammate Damion Lee called him talking about how sorry he was for Bridges, who then asked him what the hell he was talking about.

It’s gotta be a bit jarring to get a call in the night with a teammate apologizing to you, wondering what he means, only to find out you are headed across the country for one of the league’s all-time greats. Bridges is handling it like a pro, but you can tell he’s still processing everything that went down over the past 24 hours.