Category: Viral

Do you ever wonder if you can trust your own thoughts? Maybe you have looked at pictures of your childhood and have been confused when you saw the old, blue family station wagon that you vividly remember as being red. Maybe you remember you’re your high school gym teacher having a handlebar mustache. But, at your ten-year high school reunion, he tells you he’s always been clean shaven. Or perhaps you recall Donald Trump defeating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Oh, wait, that might have happened. I’m pretty sure that happened. That happened, right?

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For those of you who don’t know about the Mandela Effect, it’s an unexplained phenomenon that makes us question our memories from the past. The effect got its name from paranormal researcher Fiona Broome, who noticed that people have crystal clear memories of things that never happened or existed. It’s origin stems from the thousands of people who have a vivid recollection of former South African President Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s, right down reading the article in the newspaper or seeing his funeral televised. The truth is, Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 and lived to be 95 years old until passing away in December 2013. This is one of the numerous examples of shared memories by the masses that appears to be completely false. It’s insane to think so many of us have the same false memories.

The Monopoly man definitely has a monocle. I can see it in my mind as clear as day. It is on his right eye as he is leaning forward. The thing is, he never donned such eye wear.

Do you remember Jiffy peanut butter? You are not alone, but the fact is you won’t find a peanut butter jar with said moniker. It’s Jif.

How about reading the children’s book The Berenstein Bears? You would be mistaken, as it’s actually The Berenstain Bears.

The last time I checked, no one is going to confuse Shaquille O’Neal with 90’s comedian Sinbad. That being said, there are thousands who remember Sinbad playing the Genie in Kazaam and not Shaq.

[INSERT VIDEO CLIP of star wars]

What about Star Wars? That iconic moment when Darth Vader tells Luke the truth about his family history. But Vader never said, “Luke, I am your father” in The Empire Strikes Back. He actually says, “No, I am your father.” Is this just a misremembered movie line?

[INSERT VIDEO CLIP of forrest gump]

We all recall Forrest Gump saying, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” You know, you’ve quoted it before. It turns out, the actual line from the movie is “Life was like a box of chocolates.” Have you ever eaten a box of Fruit Loops cereal? You haven’t, because they don’t exist. They’re Froot Loops. Is your mind blown yet? These are just a few examples of the Mandela Effect.

Another possibility is that we don’t know as much as we think we do. There could be alternate universes at hand, but that would be crazy, right? Think about how primitive our way of life and understanding of the universe was even 100 years ago. Then think about how far we have come and the rate at which science is progressing. It would be one thing to pay heed to the waxing theoretical of Donald Sutherlands character in Animal House. But when you have scientific heavy weight minds like astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and iconic physicist Stephen Hawking saying that it is entirely possible that parallel universes exist— we might want to leave the light on for that possibility.

Now, more than ever, we tend to go all in on our beliefs. The truth is, we very seldom have all the facts. It is okay to be a skeptic—that mindset keeps us honest. But to be closed off to possibilities based on what we supposedly know to be true can certainly be a dangerous impediment to progress.

The concept of the earth rotating around the sun seemed insane until it was proven. The two most important concepts we can anchor ourselves with are logic and humility. Is the Mandela Effect a result of parallel universes or just a product of our imperfect minds? If the greatest scientific experts we have ever known are not closing the door on such a concept, then maybe we should keep an open mind. By the way, the Monopoly guy definitely had a monocle.

The National Women’s Soccer League was the first American sports league to return during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the North Carolina Courage and the Portland Thorns took to the pitch on Saturday and in the first match of the Challenge Cup. The month-long tournament in Utah includes 16 preliminary round matches — with seven of the league’s eight teams participating due to the Orlando Pride pulling out earlier this week — and a knockout tournament culminating in a championship game on July 26.

With no fans, extra substitutes, and socially distanced TV interviews, the games do look a bit different as the league hopes to keep all its players and staff healthy during the pandemic. All 22 starting players from the Courage and Thorns wore Black Lives Matter t-shirts and took a knee prior to kickoff on Saturday, continuing the nationwide protest against racial injustice and police brutality. The Courage won the game 2-1, thanks to Debinha’s glancing header off a Hailie Mace cross and a slick finish from Lynn Williams in the 94th minute.

A handful of players — including U.S. women’s national team stars Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press, and Tobin Heath — have opted out of playing altogether, but fear not, there are still plenty of exciting teams and players to watch in Utah this summer. Here’s a quick guide to each team.

Chicago Red Stars

Best players: USWNT regulars Alyssa Naeher (GK), Julie Ertz (CB), and Tierna Davidson (CB) protect the back line of the Red Stars while central midfielder Morgan Brian controls the tempo. Look out for how they replace the scoring threat of Sam Kerr, the 2019 league MVP and Golden Boot winner who scored a league-high 18 goals last season and has since departed for Chelsea.

Jersey rating: 10/10. The Red Stars came out with one of the coolest kits in the league this year, and their jersey reveal campaign was even cooler. Inspired by the different neighborhoods that make up Chicago, the white secondary kit has the city flag on the front and skyline on the back made up of the names of city neighborhoods.

Why you should root for them: Last year, the team advanced to the NWSL Championship for the first time in the team’s history but fell to the Courage, 4-0. With some fresh attacking talent and an experienced defense, the Red Stars look to be an exciting team for years to come.

Houston Dash

Best players: Starting goalkeeper Jane Campbell is a solid keeper despite having had a bit of an up-and-down year last season, finishing fourth in the league for most saves but giving up 36 goals, the second-worst tally in the league. Fellow U.S. national Kristie Mewis and her girlfriend, England player Rachel Daly, control the midfield for the Dash.

Jersey rating: 9/10. These are fire, and not just because the primary kit is orange.

Why you should root for them: Last season, the Dash only managed a seventh-place finish and they lost attacking talents Sofia Huerta, Kelia Ohai, and Kyah Simon in the offseason. Questions certainly remain surrounding this team, specifically whether their defense will hold up against more potent attacking threats.

North Carolina Courage

Best players: The Courage are stacked with USWNT talent. With the lightning quick speed and skillful Crystal Dunn in midfield alongside Sam Mewis and Brazil’s Debinha, defensive stalwart Abby Dahlkemper, and Jessica McDonald and Lynn Williams in attack, this team can be astoundingly good.

Jersey rating: 5/10. The navy primary kit and all-white secondary jersey could use some more spice but there’s nothing wrong with simplicity.

Why you should root for them: If you want to hop on a bandwagon, the reigning champions are your best bet. In the NWSL’s seven-year history, the team from NC has played in five of the last seven championship games. Few, if any, teams in the league can stack up against them at their best.

OL Reign

Best players: Rapinoe won’t be playing, but fellow USWNT midfielder Allie Long and 2019 Rookie of the Year Bethany Balcar will be. Former Houston player Sofia Huerta should also be an exciting addition to their midfield.

Jersey rating: 3/10. They look less like Seattle jerseys and more like knock-off OL Lyon jerseys.

Why you should root for them: The Reign has undergone some changes this offseason. After France’s OL Groupe — which owns the most successful club women’s team in history, Olympique Lyonnais — bought the Seattle-based team in March, the club name changed from Reign FC to OL Reign. Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski has departed to lead the USWNT after leading the team to the semifinals last season and the team is without Rapinoe, so some of these players may show up with something to prove.

Portland Thorns

Best players: There are so many! The team will be without Tobin Heath and goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, but Christine Sinclair, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Lindsey Horan give you plenty of other options to root for.

Jersey rating: 10/10. Portland often has really awesome jerseys, but this year’s black kits with red rose detail are especially dope and really show off the spirit of the city. The secondary white jerseys are quite sleek as well.

Why you should root for them: The Thorns have long been one of the most popular teams in the NWSL with a passionate fanbase that has set multiple attendance records over the years. Two-time World Cup winner Sauerbrunn is finally at home in Portland, which should delight fans immensely, and the team has another international legend with Sinclair, the greatest player in Canadian history and the most prolific international scorer ever, leading the line.

Sky Blue FC

Best players: USWNT stars Carli Lloyd and Mallory Pugh will not be playing as they recover from injuries, so look out for forwards Imani Dorsey and Margaret “Midge” Purce, who was recently acquired from Portland.

Jersey rating: 7/10. I like the dark grey kit with the sky blue lightning bolt-esque lines running down the front! The club just released their new kit and the jersey sold out almost immediately, but fear not, they have been restocked.

Why you should root for them: Though Sky Blue FC have been a bit of a mess in the past (they finished eighth in the league last season), the team has undergone top-down changes in the offseason and even picked up USWNT up-and-comer Mallory Pugh. Though the team will likely struggle in the Challenge Cup without Pugh and Lloyd, they are still very much a club on the rise under new GM Alyssa LaHue and new coach Freya Coombe. And next season, they will play at Red Bull Arena, which will definitely make for a fun viewing experience.

Utah Royals

Best players: No Christen Press this summer, but look out for fellow USWNTers Kelley O’Hara and Amy Rodriguez.

Jersey rating: 8/10. The blue and yellow primary jersey is fun, with outlines of Utah mountains on the bottom but I’m not as huge a fan of the secondary kit with a bunch of grey crowns on the front.

Why you should root for them: The team finished in sixth place last season, and veteran striker and captain Rodriguez showed she still has it after scoring nine goals last season. Utah is of course the home team for this tournament, and boasts an exciting youthful group of players.

Washington Spirit

Best players: Andi Sullivan and Rose Lavelle, one of the USWNT’s best young talents, run the midfield for the Spirit while goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe tied for the most number of saves in the league last season with 86. Ashley Hatch and Jordan DiBiasi combined for six goals last year, and will look to provide the scoring spark for this team.

Jersey rating: 5/10. The blue primary kit is nice enough, although the CVS Pharmacy sponsor logo is curiously massive. The white secondary kit is a bit boring, although the Geico logo seems to be a normal size.

Why you should root for them: Rose Lavelle, need I say more? The 25-year-old took the world by storm in France last summer as the USWNT charged to their fourth World Cup win, and is such a mesmerizing player. The Spirit finished in fifth place last season, but has the talent to compete in Utah.

Sarah Cooper has skyrocketed to internet fame with her short, spot on lip-syncs of President Trump. It’s admittedly a strange premise for a comedy bit, but for some reason, it works. Her faces and body language along with the voice of the president just highlights the absurdity of the things he says in a way that even some Trump supporters find hilarious.

And her newest video, “How to second term,” might just be her best.

The material was already there. Sean Hannity’s softball question at the president about what’s at stake if he wins and what his priorities would be for his second term is something anyone running for any office should be 100% prepared to answer at any time. And Trump’s answer was a word salad of epic proportions.

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But what makes Cooper’s video so hilarious isn’t just her lip-sync of Trump, but her imitation of Sean Hannity. The Fox News host of his own show, Hannity, has long been one of Trump’s biggest supporters—and Cooper highlighted that fact by basically turning him into a sixth grade girl with a crush on the president. First of all, the air kiss? HA. Second, look for the heart with “Trump” inside it on the paper, then note “Sean Trump” written beneath it. Oh my. That shade is so cold.

Cooper’s video has already been viewed more than 5.5 million times on Twitter alone. Comments range from “I think your Hannity may possibly be funnier than your 45,” to “I have no idea what happened after Hannity’s kiss, because I died.” Even people from other countries are chiming in with appreciation for the subtle genius of Cooper’s humor.

What’s the old saying? We laugh to keep from crying? Thank you for giving us an opportunity to laugh rather than weep, Ms. Cooper. We all need that kind of levity right now.

Last week saw a number of shows pull episodes from online and reruns due to instances of blackface. Among them were 30 Rock, which yanked four episodes, Scrubs, which had three, and The Office, which had one. Now Community joins the group: As per Deadline, one episode of the cult comedy has been removed from Netflix and Hulu.

The episode in question is Season 2’s “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons,” in which the gang play the titular game, with Abed as Dungeon Master. The offending scene involves Ken Jeong’s Ben Chang, who shows up to the session wearing black make-up and a white wig. Yvette Nicole Brown’s Shirley asks the group, “So, we’re just going to ignore that hate crime, huh?”, to which Ben responds, “I’m a dark elf or a drow,” and that he’s trying to get into the mind of his character, Brutalitops the Magician. He continues to play the game in blackface until he’s eliminated.

So, uh, that’s a lot of blackface, not all that long ago and often located on NBC! Dan Harmon, the show’s creator, has yet to publicly address the episode’s racially charged content, although The Office creator Greg Daniels did speak up when the episode of his show was excised, apologizing by saying, “Blackface is unacceptable and making the point so graphically is hurtful and wrong. I am sorry for the pain that caused.”

(Via Deadline)

Months after her latest album Manic was released, Halsey teamed up with producer Marshmello to release their cheery collaboration, “Be Kind.” Filled with lively production, the track finds the musician making a lifelong commitment to her partner. Just a month after sharing that song, the two teamed up once again to deliver a video for the song.

The video is led by a graceful dance routine performed by Halsey herself. Starting in what appears to be a nearly-empty industrial building, she effortless moves from wall to wall before she magically transitions to a fictional outdoor park. Surrounded by cherry blossoms that sway freely in the air, Halsey continues her routine before snapping back to reality, only to see a robot of sorts, controlled by Marshmello, examining her.

After the video premiere, Halsey hopped onto Twitter to chat with some fans. There, she revealed that the video drew inspiration from Japan’s Sakura season, which is the period of time, roughly between March 20 and April 14, when cherry blossoms bloom in Kyoto. She also talked about how the video came to be, promising to share more with fans at a later date.

“I’ll tell u guys more about it soon but this video was wild to create,” Halsey said. “Learning choreo on FaceTime, then I broke my ankle, we used a Bolt camera so it was all programmed beforehand so there wasn’t a human physically operating it, the team that rendered the worlds. It was wild!”

You can watch “Be Kind” video above.

As he has done time and time again, Kanye West shook the internet Friday with a plethora of announcements, from a new 10-year partnership between Gap and his Yeezy Supply brand to a new animated Kids See Ghost cartoon with Kid Cudi. The new announcements and releases were all a part of his “West Day Ever,” and while the bulk of the news arrived during the day on Friday, he saved another release for that evening: the release of his once-shelved “Spaceship” video.

The “Spaceship” video, which dates back to 2004, finds Kanye ironically working as a Gap employee. Giving the bare minimum to his retail job, to the disappointment of his manager, Kanye constantly daydreams about a better life that does not involve folding a stack of jeans for minimum wage. Also featured on the song are GLC and Consequence. The former plays another Gap employee, who spends much of his time in the break room with a coworker, while the latter plays a customer who also reminisces about his struggle, all while another female customer gets taken out of the store for failed attempt at theft.

It was also revealed that Kanye’s upcoming album, Jesus Is King II, which is produced by Dr. Dre, would arrive in the near future. Soon after a video emerged, via Snoop Dogg, of West and Dr. Dre working on the album in a studio. “Kanye West got some hot sh*t. Only I can get exclusive footage. Shut up,” Snoop said in the video. “Kanye West got some hot sh*t. It’s finna come out. Dr. Dre touched it.”

You can watch the “Spaceship” video here.

Friday was a huge day for the NBA’s proposed restart in Orlando. The league and its Players Association agreed on the terms for the bubble league at Disney World, and later in the day, the schedule for the remainder of the “regular season” was released. It’s a packed slate of games, with the potential for seven games to take place in a single day with how the schedule is laid out.

The whole situation is extremely unique, but fortunately for those who are itching to watch some basketball, a whole host of games will take place on television. Twenty games will take place on ESPN or ABC, 18 will be broadcast on TNT, and 14 tilts will air on NBA TV. Every day from July 30 until August 14 is slated to have at least two televised games, with as many as four games on TV a day for much of that stretch.

Here is how the television schedule will play out once things tip off at the end of next month. (Note: All times EST)

July 30
Jazz vs. Pelicans, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Clippers vs. Lakers, 9:00 p.m., TNT

July 31
Grizzlies vs. Blazers, 4:00 p.m. NBA TV
Celtics vs. Bucks, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Rockets vs. Mavericks, 9:00 p.m., ESPN

Aug. 1
Heat vs. Nuggets, 1:00 p.m., ESPN
Jazz vs. Thunder, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Pelicans vs. Clippers, 6:00 p.m., ESPN
Lakers vs. Raptors, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Aug. 2
Blazers vs. Celtics, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Kings vs. Magic, 6:00 p.m., NBA TV
Bucks vs. Rockets, 8:30 p.m., ABC

Aug. 3
Raptors vs. Heat, 1:30 p.m., NBA TV
Nuggets vs. Thunder, 4:00 p.m., NBA TV
Grizzlies vs. Pelicans, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Lakers vs. Jazz, 9:00 p.m., ESPN

Aug. 4
Nets vs. Bucks, 1:30 p.m., NBA TV
Suns vs. Clippers, 4:00 p.m., NBA TV
Celtics vs. Heat, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Rockets vs. Blazers, 9:00 p.m., TNT

Aug. 5
Sixers vs. Wizards, 4:00 p.m., NBA TV
Thunder vs. Lakers, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Nets vs. Celtics, 9:00 p.m., ESPN

Aug. 6
Pelicans vs. Kings, 1:30 p.m., NBA TV
Heat vs. Bucks, 4 p.m., TNT
Clippers vs. Mavericks, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Lakers vs. Rockets, 9:00 p.m., TNT

Aug. 7
Thunder vs. Grizzlies, 4:00 p.m., NBA TV
Magic vs. Sixers, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Celtics vs. Raptors, 9:00 p.m., TNT

Aug. 8
Clippers vs. Blazers, 1 p.m., TNT
Jazz vs. Nuggets, 3:30 p.m., TNT
Lakers vs. Pavers, 6:00 p.m., TNT
Bucks vs. Mavericks, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Aug. 9
Spurs vs. Pelicans, 3:00 p.m., ABC
Sixers vs. Blazers, 6:30 p.m., NBA TV
Nets vs. Clippers, 9:00 p.m., NBA TV

Aug. 10
Mavericks vs. Jazz, 3:00 p.m., NBA TV
Raptors vs. Bucks, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Nuggets vs. Lakers, 9:00 p.m., TNT

Aug. 11
Rockets vs. Spurs, 2:00 p.m., NBA TV
Celtics vs. Grizzlies, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Pelicans vs. Kings, 9:00 p.m., TNT

Aug. 12
Pacers vs. Rockets, 4:00 p.m., NBA TV
Raptors vs. Sixers, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Clippers vs. Nuggets, 9:00 p.m., ESPN

There are still six more games that need to be all sorted out: TNT will air three games on August 13 at 4, 6:30, and 9 p.m., with ESPN following the same schedule a day later. It is unclear which teams will fill those slots. It is also unclear whether the untelevised games will appear on NBA League Pass.

Earlier this year, YG announced that his 4Hunnid Records imprint signed a joint-deal with Epic Records. In addition to the joint venture, YG announced the label’s first signing since the partnership, namely Los Angeles’ Day Sulan. Following her “Mascara” release from this past March, Sulan is back with new music, this time with help from Rubi Rose.

Called “Big,” it’s her second release on 4Hunnid, and it comes with a music video. In it, Sulan and Rose find themselves poolside in the summer heat of Los Angeles, laughing off their haters and their distaste towards two women who are minding their own business and seemingly thriving in their own lives. The ladies eventually move from the pool and into a flashy car, where they hang out of the window and continue to douse their listeners with boastful bars. All in all the song presents Sulan and Rose moving as one and showing each other support.

Day Sulan first gained the attention of the public after landing a plum appearance on “Her Story” off of YG’s 2019 album 4Real 4Real. After the collaboration, her relationship with YG began to grow, resulting in her eventual signing.

You can watch the video for “Big” above.

For well over a year, the only new music Blackpink dropped was via their guest appearance on Lady Gaga’s recent Chromtica album. Before then, the group’s most recent release came in April 2019, namely “Kill This Love.” The Korean group has a new album on the way, and on Friday they released their new single, “How You Like That,” which they played on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Contrary to the other at-home performances that have premiere on The Tonight Show, Blackpink followed in the footsteps of Christine And The Queens’ recent performance, taking over the stage of an empty venue for a fiery set. Backed by flashing lights and the occasional burst of fire, the group danced their way through the performance before being joined by a group of back-up dancers.

Their performance arrived as the group set a YouTube record for the biggest video premiere, with 1.65 million people tuning in to watch the music video for “How You Like That.” The video currently has nearly 93.5 million views. The group also premiered their new official Twitter page and, at the time of this post, they had tallied 648,000 followers with just four tweets.

You can watch the performance in the video above.

Over the last week, in the wake of a newly energized focus on racial issues across the country, a number of white actors have dropped out of voicing non-white characters on animated shows. Jenny Slate quit voicing Missy on Big Mouth while Kristen Bell stepped down as Molly on Central Park; both roles are biracial, and they will be recast with black performers. For others, it’s too late. Take Alison Brie. She voiced Diane Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American, on BoJack Horseman, which concluded its six season run earlier this year. Now, as caught by ComicBook.com, she’s saying she regrets taking the role.

“In hindsight, I wish that I didn’t voice the character of Diane Nguyen,” the actress wrote in an Instagram post. She continued:

“I now understand that people of color, should always voice people of color. We missed a great opportunity to represent the Vietnamese-American community accurately and respectfully, and for that I am truly sorry. I applaud all those who stepped away from their voiceover roles in recent days. I have learned a lot from them.”

On BoJack Horseman, Diane served as, alternately, a ghost writer, a love interest, an enemy, and a close friend to the show’s washed-up, alcoholic, struggling sentient horse, even as she battled her own demons and issues. Creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg has spoken about his regrets over casting a white performer for voice a Vietnamese-American, and he did so again last week over a Twitter thread.

“In the first few seasons of BoJack, I was asked about the casting of Diane a few times on twitter and reddit but I evaded the question, mostly because my own understanding of the issue was evolving (it still is!) and I didn’t want to give a defensive or half-thought-out answer,” he wrote. He said that for a while he thought he could rationalize it, but “the more I thought about it (and listened to other people) the more I felt like it WASN’T okay.”

He continued:

“Even in the small ways we wrote to Diane’s experience as a woman of color, or more specifically an Asian woman, we rarely got specific enough to think about what it meant to be SPECIFICALLY VIETNAMESE-AMERICAN and that was a huge (racist!) error on my part. … The intention behind the character is I wanted to write AWAY from stereotypes and create an Asian American character who wasn’t defined solely by her race. But I went too far in the other direction. We are all defined SOMEWHAT by our race! Of course we are! It is part of us!”

(Via ComicBook.com)