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AMC’s The Walking Dead came to an end in late 2022 after 11 seasons, although Robert Kirkman’s comics ended three years prior and in an abrupt way. This allowed the show to move beyond the source material out of necessity, but to be fair, there were already plenty of differences between the two. People didn’t seem to get too precious about those difference either, and thank goodness because Daryl Dixon must never die on the shows. Carol’s platonic soulmate, of course, didn’t appear in the comics and was actually created as a fit for Norman Reedus, although one wonders why TV Daryl and his weapon of choice never popped over into the comics.

Initial showrunner Frank Darabont actually concocted Daryl after Reedus went for the role of Daryl’s older brother, Merle. Michael Rooker nabbed that role while (via Comic Book and according to Kirkman’s own words in The Walking Dead Deluxe #67) casting directors wanted to cast Norman but found that he “wasn’t a perfect fit” to play the horribly racist, entirely abrasive Merle. And so, Daryl and his bike were born. However, Kirkman felt that it would have been a disservice to the show’s writers if he ported Daryl into the comics:

“I would never have done it because it would feel wrong to bring the work of so many other people into the comic,” Kirkman explained. “I never wanted the show to change the comic, since the comic is what made the show possible, and I worried it could turn into a snake eating its own tail.”

Kirkman further stressed that Daryl and Merle were “very much a team effort involving other season one writers Jack LoGiudice and Charles H. Eglee,” and of course, Darabont had originated them. So even though Daryl never got his day in the comics, that’s fine. He lived throughout the entire eleven seasons of the show and wayyyy longer than Merle and the majority of the show’s characters, for that matter. Even better, Daryl is getting his own dang solo spinoff. Not even Rick Grimes is doing a solo act, so there.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon premieres on September 10.

(Via Comic Book)

Every summer, dozens of NBA players hold basketball camps across the country that allow kids to hear from their favorite player, learn some new basketball skills, and maybe even go 1-on-1 in a drill with an NBA star.

However, this summer there is a new basketball camp being offered down at IMG Academy in Florida — where the WNBA Bubble was held and many stars have played high school ball over the years in football and basketball — that will be hosted by none other than Stephen A. Smith. The cost for this camp, which runs next week (Aug. 6-12), is $2,899.

You may be asking: Why would anyone send their child to a weeklong basketball camp run by Stephen A. Smith for nearly $3,000? I am also asking that same very question, so unfortunately I don’t have a good answer for you. Here is the description of the camp from IMG’s website.

IMG Academy is getting loud and providing a once-in-a-lifetime camp opportunity for young athletes with its Stephen A. Smith Basketball Camp at IMG Academy taking place Aug. 6-12.

As part of the camp package, Smith will participate in several engaging opportunities with camp participants, including sharing an inspiring message to the young athletes and hosting a Q&A-format discussion. All camp participants will receive exclusively branded Stephen A. Smith Basketball Camp at IMG Academy apparel to wear for the week of camp.

Stephen A. Smith is a featured commentator and executive producer on ESPN’s First Take, analyst on NBA Countdown and host of K[no]w Mercy with Stephen A. Smith podcast.

None of this explains why you would send your child to this camp or what your kid will get out of this that is different from a regular basketball camp aside from a Q&A with Stephen A. and “engaging opportunities” with the ESPN star. I really, desperately hope Stephen A. gets out there and does drills or plays 1-on-1 with campers, because I cannot think of much that would bring me more joy in the August desert of sports content than video of a 14-year-old camper crossing Stephen A. into oblivion — or, alternatively, a video of Stephen A. mercilessly blocking the shots of children and then posting them up while talking trash.

That would be worth $2,899, but if he’s not out there on the courts, you can keep it.

Ryan Gosling’s Ken may not know exactly where he belongs in the new Barbie movie, but there’s one place he probably never expected to end up: on the Billboard Hot 100. That’s right, Ryan Gosling’s soundtrack contribution, “I’m Just Ken,” has generated enough interest to appear among the top 100 songs in the country. It enters the chart at No. 87, which is pretty impressive considering that it’s Gosling’s first-ever appearance on the Hot 100.

“I’m Just Ken” isn’t the only song he performs on the soundtrack, either. Another song he performs in the movie is an amusing cover of “Push” by Matchbox Twenty. The song has also received a warm reception from fans — including some who didn’t even realize that it was a cover of a song that is (presumably) older than they are — as well as the song’s original performer Rob Thomas. He said he thought the moment it’s used in the movie is “hilarious” and was relieved that it didn’t end up being the butt of the joke.

The movie itself isn’t doing so bad on the box office side of things, by the way. The movie is credited with breaking a record previously held by Marvel’s Captain Marvel, becoming the biggest opening ever for a female-directed motion picture with $155 million over its opening weekend.

The Barbie soundtrack is a Warner Music release. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the series finale of Succession, a good show that you should watch if you haven’t already.

One of the grimmer developments in the home stretch of Succession — and there were plenty of those — was this: Shiv Roy was pregnant. That wouldn’t be bad news if the father wasn’t Tom Wambsgans, a man she really didn’t love (and probably never will, despite how he ended up at the end). In happier news, the actress playing Shiv, Sarah Snook, was actually pregnant. (She gave birth in May, around the time the last episodes were airing.) That was surely a coincidence, but it did affect how a big scene in the grand finale played out.

In an interview with Variety (in a bit caught by The AV Club), Snook opened up about that scene where Jeremy Strong’s Kendall and Kieran Culkin’s Roman wind up wrestling on the floor after the former finds out Shiv won’t vote for him as Waystar Royco’s new CEO. Thing is, originally it was supposed to be Kendall duking it out with Shiv. Day of, though, Snook realized that getting physical with a colleague who has an unusual, unpredictable approach to acting while pregnant maybe wasn’t a great idea.

“We had a choreography rehearsal between Jeremy and I. And then on the day, I felt good about being able to advocate for myself, going, ‘Let’s just remember this is a fight scene that we haven’t really properly rehearsed that we’re sort of feeling out with a pregnant woman,’” Snook remembered. “I feel safe, but Jeremy doesn’t like to rehearse, and I’m going to respect that to a point—but I’m not going to keep my mouth shut when I’m pregnant and we’re going into a fight scene.”

Not only did Culkin step into her place, but they came up with something else for Shiv and Kendall to do: Instead Shiv tries to leave and Kendall grabs her, which Snook felt was “far more honest and realistic” than brother and sister wrestling.

“Up until that point we’d rehearsed—but the instinct from Kieran as Kieran as much as it was from Roman is like, ‘Get your f*cking hands off her. She’s pregnant!’ And then leaps on him,” Snook explained. “And so it really made sense, so much more sense, that she would just be like, ‘Whoa—it is just boys, like wrestling boys. This is again, childhood.’ So it ended up being fine in terms of my safety, and much better in terms of the scene.”

Shooting that final Succession episode sounds like it was intense. Not only did Snook have to work up the courage to get out of wrestling Strong, but she also nearly made Culkin cry.

(Via Variety and The AV Club)

You know how there are some things that always look cuter the smaller they are? Kind of like baby shoes or overalls—something about them being tiny makes them squeal-worthy.

Well, it turns out the same can be said about turning small things bigger. One man has had a lifelong dream of making a “Little Tikes Cozy Coupe” adult-sized, and recently he made his dream come true.

Even if you’ve never known the proper name for the plastic kids’ vehicle, you’d likely easily recognize the nostalgic toy with its bright yellow and red doors that make a distinct suction-popping sound upon opening or closing them. But one of the best parts is that it’s completely foot-powered like the “Flintstones,” which is great for kids but not so much if you’re trying to beat rush hour traffic.

The TikTok account @Tikestrackercolo posted a short video showing off the adult-sized replica of the Cozy Coupe.

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In the caption of the video that now has 3.3 million views, the owner explains, “My Little Tikes inspired Cozy Coupe! I was inspired by a Hallmark ornament to turn this $700 Geo Tracker into a Cozy Coupe. I have more work to do so follow me for updates.”

The detail on the car is meticulous, down to the stitching on the seats and the stickers on the tires. But one of the funniest details is the feet that dangle from the bottom of the car, giving the illusion of the driver using his feet to get around town. Commenters are absolutely tickled by the Cozy Coupe, and even Little Tikes commented, “Amazing!” complete with a car emoji followed by a cloud of smoke.

@tikestrackercolo

My Little Tikes inspired Cozy Coupe! I was inspired by a Hallmark Ornament to turn this $700 Geo Tracker into a Cozy Coupe. I have more work to do so follow me for updates. The paint is screaming yellow and road rage red from Monstaliner, seat embroidery by Tees in Time, tire stickers by TireStickers.com and orange carpart by Accumatsonline #littletikes #littletikescozycoupe #geotracker #geotrackermakeover #downsyndrome #carsoftiktok #hallmarkornaments #tiktok #monstaliner #accumatsonline #tirestickers

“This is ABSOLUTELY the GREATEST thing I have ever seen,” one person said.

“Love the foot power 😅 how fun,” another wrote.

“This is the build by which all builds should be measured against. This is where it all started for car guys. I love this so much,” a commenter said.

You guys, the car even has googly eyes, and now the legs kick while he drives! How could anyone ignore how adorable this car is? If you live in Colorado, the car can be spotted driving around town, so be on the lookout.

@tikestrackercolo

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.”

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“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.

This article was originally published on 3.20.23.

You know the end of the interview where they ask, “Do you have any questions for us?” It’s a dreaded question for a lot of people. Even though you know it’s coming, the question still catches you off guard and you wind up asking something possibly irrelevant or nothing at all. Then the whole ride home, approximately fifteen questions pop into your head.

But don’t you fret, because TikTok creator Kyyah Abdul has a list of five questions to keep tucked in your brain’s pocket to close out an interview. And folks in the comments are applauding the creator’s ability to figure out if the company is a fit for you and clarify any concerns the interviewer may have. Her advice was so genius that even a person who is involved in candidate recruitment chimed in saying, “Being in both senior leadership and directly involved in candidate recruitment, these questions are fire. 10/10 recommend.”

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The video has well over 800,000 views on TikTok and nearly 200,000 likes. In the nearly 3-minute video, Abdul is sitting in her car and explains how one of her questions always trips up interviewers, but says, “It would give me the opportunity to address any concerns they had as a result of my interview.”

One of the first questions on her list is, “How do you and senior leadership respond to errors made in the workplace?”

Most people who have held more than one job have experienced being in an environment where minor mistakes were ridiculed or caused you to be micromanaged. So asking this sort of question in the interview seems like it would give you a better understanding of that company’s work environment.

Some commenters have tried her methods and others are eager to continue to soak up her knowledge.

“I always incorporate your questions and am told that this was the best interview they ever had,” one commenter wrote.

“This is the first interview question video I’ve seen NOT from a recruiter or manager. And it was actually really helpful. Thank you so much,” someone else wrote.

“I used these questions during my last interview and they thought I was brilliant,” another person said.

Clearly viewers think Abdul’s interview hacks are invaluable. Watch the video below to hear the rest of the questions:

@kyyahabdul

A lot of people have asked me about interview questions so I am reposting my most viral interview video #interview #interviewtips #interviewquestions #interviewtipsandtrick #interviewprep

This article originally appeared on 5.26.23

Stormzy clearly knows how to celebrate in style. The London rapper recently turned 30 (on July 26), hosting a #MikeGala at the Biltmore Mayfair and inviting some of his most famous friends and admirers to attend. The result was captured in the video for his new song, “Angel In The Marble,” showing off the elegant black-tie styles of Stormzy and his friends, including Dina Asher-Smith, Zadie Smith, Tiana Major9, Little Simz, Skepta, Louis Theroux, Nia DaCosta, and more. The event was even covered in British Vogue.

The title, “Angel In The Marble,” continues the arty kick Stormzy’s been on lately. Similar art museum aesthetics permeated his videos for “Toxic Trait” and “The Weekend” with RAYE, while Stormzy showed off his high-fashion sensibilities with coordinated Burberry suits alongside Burna Boy and Skepta at the recent Met Gala (mandem got a taste for the posh life, innit?).

Stormzy hasn’t announced a new album yet — his last one, This Is What I Mean, came out last November — but he’s certainly been productive lately. In the past month alone, he’s released four new videos touting his longevity and ruminating on his current success, so perhaps an announcement isn’t too far off.

Watch Stormzy’s “Angel In The Marble” video above.

Elon Musk might (at this moment in time) be the world’s richest man, but Mark Zuckerberg might be having a last laugh with the launch of Threads. What also appears to be high on his priority list: kicking Elon’s ass. The owner of Twitter did agree to a cage fight (and a “literal d*ck measuring contest”), although surely, those things will actually never happen.

In fact, the more Zuck preps and gets surprisingly ripped for either of those occasions, the more likely it is that Elon will simply ghost the dude while he’s waiting on the mat. That’s sad because Zuck is pounding all those calories, and god only knows how downtrodden he will feel after jiu-jitsu and MMA training for nothing. Additionally, it seems that Zuck’s obsession with fighting Elon led him to actually erect a “backyard octagon.” And as noted by TMZ (which posted the texting receipts), Priscilla Chan wasn’t excited about losing the grass that she’s been nurturing for years:

“It looks awesome,” [Zuck] said over text to Chan … adding, “We have plenty of yard space!” when he noticed she wasn’t exactly thrilled over it.

That’s when, however, she dropped a bomb on him … saying, “I have been working on that grass for two years.”

At which point, Zuck actually posted a poll for people to vote on whether he should take down that octagon or risk some irritation at home.

Dude, a rivalry with Elon Musk is so not worth risking your marital harmony over.

(Via TMZ)

Earlier this offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers re-signed reserve center Montrezl Harrell to a 1-year deal to return to the Sixers bench unit behind Joel Embiid for a second season. Harrell averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game a year ago, as he served as the third big behind Embiid and Paul Reed (likewise re-signed this summer).

Unfortunately, Harrell won’t be available for the Sixers for most, if not all of next season after the team announced he underwent an MRI that revealed he had a torn ACL and a meniscus tear after dealing with knee swelling following some offseason workouts.

It’s been a tough summer for the Sixers, as they are still dealing with the James Harden trade request and trying to find a way to remain a contender if they trade their second star. Losing Harrell only adds to their depth concerns, but they did go out and sign Mo Bamba as another reserve big man, and this likely thrusts him into that third center role behind Embiid and Reed. For Harrell, he will now face a long recovery from the knee injury that will likely keep him out all of this next season, making for an uncertain future given he’s only on a 1-year deal.