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A Taiwanese Baseball Team Will Play Its Games In Front Of Terrifying Robot Mannequins

While most of the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, some areas are at different points of the outbreak and containment cycle than, say, the United States. In Taiwan, for example, some sports leagues are starting to reorganize and play games, albeit without fans in attendance.

To fix the problem of empty stadiums, one baseball team is trying something truly interesting. Namely, programming robots to sit in the stands and and root, root, root for the home team. According to the Taipei Times, the Rakuten Monkeys are getting ready for baseball again and will host the Brothers Baseball Club at Taoyuan International Stadium on Saturday. And if you take a look at their Twitter feed you’ll see that robot mannequins will be in Monkeys colors cheering them on.

Please click on that image to make it full size and really let its wonders soak in. A faceless robot stands sentinel over an unplayed drum, sticks frozen at rest. Some of the mannequins are wearing wild-colored wigs. Others, a group of fans who presumably came together and intentionally dressed alike, feature large eyes provided by the costume glasses they’re wearing. Another man is holding a large bottle of liquor. It’s terrifying and mesmerizing all at once. I love it so much.

The Monkeys in particular seem to be leading the way with innovations here, including these terrifying face masks with the actual faces of players on them.

It’s unclear just how much noise these soulless abominations of the human spirit will make, or if they will actually be more distracting to players than anything. But one does have to wonder how firmly they will be in place and whether a foul ball making contact with them could, say, bowl them over or possibly damage the robots in some way.

OK, the more I think about it Rakuten Monkeys games just became must-watch TV.

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Alamo Drafthouse Is Re-Releasing ‘Roar,’ The ‘Most Dangerous Movie Ever,’ During ‘Tiger King’ Mania

Tiger King has been the most-watched program in Netflix for 15 straight days, a new record for the streaming service. The big-cat fever isn’t expected to calm down any time soon, either, not with a new episode supposedly coming this week and a spin-off series about Carole Baskin’s missing husband. To capitalize on the popularity of Tiger King, the Alamo Drafthouse is re-releasing the 1981 cult classic Roar into virtual cinemas.

Once billed as the “the most dangerous movie ever made,” Roar was supposed to be a fun movie about a family living among big cats in Africa (what could go wrong???), but the “cast and crew endured countless injuries, with over 70 bloody attacks documented,” according to the Drafthouse. “While nobody was killed, there were several close calls, most notably [cinematographer Jan de Bont] being scalped by a lion resulting in 220 stitches on his head.” Maybe the ugly The Lion King remake wasn’t a bad idea after all.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

An unprecedented – and wholly unpredictable – action-adventure, Roar follows wildlife preservationist – and original #TigerKing – Hank (The Exorcist producer Noel Marshall in his sole and career-derailing turn as an actor and director), who lives harmoniously alongside a menagerie of over 100 untamed animals, including cheetahs, elephants, lions and tigers on a preservation in the African plains. When his wife and children arrive (real-life wife and The Birds star Tippi Hedren, and step-daughter Melanie Griffith) for a visit, a long-brewing battle for dominance between the lions erupts and threatens their very lives.

Roar will be available beginning April 15. For more information, click here.

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This “Tiger King” Fan Got A Hyper Realistic Joe Exotic Tattoo And The Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words


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WWE And Impact Wrestling Will Reportedly Have TV Tapings This Week

While most TV and live sports productions in America have temporarily shut down because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, two wrestling companies will continue to film. AEW stopped production a few days ago, but both WWE and Impact Wrestling will reportedly tape more TV this week.

According to reports by PW Insider and Fightful Select, WWE plans on taping the episodes of Raw, Smackdown, and NXT leading up to the May 10 Money In The Bank pay-per-view this week. Fightful says the filming will begin on April 10 and go through April 16, which PW Insider has it beginning on the eighth or the ninth. Like the pre-taped shows leading up to WrestleMania, these episodes of WWE TV will take place in the Performance Center with a closed set and no fans in attendance. WWE is reportedly changing the ropes, turnbuckles, ring canvas, etc., between every match to try and prevent the talent from contracting COVID-19.

PW Insider also reports that Impact Wrestling will tape between six and eight weeks worth of TV this week in Nashville, Tennessee. The tapings may include Impact’s next PPV, Rebellion, which was originally scheduled for April 19 in New York.

Both WWE and Impact will be taping in states that have stay-at-home orders, where non-essential businesses are closed. Pro wrestling (or contact sports, theatrical productions, TV tapings, or however else one could describe the artform) isn’t on Florida’s or Tennessee’s lists of essential activities, but it’s possible the companies could have gotten special exemptions.

No matter what permits the promotions get or safety precautions they take, wrestlers could still spread COVID-19, which can be passed on by people who are not yet displaying symptoms, amongst each other through the act of having professional wrestling matches.

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What’s On Tonight: ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Reaches The End, And ‘Parasite’ Prepares To Land On Hulu

If nothing below suits your sensibilities, check out our guide to What You Should Watch On Streaming Right Now.

Schitt’s Creek (Comedy Central, Pop TV 8:00 p.m.) — Fans of this cult-hit series should prepare to be wrecked as the sixth season winds down to an end. The good news is that beloved shows don’t die in the streaming era, and Dan Levy is open to a reunion down the road. With self-isolation being the name of the game right now, this (and the show’s unintentional pandemic banger) might truly end up being a collective viewing event.

Parasite (Hulu, Wednesday) — Alright, so this biting, social-class satire officially does not arrive on Hulu until midnight on Wednesday, but it’s worth celebrating Bong Joon Ho’s history-making masterpiece landing on a streaming service near you. The film received a hefty box-office bump after winning so many awards that the director apologized to Oscar engravers, so if you still haven’t watched, shoot your shot now.

The Resident (FOX, 8:00 p.m.) — Derek’s improvement falls into jeopardy when he suffers a severe complication, and Kit’s afraid that this might be more evidence of Cain’s cover-up.

The Conners (ABC, 8:00 p.m.) — Bev is spreading happiness through her finances and decides to fund Mark’s coding camp tuition.

Bless This Mess (ABC, 8:30 p.m.) — Jacob’s after-prom event sounds potentially dicey after Kay suggests that Rio and Mike step up as chaperones.

Empire (FOX, 9:00 p.m.) — Cookie and Lucious have Andre committed to a treatment facility following his breakdown. Meanwhile, Cookie’s feeling guilty about Andre’s whole situation and wonders how her own troubled history may have contributed.

For Life (ABC, 10:00 p.m.) — After Cassius put white supremacists in the hospital, Aaron comes to his defense, while Marie’s having more feelings for Aaron.

The Last O.G. (TBS, 10:30 p.m.) — The third season begins for Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish’s show about an ex-con attempting to readjust to the world after a 15-year prison stint.

Conan — Guest TBA

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Kerry Washington, Russell Wilson, Ciara

A Little Late With Lilly Singh — Adam Rodriguez, Kelsey Cook

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah — Noah’s reporting live from his couch, and naturally, the subject of the night will be the ongoing pandemic and social distancing.

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With roads empty, Allstate and American Family Insurance returning $800 million in premiums to customers

The coronavirus has obviously been a huge disaster for the economy and public health. However, there have been some positives that have come from the pandemic.

Traffic accidents and deaths are way down because no one is on the road.

A study by UC Davis found that since California’s stay-at-home order on March 20, vehicle collisions are down by half.

“The reduction works out to about 15,000 fewer collisions per month and 6,000 fewer injury accidents per month,” said Fraser Shilling, co-director of the Road Ecology Center at UC Davis.

The study also says the stay-at-home order resulted in a 60% drop in traffic volume.


A similar study out of the state of Washington, one of the first regions in the U.S. to feel the impact of the virus, yielded similar results. Washington State Patrol traffic data says that motor vehicle accidents in the last two weeks of March declined by 67% over the same period in 2019.

via Pixabay

Because of the drastic change in drivers’ behavior, two auto insurance companies, Allstate and American Family Insurance announced they will be returning a total of $800 billion to their customers.

Allstate says it will refund about 15% of premiums paid by customers in April and May. That amount comes to about $600 million.

American Family Insurance says it will return about $50 per car that a household has insured with the company which adds up to about $200 million.

“Given an unprecedented decline in driving, customers will receive a Shelter-in-Place Payback,” Allstate CEO Tom Wilson said in a statement. “This is fair because less driving means fewer accidents.”

Reports that Allstate has sent to insurance regulators show that it pays out a little more than a billion in claims every month. If Allstate returned all of the money it has saved in payouts due to the pandemic, the figure would be significantly higher than its $600 million pledge.

via Pictures of Money / Flickr

Dan Karr, a the CEO of ValChoice, an insurance company watchdog group, says the gesture is nice, but insurance companies should be more generous during these trying times.

“I think it’s great what Allstate did. But where’s the rest of savings?” Karr told CNN Business.

“Is it enough? Probably not,” J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America, said according to CNN. “The actions by American Family and Allstate are the right thing to do to help policyholders beleaguered by Covid-19 restrictions and job loss. We urge other insurers to take similar actions quickly.”

Allstate and American Family Insurance may be profiting off the coronavirus, but that’s part of the risk-reward when being in the insurance game. They don’t have to give a dime back to anyone, so they’re actions are a lot more than we’ve come to accept from insurance companies.

Hopefully, others will follow suit and give more families a break at one of the most economically challenging times in American history.

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18 Pictures That Show How Truly Ridiculous Everything Happening In Wisconsin Is


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Tonight’s Supermoon Will Be The Biggest And Brightest Full Moon Of The Year

If you’ve run out of Netflix to stream and bread to bake, here’s a new quarantine activity to try out: taking in a brilliant celestial event. Tonight, April 7th, much of the United States will be able to enjoy the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year. Tonight’s full moon will be the closest to Earth our natural satellite will ever get, with next month’s supermoon being the last one for the rest of the year.

Thrillist notes that the next time we see a supermoon as bright as tonight’s won’t be until May 26th of 2021 — which feels like a long time in a different universe away — so don’t miss this chance. If nothing else, quarantine is a good reminder that sometimes the best way to cap off the night is to pack a bowl, chill with your housemates (or friends via zoom/FaceTime/whatever), and try to convince the person who is the most stoned that the moon is made of cheese.

According to Time and Date, the moon is expected to rise just after sunset and stay visible until early morning of the next day, though exact times will vary based on location. Don’t bother taking a photo unless you really know what you’re doing, but feel free to video chat your friends — it’s just like camping! You know, on your lawn or through your window. Practically the same thing.

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Kevin Garnett Doesn’t Want His Jersey Retired In Minnesota Due To ‘Snake’ Ownership

Last week, Kevin Garnett joined Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan as the headliners for this year’s Hall of Fame class, which will ostensibly be inducted in late August in Springfield, though social distancing protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic have threatened any such public gatherings scheduled in the near future.

Garnett is in the rarefied air of no-brainer, first-ballot candidates whose career achievements distinguish him from his peers. His legacy will largely be defined by his time with the Boston Celtics, but Garnett’s early days in Minnesota are where he developed into one of the most dominant, two-way stars of his generation.

Boston is set to retire his jersey next season, although the same cannot be said for Minnesota, as Garnett has an ongoing squabble with Timberwolves’ owner Glen Taylor stemming back to his return to the franchise in 2015 toward the end of his career. As a result, Garnett apparently has no interest in a retirement ceremony as things stand now, ripping Taylor as “a snake.”

Via Shams Charania of The Athletic:

Glen knows where I’m at, I’m not entertaining it. First of all, it’s not genuine. Two, he’s getting pressure from a lot of fans and, I guess, the community there. Glen and I had an understanding before Flip died, and when Flip died, that understanding went with Flip. For that, I won’t forgive Glen. I won’t forgive him for that. I thought he was a straight up person, straight up business man, and when Flip died, everything went with him.

There’s no reason to complain. Just continue to move on. My years in Minnesota and in that community, I cherish. At this point, I don’t want any dealings with Glen Taylor or Taylor Corp. or anything that has to do with him. I love my Timberwolves, I’ll always love my guys, I’ll always love the people who fuck with me there. I’ll always have a special place for the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota in my heart. But I don’t do business with snakes. I don’t do business with snake mu’fuckas. I try not to do business with openly snakes or people who are snake-like.

Flip Saunders had been instrumental and bringing Garnett back into the fold so that he could retire in Minnesota and bring his career full circle. At the time, Garnett had expressed interest in becoming part of the ownership group, though Garnett reportedly felt like Taylor reneged on that plan after Saunders’ death.

Now, it’s unclear whether the two sides will ever be able to mend fences. Garnett led the league in rebounds for four straight seasons at the peak of his Timberwolves days and won a regular-season MVP.

(The Athletic)

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Bazzi Celebrates Two Years Of Love In His Romantic ‘Renee’s Song’ Video

To kick off April, Bazzi decided to share “Renee’s Song,” an ode to his girlfriend, Australian model Renee Herbert, and a celebration of their two-year anniversary. Now he has shared a visual for the tender track, and it’s a loving look back on the time they’ve spent together so far. The video is a compilation of clips from over the course of their relationship, and it features footage of them taking a bath, playing basketball, painting, and otherwise basking in their mutual admiration.

When releasing the song, Bazzi wrote on Twitter, “There’s a lot of craziness in the world going on right now, and i’m lucky you’ve put up with me for 2 years of it. all of my mistakes and insecurities and you still find a way to make me feel loved. […] i made this song for you in hawaii a few months back and have held onto it a bit for you. i hope this makes you feel special today. […] this song just gives me the feeling i think the world needs right now. […] thanks for putting up with me for two years, through everything – it’s been beautiful. happy two year. here is your song RENEES SONG.”

Watch the “Renee’s Song” video above.

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