Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

The M&M Characters Are Getting A New ‘More Dynamic, Progressive’ Look And People Aren’t Quite Sure What To Do Here

Big news in the candy world today. As part of a new campaign to ensure that the M&M characters represent the world around them, Mars has announced that the colorful characters, who appear in TV commercials and movie theater advertisements, will now have a “more dynamic, progressive” look that focuses on their personalities instead of their gender and appearances. (Read: they’re done trying to make everyone horny with the green one.)

Via CBS News:

The most notable changes include the green M&M’s redesign, which will exchange the white heeled go-go boots she was given in 1997 for “cool, laid-back sneakers to reflect her effortless confidence.” Mars had received criticism for the green M&M’s sexy characterization. The green M&M will also be “better represented to reflect confidence and empowerment, as a strong female, and known for much more than her boots.”

In addition to de-sexualizing a chocolate candy cartoon, Mars will also highlight the orange M&M’s mental health struggles, and yes, you’re reading all of this right. This is actually happening:

The orange M&M, who has an anxious personality, will “embrace his true self, worries and all.” But the orange M&M’s shoe laces will now be tied to represent his cautious nature. According to Mars, the orange M&M is “one of the most relatable characters with Gen-Z,” which is the “most anxious generation.”

Needless to say, the internet had lots of thoughts about a candy company coming right out and saying, “Hey, could you guys please not want to have sex with the green one? Seriously.”

You can see some of the reactions below:

And, finally, this last one really gives you something to think about. Where’s the societal urge to make this bold, radical change happen?

(Via CBS News)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Ranking Every Bottle Of Garrison Brothers Texas Bourbon Whiskey

Garrison Brothers is one of the most beloved and lauded craft distilleries in the U.S., and when you taste their juice it becomes really easy to understand why. Even their entry-level Small Batch Bourbon is pretty damn stellar, all things considered, and their more aged expressions are truly special.

We’re certainly not alone in thinking that Master Distiller Donnis Todd makes some serious magic happen down in Hye, Texas. So today we decided to rank all seven of their core bourbon offerings.

What makes this whiskey truly unique is that Todd isn’t “restricted by hundreds of years of bourbon heritage,” as he puts it. That means he can push the boundaries of bourbon from fermentation all the way to barreling and finishing to find only the best for us to drink. Beyond that, Texas is proving to be a great place to make whiskey, in general. There’s something about the terroir, the hot Texas sun, and the attitude of the folks working down there that seems to add an extra “wow” factor (especially when so much of what we know about bourbon is defined by Kentucky).

For this ranking, I’m going off of taste alone. I’ve been lucky enough to get to try all of these bourbon whiskeys over the last few months and again just last week. And, wow, these are some great bottles. Just for clarity, this is a ranking of their bourbons (I’ll cover their rye another time). Let’s get right into it!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of 2021

7. Garrison Brothers Small Batch

Garrison Brothers

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $85

The Whiskey:

Garrison Brothers is a true grain-to-glass experience from Hye, Texas. The juice is a wheated bourbon made with local, Texas grains. That spirit is then aged under the beating heat of a hot Texas sun before the barrels are small-batched (with only 55 barrels per batch), proofed with local water, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a caramel apple note on the nose next to a bit of dry straw, worn leather, and … what feels like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That cereal nature continues through the palate with a sugary and buttery shortbread note mingling with hints of vanilla cake frosted with lemon cream leading to a touch of orange oils. The end is very long and warm with a bit of cinnamon that ultimately leads back to the caramel apples plus just a touch of dry campfire smoke at the very end.

Bottom Line:

This is a great entry into the brand. It’s so accessible, sippable, and just … nice. In any other list, this would rank way higher, especially for a “small batch” bourbon. I really dig this on the rocks or neat, but it makes a killer cocktail.

6. Garrison Brothers Single Barrel

Garrison Brothers

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $120

The Whiskey:

This single barrel expression is all about highlighting the craft distillery’s grain-to-glass process. The juice is made from a mash of 74 percent local white corn, 15 percent estate-grown soft red winter wheat, and eleven percent Canadian malted barley. That spirit is then rested for three to five years, or until the barrel is just right to be proofed and bottled with no other fussing whatsoever.

Tasting Notes:

There are going to be clear notes of cedar, cherry, old leather, vanilla, caramel corn, and sour apples on the nose. The palate should edge towards that sweet cherry with a counterpoint of dry cedar next to Red Hots, angel food cake, more apple, and a touch of spicy tobacco leaf. The end is long and warming with spicy cinnamon, white sugar cubes, and a cedar box full of tobacco.

Bottom Line:

This is an “Ah-Ha!” bourbon. Everything comes together in balance on the palate and makes total sense. It’s great on the rocks or neat. Though, if you’re not afraid of mixing up a Manhattan, you’ll be in for a real treat.

5. Garrison Brothers HoneyDew

Garrison Brothers HoneyDew
Garrison Brothers

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $82

The Whiskey:

This is technically a “flavored” whiskey but it’s nothing like any other flavored bourbon you’ve ever had. This is Garrison’s Small Batch Bourbon that’s then infused with Burleson’s Texas Wildflower Honey. That means that the bourbon was transferred to a steel tank for storage. In the meantime, those empty barrels were rebuilt into smaller wooden cubes and dipped into the honey until they were completely honey-laden. Those cubes were then put into the steel vats of bourbon to infuse the juice over seven long months.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with clear bourbon notes that worn leather, dry straw, and apple next to elderflower, ripe peaches and apricots, and a touch of raw honey. That honey note creates a bridge to the palate which is full of wildflowers, orange oils, cinnamon buns with a little pecan, and a final honey drizzle that’s almost creamy. The finish is a balance between the rich honey vibes and the clear sense of bourbon with cinnamon spice, dry pecans, and orange oils all slowly soaking into a pot full of honey.

Bottom Line:

What blows my mind is that the honey isn’t the star of the show. The really feels like the perfect balance of bourbon and honey that’s still 100 percent a whiskey and not a honey liqueur that’s cut with some bourbon. This is great any way you want to drink it. That being said, try it in a whiskey sour.

4. Garrison Brothers Laguna Madre

Garrison Brothers Laguna Madre
Garrison Brothers

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $1,030

The Whiskey:

This limited edition release from last year. The whiskey is an eight-year-old bourbon (Garrison’s oldest release so far) that finished in rare French Limousin oak casks. After just under three years in small, 25-gallon new oak barrels, the whiskey was transferred to eight custom barrels and left to rest until 2021.

Tasting Notes:

Rich vanilla comes through on the nose, kind of like a Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda, with a hint of sassafras, hazelnuts in white chocolate, and almost chalky milk chocolate next to saltwater taffy wax paper wrappers. The palate luxuriates in that hazelnut and white chocolate as the vanilla becomes super creamy with notes of toasted coconut blending with that milk chocolate and more hazelnut for a bespoke Almond Joy vibe with a hint of warmth underneath it all. The finish is smooth AF with that vanilla cream and white chocolate combining for a soft landing.

Bottom Line:

This is the perfect dessert bourbon. It’s so soft, sweet, and bold. While you can pair this with a dessert (something like a poppy seed, marzipan, hazelnut crumble), you can also just drink that as your dessert dram and be 100 percent happy.

3. Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon

Garrison Brothers

ABV: 65.65%

Average Price: $300

The Whiskey:

Cowboy Bourbon has become Garrison Brother’s signature bottle of whiskey. The juice from Texas is from barrels that are hand-selected for their depth and deliciousness and then aged for a few more years before being small-batched. The whiskey is then bottled as-is — with no filtering or cutting — leaving you with the purest essence of what great Texas bourbon can be in every single sip.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a rush of very sharp cinnamon sticks next to a pile of wet cedar shingles and an almost Chinese hot mustard spice and miso edge that’s as baffling as it is enticing. That spicy/umami nose makes you want to dive into this sip. Once you do, you’re greeted with an apple pie overflowing with walnuts, spices, and syrupy brown sugar encased in a flaky lard pie crust as spicy plum puddings sit next to more cedar and a throughline of caramel. The end turns to velvet as a vanilla tobacco vibe arrives to calm everything down and numb your tongue with a buzz.

Bottom Line:

This is so goddamn tasty. The only reason it’s not number one or tied for it is that it’s a little hot. This is best poured over a rock or two to let it both bloom but while calming it down a touch so it’s not quite as much of a punch in the face. Or maybe that’s what you’re looking for. We’re not here to judge!

(tie) 1. Garrison Brothers Guadalupe

Garrison Brothers Guadalupe
Garrison Brothers

ABV: 53.5%

Average Price: $150

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is hewn from 90 30-gallon barrels of four-year-old bourbon that were transferred into 26 59-gallon Tawny Port casks for a final maturation of nearly two years. That juice was then bottled as-is after a touch of water was added.

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this bursts with raspberry, blackberry, redcurrant, and blueberry all stewed with plenty of holiday spices and folded into a cobbler topped with dense buttery buttermilk biscuits. The palate leans into the spice with a focus on clove, nutmeg, and a very small whisper of anise as the berry turns more towards a fresh strawberry with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans chiming in on the mid-palate. That chocolate-bitter vibe drives towards a finish full of cinnamon-spiked dark chocolate tobacco leaves, stewed plums, and a dollop of floral honey.

Bottom Line:

This is just f*cking delicious. There’s nothing else to really say.

(tie) 1. Garrison Brothers Balmorhea

Garrison Brothers

ABV: 57.5%

Average Price: $200

The Whiskey:

This much-lauded Texas bourbon is the highwater mark of what great whiskey from Texas can be. The juice is aged in Ozark oak for four years and then finished in oak from Minnesota for another year, all under that blazing West Texas sunshine. The bourbon is then small-batched, proofed with Texas spring water, and bottled at a healthy 115 proof.

Tasting Notes:

You’re greeted with a real sense of a corn-syrup-laced pecan pie next to hazelnut bespeckled cinnamon rolls and creamy milk chocolate with a hint of vanilla tobacco lurking in the background. That chocolate drives the taste towards a mint-chocolate ice cream vibe (heavy on the chocolate part) with small dashes of holiday spices, hard toffee candies, worn leather, and a flourish of cedar boxes full of more dried tobacco leaves. The end circles back around to all that sweet and chocolatey creaminess with a final slice of perfect pecan pie on a slow fade.

Bottom Line:

It might feel like a cop-out having a tie. But these last two are just too good to pick between, sorry. This whiskey feels like the culmination of everything that’s great about Garrison Brothers. It’s just delicious from top to bottom and amazing neat or on the rocks.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello Was Mistaken For A ‘Jersey Shore’ Cast Member And He Played Along

For celebrities, getting recognized by fans in the street is a common occurrence (unless you’re Tony Hawk and people only sort of recognize you). There are also instances that celebrities get confused with other celebrities, like the time ESPN got dragged for confusing Future and 2Chainz on Instagram. But Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello has perhaps the best story about mistaken celebrity identity and it involves a bus tour and the 2010s MTV show Jersey Shore.

Morello shared the hilarious story on Twitter. A few days ago, the musician was on a hike when a Hollywood tour van stopped him. Apparently, the driver thought he was a member of the Jersey Shore cast. Instead of clarifying that he is actually a Grammy Award-winning musician and not a meme-worthy reality TV star, Morello decided to play along with the entire ordeal. He even let the people on the tour take pictures of him.

“I was hiking today when one of those ‘Hollywood Tours Of The Stars Homes’ vans pulled up,” Morello said on Twitter. “The driver says on the bullhorn ‘Hey I recognize you from somewhere! Are you one of those Jersey Shore guys??’ I reply, ‘Absolutely.’ And everyone in the van took a photo.”

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

We Have Coldplay To Thank For Dakota Johnson Starring In Tig Notaro’s New Movie

After starring in one of 2021’s best movies (The Lost Daughter), Dakota Johnson has two more promising features premiering at this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival. Cha Cha Real Smooth follows a direction-less college graduate working as a bar mitzvah party starter (Cooper Raiff) who befriends a young mother (Johnson) and her autistic daughter, while Am I OK? stars Johnson as a 30-something who comes out, and how that effects her relationship with her best friend (Sonoya Mizuno).

Am I OK? is the directorial debut from comedian Tig Notaro and her wife, Stephanie Allynne (the extremely good One Mississippi), with a screenplay written by The Ellen DeGeneres Show head writer Lauren Pomerantz. How did Johnson end up starring in a movie penned by someone close to her nemesis? Well, it involves Coldplay.

Notaro first met Johnson after Johnson’s boyfriend, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, emailed out of the blue to ask if Notaro could perform stand-up at Johnson’s 30th birthday party. The two hit it off and stayed in touch, with Notaro reaching out as she and Allynne were looking to cast their debut feature as co-directors.

Notaro told the Los Angeles Times that Johnson, who’s also listed as a producer on Am I OK?, is somebody who “knows what she’s doing, and she knows what she wants to do. There’s no confusion there. There’s so many people that take on producer roles that are silently sitting by, and that’s just not the case with her.”

Chris Martin, for introducing Tig to Dakota Johnson, you are almost forgiven for “Fix You.” Almost.

Cha Cha Real Smooth premieres at Sundance on January 23, while Am I OK? debuts on the 24th. You can find more information about both films here.

(Via the Los Angeles Times)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

French Montana And Moneybagg Yo Share The Wealth In Their Opulent ‘FWMGAB’ Remix Video

French Montana and Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo take a vacation in Cuba in the video for their new collaboration, the “FWMGAB” remix from Montana’s new album, They Got Amnesia. Opening with the triumphant horn from Jerry Rivera’s “Amores Como El Nuestro,” the track quickly transforms into an upbeat, rump-shaking, money-getting anthem, and the sunny imagery of the video is cut to match; French and Moneybagg compete in a high-stakes card game, while a pool full of voluptuous, scantily-clad women gyrate to the music.

The Bronx rapper hasn’t let up on his album promotion since it dropped, releasing videos for “Panicking” with Fivio Foreign, “Bag Season” with Lil Tjay, “Handstand” with Doja Cat & Saweetie, “How You King?,” and “Business.” The album and its singles were aimed at addressing fan chatter that suggested French isn’t quite the hitmaker that he used to be, which he also refuted in a Twitter debate, reminding fans of his long list of Billboard Hot 100 mainstays.

That chatter also led him to assert during an interview that it’s harder to make it in rap than to make it in the NBA. While that’s certainly debatable — there are a lot fewer slots available to aspiring pro basketball players who must prove their physical prowess and skill levels opposed to rappers who luck into viral hits on TikTok and get approached by major labels with nigh-infinite budgets to sign and promote them — French has at least proven that he’s still one of hip-hop’s go-to hitmakers.

Watch French Montana’s “FWMGAB” video above.

They Got Amnesia is out now via Epic Records. You can stream it here.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Snoop Dogg And Martha Stewart Will Host This Year’s Puppy Bowl (But More Importantly, Elmo Will Be There)

Legendary duo and BFFs Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart are returning to this year’s Puppy Bowl XVIII — this time pulling double duty as hosts and coaches. The rapper will coach Team Fluff, while Stewart will be in charge of Team Ruff. The teams will be made up of over 100 adoptable dogs from 67 shelters across the country, in order to raise awareness for pet adoption. There will also be a Kitty Halftime Show for anyone who prefers felines (perhaps Snoop Lion will make an appearance).

But the main event will be an appearance by superstar icon Elmo and his rescue puppy, Tango. Zoey and her pet rock Rocco are not slated to appear, which is probably for the best.

Both Snoop Dogg and Stewart hosted the events last year, but coaching will be a new role for the two, which includes training sessions, drills, and motivational speeches for the pups. The two have paired up a handful of times over the past few years, hosting various specials together.

This won’t be the only role Snoop Dogg has at this year’s Super Bowl, as he is also slated to perform at the halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem.

Puppy Bowl XVIII will air on Animal Planet and Discovery+ Feb. 13th ad 2 pm ET. You can meet the puppy players ahead of time here.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Lorde Worries About The Environmental Impact Of The Trip To Antarctica That Inspired ‘Solar Power’

Before Lorde began writing music for her Solar Power album, the singer went on a trip of a lifetime. She was able to visit Antarctica, which made her reflect a lot about climate change and how humans interact with nature. Those ruminations eventually inspired the music and concept on Solar Power, but thinking back, Lorde now says she probably “shouldn’t have gone” to Antarctica in the first place due to her trip’s environmental impacts.

The singer recently sat down with Euphoria actress Hunter Schafer for a conversation on A24’s Divine Frequency podcast. The two’s chat eventually landed on Lorde’s Antarctica experience. The singer said actually going there made her realize it was “the opposite” of what she should have done. After being fascinated by the continent her whole life, Lorde admitted she looked at it as “last-chance tourism.” “I had the reaction which you’re kind of not supposed to have, which is like, people call it last-chance tourism, like, ‘I got to go there before it’s too late,’” she said. “And that was my first thought on going to Antarctica. And actually going there and having that experience made me realize, ‘Oh, no. You cannot go around doing this. This is actually opposite of what you’re supposed to do.’”

Despite the trip being “the best five days” of her life, Lorde is now worried about how it impacted the environment:

“I probably shouldn’t have gone to Antarctica. Just this pop star, it was probably kind of naughty to use those resources and burn that jet fuel. But, I wrote this book and the proceeds went to a couple of scholarships for people to do their doctorates in climate science, so I feel like that was a nice way of going back. […] I will never do anything like it again. It was so crazy from start to finish.”

Listen to the full podcast interview here.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Alex Cameron Announces ‘Oxy Music’ And Damns The Haters On ‘Best Life’

Move over Bryan Ferry, Alex Cameron is bringing us Oxy Music. That’s the title to the Australian neo-lounge act’s recently announced upcoming album. It arrives on March 3rd and today, Cameron shared its second single, “Best Life,” along with a video directed by his partner, actress Jemima Kirke.

In the clip, we get a front seat to a nerve-racking date between Cameron and a frantically itchy Jemima Kirke. It’s weird, but it’s exactly the type of #content Cameron has always given us — like the most recent video for “Sara Jo,” where he danced in a Speedo atop a rock on a cold shore-break. The song has Cameron’s signature leisure suit cabaret sound, which really just welcomes you to be yourself. He punctuates the chorus with these words of wisdom: “When they ask you how ya doing baby, don’t think twice say ‘I’m out here living my best life.’” Along with the song, album announcement, and new North American’s tour dates, Cameron, a benevolent motivator, also shared another inspiring statement on ignoring the internet haters and just doing you:

“The Internet. Our great Totem of information dedicated to the Gods yet to visit from a future born out of 7.9 billion online versions of human history. A tower of love and hate, passion and terror, one million retweets of ten hundred thousand total fails. America’s funniest home videos. Our best, most dope memes crowned atop the statue – our greatest achievements, the shoulders that lift the grand dome of internet glory. The view from the top is gorgeous. A stunning likeness of the most like-able content.

“And holding it up, the weight bearing colossus of whisper-solid data and hollow columns of caps locked opinions and giant pillars of twisted logic. Zero Likes. Zero Comments. Zero shares. Infinitely multiplied until too mountain-like to move. The greatest show on earth performed to an audience of nobody.

“One percent is what we see and what we follow drifting atop the cloud. It’s beautiful, what we’ve created. And the masses below sing into the chamber, echoes of their love songs clashing and rebounding off one another’s – the messages too distorted to discern. Received by nobody. But necessary for everybody.

“Let’s face it, we’ll never make content good enough for the Gods above. Let’s leave that to the disciples. The rest of us can just stay out here, living our best lives.”

Watch the video for “Best Life” above. Check out the Oxy Music album art, tracklist, and North American tour dates below.

Alex Cameron Oxy Music
Alex Cameron

1. “Best Life”
2. “Sara Jo”
3. “Prescription Refill”
4. “Hold The Line”
5. “Breakdown”
6. “K Hole”
7. “Dead Eyes”
8. “Cancel Culture” (feat. Lloyd Vines)
9. “Oxy Music” (feat. Jason Williamson)

04/28 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco
04/30 — Columbus, OH @ SoupFest 2022
05/07 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
05/08 — Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
05/09 — Detroit, MI @ El Club
05/12 — Toronto, ON @ The Axis Club
05/13 — Montreal, QBC @ Ausgang Plaza
05/14 — Burlington, VT @ Waking Windows
05/15 — New Haven, CT @ Space Ballroom
05/17 — Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
05/18 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
05/19 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
05/20 — Washington, DC @ Black Cat
05/21 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall

Oxy Music is out on 03/11 via Secretly Canadian. Pre-order it here.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

USPS announces ‘The Giving Tree’ stamp. Do they know what they’ve unleashed?

I was excited to read “The Giving Tree” to my children when they were little. I’d read the Shel Silverstein classic so many times as a kid and remembered loving it. In my memory, it was a poetic story of a tree that gave selflessly, never expecting anything in return, and of the undying love she had for a little boy who eventually turned into an old man.

“And the tree was happy.” It was sweet, I thought.

Then I read the book again as an adult and noticed some things I hadn’t as a child. While I had focused on the generosity of the tree as a child, this time the boy-who-becomes-a-man stood out. Wow, what a selfish jerk he was. And the tree, while admirably willing to give selflessly, seemed a little too giving. Martyrdom for an important cause is one thing; sacrificing everything you are for a guy who uses you over and over and takes without any thought to your needs or well-being is entirely another.


I soon found out I wasn’t alone in feeling conflicted about the story. In fact, “conflicted” is an understatement compared to what some people feel about it. Some say that it’s the worst story they’ve ever read. Even some die-hard Shel Silverstein fans hate it. Others will defend it to their last breath as their favorite book of all time.

Publicist Eric Alper shared the news that U.S. Postal Service will be issuing a “The Giving Tree” forever stamp later this year, and the comments show how wildly people’s opinions differ on this book.

Alper didn’t share any commentary with the news. He just wrote, “The U.S. Postal Service will release a stamp to honor Shel Silverstein and his ‘The Giving Tree’ book in 2022.”

But with the way people responded, you’d think he’d said, “Puppies are ugly and Paul Rudd is the devil.”

People flooded the comments with their thoughts on the book, with many unleashing their fury over the book’s premise:

“Ugh- this book keeps coming up! It’s a great representation of a manipulative, one-sided, narcissistic relationship. I can’t stand it.”

“Nooooo! Not that! Anything but that! It’s awful! A poor example! Bleah! Shel had so many great books. This is the only one I hate! I disagree with the modeling here. Very unhealthy! So sad.”

“Hate that book. Teaches children how to not have boundaries. Love everything else by Uncle Shelby.”

“Are you kidding me?!?! Let’s make a stamp celebrating how to be so selfish and keep taking until there’s nothing left to take. This was literally the worst children’s story ever written!!!!”

Others gave a bit less vehement responses, explaining exactly what their negative experiences with the book were:

“I picked this book up one day and started reading it to my kids, not knowing what I was getting into. And I found myself saying ‘This boy is terrible!’, after every page. And I looked at my kids and I said ‘I love you, and I am so grateful for you, but you are going to grow up and take care of yourselves and you are not getting all my leaves.'”

“I do not understand why people love this book. On one side of the relationship there’s a someone who takes and takes and is perfectly happy for the tree to give all of itself while giving absolutely nothing in return. On the other side there’s the tree who literally destroys itself and only finds self-worth in sacrifice. It’s sickening.”

Lovers of the book spoke their minds as well, sharing their perspectives that the book is about unconditional love:

“I am so excited about this stamp. As a kindergarten teacher, I read to my class several times every year. We would all have tears in our eyes by the end of the book!”

“All you haters have missed the point. The tree represents the parents. They give all they have to give for their children’s success, and are brought the greatest joy and pain watching them grow and leave them.”

“I love this book so much. As soon as I became a mom I understood exactly what was going on here. I’d give every last ounce of me to make my kiddo happy.”

“This book is about sacrifice, and how the tree embodies nothing but love for the little boy. My ‘Giving Tree’ was my daddy, not because of financial reasons, but for his unwavering love for me.”

“Wow! The comments are heartbreaking. This book is about unconditional love. I guess that’s been cancelled.”

Interestingly, some people shared that they love the book precisely because of the problematic relationship they see in it:

“I love this book because it teaches a person what happens if he/she remains in an unhealthy relationship. In the end, both are sad.”

“Maybe I’m alone in this but I always read it as a cautionary tale. Be careful how much you take from someone, someday you’ll learn that you’ve taken too much.”

“I don’t hate this book. It is a cautionary tale. Teach your child that taking, taking, taking all the time will destroy the giver. (and the taker will lose their friend) Teach your child that while giving is good, too much is not healthy. Teach your child boundaries!!”

“I kinda noticed as a child, the person was kinda greedy and only visited when he wanted to take. As an adult leaving a narcissistic marriage, boom! Whoa! Good book tho. I’d honestly use this book to teach about it and how it’s nice to give, but have boundaries.”

One thing is certain: The book still has us talking after 57 years.

Perhaps the mark of a brilliant book isn’t in teaching a clear lesson but in getting people talking. Different people take different things from stories, and good literature prompts discussion over those perspectives. It’s not as often that we get this kind of debate out of a seemingly simple children’s book, but Shel Silverstein had a way of tapping into adult complexity while writing for children, and he’s certainly done it with “The Giving Tree.”

Good for USPS for honoring Silverstein and his work with a stamp—and good luck with the can of worms it opened by choosing to do it with this particular book.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

‘Rocket League’ Will Have An In-Game Event Featuring Grimes Called Neon Nights

When Rocket League unveiled its cinematic trailer for Season 5, it featured some really cool imagery involving space and galactic battles with the song “Player Of Games” by Grimes blasting in the background. It’s a really cool trailer and features a fun crossover between music and gaming.

That crossover must have been successful because we’re going to get to see it again with Rocket League‘s upcoming Neon Nights event. On Thursday, Rocket League, in collaboration with Grimes, announced the event will begin on January 26 on all platforms and run through to February 8.

Neon Nights is Rocket League’s first in-game event themed around a musical artist and will include new event challenges with Grimes-themed items, the return of a limited time mode, and golden moons. Those themed items include “Shinigami Eyes” player anthems, Grimes-themed Gravitator, Grimes Decal, Grimes Wheels, and a Grimes Player Banner. The “Shinigami Eyes,” items are in reference to GRIMES new song which will be released on January 26.

While this is the first in-game event surrounding a musical artist for Rocket League, it’s the latest in a trend that is starting to get more popular across video games. We’re seeing more musical artists embrace video games with special events like this and we’re not expecting it to stop any time soon.