Category: Worldwide

The documentaries, events, and televised performances commemorating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary have given the culture’s pioneers with their long-deserved flowers. On Friday, November 3, Missy Elliott added another milestone to the culture’s impact after becoming the first female rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

During the ceremony, Queen Latifah took the stage at the Barclays Center to introduce her longtime friend. “Trust me, nothing sounded the same after Missy came on the scene,”said Latifah. “Nothing….everything changed – the bass lines changed, the pockets changed, the cadence, the writing. And that’s because Missy has always been a futurist, someone who’s always looking ahead.”

During Missy’s speech, she referred to several of the genre’s trailblazers, including Flavor Flav, Pepa (Salt-N-Pepa), and her longtime friend and collaborator Timbaland.

“There’s so many of y’all that are so legendary in here,” Elliott told the crowd. “This is the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. And so this is deeper than me just being up here. I was telling Robin [Roberts], you just feel like it’s so far to reach when you in the hip-hop world, and to be standing here, it means so much to me.”

For her live set, Missy performed a medley of her hits “Get Ur Freak Out,” “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” “Work It,” “Pass That Dutch,” and “Lose Control.”

As seems to happen every year, Texas A&M has struggled to meet lofty preseason expectations, as the Aggies came into Saturday’s game in Oxford, Mississippi at 5-3 on the season and were 3-point underdogs on the road to Ole Miss.

The Rebels jumped on the Aggies early, taking a quick 14-0 lead, but Texas A&M would fight their way back into the game in the second and third quarters. However, that need to fight back got taken a bit too literally by Aggies defensive lineman Shemar Turner, as on an Ole Miss drive in the third quarter he took exception to Ole Miss offensive lineman Micah Pettus putting a little extra stank on a pancake block in the red zone, with Pettus standing over Turner’s head. In return, Turner threw a full-on uppercut right to Pettus’ nuts that earned him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and an ejection.

Usually you see guys be a bit more subtle with a low blow, but Turner put all he had into this punch and, I guess, if you’re gonna do it you might as well get your money’s worth.

The penalty gave Ole Miss a first-and-goal from the 6-yard line, and they would score a touchdown on the very next play to extend their lead to 28-14. While the Aggies would get that TD back on the next drive, they are now down a key defensive tackle for the rest of the game because he couldn’t help but go full Ric Flair with the low blow.

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches.”

“I felt absolutely appalled when she said this, as me and the teacher have, up until now, always maintained a very friendly relationship. She added that the lunches I’m packing my son are ‘very distracting for the other students and have an unpleasant odor.’ I told her that I understand her concerns, as the lunches I pack are definitely not the healthiest, but the lunches are according to my son’s preferences.”

The mother added that she usually sends her son to school with small celery sticks, blue cheese and goat cheese, kimchi, spam and spicy Sriracha-flavored Doritos.

“I ended the call by saying that I very much appreciated her worries, but that at the end of the day, I am not going to drastically change my son’s lunches all of a sudden, and that it’s not my fault if other students are ‘distracted’ by his meal,” the mother continued. “It is very important to me what my son enjoys, and I want him to like my lunches.”

The teacher replied with an email saying the mom’s response was “unacceptable” and that his lunches were “just too inappropriate to be sent to school any longer.”

“I haven’t responded yet and don’t want to. I want to maintain a healthy relationship with my son’s teachers. I am confused as to what to do,” the mom ended her story.

It’s clear that the teacher is way out of line in this situation because the child is eating food that is entirely normal in Korean culture. It may have a strong odor to those who aren’t used to it, but that’s just an opportunity for the teacher to explain to the children how people from different parts of the world eat different types of food. It’s not that hard.

The only reason the teacher should have any choice over what the child eats is if it is egregiously unhealthy and may cause them harm.

The most popular commenter on the forum suggested that the mother bring the issue to the principal’s attention.

“Report her to the principal,” Thatshygal717 wrote. “Her comments regarding your son’s food are ‘disgusting’ and ‘have an unpleasant tone’ aka cough cough racist tone. She’s too inappropriate to be teaching at the school any longer.”

Another commenter, muffiewriters, assured the mother that she was doing nothing wrong. “Your son’s food is perfectly normal,” they wrote. “For a 5-year-old. Your family’s food is normal. The teacher is TA for not recognizing that.”

The mother hasn’t shared what she did next, but she’s handled the situation perfectly so far. She told the teacher that it’s not her fault if other kids are distracted by her food and that she will not change her son’s diet to please other people.

The beauty of America is that we are a country of many different cultures mixed like a beautiful bowl of salad. It’s great that so many people supported the mother and reminded her that her family has every right in the world to eat the food they love, and if it bothers anyone, they can keep it to themselves.

P.S. That teacher has no idea what she’s talking about. Korean food is delicious.

This article was originally published on 3.20.23.

On Friday, November 3, the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame saw music’s most acclaimed artists reflecting on their work. Bubbling new school acts such as Olivia Rodrigo took the stage to honor her musical hero, Sheryl Crow. Veteran musicians like Willie Nelson brought out entertainers that he’s inspired along the way. For revered songwriter Bernie Taupin, he took a moment to acknowledge the work of recording artists who are no longer with us.

During his induction speech, Taypin highlighted the impact of women, Black, and Black women musicians. The declaration was moving — and it seemed to call out Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner’s past disparaging remarks about non-white musicians.

“I guess you could say my being inducted is a paradox, perhaps, but either way, I’m honored to be in the class of 2023 alongside a group of such profoundly ‘articulate’ women and outstanding ‘articulate’ Black artists along with all of the other music masters here tonight,” said Taupin.

Taupin’s reflections on the state of music didn’t stop there. Before his longtime collaborator and friend, Elton John, took the stage to perform “Tiny Dancer,” which Taupin wrote, he spoke about the categoric issues with pop music. Watch the clip below.

Before the ceremony, Wenner was reportedly removed from the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation board. He’s since apologized for his comments.

The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony is available for playback on Disney+. Find more information here.

On Friday, November 3, the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame saw music’s most acclaimed artists reflecting on their work. Bubbling new school acts such as Olivia Rodrigo took the stage to honor her musical hero, Sheryl Crow. Veteran musicians like Willie Nelson brought out entertainers that he’s inspired along the way. For revered songwriter Bernie Taupin, he took a moment to acknowledge the work of recording artists who are no longer with us.

During his induction speech, Taypin highlighted the impact of women, Black, and Black women musicians. The declaration was moving — and it seemed to call out Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner’s past disparaging remarks about non-white musicians.

“I guess you could say my being inducted is a paradox, perhaps, but either way, I’m honored to be in the class of 2023 alongside a group of such profoundly ‘articulate’ women and outstanding ‘articulate’ Black artists along with all of the other music masters here tonight,” said Taupin.

Taupin’s reflections on the state of music didn’t stop there. Before his longtime collaborator and friend, Elton John, took the stage to perform “Tiny Dancer,” which Taupin wrote, he spoke about the categoric issues with pop music. Watch the clip below.

Before the ceremony, Wenner was reportedly removed from the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation board. He’s since apologized for his comments.

The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony is available for playback on Disney+. Find more information here.

When Sylvester Stallone wrote the original Rocky, it was for him a Hail Mary — an attempt to salvage a career that wasn’t going anywhere. Needless to say it worked and then some, paving the way for everything from the John Rambo cycle to Staying Alive, his misbegotten, disco-less sequel to Saturday Night Fever. But what if audiences hadn’t been charmed by the film? What if Stallone had filmed his original script, which wasn’t as heartwarming as what got made?

Per Deadline, in the new Netflix documentary Sly, Stallone describes his initial version of the underdog hero as “thuggish,” the movie closer in tone to Martin Scorsese’s gritty breakthrough Mean Streets. Then he showed it to a friend, and it wound up making her cry.

“She goes, ‘I hate Rocky. I hate him. He’s cruel. He hits people. He beats them up,’” Stallone recalled.

Instead of being stubborn, he asked her how he could change it:

“I said, ‘what if you stop short of it?’ Like, maybe he almost did. He could have, that’s his job, but he doesn’t?’ ‘That’d be nice,’” he added. “I said, ‘What if he had a girlfriend or something?’ ‘Yeah, that’s nice.’ So I go back, start writing that: ‘Girlfriend. Nice.’”

And so instead of yet another feel-bad ‘70s Hollywood downer, they got one that was, like Jaws before it and Star Wars after it, a kind of antidote to them. Not only was it the top grosser of 1976, it nabbed the Best Picture trophy from Scorsese’s own Taxi Driver. And though Rocky Balboa himself is (allegedly!) retired, that franchise is still puttering along.

(Via Deadline)

When Sylvester Stallone wrote the original Rocky, it was for him a Hail Mary — an attempt to salvage a career that wasn’t going anywhere. Needless to say it worked and then some, paving the way for everything from the John Rambo cycle to Staying Alive, his misbegotten, disco-less sequel to Saturday Night Fever. But what if audiences hadn’t been charmed by the film? What if Stallone had filmed his original script, which wasn’t as heartwarming as what got made?

Per Deadline, in the new Netflix documentary Sly, Stallone describes his initial version of the underdog hero as “thuggish,” the movie closer in tone to Martin Scorsese’s gritty breakthrough Mean Streets. Then he showed it to a friend, and it wound up making her cry.

“She goes, ‘I hate Rocky. I hate him. He’s cruel. He hits people. He beats them up,’” Stallone recalled.

Instead of being stubborn, he asked her how he could change it:

“I said, ‘what if you stop short of it?’ Like, maybe he almost did. He could have, that’s his job, but he doesn’t?’ ‘That’d be nice,’” he added. “I said, ‘What if he had a girlfriend or something?’ ‘Yeah, that’s nice.’ So I go back, start writing that: ‘Girlfriend. Nice.’”

And so instead of yet another feel-bad ‘70s Hollywood downer, they got one that was, like Jaws before it and Star Wars after it, a kind of antidote to them. Not only was it the top grosser of 1976, it nabbed the Best Picture trophy from Scorsese’s own Taxi Driver. And though Rocky Balboa himself is (allegedly!) retired, that franchise is still puttering along.

(Via Deadline)

The good news: After three weeks of chaos, the House of Representatives has a new Speaker, and it’s not Jim Jordan. The bad news: It’s Mike Johnson. The Louisiana lawmaker may not be a loud MAGA cheerleader like Jordan or Marjorie Taylor Greene, but he still holds some out-there views, including statements against the LGBTQIA+ community. But instead of warring against him, Pete Buttigieg is taking the high road.

The transportation secretary went on The Late Show Thursday, where host Stephen Colbert asked him about Johnson’s past statements about how same-sex marriage is a “dark harbinger of chaos.”

“Look,” he said, after sighing, “I’ll work with anybody who can help us get good transportation available to the American people.”

He then said, “I don’t know, maybe we’ll just have him over.” He continued:

“If he could see what it’s like when I come home from work, and Chas is bringing the kids home from daycare or vice versa, and one of us is getting the Mac and Cheese ready and the other’s microwaving those freezer meatballs, which are a great cheat code if you’ve got a toddler and you need to feed them quickly, and one won’t take their shoes off and one needs a diaper change.”

Buttigieg added, “Everything about that is chaos, but nothing about this is dark.” He concluded by saying, “The love of God is in that household.”

Johnson was hardly a household name before he got his current gig, but after his views became well-known, he’s been a source of outrage — and jokes.

(Via HuffPost)

When the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame class was announced in May, it was no shock that country music legend Willie Nelson was one of the inductees. Even at the tender age of 90, Nelson is still ripping and running on the road. Just as his birthday celebration concert brought out a star-studded bunch of guest performers and attendees, so did his induction ceremony.

On Friday, November 3, Dave Matthews opened the tribute to Nelson with a performance of his 1962 song “Funny How Time Slips Away.” He then delivered a tongue-in-cheek speech filled with jokes about Nelson’s refusal to retire and his well-documented love of marijuana.

For the remaining performance set, Nelson took the stage. He and Chris Stapleton covered Johnny Bush’s “Whiskey River.” Fellow inductee Sheryl Crow also made a cameo to perform “Crazy,” which Nelson wrote and whose most famous rendition was by Patsy Cline in 1961. Then Nelson, Stapleton, Crow, and Matthews closed with “On the Road Again.” At the end of the set, Nelson delivered his heartfelt thank-you speech to the crowd.

Read his full induction speech below.

Thank all y’all for this great honor. I appreciate the acknowledgment of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, included with so many legends, and some I’m lucky enough to call a friend. It’s been a long ride from my first DJ job to being here with y’all. And as a DJ, I was playing those first songs by Elvis. I remember writers calling that rockabilly rather than rock and roll, and I never did pay much attention to categories, and I’m not sure the fans did either. Folks also like the music I made with my Highwaymen, my brothers. That was fun with [Johnny] Cash and Waylon and Kris Kristofferson. And now that Johnny [Cash] and I’ve been inducted, I want to give a plug for Waylon … and Kris, who sang so many hits, to be inducted too. [Thank you to my band and mife] for keeping me out here doing what I was put here to do. Thank you. Thanks again for including me tonight. And thanks for appreciating my music.

The ceremony was initially broadcast live on Disney+, where it can be replayed. Find more information here.

Nicolas Cage is a serious thespian. He’s even won an Academy Award. But people on social media have a habit of cherry-picking things they like and discarding the rest. Some of the first “supercuts” to become popular on YouTube way back when involved Cage, who’s known to go over-the-top. It’s one thing that’s kept him popular. Understandably he has mixed feelings on this.

In a new interview with The Guardian (in a bit teased out by Variety), Cage acknowledged the elephant in the room, claiming he “might have been the first actor who went through a kind of meme-ification.” According to him, “One person had cherrypicked from all these different movies where I was having meltdowns, but without any regard for how the character got to that place. I was frustrated because I didn’t know what people were taking from the movies other than that.”

Of course, the information superhighway wasn’t a thing when he got his start.

“I got into acting because I was moved by film performance more than any other art form. I didn’t get into movies to become a meme,” he said. “I thought maybe they would compel someone to go back and look at the movies. But I had no control over it.”

Cage found that his latest film, the surrealist comedy Dream Scenario, inadvertently commented on his struggle. In the film, people keep having dreams of his character, a nobody professor, turning him into a celebrity. As with him and memes, Cage says, his character “has no control over this inexplicable phenomenon.”

So when you’re watching a supercut of, let’s say, Cage’s bonkers work in 1989’s Vampire’s Kiss on YouTube, maybe think about watching the whole movie — especially since that one is basically a full-length YouTube supercut containing maybe his bravest performance.

(Via The Guardian and Variety)