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Top Gun: Maverick will remain 2022’s highest-grossing movie until at least November, when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever comes out, or possibly December with the release of Avatar: The Way of Water. The Top Gun sequel has made a staggering $1.208.5 billion at the worldwide box office, including $602.5 million internationally and $606 million from North America. It’s a personal best for Tom Cruise — and according to Deadline, Paramount Pictures’ highest-grossing film ever globally.

What did Maverick beat for the top spot? Transformers: Age of Extinction, the… third Transformers movie? Or was it the fourth? If you ever see me in a bar and name every Transformers — with the complete title — in release date order, first round’s on me.

Maverick is also close to creeping into the All Time Domestic Box Office top 10 (when not adjusted for inflation). It’s currently at number 12, behind Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens ($936 million), Avengers: Endgame ($858 million), Spider-Man: No Way Home ($804 million), Avatar ($760 million), Black Panther ($700 million), Avengers: Infinity War ($678 million), Titanic ($659 million), Jurassic World ($652 million), The Avengers ($623 million), Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi ($620 million), and Incredibles 2 ($608 million). It should pass The Avengers, The Last Jedi, and Incredibles 2 any day now.

Not bad for a sequel that Tom Cruise initially didn’t want to make.

(Via Deadline)

What a joy it is when an enjoyable show can also produce some great tunes. Hulu’s murder-mystery comedy Only Murders In The Building featured a huge music focus on this past week’s episode in the form of “Angel In Flip-Flops.” The song, now available to be streamed outside of the show, was written by Steve Martin and performed by Martin (credited as his Only Murders character Charles-Haden Savage) and Kirker Butler. Paul Shaffer, former leader of David Letterman Band, joined the fun on the production side. “Angel In Flip-Flops” features soft guitar strums, emphatic vocals, and admiration for a lovely lady walking in the sand.

Only Murders In The Building introduces the record by way of actress Selena Gomez, who recognizes the ’80s tune due to it being sampled numerous times by Post Malone, Missy Elliott, and Del The Funky Homosapien. A video for “Angels In Flip-Flops” is set to release next Monday (July 18) as well.

The nods to music continued in the episode as the character Lucy, played by Zoe Colletti, stated, “I prayed to the 100 Gecs tree for a real diagnosis, but my mom hates big pharma,” alluding to the experimental duo 100 Gecs. One can only imagine where they take things next.

Listen to “Angel In Flip-Flops” above.

“I hope by giving more, we can mitigate some of the suffering people are facing right now and help fulfill the foundation’s vision to give every person the chance to live a healthy and productive life,” his statement read.

French Gates added, “Philanthropy has a unique role to play in helping people around the world recover from the pandemic and rebuild the underlying systems that left so many so vulnerable to begin with.” The additional spending would help provide a more “fair and inclusive recovery.”

The donation will aid to innovate:

• Pandemic prevention, eradicating diseases and reducing childhood deaths with improved vaccines
• Food security and climate adaptation through incorporating a new generation of seeds and providing farmers with cell phones
• Gender equality by providing women better access to contraceptives and financial empowerment
• Educational outcomes by equipping students with computers
• Climate change mitigation by inventing new ways of making products that eliminate emissions at low costs

Gates is currently the world’s fourth wealthiest individual. But helping others is far more important to him than holding onto that coveted title. “I will move down and eventually off of the list of the world’s richest people,” Gates wrote. “I have an obligation to return my resources to society in ways that have the greatest impact for improving lives. I hope others in positions of great wealth and privilege will step up in this moment too.”

Whether the world could use less billionaires or not can be a heated debate, but the importance of generosity is a fairly universal virtue. Wealth can unite, rather than divide.

This week, the team here at Upworthy had the incredible honor of meeting one of humanity’s best. Civil rights leader and nonviolence educator Reverend Dr. James M. Lawson, who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis to change the course of American history, came to our office and shared some of his wisdom with us.

At 93, Rev. Lawson has experienced the range of our nation’s ups and downs. He has also witnessed the power of people coming together for good. When asked where people should start, he shared the importance of community as a catalyst for change. We can all build community no matter where live, starting with our own families and neighborhoods, our social circles, groups and organizations we belong to, and beyond.

Sometimes, building community looks like big, bold initiatives, but more often it looks like creating simple connections—engaging in small acts of service, reaching out with a kind word or sharing a warm smile. When we consistently look for ways to connect and build bonds between people, we’ll find them.

One thing that brings people together, pretty much universally, is joy. “Laughter is the closest distance between two people,” as musician and comedian Victor Borge wrote, but we don’t even have to laugh out loud to connect. When we experience something joy-inducing as a collective, we create a shared experience that taps into our basic humanity and reminds us of what we have in common.

As you enjoy this week’s list of 10 things that made us smile, picture all of the people who are experiencing the same smiles and laughter you are. Let’s create a virtual community of joy, right here in this moment.

1. We have a new, incredible view of our universe—or at least a tiny-yet-ginormous piece of it.

u201cud83dudc40 Sneak a peek at the deepest & sharpest infrared image of the early universe ever taken u2014 all in a dayu2019s work for the Webb telescope. (Literally, capturing it took less than a day!) This is Webbu2019s first image released as we begin to #UnfoldTheUniverse: https://t.co/tlougFWg8Bu201d

— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASA Webb Telescope)
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This image from the Webb telescope, the largest telescope in human history, gives us a never-before-seen view of space—or at least a tiny sliver of it. According to Vox, what’s captured in this image is the equivalent of a grain of sand being held out at arm’s length if you were looking at the night sky, which is mind-blowing considering the fact that almost all of the blobs in the image are entire galaxies. Wowsers.

2. The vastness of the universe is amazing, but so is a tiny butterfly on a tiny human.

@amarana91

Miggin found BLUTTAFLY… you will not regret watching this ☺️🥹 #fyp #butterfly #cute

“Are you okay bluttafly?” STAHP IT.

3. The American Rescue Dog Show celebrates unique doggos with adorable prizes like Best in Belly Rubs, Best in Snoring and Best in Underbite.

u201cdid anyone else catch the u201cBest in Rescue Dog Showu201d??? nnthey had a category for best underbite ud83dude2dud83dude2dud83dude2dud83dude2dud83dude2du201d

— kelly (@kelly)
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Instead of the pedigree, grooming and training that the Westminster Dog Show highlights, the American Rescue Dog Show celebrates the average adopted doggo’s sweet quirks. Check out the full story here.

4. Anthropologist Grover Krantz donated his body to science on one condition—that his dog be included.

“I’ve been a teacher all my life,” Krantz told the Smithsonian, “and I think I might as well be a teacher after I’m dead, so why don’t I just give you my body.” It’s true.

5. This kid is having the best sleep of his life—or anyone’s life, for that matter.

Pretty sure this is what heaven looks like. Gracious.

6. Little Luca cheering for US women’s soccer star Alex Morgan— (“Aleh Morgaaaaan!”) is the cutest thing everrrrr.

u201cWe celebrated 4th of July in Monterrey by going to a @USWNT game. n@alexmorgan13 Luca is one of your biggest fans and loved seeing your two goals u26bdufe0fu201d

— Ana Camelo Jackson (@Ana Camelo Jackson)
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Toddler fans are the best fans. And the Ted Lasso shirt is just a cherry on top of this little sundae of delight. Read the full story here.

7. A guy asked for 104 birthday wishes for his dad who was turning 104. He got thousands.

u201c@bravenewmalden Happy Birthday Gerald. This is my daughter Flora who was born 12 weeks premature and has just come home to us at three months old. Hope she makes it to 104 too ud83dudc4du201d

— Kevin Mills (@Kevin Mills)
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Gerald got bombarded with birthday messages from all over the world, but there’s something about this preemie newborn baby wishing a 104-year-old man a happy birthday that feels so beautiful. Gerald and Flora out here making us smile about the full circle of life. Love it.

8. A man surprised his parents after being away for three years and his mom’s reaction is so precious.

See on Instagram

There’s nothing like a mother’s love. (Somebody pass the tissue box, please.)

9. This guy’s engagement ring shenanigans leading up to his proposal were hilariously adorable.

See on Instagram

Click the right arrow to scroll through. The one with the ring in the palm of her hand while she’s sleeping is just too much.

10. May your day be as blissful as this chihuahua being bathed with toothbrushes.

See on Instagram

That tongue sticking out! Apparently being washed with a toothbrush reminds them of being bathed by their mom. I can’t handle it. May we all be so pampered.

If this roundup made you smile or laugh or both, create more bonds of joy by passing it along. And definitely come back next Friday for another top 10 for the week!

QAnon followers’ obsession with John F. Kennedy Jr. is a peculiar thing—and only partially because he’s dead. What makes it even more curious is that Kennedy comes from a decidedly Democratic dynasty, so would likely share no common political ground—or any ground, really—with these cultists. But that hasn’t stopped one of them from deciding to resurrect George, the glossy politics-meets-lifestyle magazine JFK Jr. co-founded and edited.

As The Daily Beast reports, Gene Ho—who worked as a photographer for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign—posted a video in which he announced himself as the new editor of George, which he claims to be bringing back.

According to Ho: “George is coming back! Yes, we’ll talk politics, we’re going to talk religion, we’re even going to talk business. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”

Religion? Dear God…

Right now, the magazine only seems to exist online and have a mock-up of the first cover, which features Donald Trump as George Washington carrying a lantern that sort of looks like a plastic bag with a goldfish. We’re sure they’ll work out the design kinks. Editorially, the cover promises interviews with notable QAnon believers like the tomahawk-toting “Patriot Streetfighter” Scott McKay.

As for whether Ho is serious, all indications—especially in Times Square—point to “Most definitely.”

Whether Ho has the legal right to re-launch George is another matter entirely. As The Daily Beast reports:

It’s not clear whether Ho, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, has any legal right to use the George name or logo. Last September, a Florida company called Retrobrands USA applied for what appears to be the only existing magazine-related “George” trademark, according to a search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The company, which also didn’t respond to a request for comment, describes its mission on its website as reviving “abandoned consumer iconic brands.”

Whatever remains of the original George’s assets appears to rest with the Hearst media conglomerate, which purchased George’s parent company in 2011, 10 years after the magazine ceased publication. Hearst didn’t respond to an email about whether it has any interest in the brand.

As for whether or when JFK Jr. will show up to give Ho his blessing? Perhaps all will be revealed when the magazine officially makes its triumphant return.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Carly Rae Jepsen, who is embarking on a tour later this year, has teamed up with Lewis OfMan for a new song called “Move Me.” The two connected over Zoom during the pandemic and the result is this uplifting earworm with a catchy melody and infectious piano. It finds the singers looking to optimism in tough times.

“In Sept of 2020 I heard about an artist named Lewis OfMan,” the “Call Me Maybe” singer said in a statement. “A friend sent me a playlist and I kept pausing at the same track of Lewis’s thinking ‘this is really good.’ The world was upside down so there was extra time to really listen to music and then ask questions like ‘who made this and how can we be friends?’ Lewis has really been the silver lining of my last two years when touring wasn’t possible and travel was just a dream. On top of that, he has one of my favorite male voices. I can’t wait for you to hear our first collaboration after such a long wait.”

Lewis OfMan added, “Carly & I met and worked in a really modern way, I received a call from her and I was honored that she liked my music in such a genuine way. Our relationship was Zoom-ed quite fast and we became close friends and these sessions almost felt like a shared diary, where we were sharing our stories.”

Listen to “Move Me” above.

Last season, the NBA’s G League Ignite program trained in Walnut Creek, California, while playing in Las Vegas. On Friday, it officially announced a full-time move to Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, where it will both train and play.

Beginning in 2022-23, it will play home games at The Dollar Loan Center, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Foley Entertainment Group, The Dollar Loan Center and the City of Henderson to create a new home for Ignite in a first-class facility near one of the world’s premiere sports and entertainment destinations,” Abdur-Rahim said in a press release. ” With avid sports fan sin the Las Vegas area who have quickly embraced their hockey, football and WNBA teams, we can’t wait for NBA G League Ignite to showcase its future NBA stars and exciting brand of basketball.”

Since its inception in 2020, G League Ignite has rostered a trio of top-10 draft picks in Jalen Green (2021), Jonathan Kuminga (2021) and Dyson Daniels (2022). It stands to add to that total in 2023, given Ignite guard Scoot Henderson is a projected top-2 pick currently.

Now, Henderson looks to be the first among those four who spent the majority of his G League tenure in the Las Vegas area.

For three full seasons, Penn Badgley has been keeping things skeevy as Stalker Joe in Netflix’s You, even as the show screams past Caroline Kepnes’ source material with a London-based adventure on the way. The former Gossip Girl actor does such a good job at embodying a sociopath that he was disturbed by the reception, which included women begging him to (as Joe) stalk them, too. Most of this was (hopefully) in jest, and a lot of it was based upon how Joe’s own rose-colored narration viewed his first (TV) victim, Beck.

Actually, his pursuit of Beck was incredibly chilling, given that he watched her have sex with Benji and stole her phone and hid in her shower and, yeah, it’s really hard to see how women were attracted to this, even if the show itself was executed so amusingly in places that the story was addictive. For his part, Penn observed that he received some unexpected notes from producers and directors. On Badgley’s Podcrushed podcast, Badgley opened up about how Joe’s streetside jerkoff scene (among other similar ones) was a little too convincing, and he was asked to reel it in. Via Indiewire:

“Every time I’ve done a masturbation scene…I’ve always gotten the note to make it less creepy,” Badgley explained. “They say like, ‘Close your eyes or go faster or go slower.’ I’m like, ‘What? This man is f*cking murdering people, and he’s masturbating in the street. You’re saying I’m making it creepy? How is it I’m the one making it creepy?’”

The “Gossip Girl” alum continued, “I just remember I wouldn’t close my eyes and the director came up to me,” Badgley recalled. “He was like ‘Buddy, I think you gotta close your eyes.’”

What a visual image to think about Badgley’s face upon receiving those notes. And he’s probably got plenty of jerking off left to do, so it’s time to mix up the routine, Penn! Last season, his Mr. and Mrs. Smith-style serial-killing counterpart, Love, ended up biting the dust, and Joe fled to Paris, but the show has since revealed that London turns into Stalker City, where Joe has a “bloody good time.”

I’m still mad that this pile of books doesn’t include Kierkegaard. Every production possible should say Kierkegaard with zest, and Joe could even do it while masturbating. Now there’s an episode for You.

(Via Indiewire)

Neve Campbell has confirmed that her character Sidney Prescott was already part of the Scream 6 story before she walked from the project after being offered a salary that didn’t respect her contributions to the horror franchise. Campbell made the revelation at a Mad Monster Party Arizona panel where she gave a diplomatic answer about the next installment.

“There were plans for Sidney, and they are no longer, unfortunately,” Campbell said via Comic Book Resources. “I’m sure they’ll make a good movie.”

Back in June, Campbell announced that she won’t be returning to the franchise that she launched with the very first Scream film in 1996. The actress had starred in 2021’s Scream 5, which had a strong box office showing and rave reviews, but when the studio fast-tracked a sequel, Campbell felt disrespected by the pay she was offered to reprise her role.

“As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to ‘Scream,’ Campbell said in a statement to Variety. “I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise. It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my ‘Scream’ fans, I love you.”

Obviously, Scream 6 is being rewritten with Campbell gone, but it appears to be already making move in the casting department. Deadline reports that Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) and Tony Revolori (Spider-Man: No Way Home) will bring some fresh blood to the slasher film.

(Via Comic Book Resources)

Andrew Garfield is on a roll with limited series. After locking down an Emmy nomination for his work in Under the Banner of Heaven, the actor will reportedly play British billionaire Richard Branson in a new six-part series about the rise of Virgin Airways. Deadpool 2 director David Leitch will helm the project with a script from Paddington 2‘s Jon Croker.

According to Deadline, the limited series is titled Hot Air and is currently locked in a “competitive situation with multiple major platforms.” (Read: Bidding war, baby.) Hot Air will reportedly adapt investigative journalist Martyn Gregory’s best-selling book, Dirty Tracks, which examined the secret war waged by British Airways when Branson’s burgeoning airline became a major competitor:

Branson launched Virgin Atlantic in 1984 with one leased airplane. By 1990, the company started to threaten British Airways’ dominance in the UK market after getting landing slots at London Heathrow Airport. In response, BA launched a “dirty tricks” campaign, with its staffers using passenger records and impersonating Virgin employees to try to gain inside information on the upstart competitor and persuade Virgin customers to switch to BA.

When Branson learned of British Airway’s actions, he filed a complaint with the European Commission, which prompted British Airways to retaliate by planting fake media stories about Virgin. Having enough of that, Branson sued, but the two parties were able to reach a settlement the night before the trial. In the end, British Airways apologized and covered the cost of legal fees and damages.

Sadly, neither party engaged in combat between two 747s, which we’re not saying the show should do, but we’re also not not saying that. (Andrew, you have all the cards here. Think it over.)

(Via Deadline)