Category: Worldwide

Some have a hard-and-fast rule when it comes to movies: If it’s based on a book, best to read the book first. With some films, it’s a bit more complicated. Someone who hasn’t read David Grann’s best-selling 2017 non-fiction tome Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI probably won’t be lost watching all 3 ½ hours of Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed adaptation. But they may be missing some details given that Scorsese and team decided to do something the book does not.

Last month, both Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, one of its stars and executive producers, opened up about how they effectively inverted the source. In his book, Grann devotes most of the focus — the second and largest section — to the federal investigation into a spate of mysterious deaths amongst an enclave of Native Americans in Oklahoma who’d gotten wealthy on oil money. To the filmmakers, the first script felt like it took the wrong tack.

“After a certain point, I realized I was making a movie about all the white guys,” Scorsese told Time. “Meaning I was taking the approach from the outside in, which concerned me.”

“It just didn’t feel like it got to the heart of it,” DiCaprio said to British Vogue about the original script. “We weren’t immersed in the Osage story.”

So instead of playing Tom White, the former Texas Marshal who leads the federal investigation into the deaths, DiCaprio switched over to Ernest Burkhart, a white man who marries Lily Gladstone’s Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman who watches as family and friends are killed off, then becomes gravely ill herself. Perhaps

As DiCaprio explained, “There was this tiny, small scene between Mollie and Ernest that provoked such emotion in us at the reading, and we just started to penetrate into what that relationship was, because it was so twisted and bizarre and unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.”

So should you read Killers of the Flower Moon before you see Killers of the Flower Moon? Up to you! It might help to know certain things about the federal investigation — including some fascinating stuff about the early days of policing and private investigators — that Scorsese and team might not have had time to put in their already epic movie. Or maybe you can do that after you’ve seen what critics are calling another stunning picture from one of cinema’s biggest cheerleaders.

Killers of the Flower Moon hits theaters on October 20.

Martin Scorsese may drag some of today’s biggest movies, but that doesn’t mean he’s given up on the medium he loves more than almost anyone. The beloved filmmaker and cinema cheerleader recently laid out for how it can move on from the comic book and franchise model. He’s even optimistic about its future, in part thanks to the one-two punch of non-franchise cinema that was “Barbenheimer.”

“I do think that the combination of Oppenheimer and Barbie was something special. It seemed to be, I hate that word, but the perfect storm,” Scorsese told The Hindustan Times (as caught by Deadline). “It came about at the right time. And the most important thing is that people went to watch these in a theater. And I think that’s wonderful.”

Mind you, Scorsese hasn’t actually seen either film yet, but he is a fan of Christopher Nolan. What’s more, when cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto was done shooting his latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, his next assignment was — you guessed it — Barbie.

Besides, he doesn’t have to see the two money gobblers to spot one of their most assuring qualities: how dissimilar they were.

“The way it fit perfectly – a film with such entertainment value, purely with the bright colors – and a film with such severity and strength, and pretty much about the danger of the end to our civilization – you couldn’t have more opposite films to work together,” Scorsese explained. “It does offer some hope for a different cinema to emerge, different from what’s been happening in the last 20 years, aside from the great work being done in independent cinema.”

Scorsese isn’t the only legendary filmmaker of his generation to find hope in the success of the Barbie/Oppenheimer diptych. No less than Francis Ford Coppola called it a “victory for cinema.”

Combined, the two films have grossed nearly $2.5 billion worldwide. Given that one is an grim epic that’s mostly men in rooms talking, that’s nothing to sneeze at.

(Via Deadline)

The pop girlies have had their fun, but Dua Lipa seems ready to reclaim her throne. The“Dance The Night” singer has begun to pursue her goal of making a dent in the acting world thanks to appearances in the record-grossing Barbie movie and the forthcoming spy film Argylle. But she isn’t turning her back on music just yet. In fact, Dua Lipa may be hinting that a new album is on the way.

Thanks to creative changes to her Apple Music page, fans believe Dua Lipa’s highly anticipated third studio album could drop sooner than you think. So, is Dua Lipa dropping a new album soon? As of today, there’s no confirmed answer.

However, back in Dua Lipa’s interview with New York Times’ T Magazine from August, she said it will be released in 2024. (Argylle, meanwhile, is slated to hit theaters on February 2 of that year.)

As for the sound supporters should look forward to, according to journalist Kurt Soller, “[It] will still be pop… Although [Dua is] developing a new sound that may be informed less by the house and disco beats beneath songs like ‘Physical’ and ‘Hallucinate’ than by 1970s-era psychedelia.”

Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Tensions between Israel and Hamas have continued to grow. Over the weekend, after the former declared war following a massive attack, “Uptown Funk” singer Bruno Mars was forced to cancel the second day of his concert in Tel Aviv’s Park HaYarkon due to safety concerns. The 2023 Tribe Of Nova Festival, held on October 7 in southern Israel, was attacked by militant forces.

Reports in the region are still gathering the facts as outlets verify the gruesome footage shared on social media. What is known so far? Outlets such as CBC and CNN have reported the death toll from the Israel music festival attack, confirming that at least 260 people have been recovered from festival grounds. As of Monday, October 9, the total number of attendees has not been revealed.

During U2’s recent concert at The Sphere in Las Vegas, frontman and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Bono offered his condolences to the people, families, and other loved ones of those affected by the attack.

“In the light of what’s happened in Israel and Gaza, a song about non-violence seems somewhat ridiculous, even laughable, but our prayers have always been for peace and for non-violence,” Bono told the crowd. “But our hearts and our anger, you know where that’s pointed. So sing with us… and those beautiful kids at that music festival. It was a festival of music and peace. A festival of music and peace. Can you imagine?”

Bruno Mars is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Gwyneth Paltrow is technically still an actress, insofar as she’s never formally retired. Based on interviews it seems she’s lost her mojo for it. The reigning queen of Goop can’t even remember which Marvel movies she’s in, and when asked she no longer makes those, her response was blunt: Tony Stark is dead, so who needs Pepper Potts? But what about that Academy Award she won a quarter century back? Well, at least it serves a practical function.

Per Entertainment Weekly, Paltrow did one of those rapid-fire Vanity Fair interviews, where they pelt the rich and/or famous with one question after another. It begins simply, with her showing off her verdant garden, being asked what she’s growing and whatnot. Eventually they get to a garden door, which has been propped open by a certain golden object. The interviewer IDs it as her Shakespeare in Love Oscar, which is quickly confirmed by Paltrow.

“My doorstop!” she exclaims. “Its works perfectly.”

Wild as it seems, Paltrow hasn’t had a starring role in a movie since 2006’s Proof. She’s still acted aplenty, but always in supporting roles. (Hey, she’s pretty charming in those Marvel movies!) Not that she’s doing nothing. Her energy is instead poured into running Goop, her sometimes controversial wellness and lifestyle brand, which she occasionally has to defend from dunking. Who needs an Academy Award when you’ve got a vagina candle?

You can watch Paltrow’s full Vanity Fair chat in the video below.

(Via EW)

Gone are the days of shrill whistles and obnoxious bullhorns to demand a classroom’s attention. Instead, teachers are opting for more creative calls-to-action, usually involving some kind of musicality. Clapping rhythms, singsongy phrases, even throwback song lyrics are fun ways to get distracted, rambunctious kids to quiet down and focus. No matter which delivery style a teacher uses, it has to appeal to their young audience.

So of course, a call-to-action inspired by Beyoncé is the perfect choice.

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If you haven’t heard of the “mute challenge” taking over social media, it stems from a viral moment that happened during Beyoncé’s recent Renaissance tour.

After Beyoncé would sing the lyrics, “Look around, everybody on mute,” for her song “Energy,” her backup performers and everyone in the crowd would freeze.

@super_negra Atlanta Night 1 are still the “On Mute Challenge” champions. (8-11-23) ✨ #Atlanta #OnMute #Beyonce #Music #RWT ♬ original sound – Super_Negra

A few seconds of silence would go by, and then the song would resume.

You can probably see why this trend would work really well with some rowdy students. Former teacher, now actress Jackée Harry certainly did as she posted “I hope teachers start using “look around everybody on mute” to quiet their classrooms” to X (formerly Twitter).

Let’s just say—teachers were more than willing to complete their assignment. And their classes aced it with flying colors.

Check out how well they did below. Watching the look of sheer delight on each teacher’s face during the sweet silence is truly priceless.

@aminahtiyee Gotta keep the kids hip 🤣 #mutechallenge #beyonce #firstgrade #teacherlife #viral #fyp #foryou #firstgradeteacher #teachers #teachersoftiktok #classroommanagement ♬ original sound – Aminah Tiyee

@yourfavemusicteacher17 #mutechallenge #musicteachersoftiktok #chorus #singing #beyonce ♬ original sound – Adria Gainer-Smith

See on Instagram

Part of the call-to-action’s success is that young students are equally invested in Beyoncé as the teachers are, so it’s a fun bonding moment. In a way it’s bringing the popular concert to the classroom. And it makes the kids super passionate.

Aminah Muhammad, a first grade teacher in Lawrenceville, Georgia, told Today that her kids even give a “big gasp” before they do it.

But even the super young kiddos who weren’t part of the Beyhive, and had no idea who Beyoncé was (can you believe it?) responded well to the challenge, and only needed a quick explainer of how to do it.

All in all, what’s great about this is that teachers are getting to infuse a bit of their own unique personalities into their job, and that it’s getting a great response from their students. Structure is important, but that doesn’t mean rigid formality is required.

Now—will these teachers be able to get their students to wear all silver outfits, just like Queen Bey did for her tour? Stay tuned.

Communication Coach Zac Broomfield, or @l4coach on TikTok, has shared a fun test test that he says can provide valuable insights into someone’s personality. Zac is a professional family communication expert at Level 4 Coaching.

“There’s a question I ask my clients about which piece of paper you would prefer,” Zac begins the video. “While this isn’t a scientific assessment, I have found that there are some common traits amongst folks that pick a certain type of paper.”

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To begin the assessment, Coach Zac asks his clients to choose from four types of paper: lined paper, blank printer paper, a page from a coloring book, and graph paper. He then provides a detailed personality profile based on their paper preference.

@l4coach

Are your graph, blank, lined or coloring? #paper #psychology #notscience #parenting #communication #family #graph #lined #coloring #blank

Here’s Zac’s breakdown of the different choices:

Coloring book page

Zac says that coloring book people are creative, open-minded and nurturing but are looking “for folks to create a structure for them.” He adds that people with this preference often work with children or in healthcare.

Graph paper

“They prefer to create a structure for themselves,” he says. These people are logical, analytical and love organization. These are your engineers, mathematicians and architects.

​Lined paper

These people are orderly, disciplined, responsible, and tend to be reflective and thoughtful. These people are planners, journalers, readers and writers.

Blank computer paper

“These are independent, self-reliant people,” he says, adding they “can be a little bit controlling.” These folks tend to be out-of-the-box thinkers and are often innovators or entrepreneurs.

Zac ends the video by noting that the test isn’t “absolute” but that it’s a “fun question to ask,” and it gives you a “little bit of insight.”

Kids are interesting, especially between the ages of early toddlerhood and first grade. They can literally fall over laughing because you ripping paper is suddenly hilarious or develop a deep connection with a mixing spoon that they insist on taking everywhere. You really never know what they’re going to do and as parents we just learn to go with it.

As long as it’s not hurting them or anyone else, go for it. For nearly two years my daughter dressed up as Snow White every day, complete with plastic heels, only taking a break for wash days when all three costumes were dirty. So it’s not a surprise when one little girl decided she wanted to be a pink chair for Halloween.

Recently, her parents posted a compilation video on their TikTok page, Toy Story Dad, partially captioned, “This is her world and we are all just living in it,” giving an explanation on her viral chair costume.

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The best part of the explanation is that it didn’t need to be explained. They just compiled videos of all of the times they asked their daughter, Scarlet, what she wanted to be for Halloween, likely thinking she would change her mind. But she didn’t, in fact, she started to look a bit miffed at them constantly asking. Every time they would ask, the little girl who looks to be about three replies, “a pink chair.”

No further explanation is needed. She was a pink chair for Halloween last year simply because she was persistent in her request and she just happened to be the cutest little pink chair out there. Commenters loved her adorable insistence and some included their own interesting costume choices their kids have had.

“The request, the persistence, the delivery, the execution (chef’s hand inserted) this little lady is going places,” one person writes.

“HER LEGS BEING THE BACK LEGS OF THE CHAIR IS SO CUTE,” another commenter writes.

“My friend has twin girls. One was a princess and the other was a crouton as per their requests,” someone says.

There were some revelations of unique costume choices in the comments. Kids dressed up as an oven, air conditioner, water bottle and even a recycling bin. Little ones are so creative but so are their parents because I’m going to assume it’s unlikely to come across an oven or chair at your local Target. But you can see her adorable costume below:

@toystorydad_

This is her world and we are all just living in it. 💕What is the funniest thing your kid has dressed up as? Or wanted to dress up as?

Everyone is entitled to a few nice words at their funeral, as the adage goes. Normally, this is a non-issue. Flaws can be ignored or overlooked for the sake of harmony and a peaceful, optimistic send-off.

But what if the flaws created too much damage and heartache to go without saying?

Sheila Smith made headlines last week with an obituary that was as honest in what can only be described as a brutal sense. Brutal for the departed, her father Leslie Ray Charping, and brutal for the family that had to endure his life and death.

Here’s the obituary in its entirety, taken from the website of Carnes Funeral Home:

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Leslie Ray “Popeye” Charping was born in Galveston, Texas on November 20, 1942 and passed away January 30, 2017, which was 29 years longer than expected and much longer than he deserved. Leslie battled with cancer in his latter years and lost his battle, ultimately due to being the horses ass he was known for. He leaves behind 2 relieved children; a son Leslie Roy Charping and daughter, Shiela Smith along with six grandchildren and countless other victims including an ex wife, relatives, friends, neighbors, doctors, nurses and random strangers.

At a young age, Leslie quickly became a model example of bad parenting combined with mental illness and a complete commitment to drinking, drugs, womanizing and being generally offensive. Leslie enlisted to serve in the Navy, but not so much in a brave & patriotic way but more as part of a plea deal to escape sentencing on criminal charges. While enlisted, Leslie was the Navy boxing champion and went on to sufficiently embarrass his family and country by spending the remainder of his service in the Balboa Mental Health Hospital receiving much needed mental healthcare services.

Leslie was surprisingly intelligent, however he lacked ambition and motivation to do anything more than being reckless, wasteful, squandering the family savings and fantasizing about get rich quick schemes. Leslie’s hobbies included being abusive to his family, expediting trips to heaven for the beloved family pets and fishing, which he was less skilled with than the previously mentioned. Leslie’s life served no other obvious purpose, he did not contribute to society or serve his community and he possessed no redeeming qualities besides quick whited sarcasm which was amusing during his sober days.

With Leslie’s passing he will be missed only for what he never did; being a loving husband, father and good friend. No services will be held, there will be no prayers for eternal peace and no apologizes to the family he tortured. Leslie’s remains will be cremated and kept in the barn until “Ray”, the family donkey’s wood shavings run out. Leslie’s passing proves that evil does in fact die and hopefully marks a time of healing and safety for all.

The obituary walks a fine line between uncloaked honesty and mean-spiritedness, repeatedly falling on either side. If this obituary is to be believed (no person or account has publicly questioned or denounced this characterization), his family has a right to be both angry for his life and happy for his death. However, the controversy surrounding this obituary isn’t the survivors’ feelings, but their expression of them.

Sheila, speaking to The Michael Berry Show, a radio program, stood by the obituary she wrote, claiming it was an effort to heal, forget, and minimize the residual impact his death would have on their lives. To realize this, and to fulfill her late father’s wishes, the obituary needed to be honest. She said to the show’s host, ” A week after he passed I sat down and began working on it. I was somewhat blocked and everything I was going to write was going to be a lie,” she said. “He hated a liar and he would appreciate this.”

Speaking earlier to KTRK, Sheila said that those who are bothered by this or the notion of speaking ill of the dead, are fortunate to not understand. “I am happy for those that simply do not understand, this means you had good parent(s) — please treasure what you have.”

She continued to say that whitewashing transgressions that are so endemic and undiscussed in the world, such as her father’s issues with domestic violence and alcoholism, serves no greater good.

She concluded, “I apologize to anyone that my father hurt and I felt it would have been offensive to portray him as anything other than who he was,” she also said. “This obituary was intended to help bring closure because not talking about domestic violence doesn’t make it go away!”

This article originally appeared on 05.22.19

In 2013, I found out I was pregnant with triplets.

Image via iStock.

My husband and I were in shock but thrilled at the news after dealing with infertility for years. And it didn’t take long for the comments to begin. When people found out, the usual remarks followed: “Triplets?! What are you going to do? Three kids at once?! Glad it’s not me!”

After mastering my response (and an evil look reserved for the rudest comments), I figured that was the worst of it. But little did I know I would be facing far worse comments after two of my triplets passed away.

On June 23, 2013, I gave birth to my triplets, more than four months premature.

My daughter, Abigail, passed away that same day; my son, Parker, died just shy of 2 months old. Before then, I didn’t know much about child loss; it was uncharted territory. Like most people, I wouldn’t know how to respond or what to say if a friend’s child passed away.

Image via iStock.

But two years later, I have found that some things are better left unsaid. These comments come from a good place, and I know people mean well, but they sure do sting.

Here are my top five things not to say to a grieving parent — and the thing I love to hear instead.

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1. “Everything happens for a reason.”

It’s a cringeworthy comment for those of us who have lost a child. Sometimes, there is no rhyme or reason for why things happen in life. A parent should not outlive their child. I don’t know why my body couldn’t handle my pregnancy or why I went into labor at 22 weeks.

This phrase goes along with another I often hear: “God only gives us what we can handle.” I remember talking with my childhood rabbi the night before my son passed away, and I asked her, “Why me?” Her response is something I now live by every single day. She said, “God doesn’t give us only what we can handle. He helps us handle what we’ve been given.”

2. “They are in a better place.”

Instead of comforting, this is a phrase that makes me feel down in the dumps. I longed to be a parent for so many years. And children are meant to be in the loving arms of their parents.

I think I speak for every grieving mother and father when I say, we would give anything to hold our babies again.

3. “At least you have one survivor. Count your blessings.”

I like to think of myself as a positive person. But even two years later, my heart still aches for Parker and Abby. And on the most difficult, dark days of grief, it’s hard to “count my blessings.”

Yes, I am blessed. I have a gorgeous miracle child who is the light of my life. But Peyton should be playing with her brother and sister in our home, not just waving to their pictures and blowing kisses to heaven.

4. “You are still young. You can have more children.”

It doesn’t matter whether or not our biological clock is ticking. Many people have no idea what couples go through to have a child: Some can’t have children of their own; others may face years of infertility or miscarriages. And for people like me, trying for more children may be something too scary to even think about. I came close to death after delivering my children — that’s enough to scar me for life.

5. “I don’t know how you do it. I couldn’t imagine losing two children.”

Some days I don’t know how I do it either. But we learn how to live with it. We learn a “new normal,” and in those tough moments, we celebrate that we survived the day. This comment is a difficult reminder of our grief and the children who were sent to heaven.

So, what should you say to a grieving parent?

There are no words to take the pain away, of course, but simply letting that person know you are there for them is more than enough.

For me, the best thing someone can do is to talk about my angels. Say Parker and Abby by name, and don’t be afraid to ask questions about them.

While they were only here for a short time, they left a huge imprint on this world. I love talking about my angels, and simply hearing someone else mention them by name is enough to wipe away the grief and warm my heart for days.

This article originally appeared on July 15, 2016