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Here’s Everything Coming During Marvel’s Phase Four

So, how about that Marvel Cinematic Universe trailer that dropped yesterday? If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably watched it three times by now, and have soaked up every moment of Stan Lee’s touching monologue as well as the accompanying footage showing how far the MCU has come.

However, the new trailer is not just a celebration of remembrance — there’s a lot of new information tucked into those three minutes, and we’re here to help lay it all out for you with a list of phase four’s upcoming movies.

MARVEL STUDIOS

1. Black Widow (July 9 2021)

Despite being one of the earliest superheroes in the Marvel Universe, it’s taken quite some time for Black Widow to get her own movie — and unfortunately, the ongoing pandemic didn’t help. However, she’s here, and she’s not only kicking a whole lot of ass but is kicking off the fourth phase of the MCU.

Marvel

2. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Sept. 3, 2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been a long time coming. Like. A long time coming. After years in and out of development, fans finally get to see the character who’s been teased since Iron Man later this summer and it’s a pretty big deal. Shang-Chi is the first new addition to the Marvel family since the events of the last two Avengers films, and is also the first Asian hero to join the foray.

MARVEL

3. Eternals (Nov. 5, 2021)

Compared to many of these movies on this list, there isn’t a ton known about Eternals, however, what we do know is impressive. Eternals features an ensemble of A-list stars bringing brand new heroes and villains to life and a script written by Academy Award-winning director Chloe Zhao. Oh, and secret aliens.

Marvel Studios

4.Spider-Man: No Way Home (Dec. 17, 2021)

No Way Home is Tom Holland’s third entry in the Spider-Man series and might be one more for both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, if the rumors are true. Following the events of Endgame — and based on what we know so far about Marvel’s upcoming films — it seems the universe is going to start leaning heavily into the idea of well, universes, which would allow for both these characters to return.

Marvel

5. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (March 25, 2022)

The new Doctor Strange film picks up where WandaVision left off and, much like Spider-Man, seemingly promises to explore all the messiness of the Marvel multiverse. Multiverse of Madness might also be the MCU’s first steps into horror, with Sam Rami directing.

MARVEL

6. Thor: Love and Thunder (May 6, 2022)

After a hiatus from the MCU, Natalie Portman is back as Jane Foster in Love and Thunder, and she might just get a chance to wield Thor’s iconic hammer this go around. Also coming back are the cast and crew from Thor: Ragnarok, including Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, and Taikia Waititi.

MARVEL

7. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (July 8, 2022)

Out of respect for Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther prior to his passing last year, the script for Black Panther has been altered and director Ryan Coogler has confirmed he will not recast T’challa. While we’re unsure of what Wakanda Forever holds, it’s sure to be a very emotional journey for fans.

MARVEL
8. The Marvels (Nov. 11, 2022)

While this movie was originally billed as a Captain Marvel film, the new name and logo allude to The Marvels instead being a fun romp featuring both Captain Marvel and MCU newcomer Ms. Marvel. We’re sure to get our first taste of what’s to come when Ms. Marvel’s Disney+ show airs later this year.

Marvel

9. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Feb. 17, 2023)

Where Ant-Man has, ironically, told fairly small stories in comparison to the likes of Captain American and co., Quantumania — which features Jonathan Majors playing the iconic Marvel villain Kang the Conqueror — might just be the reason the Avengers are called together again. In addition, his ties with The Fantastic Four might just make this story a fantastic gateway into the upcoming Fantastic Four movie.

Marvel
10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)

As of right now, not much is known about the third Guardians of the Galaxy film, but with James Gunn behind the camera, it’s sure to be a whole lot of fun accompanied by a killer soundtrack.

11. Fantastic Four

In the comics, The Fantastic Four are an incredibly big deal to the Avengers and the Marvel Universe at large. The only reason they didn’t pop up in the MCU sooner was because they were owned by Fox, and thus couldn’t make any Disney appearances — until now. While we don’t know what’s happening and how the squad gets involved with the rest of the Avengers, whatever it is, it’s going to be big.

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‘Tulsa: The Fire And The Forgotten’ Unearths History For The 100th Anniversary Of The Race Massacre In A PBS Trailer

Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen (2019) dramatized the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 on HBO, and a new documentary will further uncover the truth on PBS. The film (literally) digs deep on a local level and will arrive on May 31, which will mark the 100th anniversary of one of the most horrific instances of racially-motivated violence in U.S. history. It’s well worth putting on your calendar, especially since the deadly mass-killing didn’t emerge often in history books, and many people didn’t even know what transpired until watching the recontextualized Watchmen. Lindelof became aware of the massacre after reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “The Case for Reparations” 2014 article in The Atlantic, and the rest, as they say, is unearthed history, albeit still in process.

As seen in the trailer above, Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten (directed by Jonathan Silvers) will dive into how hundreds of Greenwood-district, Black-owned businesses and neighborhoods full of homes burned to the ground after a false accusation of violence against a Black man. All told, the massacre killed up to 300 Black Tulsa residents and left thousands without homes, and The Washington Post‘s DeNeen L. Brown speaks within the film and lays down the project’s tone in a press release:

“Stories have power and if they’re told, they can change the future and they can provide some healing. So my goal here would be to finally find answers for some of the descendants of the victims, and if they do find bodies, put those souls to rest. This spring, the City of Tulsa plans to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the massacre, as descendants of survivors demand reparations for what was lost and protest against current oppression and racism.”

The film will also chart the resilience and revival of the Greenwood district and the reexamination of the massacre as well as efforts that have been made to atone for and reconcile the past for Black Tulsa residents. The project features interviews from several local leaders (including Mayor G.T. Bynum, who officially opened the search for mass graves) and civil rights activists (including Greg Robinson II, Kristi Williams, Regina Goodwin, Rev. Robert Turner, and more). As Mayor Bynum notes in the film, “It is terrifying because you realize that it could happen today… I hope that people see that it’s never too late to try and do the right thing.”

Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten will air on May 31 on PBS.

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Three Years Later, Boygenius Finally Get The Chicks To Co-Sign Their Cover And They’re Thrilled

Back in 2018, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker were in the midst of enjoying their time together as Boygenius, a supergroup that has so far released a self-titled EP in 2018 and a demos collection that was only available on Bandcamp for one day in July 2020. While on the promotional circuit, the group performed a cover of a classic from The Chicks (who were known as the Dixie Chicks at the time of the song’s release): “Cowboy Take Me Away,” from their 1999 album Fly. The performance was filmed for KEXP at Seattle’s Avast! Recording Co. on November 24, 2018, and KEXP later shared the video on YouTube on March 5, 2019.

It’s been nearly three years since that performance, and now, The Chicks have finally stumbled upon it and given the cover their blessing.

The Chicks took to social media today to share a clip of the performance. They wrote on Twitter, “Love this Cowboy Take Me Away cover by boygenius’ [Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus]!” That prompted responses from all three Boygenius members. Dacus shared the tweet and added, “hello chicks we love you [teary-eyed emoji].” Bridgers also shared the post on Twitter and Instagram, while Baker re-posted on her Instagram story and added, “thank you [teary-eyed emoji] [heart emoji].”

Watch Boygenius cover The Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away” below.

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Tegan And Sara Detail How They Channeled Their Teenage Antics Into The TV Series ‘High School’

Along with releasing their 2019 album Hey, I’m Just Like You, Tegan And Sara returned to recount their tumultuous childhood with their memoir High School. After previously announcing the book is being turned into a TV series, the singers detail how their teenage antics will play out on the upcoming show.

High School has officially been greenlit by Amazon’s free, ad-supported streaming service IMDb TV. Directed by Clea DuVall, the show will follow the coming-of-age story of a young Tegan and Sara as they discover their identities and get into trouble along the way.

Further detailing High School, Tegan and Sara describe their teenage selves as “degenerates” and talk about the “copious amounts of drugs” that went alongside their self-discovery. “No one is more shocked than us, that after a VERY difficult couple years in high school, doing copious amounts of drugs, skipping school, lying + being all around degenerates that we made it this far in our musical journey,” they wrote.

In a statement for Variety about the TV series, Tegan and Sara apologized to their mother for “forcing her to relive” their high school experience:

“We are incredibly excited to be working with Lauren, Ryan, and the fantastic IMDb TV team to bring ‘High School’ to life and apologize in advance to our mother for forcing her to relive this period of time with us again. We’ve made casting suggestions on her behalf to the incomparable Clea DuVall and our wonderful partners at Plan B.”

After making the announcement, Tegan and Sara returned to clear up some rumors and say that, no, they’re not going to be acting in the series. “After our announcement that our memoir High School got green lit for TV, a few people text me excited that we’re acting now,” they wrote. “Guyssss the memoir is about us in high school in the 90’s. We are 40. I know we look youngish but we don’t look THAT young.”

Tegan And Sara are a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Our Favorite Paloma Recipes For Your Cinco De Mayo Cocktail Mixing

The paloma is a fantastic cocktail. In fact, it might be my favorite tequila cocktail (it was also Uproxx’s official cocktail of Summer ’19). In its simplest form, it’s a mix of sharp grapefruit soda, lime, and tequila. From that foundation, you can enjoy it for the simple highball it is or amp up every aspect with small tweaks.

Below, we’re making two palomas of our own design. The first is the classic and very easy-to-make highball version, starring grapefruit soda, fresh lime, and tequila. The second is more cocktail bar-adjacent with fresh grapefruit juice and a few extra ingredients to really amp it up. Both have their merits and we’ll decide which is the best at the end.

We’re also dropping in two outside recipes, both served at Auberge Resorts in Los Cabos, where the company has two hotel properties. Those additions will give you something to compare and contrast our entries with and offer plenty of room for experimentation on Cinco. Let’s get mixing!

Classic Paloma

Zach Johnston

Ingredients:

  • 2-oz. blanco tequila
  • 0.5-oz. fresh lime juice (about half a lime)
  • 4-oz. grapefruit soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • Ice
  • Lime garnish

I’m using a fairly cheap tequila that’s made in Guadalajara. It’s a simple mixing tequila that won’t break the bank. I usually use Altos Plata, but I seem to have run out. I’m also using Jarritos Grapefruit. It’s a bit better and less sweet than Squirt or Fresca, in my opinion.

What You’ll Need:

  • Collins or highball glass
  • Barspoon
  • Hand juicer
  • Straw
  • Pairing knife
  • Jigger

Method:

  • Pre-chill your highball glass.
  • Fill the glass halfway with ice.
  • Add the tequila, lime juice, and pinch of salt. Gently stir.
  • Drop in the squeezed lime rind and top with ice.
  • Top the drink with grapefruit soda.
  • Put in the straw and give it a small stir.
  • Serve.

Bottom Line:

Zach Johnston

Goddamn! I love this drink. The sweet yet bitterly tart grapefruit soda works wonders with light, agave-forward tequila. The salt offers a nice savory counterpoint to all the citrus and tequila. This is crushable AF.

Overall, this is my summer go-to and going to be hard to beat. So, let’s try!

Fancy Paloma

Zach Johnston

Ingredients:

  • 2-oz. blanco tequila
  • 1.5-oz. fresh grapefruit juice
  • 0.5-oz. fresh lime juice
  • 1 barspoon agave syrup
  • 1 barspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3-oz. fizzy mineral water
  • Salt
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Chili pepper flakes
  • Lime wedge
  • Dried grapefruit wedge for garnish***
  • Ice

The real x-factor to this drink is the apple cider vinegar. You don’t need much, but it brings this deep, fruity tartness that plays really well with the chili pepper, salt, and citrus.

If you don’t have agave syrup, you can easily use standard bar simple syrup. I use it sparingly, which lets the grapefruit juice and tequila shine a bit brighter.

Lastly, I’m not a fan of salt-rimmed glasses. So, I’m salting my rim very lightly as seen in the image above. You can easily completely cover your rim if that’s your jam.

***I made my own dried grapefruit wedges by putting thin slices of grapefruit into the oven on its lowest setting for about an hour (flipping once about halfway through).

What You’ll Need:

  • Large rocks glass or highball
  • Cocktail shaker
  • Barspoon
  • Pairing knife
  • Juicer
  • Strainer
  • Small plate
  • Straw
  • Jigger
Zach Johnston

Method:

  • Pre-chill your glass.
  • Add tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, agave syrup, and vinegar to the cocktail shaker.
  • Affix the lid and do a ten-second dry shake.
  • Combine a spoon of salt, cayenne, and chili flakes on a plate and swirl to combine.
  • Wet the rim of your glass with a lime wedge.
  • Roll the edge of the glass around in the salt/chili mix.
  • Fill the glass with fresh ice.
  • Pour the base mix into the glass.
  • Top with fizzy water.
  • Add the straw and gently stir.
  • Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
  • Serve.

Bottom Line:

Zach Johnston

These drinks are so drastically different that it’s hard to even judge them side by side. I’ll do my best.

The latter version is exciting, lush, and deeply flavored while still being very refreshing and crushable. The spice really brings something bigger to the drink while the fresh grapefruit juice is much brighter. It’s the better drink. There, I said it.

However… The original paloma with the Jarritos is somehow more engaging. It’s the one I keep reaching for instead. It’s also very fast and simple to make. So today, I’m going with the classic version over the fancy one. Final answer.

Want two more paloma riffs? Check the recipes below!

Paloma Negra by Esperanza, Auberge Resort Collection

Auberge Resort Collection

Ingredients:

  • 2-oz. tequila blanco
  • 1-oz. grapefruit juice
  • 1-oz. lime juice
  • 2-oz. pineapple juice
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pinch of charcoal
  • 1 orange wedge

What You’ll Need:

  • Collins glass
  • Juicer
  • Jigger
  • Paring knife
  • Barspoon
  • Cocktail shaker

Method:

  • Add the tequila, grapefruit juice, and lime juice into a Collins glass filled with ice.
  • Give a gentle stir and top with pineapple salty foam, charcoal, and orange wedge.
  • For the pineapple salty foam: Shake the pineapple juice and the salt with ice vigorously, then use a spoon to serve it on the drink.

Paloma Roja by Chileno Bay Resort & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection

Auberge Resorts Collection

Ingredients:

  • 2-oz. tequila
  • 0.25-oz. hibiscus tea
  • 1-oz. lime juice
  • 4-oz. grapefruit soda
  • Ice cubes
  • 1 pinch salt or Tajin
  • 1 tsp. jalapeño (sliced without seeds)
  • Grapefruit slices

What You’ll Need:

  • Collins glass
  • Juicer
  • Barspoon
  • Paring knife
  • Jigger

Method:

  • Salt rim a Collins glass, then fill it with ice and incorporate all ingredients.
  • Stir the mix and garnish with grapefruit slices and jalapeño.
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Don Toliver’s ‘What You Need’ Video Is An Unexpected Kind Of Flex

For those of you who’ve been following Don Toliver since his breakout feature on mentor and label-boss Travis Scott’s Astroworld, for the track “Can’t Say,” the Texas rapper is back on the scene today with a brand new video. Following up his own debut album Heaven Or Hell, released in 2020, a year that very well fits that description, Toliver’s “What You Need” video is a Nabil-directed clip that finds him riding in green limos and encountering mystical, glowing plumes of smoke out in the forest. It’s trippy in all the right ways, and the song itself is going to be the lead single off Toliver’s sophomore album, slated for release sometime this summer.

Aside from releasing his debut last year, Don also raised some eyebrows over his kerfuffle with the XXL Freshman cover, an extremely coveted and highly-visible co-sign for rising rappers, which he reportedly turned down in a sense. The magazine’s longtime editor-in-chief told Hot 97’s The Breakfast Club that the young Houston MC basically insisted he’d only pose for the cover photo, and was going to skip all the cyphers, concerts, and freestyles associated with the project. Obviously that didn’t go over well with XXL, but considering Travis Scott took the same route, eschewing the Freshman cover, it seems like Toliver will do just fine anyway. Plus his appearance on Cactus Jack’s Jackboys EP was another boost for his profile, proving Scott’s co-sign might be just as important at this point.

Watch the new video above and look for more info on Toliver’s second album coming soon.

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Stephen A. Smith Got In A Slow-Motion Shootout On ‘General Hospital’

Stephen A. Smith wears many hats at ESPN, with First Take, his own SportsCenter before NBA games, and guest appearances on seemingly every other show across the network’s lineup. As such, Smith doesn’t have an awful lot of free time, but he always makes some time for his favorite soap opera, General Hospital.

Smith turned his General Hospital fandom into a recurring role on the show as Brick, a surveillance expert who shows up every now and then to deliver some very dramatic news. On Monday, Brick’s latest appearance was even more dramatic than usual, as Stephen A. got to save the day by getting in a shootout with a bad guy.

I have no idea what the context of this scene is beyond Stephen A. showing up to apparently pick someone up and get them out of harms way, but there’s enough gratuitous slow motion in this scene to make Zack Snyder blush. Also, for some reason the bad guy gets shot at by Stephen A., ducks behind a wall, and then just kinda runs past him again to make for an easy target to get shot as if he didn’t know that was where the guy shooting at him was.

Still, I love this scene and need more action hero Stephen A. Smith. Give me a full length movie where Stephen A. is a former assassin turned sports talk radio host who ends up being dragged back into the world he left behind after a frequent caller into his show that he antagonizes kidnaps his family and he must use clues from previous calls to determine where his family is. We can call it: First Taken.

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You Know, ‘Solo’ Is Actually A Lot Of Fun

There were some thoughts of titling this piece, “In Defense of Solo,” but then decided it’s not really a movie that needs defending. I don’t know anyone who actively talks about how they don’t like Solo, though to be fair I don’t really know anyone who talks about how much they love Solo either. The problem is more people don’t really talk about Solo much at all. It’s, strangely, the forgotten Star Wars movie of the new era. Though, honestly, flying under the radar these days isn’t the worst thing for the legacy of a Star Wars movie.

The release of Solo was fraught. Which is a lot different than the reaction being fraught. But leading up to the release there was a change in directors and talk of the lead actor having some trouble with the role. (Which, in retrospect, makes sense. If Lord and Miller hired Alden Ehrenreich to be in a more comedic version of Solo, yeah he’s probably not going to adjust right away to a comedy changing to something that is not a comedy.) And then there was the release date: only a few months removed from The Last Jedi, which did have a fraught reaction. After months of people arguing about the merits of The Last Jedi, it almost felt like Solo was met with a collective, “Wait, there’s another one already?” It’s like people just didn’t have the headspace for it. So combine the production stories with a burned-out fan base and you somehow get a Star Wars movie that’s almost ignored.

But being ignored has been a good thing for the legacy of Solo. When I see people debating the merits of The Last Jedi (a movie I love) and The Rise of Skywalker (a movie that gets worse every time I try to watch it) I bristle. It’s the same arguments over and over and no one will budge. And you know what, fine. But it’s still exhausting. Both of those movies now feel less like something fun to watch and more like registering with a political party. And over the last year, with a lot of free time on my hands, I really tried giving The Rise of Skywalker another chance and I just can’t make it through. It’s not that it’s bad, but it’s more an anti-movie. Just a never-ending stream of telling us things that didn’t happen that we were pretty positive had happened. So, one night, again, I gave up, and put on Solo instead. I gotta tell you, I had a ball.

It’s been three years since Solo came out and I can’t decide if that seems like a lot of time or if it seems like no time. Since it doesn’t have much of a cultural footprint (meaning non-stop internet arguments about its merits) it kind of feels like a new, fresh movie. Also, in retrospect, I can see why it stumbled: because these new movies have invested so much of their energy into the lore. You know: what does it all mean! And all the mystical magical powers that goes with being a Jedi. (I still maintain Jedi are boring.) But Solo has no pretensions. Solo doesn’t try to pretend the galaxy is at stake or that it means anything at all. It just kind of exists. And, watching today, it’s pretty refreshing. The scene that’s probably the most hated is the one where a random Imperial Officer decides Han’s last name will now be “Solo” because he’s by himself. Yeah … it’s a groaner, but it’s also signaling this is a movie that doesn’t take its backstory that seriously. Even the character’s name is a throwaway joke. And none of this jives at all with all of the other Star Wars properties that have been released since 2015.

I have a tendency to not trust my own initial Star Wars reviews, based solely on how I reacted to the Prequels. In that I loved each Prequel movie the first time I saw them, then slowly started to hate them. (Though, I’ve come around on Attack of the Clones, of all things. Primarily because it’s the only one that realizes it has nothing much to say, so it becomes a collection of cool scenes.) But looking back on my reviews of all the Disney Star Wars movies, they all read fairly similar to how I feel today. (The only thing that’s changed recently is The Rise of Skywalker raised my level of appreciation for the Prequels.) And Solo, in particular, what I thought in 2018 was basically it was flawed but fun. And I could tell my 2018 self was a little Star Wars‘d out at that point. (Ha, imagine watching a new Star Wars movie with a big crowd right now. Yeah, that sounds pretty great.) Now, after rewatching, the fun of Solo stands out a lot more than the flaws.

Another big problem at the time was how Bradford Young shot the film, emphasizing the black levels to show the seedy side of the Star Wars galaxy. So here’s a true story: the press day for Solo was in Los Angeles, but I was one of the few people who did an interview over the phone in New York. The problem was I had to still see the movie and the New York screening was after my scheduled interview. So a screening was set up at one of the smaller theaters at an AMC on the Upper West Side that maybe five people total attended. And it was gorgeous. It was projected perfectly. I was blown away by the cinematography. The main press screening was a few nights later and every person I spoke to said it looked like garbage. It was so dark that in some scenes they couldn’t even make anything out. It turned out a lot of theaters were not equipped to properly screen Solo. The lighting was way too low. And this drastically affected how people think of that movie. (But now, watching the 4K disc, it looks similar to the way I first saw it and it affirmed that I wasn’t seeing things.)

If I still have one complaint it’s that Solo is divided up into two separate time frames (before Han joins the Empire, then it picks up years later) and Han’s life before he becomes a smuggler just isn’t as interesting. But, the second Donald Glover’s Lando shows up, Solo launches into light speed. The whole Kessel Run heist is a ton (2000 full pounds!) of fun. And seeing Woody Harrelson in the famous gunner position in the Millennium Falcon is, well, I’m not sure there’s any other word for it than a “hoot” because Harrelson looks like he’s having the time of his life. A large segment of the movie is just the Millennium Falcon flying through debris and trying not to get eaten by a giant space monster. How is that not fun?

Like I said, at the time I felt Star Wars‘d out and it was pretty obvious everyone at Lucasfilm was so sick of this movie, after all the drama, that there would never be another Solo movie. That for all the strife – making a movie that its best reviews described as, “Yeah, sure, that was fun at times,” and underperforming at the box office – sure probably didn’t win it many internal fans. But now with all that in the past, it is a fun movie. And yeah, its plot is pretty thin, but that’s what makes it fun. The galaxy isn’t at stake, just Han and his buddies. And a pretty stellar series could be made out of the weekly adventures of young Han and Chewie. I honestly can’t figure out why this isn’t a thing. But, in the meantime, if you haven’t watched Solo in a while, away from all the drama and (maybe for you) bad lighting, give it another shot. It might just be the most pure fun Star Wars movie we’ve gotten from this era so far.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

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People are trying to wrap their heads around this photo of the Bidens visiting the Carters

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden paid a visit to former president Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter last Thursday. It was the first meeting between the couples since Biden took office in January.

The event was historic because it brought together the oldest sitting president and the longest-lived former president in history.

But the event is causing a stir on social media because of a bizarre photo taken of the meeting.


The photo of the Bidens kneeling next to the Carers makes it look like either the Bidens are exceptionally tall or the Carters are unbelievably short. When, in reality, the Carters are 5’5″ and 5’10”, the Bidens 5’7″ and 6′.

The strange photo made some people question whether the meeting actually happened in the first place.

Some thought it was an obvious photoshop fail.

Mostly, the photo inspired a ton of jokes.

Jonathan Alter, author of “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life,” told the Washington Post that the photo looks strange due to variations in height and the way the photograph was taken.

One reason is that the camera’s flash reduces shadows. The Bidens appear to be side-by-side with the Carters because the lack of shadow also reduces the appearance of depth. The Bidens are actually a lot closer to the camera than the Carters, so they appear larger.

The photo also was taken with a wide-angle lens which causes everything on the outer edges of the image to expand, and center to contract. The Carters appear to be smaller because they are in the middle of the shot.

The Carters also look smaller because people tend to shrink as they age.

Men tend to lose an inch in height between the ages of 30 and 70, while some women can lose up to two. After the age of 80, it’s possible for everyone to lose another inch in height.

“Older adults can get shorter because the cartilage between their joints gets worn out and osteoporosis causes the spinal column to become shorter,” Dr. Pham Liem, a geriatrician at the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, says. “Adults can also lose lean muscle mass but gain fat. This is a condition called sarcopenia.”

Although Jimmy Carter was a one-term president defeated in a landslide by Ronald Reagan in 1980, he has become more popular over the years. A 2019 YouGov poll found him to be the second most popular living Commander-in-Chief — behind only Barack Obama.

A recent documentary on the former president, “Carterland,” suggests that he was misunderstood while in the White House because he was way ahead of his time.

“Here’s what people get wrong about Carter,” Will Pattiz, one of the film’s directors, told The Guardian. “He was not in over his head or ineffective, weak or indecisive – he was a visionary leader, decades ahead of his time trying to pull the country toward renewable energy, climate solutions, social justice for women and minorities, equitable treatment for all nations of the world.”

“He faced nearly impossible economic problems – and at the end of the day came so very close to changing the trajectory of this nation,” Pattiz adds.

Upworthy published a tongue-in-cheek endorsement of Carter for president a few years back.

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Pink Says Her COVID-19 Case Was So Severe She Rewrote Her Will

Last year during the early throes of the Coronavirus sweeping across America, mega popstar Pink shared that both her and her three-year-old son, Jameson, suffered severe cases of COVID-19. She called the experience “terrifying” back then, and recently she’s shared even more specifics about just how worried she was about her health.

“This is going to sound crazy, but we had COVID last year, very early in March, and it was really, really bad and I rewrote my will,” Pink told Heart Radio host Mark Wright,. “You know, at the point where I thought it was over for us, I called my best friend and I said, ‘I just need you to tell Willow how much I loved her.’”

Thankfully, the singer made a full recovery, but part of the gravity of her loss stuck with her. She said the experience caused her to reconsider her role as a mother, and what kind of legacy she’s leaving behind and teaching her kids. “What am I teaching them?” she remembers thinking. “And are they going to make it in this world, this crazy world that we live in now? And what do I need to tell them if this is the last time I ever get to tell them anything?”

This led her, naturally, to write a song reflecting on the experience. “All I Know So Far” is going to be released this Friday, and will be featured in the singer’s upcoming documentary Pink: All I Know So Far. The track is dedicated to Pink’s daughter, Willow.

Check out the full emotional interview above and look for the new song in a few days.