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Every Nicki Minaj superfan’s dream is to be in the vicinity of their Queen. Barbz — as her passionate, rabid, do or die fans are commonly referred to — thirst to be by Nicki’s side, in her line of sight, in her mentions, all of it. But who knew that what the Barbz truly want, is for Minaj (who is not pregnant) to just give them a cold, hard shove. That’s exactly what happened earlier today in London and it was captured in a TikTok video.

Following her headlining performance on Sunday night at the Wireless Festival, Minaj took to her Instagram story to announce that she was doing a meet and greet for fans at Camden Town’s Cafe KoKo on Monday at noon. “I’m hoping a lot of y’all didn’t book the first flight leaving out tomorrow morning. I hope and pray that I get to see y’all. Y’all know how I normally do when I come to the UK,” she said.

Well the Barbz came out in droves. Swarming the area earlier today for the noon scheduled meet-up.

Sure, there were some crowd control issues, but nothing that a Nicki Minaj public appearance doesn’t normally garner. At one point though, there was quite a bit of pushing and Minaj found herself trying to navigate the crowd and asking people to move back. One fan thought this was the perfect time to snag a TikTok selfie video with their Queen. What they got instead was a nice forceful shove in the back, which promptly ended the video. “My fave literally touched me #fyp #nickiminaj” the user, @theyluviish commented.

And while to some fanbases, this might be an indictment that severs their allegiance to said star, what ensued in the comments section was the exact opposite. “I would never wash my clothes again,” one user said. “Updates bio: “Nicki pushed x1,” another Barb commented. Other responses included, “how does It feel to live my dream,” “Your going to heaven now, congrats,” and “I give anything for the queen to push me.”

An in the end, it was all love with Nicki and the Barbz.

The midterm elections have been predicted to be a bloodbath for the Democrats, who haven’t exactly risen to the many challenges that have plagued them. But maybe they won’t be so bad after all? Donald Trump’s star may (finally!) be on the wane, and some of the MAGA candidates currently campaigning aren’t doing so hot. Even Fox News is starting to get a little worried that Mitch McConnell won’t be back as Senate majority leader after all. And if he isn’t, it will be thanks in part to three underperforming conservatives.

As per Mediaite, on Sunday, Fox News host Mike Emmanuel brought on Sen. John Barasso, and point blank laid out the party’s cards. “Republicans believe they have a golden opportunity to win back the majority,” he said. “But if candidates like Herschel Walker, Eric Greitens, and Doctor Oz are not winning over the voters, is there a possibility the GOP could blow this opportunity?”

Barasso at least wouldn’t admit he was worried, pointing to issues like inflation, border chaos, crime in cities (which can be partly blamed on the easy availability of guns, which Republicans wholeheartedly support). But maybe he is deep down. After all, all three aforementioned candidates are both trailing in polls in Georgia, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. They’ve also been frequent subjects of controversy and sometimes mockery.

Walker, for instance, is trailing 10 points behind incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock, partly because people keep finding kids whose existence he’s never made public, and partly because he keeps saying bizarre, incoherent, mushy-brained stuff.

Dr. Oz, meanwhile, is the frequent punching bag of his Democratic opponent, John Fetterman. Last week, for example, Fetterman dragged him for recording a campaign video for Pennsylvania voters from his mansion in New Jersey.

Then there’s Eric Greitens, who has come under fire for making straight-up violent campaign ads in which he threatens to gun down “RINOs,” or “Republicans in Name Only.” He already had to resign from governor of Missouri amidst various scandals and accusations of assault, and has been accused of physical abuse from his ex-wife.

All three are endorsed by Trump, and all are not polling great, with only a few months left till election day. Barasso, however, said he was “optimistic” about Republicans’ chances due to sitting Democrats’ performance. But there’s a chance they could have blown a sure thing, all thanks to dopey, Trump-backed candidates, one of whom isn’t even sure how many states there are in America.

(Via Mediaite)

Kate Bush’s 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill” has been relentlessly climbing up those charts because of Stranger Things — this is something we all know, because it’s been impossible to not know. Today, Billboard reported that it is now officially the biggest in the world.

“Running Up That Hill” has returned for a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart and it has its first week atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. survey. It went from No. 4, increasing 21% to 52.3 million streams and 19% to 11,000 sold outside the U.S. in the July 1-7 tracking week, according to the publication.

Bush has been expressing excitement about this revival of her old classic track. “You might’ve heard that the first part of the fantastic, gripping new series of Stranger Things has recently been released on Netflix,” she wrote in a message that she posted on her website last month. “It features the song, ‘Running Up That Hill’ which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show – I love it too!” It’s also been reported that the singer has gained quite a few million dollars in royalties since the revival of the song, as she should.

Lizzo has been rolling out her highly anticipated new album Special, going on Carpool Karaoke and revealing her interesting tracklist. Now, the “Truth Hurts” singer has announced a crossover with American Express for what she’s called Lizzoverse.

As per a press release, Lizzoverse will be an “immersive planetarium-esque lightshow experience produced by Superfly,” and it will take place in New York City. All fans will have access to the Lizzoverse experience on Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17. There will be an exclusive album playback performance with Lizzo herself and the Big Grrrls on Friday, July 15, with only 100 pairs of complimentary tickets being given away to American Express Card Members.

“Lizzo has been a longtime partner of American Express. From celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall Pride in New York to headlining the final performance of our American Express UNSTAGED digital music series in 2021 live from the beach in Miami, we know how much our Card Members love epic experiences with her!,” said Shiz Suzuki, Vice President, Global Experiential Marketing & Partnerships at American Express. “We are so excited to continue collaborating with her to bring one-of-a-kind album release experience of her new album ‘SPECIAL’ to our Card Members, as there’s always an epic story to tell when you are #withAmex.”

Find more information here.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

One of the early standouts of Las Vegas Summer League has been the No. 1 overall pick for the Orlando Magic, Paolo Banchero. The former Duke star has been dominant in his first two appearances, showing off his impressive abilities on both ends of the floor, making clear why Orlando took him first in June.

Banchero averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2.5 assists in 30 minutes per in the first two games, flashing his strength, range, ball-handling, and passing on offense, and his impressive length and athleticism on defense. On Monday night, Paolo was scheduled to face off with the No. 2 overall pick, Chet Holmgren, in the marquee matchup on the night, but a few hours before tip, Marc Stein reported that Banchero was being shut down after being seen limping after the thrilling win over the Kings over the weekend.

It wouldn’t be a surprise given how well Banchero has played and how important he’s going to be for the Magic that they wouldn’t want to put him at risk, even if it’s disappointing not to get the matchup between the top two players in the Draft that everyone wants to see. Banchero certainly doesn’t have anything left to prove in Summer League and given we’ve seen a few top 10 picks suffer injuries in the first few days of action, the Magic need to protect their young star with an eye on the season. Still, it’s a shame we won’t see Paolo vs. Chet in the desert, but we’ll just have to wait for the first Magic-Thunder game of the regular season to see them face off.

For most of his life, Donald Trump has never had to pay the consequences of his actions. He’s lived in a bubble in which he can do whatever he wants, where he’s infallible, where he didn’t lose the 2020 election. But that may change. The Jan. 6 hearings have been damning and shocking. Then there’s that probe by the New York State attorney general’s office, which will find him testifying under oath for probably the first time in his long life. And it’s already causing him some inconvenience.

As per Raw Story, Trump had to cancel one of his rallies because it coincides with the day not only he but also his children Ivanka and Don Jr. are set to testify in the probe, which is examining his finances. The big day is July 15, and that was also supposed to be when he was set to appear in Greensboro, North Carolina. The event has since been quietly removed from the American Freedom Tour site.

The Trump Organization has been accused of “significant” fraud by AG Letitia James, who has doggedly sought materials he’s been reluctant to provide. He was even slapped with a $10,000 daily contempt fine for a while there after claiming he couldn’t find some of the items James and company had requested.

What will it be like for a man who mostly only tells the truth by accident to have to be on the level under penalty of law? Alas, we may never see the footage, but it will surely be something for those in the room.

(Via Raw Story)

It’s been nearly a year since the passing of Norm Macdonald, and even now wild stories (and even specials) are still being shared. On an episode of the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Dana Carvey told a brief but hilarious story about how the late comic once drove an audience batty by repeating a certain word until they couldn’t take any more.

The host — who has his own share of incredible Norm moments, including an iconic one involving Carrot Top — was talking about Kevin Nealon, his SNL colleague who’s known for his off-the-cuff, nonchalant delivery. For instance, one time he was talking about how Macdonald was a “brave” comic, but Nealon joked that he wasn’t, telling a crowd, “I think of it more as a lack of judgment.”

That got Carvey talking about Macdonald’s fearlessness, about his “not caring” about pleasing an audience. He could clear the room,” he recalled, then told a story about how one time he did. It was at the Comedy Store, on a night when Bill Burr was doing a set. But Macdonald decided his set would largely consist of him saying a single word, ad nauseam.

“He just said the word ‘c*ck’…200 times?” Carvey remembered. “He just knew how funny it was to say that over and over and over.” That, Carvey said, was a very comedian’s comedian moment, where they respect a colleague who will go there, who will intentionally alienate and enrage an audience, just because they can.

“There was only one Norm,” Carvey concluded.

You can watch the discussion in the video above.

(Via Digg)

Is there a sound on Earth that fills people with more rage than the following:

“We’ve been trying to reach you concerning your car’s extended warranty. You should have received something in the mail about your car’s extended warranty. Since we have not gotten a response, we are giving you a final courtesy call before we close out your file. Press 2 to be removed and put on our Do-Not-Call list. Press 1 to speak with someone about extending or reinstating your car’s warranty.”

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says there have been more than 8 billion unlawful prerecorded message auto warranty scam calls sent to American consumers since at least 2018.

The scammers lure people in with the lie that they’re calling about a car warranty and then ask for sensitive financial information to defraud them. Unfortunately, even though Americans lost out on $39.5 billion last year to phone scammers, the government has not been very effective at stopping the calls.

A recent study published by The Ascent revealed that last year, 68.4 million Americans fell victim to phone scams with 20% being victimized on multiple occasions. The scams are more likely to defraud younger people and men.

The sheer number of annoying robocalls has driven many people to stop picking up the phone altogether.

u201cI love that there was a period of time when it was like ‘grrr someone should fix these robocalls’ and then they never really did and now we just don’t answer phones anymoreu201d

— Lord Businessman (@Lord Businessman)
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In 2019, Congress passed the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (or TRACED) Act but the audio-dialing industry has been able to keep a step ahead of the law. Fortune says that blame can also be placed on federal agencies whose inaction has allowed scammers to get off scot-free and big businesses for their “tacit support for robocalling.”

On July 7, the FCC announced that it is actively investigating the calls for formal legal violations. This step could mean the end of years of foot-dragging.

“Billions of auto warranty robocalls from a single calling campaign. Billions! Auto warranty scams are one of the top complaints we get from consumers and it’s time to hold those responsible for making these junk calls,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.

u201cIn the past 2 years, auto warranty scam #robocalls have resulted in more consumer complaints to us than any other unwanted call category. These calls usually claim your insurance or warranty is about to expire, and they often use PII to make it seem legit. https://t.co/Rc6t4ioUvnu201d

— The FCC (@The FCC)
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It also sent cease-and-desist letters to top phone carriers asking them to stop carrying the calls within 48 hours from Roy Cox Jr., Aaron Michael Jones, their Sumco Panama companies and other international associates.

The FCC says that the Cox/Jones/Sumco Panama operation could be responsible for the 8 billion scam calls.

“The Enforcement Bureau will use all the tools at its disposal to protect consumers and U.S. telecommunications networks from the scourge of illegal robocalls,” Acting FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal said in a statement.

Let’s hope that the new regulations passed by the FCC are successful at stopping these fraudsters who are annoying at best and at their worst, take advantage of the most vulnerable. A phone should be a means for communication, not an open hotline for scammers around the globe to try to take advantage of people.

Then, just maybe, we’ll feel free to pick up the phone again.

Optical illusions are always fun to play with, but some can be particularly challenging on the old eyes and brain. It’s fascinating to see how different people process them and how quickly or slowly—or sometimes not at all—people see things that aren’t really there or see images hidden within other images.

Not to brag, but I’m kind of an optical illusion savant. It usually doesn’t take me longer than a few seconds to see whatever it is people say they are seeing. But occasionally an illusion comes along that stumps me to the point where I wonder if people are actually lying about what they are seeing.

This rectangle/circle illusion is one of those.

It’s called the coffer illusion and was created by Stanford University psychologist and vision scientist Anthony Norcia. The image is made up of a pattern of black, white and gray lines of various shades that create the illusion of rectangles. It’s easy enough to see the rectangles.

What’s not so easy to see are the 16 circles in the image. Yes, they really are there.

Take a look:

u201cLook closely.nnThere are actually 16 circles in this image.nnAnd once you see them, the image appears changed forever. nnThe wonderful coffer illusion, by Anthony Norciau201d

— Gavin Buckingham (@Gavin Buckingham)
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Seriously, at first my brain said, “Nope.” How could there be circles? All I see are straight lines. Straight lines horizontally. Straight lines vertically. Not a single curved line anywhere in sight. How can there be circles if there are nothing but right angles in the image?

So I did what any self-respecting social-media-savvy person would do and started scrolling the comments to see if anyone explained how they saw circles.

(Warning: Spoilers ahead if you’re still trying to see the circles on your own.)

One way to see the circles is to focus on the vertical bars between the rectangles. For some, that makes the circles suddenly pop off the screen.

u201c@DeVore @adamgreatkind @DrGBuckingham Thanks, I was staring and staring, following your advice, nothing, still just rectangles, and then I blinked and the circles were there. Magic!u201d

— Gavin Buckingham (@Gavin Buckingham)
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For people who need more of a visual clue, someone broke it down with colored shapes, literally circling one of the circles.

u201c@nathangs20 @DrGBuckingham THANK YOU. nnSo weird, my brain actually jolted when I saw them.u201d

— Gavin Buckingham (@Gavin Buckingham)
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Once you see them, it’s pretty easy to switch back and forth, but hoo boy, does it take a while to actually see them the first time.

Why is that?

According to an explanation from a professor and student from the University of Sydney, the reason we have a hard time seeing the circles at first is because of our brain’s strong tendency to identify objects in what we’re seeing. The lines come together to form edges, contours and shapes, and our brains fill in the objects.

“For most people, the grouping into rectangles initially dominates,” the authors write. “This may be because rectangles (including the ones we see in door panels) are often more common than circles in our daily environment, and so the brain favours the grouping that delivers rectangular shapes.”

I figure it’s also likely due to the rectangles looking more 3D (therefore like a real object) while the circles appear as 2D.

Aren’t our brains amazing?

Since Better Call Saul’s “midseason finale” in May, I’ve been in denial about the show ending. If the show never ends, I will be happy. I could watch Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler have weird sexual tension while doing pranks and watching old movies in their extremely early aughts apartment endlessly. But, sadly, Better Call Saul is coming to an end, and the end starts when it returns for its final episodes on Monday, July 11.

The first half of the final season was not kind to those who get emotionally attached to fictional characters. First, they took sweet Nacho Vargas which was expected but excruciating. Then, in the last episode to air in May, they took the heavily tanned, blonde, and annoying lawyer Howard Hamlin. For a majority of the series, Hamlin was an antagonist to Jimmy (and by association Kim), but his death was distressing and gutting. If it could happen to Howard, it could happen to anyone on this show.

It’s possible that at this point, Better Call Saul has no more characters left to kill off, especially given that much of the cast has to live to experience the events of Breaking Bad. Despite that, here are some theories about the fate of the three major characters left (who do not live and then die in Breaking Bad, like Gus Fring and Mike Ehrmantraut).

Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman/Gene

Death Forecast: 85% chance of death

How? Lalo Salamanca hunts down Gene in Nebraska.

Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad display the true nature of Jimmy McGill. As much as he tries to be earnest throughout the prequel series, he eventually acts selfishly, cuts corners, and brings others down to get ahead (and get rich). Essentially, Better Call Saul has not been leading to a happy ending for the man once known as Jimmy McGill. As much as I would like to think that the final shot of the show will be Jimmy and Kim skipping on the beach at sunset holding hands, it’s more likely that Jimmy will meet a permanent end, a violent consequence of years of greed. If Lalo Salamanca is still alive (more theories on that if you keep reading this!), he could come to haunt him. It could also be Kim or former client Jesse Pinkman.

Kim Wexler

Death Forecast: 30% chance of death

How? I don’t want to think about it, but it would most likely be at the hands of Lalo Salamanca.

After years of wondering, “why the hell is Kim Wexler completely absent from Breaking Bad?” we are weeks away from the answer. Season after season, people agonized over Kim’s fate. Her notable absence from Breaking Bad suggests she’s dead, but that’s unlikely. Kim is the kind of person who takes matters into her own hands, including facing off with dangerous people like Lala Salamanca. Kim knows how to get herself out of precarious situations, and she also, despite herself, always sticks by Jimmy. Either it is revealed that Kim was married to Saul Goodman throughout the entire run of Breaking Bad, or Kim pays a visit to the Disappearer years before Jimmy does (a Best Quality Vacuum Repairs business card was introduced earlier this season). The alternative is that Lalo Salamanca kills her but he already killed Howard, so while Lalo is a murderous asshole, at this point, Kim’s fate is likely sad, but not fatal.

Lalo Salamanca

Death Forecast: 40% chance of death

How? Gustavo Fring.

Lalo Salamanca is terrifying, but Tony Dalton has so much natural charisma that it’s hard to root against him, even when he’s breaking into people’s apartments and shooting their former bosses in the head. Like Kim, Lalo’s absence from Breaking Bad indicates ill fate. But like Kim, I think it’s quite the opposite. Saul Goodman mentions Lalo by name in Breaking Bad using the present tense, indicating that he’s still alive. If he dies, it will be at the hands of Gustavo Fring (or more likely Mike Ehrmantraut) who has been coming for him ever since he showed up on the show. If Lalo is alive, which he probably is, he’s probably hiding from Gustavo Fring thanks to Best Quality Vacuum Repairs, which would explain his absence from Breaking Bad. Saul Goodman is corrupt, but he is a damn good and criminal lawyer, loyal to even his worst clients.