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Dr. Strange might find himself in multiple universes, but probably not in Saudi Arabia.

Marvel’s follow-up to their 2016 hit starring Benedict Cumberbatch is set to introduce a new character named America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez. In addition to being able to punch holes through the multiverse (nifty power), America is openly gay in the comics and will be represented similarly in the film.

The Guardian reported that Saudi Arabia, which regards homosexuality as a capital offense, has asked Disney to cut “LGBTQ references” before screening. Egypt and Kuwait have already prohibited the movie.

Nawaf Alsabhan, Saudi Arabia’s general supervisor of cinema classification, told the Guardian that the cuts would amount to “barely 12 seconds” and include America referring to her “two moms,” but noted even that arguably-minute portion of the film would be “very tough to pass” according to the kingdom’s standards.

So far, Disney has refused the request. And it doesn’t look like they’re backing down.

Though the movie has not been officially banned, it would not be the first Marvel film to be stripped from Saudi Arabia’s theaters. In November 2021, “The Eternals” was not released and was removed from websites due to portraying a same-sex couple. The two married characters, Phastos (Brian Henry) and Ben (Haaz Sleiman) share a kiss. And only one month later, Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” suffered the same fate for having a nonbinary character.

💬Nawaf Alsabhan, Saudi Arabia’s general supervisor of cinema classification, said: “It’s just her talking about her moms, because she has two moms. Being in the Middle East, it’s very tough to pass something like this.”https://t.co/W2L1XKWNjX

— Irish Daily Mirror (@IrishMirror) April 26, 2022

Disney has received an increasing amount of attention (both in the form of praise and criticism) for its role in LGBTQ advocacy.

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On the one hand, the franchise offers an ever increasing amount of representation not only for the LGBTQ community, but for other marginalized, underrepresented groups. On the other hand, fans have also expressed feelings of betrayal over the company previously donating money to Republicans who supported Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay.” Some Pixar employees also came forward claiming the majority of inclusive scenes featured in the animated film “Turning Red” had been cut by studio executives.

So, is Disney’s refusal to cut these scenes from “Dr. Strange 2” simply pandering in order to maintain some kind of “woke” image? The film’s lead doesn’t seem to think so. In a press tour for the movie, Cumberbatch shared how the “expected disappointment“ of the ban further emphasized the necessity for inclusion.

“We’ve come to know from those repressive regimes that their lack of tolerance is exclusionary to people who deserve to be not only included, but celebrated for who they are and made to feel part of a society and a culture and not punished for their sexuality,” he said. “It feels truly out of step with everything that we’ve experienced as a species, let alone where we’re at globally more as a culture, but frankly, it’s just even more reason why this isn’t tokenism to include an LGBTQ+ community member.”

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” promises a journey across alternate realities while confronting power foes. Hopefully by Disney maintaining its stance, we will get closer to our very own reality where there is more tolerance and compassion.

Anderson Paak is coming off a really big year due to his collaboration with Bruno Mars as Silk Sonic. The duo embraced throwback R&B, soul, and funk vibes with such full throated joy, that they even picked up the Grammy for Record Of The Year at this year’s ceremony, honored for the project’s kickoff single “Leave The Door Open.” Since the track also picked up Song Of The Year, you can imagine that Anderson is riding on cloud nine energy at the moment, and knows it’s the perfect time to strike while the iron is hot and release some new music of his own.

And what better way to cut through the noise of constant releases than by skipping a step and heading straight to the advertising world? Paak partnered with Budweiser to debut his latest track, “Yours To Take,” by featuring it in an ad for the beer company. In the clip, which runs just over ninety seconds, a bunch of different artists and creatives are featured doing their thing — including a female drummer, which is cool, and a nice nod to Paak’s on tenure behind the kit — before eventually gathering at clubs and different events. And what do they drink there? You guessed it — the king of beers. It’s not a terribly heavy-handed commercial though, as those goes, and the song sounds very much in line with classic Paak. Check it out up top.

If someone says, “let’s order a margarita flight” when you walk into a bar, you kind of have to do it. It’s not a law, but don’t be an asshole. Margaritas are, generally, great and a whole flight translates to “let’s have a good time, now!” (Should you bother making margarita flights at home? That’s a whole other question.)

Still, to test these recipes that’s essentially what I did — made a flight. I prepped four margaritas that I’ve seen smashing on Tiktok and Instagram — strawberry basil margarita, a ghost pepper mango margarita, a passionfruit margarita, and a classic margarita — and compared their merits. These are all shakers, so let’s get shaking!

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4 Margarita Flight

Margarita 1 — Strawberry Basil

Ingredients:

• 2 fresh strawberries, quartered
• 2 fresh basil leaves
• 1.5 oz. reposado tequila (plus a splash from the bottle)
• 0.75 oz. fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz. orange liqueur
• 0.5 oz. cherry liqueur
• 0.25 oz. simple syrup
• Ice
• Basil (for garnish)

The ingredients on this one are pretty easy to source. I recommend a classic Genovese basil as it’ll have the broadest leaves for the muddle. Smaller form basil — like Thai or Greek — will get really bitter if you over-muddle them since they’re more concentrated.

Before we move on, for all of these recipes, I’m using Don Julio Reposado. I love this stuff for everything from a Ranch Water to shots to Palomas to classic margaritas.

What You’ll Need:

• Rocks glass
• Cocktail Shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Juicer
• Fine strainer
• Pairing knife
• Jigger
• Muddler

Method:

• Fill the rocks glass with ice.
• Add the strawberries, basil, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker, and use the muddler to mash the basil and strawberry to create a juicy base.
• Add the tequila, orange liqueur, and cherry liqueur to the shaker with a handful of ice. Affix the lid and shake vigorously until the shaker is ice cold and frosted over.
• Strain with a fine-mesh strainer into the waiting glass, making sure to remove all the basil and strawberry flesh.
• Garnish with fresh basil.

Margarita 2 — Mango Ghost Pepper

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. reposado tequila (plus a splash from the bottle)
• 1 oz. mango puree
• 0.5 oz. fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz. orange liqueur
• 4 dashes of ghost pepper chili sauce
• Mango slice (for garnish)
• Ice

Mango puree might be a little harder to find. This is a bar juice of sorts that you should be able to get at any real liquor store. Though some of these will have sugar added, you really need the “puree” to add the correct, silky texture to these sorts of drinks. The best stuff — and what good bars use — usually come in bags like this.

As for the ghost pepper chili sauce, I simply grabbed what was in my fridge (pictured below). I like these spicier, so I wasn’t short with my sauce in the cocktail. Dial in your own balance as you practice making these.

What You’ll Need:

• Rocks glass
• Cocktail Shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Juicer
• Sieve
• Pairing knife
• Jigger

Method:

• Fill the glass with ice.
• Add the tequila, mango puree, orange liqueur, chili sauce, and lime juice to a shaker.
• Top up with ice, affix the lid, and shake until the shaker is frosted over.
• Strain into a waiting rocks glass and garnish with a mango wedge.

Margarita 3 — Passionfruit

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. reposado tequila (plus a splash from the bottle)
• 1 oz. passionfruit puree
• 0.5 oz. fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz. orange liqueur
• Granadilla seeds from half of the fruit
• Granadilla slice (for garnish)
• Ice

The same goes for the passionfruit puree as the mango puree above. You can also find these on Amazon in a pinch.

As for the granadilla, that’s a type of sweet passionfruit that works better as a garnish as it better matches the color of the cocktail. Also, the seeds add a nice visual touch to the whole thing. If you can’t find them, regular passionfruit works fine.

What You’ll Need:

• Rocks glass
• Cocktail Shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Juicer
• Sieve
• Pairing knife
• Jigger

Method:

• Fill the glass with ice.
• Add the tequila, passionfruit puree, orange liqueur, lime juice, and seeds from half of a granadilla to a shaker.
• Top up with ice, affix the lid, and shake until the shaker is frosted over.
• Strain into a waiting rocks glass with a wide mouth strainer (which will allow the seeds through) then garnish with a half slice of granadilla

Margarita 4 — The Classic Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. reposado tequila (plus a splash from the bottle)
• 1 oz. fresh lime juice
• 1 oz. orange liqueur
• Pinch of salt (about the size of a lentil between your fingers)
• Lime wheel
• Ice

This is all standard stuff. You should be able to get this at any liquor or grocery store. As for the orange liqueur, I’d go with a Cointreau. It’s a little pricier but worth it for the best marg.

What You’ll Need:

• Rocks glass
• Cocktail Shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Juicer
• Sieve
• Pairing knife
• Jigger

Method:

• Add ice to the rocks glass.
• Add tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, salt, and ice to a shaker.
• Affix the lid to the shaker and shake until the outside of the shaker is frosted over.
• Strain the margarita into the waiting rocks glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

Bottom Line:

Okay, let’s talk about the margaritas first. These all were pretty damn good. One thing I did learn from this is that making a specialty marg isn’t that big of a deal, as long as you have all the ingredients you need for it in the fridge. Making the strawberry basil margarita only took 20 seconds longer than making the classic one, so there’s no real deterrent if that’s your flavor of choice.

In the end, the mango ghost pepper marg was my favorite. I love the silkiness of the mango and that sweet/spicy/almost woody edge. Then, I’d probably go with the classic marg with the strawberry basil and passionfruit tied for third.

As for making all of these at once, well: do you have a good bar set up? Knowing that is the only way I can answer that question. It’s a lot of work to set up your space to make a lot of drinks at once. It was fine and maybe took me five minutes from top to bottom, but I’ve also worked in hardcore cocktails bars.

Moreover, I have the gear (good shakers, strainers, juicers, etc.) to make four cocktails at once. You can 100 percent do this with old jars with lids, as I mentioned above, but you need to make sure to work fast to keep the fidelity of each cocktail high before the ice breaks.

Still, if you make sure to get quality ingredients, have enough grit to shake four cocktails at once, and can do it all pretty quick before the ice starts melting, then, sure, make these at home. Experiment with a million flavor combinations. Have a great time. Or, maybe, just grab a flight the next time you go into your favorite Tex-Mex or Oaxacan joint and save each of these margaritas for when you want a single one at home. That’s the easier pick, to be sure!

Wanda Maximoff might be the best character in the MCU, not just because she has a lot of power and whatnot, but because she is the only character who lost their accent between two of the movies and then just kept going with it. That is acting! She is also the focus of the latest Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness featurette, as fans get a taste of what’s to come when the movie hits theaters next week.

“Part of the madness of the multiverse is that we get to see different realities,” producer Kevin Feige says. “And we see different versions primarily of Doctor Strange, but we do see other versions of Wanda Maximoff.”

Elizabeth Olsen returns to the big screen after her hit Disney+ series WandaVision became the first MCU television series. The show was set up as a prequel to the second Doctor Strange movie, so Wanda will seemingly play a big role in the movie, alongside Doctor Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch. “It’s magical. She owns that character so well,” Cumberbatch says of Olsen’s portrayal of Wanda. “It’s a very powerful performance with a very powerful character.”

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness is the latest contribution to Marvel’s Phase Four of the post-Infinity War saga. AKA, everything after Robert Downey Jr. left to pursue his dreams of becoming a Christopher Nolan star. The movie hits theaters on May 6th. Check out the clip above.

It’s not rare for athletes to pursue business ventures off the court, and use the wealth and status they have achieved during their time playing a sport to become ultra-successful off the court. This has gone on for quite some time in the world of basketball, and in today’s Dime Breakdown, we took a look at the current and former players who have done this better than anyone.

The world of media, in particular, has been kind to basketball players over the years. This goes far beyond guys like Shaq starring in movies, or Kareem popping up in a number of films — take guys like LeBron James and Baron Davis, who are involved heavily with the behind-the-scenes aspects of films thanks to their production companies.

There are also the guys who use the things they do in one sport to get heavily involved in another. While Michael Jordan serving as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets is the NBA example everyone knows, a guy like Kevin Durant — whose investment portfolio seems to include a little bit of everything — holds an ownership stake in the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer, while Giannis Antetokounmpo holds ownership equity in the Milwaukee Brewers.

These examples represent only the tip of the iceberg, and as time goes on, more and more basketball players will find new ways to get involved in business ventures no one else has pursued in the past.

Over the past few years, Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal (best known for starring in Normal People) have come to know each other well. They were first publicly associated in May 2020 when they shared a friendly Twitter exchange. They had a chat on Instagram Live a few days later, and in the following months, rumors swirled that the two were romantically involved. They made their red carpet debut (pictured above) at the 2021 LACMA Art + Film Gala on November 6, 2021, and the next month, they went “Instagram official” as a couple.

Now, it appears there has been a major update to the Bridgers/Mescal relationship timeline: Jezebel notes that according to recent reports, the two are now engaged. At a Coachella party earlier this month, Bridgers apparently referred to Mescal as her fiancé and a fellow party attendee reportedly said Bridgers “made no secret of the fact” she and Mescal are officially set to get married.

Neither Bridgers nor Mescal have publicly addressed their supposed engagement yet, but folks on the internet certainly have. As the rumored news has made it out into the world, there have been plenty of reactions online, with a common sentiment of mourning over the fact that both Bridgers and Mescal are completely off the dating market. In general, though, most of the reactions come from a place of being happy for the couple.

Check out some Bridgers/Mescal reactions below.

READING RAINBOW – REMASTERED – OPENING THEME SONG CREDITS

Every episode began with the beloved and iconic theme song (“take a look, with a book, Reading Rainboooooooow”) and featured a different children’s picture book, often narrated by a celebrity, which was followed by a segment where a child would give their own book review. All before Burton would sign off with a friendly “I’ll see you next time.” It was a wholesome, heartwarming staple for bookworms for 23 years.

READING RAINBOW – REMASTERED – OPENING THEME SONG CREDITS

But when the show got canceled in 2006, that was not “Reading Rainbow”’s final chapter. Through his company RRKidz, Burton began a Kickstarter campaign called “Bring Reading Rainbow Back” in order to launch the show as a new app. The app promised to bring classrooms free access to a library of interactive books and video field trips. The campaign was a massive success, and the goal amount of $1 million was reached within only 24 hours, according to NPR, making it the most widely supported Kickstarter campaign ever.

A video of Burton’s beautiful, tearful reaction to the good news can be seen below. If there’s any doubt as to the genuine passion this man has for this project, this is a must-watch.

Despite the campaign’s success, it did stir up some less than positive aftermath. WNED filed a lawsuit against Burton and RRKidz over contract and trademark violations. But still, the conflicts seem more or less resolved with some rebranding on Burton’s part. And no matter what, I think we can all agree that he will always be the heart and soul of the show.

It seems very fitting that a man who brought so much innovation to children’s programming will be receiving his award during a brand new ceremony. After all, Burton brought us many “firsts.” The Children and Family Emmy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on Dec 11th, and Burton will be taking home his prize then.

Though Butron seemed surprised by the news (posting a simple “Whoa” to Twitter), he has touched so many lives that it seems like a no-brainer.

I just hope he has room left on his trophy shelf. As long as it doesn’t take the place of a book!

Hi friends!

Spring is finally springing, thank goodness. We’ve had some weirdly late wintry weather the past couple of weeks where I live, so seeing the daffodils and tulips bursting into bloom is refreshing. “Earth laughs in flowers,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. So succinct and so true.

Every season carries its own delights; we simply need to look for them. The same goes for all of the spaces we inhabit, from our homes to our communities to the big wide, world. It’s a basic, fundamental truth that when we look for joy, we will find it. It might be buried under a bunch of detritus, and we may have to wade through some much and mire to find it, but it’s there. Always is and always has been.

Pulling together these smile-worthy finds each week feels like gathering a bouquet of flowers. Such a simple act—to find beauty and take the time to hold and appreciate it—is often underestimated. Maybe it’s not earth-shattering or life-changing, but it’s good. And sometimes good is more than enough to bring some much-needed joy to our hearts and smiles to our faces.

With that, enjoy these 10 things that made us smile this week:

First, a happy hello from Boomer the “land cloud.” 

See on Instagram

Isn’t “land cloud” the perfect description of this doggo? (And more importantly, how did they get Boomer into that backpack?)

Four cellists play Ravel’s Bolero on a single cello and WOW.

“Bolero” is known for its insistent, repeated snare drum rhythm and for building tension with the addition of more and more instruments in the orchestra as the piece progresses. Playing it on one instrument seems impossible, and yet, here we are. Amazing. Read more about this fabulous collaboration here.

Man shares a heartwarming letter thanking a neighbor for letting him pet sit two dogs and a cat. 

“They motivated me to restart my life again.” So beautiful. Read the full story here.

The evolution of motherhood laid out in this one panda video.

deliver baby to mompic.twitter.com/PaRqrnxkDR

— LovePower (@LovePower)
1651073526

1.) Awww, she’s so gentle with that tiny baby!

2) Oh, she’s still picking him up by his head!

3) “Mom, I’m way too old for this!”

The personality of a cat summed up in one video.

Not the best spot to take a nap.. pic.twitter.com/hzvtGYElnL

— Buitengebieden (@Buitengebieden)
1650991361

“I know this is clearly where you eat, but I’ve decided it’s my bed now and I’m not moving.”

Watch how this sweet doggo shares his treat with a friend.

Dogs are the best people.nnCredit:Imgur/lullylullyuspic.twitter.com/hGyFq2slRr

— Danny Deraney (@Danny Deraney)
1650813119

That little reassuring paw pat, though. “Hey buddy, you good.” So darn sweet.

And then there are the goofy things humans do for fun.

Movies like to portray girls at sleepovers having pillow fights in their underwear, but this video is much closer to reality.

Woman gets invited on a sleepover by her 92-year-old grandpa who was feeling lonely.

See on Instagram

Welp, I’m gonna need a tissue now. What a precious thing. Read the full story here.

Neighborhood kids teaching a boy how to ride a bike is just pure childhood goodness.

@heressometlcfoya

This made my heart melt. ❤️

This is what community looks like. Love to see it.

Kid comforts and peps up his teammate who was feeling inadequate.

See on Instagram

Best teammate ever, indeed.

Hope that brought some sunshine to your day! Come back next week for another bright bouquet of the internet’s best.

By now, everyone has become intimately familiar with the details surrounding Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s trial and relationship. Opinions have been shared in support of one star or the other, but since the testimony of Dr. Shannon Curry, a clinical and forensic psychologist who completed a 12 hour evaluation of Heard over the course of two days, people have been talking about personality disorders.

Dr. Curry diagnosed Amber Heard with two separate personality disorders, Borderline Personality Disorder and Histrionic Personality Disorder. Both disorders have symptoms of exaggeration and volatile mood changes and some believe with BPD that can sometimes turn violent but having BPD isn’t itself an indicator of violence. Curry testified to this in court and set the internet ablaze with further speculation, which unfortunately casts more stigma onto people living with these personality disorders.

Borderline Personality Disorder already has such a deep stigma, even within the mental health community among therapists that either don’t fully understand the disorder, or prefer not to treat the disorder. To be clear, therapists have specialties and every therapist is not qualified to treat all disorders to the degree that certain disorders may require. Personality disorders in general are often treated by people that specialize in personality disorders, but the stigma attached to BPD specifically is difficult to overlook.

People living with BPD are often stigmatized as difficult, volatile, manipulative, and unpleasant to be around for long periods of time. Symptoms of the disorder can make this true for some people that live with it, but Borderline Personality Disorder is also a symptom in and of itself, which isn’t talked about much. People that have BPD are often people that have experienced abuse and trauma, or were neglected, mistreated or abandoned by a parent but genetic and environmental factors can also determine predisposition to the disorder. It’s important to look at what people call “manipulation” from a different perspective. In most instances of BPD and other personality disorders such as Histrionic Personality Disorder, people aren’t necessarily attempting to manipulate, they’re trying to get a need met in a way that has worked in the past.

See on Instagram

One of the common symptoms of BPD is fear of abandonment, and this fear may cause people to behave in ways that damage relationships in order to make people stay. While the intention is to get people to stay, maladaptive behaviors actually do the opposite, which in turn increases insecurity in relationships because another person has left. This can lead to more feelings of abandonment and symptoms of depression. These behaviors are often not done out of spite, but an attempt at keeping their loved ones close. It can feel like a push pull dynamic, and the person living with the disorder is just as internally conflicted, if not more so than the people in their lives. They want and deserve to be loved, respected and valued just as everyone else.

While violence is not unheard of in people that experience personality disorders like BPD, it doesn’t mean everyone with BPD is violent, or prone to violent tenancies. Oftentimes when we can take a step back and look at the person, where they’ve come from and what they’ve been through instead of the disorder, we can better learn how that particular person seeks validation and do our best to honor that within reason.

Abuse is never OK under any circumstances, and having a mental health condition such as the two Heard was diagnosed with is not an excuse to inflict physical or emotional pain on someone. Personality disorders are treatable with therapy, sometimes intensive therapy and medication to treat accompanying symptoms. There are areas of coping that need to be relearned and thoughts that have to be challenged by a professional, but as a society we also need to relearn a few things about these disorders to stop the shame and rejection that can come along with them.

Like many other mental health conditions, personality disorders need to be destigmatized. No one asks to have these disorders, just as no one wakes up and decides they’re going to have an asthma attack. So it’s on us as a society to increase our understanding of these disorders so we can increase our empathy and allow people to talk openly about their healing journeys. As long as there’s a deep stigma the less likely that the people that need the help the most will seek it. We have to do better.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or plan for safety online at thehotline.org.

The American financial system has systemic racism built right into it. For generations, systems like red-lining and predatory lending practices have resulted in a wealth gap that sees communities of color without equal access to jobs, homes, healthcare, and education, and that chasm is only growing wider as a result of the two-plus year pandemic we’ve been living through.

In the latest Uproxx original video, Opportunity Gap, Steve Vasquez reports that four in ten black households lost their income or jobs in the last two years and lays out how the legacy of an unfair federal and state housing and lending policies contributed to the fact that the 400 richest American billionaires hold more wealth than all 10 million Black households in America combined.

That’s a disparity that needs to be addressed and while it’s going to take a lot of time and effort to reckon with America’s long legacy of systemic racism, one powerful way we can better balance the scales of an uneven financial system right now is by increasing financial access to underserved communities. Digital banking platform Varo Bank along with basketball icon Russell Westbrook are attempting to do just that with Russ x Varo Money Power.

Russ x Varo Money Power is a custom financial literacy program that is designed to educate its members on the historical barriers that have been built into the American financial system for decades while offering tools to help navigate budgets, careers, avoid money traps, and even start a business. Westbrook is no stranger to how much of a barrier to success money can be and has used his platform so far to bring the financial knowledge he wishes he had growing up to a younger generation of future moguls.

While the program is new, it’s already seen one class of graduates move on and is eager to teach the next class and offer the tools to counter the rippling effects of an unfair financial system.

To learn more about Varo Bank’s Russ x Varo Money Power program, be sure to watch the video above or visit Varo Money’s official website.