Category: Worldwide

This past October, The Weeknd said on his Apple Music show Memento Mori that his next album is “complete,” but that some additions needed to be made before release. “Some exciting features coming out in the fall before the album drops,” he said. “We’ll slowly be unraveling that info in the next couple months.” Well, we just caught wind of an exciting feature, although it seems as though this is more closely related to the recent diamond certification of “Blinding Lights” than the next album.

In a newly-announced NFT collectibles series, The Weeknd and Billboard are releasing a 7-piece animated series that celebrates the song’s designation as “The No. 1 song of all time.” At 90 weeks, the song became the longest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 and the news was announced on the cover of Billboard magazine. The cover is one of the seven collectibles, which is available to view on the NFT platform, Autograph, which was co-founded by Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s being auctioned off on OpenSea, which dubs itself “the world’s largest NFT marketplace.” A statement on the collection elaborated on each piece in the collection:

“The 7-piece, animated collection is composed of four designs, including a single NFT featuring The Weeknd’s recent cover on Billboard Magazine, which first announced the news of his record-breaking achievement, and three digital trading cards creatively inspired by the iconic “Blinding Lights” music video. The digital trading cards will be released in three tiers of rarity, and each of the collection’s unique, culturally-significant collectibles is individually signed to allow fans the opportunity to own a defining moment in music history as never before, from one of today’s most influential artists.”

For what it’s worth, The Weeknd is now a part of the Board of Directors at Autograph. The auction began on December 20 and continues until December 23 at 1 PM EST. All of the bidding is done via the ETH cryptocurrency. Take a look at the magazine cover NFT below and view the whole collection here.

In-arena proposals happen fairly regularly around the NBA, but on Monday night in Utah there was a far more elaborate proposal than the standard surprise “will you marry me?” Jumbotron proposal.

The Utah Jazz played host to the Charlotte Hornets and during one of the breaks in play, the Jazz dancers came out for a routine, when suddenly the music shifted and all of the dancers but one switched up what they were doing, leaving her in a state of confusion trying to figure out why what they had rehearsed wasn’t happening. That was for a good reason, as the rest of the crew were all in on a surprise proposal that was coming from her boyfriend, who trotted out to midcourt for the special moment — and happily got a “yes.”

The in-arena proposal comes with an element of risk, given you’re doing this in a public forum in front of thousands, but this one was done particularly well and seemed to get the intended happy surprise response. It’s pretty great to see her go from confused and maybe a little mad that everyone switched up the routine without telling her to realizing what was happening as her boyfriend appeared on the court. Congrats to the happy couple, and the bar has certainly been raised for arena proposals.

A festival in Los Angeles was marred by tragedy this weekend when rising rapper Drakeo The Ruler was stabbed. After being transported to the hospital in critical condition that night, he later died from his injuries. Born Darrell Caldwell, the rapper was slated to perform at the festival, which also included headliners 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg. Instead, the event ended earlier after the fight broke out backstage and Caldwell was stabbed.

The music world, particularly in Caldwell’s native LA, is devastated by the loss of a young talent. His family and loved ones are also reeling at the sudden loss. His mother, Darrylene Corniel, spoke to Rolling Stone about the murder. “He was hit in his neck,” she began. “I saw him when I went to the hospital. They said it’s a homicide, so I wasn’t able to hug him or kiss him or anything like that. I had to look at him through a window. I need this to be out there. I need people to know. And I do want justice for my son. And I do believe that justice will be served. I will not rest until justice is served.”

She added that lax security backstage seemed to be part of what led to the incident. “They said there were, like, 40 to 60 people,” she said, citing information from her other son, Devonte Caldwell, aka Ralfy The Plug, who was trying to protect his brother. “He was trying to fight, but when he turned around, he could see his brother with blood gushing out of him. He was like, ‘Did they stab you?’ It was like, there were so many of them.”

Corniel said she felt a lack of security was part of the larger issue, and that she plans to take legal action. “We plan to sue. This happened backstage at an event. Someone has to be held accountable. They let all these people in, and you’re not supposed to have all these people backstage. And your security is supposed to be in place. The whole program should have been orchestrated a lot better than what it was. And there should have been more protection. Even if you have metal detectors, even if you pat them down, you let those people come in there. You had more people come in than you were supposed to. And you allowed them to jump my son. You didn’t protect my son.”

Read her full interview with Rolling Stone here.

Monday evening’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears was largely uneventful, at least when it came to scoring plays. Chicago’s offense struggled mightily throughout the night, ultimately committing three turnovers and giving away a sizable advantage in total yards. Minnesota did just enough to secure what felt like a comfortable win despite generating fewer than 200 yards (and a majestic Kirk Cousins arm punt) and, in the final seconds, the Vikings held a 14-point lead that was quite safe.

However, handicappers were still very much invested as the clock ticked down and, when Justin Fields threw a 19-yard touchdown pass as time expired, it looked briefly as if the Bears might cover, or at least push, from a point spread perspective.

As seen above, the touchdown brought Chicago within eight points and, with the extra point, the Bears might have lost by seven. In some places, the final point spread was Vikings -7, meaning that Bears backers were eager for the team to kick the otherwise meaningless extra point. With that said, the NFL changed its rules a handful of seasons ago, eliminating the need to attempt the point after in a situation that would not materially affect the final result.

ESPN’s Steve Levy and Scott Van Pelt, along with many others, made passing reference to the final point potentially mattering for some, and an extra point attempt would have certainly been welcome for those who were invested in Chicago. Alas, the rule was interpreted correctly and, frankly, the Bears gave away so many other scoring opportunities that there were plenty of other things to be annoyed by when rooting for a Chicago cover.

After Britney Spears only very recently was released from the conservatorship her father, Jamie Spears, had mandated for well over a decade, he’s already back asking for more. Spears spoke out about how abusive her father and the rest of her family were when they were legally in control of her life, and even cited the limitation of her ability to get pregnant, engaged, or married. Jamie is also reportedly under investigation by the FBI for illegal wiretaps he installed to surveil his daughter.

According to reporting from Variety, now that he’s been suspended from the conservatorship, and legal proceedings are needed to tie up loose ends, Jamie has asked the court for “confirmation, authorization and direction” to have Britney pay for the lawyers who are “participating in proceedings concerning Jamie’s ongoing fiduciary duties relating to winding up” the conservatorship. While he was her conservator, Britney was required to pay Jamie’s legal fees, even while she was petitioning to be free from him. “Prompt payment on account of Jamie’s attorneys’ fees is necessary to ensure the Conservatorship can be wound up quickly and efficiently to allow Britney to take control of her life as she and Jamie desire,” the petition continued.

Britney’s lawyer, who she was only recently legally allowed to hire, Matthew Rosengart, called Jamie’s request calling it “legally meritless” and an “abomination” as Spears was “suspended ignominiously.”

“Mr. Spears reaped many millions of dollars from Britney as a conservator, while paying his lawyers millions more, all from Britney’s work and hard earned money,” Rosengart’s statement began. “The conservatorship has been terminated and Mr. Spears was suspended ignominiously. Under the circumstances, his petition is not only legally meritless, it is an abomination. Britney poignantly testified about the pain her father caused her and this only adds to it. This is not what a father who loves his daughter does.”

Monday night’s matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears went fairly well for the Vikings in the first half. Minnesota took a 10-3 lead into halftime and, given that the Vikings were on the road, a seven-point edge is nothing to sneeze at in a divisional game. From there, the half’s only touchdown came from the arm of Kirk Cousins, and the veteran quarterback had a few nice moments in the first 30 minutes.

However, Cousins uncorked perhaps the most memorable play from the first half and it came with an epic “arm punt” in the final minute before the break.

It was relatively unclear as to who this pass was even targeting but, as you can see, it had the look on television of a punt returner standing under a pop-up. Perhaps the throw was intended for Justin Jefferson, who got tripped up and possibly held on a no-call as he tried to run up the seam, as many of Cousins’ attempts are, but the dots don’t really paint an encouraging picture of what transpired.

The damage was relatively minimal here, as the Bears did not score before halftime, as their field goal attempt following this got blocked, and the 10-3 margin was secure. However, it is possible that the Vikings left at least three points on the board if the third down was converted and, well, Cousins might be razzed by teammates in the film room later this week.

Last week, there was some unexpected news concerning an actor most people assume is jolly and laidback: Jeff Garlin agreed to leave The Goldbergs, the long-time sitcom set in the ‘80s amongst a Philadelphia outskirts family (that has nothing to do with actor Adam Goldberg). The reason? Some on-set behavior that left cast and crew so uncomfortable that he’d been approached by HR three separate times. The movie left people wondering how they would handle the departure of the brood’s patriarch. Well, now we know.

As per Variety, Garlin’s Murray will stay on the show — through creative editing. The team will use “off-camera dialogue pulled from earlier episodes and unused takes, as well as previously shot images of Garlin.” What there won’t be are deepfakes, that incredibly dangerous tool that makes digital fakery look scarily real, and which could easily be used for nefarious real-life purposes. (Seriously, please stop using it.)

Garlin will be rewarded for…well, nothing, exactly. But if they’re going to use older footage of him to fabricate new storylines, then he ought to be compensated. This isn’t entirely new. As Variety points out, Garlin’s stand-in “has already been used, shot from the back, in group scenes since his departure.”

Besides, The Goldbergs had been phasing Murray out somewhat. By the end, Garlin was only working one day a week. When he was there, however, he reportedly kept doing things like using one word in particular that people didn’t like hearing:

Overall, Garlin’s go-to jokes that a number of people on the show found offensive were talking about grandma’s vagina, balls and brassier, a co-worker said. Additionally, he would not address some longtime female crew members by name, using instead nicknames that some also considered offensive.

Garlin also reportedly swore at his double’s wife, which launched the HR investigation that has ended with him being asked to leave — and yet still remain, sort of, through the magic of editing. Let’s hope they do a better job than the editor of the Radioactive Man movie from The Simpsons.

Still, perhaps he’ll still be on that final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

(Via Variety)

It takes a special type of person to work in retail without losing their mind. Retail jobs are both mentally and physically taxing and the pay isn’t usually that great either. Most retail workers spend all day on their feet and they have to have a pleasant attitude even when dealing with the most difficult customers.

On top of customer drama, there’s inevitably a boss or manager lurking around to make sure you didn’t take too long of a lunch break or that you’re wearing the appropriate amount of flair.

One great thing about retail is being able to bond with coworkers who are going through the same thing. Retail employees tend to be friendly, social people so it’s a great environment to build friendships. You’re gonna need somebody on your side after you’ve spent an hour dealing with a customer who keeps demanding they speak to your manager.

The Retail Problems Instagram page does a perfect job of explaining what it’s like to work in retail through hilarious memes that anyone who’s ever had to work a cash register understands.

Here are 17 of the best memes at Retail Problems.

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The first thing you lose after taking a retail job is your love for Christmas music. Having to hear the same 25 songs on repeat for eight hours a day is seriously traumatizing. I left my retail job in 2004 and it took 15 years for me to be able to listen to Christmas music again.

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Having a retail job is like being on a treadmill. No matter how hard you work, you never seem to get anywhere.

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The coworker who switches shifts with you at the last minute is worth more than gold.

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You’ll never truly understand what the general public is like until you’ve spent at least six months on the floor of a retail store dealing with people from all walks of life.

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A great way to see what someone’s character is like is to go out with them to a restaurant. You can learn a lot about someone by watching them interact with a server. Good people go out of their way to be nice. Entitled people do whatever they can to make the server’s life miserable because they can’t fight back.

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“The badge says I work here.”

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Coworkers in a retail job are like war buddies.

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There should be a law making it illegal to subject anyone to more than four hours of Christmas music a day. It gets burned into your head and never goes away, even when you’re not at work.

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Seasoned retail people know to avoid their managers at the end of the day. They’re known for suprising you at the end of your shift with one last task. “Could you go clean up the register on aisle six? Do you have some time to put up the new signs for the sale tomorrow?”

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“Just start with the number at the top of the receipt and we’ll go form there, ok?”

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Everyone working in retail should have received hazard pay for having to be around people during a pandemic.

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Retail people are the masters of going from joking around with a coworker to quickly throwing on their professional smile to ask, “How may I help you?”

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In retail, success can feel like failure. If you get your job done quickly, they pile more work on your plate.

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There are few things that feel lonelier than when your bestie at work finds a new job and leaves you behind.

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A chance meeting between an Uber driver and an 88-year-old man with dementia has completely changed both of their lives for the better.

In March 2020, Paul Webb of Columbus, Ohio called for an Uber to take him to the Verizon store to fix his broken cell phone. Luckily for Webb, he was picked up by Jenni Tekletsion, 52, in her Toyota RAV 4 for the short trip.

“When he called for a ride—when he just talked to me by phone—I knew this guy, I’m going to take care of him,” she told ABC6.

“She was very personable, easy to talk to,” Webb told The Washington Post.

Two decades ago, Tekletsion emigrated to the United States from Ethiopia. She drives an Uber on the weekends to send money back to orphanages in her country of birth. At the same time, she had a job as a banker for a financial institution while simultaneously working on her doctorate in business administration.

This Uber driver left her full-time job to become a caregiver for one of her passengers. @bobwsyx6 has the story here.https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/uber-driver-quits-full-time-job-to-help-care-for-canal-winchester-man-she-met-during-ride-11-23-2021u00a0u2026

— Ohio 24/7 Now (@Ohio 24/7 Now)
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A few minutes into the ride, Tekletsion began to feel bad for Webb. “I could tell how lonely he was,” she said. “I had a feeling that he needed help. I told him I live nearby his house, so I said, ‘From now on, when you need a ride, just call me.’”

The next day, Webb took her up on the offer for a ride to a nearby gas station to get some milk.

Over the next few weeks, he continued to call Tekletsion and she also would stop by his house to check on him. “I started coming here every single day after work to take him out to eat,” she told The Washington Post.

Jenni Tekletsion met Paul Webb driving Uber, her side job. She was also a Banker. She learned of his Dementia, so for 2 yrs she drove him to all his errands. They became close. When he fell ill, she quit her jobs to become his caregiver! There is only one race, the human race! pic.twitter.com/EKlzGovtvb

— Brunell Donald-Kyei (@Brunell Donald-Kyei)
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For a year, the two shared a meal together every day, alternating between who would pick up the check. Tekletsion also drove him wherever he needed to go, whether it was the supermarket or a doctor’s appointment.

As their relationship grew, Webb’s health began to decline and in April of this year, Tekletsion decided to quit her job to become his full-time caregiver. The pay was half of what she was used to making, but the benefit of helping her friend more than made up for the difference. Her husband works three jobs so she had the financial flexibility to make it happen.

However, at first, she had to convince Webb’s two children, Keith and Melanie, who were skeptical of their relationship.

“The hardest part was to build trust with his children,” Tekletsion told The Washington Post. “I explained to them who I am and where I come from, and that I don’t need anything from Paul, but I want to take care of him and help him in his daily life.”

But she soon won his children over with her pure dedication.

“Consistency. She was real. She did what she said she was going to do, and she did it in a way that was genuine,” Keith told ABC6. “She’s the same. In a world that’s ever-changing, rarely will you find someone who does not change. She’s the same. To this day, it’s mind-blowing.”

Tekletsion and Webb’s friendship is a wonderful example of what can happen when people who need help are able to find big-hearted people who are ready to give. And to think it all began with a simple rideshare.

“How lucky am I to get to spend my days with Paul?” she said. “It was the best decision I ever made.”

Google has become such a ubiquitous part of our lives that the data it reveals is a pretty decent indicator of our collective reality. It’s a weird phenomenon, considering the fact that Google has only been a thing for 25 years—basically a single generation—but here we are.

Now that we’re wrapping up 2021, we can look back and see what people were searching for the most throughout the year. Reddit user u/V1Analytics pulled together the top trending search terms from Google’s 2021 Year in Search summary (for the period before mid-November 2021) and from Google’s Daily Search Trends page (from mid-November to now) and illustrated the daily trends for each state in a one-minute video.

It’s fascinating to see what Americans were looking up—as well as what they weren’t looking up—the most this year.

Watch:

We start with January 6, 2021, which shows most people Googling “Capitol” and “Biden,” which isn’t surprising considering the attack on the U.S. Capitol as insurrectionists tried to overturn Biden’s presidential election win. What is surprising are the six states that were more interested in the Mega Millions jackpot that day. Like, OK people. Really?

Biden dominated searches through January. Soon we collectively turned to the Gamestop (GME) stock phenomenon before a widespread interest in Valheim (video game launch), The Weeknd (Super Bowl performance) and some random power outages. Valheim was apparently super popular before a universal interest in the government’s stimulus checks took over the entire second half of March.

In April, Lil Nas X made a splash, followed by rapper DMX. Then Prince Phillip died and Jake Paul had a first-round TKO.

May through early July brought Dogecoin, Dogecoin and more Dogecoin, followed by AMC stock—a very financial period, with some more power outages thrown in for funsies. (Also, Mississippi really likes Dogecoin. Holy moly.)

Then Jeff Bezos went to space and Simone Biles got the twisties, and hey, more power outages! August brought Afghanistan, Hurricane Ida and Jake Paul once again.

In September, Gabby Petito’s disappearance had everyone riveted for a solid two weeks before Squid Game, Urban Meyer and Alec Baldwin took over.

October into November saw Travis Scott, Kyle Rittenhouse and Adele dominating people’s searches.

Don’t blink at the end of November, or you’ll miss the school shooting at Oxford High School that piqued people’s interest for a day or two before Spotify Wrapped yanked everyone’s attention back to what’s really important.

Yikes! Tornado in December and then Elon Musk as Time Person of the Year, and that’s as far as we’ve gotten into this month.

It truly is fascinating to see what people were most interested in looking up this year. It’s a bit disconcerting in some ways, as well, considering the fact that not one of the top searches had anything to do with the viral pandemic that is still raging and has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans this year alone. Is that a sign that people are tired of the pandemic or just more interested in new things as they come along? Trends can be both organic and driven by what’s being covered in the media—and both things can play off of each other—but it’s interesting to think about what is missing from this search term synopsis. When we look back at 2021 and its place in U.S. history, is Jake Paul really going to play a bigger role than the coronavirus? Doubtful. Do these search trends offer some indication of why a significant portion of the population is woefully uninformed or misinformed about the pandemic? Possibly.

At any rate, it’s an interesting glimpse into what Americans are paying the most attention to.

(A note from V1Analytics about the way the data was collected and presented: “Google Trends provides weekly relative search interest for every search term, along with the interest by state. Using these two datasets for each search term, we’re able to calculate the relative search interest for each state for a particular week. Linear interpolation was used to calculate the daily search interest.”)