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Loneliness is one of the most dangerous health problems in the United States, although it’s seldom discussed. Psychology Today says loneliness has the same mortality risks as obesity, smoking, alcoholism and physical inactivity.

A meta-analysis from Brigham Young University found that social isolation may increase the risk of premature death by up to 50%. The problem with loneliness is that people suffer in silence and it afflicts the ones we don’t see.

A TikTok user who goes by the name Megan Elizabeth recently shared a touching story on social media about how her grandfather was feeling lonely so he reached out to her. The story shows what can happen when one person is brave enough to confront their social isolation and the important role grandkids can play in their grandparents’ lives.

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It started when Megan’s grandpa texted her to ask if she’d like to come over for a sleepover. “I haven’t been feeling well and miss you. We can order food and watch a mystery show. Love, grandpa,” he wrote.

Megan was happy to go see him, so grandpa made a series of requests to make the sleepover a hit.

“Could you pick up applesauce? The cinnamon kind,” he asked. “And if you go somewhere with mash potatoes, I would like that because I have no teeth and can only eat soft things. Ha!”

He also wanted some strawberry ice cream for dessert. “Thank you. You are my favorite granddaughter,” he ended the conversation. Megan later noted that she’s his only granddaughter.

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Megan came by with a big bag of food and some ice cream and the two hung out and watched his favorite black-and-white “mystery movies.” When it was time for bed, grandpa hadn’t forgotten how to put her to sleep. He got her a glass of water to put by the bed in case she got thirsty and left a flashlight on the nightstand just in case his 29-year-old granddaughter got scared.

The next morning, at 5:30 am, he watched her leave for work.

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Grandfather and granddaughter grew up close to one another. Megan lived with her grandparents when she was young while her parents saved up money for a house. When they bought one, it was right across the street.

“I am so lucky to have grown up with my grandpa and my grandma (rest in peace),” she wrote on Instagram. “I feel so happy. I am thankful for my grandpa and he will never understand how much love he truly has shown me. And more importantly, the love he showed my grandma while she was alive. I believe in love and loyalty because of this man. He is my hero,” she added.

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Megan’s time with her grandfather made her realize a valuable lesson about her life.

“I think one of the most important realizations I have had recently is that it’s important to live in the moment but it is important to live in the now with intent,” she wrote on Instagram, “so that when you are 92, you look back and smile at all the people you loved, the memories you made and the life you chose to live.”

This article originally appeared on 04.27.22

Zach Braff has been many things: an actor, a Grammy award winner, a TV doctor, and Brendan Fraser’s number 1 fan. But in 2004, back before he voiced a cute existential chicken in Chicken Run, Braff made his directorial debut with Garden State a cult classic drama movie that has a bit of a negative reputation.

Garden State is often critiqued for Portman’s Manic Pixie Dream Girl character, though when Braff wrote it, he was attempting to recreate classic female rom-com characters. While speaking with The Independent, he admitted, “I was just copying Diane Keaton in Annie Hall and Ruth Gordon in Harold and Maude. Those were my two favorite movies growing up, and I was kind of taking those two female protagonists and melding them into Natalie Portman.” Braff also starred in the movie as Andy, though he insists that the character wasn’t entirely based on himself.

While Portman’s character is often panned for not having depth, at the time, Braff said that he was living out his own fantasy without thinking about how it would come off to audiences. “Of course, I’ve heard and respect the criticism, but…I was a very depressed young man who had this fantasy of a dream girl coming along and saving me from myself,” he explained, implying that it was a form of therapy for him. “And so I wrote that character.”

Even though the film wasn’t autobiographical, Braff admits that he was working through his own internal issues while making the film. “I wasn’t as extreme as Andy, but I was certainly battling my own demons. As I was writing it, I was hoping I could survive what became known as the quarter-life crisis, and depression, and fantasizing that the perfect woman would come along and rescue me.”

Braff entered a relationship with Florence Pugh in 2019, though the two split last year. While they were together, Braff wrote his latest film A Good Person specifically for her.

In the film, Pugh’s character tried to piece her life back together after a tragic accident sends her into a spiral. The movie also stars Morgan Freeman. Despite their breakup, Braff said there was no hesitation to release it. “We’re both really proud of the movie,” Braff continues. “We both want everyone to see it, so we’re both promoting it and doing everything we can to get it out there.”

Hey, at least he knows now that the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope never seems to work out in real life. Hopefully, it doesn’t become a quirky TikTok trend!

(Via The Independent)

Daniel Caesar’s new album, Never Enough, is due soon, and the Canadian singer-songwriter raised interest today with the release of the album’s tracklist. Consisting of 15 tracks, Never Enough includes both previously released singles, “Do You Like Me?” and “Let Me Go,” along with tracks with witty titles like “Buyer’s Remorse” and “Homiesexual.”

The album will be Caesar’s first since 2019’s Case Study 01, which was well-received critically, but underperformed commercially — likely a result of its abbreviated rollout. It’s possible that album’s reception was also hurt by Caesar’s misstep during a livestream with Dave Chappelle and John Mayer. An inebriated Caesar challenged fans to “cancel” him for defending controversial event promoter YesJulz — a challenge it seemed many gladly took up with regard to his next album.

However, a few strategic features later, Caesar’s fortunes appear to be back on the upswing. In 2021, Caesar was one of the guest singers on Justin Bieber’s hit single “Peaches,” which also featured rising Long Beach singer Giveon, giving him a launching pad for the next phase of his career. Never Enough could very well be the bounce-back Daniel Caesar needs; we’ll all find out when the album drops on April 7 via Republic. For now, check out the tracklist below.

1. “Ocho Rios”
2. “Valentina”
3. “Toronto 2014”
4. “Let Me Go”
5. “Do You Like Me?”
6. “Always”
7. “Cool”
8. “Disillusioned”
9. “Buyer’s Remorse”
10. “Shot My Baby”
11. “Pain Is Inevitable”
12. “Homiesexual”
13. “Vince Van Gogh”
14. “Superpowers”
15. “Unstoppable”

The Weeknd has his hands full with new music, his controversial HBO series The Idol, his concert film, and more. Meanwhile, he’s been breaking records left and right following last year’s release of the seismic album Dawn FM.

In January, the “Blinding Lights” performer became the first artist in history to cross 96 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Then, in the following month, he became the first artist in Spotify History to reach 100 million monthly listeners. So it comes as no surprise that Guinness World Records have deemed him “statistically the most popular musician on the planet.”

“There’s two new world records for @theweeknd as he has become the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on @Spotify,” they wrote on Twitter. In their article, they noted that “no one else even comes close,” with Miley Cyrus trailing behind with 82.4 million monthly listeners on the app.

Following Cyrus is Shakira with 81.6 million, Ariana Grande with 80.6 million, Taylor Swift with 80.2 million, Rihanna with 78.5 million, and Ed Sheeran with 77.5 million.

Last month, The Weeknd teamed up with pop powerhouse Grande for a “Die For You” remix, which definitely helped boost both of their streaming numbers since the 2016 song has been experiencing a resurgence on the charts due to TikTok.

Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX are officially set to be doing the soundtrack for a forthcoming A24 film, Mother Mary. Directed and written by David Lowery, who made the studio’s previous 2021 flick, The Green Knight, the movie will be centered around a fictional musician played by Anne Hathaway, and her relationship with an iconic fashion designer, played by Michaela Coel. It will also have an original score by Daniel Hart.

“Lowery, Toby Halbrooks, and James M. Johnston will produce alongside Jeanie Igoe of Homebird Productions and Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo and Jonathan Saubach of Cologne-based augenschein Filmproduktion,” according to Deadline.

This will also serve as a reunion of sorts between Antonoff and Charli, as the pair discussed working on music together back in 2015. It just took a little time.

“Actually, last time I saw Charli we talked about how we should make sure we find some time to write a bunch of songs and see what happens. I definitely think Charli and I will come up with some interesting things,” Antonoff told Popbuzz.

That same year, they went out on a joint tour together as Antonoff was playing with his band Bleachers. “He likes to get pedicures, he eats a lot of steak, he goes rollerblading on tour and went to Jewish school,” she added in an interview with Billboard.

While details about the specific songs are still under wraps, fans are for sure excited by the film announcement and its soundtrack.

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

As the cast of John Wick: Chapter 4 sported blue ribbons to honor the passing of their co-star and prolific actor Lance Reddick, who died last week at the age of 60, Laurence Fishburne became teary-eyed while discussing his friend’s absence. Fishburne referred to Reddick as “the heart of these movies in many ways” while becoming emotional on the red carpet.

“We lost our brother,” Fishburne said. “But we made a beautiful movie, it’s the best of all of them, and I think people are going to love it and that’s what it’s about, right? He wouldn’t want us to not do this.”

Director Chad Stahelski also opened up about Reddick’s loss by sharing an anecdote about the very first scene they shot together for the first film. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“Lance walked in the first day in the suit, and we stood up and we were like, ‘OK, take one,’ and it was good; take two and he was like, ‘What can I do better?’ And we were like, ‘Lance we really don’t know what we’re doing but please help us,” said Stahelski. “He just mentored us through the first day of shooting with him. He was so kind, so generous, and we still joke about it today. He’s always been the most collaborative, most positive guy I’ve ever met.”

But it was Keanu Reeves who succinctly, yet perfectly, summed up the feelings of the whole cast.

“Lance was a beautiful person, [a] special artist, a man of grace and dignity, and such a passion for his craft,” Reeves told Deadline. “It f***ing sucks he’s not here.”

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Donald Trump diehards have a bizarre habit of concocting — and believing — the most implausible scenarios if it means protecting the long-sullied reputation of their hero. As the world waits to see whether the former president’s statement that he will be indicted today does indeed come true, some MAGAs are busy pushing a ridiculous new conspiracy theory: that former adult film star Stormy Daniels accepted that now-infamous $130,000 from Trump… in order to frame him?

On Tuesday morning, Newsweek reports, Daniels — whose real name is Stephanie Clifford — stirred the MAGA pot when she tweeted about the weather and asked if anything exciting was happening today:

While the tweet quickly amassed more than 25,000 likes (and counting), it also triggered some of Trump’s biggest supporters — who may or may not be bots — to pledge their undying support to their p***y-grabbing president. But Daniels was ready for them:

While it was Trump himself who stated that today would be Indictment Day in the life of the former — and wannabe future — POTUS, Newsweek reports that the grand jury is reportedly not set to vote on an indictment until Wednesday. Until whatever happens, expect to see Stormy Daniels and #IndictmentWatch trending on your Twitter timeline.

(Via Newsweek)

Succession’s fourth and final season has yet to even premiere, yet all fans of the HBO series want to know is: Will this really be the end? Back in February, creator Jesse Armstrong told The New Yorker that he’d be open to continuing the world the Roy family has created in some way “if there was an appetite,” but that conversation seems to have already ended.

When asked by Deadline which character might be ripe for a spin-off, Armstrong gave an answer that will disappoint millions of fans:

“I think it would be a fun parlor game that I would do with my pals, but I wouldn’t say it publicly, as it might get misconstrued. I’d write for all of them, but I don’t think any of them are ripe for an actual TV spinoff.”

Clearly the idea of a “You Can’t Make A Tomelett Without Breaking Some Greggs” cooking reality show has not occurred to Armstrong.

Armstrong’s assessment lines up with what HBO content chief Casey Bloys told Variety back in February when asked about continuing Succession in some fashion:

“I always say ‘never say never’… It doesn’t seem to me that there’s something in ‘Succession’ where you would go, ‘Let’s follow just this kid’ or whatever. It doesn’t seem like a natural thing to me. But if [creator Jesse Armstrong] said I want to do this, then I would follow Jesse’s lead.”

(Via Deadline)

K-pop girl group Twice is under fire. On a recent appearance on South Korean music TV series Show! Music Core, member Chaeyoung was seen wearing a t-shirt with a QAnon logo, reading “Where we go one, we go all.”

Not long after, she shared a since-deleted Instagram post of her wearing a Sex Pistols shirt that featured an inverted swastika. Today (March 21), Chaeyoung took to social media to issue an apology for the Sex Pistols shirt.

“Hello, this is Chaeyoung from Twice,” she said. “I sincerely apologize regarding the Instagram post. I didn’t correctly recognize the meaning of the tilted swastika in the t-shirt I wore. I deeply apologize for not thoroughly reviewing it, causing concern. I will pay absolute attention in the future to prevent any situation similar from happening again. Sincerely apologize again.”

It is worth noting, however, that neither Chaeyoung nor Twice has publicly commented on the QAnon shirt, and this has not gone unnoticed by the Once army.

K-Pop fans have taken to Twitter to express the need to address antisemitism in K-pop.

“Anti-semetism in kpop is way too overlooked,” said one Twitter user. “Chaeyoung wearing a q-anon AND a nazi shirt two days in a row, BOTH BEING ANTI SEMETIC, STOP hiding this and mind you these her OWN clothes.”

Though there’s no way of telling of these are Chaeyoung’s actual clothes, several fans have since called for the group’s stylist to be fired.

“Bad Bunny, baby.” Those words have appeared on a pair of the Puerto Rican singer’s songs, spoken by ex-girlfriend Carliz De La Cruz Hernández. And now, she wants $40 million for the ad-lib, saying that Bad Bunny (who is soon to headline Coachella) used her voice recording without permission. According to the Associated Press, De La Cruz has filed a lawsuit in Puerto Rico over the vocal tag, which appears on “Pa Ti” as well as “Dos Mil 16.”

In addition to the royalties she believes are due, De La Cruz also wants recompense for harassment from Bad Bunny fans. According to her lawsuit, “thousands of people have commented directly on Carliz’s social media networks, as well as every time she goes to a public place, about the ‘Bad Bunny, baby.’ This has caused and currently causes, De La Cruz [to feel] worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed, and anxious.”

De La Cruz recorded the clip in 2015 while she was dating Bad Bunny at his request; she says she was also in charge of scheduling his parties and handling invoices and contracts. However, when she was accepted into law school and he was signed, they broke off their relationship. In 2022, representatives of Bad Bunny’s label, Rimas Entertainment, contacted De La Cruz to offer her $2,000 to buy the recording of her voice, but an agreement was never reached.

Obviously, Bad Bunny’s had no small amount of success since then, and with De La Cruz’s voice contributing to part of that, she wants a share.