Category: Viral

Actors are not their characters. It’s a fairly simple fact that can be hard for some to remember, especially when real people seem to adopt specific traits of fictional icons.

Nick Offerman is not Ron Swanson, the mustachioed, meat-eating Libertarian of Parks & Rec fame – but that doesn’t mean the two men are utterly dissimilar. They both value independence, they both enjoy a good glass of scotch, and they’re both craftsmen. But unlike his on-screen identity, Offerman’s using his artisanal talents to give back in unique ways.

It’s part of the actor’s lore by now, his love of woodworking. He was wielding miter saws and crafting canoes long before he rose to fame on NBC’s beloved comedy about the inner workings of local government. Between jobs he’d take commissions on gazebos and kazoos to pass the time, eventually opening his own workshop in L.A. where he invited other craftsmen (and craftswomen) to indulge in their shared hobby. The Offerman Woodshop, as the place is known, sits in East L.A. and houses a small collective of woodworkers who create one-of-a-kind items to sell on the shop’s website. Lined with antique machinery, cutting-edge saws, personalized workbenches, and memorabilia from Offerman’s day job, it’s practically the physical embodiment of Offerman’s public persona, but it’s the charity work the shop does that better defines the likable comedian.

The shop partners with other small businesses and nonprofits in the LA area in the hopes of finding inventive ways to meet a real need while also spreading a message about the importance of having a craft.

“Making anything with one’s hands is a very healthy pursuit,” Offerman once told Men’s Health. “Anytime you’re using your craft for good is a wonderful thing.”

Offerman, a proud outdoorsman, sources lumber for the shop’s many projects from suppliers on the West Coast who are committed to sustainable practices. These are places like Angel City Lumber, an organization that recycles felled trees around the city to sell to local woodshops. By salvaging these trees – ones that have died because of natural causes or been uprooted because of construction projects – Offerman Woodshop minimizes its ecological footprint, turning material that might serve as chippings or fire-starters into bespoke pieces for collectors to show off.

And while the “what” of what the shop’s working with is important, the “who” it’s giving back to and “how” are almost more so.

Offerman Woodshop has made a habit of partnering with worthwhile foundations across LA, combining a niche hobby with a broader mission. The actor serves on the board of a local nonprofit called Would Works that aims to help the city’s growing homeless community find work and purpose. Created by Connor Johnson in 2012, Would Works invites members of the community to free woodworking workshops where they learn basic craftsman skills – think smoothing a white oak charcuterie board or engraving a cedar soap dish – while getting paid for their labor. They walk away with money and/or necessities, sure, but also with real work experience and job references from the nonprofit and the shop which are meant to make finding employment easier. Offerman Woodshop hosts many of these classes and advertises the nonprofit’s store, where some of the finished products of its participants are sold. The money goes back into funding more workshops for the homeless and into employment programs with partner organizations.

“What I really liked about this program is it not only gives assistance, it also allows those who can’t find work to be able to build up solid work references,” Offerman told Men’s Journal about the program. “They are earning these credits through labor like finishing wood products. So down the road, they can apply for jobs, and hopefully, eventually, get back on their own two feet. Our economy leaves a lot of people out in the cold, and all they want is the opportunity to get out there doing work to earn their own bread.”

Offerman’s found a way to use his woodworking hobby to help others before, and since, his partnership with Would Works. He raffled off a giant wood emoji for Conan, starring in a satirical commercial for the piece before Conan decided to sell 100 of them to benefit the Children’s Defense Fund. Recently, the shop hosted a raffle to fund scholarships for prospective BIPOC students to The Krenov School of Fine Woodworking and donated a percentage of proceeds from early sales to the California Coalition for Women Prisoners with Offerman promising to match any donation.

Plenty of celebrities launch charities or put their names behind worthy causes, but Offerman’s approach feels refreshingly simple and authentic. Take something you love and find a way to use it for good. That’s a blueprint anyone can use.

For many years, people have been pressing Pharrell about the secrets behind his perpetually ageless skin. Other than saying that he exfoliates “like a f*cking madman,” the musician hasn’t given much insight into his routine. But as he prepares to share his first line of skincare products, he’s finally ready to share his step-by-step process to achieve age-defying skin.

Pharrell appeared on a recent segment of Vogue‘s Beauty Secrets where he discussed his Humanrace skincare line and gave viewers a much-needed pep talk.

Talking about how he got his start in taking care of his skin, Pharrell said:

“I started taking care of my skin a little over 20 years ago. It’s when I met Elena Jones through a good friend and I wanted to understand more about skin health. Taking a shower is for your body. But your face, that’s what people communicate with and your face is only as good as the energy that comes behind it. […] Your face is the conduit of your expression and how you feel. How my day is going to go is usually based on what I want out of it. What do I want out of it? I always say to people, ‘Be blessed. But most importantly, be a blessing.’”

Elsewhere in the segment, Pharrell detailed his eating habits, saying that cupcakes are his one true vice: “I eat pretty clean. I don’t eat fast food but I eat a lot of sweets, man. I eat enough sweets to where me eating clean don’t mean sh*t. It just don’t. I love cupcakes, you don’t even understand.”

Watch Pharrell share his skincare routine on Vogue above.

It’s a tradition that goes back to 1966: The sitting First Lady handles the White House Christmas decorations, putting her own indelible spin on the holidays. But Melania Trump’s Yuletide get-ups have been…interesting. From her ominous 2017 display to the blood red trees of 2018, the decorations have been as weird as everything else during her husband’s presidency. But this year’s annual holiday Melania mockery began even before she’d had a chance to set up a single tree.

On Monday — mere hours before her husband made as close to a concession speech as may ever do — the outgoing FLOTUS posed for photographers as she welcomed the annual White House Christmas trees to her soon-to-be-former home. There’s just one thing: Less than two months ago, audio leaked of a super-candid Melania trashing, among other things, her duties as decorator of all things White House Christmas.

“I’m working … my a*s off on the Christmas stuff,” she was heard saying, adding “Who gives a f*ck about the Christmas stuff and decorations? But I need to do it, right?”

Cut to late November, and here’s a beaming Melania acting as though she loves to look at evergreens.

But this time people knew how she really felt.

Some even took the infamous audio and jokily manipulated it.

There were also plenty of non-“Melania hates Christmas” jokes.

Frankly, it’s amazing Melania and her trees were able to crack the public consciousness on a really, really busy day, which, again, included Trump giving his reluctant blessing to starting the presidential transition process.

People also took the time to reflect on past Melania Christmases.

Then again, maybe she’s smiling for a different reason.

And for the rest of us, there’s always next year.

Mark Ruffalo and Ryan Reynolds work in different parts of the comic book movie-verse, though perhaps not for long: Marvel, who owns Bruce Banner/Hulk, and Fox, who owns Deadpool, do now live under the same tent, thanks to that huge (and worrying) Disney merger. But thanks to Netflix, they’ll finally get to share the same space, albeit for a non-superhero movie. In fact, as per The Hollywood Reporter, they’re going to play father and son.

The movie in question is The Adam Project, and it’s been in the works for a while. In fact, it just started shooting in Vancouver last week. The movie stars Reynolds as a man who goes back in time, seeking help from his 13-year-old self. He also rubs shoulders with his physicist dad, which we now know will be played by no less than Ruffalo. (Catherine Keener is also on hand as the villain, who has stolen some powerful tech from Reynolds’ dad.)

Ruffalo and Reynolds aren’t exactly the same age; the former is 53 while the latter is nine years his junior. But they’re still peers, and they both tend to lean towards the more comedic side of comic book cinema. You could even argue that this Hulk moment from the first Avengers movie is funnier than anything in either Deadpool outing.

(Via THR)

It’s only on rare occasions that Playboi Carti updates his social media, and when he does it usually means he’s about to drop some new music. So far this year, the rapper has only shared one song, the Lil Uzi Vert collaboration “@ Meh.” But he returned on Monday to share that the news that his recently announced album Whole Lotta Red has been submitted to its parent company for release.

Returning to Instagram Monday, the rapper shared a handful of photos with the caption: “Album.TuRneD iN.” But that wasn’t all. Carti also hopped on an Instagram Live session to tease a snippet of his new music.

While he was on Live, fans blew up Twitter, particularly after one lyric caught their attention.

Though Carti said his album has been handed to the powers-that-be, he has yet to offer much in the form of a concrete release date. But given Lil Uzi’s reputation for dropping entire projects out of the blue, fans are keeping a close eye on Carti’s social media for any updates.

Check out a snippet of Playboi Carti’s upcoming music above.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

On Monday, word broke that legendary contestant Ken Jennings will be one of the guest hosts on upcoming episodes of Jeopardy! following the passing of iconic host Alex Trebek. Trebek, who passed away recently from pancreatic cancer, will still be on the air with never-seen episodes, however, and Jeopardy! announced further details on when his last shows will air.

First, the show will air ten of Trebek’s best episodes during the weeks of Dec. 21 and Dec. 28, referring to “anticipated preemptions around Christmas and New Year’s.” From there, however, Trebek’s last week of episodes will hit the air during the week of Jan. 4, 2021, before the guest-hosted shows begin on Jan. 11.

“Alex believed in the importance of Jeopardy! and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him,” said Jeopardy! Executive Producer Mike Richards. “We will honor Alex’s legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved with smart contestants and challenging clues. By bringing in familiar guest hosts for the foreseeable future, our goal is to create a sense of community and continuity for our viewers.”

It is important to note that the show indicates a long-term replacement “will not be named at this time,” and the announcement refers to a “series of interim guests hosts” that will begin with Jennings. While the choice of Jennings to be the first will undoubtedly spark speculation, fans can now plan around the airings of Trebek’s last episodes, which will be must-see television for fans of the beloved trivia program.

New York State governor Andrew Cuomo became a national figure earlier this year, largely thanks to his daily press briefings about the COVID-19 pandemic. The reasons for that are fairly obvious: In the early months New York City saw the largest outbreak of cases and deaths than anywhere else in America, and those briefings were in stark contrast to the misinformation and spectacle peddled by Donald Trump’s national press conferences.

Cuomo’s no-nonsense appearance and someitmes silly slideshow-style presentations offered a calming presence to those in lockdown and uncertain about the future. And while Cuomo is a more controversial figure in his own state, as politicians often are for their actual constitutes, his rise to national prominence has made for some interesting happenings in recent days.

For starters, Cuomo won an Emmy for his daily press briefings. As the New York Post phrased it, he won the award for “just doing his job,” which is largely true. But it’s the way he did the job, you could suppose, even if many still believed the state’s handling of the COVID-19 was more a mixed bag than a triumph.

A slew of New York-bred celebrities from Robert De Niro, Spike Lee and Rosie Perez to Billy Crystal and Billy Joel played along by fawning over the Democratic governor and his International Emmy Founders Award in a montage tribute.

Crystal and Joel hailed Cuomo as “the nation’s governor” and “the epitome of New York tough” — even though as many as 11,000 people died from the virus New York’s nursing homes, a tragic situation that critics say the pol helped create.

Criticism of his past actions aside, Cuomo’s current handling of rising case counts in New York State, particular in the western part where Buffalo and Rochester lay, is causing him to be raked over the coals. And on Monday, the same day he was awarded his Emmy, word of his Thanksgiving plans drew a new round of outcry. While many health officials and experts have strongly recommended Thanksgiving gatherings be canceled and celebrations be limited to members of your own household, Cuomo said he would be hosting extended family on Thursday.

According to Mediate, the news was criticized as “reckless” and a clear contrast from what medical officials recommend Americans do this holiday season. The news brought widespread outrage on Monday. As Campbell reported via USA Today, while the gathering would have been OK under his current gathering rules in the state, it was in direct contrast with plans laid out by most medical officials. As the US Centers For Disease Control has stated, the “safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with.”

Which is likely why Cuomo, facing immense pressure on social media, cancelled his own Thanksgiving plans.

Ultimately, it was no matter. By 5:30 p.m., Cuomo nixed the gathering entirely.

In a statement, Cuomo senior adviser Rich Azzopardi noted Cuomo said his plans were subject to change.

“(G)iven the current circumstances with COVID, he will have to work through Thanksgiving and will not be seeing them,” Azzopardi said. “Don’t tell his mom — she doesn’t know yet.”

It’s safe thing to do, and while it will likely not quell his critics it does send a good message to anyone still trying to force through multifamily gatherings this holiday season: It’s never too late to do the right thing and cancel your Thanksgiving plans.

It took four days after Election Day for the 2020 presidential race to be called for Joe Biden, but it’s taken far longer than that for the transition process to formally begin. One reason for that: A key Donald Trump appointee, Emily Murphy, administrator for the General Services Administration, had refused to sign a letter allowing Biden’s team, among other things, access to federal authorities and transition funds. It took over two weeks, but on Monday Murphy finally changed her mind. That didn’t mean people had changed their minds about her.

In a letter sent to Biden, Murphy tried to shoot down charges that she was a partisan, looking out for the man who appointed her. “Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts,” Murphy wrote. “I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official—including those who work at the White House or GSA—with regard to the substance or timing of my decision.”

She also spoke a lot about herself, saying that she’d been the target of harassment and threats “online, by phone, and by mail directed at my safety, my family, my staff, and even my pets in an effort to coerce me into making this determination prematurely.”

The letter came at the end of a tumultuous day. Murphy was supposed to appear before Congress, who had called on her to explain why she was dragging her feet on ascertaining Biden as the President-Elect. She didn’t show up. She did send word that she’d send an underling on her behalf, but not till next Monday. The Democrats threatened to subpoena her, but it only took a couple hours for Murphy’s conciliatory letter to surface.

The news was met with celebration.

But it was also met with exasperation. After all, this should have happened much, much earlier.

A lot of people didn’t praise Murphy for doing the right thing. They admonished her for dragging her feet.

And for whining.

Some wondered if the about-face came because Murphy was terrified to be grilled by the famously interrogative California representative Katie Porter.

Others noted that Murphy never once referred to Biden as President-Elect.

Although, some thought, that was pretty clearly intentional.

Grammarians, meanwhile, chastised her habit of using two spaces after a comma when one should suffice.

Others suggested the rules of the land should be changed so a transition can’t be held up by a single bureaucrat.

And there were jokes.

Some pointed out that Murphy’s letter is the closest we’re going to get to a Trump concession.

But then, not long after Murphy’s letter was made public, Trump himself weighed in, with a semi-concession (that’s still not an actual concession).

“Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same,” Trump wrote at the end of a two-tweet drop in which, in much less formal or conciliatory language, he said he and his legal team will continue to assert voter fraud.

The outgoing president’s tweet, of course, contradicts Murphy’s claim that she acted independently.

And though we’re bound to get at least a couple more klutzy Giuliani press conferences in which he baselessly asserts voter fraud while melting, let’s not lose track of the big takeaway here: Trump has to start packing his bags.

(Via USA Today)

Former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was well-regarded in NBA circles when he stepped down from his post and, as such, it would be reasonable to assume he had a line of suitors to take over a similar position within the league. In fact, Morey quickly found a landing spot in heading up basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers and, in his first days in the new role, Morey is already drawing rave reviews for his decision-making. However, Morey didn’t necessarily think things would move so quickly, and he shared some interesting insight with Rich Eisen on Monday.

Morey referred to his pursuit by the 76ers as a “whirlwind” after he stepped down in Houston, saying Philadelphia “reached out immediately” and they “were aggressive.” None of that is surprising but, at the same time, Morey was candid in saying he didn’t see it playing it out as quickly as it did.

“I was hopeful that someone would call, but I thought it was going to take at least a year,” Morey said. “It was so close to the season. Usually, these kinds of transition happen quite a bit before the draft. The draft was only a few days away. I just figured I’d be sitting out at least a year and then evaluating options.”

From there, Morey made real news by saying that, in addition to “a couple of NBA teams,” he was contacted by an NFL team and a baseball team. Though the baseball topic wasn’t broached any further, Eisen did ask Morey for more information on the NFL conversation. Morey did indicate that the team that contacted him “didn’t offer it, and they just reached out to talk,” but he wasn’t quite ready to make that jump.

“I told them I probably don’t know enough… It would be very presumptive for me to think I could help an NFL team, but they did reach out,” Morey said. “I just figure my skills are much higher and better in the NBA. Just with the experience and everything, but it was an intriguing idea.”

Morey didn’t elaborate in full, but he did confirm to Eisen that the conversation was about running an NFL team, not simply a consulting role of some kind. It would certainly be interesting to hear which franchise thought it was interesting to take Morey’s temperature but, for now, observers are left to speculate on which professional teams from other leagues may have floated the idea.

Veteran big man Montrezl Harrell will begin the 2020-21 NBA season in a new home, as he is joining the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year contract with a second-year player option. Though Harrell will be playing in the same home arena, many were surprised by the partnership between player and team, including now-former teammate Patrick Beverley. While there is obvious appeal for any player to want to join the reigning champion Lakers, Harrell was a productive player for the Clippers and, by all accounts, wanted to continue that relationship.

However, it appears as if Harrell believes that interest was not fully reciprocated, and he shared that insight with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on Monday. When prompted on whether the Clippers wanted him back, Harrell said “I mean, that goes without saying. Apparently not if I’m on the other side. So it is what it is, really.” From there, he indicated that he still has respect for the Clippers organization, but went on to say that “obviously it doesn’t seem” as if his former organization wanted to bring him back.

Harrell later described his signing as a “business decision,” and, if things go well with the Lakers, he can return to free agency in 2021 by declining his player option. The 26-year-old Harrell, who won the NBA’s 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year award, produced at a high level last season, averaging 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while maintaining high-level efficiency. With that said, Harrell missed a large chunk of time in the Bubble to deal with the death of his grandmother and, when he returned, he struggled to regain his form, suffering a production drop and falling out of favor in the Clippers’ rotation at times.

With the Lakers, Harrell is in a prime position to act as a lob threat, rebounder and finisher near the rim, and spending time in Los Angeles was (very) kind to the reputation of Dwight Howard after his strong performance on the way to the 2020 title. Harrell enters with loftier expectations, but he also seems to be on a mission, and it will be interesting to see how his level of play stabilizes in a new home that isn’t so far from his old home.