French Montana was recently awarded for his humanitarian efforts in Uganda after raising nearly $200 million for the African country.
Last week, while attending the annual Pencils Of Promise Gala at the Museum Of The Moving Image in New York City, the “Unforgettable” rapper received the 2022 Innovator Award.
The special affair honored French for his philanthropic efforts in Uganda, which aided healthcare throughout the region, and offered support to Budondo Suubi “Hope” Health Center, the country’s number-one place for new and expectant mothers.
The rapper celebrated the historic moment on Instagram, sharing photos of him holding the award while attending the gala.
“MAKING MORE HISTORY FOR MY PEOPLE!” he wrote. “Thank you @pencilsofpromise for honoring me with the Innovator Award at last night’s gala. Healthcare and education is a fundamental part of our human rights and should be accessible across the globe.”
The rapper also offered some acknowledgment to the non-profit organization, Pencils For Promise for bestowing him with the honor.
“I’m grateful for PoP acknowledging my work in maternal healthcare in Africa,” he continued. “PoP is doing groundbreaking work globally to keep kids in school and make sure they have a safe environment to learn.”
This article was originally published on April 16, 2018.
You know that feeling you get when you walk into a classroom and see someone else’s stuff on your desk?
OK, sure, there are no assigned seats, but you’ve been sitting at the same desk since the first day and everyone knows it.
So why does the guy who sits next to you put his phone, his book, his charger, his lunch, and his laptop in the space that’s rightfully yours? It’s annoying.
All you want to do was walk in, sit down, get out your notebook and (try to) pay attention. But now? Now you’ve got to talk to a stranger about moving their stuff and there goes your day, already bogged down with petty annoyances.
Sound familiar? It should.
We’ve all got so much to do these days that interacting with people we see every day — not our friends, but our classmates, fellow commuters, co-workers, the people in line for coffee with us every day — can feel like a burden.
So, when these people do something we perceive as annoying, like putting their stuff on our desks, we don’t have the time or the energy to assume their intentions or think about the lives they’re leading.
But if we stepped out of ourselves for a second, we might just realize that we’re all much more connected than we think, that our preconceived notions of others are usually just that — preconceived. And, often, inaccurate.
That’s why this Twitter story about a guy who learned an important life lesson from a classmate he was frustrated with is going viral.
It’s the perfect example of that “don’t judge a book by its cover” adage we should have all learned in preschool but sometimes forget. And it starts the exact same way as this post — with a college student groaning on the inside as he sees someone’s stuff on his desk.
Hey guys, I know I usually just post shitty jokes on my Twitter but bear with me because I wanted to share somethin… https://t.co/akgh4o7wNy
If not for this one day running late, McFall may have never realized what his classmate was trying to do. And he may have continued to think of him as annoying, maybe telling others about “the weird guy who was always trying to take up my space”… when all the guy was really trying to do was be kind.
We all misinterpret the actions of others sometimes. It’s easy to do that!
But if there’s one thing this story reminds us, it’s that it’s important to stop and remember that while you’re living your life, other people are living theirs, so assuming best intentions can do us a great favor.
That’s why we should step outside of our bubbles and engage with the world on a regular basis.
You could make a new friend. You might brighten someone’s day.
But most importantly, getting out of your own head, checking your own biases, and giving others the benefit of the doubt will make you a more compassionate person.
You don’t have to engage with everyone you meet, but the next time someone smiles and offers you a high-five?
These days it truly feels like everyone who loves spouting awful takes online has felt the urge to never log off so much they’re actually buying their own social media networks so they can never stop posting. Elon Musk nearly has Twitter, Kanye West wants to buy an alt-right platform called Parler and, of course, Donald Trump has his own shout box called TRUTH Social.
Trump’s network hasn’t exactly had a great go of things financially, though that’s rarely mattered when it comes to his business ventures and the overall perception of his wealth. But those who are propping him up with cash to build a platform no one actually needs are taking a bath on the investment. And that includes another Republican poster who can’t keep herself on Twitter these days: Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
TRUTH Social’s backstory is a bit complicated, but Trump essentially wants to make it a publicly traded company through a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that would have merged Digital World Acquisition Corp with Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns TRUTH. That deal has apparently gone a bit wonky, though, and had some investors back out after things have dragged on far longer than anticipated. But one investor stuck holding the bag is Greene, who (according to Business Insider) has seen the value of her investment crater in recent weeks:
On October 22, 2021, the congresswoman from Georgia invested between $15,001 and $50,000 in Digital World Acquisition Corp., a “blank check” special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC.
One year after Greene made her investment, the stock’s value plummeted by more than 82 percent, according to Markets Insider, meaning the congresswoman lost between $12,330 and $41,100 from this one investment.
To be clear: Greene didn’t invest in TRUTH directly, just in the company that was going to acquire TRUTH and make it public. And that investment would, in theory, have paid off big because that company’s value would rise when it acquired the tech and platform that Trump’s privately-held company was building. But none of that has happened yet, and so the stock price has continued to crater.
As BI notes, Greene wasn’t the only elected official to take a bath thanks to Trump: Larry Bucshon, a Republican representative from Indiana, invested between $1,001 and $15,000 according to paperwork legally required to disclose stock purchases. That investment came just three days after Greene bought in, meaning is losses are around 80 percent as well.
It’s a real shame things haven’t gone well for these three in the open market of companies trying to find posting “freedom” online. Perhaps they should keep investing more money, surely things are going to turn around real soon.
For the past few weeks, Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” has enjoyed a run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Since its second week on top, though, Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ hit “Unholy” has been on its tail, as it’s been No. 2 for the past two weeks. Now, though, Smith and Petras have ended Lacy’s three-week run: On the new Hot 100 dated October 29, “Unholy” has officially taken over the No. 1 spot for the first time.
This is a major moment in LGBTQ+ music history: Smith is now the first publicly non-binary solo artist with a No. 1 song, while Petras is the first publicly transgender solo artist to top the Hot 100.
.@samsmith and @kimpetras are the first publicly non-binary and transgender artists, respectively, to earn a No. 1 song on the #Hot100, thanks to “Unholy.”
Smith has come close to hitting the top spot before — “Stay With Me” peaked at No. 2 while “Too Good At Goodbyes” reached No. 4 — but this is their first time actually doing it. Meanwhile, “Unholy” is Petras’ first song to appear on the Hot 100.
It’s a massive week for Lil Baby, too, who has three songs in this week’s top 10: “California Breeze” (No. 4), “Forever” featuring Fridayy (No. 8), and “Real Spill” (No. 10).
Elsewhere, “Bad Habit” dips down to No. 2, Harry Styles’ former No. 1 “As It Was” is currently at No. 3, and Post Malone and Doja Cat’s “I Like You (A Happier Song)” rounds out the top 5.
Taylor Swift releases an album — and, in this case, a 3am Edition. Taylor Swift breaks seemingly every imaginable record. Rinse, repeat. Today (October 24) marks 16 years since her self-titled debut album, and Midnightswill assuredly become her 11th No. 1 album. But that’s the baseline for what its pacing to achieve.
Hits Double Daily projects Midnights’ first full week will generate between 1.4 million and 1.6 million units, which would make it “the first album to debut at or past the million mark in the post-bundling era” and Swift’s fifth album to debut with at least one million. Pop Crave added, “It would mark the biggest opening week of her career, surpassing 1989.”
#Midnights by #TaylorSwift is now projected to debut with 1.4–1.6 MILLION units in its first week in the US, @HITSDD reports.
If these projections come true, Midnights will crack the top 10 of the fastest-selling albums in the United States since tracking of such data began in March 1991. Adele’s 25 has been the fastest-ever-selling album for seven years at 3.378 million. Swift already owns the No. 9, 10 and 11 spots with 1989 (1.287 million), Reputation (1.216 million) and Red (1.208 million). Midnights would replace Backstreet Boys’ Black & Blue at No. 5 should it hit 1.6 million. The 1.4 million mark, or anything below 1.58 million, would slot it between Eminem’s Encore and The Eminem Show, which currently stand at No. 6 and 7, respectively. (Este Haim did warn us Swift was “about to drop the album of the century.”)
Midnights dropped last Friday (October 21). Before “the clock could even strike midnight on October 22nd,” Spotify revealed that Midnights became the most-streamed album in a single day in the platform’s history. Swift simultaneously broke Spotify’s record for most single-day streams for any artist in its history.
In order to watch favorites like Severance and Mythic Quest, you will now have to shell out two extra bucks a month for AppleTV+. The cost for new and existing subscribers will increase to $6.99 per month, up from the original $4.99 price point that was launched in November 2019. Compared to other services, Netflix and Hulu also start at $6.99, with ads. So this seems to be Apple’s way to get in with the streaming giants.
The company is not only raising prices for its streaming service, but also for its music subscriptions: Apple Music is increasing from $9.99 to $10.99 for single users while family plans are increasing by $2.
A spokesperson for the company said that the prices were always meant to get subscribers on board at first. “We introduced Apple TV+ at a very low price because we started with just a few shows and movies. Three years later, Apple TV+ is home to an extensive selection of award-winning and broadly acclaimed series, feature films, documentaries, and kids and family entertainment from the world’s most creative storytellers.” AppleTV+ currently has roughly 40 million subscribers, narrowly trailing behind Hulu’s 46 million and Netflix’s whopping 223 million. And a staggering amount of those people seemed to really enjoy Dahmer!
(House of the Dragon spoilers will be found below.)
Thank goodness that King Viserys I didn’t live to see the devastation already wrought by his final ramblings that were misinterpreted by Queen Alicent Hightower. This swiftly led to Aegon II being crowned as king, which led to Aemond’s inability to reel in his dragon, Vhagar, from torching Luke and Arrax. Yep, a lot of f*cking up happened, beginning with Viserys’ mishandling of the realm, including his own family, but people will still love Paddy Considine’s monarch. The actor previously weighed in on the reason that Viserys’ health faltered in such a gruesome way on House of the Dragon, and that would be because (according to Paddy) he was essentially dying since he greenlit the horrific childbirth procedure that killed Queen Aemma.
Now, a key production member is weighing in on the practical effects that showed how Viserys literally rotted away. He lost fingers and oozed plentiful sores, along with losing an eye, hair, and his teeth. This was particularly unsettling because Targaryens are thought to be resistant to illness, but obviously, that didn’t apply to this king. Here’s how prosthetics designer Barrie Gower worked out the finer details of Viserys’ deterioration, and scarily enough, Gower looked toward reality. Via Variety:
“We researched various flesh-eating disorders,” Gower says. “Necrosis, leprosy, all kinds of horrible references. Lots of interesting shapes, colors and ulcers. They could give us a good indication for textures, colors, glosses, how dry things would be. It’s very grounded in the real world of horrible diseases.”
There’s plenty more (somewhat revolting) detail at Variety, including Gower’s recollection of how the shocking Episode 8 transformation involved five hours in the makeup chair for Paddy, who was a real trooper while also hauling himself through the throne room (while Viserys was wracked with pain) in time to see Daemon commit a shocking beheading after Vaemond shouted insults toward Rhaenyra (and her sons) after Viserys confirmed his daughter as heir.
Now that’s a set of effects that I’d also like to hear more about, but for the moment, Gower’s divulging on the process of taking down a diseased king is well worth a read.
The Indianapolis Colts fell to 3-3-1 on the season with a loss to the Titans on Sunday (their second loss to their divisional rival this season), and it was once again due to a dismal offensive performance from Matt Ryan and company.
The Colts, which traded Carson Wentz to Washington and then traded for Ryan after the Falcons failed to land Deshaun Watson this summer, were hoping for more consistency with the veteran Ryan under center. Instead, he has struggled mightily with turnovers, throwing nine interceptions and losing three of his 11 fumbles on the year, while accounting for just nine passing touchdowns in seven games. Indianapolis’ offense has been among the worst in the NFL, scoring 16.1 points per game, and in Sunday’s loss Ryan once again struggled with turnovers and could not do much of anything positive against the Titans, who weren’t exactly tearing it up themselves in a 19-10 win.
On Monday, Frank Reich made the official announcement that the Colts were making a quarterback change, benching Ryan — who is dealing with a shoulder sprain — and starting Sam Ehlinger against the Commanders. However, this isn’t just a one-week change, as Reich noted this is now the planned quarterback depth chart for the rest of the season, via Colts.com.
“Right now the move is for Sam to be the starter for the rest of the season,” Reich said.
Reich said it was an “extremely difficult” decision to change starting quarterbacks. But he said he’s been “particularly impressed with Sam this year in practice,” and pointed to the “special sauce” Ehlinger brings as a playmaker in the offense.
“It’s a big step but we think he’s ready,” Reich said. “This guy’s special. … Sam, he’s got that about him. He plays, he practices in a way he’ll be ready.”
Reich noted that the Colts hadn’t held up their end of the bargain with Ryan, as they’d promised a great O-line and great running game and that hasn’t been delivered, but moving onto Ehlinger gives them someone more mobile who can maybe deal with a worse line than Ryan, who has taken 24 sacks already this season and simply does not provide any escapability out of the pocket.
In the midst of the plethora of K-pop comebacks this month, Monsta X’s Kihyun and his first solo EP is one of them. But what makes him a standout compared to the rest? How the message of his single invites listeners to take a step back from our busy lives and remember our own youth.
Releasing today (October 24) at midnight, the MX power vocalist switches his balladeer gears and takes a trip down memory lane in an upbeat, alternative pop rock single that will make you feel like you’re back in your room, jamming out to emo music.
“‘Youth’ is about my current perspective on my youth and my determination as a solo artist,” Kihyun says in a press release from Starship Entertainment. “The lyrics include the things I want to tell myself, both in the past and present. Even though this album is my personal story after 7 years as an artist, I think many people can relate to my emotions because everyone reflects on their youth at some point in time.”
The lead single comes from Kihyun’s EP of the same name, and consists of five tracks.
Checkout the full tracklist to YOUTH below.
1. “Youth”
2. “Bad Liar”
3. “STARDUST”
4. “Where Is This Love”
5. “‘Cause Of You”
The dust is still settling from the chaos that was House of the Dragon’s season one finale but, like the gluttonous content consumers that we are, fans are already looking ahead to where the Dance of the Dragons might be headed in season two. Of course, we’ll likely have to wait two years before we see more dragons, one-eyed war criminals, and just plain bad wigs, but the silver lining of that long hiatus is that it gives us plenty of time to theorize which book storylines might be adapted when the Targaryen civil war picks up again.
Here are some of our predictions on which events from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood source material might make the cut in season two and, more importantly, why.
Blood & Cheese
HBO
No, Blood & Cheese is not the title of Aegon II’s debut rap album – although, if anyone was going to use their royal clout to drop a hip-hop EP, it’d be this usurper. Instead, these seemingly innocuous words represent one of the most disturbing (and bloody) events in the coming Dance of the Dragons. In the books, they’re the names of two assassins, sent by The White Worm on Prince Daemon’s behalf to murder one of Aegon’s children. (Show watchers will remember he has twins Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, and eventually a younger son, Maelor, with his sister-wife, Helaena.) The agents of chaos draw out their kill order, forcing Helaena to choose which boy to sacrifice, delivering on a promise made to Rhaenyra by the Rogue Prince: “An eye for an eye, a son for a son.” The show would do well to launch its second season with the story of Blood & Cheese for a few reasons. First, it deals a blow to Team Green, evening the score a bit as, up until now, Rhaenyra has suffered the most in this Civil War. Second, it establishes that both sides of the conflict are willing to commit horrible crimes in the name of power, adding a nuance to the “good vs. bad” battle waging between House Targaryen and House Hightower. And finally, it pushes Helaena’s character to the brink – something that will likely come back to haunt Rhaenyra if/when she finally takes the Red Keep during the war.
Daemon Recruits Dragon Riders
HBO
Sure, Daemon is a bit too gung-ho to go to war in House of the Dragon’s season one finale but, unlike the rest of his kin, he’s actually seen battle atop a dragon and he knows what that kind of firepower can mean in an all-out conflict. He may be stepping out of bounds by pushing Rhaenyra to harness their biggest weapon so early in the Dance, but he’s not wrong. Team Black has dragons and they should use them. The only problem? A dragon needs a rider. In Martin’s book, Daemon makes it his mission to recruit dragon seeds – low-born men and women with either Valyrian ancestry or the ability to tame dragons– to serve as dragon riders in their fight against The Greens. He succeeds too, finding illegitimate children belonging to both House Targaryen and House Velaryon to claim dragons such as Vermithor and Seasmoke. It feels pretty crucial to HOTD’s future storylines to have Daemon, and later Jacaerys Velaryon, campaign for more dragon riders to join Team Black. After all, the show promised fans we’d see more dragons, and more dragons fighting each other, than we ever did in Game of Thrones.
Cregan Stark Arrives
HBO
One fan-favorite character from Martin’s book that we’ve yet to see is the Lord of Winterfell, Cregan Stark. While Game of Thrones devoted plenty of time to that house just south of The Wall, House of the Dragon has avoided introducing most of the great lords north of the Riverlands in order to focus on the main players in the Dance. Still, House Stark swore an oath to support Rhaenyra Targaryen’s claim and they’d be a valuable ally in her war against the Hightowers, which is why she sends her eldest son Jacaerys to Winterfell to treat with its young lord. In the book, Cregan Stark is described as an expert swordsman with a formidable air and a strong sense of loyalty to Team Black. He proves instrumental in the succession rights of Rhaenyra’s sons during the latter half of the dance but season two would be a great chance to introduce the character and build his friendship with Jace before things get bloody for both men.
Rhaenys Enters The Fight
HBO
Until this point, The Queen Who Never Was has been happy to sit on the sidelines, sipping her wine and watching her family squabble over a crown that was rightfully hers. Rhaenys has seen so much loss in her short life that she’s vehemently against killing for killing’s sake. And yet, she supports Rhaenyra’s claim, all but ensuring a Civil War will break out because she views her cousin as the realm’s best chance at peace. Still, just because Rhaenys prefers a pacifist response to conflict doesn’t mean she won’t jump on her dragon and burn sh*t to the ground if need be. She’s a vital member of Rhaenyra’s war council in the book, even taking over operations with her husband, Lord Corlys, after Rhaenyra’s grief gets the better of her. And Rhaenys doesn’t waste her dragon either, entering Meleys into the fray during a battle at Rooks Rest – a port Team Black hopes to hold hostage to cripple the Hightowers’ supply chain. Whether that bloody confrontation happens in season two or not is still anyone’s guess, but we’d like to see more of Rhaenys taking the reigns and showing every Westerosi lord who voted against her succession just how stupid their misogyny made them look.
A Queen’s Landing Finale
HBO
Rhaenyra may be down for the count after House of the Dragon’s season finale, but she’s not out of the game for the Iron Throne just yet. In fact, despite suffering some terrible losses in season one, her campaign to retake King’s Landing is successful … for a time. Team Black’s dragon count, and their allies in the north, help them to build an army that takes full advantage of some of Team Green’s biggest strategic blunders, eventually leading Rhaenyra to return to the Red Keep and sit on that sword-covered seat. Plenty of battles happen before then of course, but as far as possible season two finales go, Rhaenyra’s Kings Landing comeback seems like a frontrunner.
Aemond Embraces His Villain Era
HBO
So far, House of the Dragon has painted Aemond Targaryen with a much more forgiving brush than Martin’s source material. In the book, Aemond is a raging sociopath with violent tendencies and impulse control issues. (Okay fine, so he’s not thatmuch different.) But on the show, some of Aemond’s most significant character-defining moments have been humanized. His claiming of Vhagar felt less like an intentional slight to Laena Velaryon’s memory and more like the desperate attempt of a boy to prove himself to his family. His obsession with training and swordplay – and his tendency to draw steel to settle every conflict – felt less homicidal and more like the insecure actions of a man who was never truly loved by his parents, and viewed as a monster by his court because of his disfigurement. Even Aemond’s kinslaying moment was called into question when the show made it seem like his dragon, Vhagar, disobeyed his commands and decided to treat herself to a Team Black snack. But, if Aemond – and by extension, the HOTD writers – is smart, he’ll claim that death as a victory for Team Green, convincing everyone he meant to do it to add to his already intimidating reputation. Aemond doesn’t have to be a straight-up villain, but he needs to appear to be one to his enemies because, right now, he’s the only wild card Team Green’s got.
Better Wigs
HBO
Our final prediction for season two has less to do with storylines and more to do with a defining feature of House Targaryen. We’re talking about the wigs, you guys. Can everyone pull off fine silver locks that wisp down one’s back like Ewan Mitchell? Of course not, but there’s no reason for some of the heinous hairstyles fans were treated to in season one. From Daemon’s early looks to those poor Velaryon children and even Rhaenys’ up-dos, the real war crimes committed on this show happened in the hair and makeup department. Let’s do better, HOTD.
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