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Today (June 22), Bon Iver shared a taste of some of their earliest material. Before Bon Iver was Bon Iver, members Brad Cook, Phil Cook, Justin Vernon and Joe Westerlund were part of a short-lived band called DeYarmond Edison. An upcoming box-set called Epoch, which contains 5-LP, 4-CD and a 114-page story will chronicle DeYarmond Edison by way of music and photography.

Ahead of Epoch, the band has shared “Hazelton,” an early demo that eventually became Bon Iver’s “Holocene.” Vernon previously recorded “Hazelton” between 2005 and 2006, with the idea that it would be part of a solo album. On “Hazelton,” Vernon sings over simple, melancholy guitar loops, not knowing that he would end up foreshadowing the end of DeYarmond Edison

“Saddle up, we’re calling up the pain / Stilling doubt to single out the strain / You came, you saw, you sawed her brain / You cut out all the parts that held your stain,” sings Vernon.

Additionally, the group has also shared “Liner,” a more percussive song, on which Vernon taps into his memories and recalls a painful loss.

“Untied me from the buoy / I sank so you could too / Fall like a wrench / Fall like a rock / Fall like a wall,” he sings.

In addition to music and previously unpublished photos, Epoch will also feature 60,000 words worth of interviews.

“This is the sound of sorting through an overabundance of new info, mostly for yourself, said Grayson
Haver Currin, the box set’s executive producer and biographer, in a statement. “And, even in the rather fraught process, finding out just where it is you’ve been headed your whole life.”

You can listen to “Hazelton” and “Liner” above, and watch a special trailer for the Epoch box set.

Epoch is out 8/18 via Jagjaguwar. Find more information here.

Time was steadily slipping away for any hope of saving Titanic tourists aboard the OceanGate submersible, and on Thursday, the Coast Guard confirmed that a debris field belonged to the Titan vessel, and tragically, none of the passengers survived. The public has held various degrees of empathy for the billionaires aboard the submersible (and much of the discussion has grown ugly), yet no one can deny that a particularly sad development is the death of 19-year-old Suleman Dawood.

The youngest passenger aboard the submersible reportedly had a bad feeling about the voyage. This doesn’t sound too hard to believe, given that we’ve heard about highly questionable maintenance/repair tactics and abundant red flags for what appears to have been a poorly constructed vessel that ended up imploding. According to Suleman’s aunt, Azmeh Dawood (sister to Suleman’s father, Shahzada Dawood, who also perished in this incident), the 19 year old did not want to be aboard the Titan at all. According to Azmeh, Suleman ultimately took the trip for Father’s Day:

Azmeh Dawood — the older sister of Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood — told NBC News that her nephew, Suleman, informed a relative that he “wasn’t very up for it” and felt “terrified” about the trip to explore the wreckage of the Titanic.

But the 19-year-old ended up going aboard OceanGate’s 22-foot submersible because the trip fell over Father’s Day weekend and he was eager to please his dad, who was passionate about the lore of the Titanic, according to Azmeh.

That hits hard. As well, former OceanGate tourists have agreed that this vessel was not safe, and one man felt as though he was on a “suicide mission.” The company’s CEO, Stockton Rush, is also among the dead following the vessel’s implosion after tickets went for $250,000 apiece. The ongoing saga has led to much debate among those who waited to hear the submersible’s fate as all hope for a lasting air supply diminished.

Additionally, the stepson of British billionaire Hamish Harding feuded with Cardi B, who criticized him for attending a Blink-182 concert while news of his uncle’s status hung in the balance.

(Via NBC News)

You know what’s not hot? Having to field all of the text messages and DMs Paris Hilton is likely getting after news broke that her ex-business partner was involved in a murder-for-hire plot that came to a strange end at a Dunkin Donuts.

Let us explain.

Fereidoun Khalilian is a 51-year-old entrepreneur and entertainment agent who is known by the name “Prince Fred” in the celebrity circles he runs in. Prince Fred is a shareholder in Monster Store, the audio company that partnered with Dr. Dre to create Beats by Dre, and a crypto bro. He also, at one point, was the co-owner of Hilton’s Orlando hotspot, Club Paris. The duo opened the club in 2004 and though Hilton never could spell his last name right, he often used the connection to get out of trouble with law enforcement.

Fast forward to this week, Prince Fred faced the kind of legal trouble not even a Hilton namedrop could make disappear. After discovering that a former employee-turned-filmmaker was making a documentary about the businessman that painted him in a negative light, Prince Fred decided to confront the situation rationally in the hopes of coming to a peaceful resolution.

JK, he allegedly tried to have the guy killed.

Prince Fred was arrested at a Las Vegas Dunkin Donuts by federal investigators who allege he participated in a murder-for-hire conspiracy to silence the filmmaker. Few details are available at this time but purchasing a hitman doesn’t sound too far-fetched for a guy that’s previously been on assault and sexual assault charges.

“His first name is Fred. I can’t spell his last name,” Hilton said of Khalilian in an interview with the New York Daily News in 2005.

Details on the alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy — which did not result in anyone’s death — were not immediately available. The criminal complaint against Khalilian was not yet unsealed Thursday morning.

Before this, Prince Fred’s last brush with the law came when Monster Store slapped him with a restraining order after staff accused him of making “threats of mutilation, death, and threats to family.”

Sounds like a chill dude.

(Via LA Times)

Former Donald Trump attorney Jenna Ellis wasted no time mocking failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake for reportedly living at Mar-a-Lago. The election-denying Lake has been a constant fixture at Trump’s Florida golf club in what PEOPLE sources are calling a blatant attempt to be his running mate in the 2024 election.

“She’s couch-surfing at her friend’s house like a bum college dropout,” Ellis tweeted on Wednesday night.

The dig was quickly caught by the Twitter account for Lake’s campaign, which fired back at Ellis with an insult of its own.

“We see you’ve entered the “school girl gossip” part of your meltdown,” the verified Kari Lake War Room account tweeted, prompting Ellis to drop a scathing response on the failed campaign.

“From what wing of the AZ governor’s mansion did you tweet this?” Ellis tweeted.

The attack on Lake isn’t entirely out of character for Ellis. The former Trump attorney has been on the outs with MAGA world after she admitted to 10 counts of “misrepresenting evidence” about the 2020 election while representing Trump. Ellis made the confession while being censured by the Colorado Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel.

Adding insult to injury, Ellis has emerged as a staunch supporter of Ron DeSantis‘ presidential run. The Florida governor is Trump’s greatest threat for the Republican nomination. Ellis backing Meatball Ron is tantamount to treason to MAGA Republicans who routinely call her a “traitor” on Twitter.

(Via Jenna Ells on Twitter)

Southern food is beloved by many, and those of us raised on it just consider it dinner, not a special cuisine. But since Southern food is pretty geographical, there are plenty of Americans who haven’t had the opportunity to try authentic Southern food. There are a few soul food restaurants that get it right sprinkled across the country, but all are not created equal.

Since Southern cooking isn’t available throughout all of America, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s not a staple across the pond. Josh Carrott, author of “Once Upon A Time in Carrottland,” runs the YouTube channel Jolly, where he has people try new foods. He decided to invite a group of British schoolboys to try a few Southern staples. The boys are in year 9 in England, which means they’re between the ages of 13 and 14.

Since Carrott isn’t Southern, or even American for that matter, I can’t say how the food was prepared. What I can say is that my very Southern grandmother would give the sausage gravy preparation the side eye, but other than that, it looked as authentic as possible.

The boys were served biscuits that were perfectly golden, and there was immediate confusion. Apparently biscuits are flat and hard in England, so the boys were sure they were being served scones. It only took one bite for them to come around to the idea of the buttery fluffy delight that is the Southern biscuit. But the taste test for the biscuits wasn’t over—Carrott mixed up some white sausage gravy and smothered the delicious bread.

None of the boys were eager to try a meal that many Southern households eat regularly.

“Let’s call it interesting for now. I’m not going to make a judgment,” one boy says.

“It looks like a chopped-up ferret,” another lamented.

To be fair, if you’ve never seen biscuits and gravy, it doesn’t look instantly appealing, but once you try it, the dish suddenly looks amazing every time you encounter it moving forward. Maybe it isn’t everyone’s favorite thing, but being able to drive through a Whataburger and grab it to go brings me childlike joy.

After trying everything offered, all of the boys agreed that the Southern food was delicious, including the sweet tea. Several of them said they preferred it over their British hot tea—no one tell their parents. It feels like it would be as shocking as finding a Southerner who prefers unsweet tea. You can watch the entire video below.

A sexist stereotype in America is that men who sit down to pee are less masculine than those who stand while urinating. Some even assume that men who sit down to pee have been emasculated by a woman who wanted to deprive them of their God-given right to pee while standing up.

It’s a little strange that some people’s masculinity is so closely tied to how they use the restroom, but it’s not an uncommon theme throughout the world.

The same stereotype exists in Germany, where men who sit to pee are known as sitzpinklers. However, due to a rapid change in public opinion regarding peeing standing up, most German men now pee sitting down, and being a sitzpinkler is much less of an insult.

Recently, YouGov polled 13 countries worldwide to discover the cultural differences in the sit-versus-stand debate amongst men. The poll found that Germany was, by far, the leader in men who sit while peeing. Sixty-two percent of German men sit to pee every time or most of the time. Sweden came in a distant second, with the country split 50-50 on the issue.

American men prefer standing, with only 23% saying they sit most of the time. The country most likely to stand was Mexico, where 21% sit most time.

Why is it that sitting to pee has taken hold in Germany? It’s become a public health issue, and standing to pee isn’t allowed in some places. This is especially common in areas with communal living, such as an apartment building, because no one wants to clean the pee off the floor. It’s also considered rude by many to stand to pee in another person’s home.

Let’s face it, even men with expert aim are bound to miss occasionally. Plus, anyone who has raised a child knows that even though they are closer to the bowl, they still have a hard time keeping it off the seat and the floor.

In some places in Germany, when a man opens a toilet, an electronic voice (known as the WC-Geist or “toilet ghost” in English) reminds them to please sit while doing their business.

— (@)

There are some compelling reasons why men should sit down while peeing. A study cited by The Sun found that splashback from urine droplets that hit the hard porcelain and catapult urine up to 10 feet away. Another study from 2021 found that after flushing a urinal, “tens of thousands” of diseased pathogens fly out of the bowl.

A study from The Netherlands found health benefits for men who sit while peeing. In a seated position, men urinate with a greater force, which is beneficial for those with prostate problems and lower urinary tract disease. The greater pressure also means that sitting to pee eliminates the bladder faster and more completely.

Aside from the significant change in public opinion in the sitting-versus-standing debate, more German men may be sitting to pee because it’s easier to look at your phone when your hands are free.

Back in January of 2023, Florida’s only Safe Haven Baby Box located outside the Ocala Fire Department received its first surrendered newborn after being installed in 2020.

It was 2:00 a.m. when a firefighter pulling an overnight shift at the station heard the alarm go off signaling that a child had been surrendered.

The moment that firefighter, who wishes to remain anonymous to protect his family’s privacy, picked up the infant wrapped up in her pink blanket, something inside of him knew she should be his daughter.

“I picked her up and held her. We locked eyes, and that was it. I’ve loved her ever since that moment,” he told TODAY.

Having a child was something the firefighter and his wife had been striving for for over a decade. Knowing his spouse would also be thrilled at the chance to bring the baby girl into their family, he decided to leave a note explaining that they were trained and registered to adopt as he dropped her off at the hospital.

Then he broke the news to his wife, who immediately began crying in anticipation.

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A post shared by Safe Haven Baby Boxes (@safehavenbabyboxes)

“I was like, ‘Don’t get too excited yet,’” he told TODAY, fearing that the note would be lost, taking their hopes along with it.

However, after a few “stressful” days, the couple was able to take the baby home. Finally, in April, they adopted her and named her Zoey.

Zoey is one of 31 babies that have been safely surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box. Child abandonment is a desperate measure taken for many reasons including but not limited to financial hardship, mental health struggles, the child being conceived through rape and fear of prosecution due to a misunderstanding of the Safe Haven Law.

With 148 Safe Haven Baby Boxes across the United States, mothers are able to find support while maintaining anonymity.

In turn, Safe Haven Baby Boxes also ensure babies like Zoey don’t have to face horrendous life-threatening situations and can instead be matched with families that can properly care for them. Monica Kelsey, Safe Haven Founder, shared with CBS Miami that 2023 had actually been a record year for safe surrenders and that Zoey is just further proof that the boxes “are working and are needed.”

In the video for Lil Tjay’s new song “July 22nd,” the Bronx rapper recounts and dramatizes the events of this day one year ago when he was nearly shot to death during a botched robbery attempt in New Jersey. While this might seem like an odd thing to commemorate, it’s a testament to Tjay’s commitment to the craft that he’s willing to turn what could end up being one of his life’s greatest traumas into creative inspiration.

If you’ve followed the story at all, you should have a pretty good idea of the plot of the video; as Lil Tjay lyrically recalls the day leading up to the shooting, interspersed with scenes of himself recording in the studio and flashbacks to the life-saving surgery that removed seven bullets from his torso and neck and almost ended his rap career. Fortunately for the more squeamish among us, the actual shooting is only suggested in the footage, keeping the proceedings largely bloodless.

Tjay previously addressed the shooting in “Beat The Odds,” his first video released after the incident and later detailed the advice 50 Cent — who was himself shot nine times at the outset of his own rap career — gave him about shaking it off and turning it into a greater drive for success. Of course, it’s clear that he’s still working on doing so; he’s been arrested for gun possession a couple of times this year, likely owing to increased paranoia over the trauma of being shot. Here’s hoping he can exorcise those demons.

Watch the “July 22nd” video above.

(Spoilers for The Bear will be found below.)

The Bear‘s second season keeps the fire burning, both in and out of the kitchen, and a lot of that fire comes from guest stars who either stick around for awhile or pop in for cameos. In Jon Bernthal‘s case, he surprised everyone by showing up as Carmy’s brother, Michael, in first-season flashback mode, and anyone who wants to see him return can rest assured that it happens. And as it turns out, we might have Jon’s former The Punisher co-star, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, to thank for Bernthal’s materialization onscreen.

Moss-Bachrach, of course, portrays Carmy and Michael’s loose-cannon of a cousin, who’s such an a-hole (although a redeemable one) that no one felt too bad when he got stabbed in the butt. And he hails from a vast array of popular series, including NOS4A2, The Dropout, and (of course) Girls, in which he is known for a very salacious scene. Getting back to the subject, though, Moss-Bachrach told CinemaBlend that the production struggled to find the right fit for Michael, and he suggested that if they went ahead and showed Michael, then Jon would be the man for the job:

“They were trying to cast that role Michael for a while. And they asked us, ‘Does anyone have any ideas?; And they asked me and I was like, ‘I don’t think we should ever see him.’ Because when you talk about somebody, and hype them up so much, it’s always a letdown. And then it did occur to me one day, and I was like, ‘Well, I do think Jon is such a, I don’t know, like, charismatic and hilarious, dude that, I was like, ‘he actually would be really great.’”

He does make a fine point here. On, say, Frasier, the looming presence of Maris Crane was one of the funnier parts of the show because she remained unseen. When Michael is spoken of in The Bear, he seems almost fabled in a tragic (due to his suicide) although magnetic way. Pulling off that combination (and without being underwhelming) was surely rough, and very few actors could live up to those expectations. Naturally, though, Jon Bernthal rose mightily to the occasion. And he does so again in The Bear Season 2, which is streaming right now on Hulu.

(Via CinemaBlend)

Two New Orleans legends link up to bring the rain with “El Niño,” a new track that sees Louisianans Lil Wayne and Big Freedia collaborating with Memphis multidisciplinarian Boyfriend for a triumphant celebration of survival. This is pretty much right up Big Freedia’s alley as a self-described gender-nonconforming, fluid, nonbinary drag queen from the home of Hurricane Katrina in the midst of the American Right’s collective campaign of attempted genocide of the queer community.

It also marks the first official collaboration between Freedia and Wayne, despite their shared roots. Wayne sampled Freedia on a 2003 mixtape and booked her for his Weezyana Festival in 2015, but this is the first time they’ve actually teamed up on a record. And while it would have been cool if it was a bounce track (both rappers have used the regional sound as a basis for some of their biggest hits), the throwback trap style actually makes it a cool departure for Freedia and a return to form for Wayne that underscores the import of the collaboration.

Meanwhile, Boyfriend is a frequent collaborator of Freedia’s who adds another perspective. In a press release, Freedia said, “El Niño’ is about going hard in any storms that come in your life and conquering them! It’s one of my favorite songs on this record, it features my longtime collaborator Boyfriend, and it’s also my first collab with Lil Wayne, who I’ve wanted to work with for a long time. We put it down for our city, and this song is gonna have everyone blowin down!”

The track will appear on Freedia’s new album Central City, which is due this Friday, June 23. Listen to “El Niño” above.