Category: Viral

Billie Eilish popped up at a Variety Hitmakers event over the weekend, and in a red-carpet interview with the publication, the subject of her recent Variety interview came up, in which she said, “I’ve never really felt like I could relate to girls very well. I love them so much. I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real. […] I have deep connections with women in my life, the friends in my life, the family in my life. I’m physically attracted to them. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.”

Reflecting on the red carpet, she said, “I kinda thought, ‘Wasn’t it obvious?’ I didn’t realize people didn’t know… I just don’t really believe in [coming out]. I’m just like, ‘Why can’t we just exist?’”

Now, it appears Eilish was perhaps annoyed by that line of questioning.

In an Instagram post shared last night (December 3), Eilish wrote, “thanks variety for my award and for also outing me on a red carpet at 11 am instead of talking about anything else that matters i like boys and girls leave me alone about it please literally who cares stream ‘what was i made for’ [disguised face emoji].”

Meanwhile, in a September interview, Eilish revealed her next album is nearly complete, saying, “There is lots of music coming. There is a whole album of music coming. We’re in the final stages of making it, so that doesn’t mean it’s about to come out, but it is getting there and it’s very exciting.”

Van Gough never got to enjoy his own historic success as an artist (even though we’ve been able to imagine what that moment might have looked like). But it turns out that those of us who have appreciated his work have been missing out on some critical details for more than 100 years.

I’m not easily impressed, OK?

I know Van Gogh was a genius. If the point of this were “Van Gogh was a mad genius,” I would not be sharing this with you.

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But I found this and I thought, “Oh, what a vaguely interesting thing.” And then I got to the part about the Hubble Space Telescope, and, let me tell you: Mind. Blown.

We’ve got the set up here, but you have to watch the video for the full effect. It’s all the way at the bottom.

Get this: Van Gogh was a pretty cool artist (duh), but as it turns out…

…he was also A SCIENTIST!*

*Pretty much.

Here’s the story.

While Van Gogh was in an asylum in France, after he mutilated his ear during a psychotic episode*…

(*Or, and I’d like to thank the entire Internet for pointing this out, there’s a theory that his friend Paul Gauguin actually cut off his ear, in a drunken sword fight, in the dark. The more you know!)

…he was able to capture one of science’s most elusive concepts:

~~~TURBULENCE~~~

Although it’s hard to understand with math (like, REALLY HARD), it turns out that art makes it easy to depict how it LOOKS.

So what is turbulence?

Turbulence, or turbulent flow, is a concept of fluid dynamics where fluid movements are “self-similar” when there’s an energy cascade — so basically, big eddies make smaller eddies, and those make even smaller ones … and so on and so forth.

It looks like this:

See? It’s easier to look at pictures to understand it.

Thing is, scientists are pretty much *just* starting to figure this stuff out.

Then you’ve got Van Gogh, 100 years earlier, in his asylum, with a mutilated ear, who totally nailed it!

The folks who noticed Van Gogh’s ability to capture turbulence checked to see whether other artists did the same. Most impressionists achieved ” luminance” with their art (which is the sort-of *pulsing* you see when you look at their paintings that really shows what light looks like).

But did other artists depict turbulence the way Van Gogh did?

NOPE.

Not even “The Scream” could hold a candle to Van Gogh!

Even in his darkest time, Van Gogh was able to capture — eerily accurately — one of nature’s most complex and confusing concepts … 100 years before scientists had the technology to observe actual star turbulence and realize its similarity to fluid turbulence mathematics as well as Van Gogh’s swirling sky. Cool, huh?

Watch the video below to learn even more:

This article originally appeared on November 14, 2014

Madeleine Albright once said, “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” It turns out that might actually be a hell on Earth, because women just do better when they have other women to rely on, and there’s research that backs it up.

A study published in the Harvard Business Review found that women who have a strong circle of friends are more likely to get executive positions with higher pay. “Women who were in the top quartile of centrality and had a female-dominated inner circle of 1-3 women landed leadership positions that were 2.5 times higher in authority and pay than those of their female peers lacking this combination,” Brian Uzzi writes in the Harvard Business Review.

Part of the reason why women with strong women backing them up are more successful is because they can turn to their tribe for advice. Women have to face different challenges than men, such as unconscious bias, and being able to turn to other women who have had similar experiences can help you navigate a difficult situation. It’s like having a road map for your goals.

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​It’s interesting to note that women in leadership positions who lacked this style of support system didn’t make as much as the women who did. “While women who had networks that most resembled those of successful men (i.e., centrality but no female inner circle) placed into leadership positions that were among the lowest in authority and pay,” Uzzi writes. Men and women have different needs, and that even extends to their tribe.

But it’s not just in the workplace. A 2006 study found that women who had 10 or more friends were more likely to survive the disease than women who lacked close friends. The study found socially isolated women were 64% more likely to die from cancer, and 43% more likely to have a breast cancer reoccurrence. Friendship is literally the best medicine.

Never underestimate the power of a group text with your girlfriends. Having a place to commiserate over sexism and support other women with goofy gifs when someone succeeds can enrich your life on all fronts.

This article originally appeared on 12.03.19

Something Nicolas Cage said took me aback. Pretty early on, as we were discussing Cage’s terrific, nuanced performance in Dream Scenario, Cage said he is going to stop making movies. And he uses the word “adios” three times to highlight his statement. In fact, he says in a perfect world Dream Scenario would be his last film and he can leave on a high note, but contractual commitments won’t allow that. It’s hard to imagine a world where Nicolas Cage isn’t making movies. Why does he feel this way?

Well, it turns out Nicolas Cage doesn’t watch television. Well, that was the case until recently when his son implored him to watch Breaking Bad, a show Cage calls “magnificent.” And it was Cage’s exposure to Breaking Bad that gave him the idea that this would be the next phase of his career. Cage doesn’t think he can learn anything more from doing another movie (he has a good point there) but thinks he has a lot to learn still from doing television. Cage says he’s still trying to formulate this idea and is talking through it. But he seems genuinely delighted by it. Cage isn’t a big fan of how the internet has distilled his performances into memes (another good point) and is hoping if he plays just one character over a series of seasons/episodes, maybe the internet would, you know, lay off a bit. (I wish him luck there but I’m not sure that’s possible.)

In Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario, Cage plays Paul Matthews, a fairly reserved professor who, out of the blue, starts appearing in people’s dreams, even strangers. And the dreams are all similar. At first, Paul is a bystander, being unhelpful in dangerous situations. At first, Paul enjoys his newfound quasi-fame (Sprite is interested in working with him), but as the phenomenon progresses, Paul becomes more and more violent in these dreams, which has real-world consequences as Paul eventually gets canceled online.

I had a considerable amount of time to talk to Cage so this interview goes quite a few different places, from Breaking Bad to Face/Off to Con Air. And why, soon after his terrible experience on Fast Times at Ridgemont High, he decided to not use the last name Coppola anymore, which is a multipart answer. And the last time I interviewed Cage, 11 years ago, he told me he wanted his career going forward to be “like Led Zeppelin.” So he lets us know if he achieved his Led Zeppelin goals.

Nicolas Cage: How are you?

No complaints. How are you?

The same. No complaints.

The internet loves it when you get to scream, but I love it when you dig into a more reserved character like this, and I think you’re extremely good at it. I don’t know if that’s what you saw in this role.

I’ve always, in my filmography, I’ve always tried to mix it up and explore different genres and different styles of what can be done with film performance. I’ve always looked at the margins and the edges of film performance. And what can we do to maybe recall different styles of acting from silent film or from the golden age stars like Cagney. And, then also, if you look carefully at the filmography, find the more minimal performance style – the 1970’s naturalism style that we’ve all become obsessed with ad infinitum as the arbiter of good acting. But in this case, I think people like to be reminded that I’m capable of a more natural style of film performance, even though I’ve explored other choreographed acting styles.

Do you like being reminded of that, too?

Yeah… I mean, I like staying fresh. I mean, I like to keep mixing it up. I don’t want to get stuck in any genre or any performance style. I want to do it all. And I feel that I’ve, at this point – after 45 years of doing this; that in over 100 movies – I feel I’ve pretty much said what I’ve had to say with cinema. And I’d like to leave on a high note and say, “Adios.” I think I have to do maybe three or four more movies before I can get there, and then hopefully switch formats and go into some other way of expressing my acting.

Oh, wait, so you only want to do three or four more movies?

Well, I’d like to. I would’ve liked to have left on a high note, like Dream Scenario. But I have other contracts that I have to fulfill, so we’ll see what happens. I mean, I am going to be very severe and very astringent on the selection process moving forward. But for me to do another movie, I do want to explore other formats. I am very interested in immersion streaming with episodic television. I have seen things that can be done now with characters and the time they’re given to express themselves. I saw Bryan Cranston stare at a suitcase for an hour on one episode of Breaking Bad. We don’t have time to do that in a feature film, so maybe television is the next best step for me. We’ll see.

So if it were up to you, Dream Scenario would be your last movie?

I would say, “Adios.” I did what I had to do with cinema and I want to move on now. But I’m not there yet, but hopefully I will be. We’ll see.

It’s interesting you brought that up because you really haven’t got to explore episodic television. And now seasons can be six or eight or ten episodes. Is that what’s appealing? Does that make sense?

Well, yeah. It absolutely makes sense. But more importantly, I want to spend some quality time with my family. And I’m going to be 60 next month and my dad died at 75. So it’s like, if I’m lucky, I have more years than he did, but I don’t know. And so what am I going to do with my next 15 years? Well, what’s important? What’s important is my children and I have a baby daughter. And if I can find an episodic show to do that stays in one place where I don’t have to keep leaving, we can all be together. That, on a personal level, would be great. But also I’m a student and I don’t know if I have anything else to learn in cinema. I might have something to learn in television.

I mean, that’s interesting because you probably don’t have anything to learn in cinema. I can’t think of anything you really haven’t done.

Well, that’s how I feel. We’re in agreement. I feel like I’ve really been eclectic and I’ve explored the margins of film performance. And I’ve done every genre. And so the only thing I haven’t really done is Broadway and I haven’t done a television show. I did one pilot that didn’t get picked up when I was 15, but I think I want to try something else.

Wait, have you done a true Western?

I did Butcher’s Crossing and The Old Way, and that was a chance to do something there. But yeah, I think I pretty much said what I had to say with film.

Well, I will say though, even though I said I can’t think of anything you really haven’t done, selfishly I still like watching you in movies. But I think people would make the transition over to a television show or a streaming show if that’s what you did next.

Well, I think so, too. But again, as a student, I would never call myself a master. As a student…

But I can say that. I think you’re a master at this point. But I know you don’t want to say that, but I can say that.

You can say it. But I mean, my point is, as a student, where do I go that would challenge me and stretch me and make me grow in some way? Where would I go where I would learn? How do I pour yeast on my education as an actor? Well, you try things like television immersion or you try things like Broadway. There are other formats to explore.

Could Paul Matthews in Dream Scenario have been a 10-episode series?

Probably, yeah. Each episode would be a new dream.

I’m thinking I could watch 10 hours of this guy.

[Laughs] Well, I love that. I wouldn’t want him to wear out his welcome, but yeah, I think I know what you mean.

Well, not sitting in a theater all day for 10 hours, but…

Yeah, no, I get it. I know exactly what you mean. I think you could tune in to what’s going on with Paul.

Every week we get to see what Paul’s up to. I’d be into that.

It’d be like, “Oh, no, you dreamt that about me?” Right?

The way this movie begins with the dreams of him just not helping out, I found that horrifying. Maybe even more horrifying than when he starts attacking people in dreams. It really is a terrible thing for people to think about you.

Well, that’s why the episodic version of Paul Matthews would be interesting because he could start the show with, “What did you dream about me now?” And it gets increasingly more violent.

See, we’re coming up with something here. Every week it escalates.

Until it’s time to stop and move on to the next TV character. I think we have nine episodes there.

I think you’ve got 12, at least.

Well, it’s a good idea. I’ll pitch it to Kristoffer (Borgli) when I see him tomorrow. I’ll have to make sure I give you credit.

Yeah, I’ll be waiting by the phone to get my credit for that.

[Laughs] Right.

Last time we spoke in 2012, you said going forward you want your career to be like how Led Zeppelin did it. Basically that they did their own thing and are mysterious…

I remember that interview.

Oh, you do?

Yeah. That was a good one.

I remember at one point I brought up Peggy Sue Got Married and Jim Carrey is in that with you told me that you got offered Dumb and Dumber.

Yeah. I decided to do Leaving Las Vegas instead.

That worked out for you.

I think so. But yeah, I remember that interview now that you mention it. And the difference between me and Led Zeppelin is that they didn’t do what we’re doing. They didn’t do any interviews.

Right. You mentioned that.

I never made it to the Led Zeppelin mythos.

But the people who pay for the movies probably wouldn’t be very happy if you didn’t go out and start telling people about the movie.

No question. They would be pissed.

And then people wouldn’t see Dream Scenario. And again, I think that’s interesting you said you’d end on this one because this is one of my favorite performances from you. And I like a lot of your performances.

Well, I meant it. I would like to say, “Adios,” on this one. But I can’t just now. But look, I enjoy our conversation. I mean, I enjoy our interviews. I think it is good for the mind. You need to stay sociable. You need to talk to people and it keeps you sharp. What am I going to do? Just sit in a room and read a book? I mean, I could do that or live a life of contemplation. I mean, I could do that, but I think this is more interesting. So I’m glad I’m having these conversations.

Well, I would argue reading a book probably sounds more fun than just a life of contemplation. A lot of people enjoy reading books.

I would have to agree with you. I’ve tried the life of contemplation. I’m here to tell you it’s a dead end.

Books are fun. You could read books.

I’m starting to read more. Last night, I was reading Magister Ludi by Hermann Hesse. And I’m on Australia time, so I’m not really going to bed. I wake up at 12:30 at night, and in the book, in Magister Ludi, the magistrate was telling a friend of his and the friend said, “Oh, I’ve been on alcohol and sedatives that helped me sleep.” And the magistrate says, “Well, why don’t you look at the starry sky and listen to music? And now I’ll play a piece for you that’s better than any sedative.” So I took it to heart and I put on some Debussy and I fell asleep.

Well, see, that sounds very relaxing.

Yeah, and it was. It helped. I’m not sure how long the sleep lasted, but at least it worked for a minute or two.

Well, see, you ruined one of my questions already by saying you don’t want to do movies anymore. The last time we spoke was for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. And you just experienced it with Superman in The Flash, but with all these universes coming together, why can’t Nicolas Cage play Ghost Rider again? And I know how much you like it, but you just told me you don’t want to do movies anymore. So that’s probably a “no.”

Well, like I said, it’s going to be a very severe and stringent selection process. I’m not saying no entirely. I’m saying if something came along that I thought had some pop to it, some spark to it, that maybe could be fun for folks to revisit, like a Face/Off 2 or Ghost Rider, that’s another conversation. But I mean, that’s not going out and finding a brand new bit of material and trying something else. I’m still developing my ideas about all this. Who knows what will really happen?

But when we had that conversation back in 2012 or whenever it was, I never thought I would say this, what I’m saying now, that I’m ready to explore television. But probably because the TV wasn’t there yet. And also because I was a true blue film actor and I never thought I’d want to do anything else. But so many changes are happening in my industry. And there’s AI and these things. And also the internet mashups and the viral stuff that’s going on and how the performances are being received. There was a big article in The New Yorker today that came out by Isaac Butler — and he wasn’t necessarily wrong about what he said about how the internet can reduce people to a punchline, which was not what I signed up for when I decided to be a film actor.

Which you explore in this movie.

Well, right. He may have been, he was flexing his intellect a little much. But I mean, he was talking about I’m a maximalist actor. Well, I mean, that’s not all I am.

I don’t think that’s true. I think you do roles that can certainly be that, but I don’t think you do that every time.

Yeah. But anyway, he’s obviously a smart guy, but he wasn’t wrong about the way the internet is a new element and the way it’s receiving performance and filmmaking gives me pause for thought and makes me think… let’s just stay on television maybe? Maybe that’s a better avenue.

Oh, people on the internet watch television too though.

Well, I’m sure they do, but they can’t keep talking about the same character the way they would about me playing Butcher’s Crossing or Paul Matthews. I’m always bringing something new. If I’m in a zone with one character, how many times can they comment on it?

I mean, how many times do we comment on James Gandolfini playing Tony Soprano? Quite a bit.

Well see, that’s just it. This is a new world for me. I don’t watch TV.

And like you just said, with Bryan Cranston playing Walter White.

That was new. That was new for me because my son told me to check it out.

Oh, so this is recent that you watched Breaking Bad?

I just found it recently, like last year.

Oh, wow. Okay.

My son, he introduced me to the format. I thought, okay, there is something here. But these are… I’m sharing ideas with you as I’m still forming them.

I see. Look, that show is addicting.

It is magnificent.

You always want to watch the next episode.

Oh yeah. And that’s the thing with television, you’ve got to find that hook to keep them coming back.

Speaking of Face/Off, John Woo had an interview in Rolling Stone today. When you are dressed as the priest as Castor Troy he called you the devil.

Well, John… I haven’t spoken to him in a very long time, but at one time we were pretty close. And I considered him my friend. And I’d like to talk to him again and say hi. He just worked with Joel Kinnaman on Silent Night. And I worked with Joel on Sympathy for the Devil. But John’s also, he’s serious about his faith, so he probably saw the devil when I was doing the headbanging role in the priest’s uniform. You’ve got to give that some credit.

Last night a friend of mine was talking about comfort movies and she said hers is Con Air. What do you make of that?

She sounds like a great lady and sounds like somebody I could have a good conversation with. That’s the first thing that comes to mind. She sounds like she’s probably a lot of fun. Likes movies that don’t make her have to think too much. I sometimes feel that way about some of the music I listen to where I don’t want to have to think. And some of the movies I watch. I mean, I don’t know how many times I’ve put on an Ishiro Honda Godzilla movie from the 60’s…

I recently bought the Criterion set, I’ve been making my way through them.

They’re great! And there’s the charm. The charm of being a guy in a monster suit acting it out is it’s fun to lose yourself in those worlds. Maybe she was experiencing something like that with Con Air. The best one in my view, I don’t believe it was a Ishiro Honda-directed one, but was the one with Hedorah, the Smog Monster.

Oh, I haven’t gotten to that one yet.

Well, I dig it because it’s really 60’s pop art. And they use a lot of split screen and weird music and lava lamps and I think it’s a trippy movie and it’s worth a watch.

Last time we spoke I brought up Fast Times at Ridgemont High and you mentioned it was a terrible experience and explained why, because people held it against you your last name was Coppola, which you said led you to change your name. What I’m curious about is that just a few years later you do a movie with your uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, with Peggy Sue Got Married. Based on what you said about Fast Times, I’m curious why you did a movie with your uncle so soon after?

Okay, let’s break this one open. First of all, I am blessed that I grew up in a family with immensely talented folks. Francis has made some of my favorite movies of all time, and he’s also my uncle. And in many ways, he is like another father to me. So when your uncle calls and says they want to do a movie with you, one, that’s your uncle, and you don’t want to say no. And two, he’s great, and why would I want to say no?

But my choice to change my name wasn’t only because some narrow-minded folks on the set of Fast Times couldn’t receive the idea that I could have any talent. Because they said I was only there because of my uncle. And they “loved the smell of Nicolas in the morning,” that stupid Apocalypse Now paraphrasing.

The real reason, the shrewd reason, the business reason, is I know that filmmakers are egocentric and I know that directors can be very competitive. And I didn’t think they’d want the name Coppola above the title on their own projects because of his illustrious contribution to cinema. So I shrewdly shifted the name so I could be invited by other directors who were also forming their own identities and probably didn’t want another director’s name on their title. So it’s different than an actor who’s born with a famous name like Fonda. That’s different than if you’re an actor who’s the nephew of a famous director, not an actor. There’s a distinction there. Do you follow me?

I do. And sounds like based on everything you just said, by the time Peggy Sue Got Married came around, this wasn’t really an issue anymore.

It wasn’t an issue. Except that I didn’t like the script and I didn’t really want to make the movie. And I must’ve said no five or six times. But I could tell it was frustrating and it’s my family.

Well, selfishly, I now know you didn’t want to make Peggy Sue Got Married, but I am glad you made it because I enjoy you immensely in that movie.

Well, I love the movie now and what we did in it. I do. But I had to find that character to love it.

I think that was my introduction to you. I remember my mom was so tickled when Charlie tries to change the lyrics to the Beatles song. She thought that was the funniest thing she had seen in her life.

Well, I’m glad. Please say hi to her. But the movie works on a very funny level. It really does.

Well, whatever it winds up being, I hope you get to make this series you want to make. This sounds like a very interesting shift with your career and I’m looking forward to it.

Thank you so much. I appreciate your vote of confidence. Thank you.

Right, obviously you’ve been waiting for that all day.

Well, no! I mean it! Your enthusiasm about it makes me even more enthusiastic about this. As I said, I’m still fomenting my ideas. So this helps me get to that, “Okay. He likes that idea. Maybe more people will?” You know what I mean?

Well, I think a lot of people will like this idea.

Thank you!

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

The Green Bay Packers moved to 6-6 on the season and into the final Wild Card spot in the NFC on Sunday night with a thrilling 27-19 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Lambeau.

It featured an impressive performance by Jordan Love, a strong outing from the defense which produced some big plays, and also one of the wildest final drives of the season (that didn’t end in points). Trailing by eight with just over a minute to play, the Chiefs needed to get in the end zone and then get a two-point conversion to force overtime, but with Patrick Mahomes under center, that always feels like a distinct possibility.

What ensued was an absolutely insane drive with some truly awful officiating that went against both sides, a punch thrown way behind a play that saw a key player get ejected, and a Hail Mary fall harmlessly to the turf.

We’ll start with the first dreadful call which moved the Chiefs out to midfield as Patrick Mahomes scrambled for a first down and got absolutely popped going to the sideline. That got flagged for a 15-yard penalty, but as NBC’s rules analyst Terry McAulay pointed out in the booth, it shouldn’t have been as Mahomes was still inbounds and fighting for extra yardage when he got hit, which means it’s legal to hit him as hard as you please.

Following that, Rashee Rice caught a screen and seemingly fumbled as he got brought down, which the Packers returned for a touchdown, but he was down before the ball came loose, bringing it back to the Packers 35. From that point, a 15-yard penalty was assessed to Isaiah Pacheco, who was the star of the Chiefs offense on the night but found himself ejected after he threw a punch in frustration after being blocked to the ground on the return — with the only camera on that part of the play being the pylon cam at the first down marker.

That penalty moved the Chiefs back to the 50, and it looked as if they’d set themselves up with a first-and-goal after Marquez Valdes-Scantling got tackled trying to get to a deep ball from Mahomes, only for there to somehow be no flag thrown on the play.

McAulay (along with everyone else watching) couldn’t believe there was no pass interference and the Chiefs were left without a great scoring opportunity. From there, the Chiefs were the beneficiary of the next bizarre call, as MVS caught a ball near the sideline but pretty clearly was being pulled backwards before he got out of bounds, meaning the clock should’ve kept rolling without Kansas City having a timeout. Instead, the referee ruled that he had gotten out before forward progress stopped, giving KC another chance.

After a quick throwaway from Mahomes, he finally launched a Hail Mary as time expired that got batted down, but not without some more pass interference controversy as there was a shove to Travis Kelce in the back that went uncalled.

McAulay again thought that was a miss, but as Cris Collinsworth noted, they usually need something flagrant to be called on a Hail Mary. It was not a banner drive for the officiating crew assigned to Sunday Night Football, but it did make for an entertaining (or frustrating, depending on your viewpoint) final drive.

In any case, it was a big win for the Packers who move into a Wild Card spot for now with five games left in the season, while the Chiefs slip to 8-4, two games up on Denver in the AFC West.

With FX’s Atlanta and Amazon’s Swarm in the rear view mirror, Donald Glover has kept his creative fires burning with the latter for a new streaming series that reboots Mr. And Mrs. Smith, the 2005 film that brought Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt together both onscreen and in real life. That marriage didn’t last, but the film earned nearly half a billion dollars at the box office and is a solid action/comedy that you can catch on cable during random Saturdays. The director’s cut is worth nabbing as well, if you have the chance.

Will this be conventional remake? With Donald Glover (Atlanta, Community, Solo, Childish Gambino, etc.) executive producing, writing, and starring in this project, you can only expect the unexpected. Things could get straight-up surreal at times, or perhaps multi-threat Glover will shows layers that he’s never revealed before now. In all likelihood, there will be some controversy, but let’s discuss what we know about the Mr. And Mrs. Smith series.

Plot

Glover and Maya Erskine (PEN 15, Insecure, Blue Eye Samurai) both write and star as the central pair of assassins who also happen to be married. And of course, neither of them have any idea that the other is also an assassin while growing totally bored in the relationship. Remember how amusing it was to watch Jolie contemplate new curtains around the same time that she was dressing up as a dominatrix and busting some too-rich dude’s chops? With the combined scribe powers of the leading duo and showrunner Francesca Sloane (Atlanta, Fargo), things are guaranteed to get even weirder here.

If you want even more wildness, consider that Glover admitted being somewhat influenced by The Golden Bachelor regarding his upcoming show, although it remains to be seen if he was taking the p*ss with that remark. The timing of that claimed influence might not line up, but it’s sure food for thought. If the TV series lines up with the movie, then eventually, the married assassins will realize what’s been happening and perhaps fall in love all over again. This show is landing in February, so maybe Glover will even decide to play with this concept and then blow romance into smithereens.

From the show’s synopsis:

Two lonely strangers land a job working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travels and a dream brownstone in Manhattan. The catch: new identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. & Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier, espionage or marriage?

Cast

This production has gone through some phases, alright. Originally, Phoebe Waller-Bridge (who apparently can do no wrong with Amazon after Fleabag) was slated to star opposite Glover, but somewhere along the way, she dropped out of the project. Erskine (PEN15) hopped onboard in addition to her writing duties, and the supporting cast soon began to fall into place.

Those actors include Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You) along with John Turturro (who will take no garbage in any role) and Paul Dano (Ruby Sparks, The Batman, Dumb Money). Those three roles remain shrouded in mystery for the time being, but my fingers are crossed for Dano to pick up a part that’s similar to the “WTF?!” unaware dude played by Adam Brody in the Jolie-Pitt movie. This seems like some a good fit and could even be a callback to his whiny response to the “I drink your milkshake” moment in There Will Be Blood. This discussion might be going off the rails, but hey, so did the Jolie-Pitt film.

Release Date

This show might get you in an atypical Valentine’s Day mood after debuting on February 2, 2024.

Trailer

Catch a glimpse of some butt-kicking footage after the 1:00 mark below while we await a full trailer:

Will Mr. And Mrs. Smith be as subversive as Swarm? We shall soon find out.

The 49ers and Eagles met on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia in one of the most anticipated games of the year, as the two top teams in the NFC met in a rematch of last year’s NFC title game.

After Philly started strong and took a 6-0 lead, the 49ers started to get it going and eventually hit their stride offensively, with the Eagles unable to stop Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel, and Christian McCaffrey as the Niners rolled up a 42-19 win to make a statement in the NFC. Things really turned in the second and third quarters, as the Niners offense figured out how to attack the Philly defense, attacking laterally with their speed by getting Samuel, McCaffrey, and Brandon Aiyuk in space and getting the ball out of Purdy’s hands quickly to negate the Eagles pass rush that dominated the first quarter.

The third quarter also brought some levity in what became a chippy game, with some scuffles and ejections, as Christian McCaffrey tried to draw his own late hit flag on Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, spinning and dramatically flopping to the ground as Cox tossed him aside gently.

It was so blatant a flop that referee Alex Kemp could only shake his head and laugh at McCaffrey, patting the star back on the helmet as he got up with a “nice try” look. That and Dre Greenlaw’s ejection were really the only missteps of the second half from the Niners, as they went on the road and dismantled the Eagles, with McCaffrey racking up 133 total yards and a touchdown, while Samuel 138 total yards and three touchdowns.

It seems like only yesterday a millennial was a college kid that baby boomers chided for being entitled and Gen Xers thought were way too sincere and needed to learn how to take a joke. Today, the oldest millennials, those born around 1980, have hit their 40s and have lived long enough to have some serious regrets.

They also have enough experience to take some pride in decisions that, in hindsight, were the right moves.

The good news is that at 40 there is still plenty of time to learn from our successes and failures to set ourselves up for a great second half of life. These lessons are also valuable to the Gen Zers coming up who can avoid the pitfalls of the older generation.

A Reddit user who has since deleted their profile asked millennials nearing 40 “what were your biggest mistakes at this point in life?” and they received more than 2,200 responses. The biggest regrets these millennials have are being flippant about their health and not saving enough money when they were younger.

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They also realized that the carefree days of youth are fleeting and impossible to get back. So they should have spent less time working and more time enjoying themselves. Many also lamented that they should have taken their education more seriously in their 20s so they have more opportunities now.

The responses to this thread are bittersweet. It’s tough hearing people come to grips with their regrets but the realizations are also opportunities to grow. Hopefully, some younger people will read this thread and take the advice to heart.

Here are 21 of the most powerful responses to the question: “Millennials of Reddit now nearing your 40s, what were your biggest mistakes at this point in life?”

1.

“Not taking care of my hearing, not even 35 and going deaf.” — Kusanagi8811

2.

“Not getting healthy earlier.” — zombiearchivist

3.

“Staying too long at a job in my 20s, just because it was safe and easy. When I finally got the motivation to leave, ended up with an almost 50% pay boost.” — Hrekires

4. 

“Thinking that I could and should put myself on the back burner for anything and anyone else.” — lenalilly227

5.

“Smoking and not dealing with my shit the right way.” — Allenrw3

6.

“Pining after the wrong person.” — runikepisteme

7.

“I turned 40 this year and just started liking who I am. Why the fuck did it take 40 years for self acceptance?” — guscallee

8.

“Take care of your fucking back. Lift with your knees. Sure it’s rad when you grab a fridge by yourself and lift it in the back of a moving truck unaided, but one day that shit is going to have consequences that won’t just magically go away by resting and “taking it easy” for a week.” — GuyTallman

9.

“I wish I spent more time with my dad while I had the chance.” — CharlieChooper

10.

“I’m 37. I absolutely could have taken better care of my body, but I’m in relatively good health. I’m starting to realize how important it is to maintain my health. I do also think I drank far too much in my 20 and early 30’s. I’m trying to rectify that now, but it’s hard. So that I guess.” — dartastic

11.

“I’m not sure if people have experienced the same but when I entered my 30s I became convinced I was rapidly running out of time. Rather than using that as motivation I let it paralyze me with indecision because I “couldn’t afford to make the wrong choice.” Consequently, I’m now 39 and, though I’ve had great things happen in my 30s, I regret spending so much time worrying and so little time committing to a course of action.” — tomwaste

12.

“Work to live, don’t live to work. You have half your working life after you turn 40 but only 20-25 years to really live it up before the responsibilities become heavy and your joints start to ache. Live life. Really LIVE it. Experience as much you can. Every sensation, sight, sound, touch. Be open. Be brave. Live your first few decades in the fast lane. You have the rest of your life to take it easy, when you have no choice.” — MrDundee666

13.

“I should have paid more attention to my parents telling me to save money and less attention when they were teaching me about purity culture.” — Arkie_MTB

14.

“If I could tell my 18 year old self one thing, it would be to save 10% of every paycheck I ever got.” — PutAForkInHim

15.

“Thinking that I have time to do everything I want only to find myself loosing time, and the endless energy I used to have in order to purse them.” — ezZiioFTW

16.

“Not wearing sunscreen.” — blueboxreddress

17.

“Not recognizing the importance of work/life balance earlier in life. My late teens, all 20’s, and early 30’s were spent pulling 60-100+hr weeks because I thought it was what was required to succeed. How wrong I was. Others stabbed me in the back and reaped the reward.

1.) Putting work first for too long. Work is my #1 priority during work hours now. After quitting time, I don’t think about it (much) anymore. I don’t vent to my wife or friends about it anymore either.

2.) Investing more into fast cars than solid long-term investments. Sure, it was fun, but I could have made bookoos more had I put that towards less-fun investments.

3.) Not using PTO and just waiting for the payout. All those years, missed. I’m in my mid 30’s and I didn’t actually have a real vacation until 3 years ago.

4.) Not realizing that “the good guy” often loses. Just because you’re morally justified doesn’t mean you’re going to win. Just because there’s a number to call doesn’t mean anyone will actually help you. Just because “law” exists, doesn’t mean people follow it, enforce it, or create justice. The world is dog eat dog and cynicism can be healthy in moderate doses.” — [Deleted]

18.

“When you get out of college, keep your friends. No matter how hard it is. Hold on to them.” — mpssss22

19.

“I imagine these are kinda universal:

• Not getting fit and healthy
• Assuming I’d be offered proper guidance on how to achieve my goals
• Assuming higher education would help me achieve my goals
• Spending far too long caring what people think
• Not taking risks that might better my life when I was younger and had nothing to lose
• Staying in relationships too long after they were clearly done.” — katapultperson

20.

“Always ask for more pay. Starting, yearly, before leaving, whatever. Get that money.” — SensibleReply

21.

“Spending too much time in front of a screen and not enough enjoying life.” — BellaPadella

This article originally appeared on 4.20.22

Over the past few years, women named Karen have taken a lot of heat in the media. The term “Karen” has been used to describe a specific type of entitled, privileged and often middle-aged white woman. Typically, “Karen” is depicted as demanding, self-important and constantly seeking to escalate minor inconveniences to authority figures, like demanding to “speak to the manager.”

Identifying the folks who create unnecessary drama in our world is important. But calling them a “Karen” isn’t the best way to solve the problem. There are many reasons to have an issue with the “Karen” stereotype. First, it’s terrible for people named Karen, and it’s also a connotation that many feel is racist, sexist and ageist.

Further, according to a new study by Trustpilot, the stereotype isn’t accurate. A recent survey by the online media site found that the people who leave the most one-star reviews aren’t female, and the women who do it the most aren’t named Karen.

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Trustpilot is a site where people can review a business from which they’ve purchased a product or contacted customer service. According to TrustPilot, the number one biggest one-star reviewers are named John, not Karen.

“The name John is top for [one-star] reviews in the US, with the rest of the top five positions filled by David, Michael, Chris and James,” the site wrote in a press release. “Looking at specific categories, John is also first for negative reviews in Business Services, Electronics and Technology, Shopping and Fashion, and Money and Insurance. Meanwhile, Lisa left the most [one-star] reviews in our Beauty and Wellbeing category.”

So, if your name is Karen, keep this story in your back pocket next time someone stereotypes you as an entitled complainer. The real complainers are the Johns and, for the women, Lisas.

Why do people go online and write negative reviews? Psychologist William Berry writes in Psychology Today that people get many positive benefits from complaining, although they may annoy everyone around them.

The first big reason is an ego boost. When people complain, they feel validated. It also makes them feel superior to others. Complaining can also bring like-minded people together. If you and a significant other have ever been mistreated in a restaurant or car dealership, having a mutual enemy can work wonders for your relationship.

There are also entire groups of people who bond over a common gripe.

People who habitually complain may do so because of the brain’s negativity bias. “The human brain, geared for survival, focuses on negatives (as they appear more threatening to survival) than on positives (which enhance life but are less vital for survival),” Berry writes. “As the brain perceives negatives at an approximated ratio of five to one, there is simply more to complain about than there is to be grateful for. Additionally, this may lead to less general happiness.”

Here are the top 15 names of consumers who leave the most one-star reviews on Trustpilot. (Also known as the folks that owe the Karens out there an apology.)

1. John

2. David

3. Michael

4. Chris

5. James

6. Mike

7. Mark

8. Robert

9. Alex

10. Paul

11. Lisa

12. Sarah

13. Steve

14. Sam

15. Daniel

This article originally appeared on 9.7.23

It’s hard to explain the relentless intensity of having young children if you haven’t done it. It’s wonderful, beautiful, magical and all of that—it truly is—but it’s a lot. Like, a lot. It’s a bit like running an ultramarathon through the most beautiful landscape you can imagine. There’s no question that it’s amazing, but it’s really, really hard. And sometimes there are storms or big hills or obstacles or twisted ankles or some other thing that makes it even more challenging for a while.

Unfortunately, a lot of moms feel like they’re running that marathon alone. Some actually are. Some have partners who don’t pull their weight. But even with an equal partner, the early years tend to be mom-heavy, and it takes a toll.

In fact, that toll is so great that it’s not unusual for moms to fantasize about being hospitalized—not with anything serious, just something that requires a short stay—simply to get a genuine break.

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In a thread on X (formerly Twitter), a mom named Emily shared this truth: “[I don’t know] if the lack of community care in our culture is more evident than when moms casually say they daydream about being hospitalized for something only moderately serious so that they are forced to not have any responsibilities for like 3 days.”

In a follow-up tweet, she added, “And other moms are like ‘yeah totally’ while childfree Gen Z girls’ mouths hang open in horror.”

— (@)

Other moms corroborated, not only with the fantasy but the reality of getting a hospital break:

“And can confirm: I have the fondest memories of my appendicitis that almost burst 3 weeks after my third was born bc I emergency had to go get it taken out and I mean I let my neighbor take my toddlers and I let my husband give the baby formula, and I slept until I was actually rested. Under the knife, but still. It was really nice,” wrote one mom.

“I got mastitis when my first was 4 months old. I had to have surgery, but my hospital room had a nice view, my mom came to see me, the baby was with me but other people mostly took care of her, bliss,” shared another.

Some people tried to blame lackadaisical husbands and fathers for moms feeling overwhelmed, but as Emily pointed out, it’s not always enough to have a supportive spouse. That’s why she pointed to “lack of community care” in her original post.

— (@)

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to raise a mother. Without the proverbial village, we end up bearing too much of the weight of childrearing ourselves. We’re not just running the ultramarathon—we’re also carrying the water, bandaging the blisters, moving fallen trees out of the way, washing the sweat out of our clothes—and we’re doing it all without any rest.

Why don’t moms just take a vacation instead of daydreaming about hospitalization? It’s not that simple. Many people don’t have the means for a getaway, but even if they do, there’s a certain level of “mom guilt” that comes with purposefully leaving your young children. Vacations usually require planning and decision-making as well, and decision fatigue is one of the most exhausting parts of parenting.

Strange as it may seem, the reason hospitalization is attractive is that it’s forced—if you’re in the hospital, you have to be there, so there’s no guilt about choosing to leave. It involves no decision-making—someone else is calling the all shots. You literally have no responsibilities in the hospital except resting—no one needs anything from you. And unlike when you’re on vacation, most people who are caring for your kids when you’re in the hospital aren’t going to constantly contact you to ask you questions. They’ll leave you to let you rest.

Paula Fitzgibbons shares that had three kids under the age of 3 in 11 months (two by adoption and one by birth). Her husband, despite being very involved and supportive, had a 1.5 hour commute for work, so the lion’s share of childcare—”delightful utter chaos” as she refers to it—fell on her shoulders. At one point, she ended up in the ER with atrial fibrillation, and due to family medical history was kept in the hospital for a few days for tests and monitoring.

“When people came to visit me or called to see how I was, I responded that I was enjoying my time at ‘the spa,’ and though I missed my family, I was soaking it all in,” she tells Upworthy. “My husband understood. Other mothers understood. The medical staff did not know what to make of my cheerful demeanor, but there I was, lying in bed reading and sleeping for four straight days with zero guilt. What a gift for a new mom.”

When you have young children, your concept of what’s relaxing shifts. I recall almost falling asleep during one of my first dental cleanings after having kids. That chair was so comfy and no one needed anything from me—I didn’t even care what they were doing to my teeth. It felt like heaven to lie down and rest without any demands being made of me other than “Open a little wider, please.”

Obviously, being hospitalized isn’t ideal for a whole host of reasons, but the desire is real. There aren’t a lot of simple solutions to the issue of moms needing a real break—not just an hour or two, but a few days—but maybe if society were structured in such a way that we had smaller, more frequent respites and spread the work of parenting across the community, we wouldn’t feel as much of a desire to be hospitalized simply to be able to be able to rejuvenate.

This article originally appeared on 9.7.23