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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has spent the past three days being interviewed by members of the U.S. Senate as they consider her nomination for Supreme Court Justice. As expected, it has been ugly at times, with some members of Congress attempting to paint her in a negative light.

Jackson came into these hearings as one of the most qualified candidates ever, and she has handled everything thrown at her with grace, poise and barrels full of patience. Someone serving on the highest court in the land should have the temperament to handle questions and concerns without erupting into emotional outbursts, so her collectedness is not unexpected. At the same time, it can’t have been easy to be grilled for hours on end, especially when you know certain politicians are determined to make you out to be someone you’re not.

Jackson’s nomination is also historically significant. If confirmed, will be the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. Considering the fact that 96% (110 out of 115) of the Supreme Court Justices up to now have been men and 97% (112 out of 115) have been white, representation on the nation’s highest court has been woefully imbalanced, which is why President Biden made it a point to chose a Black woman out of all of the well-qualified candidates as his nominee.

This moment matters. And New Jersey Senator Cory Booker wasn’t about to let the ugly politics of the last couple of days cloud that fact. In his signature, animated way, Booker celebrated Jackson’s presence in that hearing in a way that moved both Jackson and those who were watching.

An excerpt of the speech quickly circulated on Twitter.

Just watch this video. Just watch.pic.twitter.com/wmERvmniL5

— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin)
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He begins by quoting poet Langston Hughes’ “Let America Be America Again,” then pointing out the various groups of people who have had to fight for their freedom in this country. He pointed out how much each of those groups loved America, to push this country to live to its ideals, to make it what it has always claimed to be.

“All of these people loved America,” he said. “You are here because of that kind of love.”

Booker’s joy at the historic significance of this moment was personal, but contagious. He’s right—this is a moment to celebrate. And it was lovely to see him reflect that back to her with words of praise and encouragement.

Watch the full video below—it’s even more powerful—and see some of the reactions from people who were moved by Booker’s words:

How important that Ketanji Brown Jackson receives these public words of encouragement in the middle of this confirmation hearing. To provide her strength and resolve in the middle of all of this nonsense. u201cYou are worthy.u201dThose three words are everything. #SheWillRise

— April (@April)
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The way Cory poured into her to recharge her. ud83eudd79

— Monica Williams (@Monica Williams)
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I am writing this as a white man of a certain age. Sen. Cory Booker isn’t going on. He’s telling the story the right way… with the moral force that it deserves. Judge Jackson’s story is an American story. And she will make a terrific contribution 2 the highest court n our land.

— Eclecticity (@Eclecticity)
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Booker’s full comments are even more powerful. Watch them here:

He took out the trash with a fierce joy and love that I could have never found. That was brilliant.

— THEE Jay B. (@THEE Jay B.)
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The advent of social media and smartphones has nearly eradicated the idea of the empty moment. We no longer have to sit with our thoughts when waiting in line at the supermarket. There’s no need to strike up a conversation with someone at the bus stop to pass the time.

One doesn’t even need to remember to grab a book before getting on a flight.

Social media makes the promise that it’s possible for us to be entertained and engaged during every waking moment. Writer Max Patrick Schlienger (@RamsesThePigeon on Twitter) challenges that idea by making a convincing argument that our habitual scrolling actually leaves us bored and listless.

Schlienger made his case in a Medium article entitled, “The Cargo Cult of the Ennui Engine.”

Hereu2019s a piece about the Ennui Engine and its effects on life, entertainment, and happiness:https://link.medium.com/X46Yz7jifmb

— Ramses the Pigeon (@Ramses the Pigeon)
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Schlienger says this trouble started once online content creators realized that the bar was set pretty low on the internet and they could get a lot of attention with minimal effort by creating low-quality content.

“Content creators took note of this trend, and while many of them resisted it, many more adjusted accordingly. After all, why should they expend a lot of effort on something when lazy offerings were seeing more success?” he wrote.

“Before long, accuracy, quality, and correctness became optional requirements, and online audiences learned to expect mostly low-effort content instead of refined assemblages,” he added.

While watching videos of a guy eating it on a skateboard on Instagram or someone explaining psychological disorders in 17 seconds on TikTok aren’t bad in and of themselves, low-effort content is quick and simple and demands little of us so we consume it passively. It’s a lot different than reading a book where we co-create meaning with the author or watching a film that asks us to make sense of complicated characters and plot developments.

Further, our constant diet of low-effort content also leads to more of it being produced.

“When we amplify these things—using our likes, upvotes, retweets and shares—we encourage the creation of more low-effort content, and in so doing, we send the message that higher quality offerings are unwelcome and unwanted,” Schlienger wrote.

“After all, if we enjoy the low-effort content, why shouldn’t we ask for more of it? Why shouldn’t we encourage it?” he wrote. “Therein lies the real problem, however: We don’t enjoy the low-effort content … at least not as much as we’ve tricked ourselves into thinking that we do.”

So how are we fooling ourselves?

“Every second that we spend scrolling represents a tiny investment of emotional energy, the well of which is slowly drained as moments pass. To return to a previous metaphor, we start off hoping for a jackpot, then grow increasingly desperate to just break even,” he wrote.

“Unfortunately, since we’ve already demanded that we be served only low-effort content—and since that same jackpot is being buried—we’re doomed to lose every time. We point to tiny blips above a baseline of boredom as evidence that we’re still enjoying ourselves, and we deny that our banks are being depleted,” he adds.

Upworthy spoke with Schlienger and he compared habitual scrolling to an addiction.

“I think it’s a great thing that we’ve been entering into an era where mental health is much more at the forefront of our attention. Folks are much more open about their internal struggles. And yet in spite of that, we’re going around chain smoking and encouraging others to do the same,” he told Upworthy. “When you start scrolling, when you start looking at this low effort content, it’s hard to stop. And, just like a smoker, you tend to snarl at anybody that says, hey, that’s bad for you.”

Schlienger believes that this addiction to low-effort content is rarely challenged because everyone has a phone. “I can sit and scroll through TikTok, and maybe that’s bad for me, sure. But you know what? Nobody can criticize me for that because I’m using a phone just like they are,” he said.

In addition to consuming a lot of our time, Schlienger says it also throttles our motivation. In “The Cargo Cult of the Ennui Engine” he makes the case that every time we pick up the phone and go hunting for something engaging, we are burning emotional energy on an activity that will rarely replenish what it has diminished.

“It’s like consuming junk food where you’re not actually getting any nourishment, but it’s still filling you up. It’s getting rid of your hunger, although in this case, the hunger is sort of inverted and it’s motivation. It’s draining your motivation,” he said.

Schlienger’s theories are backed up by recent studies on social media and boredom. Researchers from the Netherlands’ Radboud University recently found that “phone usage wasn’t an effective method to alleviate boredom and fatigue and even made these feelings worse in many cases.”

Schlienger’s idea that passively consumed low-effort content distracts more than it alleviates boredom is echoed by psychologist Nancy Irwin. “Boredom is generally a quest for fulfillment from external sources. However, real fulfillment is an internal job,” she said.

The first step in overcoming the addiction to low-effort content and habitual scrolling is to understand its limits and to be conscious of our daily behaviors. Schlienger doesn’t believe we should immediately delete our social media apps, but to be more mindful of our use and careful about what we encourage.

“Instead, we should remain self-aware and discerning as we traverse the web, encouraging, applauding and insisting on effort and earnestness from anyone who intends to contribute (no matter how small or substantial their contributions might be),” he wrote in “The Cargo Cult of the Ennui Engine.”

“Amplify emotional investments,” he wrote, “not blips above the baseline.”

Last Friday, the Sacramento Kings announced Richaun Holmes would be away from the team for the remainder of the season due to “personal reasons,” with Holmes thanking fans for their support during “difficult times.”

There were not details given and few felt the need to pry given the potential sensitivity of the situation, but on Wednesday word emerged from Robin Epley of the Sacramento Bee that Holmes’ absence from the team was due to an ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife over custody of their son, in which Allexis Holmes accuses Richaun of domestic violence and physical abuse of their 6-year-old son earlier this year.

Allexis Holmes, who has been divorced from her husband since September 2019, has accused Richaun Holmes of domestic violence and of physically abusing their son. Allexis Holmes accused her former partner of “taking out his frustration” on their son and causing him to bleed from a blow to the head during a visitation on Feb. 6, according to court documents.

Richaun Holmes will appear in court later this month and is currently on a restraining order from his son due to the alleged violence. His attorney released a statement to Epley denying the allegations and calling them “baseless claims.”

“We expect the other side to continue to manufacture claims and present misleading information of all types,” Moder said. “But Richaun will continue to focus on ensuring he can spend the most time with his son and supporting him in every way possible.”

The legal process will have to play out but there are certainly questions raised about how the Kings have handled this, particularly calling it “personal reasons” and releasing the statement they did from Holmes given the severity of the accusations.

Yesterday marked the ten-year anniversary of Mac Miller’s seventh mixtape Macadelic. The project arrived complete with features from Kendrick Lamar, Juicy J, Lil Wayne, Joey Badass, Casey Veggies, and more. Macadelic was released after Mac achieved mainstream success with his debut album Blue Slide Park and singles like “Donald Trump.” As he began working on the project, Mac said the project came about through his decision to “stop thinking about what kind of music [he] should make and just start saying what [he] wanted to say.” Now, a decade later, his estate is celebrating its release with some new treats to fans.

The late rapper’s estate celebrates the anniversary of Macadelic with some rare footage of Mac. It features the young rapper, who was just 20 years old at the time of the project’s release, playing basketball with friends, recording music in the studio, and performing music in front of crowds during the Macadelic Tour. During this stretch of shows, he performed 18 shows in the United States and three in Europe.

In addition to the rare footage, Mac’s estate also released an anniversary vinyl for Macadelic. The double LP release, which features a remastered edition of the project, arrives with a poster and an embossed cover design. Proceeds from the vinyl sales will go to the Mac Miller Fund, an initiative to support young musicians who struggle to gain access to expensive resources.

You can watch the rare footage of Mac above and access the anniversary vinyl for Macadelic here.

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

If there’s anyone you don’t want to go up against in a singing contest, it’s Kelly Clarkson. The singer who made “American Idol” her success as much as it was theirs is arguably one of the most talented singers alive today. Who would dare to go up against those pipes in a competition?

Anne Hathaway, apparently.

Hathaway proved herself to be no slouch in the musical world with her performance as Fantine in “Les Miserables,” but still. We’re talking Queen Kelly Clarkson here. It would take some serious guts to compete with the Queen, no matter how well you can sing.

But Hathaway not only agreed to some friendly competition on Clarkson’s show, she actually slayed it. Not by besting Clarkson’s vocal chops, but by recognizing songs and singing them before Clarkson could—including, as it turned out, one of Clarkson’s own greatest hits.

The game was “Sing That Name That Tune,” in which Hathaway and Clarkson competed to see who could start singing karaoke to a song after just hearing an intro. Whoever recognized the song first and stepped up to sing it would win the round. In the first two rounds, Clarkson stepped up first, but she didn’t get the songs right. (Well, technically, she got the second song right but couldn’t sing any of the lyrics, so Hathaway took it.)

“Can you play a fricking song I’ll know!” said Clarkson. So the band did. Her hit song, “Since You’ve Been Gone.” And Hathaway still beat her to it.

Watch:

anne hathaway is a theater kid, you will never beat a theater kid at these types of games (even if you are the untouchable kelly clarkson)pic.twitter.com/FQiopkySqQ

— alex (@alex)
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First, kudos on the belting. That’s not an easy song to sing. Second, Clarkson’s reaction was hilarious. Classic Kelly Clarkson. And Anne Hathaway’s cool confidence made a perfect contrast. So fun.

People joked about Anne Hathaway being a theater kid and how that experience led her to this very moment.

Kelly has never stood around the piano for HOURS at her theater director’s house while he plays tune after tune that everyone joins in on within the first 2 bars. The hours of my life spent doing just this…

— Jolie Lindley (@Jolie Lindley)
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It actually gets better when you watch the whole segment, because the song that followed “Since You’ve Been Gone” ended up creating an awesome David Bowie and Vanilla Ice mash-up.

Was it all scripted? Who knows. It’s fun nonetheless and Kelly Clarkson’s response is already being made into a GIF, which we’ll surely start to see everywhere.

New gif just dropped @kellyclarkson https://t.co/gJGmHxxa2x pic.twitter.com/PIK1FYNQwh

— Jairus (@itsjairusjames) March 23, 2022

In the nearly three months since Bob Saget’s sudden and mysterious death, there are some details that remain unknown. They may remain forever unknown. But even though we have a better understanding now of what could have caused the beloved performer and filmmaker’s demise, another key detail has been made public.

Rosali Cocci, who runs errands for talent at the Orlando hotel in which Saget died, has opened up about the night of his death, in audio obtained by Page Six. And it sounded like he was already experiencing health issues, possibly as a result of, as Saget called it, “long-term COVID.” (An autopsy revealed he had tested positive for the virus.)

“I did hear him say, ‘I don’t feel good but I’m ready to do the show. This is what I do this for.’ He seemed to be talking himself up,” Cocci said. “He said that his hearing had been off and that was the case that night. He was asking the sound guys to turn everything up.”

Cocci also claimed that Saget said he had a sore throat and that he was “happy he had lozenges for the stage.” But she also said he “seemed OK” and that he was “cracking jokes” throughout the two-hour set that wound up his last. “He wasn’t sweating, he didn’t miss a beat, nothing slurred,” she said. “He came out very energetic.”

Saget was found dead in his Orlando hotel room the morning of January 9, after performing a stand-up set. An autopsy revealed multiple skull fractures. One theory is that he may have fallen backward onto the marble floor of the bathroom and lost consciousness. When he came to, he may have stumbled into bed and eventually died. The tragic news prompted widespread mourning, as well as appropriately funny-naughty jokes.

(Via Page Six)

The Brooklyn Nets have been operating as two different teams this season, one with Kyrie Irving, who has played 19 road games this season, and one without, as the star guard has refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine and has been ineligible to play home games (and was held out of the start of the season completely) due to the vaccine mandate for workers in the city.

Recently, New York City has been loosening some of the mandates, but had not yet indicated anything would change that would allow Kyrie to play anytime soon. However, further pressure from beyond the Nets has begun to mount with Major League Baseball getting ready to start its season and both the Mets and Yankees having some unvaccinated players on their squads. Given how big New York’s two MLB teams are and how much influence they wield, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that as Opening Day looms on the horizon, the city will apparently change its tune on the vaccine mandate.

According to numerous reports from Politico, ESPN, and The Athletic on Wednesday, mayor Eric Adams will announce a new exemption for in-town athletes and performers on Thursday.

The line from Charania’s tweet about “leveling the playing field” feels like particularly pointed messaging direct from the city in terms of how they will explain the new exemption, as many have pointed out that visiting players and performers are not beholden to the same mandate as those who reside in New York. This comes just as the Nets are getting ready for a crucial stretch of schedule in which six of their last eight games are at home, starting Sunday against Charlotte (a team they’re battling with for the 8-seed in the East).

While Irving will apparently be exempt from Brooklyn’s mandate, should things stay as they are in the East standings with 10 games to go, he would still not be able to play in the first play-in game in Toronto, should the Raptors remain in seventh and Brooklyn in eighth.

As you may have noticed, people on social media really like dunking on Ted Cruz, and that includes the star of his favorite movie. He makes it so easy, whether he’s in airports or participating in Supreme Court hearings. But maybe he enjoys the abuse? That’s what it seems like when he was caught checking his mentions — chock-full of people like Hellboy star Ron Perlman telling him to “f*ck” himself — soon after throwing one of his performative congressional fits.

On Wednesday, Cruz appeared to be dead-set on topping his feat from the day before, when he asked Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson if “babies are racist.” (Don’t worry, it doesn’t make much more sense in context.) While trying, like Josh Hawley, to accuse the seasoned judge of not offering stiff enough penalties for viewing child pornography (a claim debunked by no less than The National Review), Cruz got into a childish tantrum with Dick Durbin, who simply asked him to obey the rules.

If it seemed, as reporter Aaron Rupar opined, that Cruz was simply setting up some out-of-context clips for Sean Hannity’s show later that night, then perhaps you’re right. Soon after his outburst, he was seen ignoring the hearing so he could tool around on his smartphone.

What was he looking at? Kent Nishimura, staff photojournalist for The Los Angeles Times, saw the answer: He was checking out what people were saying about him on Twitter.

If obsessively reading mean things said about him is how Ted Cruz gets his kicks, we don’t want to shame him. But it is troubling that a senator may say and do inane — or, sometimes, disgusting and dangerous — things, in part so he can get attention. As they say, all press is good press. Although the person who coined that phrase probably never accounted for someone like the guy who tried to blame his notorious Cancún trip on his own daughters.

(Via Mediaite)

The Oscars announced another handful of presenters this earlier week, which included a strange combination of athletes, DJs, and comedians, including legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk. The choices weren’t unwelcome, but fans were perplexed at the presenter list since some more notable stars weren’t invited to attend.

While Hawk isn’t known for his contribution to film, he wanted to set the record straight, that he, too deserves to share the stage with the most talented actors in Hollywood. After all, there isn’t an awards show for skaters, is there?

Hawk has starred in a plethora of films, including Thrashin’, Haggard, and, of course, every Jackass movie ever. So no, he might not have been in West Side Story or Dune, but if he were he would have killed it! Fans quickly jumped to Hawk’s defense, supporting the skateboarder/actor, with many asking if he intends to skate at the ceremony, or if he will be recognized at all.

Other previously-announced presenters include Kevin Costner, John Travolta, Anthony Hopkins, Lily James, Zoë Kravitz, Lady Gaga, John Leguizamo, Simu Liu, Rami Malek, Rosie Perez, Chris Rock, Uma Thurman, and Yuh-Jung Youn. The show will be hosted by Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes, and Amy Schumer.

The Academy Awards airs Sunday, March 27th on ABC.

Bridgerton’s second season is nearly upon us and, besides a banging soundtrack, there’s plenty of Regency-era romance drama to look forward to. Before Julie Andrews gets to narrating all of the corseted chaos and raunchy romps the show has promised, we thought a refresher of sorts might be in order. After all, can one truly appreciate season two’s tale of a reformed rake looking for an arranged marriage in order to avoid those pesky things we call feelings without revisiting his f*ckboi antics? We think not.

Here are all of the storylines from Bridgerton’s first season that will most assuredly come into play in season two.

It’s Penelope Featherington, Lady Whistledown If You’re Nasty

While the London ton might still be in the dark as to the true identity of its most voracious gossip, Bridgerton fans aren’t. By the end of the first season, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan, doing her absolute best to convince you to just watch Derry Girls already, dammit!) revealed just how deftly she’d been wielding her pen, employing those countless hours spent wall-flowering and pining for her best friend’s brother in service of the greater good. (And by “greater good” we mean she was putting every corseted lady and side-burned rake on blast.) She might have endured some heartache by the time her debut marriage season was done but fret dear readers, this author’s still got teeth in season two.

A Viscount Hits The Marriage Market

Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) was Bridgerton’s resident f*ckboi in season one. He lorded over his siblings, nearly ruined his sister’s marriage prospects, and spouted off about duty and family while knocking boots with an opera singer who was not of his station. He constantly flip-flopped between doing what was right — taking on his manly responsibilities — and longing to run away with his backstage lover. In the end, he broke her heart and his own, resolving to finally marry a lady worthy of the viscountess title but swearing off any kind of romantic connection. So, yeah, we’ll see how that works out for him this season.

Colin Bridgerton’s Angst-Filled Vacay

The most charming Bridgerton brother experience heartbreak of his own in season one when his affections for Miss Marina Thompson led him to a hasty marriage proposal that ended in scandal. The show threw fans a curveball when it revealed Marina was pregnant and the baby’s father had tragically died in the war. Her goal was to marry quickly in order to hide her out-of-wedlock dalliance, something Penelope soon discovered. Wanting to save Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) from potential ruin, and, let’s be honest, improve her own chances of ending up with him, Penelope debriefed the whole ton on Marina’s bun-in-the-oven via her gossip column. In the end, Marina was able to marry Philip Crane, the brother of the man she once loved while an angst-ridden Colin jetted off to Greece for his own Regency-era Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants sabbatical. He’ll be back in season two, but will he be the same love-sick idiot who left, and will Penelope finally shoot her shot with him? We’ll see.

Eloise The Snoop

Fiercely independent and impossibly nosy, Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) absolutely did not have time for the demands of the marriage market in season one. She wasn’t officially out seeing as it was her elder sister Daphne’s season to shine, so she put all of the ball invitations and park promenades to good use by indulging in her favorite pastime: figuring out who the hell Lady Whistledown is. She got close too, eventually teaming with the Queen herself to discover the author’s identity but, in the end, she respected the rebellious spirit of the ton’s mysterious scribe too much to out her. Weirdly enough, Eloise is still obsessed with sussing out who Lady Whistledown is in season two, but this time, her reasons are, umm, more personal.

Son Of A … Duke

Bridgerton’s first season rested all of its horny hopes on the palpable connection between its spoon-licking rake, Simon, the Duke of Hastings (Rege-Jean Page), and Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) who was dubbed the season’s Diamond of the First Water. Theirs was a courtship filled with sexual tension and daddy issues and a surprising amount of violence but, in the end, their faux arrangement turned out to be the real deal. Simon was able to overcome his childhood trauma, Daphne finally figured out how babies were made, and the two welcomed a son whose name, they decreed, must begin with the letter “A.” Sadly, Page doesn’t make an appearance in season two but Daphne does pop up to help her oldest brother Anthony figure his sh*t out so just remember, even though these two aren’t burning for each other on-screen, they did get their happily ever after.

4 Broke Girls

Most of the Featherington brood — with the exception of Penelope — are insufferable, prattling idiots but even in their worst moments, they’re just so damn fun to watch. Their descent into destitution and poverty was as hard to swallow as the nauseatingly vibrant gowns Lady Featherington squeezed her daughter into and, by the end of the season, we couldn’t help feeling bad about all they lost. It was revealed that Lord Featherington was both a terrible accountant and an unlucky gambler, two things that led to his untimely demise. And, since this is Regency times when women were still considered a form of property, none of the Featherington women are qualified to inherit what’s left of his piddling estate. If you’re a period drama fan, you can likely guess what this all means. That’s right, an estranged male cousin is coming to town to claim his birthright. Sorry, girls.

‘Bridgerton’ returns on March 25.