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As we careen through the first few weeks of 2021, we could all use a feel-good story. And what’s better than a sweet proposal story to bring us all a bit of joy?

Jesse took his girlfriend Erin to a bird show at the Australian Zoo last week. (Since Australia has managed to control the pandemic, people are able to do such things. Isn’t that nice?) The bird handler introduced the audience to Euli, a red-tailed black cockatoo, then asked the audience for a volunteer. Erin stood up and waved her arms, and when she was chosen, she assumed she’d gotten lucky.

The bird handler had Erin pull out a five-dollar bill and hold it in her hand with her arm out. Euli, the handler said, would know exactly who to go to since she was holding the money. Sure enough, Euli flew up to Erin, took the bill from her hand, and flew back.

Then the handler said Euli was going to take Erin her “receipt.” The bird flew up, handed Erin a piece of paper. The handler told Erin to open it and read it, and that’s when she got the surprise of her life.

The look on Erin’s face is classic as it sinks in that Jesse is proposing to her. (If you watch him carefully, you can see him pulling the ring from his pocket as she’s opening up the note.) She turns to look at him, and he smoothly goes down on one knee with the ring.

And of course—thankfully, because it would be really embarrassing if she didn’t—Erin said yes.

Clearly, if Jesse knew Erin well enough to know that she’d immediately stand up and wave both arms when a bird show emcee asked for a volunteer, he probably knew she was going to say yes when the bird handed her a proposal. Coordinating the surprise was the bigger issue, and he and the handler pulled it off beautifully.

Way to go, Jesse. We’ve seen some creative proposals before (Remember the guy who edited the Disney movie?) but it’s been a while since we’ve gotten to enjoy one of these in-public surprise moments.

And right now, we can all use this kind of wholesome feel-good story to brighten our day. Hugs and applause and all the warm gushy feelings. Congrats to the adorable young couple.

Moments after Joe Biden was officially sworn in as the 46th President, Garth Brooks took the stage. The country singer joined the audience together in song for a moving performance of “Amazing Grace.”

Brooks arrived at the podium and removed his cowboy hat to sing “Amazing Grace.” Brooks was first accompanied by a trumpet, but ended up delivering the song without an instrument. Before he sang the song’s final verse, Brooks called for unity across the nation. “I’m going to ask you to sing this last verse with me. Not just the people here, but the people at home, at work, here as one — united.

Ahead of his “Amazing Grace” performance, Brooks explained why performing at the Inauguration was not a “political statement.” Speaking at a virtual press conference, Brooks said: “In our household, this is not a political statement: This is a statement of unity. […] The message they’re pushing is unity, and that’s right down my alley, man. If we’re gonna get anywhere, we’re gonna get there together.” He added, “I might be the only Republican at this place, but it’s reaching across, loving one another, because that’s what is going to get us together during one of the most divided times.”

Brooks also noted the “disturbing” acts that took place at the Capitol riots just two weeks ago. “Think about your family,” he said. “Think about what the mark you’re going to leave on this planet as a human being, and with the children that you raise, and then make your decision.”

Watch Garth Brooks sing “Amazing Grace” at the 2021 Inauguration above.

Unlike Donald Trump who’s still upset over suffering a massive loss to Joe Biden, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders did his part to unify the country by showing up to Biden’s Inauguration on Tuesday. However, while others wore fancy monochrome outfits and fine-tailored suits, Bernie showed up wearing mittens, and it damn near broke the Internet. Bernie has one of the largest online followings of any non-AOC politician, so folks were absolutely loving his no-nonsense attire as he plopped himself down in a metal chair with his mittens on full display over his knees.

Naturally, there’s a story behind the mittens that is classic Bernie. According to BuzzFeed News’ Ruby Cramer, the mittens were made from recycled material by a Vermont school teacher who gave them to Bernie two years and was thrilled to see him wearing them on the campaign trail.

As the Bernie mittens craze started to trend, it didn’t take long for the jokes to start rolling in as Twitter users noticed that Bernie’s parka looks a lot like the one from his famous “Once again, I’m asking you” meme. And knowing Bernie, there’s a very good chance that it actually is the same coat, and possibly the only he owns. Folks also enjoyed the fact that Bernie was carrying a manila folder and looked more like he was headed to the post office than a presidential inauguration.

And, of course, it didn’t take long for the “Bernie grumpily sitting in a chair” memes to start, and there’s sure to be more of these in the days ahead.

Wednesday marked a historic day in politics. Not only was Joe Biden sworn in as the 46th US president, but it was also the day Donald Trump officially left the White House — and musicians weren’t shy about sharing their thoughts. Artists like Lady Gaga, Wale, Dionne Warwick, and more reacted to the momentous day in their own ways.

Lady Gaga, who performed the National Anthem at the Inauguration, offered a prayer for America. “I pray tomorrow will be a day of peace for all Americans,” she wrote in a tweet. “A day for love, not hatred. A day for acceptance not fear. A day for dreaming of our future joy as a country. A dream that is non-violent, a dream that provides safety for our souls.”

Just ahead of her National Anthem rendition, Gaga discussed what the song meant to her. The singer called the Inauguration a “moment of change,” adding that she singing the anthem for every citizen. “My intention is to acknowledge our past, be healing for our present, and passionate for a future where we work together lovingly,” she wrote. “I will sing to the hearts of all people who live on this land.”

After sharing a clip of Billy Rae Cyrus performing a song, Dionne Warwick wished everyone a safe night before the Inauguration.

https://twitter.com/dionnewarwick/status/1351713814656389120

Wale offered his opinion about the day, saying it’s a “celebration” that Trump is out of office.

Moby shared a song he wrote a few years ago to mark the occasion.

A. C. Newman of The New Pornographers offered his two cents about the historic day. “One last time for posterity… I f*cking hate Trump and his piece of sh*t family,” he said.

See musicians like Lady Gaga, Wale, and more react to Trump officially leaving office above.

Tom Holland is currently filming his sixth appearance as Spider-Man (three Marvel movies and soon-to-be three solo films for those keeping count), but he still remembers the grueling process to land wall-crawling part like it was yesterday. While chatting with Daniel Kaaluya for Variety‘s Actors on Actors series, Holland opened up about the seven-month audition process that Marvel put him through and his computer-shattering reaction when he learned he was going to be the new Spidey.

According to Holland, he knew things were moving in his direction after he had a chance to riff with Robert Downey Jr., which is something that Marvel doesn’t encourage during the audition process. They prefer the actors stick to the lines, but Downey Jr. changed the scene on the fly and what are the people in the room going to do? Tell Iron Man he can’t improvise?

“We started riffing with each other, and I mean, to sound like a bit of a dick, I rang my mum afterward and was like, ‘I think I’ve got it.’” Holland told Kaluuya. However, it’d be almost two months later until Holland heard anything, and when the young actor did learn that he landed the part, it was through the press, which almost caused some serious property damage. Via Variety:

“I got my computer, and my dog was sitting next to me,” he says. “I type in ‘Marvel.’ I’ve still got the article saved on my computer. It said, ‘We would like to introduce our new Spider-Man, Tom Holland.’ I broke my computer, because I flipped it up in the air. It fell off my bed; my dog went nuts. I ran downstairs. I was telling my family, ‘I got the part! I got the part!’”

You can see Holland talking to Kaaluya about the life-changing moment above.

(Via Variety)

Nearly a year ago, J. Lo was invited to perform at a truly American event: the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show. Fast-forward a year later and the singer was awarded the opportunity to give an even more patriotic performance. J. Lo took the podium to deliver the song “America The Beautiful” at the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.

J. Lo was escorted to the podium sporting an all-white suit. The singer launched into a touching rendition of “America The Beautiful,” showcasing her octave-climbing vocals. Just before singing her last note, the singer recited the closing lines of the Pledge Of Allegiance in Spanish. “Una nación debajo de dios, indivisible, con libertad y justicia para todos,” she said.

Following the stunning performance, Senator Amy Klobuchar quipped that it was the first time in history that J. Lo was the opening act for Chief Justice Roberts.

Ahead of her performance, J Lo stopped to take some selfies with some military members who were dispatched to DC. “What an honor to spend a few moments with these brave men and women,” she wrote. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. I honor you today and everyday. Tomorrow I sing for you and all Americans.”

Watch J. Lo perform “America The Beautiful” at the 59th Presidential Inauguration above.

LeBron James is a professional basketball player, philanthropist, businessman, and occasional actor. He is also a poster, using Instagram and Twitter in particular to promote stuff he’s got going on (whether that be on or off the basketball court) and generally muse about the state of things — he’s particularly active on Twitter while he’s watching sporting events involving teams he likes, namely the Cleveland Browns and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

James will occasionally post about current events, like the time he (accurately, to be clear) called out Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred for the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal with a pair of sensational tweets that included the phrase “listen here baseball commissioner” and the hashtag #JustMyThoughtsComingFromASportsJunkieRegardlessMyOwnSportIPlay. But perhaps his most popular tweet came when he defended Steph Curry after the Golden State Warriors star sparred with Donald Trump, who as of this writing is not the president anymore.

The story: The Warriors beat LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals, and the team had a decision to make. They could stick with tradition and head to the White House to meet with the President of the United States — shake hands, pat backs, Trump would say something about how “John Starks, now that’s someone, he was never very nice to me, but we’ll see,” all that stuff — or they could not do that because, well, you don’t become the least-popular president Gallup’s ever tracked on accident.

The Warriors decided to not go, Curry made it public, and then after that happened, Trump said that the team wasn’t invited, anyway. That led to James crafting one of his masterpieces:

“U bum” is a terrific way to refer to anyone, let alone someone like Trump. “Bum” is a terrific insult in its own right and referring to anyone as “U” is quietly great, because the level of contempt to express that someone does not deserve enough of your time to type out “you” is funny, to me. Anyway, as it turns out, “U Bum” is not a distinction LeBron saves for people he really hates, as evidenced by a quick Twitter search. For example, did you know he once referred to Dwyane Wade this way?

Now, it is not immediately clear what either of them was referring to because this was back when quote tweets were a thing. Looking in the replies and at a calendar, though, it does appear that Wade was talking smack to LeBron over a Monday Night Football game between Wade’s Chicago Bears and LeBron’s once-favorite NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys. The Bears came out on top, 34-18, behind a big game from Brandon Marshall (seven catches for 138 yards and a touchdown) and five interceptions thrown by future CBS announcer Tony Romo.

This was not the only time “u bum” popped up in relation to football. Back in 2011, Patrick Beverley, then of Russian side Spartak St. Petersburg, asked the following:

You might be wondering why he did not Google this, which was in regards to the Sugar Bowl between Beverley’s beloved Arkansas Razorbacks and the Ohio State Buckeyes, but within minutes, LeBron was in his mentions to do a very Ohio State football fan thing: Tell someone that Ohio State won a football game.

The Buckeyes came out on top, 31-26, as Terrelle Pryor out-dueled Ryan Mallett in a battle of guys who were very good college quarterbacks.

There was only one more “u bum” in LeBron’s entire posting catalogue, and it was easily the most mysterious of the bunch. His childhood friend Frankie Walker wanted him to “send the pic.” LeBron said that no pictures have been taken. It is unclear what any of this is in reference to.

A subsequent search of LeBron’s Twitter account does not clarify what they were talking about, but we do know that a few days later, the pair played Madden and LeBron tweeted the results of games that he largely won.

There are two lessons to be taken from this post. One is that you should not play LeBron James in Madden, apparently. The other, far more important one is that future presidents should make it a point to not earn the “U bum” distinction from the Los Angeles Lakers star, because nothing good comes from that.

Lady Gaga was a huge supporter of Joe Biden during his presidential campaign, so she got to experience what was likely an immensely gratifying moment today: singing the National Anthem at his inauguration.

After being introduced, Gaga walked out escorted by a member of the Marines. Then, accompanied by the United States Marine Band, she grabbed her golden microphone and struggled to hold back a smile as she gave a powerful vocal performance.

In a pair of tweets shortly before her performance, Gaga wrote, “Singing our National Anthem for the American People is my honor. I will sing during a ceremony, a transition, a moment of change—between POTUS 45 and 46. For me, this has great meaning. My intention is to acknowledge our past, be healing for our present, and passionate for a future where we work together lovingly. I will sing to the hearts of all people who live on this land. Respectfully and kindly, Lady Gaga.”

Yesterday, she also offered an optimistic message about today, writing, “I pray tomorrow will be a day of peace for all Americans. A day for love, not hatred. A day for acceptance not fear. A day for dreaming of our future joy as a country. A dream that is non-violent, a dream that provides safety for our souls. Love, from the Capitol.”

Watch the performance above and check out the inauguration proceedings live below.

After 17 years of high-level quarterbacking in the NFL, Philip Rivers is calling it quits. The former Chargers and Colts quarterback officially announced his retirement on Wednesday morning.

In a statement to ESPN, Rivers offered up his thanks for living out his “childhood dream of playing quarterback in the NFL.”

Rivers thanked opposing NFL defenses for the competition and the banter on the field. And he thanked referees for hearing him out, then threw in a “dadgummit” to remind us of his Alabama roots.

While the Colts search for their next quarterback after having Andrew Luck and now Rivers leave in back-to-back offseasons, Rivers’ future is also the source of much speculation.

Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reported last month that Rivers was seen as the “next Tony Romo” among broadcasting executives looking for their next game analyst. That includes Fox, which needs a No. 2 behind Troy Aikman, as well as ESPN for Monday Night Football and the growing list of tech companies like Amazon that are aiming to burst into the live sports field.

In the meantime, Rivers confirmed to the San Diego Union-Tribune that he would stick with his plan to coach high school football in Alabama once he settled into retirement.

Detroit thrash rappers Insane Clown Posse are unhappy with The Atlantic for comparing their followers to Donald Trump’s in a recently-published editorial that not only compared Trumpists to ICP’s fanbase but also coined the term “Trumpalos,” combining the self-chosen name for ICP’s fans with Trump’s most hardcore supporters. Violent J, one half of Insane Clown Posse, spoke up in defense of the band and the Juggalos, texting Huffington Post his dissent to The Atlantic‘s opinion.

“I can’t believe TheAtlantic.com would hire a writer, presumably for his expertise in journalism who’s that off the mark, as well as an editor for his or her fact-checking abilities who obviously lives within a reality separate from our own when it comes to defining who Juggalos truly are and what they’re about,” he wrote. In a follow-up text, he expressed his disappointment in the characterization of the Juggalos as violent in The Atlantic, writing, “The truth is it fuckin’ hurts and [it’s] scary seeing professional adults acting like savage bullies,” and noting that ICP fans make “easy targets because they’re so misunderstood.”

He was also disappointed in “sad little bullshit like this makes me question the media in general and [lose] a little faith in just about [everything] I f*ckin read!”

The offending passage, penned by Graeme Wood and titled “What to Do With Trumpists,” called the Trump administration “the political equivalent of the Insane Clown Posse,” writing:

At noon tomorrow, our four-year experiment in being governed by the political equivalent of the Insane Clown Posse will finally end. It is ending in Juggalo style (some have called it “Trumpalo”), violently and pointlessly, with a handful of deaths, the smearing of various bodily fluids, and a riot on the way out. After any bacchanal of this magnitude, the sober dawn is almost as disorienting as the hysteria itself—and the most urgent task, after wiping the shit from the Capitol hallways, is to prevent a repeat performance.

The Juggalos’ reputation has been tainted over the years due to the FBI listing the group as a gang, with self-identified Juggalos involved in violent crimes. However, they’ve been characterized by journalists at their annual Gathering Of The Juggalos as “sometimes comically friendly.” The 2020 Gathering was canceled by the band due to the pandemic, in stark contrast to Trump’s rally tour.