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Sure, you might find an adventurous 3-year-old who enjoys sushi and salads from time to time. But generally speaking, toddlers are notoriously picky eaters. If a meal strays even an inch beyond the comfort zone of french fries and grilled cheese, it’s a hard no. Followed by tears. Or maybe screaming. Or both.

However, Emma Hubbard, a pediatric occupational therapist, is convinced that even the finickiest kid can be coaxed into expanding their palate with just a few simple yet effective tweaks.

As Hubbard mentions in her video, new food isn’t just unpleasant for toddlers—it’s downright scary. “Toddlers have a genuine fear of trying new food,” she said, which explains why they have such a visceral fight-or-flight reaction and “become overwhelmed and run away, have a tantrum, or shut down.”

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That’s why Hubbard suggests introducing foods in a way that feels non-threatening. Some ways of doing this include serving the new food with food the toddler already deems as “safe” or combining them with condiments/dips they already like, such as hummus, ketchup, sour cream, etc.

Similarly, Hubbard recommends presenting the food in a fun and creative way. It doesn’t have to be a “work of art each time.” Something as simple as using a cookie cutter to make fun shapes or using different cutlery could do the trick.

Another tip is to reduce the amount of snacking and instead do five meals a day, spaced roughly 2.5 hours apart, serving only water in between those meals, not juice or milk. Experiencing true hunger makes toddlers more willing to try new foods.

Hubbard also noted that when parents sit down and eat the same foods with their toddler, they are far more likely to participate with their parents, seeing it as positive reinforcement. That makes sense since kids love mimicking all kinds of adult-centered activities.

Of all her tips, Hubbard says the most important is persistence. Repeatedly exposing toddlers to new food without putting pressure on them to eat will make them more comfortable, which gets them one step closer to actually eating it.

Watch:

The video resonated with a lot of parents. Many shared how these tips have already helped. Others shared their own changes that led to success.

“Normally it takes a long time to get kids to eat lettuce or veg and such but since our kid sat with us watching us eat things like pico de Gallo, sope, tacos, posole and etc. He eats any veggies we put in front of him so long as they are diced or seasoned. He’ll even eat cabbage and spinach if it has chamoy on it. Anything daddy eats is gold to him and he has to have it,” one parent commented.

Another suggested giving very small, less overwhelming portions of new foods, and only giving the toddler positive attention when they do eat the new food, rather than when they refuse to eat. “A lot of times kids act out to see the reaction of caregivers. If we don’t give a reaction, she’s less likely to do it again. But positive reactions when she eats it will make her want to eat it again, or at least try things,” they wrote.

Getting toddlers to broaden their food choices might be a challenge, but like all aspects of parenting, it seems like a little bit of patience goes a long way. Hopefully these tricks can help little ones savor everything that life has to offer.

Maggie Perkins loves teaching, loves teachers and loves students. In fact, she loves them so much that working on her Ph.D. in Educational Theory and Practice. Her research is focused on teacher attrition, examining why quality, experienced teachers quit the profession—something she understands all too well since she recently became one of them.

The former educator now works at Costco and she says she’s never been happier. Her migraines are gone. Her anxiety has improved. She sleeps through the night. As an entry-level employee, she makes less money than she did teaching, but not enough less to make a difference in her financial situation. She goes home from work happy at the end of the day.

Perkins has been sharing the contrast in working conditions between the classroom and Costco on her TikTok channel and it is eye-opening, to say the least.

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To be fair, Costco is known for employee satisfaction. They take good care of their people with solid wages and benefits, and as a result, they have an impressive 94% retention rate for employees who stay longer than a year. That’s incredible for a retail business. And it’s not just about their comparatively generous compensation package. Perkins has shared in several of her videos how she feels respected and valued as an employee at Costco—far more than she did as a teacher working in various schools, teaching various grades in two different states.

People often assume that the biggest reason teachers quit is inadequate pay, but compensation is just one piece of the teacher exodus puzzle. Perkins makes it clear that teachers should definitely be paid more, but attrition isn’t just about money. It’s often a result of burnout caused by a multitude of factors, including lack of time and support to do the job they are trained to do, the twisted way the teaching profession is viewed and valued by society and the pile-on of additional duties teachers are assigned to do besides teaching.

@millennialmsfrizz

Today I was on Varner & Co with 🦊. This is the full segment. It feels short, but they managed to squeeze me in between a study about it cheese causes nightmares and the woke 👮‍♀️ adding pants to a root beer mascot. It was my pleasure to make a contribution.

Let’s look at the time element alone. Planning is a big part of teaching, especially if you’re trying to meet individual students’ learning needs, yet teachers are rarely given the amount of planning time they need. On top of that, the time they do have is often usurped by other things.

“Let’s say you have a fight in your classroom,” Perkins tells Upworthy. “Well, then you just lost 45 minutes of your planning because you’re going to have to be in the front office doing documentation, calling people. You just lose your day. There’s so many different ways to lose your whole day, and then you end up either taking work home or making hard choices about what to let go, like you’re juggling glass and rubber balls and you have to figure out which ones are glass and which ones are rubber. Like, what can you let drop?”

@millennialmsfrizz

Tonight when I walked out of work, I felt happy. I felt happy because I enjoyed my work, my coworkers and felt good about my job. When I was a teacher I only felt good leaving work *because I was leaving* the building. Yes, of course, there were *things* I enjoyed about the job, but being a teacher was so much more than teaching, and the anxiety inducing parts of the job were shredding me. Education as a whole is an environment of scarcity. From the resources to the ways teachers are treated. Costco is run in a way that operates from a place of generosity and genuine care. It’s amazing to me that a multi billion dollar company can exude this for its members and employees but the education system cannot. #formerteacher #teacherquittok #costcotiktok #retailworker #exteachertiktok #formerteacher #scarcitymindset #costcodoesitagain

A big misconception some people have about teaching is that it’s easier than other professions because you have long holiday breaks and summers off. Some even go so far as to use the word “cushy.” Plenty of teachers have refuted that notion, showing how many hours they actually work outside of official work hours or how they have to work two jobs to not be living paycheck to paycheck.

“If you’re coming at teachers being like, oh, you have a cushy job, then you work it,” says Perkins. “If you think it’s so soft and so cushy, it has so many amazing benefits, then come on over and work this job. More of us should be lining up for it.”

“But if we have a teacher shortage, how can it be that cushy of a job?” she adds. The reality is that people who have never worked in a classroom have no idea how relentless and stressful it can be on multiple levels, even when you love teaching and love your students.

Here Perkins describes what it was like working a 7-day shift during the holidays instead of having that cushy winter break:

@millennialmsfrizz

I used to be a teacher and now I work at Costco. This is my first year not having a winter break. I do not miss it at all. My pace of my work life now is so much better, I am not sick or exhausted like I used to be when I was a teacher. When I was a teacher I used my winter break basically to recover and go into the next semester of just surviving. #f#formerteachert#teacherquittokc#costcotiktokr#retailworkere#exteachertiktokc#careertransitiont#teachersonbreak

Perkins points out that we don’t actually have a teacher shortage, but rather a teacher exodus. There are plenty of qualified, credentialed teachers who have simply given up trying to make the career they love actually sustainable.

Many people have put forth suggestions for various school reforms, but those who have seen the problems from the inside know they are layered, widespread, systemic and deeply ingrained. Perkins tells Upworthy she believes the school system needs a complete overhaul.

“I think we will be forced into it,” she says. “But I don’t think that’ll happen for at least 10 years. I think things are going to get much worse before they get better.”

@millennialmsfrizz

If you are new to this account, you should know that the issues I discuss are things I’ve experienced at several schools, grade levels and in different states. These are systemic issues, and are getting worse, not better. But, welcome, I suppose, and I hope you feel seen, known and appreciated because you are. #teachersoftiktok #formerteacher #teacherquittok #educatedexit #KAYKissCountdown #educationcrisis #teachershortage

She says focusing more on teachers and students would help alleviate some of the “crash and burn” she sees coming, or perhaps even help prevent it. But some major changes would have to take place for that to happen.

“A teacher who has six class periods with 35 students in them? That person cannot possibly deliver quality instruction to all of those students all day. And then have one planning period to grade, plan, et cetera. It’s just it’s impossible.”

She says reducing class sizes, increasing planning periods and eliminating extra duties such as carpool duty, hallway duty and other seemingly small things that chip away at a teacher’s time are immediate changes that can and should be made. But school administration is often more focused on testing, data, and resources than on what students and teachers themselves need to create a healthy, sustainable learning environment.

Then there’s the issue of how teachers are viewed. Outright disrespect is one thing teachers face, but even well-meaning people who think they are supporting teachers can contribute to the problem.

For instance, Perkins explained in a video that she doesn’t call teachers “heroes” anymore because it’s a loaded term that leads to a martyrdom mindset. After all, heroes fulfill the mission, no matter how hard it gets, right? Heroes are ready and willing to sacrifice it all for the cause. Most people who refer to teachers as “heroes” do so as a compliment, but when you really break down what that term means, it sets an expectation that teachers will do the job no matter how bad it gets, sacrificing themselves and their own well-being because their profession is a “noble” one. That’s not just unfair; it’s abusive.

@millennialmsfrizz

Teachers are called heros. Teaching is regarded as a noble profession, a higher calling. Teachers should be able to work in conditions that do not require heroic sacrifice. Teachers should be able to do their job in a normal way without suffering, sacrificing, defend for themselves etc. #teachersoftiktok #teacherquittok #teachersareheroes

“The thing that I most want to communicate in my videos is that teaching is not a ‘noble profession.'” Perkins tells Upworthy. “It’s a job, and people should be paid for the job that they do and respected for the work that they do, and that by attributing nobility to the profession, you assign to teachers this emotional labor of the whole culture, of the whole society.”

“When we do that, we add to them additional responsibility above and beyond their actual jobs,” she adds. “And then that allows people to degrade the profession by saying basically we pay you with emotion. Like we say, ‘You’re heroes!’ and we get in the cycle of praising them for what they do, and then gaslighting them for what they fall short on. But what they’re falling short on is stuff that was never their job in the first place.”

Perkins also wants teachers to know that they have transferable skills and that they don’t have to put up with a poor quality of life when they can find a higher one in a different profession.

“I see so many teachers like myself even feeling trapped or feeling limited, like teaching is the only thing we can do,” she says. “And then when they go into other professions, they’re wildly successful. They rise to the top in their career fields. They are good employees and they enjoy the quality of their life as well.”

“I want to communicate to teachers—you’re not stuck, you don’t have to be afraid, your quality of life matters, and it’s not selfish to transition your career, because a lot of teachers stay in it, too, because they don’t want to feel like they’re failing the students.”

To hear more of Perkins’ perspective on working at Costco and on what teaching can and should be, check out her TikTok channel @millennialmsfrizz.

One of the most beloved franchises in the entire history of Nintendo is Metroid. Its gameplay style of exploring to fill out a map, gathering new powers, and then backtracking to access new areas of the map eventually spawned an entire genre built off that formula. Eventually, it was taken to a 3D environment when Metroid Prime was released on GameCube. Loved by fans and critics, it’s a favorite in the entire franchise. Despite this, Prime has been kind of forgotten without a new game in the series since Metroid Prime 3, and the announced Metroid Prime 4 is still nowhere to be seen.

On Wednesday, to the surprise of pretty much everyone, a remaster of Metroid Prime was suddenly stealth launched to the Nintendo eShop. Announced during a Nintendo Direct, Metroid Prime: Remastered is a new way to experience the game with new controls and cleaner graphics. While most fans were probably expecting and hoping to see Metroid Prime 4 get shown off during this Nintendo Direct, they will happily take a new way to experience a long-time favorite like Metroid Prime.

It’s not often that an absolute classic like this gets stealth dropped as an eShop title, but we’ll happily reap the rewards until we finally hear something new about Metroid Prime 4.

As the 2023 NBA trade deadline approaches in less than 24 hours, there has been a bit of a stalemate around the league, with the notable exception of Kyrie Irving being sent to Dallas after a sudden trade request over the weekend.

After this summer where Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Dejounte Murray all got dealt in trades where three or more first round picks (plus at least one pick swap) were sent out, there seems to be a gulf between what teams are demanding for players and what teams are willing to give up, particularly in terms of draft assets. Seemingly every rumor that’s come out this trade season has been about how X team wants at least a first round pick for X player — the Pistons reportedly want an unprotected first rounder for either of Saddiq Bey or Bojan Bogdanovic, and the Hornets, at least initially, allegedly pushed for a first for Mason Plumlee.

Unsurprisingly, that’s caused things to move very slowly, as the only thing that can get teams to move off of their demands is the time crunch of the deadline. The Toronto Raptors are the team everyone expects to be a big seller, but unsurprisingly, they are asking for a lot in return for the four players most widely reported to be on the market. OG Anunoby, who wants a larger role but has not yet proven to be an All-Star caliber player, is going to apparently require a team to move three firsts and more for him. Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. are likewise on the market with lesser asking prices and, thus, seem more likely to be moved, while Pascal Siakam is the potential blow it all up maneuver, but a team will seemingly need to move heaven and earth to get him.

When surveying the landscape of playoff hopefuls and contenders who could be interested in those players, it’s hard to see a lot of teams being willing to meet that kind of asking price. The Suns have apparently registered interest in Anunoby, but their best package is more player-focused than pick-centric. The Hawks have already exhausted their picks stash to get Murray, and are once again shopping John Collins in vain at the moment. The Miami Heat pop up in rumors every year, but seem rarely willing to make a splashy deal happen. Considering that Anonoby apparently would like a larger role, it would make sense that a team is hesitant to pony up the picks for a player that might remain unhappy if he’s asked to fill a similar role to what he’s doing in Toronto.

There is, however, one team that can check all of the boxes and could swoop in on deadline day with little competition if they want to take a big swing: the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder have spent years building up the resources to meet any asking price in terms of draft capital and still have plenty of first round picks to spare. There is plenty of room for someone to step into the No. 2 role alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and they have ample cap space to re-sign a player to a big deal. As a bonus, they have put themselves so firmly in the play-in hunt that turning on the tank again to bottom out for lottery odds, as they have at the deadline in the past, is not tenable — the San Antonio Spurs, which have the third-worst record in the league, are 12 games behind Oklahoma City in the standings.

The hardest part for the Thunder will be matching salary in a trade. They have 10 guys on rookie deals, and only two total who make more than $10 million a year — SGA on a max and Luguentz Dort on his new deal that pays him just over $15 million annually. This makes it a bit tricky to make a deal without having to send three or four players in return for one. Even so, there are plenty of salary combinations they could use to make a deal work, particularly if they could find a third team to help facilitate a trade.

Anunoby, in particular, would be a fascinating addition for the Thunder because it would provide him with the green light he craves and a far more open and fluid offensive system to work in, compared to the fairly restrictive halfcourt offense run by Nick Nurse in Toronto. Offensively, Anunoby is something of a mystery box. He flashed tremendous growth over his first four years, peaking in the 2020-21 season, but has stagnated since. There’s a genuine question of whether he’s tapped his potential or if that stagnation is because his role has not expanded — his offensive usage rate has not changed at all in the last three years. In Oklahoma City, there’s a creative void beyond Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, which would be an opportunity for Anunoby to show if that’s a skill he could continue to develop, as he seems to believe he can.

While offense is the question mark that determines Anunoby’s upside, there’s little question he would fit their general ethos of playing stout defense. No matter the combination of players that they send out, Oklahoma City still would have a number of strong wing defenders to pair with Anunoby (and Shai at the point of attack) to make life miserable for opposing ball-handlers and have plenty of versatility in terms of switchability 1-4. Mark Daigneault has gotten the buy-in from this team on the defensive end, and there’s little concern about Anunoby’s ability to slot in to what they do and further the cause.

There is obvious risk for Oklahoma City in there being no guarantee Anunoby would flourish in a larger role, but that’s mitigated for a pair of reasons, one of which is fairly unique to OKC. For one, we have a pretty good sense that Anunoby’s floor is a solid starter on a good team who is a positive defender, solid spot-up shooter and cutter, and a tertiary creator when needed. That’s something the Thunder could use, even if that wouldn’t be what they’re trying to trade for. For the Thunder in particular, they’re also a team that has so many assets it’s worth taking a risk to swing on some potential. From 2024-2026, the Thunder hold ten first round picks, not to mention some swap opportunities in 2025. If they sent out one from each year, they’d still have seven firsts at their disposal for whatever they saw fit over those three years.

If not Anunoby, Collins would also make a lot of sense in Oklahoma City, particularly as a long-term fit alongside Chet Holmgren, and would cost considerably less than Anunoby in terms of assets — but cost more annually on his current contract. Collins has been lost in the shuffle in Atlanta, as offensively he wants to occupy much of the same space as Clint Capela, but has to be a floor spacer instead. He is a roll threat that the Thunder simply do not have on their roster, and could flourish in pick-and-rolls with Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey. He’s a capable shooter, but that does not need to be a huge point of emphasis as the Thunder have plenty of fives who can pivot out, including Holmgren when he makes his debut. On the other end of the floor, Collins has become a very solid defender and has some positional versatility. His physical strength would be a boost next to Holmgren, who could use a four-man next to him that’s able to take on some post defense responsibilities, allowing Chet to act as a helpside rim protector with his outrageous length.

As always, trades take two to tango and the Thunder still have to piece together a coherent offer that meets the teams’ demands. The Hawks are apparently requesting a “quality player” in return for Collins but no longer mandating a first round pick, with picks, ironically enough, being more expendable for the Thunder than players. Still, one has to think that with a chest of picks bursting at the seams in a market that has teams scoffing at high asking prices, the Thunder could stand to be one of the few teams to benefit from the sudden inflation of value in terms of draft assets being sent out for players. They have picks to burn and a team that has taken a full-blown tank out of the equation.

There isn’t an established star out there to cash picks in on, but the Thunder are still early enough in their build that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. They can afford to take a swing on a lesser-proven commodity, and show fans and the rest of the team (namely Shai) that they believe in what they’re doing enough to invest a little bit of their future capital now to try and make another leap.

When Black Belt Eagle Scout, moniker of Swinomish musician Katherine Paul, began working on her latest album The Land, The Water, The Sky, she was yearning for a return to her ancestral homelands. She journeyed back to the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in 2020, searching for a ways to heal.

Healing is a major theme on The Land, The Water, The Sky, and is present throughout the project. Tracks like “Spaces” and “Don’t Give Up” are ethereal and flowing, evoking the wonder and majesty of the natural world. The album itself is touched with community. Both her parents lend backing vocals on the album, celebrating the voices of those who came before her. Over all, Paul’s music is a lesson in perseverance. The Land, The Water, The Sky sifts through the deepest feelings of grief and trauma and resurfaces grounded and blissful.

To celebrate the impending release of her new album, Paul sat down with Uproxx to chat about Sleater-Kinney, baking pies, and Thor in our latest Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Serene, quiet, loud, connected.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Well 2050 isn’t that far away so I hope I’m still alive and kicking! And I hope that people find out about my records and come see my shows as I hope to see be playing them!

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

Albuquerque, NM!

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Geneviève Castrée is probably the person who I think of the most when I remember why I’m doing all of this. She was the first person I looked up to in music who told me that I inspired her and that changed my life and empowered me to do that I do.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

My husband Camas is the best chef and makes the most delicious meals in our home.

What album do you know every word to?

Probably Sleater-Kinney’s The Hot Rock.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Probably Sleater-Kinney’s farewell shows at the Crystal Ballroom before they went on their long hiatus.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

Anything that makes you feel your best and that doesn’t have too long and floppy of sleeves so it doesn’t impact the guitar neck while playing.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

I rarely do twitter but I love IG and one of my favs is @kimi_swimmy.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

It changes every tour but on the last tour, the hit song in the van was “Woman” by Doja Cat.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

Lost and Found at LAX 🙁

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Mayahuel by Sávila.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

I do not recommend but when I was in a different band back in the day we used to ask the audience from stage for lodging and some of those places I hope to never have to stay at again! My bandmate got ringworm at one spot unfortunately.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

My favorite tattoos are my finger tattoos in honor of Sedna, sea goddess of my Iñupiaq people.

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Most likely if I’m listening to the radio it is on a random channel and if any grunge or rock music comes on like Nirvana or Smashing Pumpkins the volume comes up.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Given me life.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Just be yourself and know that what you’re doing is exactly what is supposed to happen.

What’s the last show you went to?

Lucy Dacus at the Moore Theater in Seattle.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Any of the Thor movies!

What’s one of your hidden talents?

I love baking pies.

The Land, The Water, The Sky is out 2/10 via Saddle Creek. Get it here.

It’s that time of year again: NBA All-Star Weekend is almost upon us. And you know what that means: The rosters for the All-Star Celebrity Game have been announced!

This year, All-Star Weekend will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, so the teams will be coached by the Utah Jazz governor Ryan Smith, as well as minority owner — and former NBA All-Star — Dwyane Wade.

While Smith says he has no intention of playing, his team is stacked with talent — just maybe not the basketball kind. He’s got a ton of musicians on his team, including rapper Cordae, country star Kane Brown, and Latin trap singer Ozuna.

Not to be outdone on the music front, Wade’s tapped his own all-star squad of the musical variety, with 21 Savage, Janelle Monáe, and Nicky Jam all suiting up.

Of course, neither team is lacking for athletics. Albert Pujols, Calvin Johnson, DK Metcalf, and the Miz are all on rosters, along with WNBA stars like Arike Ogunbowale and Diamond DeShields. It should be a fun game all around — and really, isn’t that the point?

The All-Star Celebrity Game is scheduled for Friday, February 17 at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT. (5 Mountain Time… thanks a lot, Utah. First, you don’t have internet, now this).

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Christina Applegate is gearing up to attend the February 26 SAG Awards, where she’s nominated for Best Female Actress In A Comedy Series for Dead Like Me. She also describes the event to the LA Times as “my last awards show as an actor probably, so it’s kind of a big deal.” This is the case due to Applegate’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, which arrived as she filmed the final Dead To Me season for Netflix. In the lead up to that season’s release, Applegate was also flanked by supportive Married With Children costars as she attended her Hollywood Walk Of Fame ceremony. All of this made the Netflix show’s ending land harder.

In other words, the third Dead Like Me installment gave us more than the usual dark humor, meditation on friendship, and devotion to therapeutic rage metal that the show generally delivered. In the aftermath, Applegate is discussing what she went through while filming those episodes, which included her feeling like “a wreck every day,” but generally speaking, she did so in the privacy of her own on-set trailer. As well, if she did “break down on set,” the Dead Like Me cast and crew were “so loving that it was OK.” Here’s more of what she told the LA Times, including her plans for the future:

“Right now, I couldn’t imagine getting up at 5 a.m. and spending 12 to 14 hours on a set; I don’t have that in me at this moment.” She’s considering next steps: producing, development, “doing a s- ton of voice-overs to make some cash to make sure that my daughter’s fed and we’re homed.” And she spends a lot of time in bed, bingeing all the reality shows she’s never seen.

But it took months before she could watch her own show’s last season. “”I don’t like seeing myself struggling,” she says. “Also, I gained 40 pounds because of inactivity and medications, and I didn’t look like myself, and I didn’t feel like myself.” She watched alone, stopping periodically when it became too painful. “At some point I was able to distance myself from my own ego, and realize what a beautiful piece of television it was. All the scenes I wasn’t in were so much fun to see and experience for the very first time.”

The finale of Dead Like Me was freaking beautiful, it is true. No spoilers here in case you want to belatedly dive into the show, but the friendship between Applegate’s Jen and Linda Cardellini’s Judy was second to none. Very Thelma and Louise, obviously. And here’s to hoping that Applegate has an Emmy ceremony in her future, too.

(Via LA Times)

Mike Breen was the latest guest on “The Old Man & The Three,” the podcast hosted by retired NBA sharpshooter and current ESPN personality JJ Redick. Now one of the Worldwide Leader’s top pundits and in-game analysts, Redick told a story about a production meeting where he got a good piece of advice from the Hall of Fame broadcaster about the importance of staying focused on the game if it gets out of hand.

“We get towards the end of the call, and I say, ‘Hey, on the big picture stuff, what’re your guys thoughts? Here’s some general ideas I have,’” Redick recalled saying. “And Mike quickly interjects: ‘Yeah, no, I don’t want this to turn into a talk show.’”

As Breen explained, while “the big picture stuff is great,” there is an entire basketball game happening.

“You still have to respect what’s out on the floor in front of you,” Breen said. “And especially the viewers who are watching. Because at that point, a lot of the only people who are watching still care about their team, and they want to know the 11th guy on the team who’s getting a run, what you think about him, talk about him, because they’ve been tweeting how they want him to play more minutes.

“So, it’s a balance, especially for me with working with Mark and Jeff,” Breen continued. “Cause they are great with big picture stuff, and most people are, it’s fun to talk about. But you have to still respect the game that’s going on, I sometimes think we get away from that too much and not stick with the game.”

Breen is one of the best in the business for plenty of reasons, and the respect that he has for the game is certainly high up on the list.

Like the world of late night TV, streamers are in a state of chaos. Paramount+ is absorbing Showtime, which meant the end to certain shows. HBO Max jettisoned a bunch of content, including hundreds of Looney Tunes classics. Even Netflix, the one that started it all, spent last year hemorrhaging subscribers. Now it’s Disney+’s turn to suffer.

As per Variety, in the last three months of 2022, the family friendly(-ish) streamer lost a whopping 2.4 million subscribers. For some context, when Netflix made news for a mass exodus of subscribers, the number was “only” about one million.

That means Disney, with its newly returned CEO Bob Iger, will have to make like the other major streamers and enact some big, possibly ground-shaking changes. Indeed, Iger vowed that there would be a “significant transformation,” which sounds ominous. Does that mean they’ll do what HBO Max has done and remove a bunch of big titles so they can license them out? Will subscribers no longer have the option to watch the legendarily poor 1971 live-action Dean Jones comedy Million Dollar Duck whenever their hearts desire?

Mind you, Disney+ didn’t lose subscribers in North America. In fact, they actually gained about 200,000 of them, bringing the total to 46.6 million. Here’s what really happened:

The drop in Disney+ subscribers — which was bigger than analysts expected — was entirely driven by a 3.8 million sequential decline Disney+ Hotstar, the version of the service offered in India and parts of Southeast Asia, to stand at 161.8 million at the end of 2022.

The news isn’t all bad for the mega-corporation that owns the likes of Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, The Simpsons, etc., etc., etc. Overall, Disney’s quarterly earnings actually topped Wall Street estimates, up 8% from the previous quarter with $23.51 billion. That’s partly thanks to their parks and “experiences,” which had a 21% rise in revenue, rising to $8.7 billion, with operating income rising 25% to $3.1 billion.

Still, the news of Iger doing some belt-tightening is grim for Disney+ subscribers who like having a place they can always watch the Muppets thwarting a heist by Charles Grodin.

(Via Variety)

Sensing that an opportunity for a Super Bowl ad might be in the air, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee decided to send a very up close and personal photo of his testicles to Mr. Peanut, an obvious recipient if there ever was one.

“Hey @MrPeanut let’s collab!… I’ll bring the NUTZ!!!!” Lee tweeted along with a picture of his butt and balls taken from behind. WARNING: We must stress to you all in the strongest terms possible that you should not look at Tommy Lee’s tweet unless you want to see an extreme closeup of his testicles. But if curiosity has the best of you, can see the NSFW tweet here.

Of course, this isn’t the only time that Lee’s infamous package has made headlines. On top of his dong being voiced in Hulu’s Pam & Tommy by Jason Mantzoukas, Lee ran afoul of Instagram back in September 2022 after the platform wasn’t thrilled with his nude posts. The drummer reportedly joined OnlyFans where he could be “free as f*ck.” That announcement also included a shot of his butt because, again, we’re dealing with a professional here.

“I showed you my sh*t. They took it down off the internet,” Lee said in a fan-captured video. “What I’ve done is I have now gone over to a place where you can be free as f*ck. And you can show anybody whatever the f*ck you want, and they don’t f*cking take it down.”

The drummer then removed his pants to reveal the words “OnlyFans” written on his butt cheeks in marker. Let it never be said that art is dead.

(Via New York Post)