Category: Viral

Morrocco were a major long shot to advance into the knockout stage of the World Cup in Qatar. They were placed in a very tough group with FIFA’s No. 2 team in the world, Belgium, perennial World Cup darlings Croatia, and a stout Canadian squad. But the Moroccan team defied all odds in beating Belgium, advancing into a knockout game against 2010 champion Spain and then beating them in a stunner to advance into the quarterfinal. But they didn’t just beat them, they played to a grueling 0-0 draw and then shut them out in a penalty shootout. It was a triumphant moment, one of the best in the World Cup thus far, and Morocco’s most famous hip-hop personality, French Montana, was beyond hyped.

French Montana was born in Casablanca and while he moved to New York City when he was 13, the South Bronx rapper is undoubtedly a Moroccan immigrant success story. So when the match ended in victory for his homeland’s team, Montana seemed to be ready to speed dial his travel agent and head out to Qatar for their quarterfinal match this coming Saturday. “WOWWWWW [Moroccan flag emojis] Moroccan heroes congratulations I guest we flyin to QATAR,” he wrote in an Instagram post along with three slider images of the victorious squad.

If this World Cup is missing anything, it’s rappers sitting courtside… err… pitchside. Here’s hoping we see styled-out French Montana there for Morocco’s match against the winner of the Portugal/Spain match. Given his prolific trend of making music videos for what seems like every song, he might just need to get a +1 for his director, too.

Hilary Duff has been in the spotlight for most of her life, and she has appeared relatively well-adjusted for a former child star who got her big break on Disney Channel. But as with many child stars, they begin to grow up and realize just how jarring being on screen at such a young age could be. It happened with Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, and now Duff is reflecting on her past.

The Lizzie McGuire star recently opened up about her struggle with an eating disorder when she was a teenager. “Because of my career path, I can’t help but be like, ‘I am on camera and actresses are skinny,’” Duff told Women’s Health. “It was horrifying.” Duff battled an eating disorder for a year when she was seventeen, just a year after her iconic show ended.

After her Disney days, Duff went on to pursue other projects like music, before heading back to television earlier this year for How I Met Your Father.

Duff now uses a personal trainer to help keep her life in check. “[I’m] appreciating my health, doing activities that make me feel strong instead of just bettering the outside of my body,” she told the mag. “Spending time with people that make me feel good and share similar views on health and body positivity and getting enough sleep and balance in my diet.” Duff will star in the second season of How I Met Your Father sometime next year.

Meanwhile, fans are still holding out hope for a Lizzie/Gordo reunion.

(Via Women’s Health)

Sports betting has become a prominent point of discussion on most every network now that betting is legal in more than half of the country and every league (and sports TV network) has official partnerships with sportsbooks.

While the sports betting boom has introduced new segments and thrust lines and totals into everyone’s faces, there is still no one who does it better than Scott Van Pelt and Stanford Steve on their midnight SportsCenter. For years, SVP has waded into the sports betting space, as he did Winners on his radio show long before he had his own edition of SC. That said, when Van Pelt took over his own hour, he and those working on the show had the foresight to recognize that the thing that unites all bettors is the pain of seeing a sure winner turn into a loss.

Bad Beats is the best segment of any sports show on television, as every Monday night we get to see the most painful betting moments of the week that was in sports. While bad beats can happen anywhere in the sports world, college football and college basketball are at the soul of the show and, typically, produce the most outrageous losses. This week featured what I would argue is the worst beat of the year as SVP and Stanford Steve made history by diving into the world of props for a beat so heinous that it deserved Part 2 status with Caleb Williams rushing yards prop of 32 in the Pac-12 title game.

In the words of Stanford Steve: Roll tape (jump to the 4:30 mark for the start of Part Two).

To go from 73 rushing yards in the first quarter to 21 by way of sacks is one of the worst things I have ever seen from a betting perspective. Williams injured his hamstring which kept him from scrambling most of the game after that 59-yard rush, but even so, there’s not a world where that particular bet should have a chance to lose. And yet, here we are. The sacks at the very end with the game already decided are particularly painful, both from the perspective of this prop bet but also knowing Williams is back there as a sitting duck with a hamstring injury and USC just kept trying to throw deep while Utah teed off on the Heisman favorite.

After nearly two weeks of Spotify dominating social media’s media algorithm, thanks to their annual Wrapped reveal and the third-party Instafest mock concert lineups, streaming platform Apple Music is looking to snatch back users’ attention.

In an announcement, Apple unveiled a new feature that would be headed to the platform later this month: Apple Music users will experience karaoke re-imagined thanks to the new feature Apple Music Sing. For avid music lovers, the recent subscription uptick may finally be paying off. Apple Music Sing will allow users an immersive experience with their favorite songs’ lyrics and instrumentals across Apple devices. The volume of the song’s lyrics can even be adjusted.

Apple’s Vice President of Apple Music and Beats, Oliver Schusser, spoke about the new feature in a statement, saying, “Apple Music’s lyrics experience is consistently one of the most popular features on our service. We already know our users all over the world love to follow along to their favorite songs, so we wanted to evolve this offering even further to enable even more engagement around music through singing. It’s really a lot of fun, our customers are going to love it.”

Apple Music Sing will allow fans to take the lead or backup to their favorite song and perform duets with their friends. In addition, Apple Music will launch 50 curated playlists featuring the platform’s most popular songs, duets, choruses, and anthems.

If you’re not watching The White Lotus, you’re missing out. Not only because it’s a very good show with lots of intrigue, sex, and cocaine, it’s also a genuine sensation: the Mike White-created HBO series had its best ratings yet for a second episode in a row.

Variety reports that “2.8 million viewers tuned into season two, episode six of The White Lotus on Sunday night. That number is calculated from a combination of Nielsen’s measurement of linear viewing on HBO’s cable channel and [Warner Bros. Discovery’s] proprietary data about streaming on HBO Max.” That’s a 22 percent increase from last week’s record-breaking episode, “That’s Amore,” which was seen by 2.3 million viewers.

Episodes of The White Lotus are now averaging 9.5 million viewers across platforms, which Warner Bros. Discovery says is nearly 60 percent more than the season one average at the same point in time. The season premiere has now been seen by 10.4 million people. Additionally, this is the fifth week in a row that The White Lotus has ranked as the No. 1 title on HBO Max.

White chalked his show’s success to two factors: a good gimmick (the dead body in the premiere) and nudity. “It’s funny how now that the show is airing, how much you realize a graphic sex scene or a sex scene that kind of is titillating for various reasons, does just spike and generate an interest in the populace, for better or worse,” he told NPR.

The old Italian ladies yelling about artichokes is a bonus.

(Via Variety)

It’s impossible to listen to Blue Oyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” and not picture Will Ferrell furiously banging away at the cowbell. The classic Saturday Night Live sketch is a testament to Ferrell’s comedic genius; how he can take a concept so simple and turn it into an ubiquitous bit of comedy. For Will Ferrell’s son, Magnus, who was playing a benefit concert for a charity event benefitting the Cancer For College nonprofit, it felt like a great time to bring out his pops to reprise his iconic cowbell-smacking role on stage.

But this was a far cry from Christopher Walken’s Bruce Dickinson proclaiming that he had a fever “and the only prescription… is more cowbell!” In a video posted by Rolling Stone, towards the end of Magnus Ferrell’s song “Back In Place,” Magnus nodded to stage left, and in sauntered Ferrell, cowbell in hand. Wearing an Isaac Hayes “Hot Buttered Soul” hoodie, Ferrell banged away at the cowbell to the tune of the catchy synth pop song while marching demonstratively throughout the stage. In short, it was pretty damn cool.

Look, when you’re Will Ferrell’s son, you might as well take an opportunity to bring your dad out to spice up your band’s set with one of his iconic characters. Especially when it’s for a good cause. Started by Will Ferrell’s college roommate, Cancer For College says they help “cancer survivors thrive through college and beyond.” Let’s just be glad that Magnus didn’t ask his dad to go streaking through the quad to the gymnasium instead.

Watch the video at Rolling Stone here.

After negotiations with Amazon fell through, HBO Max content stopped being available through Prime Video Channels back in September 2021. However, now that HBO Max’s parent company is under new leadership following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, the streaming platform’s content has returned to Amazon Prime. As for why the sudden reversal is happening, it’s pretty simple. HBO Max left a sizable amount of subscribers on the table in its aggressive pursuit to become one of the top streaming platforms on the market.

Via Variety:

The sticking point: WarnerMedia, then owned by AT&T, wanted more control of the direct-to-consumer relationships — including the ability to collect data for targeted advertising — than Amazon was willing to cede. About 5 million HBO/HBO Max customers had subscribed through Prime Video Channels, and the end of that deal took a bite out of HBO Max’s subscriber base.

With Discover CEO David Zaslav now at the helm, Warner Bros. Discovery is drastically rethinking its streaming strategy. The newly-merged media conglomerate is now more interested in spending on theatrical releases, and it’s entirely open to licensing out its deep bench of IP to other streamers.

In short, HBO Max — which will later combine with Discovery+ for a new, all-consuming streaming platform — is less concerned with trying to dominate the competition and more concerned with being a profitable business model that leverages Warner Bros. massive library. It’s in their interest to hop back onboard with Amazon, and so be it.

(Via Variety)

You may have heard of Christopher Meloni. You know, the actor who’s starred in 12 seasons of a little show called “Law & Order: SVU”? Whose character was so popular he got his own spinoff show? The originator of the “zaddy” moniker? Yeah, that guy.

Well, it’s no secret that the 61-year-old actor, and the show that put him on the map, has a loyal fan base. Recently, a couple, clearly dedicated to the show, decided to tie the knot with a series of “Law & Order”-themed wedding invitations. Naturally, they invited Detective Elliot Stabler himself.

“Chris, please come to my wedding,” tweeted Kelly Heenan, the bride-to-be. Along with her request, she posted a photo of her wedding invitation, which was a spitting image of the show’s iconic poster.

The couple’s dedication apparently paid off, because Meloni replied with a simple “and do what?” This set off a hilarious slew of suggestions from fans, who knew exactly how to make the most of this proposed appearance.

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Fellow crime show icon Rick Otto (of “Criminal Minds” and “The Wire”) suggested that Meloni serve hors d’oeuvres. Why? It “could be fun” to have people wonder if the guy serving them was the real Stabler and “eat all the crab cakes you could desire.” Obviously.

And do what? https://t.co/otK8I0mvpI

— Chris Meloni (@Chris_Meloni) December 4, 2022

“Intriguing,” Meloni responded. Perhaps he’s a fan of seafood.

Another wrote “just stand like this for a few hours,” along with a candid image of Meloni stretching his legs (and inadvertently showcasing his backside) which had previously risen to meme status. To be clear, Meloni has a series of memes dedicated to his butt. Not just one. Multiple. It’s something his kids allegedly make fun of him for at all times.

Just stand like this for a few hours pic.twitter.com/2jTUZPRDHX

— May Contain Nuts (Parody) (@Meek_Mitchy) December 4, 2022

“Can’t have a wedding without serving cake,” one person quipped. Have we made it clear that people are relentlessly thirsty for Meloni?

Many suggested that Meloni stay truer to his role in the show, and therefore solve a murder or arrest someone—possibly even the bride. Or kiss her. That was also a possibility.

Heenan did end up chiming in again, sharing that she “accidentally blew the budget on disco ball and peacock feathers,” asking Meloni if he had a camera or box cake mix.

I accidentally blew the budget on disco balls and peacock feathers, so do you have a camera? Or a makeup kit? Box cake mix? pic.twitter.com/bXqcSZQQga

— Kel loves orange soda (@kellyheenan) December 4, 2022

She also shared a photo of the back of the couple’s wedding, which paid intimate homage not only to the famous ”Law and Order” font, but the words played at the beginning of each episode.

It read:

“In our social system the wedding of two people in love is considered especially joyous. In Saint Paul, Minnesota, two dedicated individuals will become members of an elite civil union known as Mr. and Mrs. John and Kelly Damask. This is their wedding date.”

Though some could argue that Meloni never left the spotlight, the actor has noted his return to the franchise as a “second act” in his career, one that he is trying to savor every moment of. He noted in an interview with People that everything in his life, including the career renaissance, is even easier to appreciate after growing older.

“Age is a wondrous thing. You hope that with time you get a little wiser, get a little more patient and really come from a place of more maturity, which I translate to clarity and love,” he told People. “And by love, it’s not kumbaya, but a sense we’re all in this together, we’re all doing the best we can. It’s a more refined way to operate.”

Does all this mean Meloni will be attending that wedding? Guess we’ll have to stay tuned to find out.

Dun dun!

If you ask most single people, dating is a pretty big poop show. Dating apps have taken an activity that was awkward enough on its own and turned it into a job-finding board. You have approximately 3.45 seconds to impress someone with your face, your hobbies, your job, political leanings and whether or not you want children.

That’s it. If you’re not ringing any buzzers in those first few seconds, the person on the other end swipes left and your profile picture is staring up at another potential suitor. But if you make it past the lightning round known as the dating app and actually meet in person, other things come into play that may be an instant turnoff.

A Reddit user asked, “Women, what are some things that make a man insanely unattractive but they don’t realize?” It’s safe to say that the ladies had a few non-negotiables since there are nearly 3,000 comments on the thread.

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Women in the thread had some pretty specific turnoffs that some men may be grateful to know. I assume most people don’t go around attempting to make themselves less appealing to potential partners so think of this list is a bit of a PSA. Or, you can look at it like a piece of comedy and have a chuckle to think about later. Either way, the women were asked to take the floor on this one so let’s hear them out.

1. Spending the majority of the conversation talking about yourself

I think all genders can be guilty of this one. We tend to get a bit nervous on dates and develop a sudden case of verbal diarrhea. It’s like an overcompensation for thinking you won’t talk enough, but it can become a turnoff if it seems more like a love of hearing your own voice.

2. Being an absent or “bad” father

Of course the dialogue was expanded to include complaining about paying child support as if it contributes to your ex’s lavish lifestyle. Obviously there are situations where being absent isn’t the choice of the father, but these ladies want receipts and details.

3. Only having “crazy” exes

It seems the consensus is that if everyone is crazy then the common denominator is the guy in question. One or two “crazy” exes could be excused, but every person you’ve dated? That gets a side eye and a quick exit strategy.

4. Complaining or putting down other women

This may seem like it falls under the previous category but it doesn’t. Putting down other women doesn’t have to include people that you’ve dated. It could mean women at the gym, online, at the grocery store or family members.

5. Avoiding tough conversations

Expressing your feelings can be hard and sometimes it’s even harder when you’re having to hear someone else’s feelings about something you’ve done. But avoiding difficult conversations can be a relationship killer according to the comments. Just take a deep breath and do the hard thing.

6. Not admitting when you’re wrong

Ahhh, this is one that is so common that sitcom writers write jokes about it. Admitting that you’re wrong is uncomfortable, we get it. No one wants to be wrong, but the world doesn’t work that way. At some point you will be wrong and it’s best to own up to it so you can move on.

7. Being an “alpha male” or having no filter

Sorry guys, but it’s pretty clear that the ladies in the comment section consider that a big turnoff and a sign that you’re just mean. Well, they didn’t say mean, they used much more colorful language.

8. Only treating women with respect if they’re attractive

Big yikes on bikes here. I’m going to assume that everyone knows that’s not cool and move on because this is pretty self explanatory.

9. Rage

That was it. That was the comment. Another person elaborated and said that rage is not only a turnoff but it’s scary. Not everyone learns to regulate their emotions well growing up, but thankfully there are therapists and coaches available to give you some skills if rage is an issue.

10. Not being able to cook or clean

Cooking and cleaning are life skills that every functioning adult should have. We’re just talking the basics here, no need to be a master chef or the woman that asks if things bring joy before tossing them in the trash. They want you to throw out the expectation that you will find a partner to cook and clean for you.

Of course, everything on this list is subjective but if you were curious, it’s a good start. Happy dating folks!

Saweetie is setting the record straight. While her latest EP The Single Life didn’t do so well on the charts, people still can’t help but talk about it.

A particular song, “Don’t Say Nothin’,” features Saweetie addressing her love life, and many have interpreted some of the lines as references to certain rappers — specifically, Quavo and Lil Baby.

One particular line seems to address a rumored $100,000 shopping spree, to which Lil Baby had supposedly treated her.

“A hunnid K, please, you know how much paper I be touchin’ on? / That’s light, better check my net worth / Post a pic in his sweatshirt, I bet it have my ex hurt / That’s what I get for kissin’ on these frogs / He got mad and told my business to the blogs,” she raps on the track.

In an Instagram Live broadcast, she shut down rumors that the song was about Quavo or Lil Baby, saying, “Ain’t nobody dissing nobody. When I went on Caresha Please, I told y’all, whoever’s on ‘Don’t Say Nothin,’ whoever that messaging was towards, it wasn’t toward nobody. Ain’t nobody dissing them boys. So you can kill them rumors and kill that because y’all don’t even know who I’m talking about.”

Also during her live, she shared a snippet of a new song called “Icy Girl, Icy World,” which samples “Barbie Girl” by Aqua.

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