Category: Viral

Nomadland, which just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, firlmly establishes Chloé Zhao as one of the best directors working today. Not that this declaration couldn’t be seen coming with her last film, 2017’s highly acclaimed The Rider. But Nomadland is just one of those types of movies that announces a director’s presence with authority. It’s the type of movie that changes everything for an up and coming director. At this point, it would be an absolute shock if it isn’t somehow nominated for Best Picture.

There’s a scene in Nomadland so beautiful I gasped as it whisked my brain to some of Terrence Malick’s early work, Badlands and Day of Heaven. The very next scene portrays Fern (Frances McDormand) wearing a shirt that says “Badlands Recreational Vehicle Park.” So maybe the kind of imagery Zhao is displaying isn’t lost on her. Maybe it’s a coincidence. But I do think a pretty good argument could be made that the types of movies Zhao is making right now is a lot closer to early Malick than what we are seeing from current Malick. In that Zhao is a master of filming these beautiful landscapes and nature and weaving into the plot of her tale of America in, at least what looks like, effortlessly. Nomadland will almost physically take you places. It’s a beautiful, absolutely gorgeous motion picture.

Set in 2012 in northern Nevada, a local mine goes out of business that puts scores of people out of work. Fern (the aforementioned McDormand), whose husband has recently passed away, works odd jobs here and there, including for Amazon. But when her contract comes there comes to an end, there aren’t any jobs left in the area so she hits the road in her makeshift van/RV looking for work and, well, whatever.

She meets up with a commune of some sort. Well, less a commune (at least, there’s no organized way of living and people come and go pretty frequently) and more just a group of drifters who either aren’t really sure what they’re supposed to be doing in this country anymore, or the country has simply left them behind. Left them for dead. And instead of just rolling over and giving up, at least they have the scenery to look at. At least they can say they are doing something before it’s time to go – a certainty that’s addressed by the travelers as, “See you down the road.”

There are no politics in this movie, at least not any politics that are mentioned, even though a lot of these people find themselves in this situation because their government failed them. But growing up in Missouri, I knew a lot of people like the people portrayed in this movie. I have family like the people portrayed in this movie. And I have no doubt who they will be voting for this November. And these aren’t the screaming crazy people we see on television. These are the people who think the current president cares about them and are also too proud to take what they perceive as a handout, even though we’ve all paid into what’s supposed to be a safety net of a system for most of our lives.

Fern makes her way from landscape to landscape. We see the desert morph into the badlands. We see mountains transform into forests. She’s a caring person who is always quick to share whatever she may have from stop to stop, but more than anything she just wants to keep moving.

There’s something very solitary about Frances McDormand’s performance, even though there are plenty of other people in the movie. Fern meets people and sometimes we see them again. Sometimes we don’t. that’s just the way it goes with this particular lifestyle. But even the people she gets closest to don’t seem particularly permanent. Later in the film we learn more of her motivations and each one is heartbreaking. Why she feels she needs to keep moving, never letting anyone get too close. It’s a stunning performance from McDormand, so much so that it’s difficult to not want to declare something hyperbolic like this is her best performance. But then I remember I feel like that after a lot of Francis McDormand movies. But there’s something special about this one. It’s like she’s the only person in the movie. But she’s not. David Strathairn is in this movie and is fantastic. But it’s almost like Fern is on a boat by herself. It’s her own All Is Lost, but instead of at sea, she’s floating along aimlessly in America, beside so many others just like her.

Chloé Zhao’s next film is Marvel’s Eternals, which was mostly finished before the pandemic hit. I have no doubt it will be a stunning piece of science fiction. And I know Kevin Feige is smart enough to use Zhao’s talents and not hide her unique voice behind CGI and explosions. Still, after The Rider and now Nomadland, no one quite gets this side of America like Zhao does. And I am curious how that will translate to immortal beings made by aliens. Then again, no one is better than Zhao than presenting Americans as strangers in their own land. So, immortal beings that resemble actual aliens from might just be secondhand at this point.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Like every other industry, award shows have been faced with challenges in light of the pandemic. Many shows, like the BET Awards have opted to go 100 percent virtual, streaming pre-recorded performances and award announcements. This year’s 33rd annual Hispanic Heritage Awards is doing just that and will be streaming their event as well as honoring artists like Selena Gomez and Bad Bunny.

During the ceremony, Gomez will be honored with the Arts Award for her work as a musician, director, actor, and now beauty mogul. Jose Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, said in a statement that he is “thrilled to recognize Selena Gomez with the Arts Award for her impact on American and global culture through her music [and] movies but also for her courage as an advocate for mental health.”

Tijerino continued to praise Gomez opening up about her mental health challenges, particularly her bipolar disorder diagnosis: “There’s power in vulnerability and Selena has made it okay to talk about difficult issues we all deal with, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Selena is a role model for so many for so many reasons.”

Along with Gomez, Bad Bunny will also be receiving an award. The Puerto Rican singer will be granted the Vision Award for being a “powerful voice” in music.

The 33rd Hispanic Heritage Award airs 10/6 on PBS. Watch it here.

The Houston Rockets have not had the services of Danuel House for the last two games. House has been at the center of an investigation by the league over a woman showing up at his room in the NBA’s Bubble, which has led to him being posted up in his hotel room as the NBA tried to determine what exactly happened.

The investigation reached its conclusion, and as a result, the league determined that House had violated the rules and regulations of the Bubble. He will leave Orlando immediately and will not return. Here’s what the league had to say in a statement.

The NBA has concluded its investigation of a recent violation of campus health and safety protocols. The findings are that: (i) Houston Rockets forward Danuel House had a guest in his hotel room over multiple hours on September 8 who was not authorized to be on campus and (ii) no evidence was found that other players or staff had contact with the guest or were involved in this incident.

Houston is currently down 3-1 in its Western Conference Semifinal series against the Los Angeles Lakers. House’s absence has been noticeable, as he had average 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds this postseason and turned into one of the team’s better two-way perimeter players. There is no word on whether he will be subject to any additional reprimand beyond leaving the Bubble.

Burgeoning rap star MBNel was born and raised in the gritty streets of Stockton, California and he represents the way of life that many people are subjected to what is reportedly one of the most dangerous cities in America. His storytelling capabilities are both aggressive and compassionate, always on a melodic and understanding beat. He raps from the heart about what he knows growing up as a first-generation Filipino-American and his story has certainly struck a chord with a fanbase that has been ever-growing since he released “In My City” nearly two years ago and kicked off The Yellow Tapes mixtape series with Stupid Young.

This fall, Nel is continuing to offer a lyrical space of hope with his Child Of The Trenches mixtape series and its second installation Child Of The Trenches II is expected to be released on September 24. Today, the Muddy Boyz rapper officially released his single “Thru The Night” to DSPs as one of six songs off the project. Fan-favorite “Sincerely” is also expected to make an appearance on Child Of The Trenches II.

Ahead of the EP’s release, I spoke with MBNel about Child Of The Trenches, what fans can expect with the follow-up and his favorite tracks from the project, as part of our Fall Music Preview.

Check out the full interview with MBNel below.

She’s All That is one of the many movies getting a reboot once making movies is a thing again, this time as a gender-swapped version supposedly titled He’s All That. And apparently its star will come not from the world of young Hollywood, but TikTok.

According to Variety, Addison Rae Easterling, who has millions of followers on the social media app that Donald Trump is actively trying to kill, will star in the role inspired by Freddie Prinze Jr.’s original role in a modern-day retelling of a movie that’s been made several times over the years:

The gender-swapped reboot, titled “He’s All That,” has been in the works for years and recently started to gain traction again. Mark Waters, the filmmaker behind “Mean Girls” and “Freaky Friday,” is set to direct.

The film will reimagine the plot from a teenage girl’s perspective, with Easterling taking on a role inspired by Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Zackary Siler from the original. “She’s All That” — a modern-day take on George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” and the 1964 movie “My Fair Lady” — centered a popular high school jock who, after getting dumped by his girlfriend, attempts to transform one of the school’s nerdy outcasts into the next prom queen.

The report makes it clear the word “influencer” will be thrown around a bit in the movie, with Easterling playing one on screen who tries to rehab a dorky foil’s image into that of high school royalty. In real life, she has more than 58 million followers on TikTok and reportedly makes millions in various endorsement deals. So the character won’t be much of a stretch for this modern-day retelling of influencer meets nerd, who will then be destined to become an influencer in their own right. Hopefully they’ll skip the pizza scene this time around.

(Via Variety)

Along with with being one half of the rap duo Run The Jewels, Killer Mike is a known political activist. The rapper has publicly supported Bernie Sanders‘ presidential campaign and spoken at press conferences in his state. Earlier this week, Mike met with Georgia’s conservative governor, Brian Kemp, to discuss policies he’s advocated for in the past. The meeting drew a number of criticisms from fans who said the rapper was being used as a “prop” for Kemp’s political gain. Trying to quell the backlash, Mike and Kemp further addressed their meeting on a local radio show.

Mike and Kemp gave an overview of the topics they covered in their meeting on 95.5 WSB’s Word On The Street. “It’s really kind of interesting that some people are upset about us having that conversation. Quite honestly, we need to have more of that in today’s world, in my opinion,” the Governor said.

Starting off the summary of their their meeting, Mike applauded Kemp’s character:

“More than anything, I’m a Southerner. I’m a Black man. I’ve been raised in a traditionally Democratic city. But my state is pretty conservative, always has been. So as a Southern man, I connected pretty much instantly with him. Politics and policy don’t matter to me as much as human decency and principles, and he seemed to be a principled human being when I talked to him. I’ve only met him once, I was glad to meet him. I hope we get a chance to congregate and talk more and move Georgia to a more progressive place.”

The rapper also explained the details of their conversation, saying they discussed human trafficking in the state, legislation that will help young Black Georgians learn trade skills, as well as programs that decrease the number of incarcerated individuals.

“I told the governor I believe he has a strong chance of being a two-term governor, and if that’s going to be the case, I’d like to see minority contracts rise from 2% to between 8-10%. I’d like to see a program created, as early as high school, pushes in particular working-class poor men and African-American young men into trades because over the next 20 years, Georgia’s going to be growing. Whether it’s the port down in Savannah, where my wife is from, or the city of Atlanta, or the agriculture of southern Georgia, I’d like to see us prepare our young men to fill those jobs because we need fathers, we need husbands, and we need stability, in particular.”

Closing out the conversation Kemp said he hopes to meet with more constituents of color: “The last thing I really wanted to do is to come down and see some of his barber shops and grab a haircut and really see and experience some of what’s going on in that community and in that neighborhood, and just keep trying to learn about what the issues are in all parts of our state.”

Listen to the full conversation on The Word On The Street here.

After the attacks on 9/11, the U.S government has had little problem spending over $6.4 trillion on the War on Terror. For some perspective, the U.S. government’s total expenditures last year was $4.4 trillion.

Direct combat has killed over 800,000 people, including 350,000 civilians, and displaced over 37 million people.

The U.S, government has unflinchingly wasted all of this blood and treasure but has dragged its feet repeatedly to pay the healthcare bills for first-responders to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Tens of thousands of police, firemen, and rescue workers who sifted through the smoldering rubble on 9/11, while breathing in a toxic cloud of debris, have since come down with a host of health issues, including rhinosinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), asthma, sleep apnea, cancer, posttraumatic stress disorder, respiratory disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, and anxiety disorder.

“We will never know the composition of that cloud, because the wind carried it away, but people were breathing and eating it,” Dr. Michael Crane, at the World Trade Center Health Program, told Newsweek in 2016. “What we do know is that it had all kinds of god-awful things in it. Burning jet fuel. Plastics, metal, fiberglass, asbestos. It was thick, terrible stuff.”

In America, even with insurance, chronic disease can leave a family in financial ruins.

Recent analysis has found that close to 10,000 first responders have been diagnosed with cancer and over 2,000 deaths have been attributed to illnesses caused by the attacks. It’s estimated that more people have died from toxic exposure than were killed in the actual attack.

Former “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart has been a tireless advocate for the 9/11 first responders. Last year, when funds for the most recently-authorized bill to help pay for first responders’ healthcare, became depleted, Stewart gave a passionate speech to an empty Congress.

“It’s an embarrassment to the country,” Mr. Stewart said, criticizing members of Congress for skipping the hearing.

“And you should be ashamed of yourselves,” he scolded.

After Stewart’s rebuke, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to send the bill to the House floor for consideration. The Victim Compensation Fund was then been extended through 2092, funding health care for first responders for life.

Now Stewart, 9/11 activist John Feal, and FDNY hero, Ray Pfeifer, are the subject of a new documentary on their collective fight to ensure healthcare and compensation for the thousands of ailing first responders.

The film is called “No Responders Left Behind” and has yet to have a release date.

No Responders Left Behind Official Trailer

www.youtube.com

“John Feal and all the first responders have done so much for me, for the community, for the city, for the country. To be able to repay some of that debt that I feel I owe them personally, that we all owe them, is the best feeling,” Stewart said, according to Variety.

“Being a small part of this journey is the one thing I’m most proud of. I will follow John anywhere he wants to lead me next,” he added.

“For many, the last 18.5 years has been about passing legislation and fighting for justice for those affected by the aftermath of 9/11. I cannot say the same for me,” said Feal.

“It has never been about passing legislation, donating money or the accolades,” he continued. “It has always been about the journey from where we started to not knowing when it will end. It has been about the friendships and all the people I love and now call my family.”

The news of the documentary comes as reports show the Trump administration has siphoned off $4 million from the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program. The program treats FDNY firefighters and medics suffering from 9/11-related illnesses.

“Here we have sick World Trade Center-exposed firefighters and EMS workers, at a time when the city is having difficult financial circumstances due to COVID-19, and we’re not getting the money we need to be able to treat these heroes,” David Prezant, the FDNY’s Chief Medical Officer, said according to New York Daily News.

After years of complaining about the mysterious funding depletion, Prezant consulted Long Island Republican Representative Pete King and it was discovered it was due to a Medicare dispute with the state of New York.

King intends to confront Vice President Mike Pence over the issue.

“I gotta tell him,” King said. “Forget the politics. I don’t want to sound naive, but this is terrible, absolutely inexcusable.”

Welles Crowther’s senior quote in his high school yearbook was the simple adage, “There is no ‘I’ in team.” As a lacrosse and hockey player, he lived that motto through sports. As a volunteer firefighter, he lived that motto through service. As as equities trader working on the 104th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11, he lived that motto through selfless heroism that saved others’ lives and cost him his own.

Crowther was just 24 years old when the planes struck. From that tragic moment until the tower fell, survivors say he led others to safety, repeatedly returning to the 78th floor lobby where people were stranded and guiding them down the one working stairway to where firefighters could take the to a working elevator. He had the opportunity to save himself—if he had gone with the first group of people he rescued, he could have made it out of the building before it collapsed. But he kept going back to save more lives.

ESPN created a beautiful video highlighting Crowther’s heroism, told through the voices of his parents, teammates, colleagues, and even some whose lives he directly saved.

The Man in the Red Bandana | SC Featured

www.youtube.com

Beginning with the red bandana Crowther had kept with him from early childhood and ending with how that bandana ultimately helped uncover the unknown details of his final hours, the tribute is a moving tale of tragedy and courage, selflessness and sacrifice. While every loss on 9/11 should be remembered, Welles Crowther deserves to have his story shared far and wide as an inspiration for us all.

With many Americans spending more time at home and precious few live entertainment options to pass the time, sports ratings have climbed since games returned mid-summer. The NFL tends to always up the ante in terms of viewership, and NBC’s opening Thursday Night Football broadcast between the Texans and Chiefs blew away all its competition, peaking at 22 million viewers across linear and digital platforms.

The broadcast did, however, finish just below last year’s opener between the Packers and Bears.

From the NFL:

Despite the largest fourth-quarter deficit (24 points) in an NFL Kickoff Game in seven years, the Kansas City Chiefs’ 34-20 victory over the Houston Texans in the opening game of the NFL season last night averaged a preliminary* Total Audience Delivery of 20.3 million viewers across NBC TV, NBC Sports Digital, and NFL Digital platforms – making it the most-watched sporting event since Super Bowl LIV in February, according to Fast National data released today by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

With 20.3 million viewers, the NFL Kickoff Game is only the second show since the Super Bowl Sunday to average at least 20 million viewers (Academy Awards, 23.6 million on Feb. 9). Last night’s game faced unprecedented sports competition, as both NBA and NHL playoff games were contested at the same time.

In a follow-up report, Dominic Patten of Deadline noted the broadcast was down 12.3 percent from Packers-Bears in 2019 and nearly hit a nine-year low for opening games in terms of linear viewership. However, digital viewership was up 55 percent over 2019 and represented a non-Super Bowl high.

This came on an unprecedented night in which every major American sport as well as golf and soccer were being played as a result of the pandemic’s effect on the sports calendar. Not only did the NFL retain its spot at the top of the sports world, it generated more attention across all platforms than even a typical football game would.

The sparkling beverage market is absolutely booming right now. And whether you’re crushing La Croixs, White Claws, or Trulys, if your go-to drink sparkles, comes in a can, and hovers comfortably between 0 and 100 calories, you’re probably at least a little more health-conscious than the person smashing through a sixer of IPAS and Coca-Colas. Seltzers already generally have less sugar than their alcoholic and traditional soda counterparts, so how do we level up our favorite sparkling beverages even further to make them all the healthier? By adding some CBD into those babies for an extra boost of anti-inflammatory, anxiety-reducing, insomnia killing goodness.

Luckily for us, we’re living in an age where CBD-infused beverages aren’t just some health-conscious hippie pipe-dream. They’re a reality and there are a lot of them currently on the market. Maybe too many! To help you cut through the dense forest of CBD-infused hemp powered sparkling beverages, we’ve picked out some of our favorite brands from a market that seems to get more flooded with each passing month. We’ve spent the last few weeks of summer binging on CBD drinks looking for the brands that are truly worth the time and money (and also pair well with booze, screw health it’s been a hard year).

Let’s dive into the best sparking CBD Seltzer Waters of 2020!

Sparkling CBD Citrus/Hibiscut Water

CBD: 20mg Broad Spectrum Hemp Extract
Price: $50 (12-pack), $180 (48-pack)

Unlike La Croix, when you pop open a can of Sparkling CBD, you aren’t greeted with a blast of fragrant fruit essence and there isn’t an audibly pleasing fizz to be found, but also unlike La Croix, Sparkling CBD actually has some flavor. Sparkling CBD comes in Lemonade, Cola, Ginger Ale, Black Cherry, Root Beer, Hibiscus, and Citrus, we’ve only tried the latter two, but we loved them both.

The Citrus water is the most refreshing of the two, but if we had to choose one we’re going with the Hibiscus water every time. The Hibiscus water, while not fizzy or particularly fragrant, tasted like someone left a bunch of hibiscus flowers in a vat of sparkling water… and it turns out that’s exactly how it was made! Each batch of Sparkling CBD Hibiscus water utilizes 40 pounds of organic hibiscus flowers, and you can really taste them.

BOTTOM LINE: Pour it in a glass and enjoy the ruby red color with some ice — and then add some Tito’s Vodka or Espolòn Reposado Tequila with a twist of lime and let your stress melt away.

Recess Sparkling Water

CBD: 10mg Broad Spectrum Hemp Extract
Price: $29.99 (6-Pack) $49.99 (12-Pack)

Recess comes in a minimalist moody-colored can that blends 10mg of broad-spectrum hemp extract with ginseng, l-theanine, lemon balm, and real fruit flavors, for a sparkling water that is as healthy as it is tasty (despite its mere 5g of sugar). Each can of Recess is just 25 calories, and while we would’ve loved a higher concentration of extract per can, its relatively affordable enough that you won’t feel bad for blowing through two cans in a single session.

Recess is available in six flavors that include coconut lime, peach ginger, blackberry chai, pomegranate hibiscus, black cherry, or blood orange.

BOTTOM LINE: Our picks are the pomegranate hibiscus and blood orange, both of which go great with an added shot of Gun Powder Irish Gin or Botanist.

Mad Tasty

CBD: 20mg Broad Spectrum Hemp Extract
Price: Mixed Case 12-pack $60, Single Flavor 6-pack $30

Created by singer-songwriter Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic fame, Mad Tasty features 20mg of broad-spectrum hemp extract and packs a surprising amount of fizz and flavor, more than most of the seltzers on this list. The full line consists of three flavors which include Watermelon Kiwi, Grapefruit, and a mystery flavor dubbed Unicorn Tears.

I wanted to hate Unicorn Tears. Badly. But it’s f*cking good. I found myself blasting through a can of this stuff quickly, as I kept reaching for more trying to discover what the mystery flavor actually is, which played out in my head like this: Grapefruit, wait no, Mad Tasty already makes a Grapefruit flavor, maybe there is a hint of strawberry in there? Definitely… but something else. Wait a minute, is it Grapefruit, Strawberry, and Watermelon Kiwi? Can’t be. It’s kind of like a White Mystery Airhead. Wait, wasn’t White Mystery Airhead just a random pre-existing Airhead wrapped in a different wrapper? Oh look, I’m all out of Unicorn Tears.

BOTTOM LINE: Thanks a lot Mad Tasty, for making a CBD drink that actually stressed me out more. I killed that stress with a second can with some Boulevardier for a mythical whiskey soda.

Fountain

CBD: 20mg Full Spectrum Hemp Extract
Price: $29 (Single Flavor 6-pack) $74 (Multi-Flavor 12 Pack)

The only sparkling seltzer water on this list to use Full Spectrum extract, there is something unmistakably different about Fountain in comparison to the other cans on this list — the calming effects of the CBD not only occurred faster, but lasted longer. Produced, canned, and labeled in a New York Brewery — where the brand also makes Hard Seltzers — the 20mg of Full-Spectrum CBD comes from hemp grown and processed in New York state and releases in three flavors which include Cucumber, Grapefruit, and Lime.

Our top pick is the Cucumber, as it offers a flavor other brands tend to ignore, which we can’t figure out because and the bitter and refreshing flavors of cucumber pair nicely with the dull flavors of hemp — they’re a match made in heaven!

A match that’s made even better when you pour it over ice with an added a splash of Monkey 47, and a sprig of mint.

Bimble

CBD: 25mg Broad Spectrum Hemp Extract
Price: $39.99 (6-Pack) $74.99 (Mixed 12-Pack)

Bimble is so damn tasty that if it didn’t cost $39.99 per 6-pack, we’d consider keeping a 6-pack of this stuff stocked in our fridge at all times, whether we were looking for a dose of CBD or merely quenching our thirst with a hearty meal. Each bottle of Bimble is made with sustainability sourced Vermont honey and infused with bright citrus, berries, and herbs that work to tamp down the overly grassy properties of the hemp, resulting in a flavorful and refreshing sparkling beverage with a nice 25mg of broad-spectrum hemp extract. To make things worse, both flavors of Bimble, the Blueberry Lemon Ginger, and the Grapefruit Basil Mint are so good that choosing between the two will have you reaching for the mixed flavor 12-pack which is an absurdly high $74.99.

BOTTOM LINE: Put this one on a Christmas wish-list or drink sparingly when you’re really needing that dosage of CBD. I never mixed this one with any alcohol because I loved the way it tasted so much on its own, but I imagine it would pair nicely with a mildly botanic gin.