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Before House of the Dragon arrived, I distinctly remember a lot of fretting over whether the show would be as popular as Game of Thrones, especially after viewers felt slightly burned by that show’s final season. Fortunately, the people turned out with entire NYC buildings lighting up with the same fiery scene of the series premiere. The prequel didn’t let up from there, and let’s just say that HBO made the right move by picking the Targaryen gang to launch the next phase of George R.R. Martin’s source material.

House of the Dragon is based upon the Fire and Blood novel, and people are digging the show hard. They really cannot get enough of those doomed Targaryens, even if we know what happens to the clan as of a few hundred years in the future. Before Daenerys went on to be the Khaleesi, however, Rhaenyra and Daemon lead Team Black against the Hightower-based Team Green in the Dance Of Dragons civil war, which is where Season 2 picks up. All of the fury over Luke’s death will cause much more bloodshed, and with fewer shows on the release schedule right now, these dragons should dominate.

When will Season 2 premiere, however? HBO hasn’t clued us in on a precise date as of yet. However, filming was not interrupted by the Hollywood strikes, given that it filmed in Europe. So, we should expect a Summer 2024 return, which is actually much quicker than the final GoT seasons.

Additionally, the premiere episode will be called “A Son For A Son,” so we might see some literal vengeance after the events of the Season 1 finale. Team Black will be united with House Velaryon and have command of the seas, and both Team Black and Team Green will have dragons on their side, but it sure seems like Aemond cannot control the biggest dragon of all. It’s probably a really good thing that Paddy Considine’s King Viserys will no longer be around to see his two families do their best to take each other out. RIP!

With the launch of her new podcast, former The View co-host Meghan McCain continued to prove her bonafides as a serious political commenter by… inviting indicted Congressman George Santos on her show as a guest. Yup, that’ll do it.

During the interview, the two praised a February 2023 performance where drag queen Meatball parodied Santos, who was making headlines at the time for his seemingly endless trail of lies and his recently uncovered past as a drag queen himself. McCain called the performance a “badge of honor” while Santos said it was “flattering” and “hilarious.”

However, the two found themselves being mocked by Meatball, who said they both missed the point.

“I have been dying to know what he thought about the performance since it went viral seven months ago, and I am gagged, to say the least,” Meatball told Entertainment Weekly. “I’m honored that Congressman George Santos thought I did a good job, but, his husband is right. It was a clear mockery.”

Meatball went on to note that McCain and Santos clearly don’t know how parody works.

“I do believe they both misunderstood the context and intent of the performance,” she said before roasting Santos even more. “Every day I become more and more obsessed with the news surrounding Congressman Santos and his inability to read the room or have any awareness to how he’s being perceived. The delusion is what I love, and I think a lot of drag queens live in a world surrounded by delusions, so, maybe that’s why I feel so connected to my king, George Santos. Politics is just drag with money?

You can watch Meatball’s performance below:

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

It’s quite common for people to fantasize about their wedding day—the ceremony, the bridal party, the dress, the cake—and some people spend months or even years meticulously planning every detail. People even spend thousands of dollars hiring wedding planners to make sure that the big day stays fully organized and all the moving parts come together without a hitch.

But no matter how well you plan, sometimes things that simply can’t be predicted happen. And how you and your beloved handle the hitches and glitches on your wedding day can say a lot.

Especially when that hitch or glitch is something major…like watching the beautiful, four-tier wedding cake—the one you spent time choosing and lots of money creating to share with your wedding guests—come crashing to the ground right in front of you.

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That’s what happened to one couple who eagerly watched as the caterers who were carrying their wedding cake tripped on their way into the room, sending their cake to an untimely demise in spectacular fashion.

The video, shared by @the.sarik on Instagram, is only about 10 seconds long, but it tells a whole beautiful love story in the reactions of both the groom and the bride.

Watch:

See on Instagram

First of all, hope those waiters are OK. But secondly, staying calm and making the most of a bad situation is a huge character plus, and this groom clearly has those qualities in spades. You can see in the bride’s face that she knows it, too.

“Her eyes show that she knows she got the right guy,” wrote one commenter.

“The way he just called her to eat is just phenomenal,” shared another.

“‘Cake is still cake.’ Yelling at those waiters won’t solve anything, but it can ruin their whole lives,” wrote another. “They know their mistake, and they can be corrected privately. May the reaction of this man be an inspiration to us all, to care for the feelings of other people more than material things.”

“Of all the things that could ruin a wedding day, I’m glad the husband knew this didn’t have to be one of them,” shared another.

When unpredictable things do happen, it’s largely the reaction of the people involved that determines whether they become tragic tales or entertaining stories. If what we saw in the video is any indicator, this couple will be telling their grandkids someday about how the guys carrying their wedding cake tripped and ruined it, and how Grandpa’s response won Grandma’s heart all over again.

This article originally appeared on 7.27.23

Anna Trupiano is a first-grade teacher at a school that serves deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students from birth through eighth grade.

In addition to teaching the usual subjects, Trupiano is charged with helping her students thrive in a society that doesn’t do enough to cater to the needs of the hard-of-hearing.

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A six-year-old child farted so loud in class that some of their classmates began to laugh. The child was surprised by their reaction because they didn’t know farts make a sound. This created a wonderful and funny teaching moment for Trupiano.

Trupiano shared the conversation on Facebook.

See posts, photos and more on Facebook.

While the discussion Trupiano had with her students was funny, it points to a serious problem faced by the deaf community. “I know it started with farts, but the real issue is that many of my students aren’t able to learn about these things at home or from their peers because they don’t have the same linguistic access,” she told GOOD.

“So many of my students don’t have families who can sign well enough to explain so many things it’s incredibly isolating for these kids,” she continued.

Trupiano hopes her funny story about bodily functions will inspire others to become more involved with the deaf community by learning sign language.

“I would love to see a world where my students can learn about anything from anyone they interact with during their day,” she told GOOD. “Whether that means learning about the solar system, the candy options at a store, or even farts, it would be so great for them to have that language access anywhere they go.”

This article originally appeared on 12.14.18

PawsLikeMe might know you better than you know yourself.

Hello from the other siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!!! I’m a dog and I love youuuuuuuu!!!

Because PawsLikeMe knows about your dreams.

Your DOG dreams, that is.

How? A dog-human personality quiz!

A sophisticated one, too! From their website:

“The personality assessment is based on 4 core personality traits that influence the human-canine bond; energy, focus, confidence, and independence.”

It also takes into account environmental factors and other special circumstances as well.

It’s not uncommon for dogs that are adopted to be returned because they just aren’t compatible with their owner’s life.

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PawsLikeMe aims to stop dog-owner mismatch by playing dog matchmaker! Its goal is to help people find the right dog for them.

Need a dog that’s friendly with kids but loves learning tricks and is also house-trained? DONE. Have other specific requirements? DONE!

Ya got options.

When you go on the website, you can opt to just answer the four most important questions in a dog owner’s life:

1. What’s your energy level?

2. What kind of parties do you like?

3. What kind of dog personality do you want?

4. What is your personality like?

After those four questions, you can begin searching for a doggie match.

Or you can opt for the full questionnaire (you should) … and basically feel very, VERY understood.

I took the full PawsLikeMe quiz, and when I saw the results I was kindof taken aback:

PawsLikeMe GETS ME!

Then I was the whisked away to dogs who are just ready to love me.

Listen. My apartment in NYC doesn’t allow dogs. But if it did? I’d be 91% ready to adopt Carli. She’s perfect, and I love her. CUE ADELE and her songs of lost opportunities to love!

With all the 80 gajillion personality quizzes out there in the world, this one is hands down THE BEST.

Take it for yourself! You won’t regret it.

This article originally appeared on 11.06.15

Dalton Ross wanted to make sure his family didn’t miss him too badly while he was studying abroad in London.

To help them cope, the 22-year-old Tennessee native did what any selfless college student would do…

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He sent his mom a life-size cutout of himself.

“I thought maybe they’d put it in the living room corner until I got back to remember I exist,” he explained about the cutout, which came with a short note: “You’re welcome.”

But like any clever mom, Susan Talley couldn’t just stash this amazing piece of work away when it arrived about two months ago.

No, no — she had better plans in mind.

Talley decided the cardboard version of her son could be a great companion “while the real one is in Europe.” So she brought him along with her to events, like basketball games …

Can you spot cardboard Dalton in the stands?

… trips to the doctor’s office …

… and sub sandwich runs.

Fake Dalton celebrated Valentine’s Day with a fellow inanimate object.

He enjoyed playing with a furry, four-legged friend in the sunshine.

And he appreciated a good bedtime story, just like the rest of us.

The photos of fake Dalton are spreading like wildfire.

Without showing her son the photos first, Talley went ahead and uploaded them to Facebook. And after Dalton shared them on Imgur — explaining his mom “seems to be entertaining herself” while he’s gone — the story sent the Internet into a buzzy frenzy.

“The attention is crazy,” Ross told Upworthy, noting the story has gained so much traction that a restaurant featured in one of the photos, O’Charley’s, sent the family a gift card.

“I hope my mom’s holding up all right,” he said. “It’s awesome though.”

Fake Dalton has been hitting the batting cages…

… taking in some nightlife…

… and celebrated Easter with his family.

Although the viral reaction to the photos has been a bit nuts, Ross isn’t all that surprised his mom was up for a good laugh.

“Oh yeah, my mom is very funny,” he explained to Upworthy. And it’s a good thing, too: Laughter can be a great tool in improving the quality of family dynamics and boosting a loved one’s emotional health. (A student studying abroad should especially keep that in mind, considering being away from loved ones and familiarity can be tough.)

“We’re a big family of jokesters.”

Bravo, mom, for setting the bar very high ahead of April Fools’ Day.

This article originally appeared on 03.30.16

The Phoenix Suns exhausted most of their draft picks over the last calendar year making trades to bring Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to the desert. While understandable all-in moves, the Suns spent much of this summer after acquiring Beal working diligently to try and acquire some second round picks in order to have something available to them in the form of draft capital going forward.

Having picks is crucial to not only making trades, but also having the potential to add young players to the roster on cost-controlled contracts that are much less than a veteran minimum. James Jones made a number of moves to sell off some first round pick swaps and veterans like Cameron Payne in order to get the Suns back to having six future second round picks at their disposal. Unfortunately, that total will be dropping down to five future seconds as the Suns will lose one after the league found them guilty of tampering this summer.

No, it wasn’t in acquiring Beal or Jusuf Nurkic or one of their household names. Instead, they had impermissible contact prior to free agency opening with…Drew Eubanks.

Eubanks is a nice backup big man, averaging 6.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season in Portland, and he is back to backing up Nurkic in Phoenix. However, that is not usually the caliber of player you see teams tamper to get, but it does make sense given the timeline of how the Suns operated this summer. Some were surprised when the Suns pulled their qualifying offer on Jock Landale prior to the start of free agency, but they quickly signed Eubanks (among many other free agents) shortly after free agency opened. That process likely got them on the NBA’s radar, and sure enough the league determined they were in contact with Eubanks prior to when they were allowed to and now are short a second round pick for it. For most teams, that wouldn’t be a considerable penalty, but in Phoenix where second round picks are extremely valuable right now, it actually is.

The 2023-24 NBA season tipped off on Tuesday night in Denver, as the Nuggets received their championship rings and squared off with the Lakers in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals.

Much like how that series went, the game was back-and-forth until it wasn’t, as Denver seized control in the fourth quarter as Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and the Nuggets starting lineup dominated, scoring 21 points in a six minute stretch to ice the game, turning a 4-point lead into a 14-point edge with two minutes to play. It was not just a satisfying end to ring night for the Nuggets, but a rather emphatic statement to the Lakers and the rest of the league that they were not going have much of a championship hangover.

It was also a disappointing showing from the Lakers, who struggled in the fourth quarter despite declaring they were very much getting up for facing Denver after all the talk in the offseason — with Anthony Davis in particular being on the end of lots of jokes after he went scoreless in the second half. The Lakers took some offense to the Nuggets post-title victory lap, with coach Michael Malone leading the charge. Prior to his incredibly drunken parade speech, Malone was introduced as “the Lakers daddy” by Denver TV host Vic Lombardi, and as the fourth quarter wound down on Tuesday, Nuggets fans broke into a “Who’s Your Daddy?” chant at the Lakers.

Jamal Murray was at the scorer’s table when the chant broke out and had an incredible reaction once he figured out what fans were yelling, before pointing at Malone and making sure he knew this was his fault.

Nuggets players, wisely, have tried to distance themselves from all of that talk, with Murray noting to Malone in the clip that they have to go deal with those guys on the court. However, Malone wasn’t afraid to prod the Lakers and now Nuggets fans have a new favorite chant for when L.A. is in town, with full faith Murray, Jokic, and company can cash the checks they’re writing.

Netflix’s true crime docuseries Get Gotti chronicles the Gambino family’s rise to power under New York kingpin John Gotti in the ’80s. While most of the main players in this mob story were men, one woman managed to score plenty of screentime across the show’s three episodes for her role in helping Gotti conquer the city’s criminal underground.

Andrea Giovino became a trusted advisor to Gotti once he became head of the Gambino syndicate. In 1984, a then-21-year-old Giovino caught Gotti’s eye at a nightclub frequented by mobsters called Club A. She was invited to Gotti’s VIP area where she met the freshly installed mafia don and his henchman, Mark Reiter. Reiter was instrumental in Gotti’s heroin enterprise and he hit it off with Giovino, with the two quickly moving in together after meeting each other. According to the doc, Giovino attracted wealthy and powerful individuals thanks to her street smarts and brash personality, and she knew a lot about the mob business. Once her relationship with Gotti ended, Giovino continued to advise Gotti, becoming one of his closest confidantes despite the two rarely seeing each other in person.

Giovino’s involvement in Gotti’s dealings put a target on her back, with his enemies, and with the feds. After her arrest in 1992, and the later arrests of both her husband and her brother, Giovino decided to distance herself from the mob, breaking ties and moving to a quiet suburb in Pennsylvania as the Gambino empire began to crumble. She eventually wrote a book about her experiences with Gotti and Reiter called Divorced from the Mob: My Journey from Organized Crime to Independent Woman, and became a public speaker, hoping to help others avoid a life of crime — making her story one of the few that ends happily in the Netflix series.

(Via ScreenRant)

Travis Kelce has remained the NFL’s best tight end even as his personal life has been put under a spotlight. Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs star who leads all players at his position in receptions (48) and receiving yards (525), is currently dating Taylor Swift, who has become a fixture at Chiefs games over the course of the season.

As it turns out, Swift attending games is quite the boon for Kelce’s stats on a given day. During the Chiefs’ 31-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers this past week, CBS pointed out that Kelce’s numbers are much better when Swift is in attendance when compared to — their words in a terrific “Anti-Hero” pun, not mine — him being “left to his own devices.” This came up on the most recent episode of the New Heights podcast which Kelce hosts with his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce, and apparently, he’s fully aware that his numbers are better when Swift is at his games.

As Kelce pointed out, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid is pretty happy that she’s showing up to games and helping to get the best out of his All-Pro tight end. Anyway, Patrick Mahomes said he knew during Swift’s first Chiefs game that he had to get Kelce a touchdown, and it certainly seems like that has remained the case.