Category: Viral

Anxiety is weird. Not weird in a funny way but more like weird in a terrifying ‘am I dying or am I just having an anxiety attack‘ kind of way. Our brains are powerful things and can make our bodies have physiological responses to stress, anxiety and depression. One of those annoyingly terrifying symptoms are heart palpitations which can feel like your heart is beating too fast, skipping a beat or rolling around in your chest.

When our hearts do something funky that make us acutely aware of its existence, the immediate thought is usually you’re having a heart attack. Which can lead to more anxiety, thus more heart flip flops. It becomes a vicious cycle until you either get it checked out or it stops on its own because your brain decides to do you a solid and let you forget your heart was being weird five minutes ago.

It is really very interesting to know your brain has that much power over what your body does when you’re just sitting there existing. But for those that experience the unwelcome excitement of anxiety related heart palpitations, there’s a neat trick to get your heart back to feeling normal.

Jesse Katches posted a video to TikTok revealing a unique way in controlling heart palpitations brought on by anxiety. In the video Katches plays someone having heart palpitations and the person who supposedly called an ambulance due to his own palpitations which resulted in a paramedic teaching him the neat trick.

Katches tells the other person to clasp their hands together but leave out their thumbs and blow, before explaining how the trick works. He says there’s a nerve running down the middle of your body that helps control your heartbeat, stimulating the nerve can sort of tell your heart to chill out. It’s fascinating and a trick to keep in your pocket if you experience this symptom.

Watch the full video below:

@jessekatches1

Anxiety heart palpitations 😬🫀 #mentalhealth #anxietyrelief

Pregnant workers should have an easier time getting a drink of water, wearing a uniform that fits, and being allowed to work from home thanks to a new law. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) ensures that pregnant workers get reasonable accommodations in the workplace without fear of being fired or retaliation.

The PWFA was passed as part of the $1.7 trillion government funding bill.

“At long last, pregnant workers can no longer be forced off the job for needing light-duty work or a stool to sit on to maintain a healthy pregnancy,” said Dina Bakst, co-founder and co-president of A Better Balance. “Working moms no longer have to fear job loss for needing time off to recover from childbirth safely. No longer will women nationwide face the impossible choice between maintaining a healthy pregnancy and affording food for their families.”

The law is a landmark case for women’s rights because 72% of all working women will become pregnant at some point in their careers. Further, 8 in 10 first-time pregnant women will work until their final month of pregnancy. To offer “reasonable accommodations” for women 8 months pregnant is the least employers can do.

— (@)

Under the new law, a pregnant worker can go to their employer and ask for a “reasonable” accommodation, and they discuss whether it can be granted. If the employer doesn’t approve the request, the pregnant employee can file a challenge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Currently, the law doesn’t provide any hard-set rules for accommodations. But by the end of the year, the EEOC will announce a list of accommodations subject to public comment.

Examples of “reasonable accommodations” include:

• Light duty, or help with manual labor and lifting
• Changing food or drink policies to allow a worker to have a water bottle or food
• Changing a uniform or dress code, like allowing wearing maternity pants
• Changing a work schedule, like having shorter work hours or a later start time to accommodate morning sickness
• Flexible scheduling for prenatal or postnatal appointments
• Remote work or telework
• Time off for bed rest, recovery from childbirth, postpartum depression, and mastitis

— (@)

The law is essential for women’s rights, but it also clarifies the 2015 Young vs. UPS Supreme Court decision. Peggy Young was a pregnant UPS worker whose doctor said she shouldn’t lift more than 20 pounds. UPS told Young that if she couldn’t lift 70 pounds, she’d be placed on leave without pay. The Court sided with Young, but the decision left employers unclear about the rights of pregnant employees. The legal gray area allowed workers to take their employers to court.

“We believe it is going to reduce the chances for that type of litigation and provide clarity to employers about what their obligations are,” said Marc Freedman, vice president of workplace policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Our expectation is that a high majority of these requests for accommodation will lead to employers and employees finding a way to work things out.”

Remember the wholesome, joy-filled days of singing families a la The Brady Bunch or the The Osmunds? Well, the Sharpe Family Singers might have just incited a comeback.

Hailing from New Jersey, the vocal group is made up of mom and dad Ron and Barbra along with their four kids: Samantha, Logan and twins (yes, twins) Connor and Aidan.

The Sharpe’s already have a huge following on TikTok and Youtube, where they go all out to perform covers of well known pop songs. We’re talking full costumes and everything. Each video is a cheesy, harmony-filled masterpiece.

And now, after their mesmerizing audition for “America’s Got Talent” on June 27, it looks like they’re gonna have even more loyal fans.

Even before signing, the Sharpes stole the hearts of judges with their sweet story. Ron and Barbra had actually met on the very same “AGT” stage years ago, where they shared their first kiss in a show. As Howie Mandel joked, things went “from production to reproduction,” hence their four children.

What’s more, Ron told the audience that each kid grew up actually wanting to be part of the group. “Hey if you wanna hang out with your parents, that’s pretty cool.” How cute is that?

Then they proceed to blow the roof off the place with a cover of “How Far I’ll Go” from Disney’s “Moana.”

Behold:

While eldest child Samantha (who had auditioned for “American Idol” back in 2021) had an impressive solo, the entire family unit was incredible to watch…so sayeth folks from the Youtube comments.

One person wrote, “That was everything that song needed to be. Thank you! Great energy, beautiful harmonies, and really fun and uplifting.From the beautiful earthy warm honey tones of the young man’s first solo line, the compelling solos of the oldest sister to the twins at the end, they sold that song and created magic for the audience.”

The sentiment was shared by the judges, from Simon Cowell who called the act “as American as apple pie” to Heidi Klum who told the Sharpes “I would love nothing more than to do this with my entire family.”

It’s clear that what’s even more inspiring about this family than their god given talent is how much pure joy they have performing with one another. And if you’re jonesing for more Sharpe family content, you can find it here and here.

And Just Like That… began its second season last week with Che Diaz making many headlines. Yet there’s another reason that the show’s been grabbing more attention lately, and that would be the miraculous return of Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones. The show teased this — presumably going rogue in the process — with a text conversation in the first season finale. Supposedly, “Samantha” agreed to meet Carrie for drinks, and I wondered how Cattrall would feel about this, given her forthright stance of not being interested in revisiting Sex And The City and that feud which has been acknowledged by Sarah Jessica Parker.

However, we recently heard that Cattrall would be making a cameo, which she filmed by herself, even surprising Evan Handler when he heard about the scene. This week, Cattrall discussed the subject on The View, and she revealed that she did have one condition after HBO came calling again:

“It’s very interesting to get a call from the head of HBO … [dramatic pause] … saying ‘What can we do?’ I went, ‘Hmm, let me get creative.’ And one of those things was to get Pat Field back … You know, if I’m going to come back, I need to come back with that kind of Samantha style. I gotta push it.”

This thrilled self-confessed SATC fan Alyssa Farah Griffin to no end, and as Variety notes, Field was definitely on the scene when it came to wardrobing Samantha. You know… just like that.

Kim Cattrall can also be seen in Glamorous, currently streaming on Netflix.

Following the critically-acclaimed return of The Bear, which has been bringing in record ratings for its second season, series creator Christopher Storer has landed his next big project. The writer/director is set to helm an adaptation of Don Winslow‘s crime thriller The Winter of Frankie Machine at Paramount.

According to Deadline, Winslow and producer Shane Salerno have struggled to find the right filmmaker to tackle the film for over a decade. After digging the first season of The Bear, they took to Storer’s take on the Chicago restaurant scene and his passion for Winslow’s novel:

Winslow’s 2006 novel is about Frankie Machiani, a hitman for a San Diego mob family who’s dragged out of retirement when asked by an LA crime family boss to oversee a meeting between Detroit and LA crime families. He realizes quickly it’s all a set up to kill him. He needs to shake off the rust and dodge those killers until he figures out who is trying to kill him.

Just to emphasize how hot a commodity The Winter of Frankie Machine has been, the film was almost tackled by Michael Mann, William Friedkin, and even Martin Scorsese. Now, it falls to Storer, who’s white-hot right now thanks to Carmy and the gang on The Bear.

The Bear Season 2 is now streaming on Hulu.

(Via Deadline)

It looks like Megan Thee Stallion may have an unexpected new ally in her fight against her label, 1501 Certified — the woman ostensibly brought on to “replace” her at the label. Fans are sure that “Buss It” rapper Erica Banks has some beef of her own with 1501 after a new song snippet circulating online finds her criticizing an unnamed label for being “greedy.”

“Give a f*ck about that label they see me,” she snaps in the 30-second clip. “And they owe me some money, they greedy.” Of course, you never know; there could be a third label involved somehow, or Banks could even have issues with Warner Records, where she signed in 2021. Considering that her complaint sounds a lot like Meg’s issue with 1501, though, a lot of the signs are pointing in that direction. And where there’s smoke… etc.

If it is true that Banks is dissing 1501, that would make a couple of things that Meg’s been right about over the past few years after Tory Lanez was convicted of shooting her in 2020. Meg’s long maintained that the terms of her deal with 1501 were unfair; as she has fought the label in court, she later accused its owners of hiding money after she was granted numerous restraining orders against 1501 so she could continue releasing new music.

It could also mean that the collaboration between the two women some fans have been hankering for since the “Buss It” challenge broke the internet could be one step closer.

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

We are fully into the NBA’s silly season, where rumors are flying as everyone looks to find scoops and insight into what is going to happen when free agency opens on Friday afternoon.

Among the biggest talking points, to the frustration of many, is Damian Lillard’s future in Portland after the Blazers stayed pat at the Draft and chose to use the No. 3 pick on Scoot Henderson rather than trading it for a veteran star. Lillard met with the Portland front office recently and the reports after indicated all parties are still committed to each other, for now, with the Blazers still having work to do to build the kind of roster Lillard wants to make him believe he can contend for the playoffs again.

There haven’t been a lot of rumblings about what additions the Blazers can realistically make, but the one player somewhat connected to Portland has been Draymond Green, as he gets set to be a free agent for the first time in his career. While most anticipate him returning to the Warriors, particularly after they shipped Jordan Poole to Washington for Chris Paul, the Blazers, Pistons, and Kings all reportedly would love to at least meet with him to pitch the former DPOY on leaving the Bay.

This brings us to an incredible rumor that popped up on Portland sports radio on Wednesday, where Dwight Jaynes of 620 Rip City Radio, said he had a friend text him that his dinner reservation at a Portland restaurant got cancelled because Damian Lillard rented the entire place out to have a dinner with Draymond Green to pitch him on joining the Blazers.

This is a Hall of Fame worthy radio rumor, because it touches all the bases. It involves a player fans want on the team with a secondhand report of a thing that may be happening that they learned about in the funniest possible way. Jaynes’ co-host goes on to immediately pour cold water on this by, rightfully, pointing out how difficult it would be for the Blazers to acquire Draymond since the only avenue given their cap situation is a sign-and-trade. That said, it’s an incredible way for a rumor to start and I would like it to be true because it’s very funny.

There’s no movie I’ve tried this hard in my life to like, and failed, than Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Okay, Star Trek: The Motion Picture comes close, but I’ve always appreciated its beauty and the director’s cut is a vast improvement. And, of course, there are many acclaimed movies that I can appreciate while realizing, well, this just “isn’t for me.”

But, in theory, I should like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And watching Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny made me rethink this. Is Dial of Destiny as good as the original three Indiana Jones movies? No. But it’s not trying to be that. It’s its own thing and, taken as such, I found it a highly enjoyable (and somewhat nuts) adventure. There is no way to recreate the original three Indy adventures. None. There’s only one Harrison Ford and he’s 80 years old now. And he’s still great, as busy as ever. But when the first three movies came out he was in his prime as a movie star. (Not as an actor, but maybe. Though I could make the case he’s doing some of his best work now.) The new movie is very much about an Indiana Jones who is not in his prime and knows that. So my negative feelings toward Crystal Skull are not that. So what is it? Why won’t Crystal Skull let me like it? Cate Blanchett plays a Russian villain! When you say that out loud, that sounds great!

There is a rhythm and formula to the Indiana Jones movies that is, basically, they are grounded movies, until they are not. Basically, nothing too crazy happens, except for the one thing. Now, this doesn’t have to be one event at the end like what happens at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. In Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones becomes a zombie halfway through, but we accept this because pretty much everything that happens inside the temple is supernatural. So, once inside … anything goes. (Yes, that’s a purposeful pun.) The problem with Crystal Skull is that formula is broken. Too many unrelated unbelievable things happen, to the point a viewer is just left thinking, “This is ridiculous.” I truly think the “unrelated” part is key here.

Even with the Star Wars prequels, I walked out of each midnight screening liking them. It was only later I realized, hm, maybe I don’t? (Though I’ve come around on Attack of the Clones being so absurd that it’s good. It’s the only prequel that knows what it is.) The Prequels and Crystal Skull were before I did this job for a living. I was a paying customer and I wanted to like every movie. (To be fair, I still do want to like every movie, but now I am forced to face facts when I don’t.) Crystal Skull, my reaction was immediate. I saw it at midnight at the Ziegfeld and then, immediately after, texted my friend Rob in St. Louis, who I knew was still watching it, an hour behind me, to express my dissatisfaction. And then, over the years since, I’ve done my best to avoid it. Every now and then it will be on television and I watch the first few minutes thinking, “This isn’t that bad,” then Mutt Williams rides in dressed like Marlon Brando and it becomes, “Oh … right. Yikes.”

Which is to say, I don’t mind Indy surviving the nuclear explosion. (Just rereading that sentence sounds ridiculous.) But it is a big ask and if this were somehow part of the finale, where the powers of the Crystal Skull saved Indy from the explosion, yeah that lines up with the rest of the movies. But, no, he just lives because he found some lead. Which, again, fine … but then you start adding all this up: Mutt swinging from vine to vine with monkeys, landing a tank on a branch, Mac changing allegiances multiple times, etc … it becomes too much. Okay, yes, I know what you’re thinking: Oh, but in Temple of Doom they jump out of an airplane with an inflatable raft and live! Yes, that true, but here’s the difference: It looks cool! No one mentions this, but viewers will forgive unbelievable plot points if what they are looking at looks cool! The scene with the raft is undeniably cool! Mutt Williams swinging with monkeys looks the opposite of cool! And I think, there, is the main fault of Crystal Skull … the unbelievable parts also happen to look stupid or silly.

Actually, Raiders of the Lost Ark came really close to making this mistake. When Indy leaves the ship and gets on top of the submarine on the way to the island to open the Ark, we don’t really think about what happens in-between. I think I always assumed he made his way into the submarine and just, somehow, hid. But, no, Spielberg filmed Indy just holding onto the periscope the whole way while the rest of the submarine is underwater. It looks stupid! And Spielberg was very correct to make sure people didn’t see this!

Maybe some of that can be forgiven with a good payoff. But that’s something Crystal Skull is lacking. I just rewatched this movie again and I still can’t tell you exactly what the Skull even does. I can tell you, yes, it turns into an inter-dimensional being and just kind of vanishes in its inter-dimensional spacecraft, or whatever. Even Indiana Jones seems confused at the end. If he turned to the camera, shrugged, and said, “It’s a living!,” it would not be out of character for this movie. In every other movie, including Dial of Destiny, Indiana Jones knows exactly what’s going on by the end. In Crystal Skull he’s as baffled as the rest of us.

To be honest, rewatching now, I don’t hate it as much as I used to. I actively try to like it and it won’t let me. This past time, I got somewhere close to, “It’s fine,” but with huge caveats. I always love Harrison Ford in this role and I’d rather it exist as “this weird fourth one,” than not. But, even coming to terms with it, there are just one too many, “yikes,” moments.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Over the years, American Idol alums Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have been pit against each other. Now, Clarkson has set the record straight on any supposed beef between them, on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

A viewer, Megan, started asking Clarkson a question by establishing the context that she and Underwood have been pitted against each other. However, she stumbled over Underwood’s name, calling her “Carrie Wood.” After a quick laugh about that, Clarkson jumped in, “I think I know where you’re going with this. People always pit us [against each other] and we don’t even know each other well enough to be pitted [against each other]. Like, literally, we’ve run into each other a handful of times, and we’ve… there’s no beef between us. There’s, well, nothing, between… like, we don’t know each other! So, we’ve literally run into each other a few times.”

After Clarkson’s answer, Cohen asked Megan if that was actually her question, and Megan continued, “What was your favorite part of having her as a guest on your talk show?”

After a laugh and a walk around the room, Clarkson explained, “Look, everybody always asks me the ‘pitted against each other’ question.” Clarkson’s response to the talk show question was similar to the beef question anyway, as she said, “It was awesome. It was great to have her on the show. I think the thing that was cool about it is that everybody always pits us against each other, and I don’t know why they do that. They don’t do that with dudes. They only do it with females! And I’m like, ‘We don’t even know each other well enough to do that!’”

Check out the interview clip above.

Kelly Clarkson is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Madonna was hospitalized earlier this week after being found unresponsive, according to a report from Page Six.

This story is being updated.