Cheerleading is supposed to be a team activity. Most squads have anywhere from 10 to 20 cheerleaders and some have even more than that. But one squad in Nebraska had just four girls, and less than two weeks before the Nebraska State Cheer and Dance Championships, all but one cheerleader had quit.
Most kids would’ve followed suit so close to a big competition and without teammates, but Katrina Kohel, a senior at Morrill High School, decided she was still going to compete—even if it meant she would have to do it alone. Talk about being brave in the face of disappointment. This girl decided she was going to cheer in the competition and she did, without much care for what others thought.
The competition wasn’t just the next town over. It was five hours away, so Kohel and her coach, April Ott, really had to mull it over before committing to making that drive, according to Business Insider. In the end, the teen decided that she didn’t want to just sit in the crowd or stay home; she wanted to perform the routine she spent so much time learning. But the routine required the entire squad, so before they could make the trip, they had to figure out how to make it a one-person routine.
“I’ve put a lot of time into cheer. It’s just always been a part of who I am, so I didn’t want to end on that note. I wanted to go out on a high one. For that to come true, I didn’t want to end it just by going to watch state. I wanted to compete.” Kohel told Business Insider. So the lone cheerleader and her coach got to work redoing the routine so it made sense with just one person cheering.
The pair told the Omaha World-Herald that they had to rework the whole performance in a week and a half. It was really a battle of sheer will since Kohel was determined to do her best on the mat without her team. Kohel admitted to the outlet that she was nervous, but no one would have known it.
“She was completely confident the whole week that we practiced,” Ott told Business Insider. “It was just 100% confidence, and she just owned it.”
This cheerleader was absolutely unstoppable and she had her family’s full support. Even Ott’s daughter, who was previously a cheerleader at the same high school, tagged along to cheer her on. Kohel’s grandparents stood in for her parents because her brother had a state wrestling tournament and her parents are the coaches. But don’t worry, they were able to see her cheer through Facebook Live.
Support didn’t only come from her family and coach, as other cheerleaders piled into her section and cheered for the brave solo cheerleader. Darin Boysen, executive director of the Nebraska Coaches Association, told the Omaha World-Herald that this was the first time a cheerleader competed alone.
But she didn’t just compete—she placed 8th out of 12 squads, which is the highest Morrill High School has placed in the last three years.
“It’s almost overwhelming, the amount of support I got from all of them,” Kohel explained to Business Insider. “The whole arena was cheering me on. It wasn’t just one little section—it was the whole arena.”
LinkedIn is primarily a platform for working professionals to connect and find employment that aligns with their skills and values. With company layoffs continuing (even increasing in some industries) people have also used the website to courageously share their layoff experiences.
While the main intent behind this is, of course, finding a new job, there have also been some lovely displays of humanity that not only challenge the stigma of being laid off but show the power of a supportive community.
Take this heartwarming story, for example.
Patrick McCarthy, Communications Management & Marketing Leader, recently posted about a layoff that quickly went viral on the platform. Not for himself—for his father.
“This is Pete. He’s my dad,” his post began. “My dad lost his job yesterday. I would tag him here, but he doesn’t have a LinkedIn.”
Pete, who has had a “starkly different professional journey” than his son, spent most of his life working in the service industry and absolutely loved interacting with customers. His empathy and knack for listening made him perfect for the role. Over his career, Pete had collected thousands of interactions from working at Walgreens, Fry’s, and (most recently) Winco, often being the reason folks came back.
And then, Pete was laid off. His job as a cashier, one that he loved and was good at, was gone.
“As anyone would be, he’s shocked. Overwhelmed. Scared. Emotional,” Patrick wrote.
Knowing his dad didn’t have the same network to easily find a new job, Patrick reached out on his behalf, wholeheartedly believing in the “magic” of the LinkedIn Community. He implored that anyone looking for a candidate with “a LOT of customer-facing, customer service, and service industry experience” send him a message so that he could put them in touch with Pete.
Patrick’s faith paid off—way more than he thought it would. In less than a week, the post was shared over 500 times, with over 600 comments from people wanting to help.
A manager at a nearby Sprouts grocery store said Pete sounded like a perfect match for a clerk position that could even pay his daily wage ahead of time. Another suggested he could be an excellent outdoor tour guide for REI. Someone else referred them to a weekly meetup group led by a career coach.
Even LinkedIn responded, writing, “Pete sounds like a top-tier employee! 💙 Keep us posted as he progresses on his journey, as well as any tips or insights either of you learn along the way—it may help those in a similar situation.”
Truly, Pete’s story already provides some helpful insight. While he might still be in the job-seeking phase, things certainly look more optimistic. And all it took (besides Pete being a lovely human being) was one simple, honest post. As Patrick told Upworthy, “Clearly something about his story connected with others. Humanity. Vulnerability. Empathy.”
The words “social media” and “job market” can elicit some pretty negative visceral responses. Of course, this viewpoint has some merit, but it’s refreshing to see the power of human connection break through the disheartening headlines. Here’s to Patrick and his father Pete, for reminding us that even when things seem bleak or uncertain, the world is full of people trying to help out one another.
For those who love the oh-so fresh feeling of immediately running to brush their teeth after a meal, we got some bad news.
London-based dental surgeon and facial aesthetics practitioner Dr. Shaadi Manouchehri recently shocked around 12 million viewers on TikTok after sharing the three occasions when you should “never” be scrubbing those pearly whites—if you want to actually protect your teeth, that is.
The hardest part about this video, which some viewers are undoubtedly still processing, is that each of these no-no times is exactly when brushing your teeth is the only thing you’ll want to do. So much for instincts.
Number one on Manouchehri’s list, which caused the most controversy in the comments, isright after vomiting. Yep, you read that right.
“This is because the contents of the stomach are extremely acidic and the mouth is already in a very acidic state so if you brush straight after [vomiting] you’re basically wearing away your enamel,” Manouchehri explained.
Of course, commenters weren’t willing to let this one go without a fight. One viewer wrote, “I would rather lose all of my teeth than not brush after vomiting.”
Manouchehri also says to avoid brushing your teeth directly after eating breakfast. This is because “when you’ve just eaten, the mouth is, again in a “very acidic state,” so if you’re brushing your teeth you’re rubbing that acid on the tooth, which wears down the enamel.” Other sources have also confirmed that brushing your teeth tight after any meal isn’t really recommended.
This goes double for right after sweets. Manouchehri says to wait a full 60 minutes before putting a toothbrush anywhere near your mouth after having something sugary. Because…you guessed it…acid.
Does this advice seem counterintuitive? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
“Ah, yes, the three times I want to brush my teeth more than any other time,” one person joked.
Luckily, there are few alternatives to try if you want that good, clean mouth feeling but don’t want to compromise your enamel—the simplest being to either rinse with or drink water. You can also use sugar-free chewing gum or conclude your meal with dairy or non-acidic foods, according to Advanced Dental Associates. If you still crave a little more of a hygiene bang, you can opt for a mouthwash with fluoride and using a tongue cleaner, which removes excess acid, per Curetoday.com.
Guess there’s a time and a place for everything, even when it comes to dental hygiene.
Matthew Ables’ family had a Magic Kingdom coupon book from 1978 sitting in a desk drawer and he thought it was an old souvenir.
“It’s been collecting dust since before I was born and I always assumed it was an old family keepsake until I realized that it’s never been used and there’s no expiration date,” he said while inspecting the ticket book with a magnifying glass, in a TikTok video with over 9 million views.
“Which means I’ve either found the golden ticket here, or I’m delusional thinking that the Mouse is going to let me use it to get inside nearly half a century later,” he continued.
So, he flew to Orlando, Florida, to see if it would work.
I tried getting into Disney World using a 46 year old ticket #disneyworld #disney #themepark #funny #fyp
I tried getting into Disney World using a 46 year old ticket #disneyworld #disney #themepark #funny #fyp
Upon arriving at a ticket booth at the Magic Kingdom, Matthew got nervous because the woman who worked there began “aggressively” stamping “VOID” on his coupon book and then left. Luckily, she returned with a yellow ticket he could use to get into the park.
It’s fantastic that Disney honored the ticket even though it was 46 years old. Especially because today, that would have cost $164, which shows that Disney World prices have risen much, much higher than inflation.
If ticket prices rose with inflation, it would only cost $37.64 to get into the Magic Kingdom in 2024.
Some of the commenters on the video noted that people showing up with extremely old tickets isn’t uncommon at Disney parks. “I used to work Magic Kingdom Guest Relations. This exact scenario would happen a few times a week!” Allison wrote.
The Boston Celtics are the only team that came into this offseason feeling like they didn’t need to do anything other than bring back their current squad. Boston’s run to a title was incredibly impressive this season, as they were the best team in the regular season and dropped a grand total of three games over four rounds.
With most of their main rotation under contract for at least another year, the Celtics wrapped up a deal to bring back their biggest free agent, Luke Kornet, as free agency began and could then turn their attention to contract extensions. After already locking up Jrue Holiday on a long-term deal during the season (and Jaylen Brown last summer), they had a record extension to offer Jayson Tatum and a decision to make on Derrick White. White has become an incredibly important piece for Boston as their starting point guard who unlocks a lot of their defensive versatility and has become a tremendous three-point shooting threat on the other end.
White certainly could have looked to maximize his earnings on the free agent market next summer with a small cap bump coming with the new TV deal, but instead opted to sign an extension for 4 years, $125.9 million (with a player option) to stay with the team that has fully unlocked his best.
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White has agreed on a four-year, $125.9 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. The deal includes a player option. Huge offseason priority for the champs. pic.twitter.com/eAMo9yf7oe
White averaged 15.2 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game this season on 46.1/39.6/90.1 shooting splits, and upped his scoring output to 16.7 points on 45.5/40.4/92.1 splits in the playoffs. His ability to be a third option offensively while being one of the NBA’s best and most versatile perimeter defenders, creating a nightmarish pairing for opponents with Holiday, makes the Celtics a title team. They’re now locked into this core long-term and might have some second apron things to deal with in the future, but for now they are doing what few others are willing to and paying to keep a title team together.
You never know what kind of announcement you’ll get from George R.R. Martin, but one thing’s for certain: it will not be an update about The Winds of Winter, so don’t even ask.
This time, Martin took to his blog to celebrate an award he received for the writing and world building of Elden Ring, the 2022 hit RPG game. He said, “Back in May of 2023, SFWA presented its Nebula Award for Game Writing to Elden Ring, from Bandai Entertainment and From Software. I did the worldbuilding for that project; Hidetaka Miyazaka and his team did all the rest. We were both honored with trophies,” while Martin was not at the event, he was finally awarded his trophy in June.
In Elden Ring, players venture the Lands Between where they encounter demigods and mythical creatures living in the shadow world and work on perfecting various skills. Rumors have been swirling amongst fans that an Elden Ring adaptation is in the works, and Martin did not confirm nor deny the project.
Of the rumor, Martin has no idea what you’re talking about, so don’t even ask, okay? He wrote, “Oh, and about those rumors you may have heard about a feature film or television series based on ELDEN RING… I have nothing to say. Not a word, nope, not a thing, I know nothing, you never heard a peep from me, mum mum mum. What rumor?” This man knows how to have fun with his fans.
It’s unclear what the upcoming Elden Ring adaptation will be, though with a gigantic world like Elden Ring, a series would make a lot of sense. On the other hand… we’ve already got one show about rings out there.
If you want to keep things spoiler free for M. Night Shyamalan‘s next movie, Trap, you should stop reading this and go do something else, like re-watch The Village. It’s better than you remember, I swear (unlike The Last Airbender, which is somehow even worse).
For everyone who’s still here: Warner Bros. released a new trailer for the “very dark” thriller, which stars suddenly-everywhere Josh Hartnett as a dad who takes his daughter to a The Eras Tour-like concert. Except — twist! — the show is actually a titular trap meant to catch The Butcher, a serial killer who may or — double twist? — may not be Hartnett’s character.
You can watch the trailer above.
Shyamalan’s pitch for Trap: “What if The Silence of the Lambs happened at a Taylor Swift concert?” he told Empire. But who portrays the Swift-inspired pop star in the movie? That would be Saleka Shyamalan, M. Night’s own daughter.
As Lady Raven, she wrote 14 songs that appear in the film. “You don’t sit and watch all the songs fully, but everything’s happening during a concert,” Shyamalan told Consequence of Sound. “So it’s back and forth — the music is underneath a lot of the scenes and scoring, you know, things that are happening.” Hopefully there’s at least one Mid-Sized Sedan collaboration.
“I’m so proud to call her my friend, and we have been waiting to make a tune together, Ware told her crowd in an Instagram video posted by BBC, Ware, and Romy. “Glastonbury, please welcome to the stage Romy!”
The Stuart Price-produced song possesses the same disco-infused beats that made her 2023 album That! Feels Good! sparkle. Ware and Romy cleverly trade verses in the pre-chorus (“I’ve been livin’ in the past / Always thinkin’ this won’t last / No one else can hold us back / They say, ‘Listen, Romy’ / They say, ‘Listen, Jessie’”) before seamlessly blending their powerhouse vocals in the chorus, belting, “Now, I’m gonna lift you up inside this feeling / Now, I’m gonna give you something to believe in.”
According to a press release, Ware met Romy at a The xx show under the Westway in London years ago. Ware joined The xx on stage and forged a friendship with Romy. As such, “Lift You Up” felt full circle.
“I was so excited to be in the room with my friend and to see how she works and to hear her beautiful voice,” Ware said in a statement. “I’m so proud of the record. It’s a song that’s about both of us being too hard on ourselves, and not believing enough in ourselves. I think anyone can relate to that. There was a wonderful serendipity about the fact that she worked with Stuart Price on the last record [Romy’s 2023 solo album, Mid Air], too.”
Romy added, “I’ve been a fan of Jessie’s music for a long time, and it was amazing to finally work together after many years of friendship. Sometimes, we all need a friend there to lift us up and help us see things differently. A memory comes to mind of Jessie and I backstage at a festival when I was just starting to play my solo music live, and I was still figuring things out. She hyped me up and helped me believe in myself when I was feeling unsure. The conversation we had really stayed with me and was definitely in my mind when we were writing the lyrics.”
Dru and Diana’s plan to kill their mother Monet was a disaster from the start. In the Power Book II: Ghostseason three finale, The Tejada children enlisted Tariq St. Patrick to get the job done in retaliation for Monet orchestrating the murders of their father Lorenzo and Dru’s love interest Gordo.
Though they assured Tariq that potentially killing Monet wouldn’t come back to bite him, Dru and Diana’s true plan was to let Tariq take the fall for her death by telling Cane, who would presumably be seething with anger, that Tariq was solely responsible for Monet’s death. Unfortunately for them, the plan took an unexpected left turn when Tasha, Tariq’s mother, arrived at the Tejada home to fire gunshots at Monet, leaving her in a coma, which she emerged from in the season four opener.
In last week’s episode “The Reckoning,” Dru and Diana’s plot comes back to bite them as Monet receives proof of her children’s attempt to kill. It made for yet another chaotic dinner scene that ended with Dru and Diana speeding away in a car and Cane nearly firing gunshots at them. Tariq also got a hold of this evidence which led to an all out pursuit from him and Monet to find and kill Dru and Diana. Thankfully for the latter duo, they will live to see another day as surprising news about Diana becomes the centerpiece of a deal between Monet and Tariq to let Dru and Diana live.
With the Power Book II: Ghost season four midseason finale just a week away, we caught up with actors Lovell Adams-Gray and LaToya Tonodeo, who play Dru and Diana Tejada respectively, to talk about their failed plot against Monet and what to expect for the remaining episodes in season four.
Seeing how everything played out in the aftermath of the attempted murder of Monet. Where do you both think that Dru and Diana went wrong in their initial plan to kill Monet?
Lovell Adams-Grey: They didn’t go all the way through. They didn’t execute, you have to execute. That’s what happens. You don’t destroy your enemy completely, that’s exactly what happens [laughs].
LaToya Tonodeo: Diana, of course, leaving off in season three, episode ten, the first time she felt like Monet actually saw her, she immediately felt guilty. She felt bad and it was just like, I can’t go through with killing my mom. From there, I feel like it was the start of the demise for Dru and Diana because Dru was always adamant like, “No, this is what we’re going to do.” Diana thought she was until that car moment and it switched everything.
Lovell, there’s a new level of fearlessness for Dru in this episode and we see it in his confrontations with Cane and Monet. Would you say this comes as a result of him being ready to die as a consequence of his actions or is it connected to something else?
Adams-Grey: I think Dru is in a space right now where he has nothing to lose and that’s a dangerous place to be, right? You’ve already lost your father and you already plotted against your mother. You’re not married, you don’t have kids, there’s no… not collateral, but there’s none of that where he’s worried about anything. He can be as reckless and as fearless as he wants to be because he believes in what he’s doing so strongly
Between both of your characters, LaToya, I think Diana still has the most love for her mother despite everything. From being bedside with her in the hospital to trying to convince Dru to apologize and explain why they tried to kill her. Would you say all this from this season is a result of that guilt from the shooting last year, or there’s more to it?
Tonodeo: I feel like — and I’ve been saying it for a long time — Diana’s strength and weakness is her family. It makes her still very vulnerable or guilty really quickly in certain situations when it comes to her family. It’s her crutch, it will always lead back to family.
Adams-Grey: It’s a beautiful thing to be able to have and be anchored with your family. At the end of the day, what do we do this for, right?
STARZ
‘Power Book II: Ghost’ 404 w/ LaToya Tonodeo as Diana Tejada
Lovell, what makes it so difficult for Dru to understand the loyalty Diana and Cane have to Monet
Adams-Grey: I think it’s because Dru felt really connected to his father. There are certain affiliations, right? We see that Dru says that Cane is the mama’s boy and Diana has the relationship with Monet because they’re both women. They both have to be very powerful in an environment where you’re fighting for your power all the time. So the only person who truthfully saw Dru was his dad and that was taken from him. So, it’s not as easy to let that go as it is for everyone else. Seemingly at least.
At this point, what would say that Dru and Diana want from their mother Monet? What would be the best thing for them to receive to move forward?
Tonodeo: Diana has always wanted to feel seen by her mother, for the longest time since season one. There will be moments like in season one where they’re sitting on the steps and Monet is trying to teach Diana about the game, how men work, and how you need to work men before they work you. Even though that was this heart-to-heart sincere moment between Diana and Monet, I feel like growing up she has been wanting to feel seen by her mother. As Lovell said earlier, I think with Diana and Dru that connection with their father is very strong. Diana is a daddy’s girl and not by default, but kind of so because Monet is so hard on Diana. So for the longest time, and I will continue to say [it], she just wants to feel seen. I think maybe that could be something that could change it.
Adams-Grey: I think Dru just needs a small loan of a million dollars and some emancipation just to go do what he needs to do because I don’t know if we can get back. You gon’ find out, but me as a fan? I’m like, I don’t know.
STARZ
‘Power Book II: Ghost’ 404 w/ Lovell Adams-Grey as Dru
Lovell, brothers fight all the time and we’ve seen it happen here and there throughout Ghost between Dru and Cane. With the events in this episode, are Dru and Cane at a point of no return?
Adams-Grey: I think there’s love there still. My dad used to say to me when I was younger — I actually am an older brother, my brother in real life is seven years older than me — and he would always tell us that we’re all we got and we have to look out for each other, protect each other, and defend each other. We can have infighting all we want, but as soon as anything from the outside comes and threatens the family dynamic, we’re there to protect each other. I think that lets you know that there’s still love there and we’ll see it. I think for Cane and Dru specifically, there’s definitely still love there.
LaToya, Diana has gone through a lot since the beginning of Ghost. What was your reaction when you read that Diana would be pregnant with Tariq’s baby this season?
Tonodeo: I was just like, another thing??? [laughs]. Just know that every season I’m like, what can they do to elevate the storyline even more than what they’re already doing? I’m not a writer, so I’m just like, how can they elevate this more and more because it’s already at a high note? When I saw that, I was just like, oh, man, what’s gonna happen? How am I gonna get out of this? How am I gonna tell my mother? My brothers?? I’m just gonna keep it there because I don’t want to end up spoiling anything.
What can you say viewers can expect next for Dru and Diana’s storyline as the first half of this final Ghost season wraps up and we head into part two this fall?
Adams-Grey: You ever see that video where the dude was so mad that his team lost and he punched the TV and it broke? Buy a new TV set or just get some money together to make sure you have enough to get that new TV set or get insurance on your television if you need to get it. Get that plan that says if anything happens to the TV, you’ll get a new one in the mail. Lock all those things in place.
(Warning: Spoilers for House of the Dragon season two, episode three below.)
There is really only one thing to do when somebody walks in on you having sex: change your entire appearance! This is what Criston Cole decides to do after the Blood and Cheese situation left a bad (cheesy?) taste in everyone’s mouths on House of the Dragon. Well, that wasn’t his only reason, but it would have made sense.
In episode three of House of the Dragon, Criston is looking a little less rugged and a little more like he is about to start a job at a Manhattan law firm. The formerly long-haired knight seems to undergo a transformation halfway through the episode — when he appears suited up in armor, he suddenly has a shorter head of hair. It’s trendy right now! But for Criston, it wasn’t about being on trend, but practicality.
Fabien Frankel explained the significant change. “Well, for me, the haircut was a really big thing because it’s a military thing,” Frankel told Decider. Ahead of “You know? It’s impractical to have long hair in a battle. It just is. And short hair is practical.”
It was then noted that Criston’s focus on his appearance, particularly his white cloak, is a lot more telling than it appears, and hinted that there is more to come. “That’s such an interesting observation and actually very, yeah, there’s a scene in Episode 8. I won’t say what it is..” he added, only to be interrupted by his costars who don’t want to lose their jobs.
He added, “Anyway, the haircuts! Good. The armor is different. He looks different.” He sure does!! Maybe he will get a new job as an accountant. It’s a lot less violent.
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