Pop Culture
300 Teens Exposed to Coronavirus During Beer Pong Tournament
Hundreds of teenagers were exposed to coronavirus during a beer pong tournament in Texas last weekend. The Star-Telegram reports that about 300 high school students participated in a “pong fest” tournament near Lakeway, Texas on Saturday, June 27th. Several of those who attended the event have already tested positive for coronavirus, while others are still awaiting to hear back on their test results. Regardless of the final number of positive tests, the sheer scale of the exposure is putting a strain on the local health system. “The city is trying to get a handle on who attended, and the numbers are so big, contact tracing everyone is not possible,” Lakeway Mayor Sandy Cox explained. “Hopefully we can contain this. The worst thing that can happen is that we don’t contain this.” Texas has e...
Reddit Bans Popular Donald Trump Subreddit for Hate Speech
The popular subreddit r/The_Donald, home to many Donald Trump supporters and one of the nastiest, most unwelcoming places on the Internet for years, is officially no more. The virtual hive for MAGA fanatics has been banned by the higher-ups at Reddit due to newly defined hates speech guidelines. Reddit’s updated anti-hate speech measures led to the shut down of nearly 2,000 other subreddits, including r/darkhumorandmemes, r/gendercritical, and r/wojack. All had allegedly been in violation of the site’s updated content policy page, which declares that subreddits and users who “incite violence or that promote hate based on identity or vulnerability will be banned.” The new policies are a huge about-face for a website that long resisted calls to police even its most egregious content und...
Sacha Baron Cohen Infiltrates Far-Right Rally Pretending to Be Racist Country Singer
Sacha Baron Cohen is up to his old tricks. On Saturday, the Borat and Bruno actor crashed a far-right rally in Olympia, Washington, pretending to be a racist country singer who led a sing-along about injecting former president Barack Obama and Dr. Anthony Fauci with the “Wuhan Flu”. The event was organized by a far-right militia group called the Washington Three Percenters. It seems Cohen had reached out to event organizers about serving as the musical entertainment, going as far to offer to cover the costs of the stage and sound system. The Three Percenters took him up on his offer, setting the stage for one truly epic prank. Disguising himself in overalls and a fake beard, Cohen proceeded to sing a twangy country number about injecting liberals and scientists with the coronavirus. At var...
Cast of Hamilton Perform “Helpless” with The Roots and Jimmy Fallon: Watch
The original cast of Hamilton reunited alongside members of The Roots and Jimmy Fallon to perform “Helpless” as part of Saturday’s “Global Goal: Unite for Our Future”. The benefit concert, which also saw Miley Cyrus cover The Beatles’ “Help!” from an empty football stadium, raised money for the coordination and development of COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines, and to ensure equitable access to citizens across the globe. Phillipa Soo took the lead on “Helpess”, reprising her role as Eliza Schuyler Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda popped in to deliver his rap verse, while other original cast members including Renee Elise Goldsberry, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Leslie Odom Jr., and Daveed Diggs also joined in. For their part, The Roots and Jimmy Fallon played along with real and househo...
Barcelona Opera House Reopens with Concert for Over 2,000 Houseplants
There’s lots of talk in opera these days about organically growing the audience, and now Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu has found a new and (literally) fresh approach. As CNN reports, the Spanish opera house reopened after months of coronavirus lockdowns with a performance for 2,292 houseplants. Conceptual artist Eugenio Ampudia created the event, featuring music provided by UceLi string quartet. The ensemble played the Puccini elegy, “Crisantemi”, which translates to “chrysanthemums”, a fitting piece for the unique crowd in attendance Monday evening. Hailing from nearby nurseries, the “audience” of plants — verdant trees, ferns, and grasses — carpeted the orchestra section as well as the balconies above. At the conclusion of “Crisantemi”, the gorgeous flora was made to applaud. Th...
Apple Announces iOS 14, Updates to AirPods, Messages, and Maps
Apple is ready to change things up on you again. Earlier today, the tech monolith announced its newest software, iOS 14, for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TV, and Apple Watch during the Worldwide Developers Conference. A lot of ground was covered, so we’ve cherry-picked the biggest takeaways to help save you time. First thing’s first: iOS 14 will change things up for the iPhone starting with a brand new iOS home screen. The new look allows users to set default email and browser apps for the first time, pin widgets with updating information, and go beyond the previous limitations of apps-only visuals on the home screen. From there, Apple revealed some helpful tweaks to the Messages app. Users can now mention one another within a text (similarly to tagging), rock updated Memoji looks like a fa...
The Karate Kid Spinoff Series Cobra Kai Moves to Netflix
Ralph Macchio and William Zabka of Cobra Kai at C2E2 2019, photo by Heather Kaplan Wax on, wax off: Cobra Kai has left YouTube for Netflix. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Karate Kid spinoff series, starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, has found a new home with the streaming giant for its third season. “The appeal of The Karate Kid saga is timeless, and Cobra Kai picks up right where it left off without missing a beat,” said Brian Wright, Netflix vp originals. “The rivalry between Daniel and Johnny is one for the ages, and the show has a ton of heart and is a lot of fun. We can’t wait to introduce a new generation of fans to Cobra Kai and are thrilled to be its new home around the world.” The series debuted on YouTube in May 2018, back when it wa...
AMC Theatres to Reopen in July, Won’t Require Face Masks to Avoid “Political Controversy”
Update – June 19th: AMC has reversed course and will require movie-goers to wear face masks. Bankruptcy be damned: Like Cinemark and Regal Cinemas earlier this week, AMC Theatres has now announced that they, too, will begin reopening their theaters across America beginning in July. Face mask, anyone? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the world’s largest theater chain will open 450 of its US locations on July 15th followed by the remaining 150 on July 24th, all in anticipation of Disney’s Mulan and Warner Bros.’ Tenet. “After a painful almost four-month hiatus due to the coronavirus, we are delighted to announce that movies are coming back to the big screen at AMC. Our next 100 years of making smiles happen officially begin at approximately 450 theaters across the Uni...
D.L. Hughley Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Collapsing On Stage
D.L. Hughley, photo via Getty Comedian D.L. Hughley says he has tested positive for COVID-19 after collapsing during a show in Nashville on Friday night. Hughley, 57, was performing at Zanies Comedy Club when he suddenly fainted. His manager and several other people carried him off the stage, and he was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital where he was treated for exhaustion and dehydration. Doctors also conducted a battery of tests and determined that he had contracted coronavirus. In a video posted to social media, Hughley said he didn’t have any symptoms related to COVID-19, and it’s unclear whether the virus contributed to him collapsing. He was released from the hospital on Saturday and will spend the next 14 days in self-isolation. Below, you can watch Hughley’s aforementione...
AMC Theatres Reverses Decision, Will Require Moviegoers to Wear Masks
AMC Theatres has reversed a previous policy decision and will now require customer to wear masks in their cinemas upon reopening. (We may have some suggestions for that.) In plans revealed on Thursday, AMC announced it would open 450 of its US locations on July 15th, with the remaining 150 following on July 24th. While there were a number of precautions addressed to help reduce the spread of coronavirus — reducing capacities to 30%, increasing sanitation procedures, and limiting concessions — masks were only made a requirement for “theatre associates.” Speaking with Variety about the reopening rollout, AMC CEO Adam Aron said the company felt “it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is no necessary.” He added that he expected “the...
Trump Voters Are Burning Their Face Masks to Protest COVID-19 Orders
In what appears to be a new challenge-turned-fail, a number of Donald Trump voters are burning their face masks to try to own the libs. According to a report by Vice, MAGA fans have posted videos of themselves lighting the fabric on fire to Facebook, allegedly to protest their respective cities and states enforcing new COVID-19 protection orders. It all began when Raleigh, North Carolina Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin announced that face coverings will be mandatory in public, at supermarkets, inside businesses, on sidewalks, on public transportation, and in parking lots starting this Friday. Numerous other cities and states have implemented similar rules — a fact-driven, science-backed decision to stop the spread of COVID-19 and the number of coronavirus-related deaths. The members of Facebook gro...
Into the Wild Bus Removed From Alaska Wilderness Due to Safety Concerns
Authorities in Alaska have removed the abandoned bus made famous by the book Into the Wild and movie of the same name. According to The Associated Press, Alaska Natural Resources Commissioner Corri Feige cited safety concerns as the reason for the bus’ removal. At least two people have died attempting to reach the bus, while scores of others needed to be rescued by the Coast Guard. The 1940s-era bus had been used by a construction company to house employees during work on an access road in the area and was abandoned when the work was finished in 1961, The Associated Press explains. It later become a natural monument of sorts in the wake of Christopher McCandless’ tragic death in 1992. McCandless, a 24-year-old native of Virginia, sought refuge in the bus after becoming stranded on the...
