Category: Worldwide

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Jeopardy! episode that aired September 20.

Unlike the dodgier Wheel of Fortune, everyone loves Jeopardy! That doesn’t mean it’s above criticism. They screw up every now and then, while its own star alumni sometimes take the show to task, including after its showrunners found a slimy way to keep the clues going amidst the WGA strike. The episode that aired Wednesday night offered another chance to call out the show for malfeasance.

The blunder came during the Double Jeopardy category “The Real (White House) Wives of D.C.” The clue read, “She met the future president in 1938 when they both tried out for a local play in Whittier, California.” Alex Lamb, a data scientist from Lake Forest, California, dinged in, replying with the last name only, “Nixon.”

Normally supplying only the surname would be an acceptable response. But host Ken Jennings asked Lamb to be more specific. He blurted out Richard, when the name they were looking for was Pat.

Thing is, the category was about First Ladies. Therefore, some argued on a Reddit AMA with Lamb after, his response should have been a win.

“Really, really did not like the BMS [“be more specific”] on the Nixon clue,” one viewer wrote. “Clue already had a ‘she,’ the theme of the category was already set, just didn’t make sense. As far as the actual game goes, probably not a major effect in this game, but in the long run, it sets an odd precedent for these sorts of things as long as the show goes without its writers on hand.”

“That is bizarre,” another wrote. “What other First Lady with the last name of Nixon did they did they have in mind that would be a plausible response?” Another notes that given there’s only been one President/First Lady Nixon, Alex’s fate felt “unfair and illogical.”

“I came here to make this exact same comment, It seemed really unfair and illogical to me,” wrote another. “I’d understand for Barbara Bush, since there are two First Ladies named Bush, but a First Lady named Nixon could only be referring to one person.”

Lamb himself weighed in, explaining, “You can imagine that once I answered Nixon, my mind pivoted completely to the next clue. So when I was asked for clarification, I got caught flatfooted and that’s how it goes! Should have paused and answered.”

Are they right? Should Lamb get one of those corrections they sometimes make on the air after the judges realize they were wrong or simply too harsh? Whatever the case, at least it’s not as embarrassing as some of Richard Nixon’s own TV blunders.

(Via TV Insider)

Victoria Monét’s Jaguar II was described by Uproxx‘s Wongo Okon as “a dazzling triumph,” and that opinion was widely shared — so much so that fans were distraught because Monét wasn’t among the featured performers during the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12. That prompted a response from Monét herself.

“I see your advocation for me to have performed tonight and I’m so grateful to you!! Sincerely!” she wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) in response to her fans’ (justified) outrage. “My team was told it is ‘too early in my story’ for that opportunity so we will keep working!”

She continued, “I’m grateful for YOU, for my tour starting this Friday and for the ability to see some of my favorite people perform tonight and receive the love they so deserve!!! [Brown heart emoji, prayer-hands emoji] For me, it’s part of the story…and in Gods time.”

As mentioned, Monét’s The Jaguar Tour is underway and quenching anyone’s thirst to see her perform. Her next scheduled date is at Joy Theater New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana on Thursday, September 21.

You can see all of her remaining dates here, and check out her setlist below (as chronicled by fans on setlist.fm from her September 18 show in Charlotte, North Carolina).

1. “Intro”
2. “Moment”
3. “Big Boss” / “Ass Like That”
4. “Some Cut”
5. “Dive”
6. “How Does It Make You Feel”
7. “Stop In The Name Of Love”
8. “Smoke” / “Smoke (Reprise)”
9. “Anytime” / “Touch Me”
10. “F.*.C.K.”
11. “New Love” / “Freak” / “Monopoly”
12. “Coastin’”
13. “Spottie Ottie”
14. “Cadillac (A Pimp’s Anthem)”
15. “Alright”
16. “Party Girls”
17. “Experience”
18. “Jaguar“

Is the U.S. government actually going to shut down? Again? Barring some miracle, it seems likely. Right now the House GOP, who kicked off their tenure earlier this year with a sign of the chaos to come, is in tatters trying to craft a resolution that will appease the unappeasable MAGA wing of the party. Who’s ultimately to blame? In an unexpected fit of comity, it appears Trumpist lunatic Matt Gaetz and the White House finally found something they agree on.

Speaking to reporters, Gaetz punted blame for the shutdown on the House Speaker he so hates.

“We will have a government shutdown and it is absolutely Speaker McCarthy’s fault,” Gaetz said. “We cannot blame Joe Biden for not having moved our individual spending bills. We cannot blame House Democrats. We can’t even blame Chuck Schumer in the Senate.”

Soon thereafter, the White House’s Twitter/X account agreed, at least with that part, busting out the classic ClickHole joke “The worst person you know just made a great point.”

Of course, McCarthy isn’t only to blame for the looming shutdown. You try wrangling the intransigent MAGA gang, Gaetz very much included, who’ve issued impossible, far right demands from which they will not budge.

Perhaps Gaetz is simply trying to deflect blame. When asked, point blank, by The Washington Post if the government was going to shut down, he replied, “Yes, and it’s Kevin McCarthy’s fault that the government is going to shut down.” He continued:

“There’s a lot of things going wrong in this country that we can blame the Democrats for: the open border, the weaponized government. But we cannot blame the Democrats for having not done our job to comply with the coalition agreement that we made at the beginning of the year. That is the fault of the speaker, and I believe that if he does not immediately remediate that, he will likely face a motion to vacate.”

Gaetz concluded that McCarthy’s reign as speaker has been marked by “lies and broken promises and failure and shutdowns.” He added that “while that may be Kevin McCarthy’s legacy, it will not be mine.”

Or maybe it will be both of their legacies.

(Via Mediaite)

At this year’s MTV VMAs, Peso Pluma made history as the first-ever regional Mexican artist to grace that particular stage. The one born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija has shot to superstardom behind several Billboard Hot 100 hits, such as “Ella Baila Sola,” and his July album, Genesis. However, the heightened exposure hasn’t come without some dangerous consequences.

On September 12, a threatening banner aimed at Pluma and signed by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was spotted on a bridge in Tijuana, leading to Pluma canceling his upcoming show in Tijuana scheduled for October 14 at Estadio Caliente.

On Wednesday, September 20, Pluma’s labels, Double P Records and Prajin Music Group, confirmed the cancelation. As translated by Variety, their statement reads, “Our goal is to protect the fans and the team. For the safety of everyone involved, we will cancel our show in Tijuana. Thank you so much to all our fans for understanding. We love you. Sincerely: La Doble P.”

As initially reported by The Arizona Republic and USA Today, the banner in question warned, “This goes to Peso Pluma, refrain from presenting yourself on October 14 because it will be your last show due to your disrespect and loose tongue, you show up and we are going to (break you).”

Variety cited local reports that “a man had been arrested in connection to the banners.”

Previously, Pluma’s scheduled September 14 concert at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was postponed “due to unforeseen circumstances.”

According to Pluma’s official website, Pluma is still scheduled to perform on September 28 (in Reno, Nevada), October 12 (Stockton, California), October 15 (San Bernardino, California), and October 21 (Anaheim, California).

Pluma was also this week’s guest on Complex‘s “Sneaker Shopping,” which you can watch below.

It’s not a secret that nearly all golden retrievers are identical. Honestly, magic has to be involved for owners to know which one belongs to them when more than one golden retriever is around. Seriously, how do they all seem have the same face? It’s like someone fell asleep on the copy machine when they were being created.

Outside of collars, harnesses and bandanas, immediately identifying the dog that belongs to you has to be a secret skill because at first glance, their personalities are also super similar. That’s why it’s not surprising when one family dropped off their sweet golden pooch at daycare and to be groomed, they didn’t notice the daycare sent out the wrong dog.

See, not even their human parents can tell them apart because when the swapped dog got home, nothing seemed odd to the owners at first. She was freshly groomed so any small differences were quickly brushed off. But this accidental doppelgänger wasn’t fooling her feline siblings.

Once the dog was in their house, they noticed that their cats started behaving strangely towards their canine sibling. The cats started attacking the dog, likely trying to get it to tell them what they did with their real dog sister. Cat slaps and a house full of strange people didn’t dampen the imposter’s spirit though, in fact, that’s what helped reveal the switcharoo.

This dog kept handing out face kisses and had no interest in seeing her favorite neighbor. After putting all of those things together, the owners decided to hightail it to the vet’s office to scan the dog’s microchip. Alas, they indeed had the wrong dog.

“We just never even thought that that would happen, and of course we thought we would know right? Like we’re her parents, we would know something was wrong, we would know right off the bat that it wasn’t Emmy,” Kebby Kelley told Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Seems both golden retrievers got to go on a really strange adventure that deserves a lifetime of delicious dog treats for the confusion.

See both sweet pups below:

Ask any group of sisters what it was like growing up with each other, and they will undoubtedly use the word chaos. Girlhood in itself is a bit of a delightfully feral time. Add yet another wild child (or more) into the mix, and you never know what’s going to happen.

But there’s also a beautiful loyalty. Sure, sisters can turn from friends to enemies on a dime, but in those purer moments, you’ll see them stop at nothing to help one another.

And it’s all these aspects, and everywhere in between, that were captured in a hilarious TikTok as three sisters banded together to fix a DIY haircut gone wrong…the day before school picture day, no less.

Let us set the stage. Eldest sister, Valentina, 15, was minding her own business, filming a GURWM (GEt Un-Ready With Me), when she is suddenly interrupted by her 9-year-old sister Khaleesi asking for the scissors.

Ever the responsible eldest, Valentina tells Khaleeis to be careful before handing them over and resuming her skincare regimen.

Not three seconds later, there’s a blood-curdling scream, as the youngest sister, Camelia, comes rushing in.

“Khaleesi cut my hair!” shouts Camelia. “Tomorrow is picture day!”

“You wanted it, bro!” Khaleesi shouts back.

The girls then hear mom ask what’s happening. Valentina takes charge and tells her little sisters to close her door (“now!”) as she comes up with a brilliant cover: “Nothing! I’m trying to find a new hairstyle for (Camelia).”

Trying to fix the chop job, Valentina looks on TikTok for bang cutting tutorials, wanting “If mom finds out, she’s going to kill both of you.”

That’s when 2-year old Magdalena walks in.

@palmview956oficial GURWM gone wrong.. Camelia cut her bangs Again 😡🤯 #parati #sisters #hermanas #gurwm #valentina #scissors #camelia #magdalena #bangs #fypシ #956 #palmview956 #viral #rgv #zamarripa #zamarripasisters #fail #gonewrong #letsgetto200k #rgv956 #rgvtx956 ♬ original sound – Palmview956Oficial2.0

“I’ll give you a cookie!” Valentina says. (Of course this strategy works, and she is met with silence.)

Following what she found on TikTok, Magdalena twists Camelia’s bangs and gives them a quick snip. To her surprise, it actually worked.

“Wait, they’re looking cute!” she says.

“I look like Taylor from ‘Summer I Turned Pretty!’” Camelia exclaims.

Remember me waxing poetic about how fiercely loyal sisters are? Well, as soon as mom walks in, the accusations about whose idea it was go flying.

The delightful clip ends with Camelia and Khaleesi being told to go show their dad, and Valentina saying “pray for them.”

Enthralled viewers couldn’t help but feel like they had just watched something akin to a “coming of age movie” and a “documentary about sisterhood.” One person even dubbed it the Latina version of “Little Women.” 100% accurate.

“This is THE sisters experience. In six minutes you captured the whole thing. Amazing, ”one person wrote.

Another noted how it particularly encapsulates the eldest sister experience, writing, “older sister fixing her hair, bringing the snitch and getting blamed for it at the end.”

In the end, it all worked out. Camelia shared in a follow-up video that her big picture day was a success, bangs and all, thanks to the help of her sisters. And we all got some grade-A entertainment.

Sometimes we hear a story that makes us collectively confused. Should we be offended? Laugh? Donate to a parents future bail fund for their children? It’s really a toss up but the consensus on this mom’s eyebrow raising story is that laughter and bail money are both appropriate responses.

Maranda Arbogast, a mom that runs the TikTok page, momma.chaos, shared a hilariously mortifying story of a time she took her three daughters grocery shopping and somehow wound up in a, “one of these things is not like the others” moment. The mom of three leads into the story by explaining that she is raising children that will likely have run ins with the law.

“Some families gotta save money for medical expenses or college funds. We gotta save money for bail because we are raising criminals, especially my middle daughter. It’s always the middle child,” Arbogast jokes. “She’s gotta be frisked before we leave anywhere.”

Arbogast explains that her middle daughter has stolen everything from her neighbor’s engagement ring to a baby from Walmart. Pause. A baby? Yes, a real baby human. If you’re a person that has questions about how that happens, no worries. The mom of three merry mischief makers explains exactly what happens.

“I have a rule every time we go to the store, the kids gotta keep their hands on the cart, because as long as I can see the hands, I know that I’m safe,” she says.

When they were in the frozen food aisle looking for chicken nuggets, Arbogast was distracted tried to locate her kids favorite nuggets, the ones shaped like dinosaurs. It was in that moment, they executed their plan.

“My youngest daughter put two hands on the cart to trick me so that her older sister can go get a baby brother. I didn’t even realize I was missing a child until another one showed up,” the frazzled mom rattles off.

Now, you’d think counting that she had one too many kids would’ve tipped her off, but it was the fact that she and her children are white and the baby that mysteriously appeared was Black. After asking where the baby came from, her daughter, who appears to be around six, explained that she “found a chocolate baby” and asked to keep him.

Thankfully, the baby’s mom had a sense of humor about the situation. When she went around the store frantically looking for her son, she found him with the little girl arguing with her confused and likely embarrassed mom. I’m sure now this mom has a six hands on the cart rule or maybe she does grocery pick-up instead, just to make sure her daughter doesn’t try to “find” another sibling.

Watch the video of how the entire thing unfolded below:

@momma.chaos

the story heard round the world but with a little more detail lmfao #arbodillo #mommachaos #chocolatebaby #Ohno #comedy #fyppp

Period simulators gave cis-gendered men a painful glimpse of what women go through on a monthly basis. But what about going through life with an actual human growing in their belly?

That’s where the watermelon challenge comes in.

TikTok’s watermelon challenge is a simple concept, where dads-to-be strap watermelons, weighing somewhere around 14 pounds, onto their bellies in order to simulate what it’s like for pregnant moms. Bonus point for taping mangos onto the chest because #lactation.

The results are both hilarious and illuminating.

Nurse/mom Hannah Jean, currently 32 weeks pregnant, and her husband recently tried out the trend. The couple is first seen testing out different lemon sizes to make sure their baby bellies will match.

Then it’s pure comedy as Hannah’s husband struggles to pick things up off the floors, engage in regular household chores, put on his shoes, even getting in and out of bed.

Fifteen minutes in, he is almost completely wiped out.

Watch:

@hannahjeanrn Just wanted the hubs to walk ~15 mins in my shoes. 🤣❤️ #pregnantlife #32weekspregnant #pregnancy #thirdtrimesterbelike #thirdtrimesterproblems #husbandandwife #husbandtok #couplecomedy #coupletok #maternity #maternity #watermelonchallenge #husbandwatermelonchallenge #husbandwatermelon #fyp #fypシ #trending #challenge #tiktok ♬ original sound – HannahjeanRN

Thousands of moms who watched along couldn’t contain their schadenfreude.

One wrote, “That’s just the physical part, not the heartburn, soreness or not being able to breathe lol.” To which Hannah mischievously replied “I’m trying to find ways to simulate the rest.”

“He should’ve tried to get in and out of his vehicle and drive down the block,” another person added, right before commending Hannah’s hubby as a “trooper.”

Such a trooper, in fact, that he agreed to a part two—this time pitifully attempting to shave his legs and, ahem, his nether regions. All to no avail.

@hannahjeanrn Replying to @Deeleebra Ya’ll wanted a part ✌🏼. Let’s gooooo. 🤣 #pregnancytok #husbandandwife #watermelonchallenge #maternity #coupletok #couplecomedy #maternity #couplecomedy #thirdtrimesterproblems #thirdtrimesterbelike #32weekspregnant #coupletok #foryoupage #fyp #pregnancyhumor #watermelonbaby #couplesoftiktok #trending #capcut #tiktok ♬ Boogie Shoes – KC & The Sunshine Band

This time he does try to get in and out of the car, which, to no woman’s surprise, is no easy task. There’s getting in the car, plus dealing with the steering wheel being far away, PLUS there be nowhere comfortable to actually strap on a seatbelt.

And then on a nice, relaxing walk, one of his mangoes just completely falls out. Ah, motherhood.

Challenges like these offer lighthearted entertainment to be sure, but it also makes one wonder how different the world might be if everyone truly understood, on a visceral level, the physical challenges that women go through. Generous maternity leave might be a necessary requirement, and not just a coveted luxury. Perhaps there would be more abortion freedoms. Who knows.

Either way, this has got to be one of the best ways for couples to bond during pregnancy. Not to mention the most entertaining.

Over the past few years, “Don’t Say Gay” bills have been introduced across the U.S., sparking widespread controversy about how LGBTQ issues should be addressed in schools. Supporters argue they protect children from inappropriate content by restricting discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in educational settings.

Opponents believe these bills marginalize LGBTQ individuals by fostering stigma and potentially infringing on teachers’ ability to openly address students’ questions or experiences.

Currently, 11 states have banned LGBTQ discussion in public schools, and 5 require parental consent.

Author and comic book expert Marc Tyler Nobleman recently found himself at the center of the controversy, and his simple rationale for using the word “gay” in his school presentations presents an age-appropriate and inclusive way to approach at the issue.

Nobleman has spoken in schools in “about 30 states and almost 20 countries” to inspire children to write and do research. He’s the author of the book “Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-creator of Batman” about the fabled superhero’s unsung co-creator.

THE RIGHT WAY TO WRITE: Visiting Author #MarcTylerNobleman, writer of numerous fiction and nonfiction books for young readers, met with students in Grades 3-8 last month. He inspired curiosity, shared his research process, and provided guidance. #TaipeiAmericanSchool

— TaipeiAmericanSchool (@TaipeiAmericanSchool)
1681265112

Artist Bob Kane is known as the creator of Batman; however, Bill Finger is believed to have refined the costume and given the character his secret identity as Bruce Wayne, amongst other contributions.

Nobleman notes in his speeches that one of the significant reasons why Finger lives in obscurity is that he died in 1974, and his son, Fred Finger, was gay and died of AIDS complications at 43 in 1992. Without an heir, the movement to get Finger the proper credit lost any hope.

However, the twist in Nobleman’s presentation is when he reveals that through his research, he discovered that Fred Finger had a daughter, Athena. This led to DC Comics officially recognizing her grandfather as Batman’s co-creator in 2015.

“It’s the biggest twist of the story, and it’s usually when I get the most gasps,” Nobleman told the Associated Press. “It’s just a totally record-scratch moment.”

After a presentation at Sharon Elementary in Forsyth County, Georgia, on Monday, August 21, where he mentioned Fred FInger’s orientation, the principal handed Nobleman a note saying, “Please only share the appropriate parts of the story for our elementary students.” So, he removed any reference to Fred Finger’s sexuality over his next two days of presentations.

The school’s principal, Brian Nelson, sent a letter to parents after the initial presentation that read: “This is not subject matter that we were aware that he was including nor content that we have approved for our students,” Nelson wrote. “I apologize that this took place. Action was taken to ensure that this was not included in Mr. Nobleman’s subsequent speeches and further measures will be taken to prevent situations like this in the future.”

But after some soul-searching, in a presentation two days later, Nobleman said the word “gay” once again. After discussing the situation with the school, the remaining assemblies were canceled.

Nobleman shared his reasoning for using “gay” on X, formally known as Twitter, and his rationale makes a lot of sense. “And as I’ve told Jennifer [Caracciolo, the school’s chief communications officer] and her colleagues, mentioning a sexual orientation is NOT the same as discussing sexuality.”

Answering student questions is ALSO not a problem.

Teaching without parental approval of every line is not a problem.

And as I’ve told Jennifer and her colleagues, mentioning a sexual orientation is NOT the same as discussing sexuality.#pride #saygay

— Marc Tyler Nobleman (@MarcTNobleman) September 20, 2023

That’s a huge point missed in much of the debate surrounding LGBTQ visibility in education. There is a big difference between discussing sexual acts—whether heterosexual or otherwise—and someone’s orientation, especially when there’s a good chance that there are children of LGBTQ parents in the audience.

Further, in a world where same-sex marriage and heterosexual marriage are treated equally, why is mentioning one orientation any different than the other?

“If a child asks me if I am married, can I say I have a wife? This is discrimination. It is also extremely insulting and dangerous to our children,” Nobleman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We have so much LGBTQ teen suicide because they are not welcome to speak up about their own lives in their own community.”’

Caracciolo likened saying “gay” in front of third graders to talking to kindergartners about one of the greatest atrocities in world history. “It would be almost like if someone was doing a speech to kindergartners and they talked about the Holocaust and the horrors of the Holocaust,” the district’s chief spokeswoman, Jennifer Caracciolo, said, according to The New York Times.

“I asked her not to compare a kind of love to mass murder,” Nobleman wrote in Newsweek.

After his remaining presentations were canceled, Nobleman emailed administrators involved in the controversy and asked them to take three specific actions:

-Apologize to their community for the principal’s apology.

-Apologize to their community for censoring an established author who did what he was hired to do: Pump up their kids about reading, writing, and research.

-Challenge the standards that stigmatize any mention of LGBTQ people.

Last month, Halsey made (at least) 50 friendship bracelets for one of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour shows in Los Angeles. But she might be interested in more than friendship with Avan Jogia, an actor and singer-songwriter.

According to several outlets, including E! News and Page Six, Halsey and Jogia were photographed holding hands and kissing while out and about in the LA area on Tuesday night, September 19.

Per Page Six, Halsey “talked to the actor at the Cara Hotel in Los Feliz, where they appeared to be watching a live performance.” Pop Base circulated some of the photos, credited to Diggzy and Splash News, on X (formerly known as Twitter).

E! News previously reported on Halsey’s separation from Alev Aydin, with whom they share a two-year-old child named Ender.

“Halsey filed legal paperwork on April 5 to request full physical custody and joint legal custody of Ender, 21 months, according to court documents obtained by E! News on April 25,” the article read. “She also asked for joint expenses with visitation rights for Alev. A source close to the situation tells E! News that the split is ‘amicable’ and says the stars plan to co-parent.”

On the music front, Halsey reportedly signed with Columbia Records in June, as per Variety, following a semi-messy split from Capitol (as reported at the time by Billboard). For months, they have given fans promising updates on a follow-up to their August 2021 album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. Around the same time they surprisingly appeared at Kia Forum to perform alongside Suga in May, Halsey confirmed in a lengthy Tumblr post that they were entering “album mode,” ending it with, “Down the rabbit hole I go.”

Last week, Halsey posted an Instagram carousel with the caption, “not pictured: me splitting myself in two every day so that I can give you my deepest wounds (and a handful of perfect joys) for the 5th time in 10 years.”

Jogia, meanwhile, is perhaps most widely known for his formative role on Nickelodeon’s Victorious from 2010 to 13. His musical project is called Saint Ivory and he released new music in recent weeks.