GoneTrending

Few games have generated as much excitement this year as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It makes sense why with Breath of the Wild being arguably one of the best games ever made. It’s an impossible game to follow, but Tears of the Kingdom is gonna give it a go, and honestly after its most recent trailer, there might be reason to believe it can surpass its predecessor.

The thing we have wondered ever since the game was released was how, exactly, does Nintendo plan to approach a sequel to Breath of the Wild? They could reinvent the structure entirely, or they can double down on what worked and make it even better. After today, I think we can safely say it’s the latter, because what we got to see was an open world just like the previous one with a ton of open space to experiment and play in.

The best part of Breath of the Wild wasn’t really the story or the dungeons or even the puzzles. It was the open nature of it, as players were told to just go into the world and see what happens. This led to amazing moments for each individual player where they all experienced their own stories and moments. The latest Tears of the Kingdom trailer is full of teasers of what tools the player will have to work with. We saw antigravity, a lot of gliding, the ability to throw boulders, and at one point, Link enters a giant water ball.

This world is going to be a toy box. Since it is a Zelda game, we know there will be a plot and puzzles to guide us along, but personally, I can’t wait to see how this game lets me experience Hyrule.

Dogs are sometimes just like human babies and other times they want to be the baby. We’ve all seen the sweet videos of dogs meeting their newborn human siblings and think, “How cute!” or laugh because their reaction is hilarious. You never quite know whether the pooch is going to give the new baby the side eye or instantly become its snuggle buddy.

For one family in Benton, Arkansas, their little Shih Tzu had apparently been plotting a daring plan since her new furless sibling arrived. Kaylee Burks uploaded a video to her social media accounts that show her newborn daughter crying her adorable newborn cry, and we quickly see why. Just above the baby’s head is the family dog, Millie, sucking on the baby’s pacifier, probably wondering what’s wrong with the baby.

Oh, Millie! Pacifiers aren’t for doggies, even if they fit perfectly in your little mouth and look adorable. (Wait…are we sure pacis aren’t for dogs too? Especially if they’re cute?)

“While I wasn’t looking, my dog sneaked her pacifier that was lying next to her,” Burks told Storyful. “When I looked up, Millie was sucking on the pacifier just like a baby and was unbothered by Hallie crying. It was apparent she had been plotting it all along.”

It would certainly seem that way with how comfortable the little dog seemed while holding the binky in her mouth. Surely after this incident her family will get the Shih Tzu her very own pacifier. If not, I’m sure someone will help Millie start some sort of puppy petition. She’s got my support.

Watch the adorable video below:

See on Instagram

A huge part of parenting in the 21st century is figuring out how to navigate our kids’ relationship with the internet. On one hand, we are deep into the technological age, where screens and the internet are an integral part of learning and staying connected with others. On the other hand, the online world comes with countless alluring and addictive pitfalls, which conscientious parents hope to help their kids avoid as long as possible.

Of all the elements of the internet that concern parents, social media sits near the top. The worst parts of kid and teen culture—comparison and competition, bullying, self-esteem issues, toxic body image messaging, etc.—are all amplified on social media. Saying no may sound simple enough, but anyone with kids knows they can be master negotiators and it’s hard to tell your kids they can’t be where all their friends are.

Actor and mom Jennifer Garner has managed to do just that, however, with a simple but effective approach that goes a step beyond just saying no.

Garner has three kids, ages 17, 13 and 11, whom she co-parents with ex-husband Ben Affleck. She has been outspoken about not letting her kids on social media, saying she doesn’t “see anything positive” in it for them. But she doesn’t just tell them they can’t and leave it at that.

In an interview with the “Today” show, Hoda Kotb asked Garner how she manages to keep her teens off of social media without them hating her.

“I just said to my kids, ‘Show me the articles that prove that social media is good for teenagers, and then we’ll have the conversation,'” Garner said. “Find scientific evidence that matches what I have that says that it’s not good for teenagers, then we’ll chat.'”

Brilliant. Not only does that approach put the onus on the kids to make a solid argument backed up by solid evidence, but it removes the parental power struggle altogether. It’s not “No, because I said so,” but “No, because I love you and want you to be healthy, and the research shows this isn’t healthy. But if you can find research to the contrary, I’m willing to reconsider.” It’s empowering because it invites kids to make the case for themselves.

Of course, kids are going to be hard-pressed to find scientific research to match the evidence that social media does more harm than good, especially for young people. So either they’ll understand their parents’ position by diving into the research or they won’t bother trying because it’s not important enough to them to put in the effort. Either way, the responsibility falls on their shoulders to make an argument beyond “but everybody else has it.”

Singer Pink has a similar rule for her daughter Willow when it comes to getting a phone.

“I told her, point blank, ‘If you can produce literature from a reputable source that tells me that social media is good for you, then you can be on it. Otherwise, good luck”” Pink shared on KTU 103.5.

The “show me the research” approach seems to be working for Garner. Kotb asked how her kids feel about it, and Garner said her 17-year-old is “grateful.” She admitted that parenting is “a long haul” and that she still has two more kids to go, so “knock on wood,” but so far so good.

Even adults can struggle to keep a healthy balance when it comes to social media and smartphone use, so sharing the research with kids and teens early on isn’t a bad idea. There’s no harm in delaying the struggles that inevitably come with social media, and the more parents push back against the “norm” of early exposure in smart and effective ways, the better off our kids will be in the long run.

Succession star Alan Ruck called “Connor’s Wedding” the “strongest episode we’ve ever done. I think it’s the best thing we’ve ever done, and that’s saying a lot, because we’ve done a lot of good episodes.” Of course, he would say that, considering he’s the Connor in “Connor’s Wedding,” but viewers are agreeing with him. Sunday’s shocking episode has joined “Ozymandias” from Breaking Bad as the only episodes with a perfect 10.0 user rating on IMDb.

The Conheads are truly going to love this.

“Ozymandias” was previously joined by two episodes of Attack on Titan, “Assault” and “Hero,” but those have since dropped to 9.9, alongside episodes of Six Feet Under (the series finale), BoJack Horseman (“The View from Halfway Down”), Game of Thrones (including “Battle of the Bastards”), and Bluey (“Sleepytime”). You think you’re hot sh*t, Bluey? Well, you’re not. You got nothing on the Roys. (Now I feel bad. Bluey is too nice to even ironically pick on. It’s like calling Paddington a terrorist, which he’s NOT.)

“Connor’s Wedding” has nearly 17,000 votes compared to over 193,000 for “Ozymandias,” and it might well drop a decimal point and lose its perfect rating. But a 10.0 at any point is impressive — even “Marge vs. the Monorail,” arguably the best episode of the best show of all-time, “only” has a 9.1.

To anyone who gave less than a 10.0 to the monorail song or Kerry’s weird smile, for that matter, I say: f*ck off.

Back in mid-March, Amanda Bynes was scheduled to make her first Hollywood-themed appearance since emerging from her conservatorship. She appeared to be missing in action, however, with her Nickelodeon co-stars suggesting that something was amiss. Within 24 hours, TMZ reported that Bynes had been flagged down help while in a state of distress after wandering LA streets without clothing. Bynes had experienced what she described as a “psychotic episode” and made the call to 911, after which doctors placed her on a psychiatric hold that was later extended.

Good new is now emerging with TMZ following up to report that Amanda has been released with what appears to be confidence from doctors. She will enter outpatient treatment but will be able to continue living independently (i.e., not going back into conservatorship, which she previously experienced for nine years) while working to get back on track:

[B]oth Amanda and the medical staff determined she was ready to get back to her day-to-day life … Our sources say Amanda will live in her own home, as she was before the hospitalization, and keep much of the independence she earned after 9 years in a conservatorship.

Previously, Amanda had been placed on an initial 72 hour psychiatric hold before doctors determined that a longer hospital stay would be beneficial. After her nine-year conservatorship ended in March 2022, Bynes began living in her own home, something that she hadn’t been able to do since her bipolar diagnosis around a decade ago. She has since been formally training in cosmetology, and TODAY recently reported word from a source who says that Amanda “hasn’t been in contact with her family for quite some time.”

(Via TMZ & TODAY)

Bad Bunny is appointment viewing. It doesn’t matter if it’s “Carpool Karaoke,” Wrestlemania 39, the 2023 Grammys, or his record-smashing tour, people just want more Benito.

In January, Coachella confirmed Bad Bunny as this year’s Friday headliner (April 14 and 21) — making him the first-ever Latin artist to headline the iconic festival — and one day ahead of what is sure to be an epic set, we finally know exactly what time Bad Bunny will take the Coachella Stage.

Coachella officially shared all set times for tomorrow, April 14, and Bad Bunny is expected to start his set at 11:25 p.m. PT on the Coachella stage.

The main stage will host Gorillaz (8:35 to 9:50 p.m.), Burna Boy (7:05 to 7:55 p.m.), Becky G (5:45 to 6:30 p.m.), Pusha T (4:30 to 5:15 p.m.), Doechii (3:30 to 4:10 p.m.), and Record Safari (2:50 to 3:25 p.m.) before giving way to Bad Bunny.

Fans unable to make it to Indio, California will be able to stream Coachella on YouTube, with each stage receiving its own feed.

Bad Bunny shared with Billboard toward the end of last year that he envisioned this year as one for rest, so it would be wise to take advantage of watching him perform in any capacity.

“I’m taking a break,” he told the publication. “2023 is for me, for my physical health, my emotional health to breathe, enjoy my achievements. We’re going to celebrate. Let’s go here, let’s go there, let’s go on the boat. I have a couple of sporadic commitments, and I’ll go to the studio, but there’s no pressure. Remember yourself, cabrón. You’ve worked your ass off.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

I assume I’m in the minority for liking, but not loving, this week’s episode of The Mandalorian, “The Spies.” Hey, we got a jetpack fight and all – and I truly do love the way Rick Famuyiwa directs episodes – but a lot of the dangers and obstacles, from a story standpoint, are starting to feel repetitive. In more than a few ways. Moff Gideon is back and it’s always great to see Giancarlo Esposito in literally anything … but didn’t we already beat this guy? Oh, okay, he escaped. Great. So we get to do this all again. When Bo-Katan tells him she should have killed him while she had the chance? Yeah, probably, because then at least we wouldn’t be back here with the same villain from the first two seasons that had been defeated.

But this is the inherent problem with trying to make big stories in this era of Star Wars, right after two of the most noteworthy villains in the Star Wars galaxy – and, from a popular culture standpoint, in our galaxy – are now dead. Vader and Palpatine literally cannot be topped, and The Mandalorian was smart early on to not even try. Remember when this show was about a bounty hunter? What’s interesting about this era of Star Wars is how unstable it would be with a new government coming in and establishing its authority over a galaxy that had been ruled by fear and terror. And the Moff Gideon character worked as basically a local warlord with a few leftover loyal stormtroopers.

But now he’s building a secret lair with the full support of the former Empire? And he has a full army of royal guards and jet-pack troopers? It does feel like we are getting into, “Oh, you thought Darth Vader was evil? Well now here’s Moff Gideon,” territory. When this show first started we were drawn to the relationship between Din and Grogu and their weekly adventures. Their relationship seemed important. But somewhere along the line it was decided The Mandalorian, as a show, needed to be important to the galaxy and the lore of Star Wars in general and, along the way there, trading characters for lore, has lost what made it special to begin with. To the point when Din gets captured at the end, it took me a few seconds to even make sure it was him since he’s literally wearing the same outfit as 30 other characters on the screen.

I mentioned earlier this felt repetitive in more ways than one. I’m really curious how the all-but-certain future appearance of Grand Admiral Thrawn will be received. The late ’80s and the early ’90s weren’t the best time to be a Star Wars fan. (Though, in retrospect, the calmness of the era doesn’t sound altogether terrible.) The Original Trilogy had morphed into basically three movies that came out a while ago. People were into the Batman movies. But then in 1991, Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire was released, which gave us our first new adventures with Luke, Leia, and Han since 1983. In 1992 came Dark Force Rising, followed by The Last Command. These are the books that introduced us to Thrawn. My honest-to-goodness memory of these books at the time was they were basically, yeah, good enough.* They all somehow seem a lot more popular now then they were then.

But, to be fair, there was no real internet then so it was hard to judge what the widespread reactions were. But, anecdotally, Thrawn just seemed like, well, he’s following Palpatine and Vader, what really can you do here? And in today’s The Mandalorian I kind of got that same vibe again. Basically, I see they are going to try to make Thrawn a big deal. And I have no doubt Thrawn will be a big part of the new movie taking place after Return of the Jedi. But it’s just weird to go from a character we all back then just wished were Vader to now being sold that this guy is as evil as it gets. And I’m curious how this plays to the people who don’t watch the animated series. (A thing this show is really< starting to forget is that the vast majority of people watching did not watch the animated shows and I seriously think that’s a problem.)

*As opposed to Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command; Shadows of the Empire did seem like a big deal. There was a great Nintendo 64 game, there were action figures, there was even somehow a soundtrack. And then the reaction to that book was also, yeah, it’s okay. Though people kind of hated Dash Rendar because he was obviously a knockoff Han Solo. And I have no doubt if Dash Rendar showed up in an episode of The Mandalorian people would lose their minds and I will not understand.

What’s my point? My point is The Mandalorian has morphed into a show about lore. And you know what? There are people who like that. But when The Mandalorian‘s ratings were higher, it wasn’t about lore. It was about the Mandalorian trying to make money. (Honestly, I still think a Han Solo show would be amazing. Just Han and Chewie taking on a new job every week and getting into trouble.) I miss the show The Mandalorian once was and I wish it had resisted the urge to dive deep into its more esoteric history. But, now, here we are, and with a lot less people watching.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

Frank Ocean has been making headlines for a rumored collaboration with BMW and a viral new look. He’s also about to headline Coachella on April 16 and April 23 and fans are freaking out.

Festival attendees are restless for set times to know when to rush to stages to see their favorite performers, and finally, they’re out. Ocean’s highly anticipated set for the first weekend will be taking place at 10:05 p.m. PT on the Coachella stage, so concertgoers have to make sure to stick around late to catch him.

The Blonde musician was rumored to play Coachella before he was announced as a headliner. He was supposed to perform at the festival in 2020, which ended up being canceled due to COVID-19. He was unavailable for the 2022 dates, with festival co-founder Paul Tollett saying, “Right now, it’s the Wild West. I’m just trying to be as fair as I can to artists and to the fans to make sure that eventually they get to see everyone that we talked about.”

Other exciting acts taking the stage the same day as Frank include GloRilla, Fousheé, A Boogie With Da Hoodie, Latto, Rae Sremmurd, Sudan Archives, Noname, IDK, Dominic Fike, Willow, Pi’erre Bourne, and more. Find the full lineup here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

It’s a tough world out there, which is why listening to the Smartless podcast is a necessary break from reality. For the uninitiated, co-hosts and real-life BFFs Will Arnett, Sean Hayes, and Jason Bateman riff, chat, shoot the breeze, and otherwise flap their gums with a celebrity guest (who is usually a surprise to 2 of the hosts). Understanding audience demand for their congeniality, the trio took their act on the road and decided to bring a camera crew along. Smartless: On The Road will hit Max (aka the streaming service formally known as HBO Max) May 23rd, so the trailer will have to tide us over for our dose of joyful pals being pals together in the mean time.

The trailer boasts guests David Letterman, Kevin Hart, Matt Damon, Will Ferrell, Conan O’Brien, Andy Richter, Mark Cuban, and potentially even a woman at some point. That criticism aside, it looks fun and breezy. Three sardonic best friends being goofy and dickish to each other in that playful way that makes you wonder when they’ll eventually all make out.

Fortunately, we technically don’t have to wait until May 23rd to enjoy Arnett, Hayes, and Bateman because hundreds of episodes of Smartless featuring fascinating guests are already available on the internet.

It’s possible that someone at Fox recently watched Biodome and wanted to smash together its plot with a reality show, a handful of celebrities, and William Shatner. This impulse makes sense.

According to Variety, Fox will debut Stars On Mars on June 5th in the 8pm slot. The reality series will feature celebs going through a space simulator that will mirror what conditions might be like in a contained colony on Mars.

The show, according to Fox unscripted programming president Allison Wallach will focus on, “watching celebrities take giant leaps out of their comfort zone and step into the unexpected.” Shatner, who traveled to space as part of the Blue Origin capsule team in October 2021, will act as a Mission Control for the celebrities, giving them orders to take on different tasks, some of which will hopefully involve potato farming in unkind soil.

According to the show’s official description: “During their stay, they will be faced with authentic conditions that simulate life on Mars, and they must use their brains and brawn – or maybe just their stellar social skills – to outlast the competition and claim the title of brightest star in the galaxy. The celebrities will compete in missions and will vote to eliminate one of their crewmates each week, sending them back to Earth.”

(via Variety)