Paige VanZant is one of the most recognizable women in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While she has yet to contend for a UFC title, the promising flyweight immediately showed off her star power and crossover appeal from the moment that she first entered the Octagon. Inside and out of the cage, VanZant draws attention.
After starting her professional mixed martial arts career with a 6-2 record, VanZant was invited to participate on the ABC hit show “Dancing With the Stars.” Because of her background in dance, VanZant impressed the judges and the viewers at home.
VanZant reached the season finale with her partner Mark Ballas, before finishing as the runner-up.
The 24-year-old also appeared on a celebrity edition of Chopped on the Food Network, edging out Dorothy Hamill to become the Chopped champion.
VanZant has struggled inside of the cage recently, however. Losing two of her last three outings, including a debut in a new division, VanZant will be looking to get back in the win column when she returns to action.
Away from fighting and reality show competitions, VanZant is also an inspiration.
VanZant recently opened up about her rise to fame and a tough high school career that included relentless bullying that eventually led to the changing of her last name from “Sletton” to “VanZant” in her new book Rise: Surviving the Fight of My Life.
“12 Gauge,” which is a nickname she picked up from her father due to her love of hunting, is currently engaged to fellow professional MMA fighter Austin Vanderford, who is a former national champion and two time NAIA All-American wrestler.
Zendaya only needs one name for you to know who she is. The former Disney Channel star began her career as a child model and backup dancer before emerging as a promising music artist and actress. She is also involved in the fashion world. Born Zendaya Maree Sotermer Coleman, the California native has already accomplished a lot in her 21 years of life.
While Zendaya has excelled in the entertainment world, she also is a standout with her work as a humanitarian.
Every year, Zendaya dedicates her birthday to a charitable cause and in 2017 she created a fundraiser for iKAGENG, a community-based organization that cares for orphaned and vulnerable children around the area of Soweto. Her crowdfunding campaign topped $40,000.
“I really wanted to do something important for my birthday. For me at least, it wasn’t really a priority that I get anything for my birthday. I have everything that I need and everything that I want. So I definitely wanted to do something that I felt was a little more important. I also always think that it’s important to use your status or star power in the best way possible. I think that there’s a reason why you influence so many people, and for me, I think that it’s to make important causes be known and try to use whatever I can to help that.,” Zendaya said in an interview with WhoSay.com.
“I was already in contact with [humanitarian organization] Convoy of Hope, and I was brainstorming with my mom, and we came up with the idea to work with Convoy of Hope and FeedOne, which is a charity that they work with as well, to do this whole project and do something that was actually really special. I’m really excited about it.”
Other charities and foundations that Zendaya has supported are the American Heart Association, American Stroke Association, Communities in Schools, Convoy of Hope, DonorsChoose.org, PETA, and UNICEF.
Zendaya has an incredible platform to share her positive messages and music to the world, with more than 6.8 million followers on Facebook, nearly 5 million followers on Twitter, and more than 4 million followers on Instagram.
Zendaya previously sat down with our friends at Campus Sports to discuss her passion for the Golden State Warriors, her mom’s collegiate basketball career at Santa Clara, and she provided advice to young kids who want to reach their goals.
Be sure to follow Zendaya on Twitter and Instagram and follow along with her charity work at Crowd Rise.
Jasmine Sanders has become a regular in the modeling world and she doesn’t seem ready to disappear anytime soon. Like many in her generation, Sanders developed an impressive social media following and was able to parlay that into more attention and success. The 27-year-old model goes by “Golden Barbie” and is signed to The Society Model Management.
Sanders has had the Golden Barbie nickname — which he uses on all social media platforms — since she was a child.
Sanders says that the nickname came from her childhood when her sister came up with the name thanks to other monikers that she was called by a teacher and friends.
“I had a teacher who used to call me Goldilocks in school because of my curls, and my friends used to tell me I looked like a life-size Barbie,” Sanders told Vogue in an interview. “One day, my sister and I were playing around with silly usernames for social media, and we put the two together. ‘Golden Barbie’ had a ring to it that I liked, so I stuck with it. I’m actually thankful my following knows me as Golden Barbie, versus some of the other names we suggested!”
Throughout her modeling career, Sanders has appeared on runways, in print, and even in commercials — most notably as the lead role in Kylie’s “Glosses” video.
Sanders, who is dating Terrence J, has been modeling since the age of 13.
You can check out more photos of the rising model by clicking the follow button on Instagram. What are you waiting for?
Rihanna is one of the celebrities in attendance for the 2018 Met Gala in New York City on Monday, May 7, and she immediately stole the show on the red carpet. This year’s Met Gala theme is “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” Taking that into consideration, Rihanna absolutely slayed with her pope-inspired look.
The 30-year-old singer is the co-chair of this year’s event alongside Amal Clooney, Donatella Versace, and Anna Wintour, so she had to look the part and she nailed it.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty, better known as just Rihanna, is a Barbadian singer, songwriter and actress.
She is known far and wide for her singing abilities and achievements. Many of her songs are ranked as the top-selling singles of all time. She’s a multi-time Grammy Award winner, with multiple platinum records to her name. Rihanna has also had a budding film career, starring in movies like Battleship, Bates Motel, and Ocean’s Eight among others.
Rihanna also has launched her own cosmetic company, Fenty Beauty. The company gets its name from Rihanna’s middle name. The company — which launched products like foundation, highlighters, bronzers, blush compacts, lip glosses, and blotting sheets — was named as one of Time Magazine’s “25 Best Inventions of 2017.”
Rihanna is currently working on her ninth studio album. While there has been little information about the upcoming album, Shakka revealed that he was working with Rihanna on the album which he said is “absolutely insane.”
The red carpet is alive at the 2018 Met Gala with some of the hottest celebrities and models worldwide. This yearly fashion show is known as “the east coast’s Oscars.” It is a charitable event, benefiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. The theme for this year’s event is “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.”
Look below to find out more info regarding Met Gala 2018. Also, don’t forget to check out the hot photos and videos of the celebrities turning heads on the red/white carpet. Instagram was set on fire with these red hot celebrities showing off all the goods…
Of course, ya girl, Rihanna is looking amazing at the 2018 Met Gala. To keep up with the theme of tonight’s event, Rihanna is wearing an outfit reminiscent of a Catholic pope. A dress like that would make most people want to attend church, religious or not.
Mexican actress/model Eiza González Reyna was also looking very lovely in this black and white outfit. Eiza is definitely killing it with that dress.
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra is another top celebrity who is looking fabulous at the 2018 Met Gala. She’s one of the highest paid Indian celebrities. She’s an actor, model, singer, philanthropist, film producer, and the winner of the 2010 Miss World Pageant.
Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner is another celebrity who is turning heads at the 2018 Met Gala fashion show. She chose to wear an outfit as white as snow.
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried made her presence with a lovely golden dress at the 2018 Met Gala.
The Met Gala is tonight, which means all of the most beautiful people in the world are congregating in New York City to drink fancy alcohol and flex on Instagram. And if that didn’t make the event sound like the boujeeiest, snobbiest bullshit you’ve ever heard of, then get a load of the theme for the 2018 Met Gala: “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.”
The Met Gala, formally called the “Costume Institute Gala”, is an annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City, marking the grand opening of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit.
Each year’s event celebrates the theme of that year’s Costume Institute exhibition and the exhibition sets the tone for the formal dress of the night. Guests attending the event are expected to choose their fashion to match the theme of the exhibit. Each year, celebrities are chosen to serve as the event’s honorary chairs.
Individual tickets to the Met Gala, which annual guest list includes only 650–700 people, cost approximately $30,000. Imagine being so rich that you pay 30 G’s to voluntarily go to prom? What a life.
Blake Lively, who is most well-known for playing the role of Serena van der Woodsen in the hit CW teen-drama series Gossip Girl, was one of the most recognizable faces on television in the mid-to-late 2000’s and picked up a handful of awards for her role in the series. Since then, Lively has enjoyed various roles in film.
On Monday, May 7, however, Lively burst back onto the scene in a big way with her appearance at the 2018 Met Gala in New York City.
At the 2018 Met Gala, Lively was considered one of the best dressed for the red carpet which featured a theme of “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” which you can see below.
Lively is married to her former Green Lantern co-star. The couple, who got married on Sept. 9, 2012, have two children together; James, born in 2014, and Ines, born in 2016.
Ashley Blaine Featherson is an actress who was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Her breakout role came as Joelle Brooks in the Netflix original series Dear White People which was adapted from the movie of the same name. In fact, Featherson held a smaller role of “Curls” in the film adaptation.
Before the first season of Dear White People was released, there were some skeptics and critics because of the name of the show. However, despite there being controversy leading up to its release, Featherson knew it was something she wanted to be a part of because of the impact it could make.
“Who wants to be a part of things that don’t matter, that don’t cause conversation or that people aren’t talking about or that doesn’t rile people up? If anything, [the backlash] got me excited because this is exactly what we want people to do,” Featherson said in an interview with Rolling Out.
“Dear White People, just the name alone, ignites conversation. [The backlash] did inspire six million to watch the concept trailer, which wasn’t even the official trailer for the show, and 500,000 people pushed the like button so that means we’re doing something right.”
Once the show released, it was met with overwhelming praise and Netflix wasted no time picking up for a second season which dropped in May 2018.
You can watch Dear White People seasons 1 and 2 currently on Netflix.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman found himself embroiled in controversy Monday when The New Yorker released a report detailing allegations of physical assault by multiple women against the rising Democratic politician. Shortly after the news surfaced, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said it launched an investigation into the allegations.
Just hours after the shocking report was released to the public, Schneiderman resigned from his post as New York Attorney General.
“It’s been my great honor and privilege to serve as Attorney General for the people of the State of New York. In the last several hours, serious allegations, which I strongly contest, have been made against me,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time. I therefore resign my office, effective at the close of business on May 8, 2018.”
Below is the latest information regarding the Schneiderman allegations and his resignation.
What Happened?
In an explosive report from The New Yorker, four women came forward with allegations against the former New York Attorney General. The troubling allegations from women who claim to have had romantic encounters with Schneiderman. They claim he would often slap, choke, and even threaten the women. The behavior allegedly came often after Schneiderman had been drinking.
From the report:
They allege that he repeatedly hit them, often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent. Manning Barish and Selvaratnam categorize the abuse he inflicted on them as “assault.” They did not report their allegations to the police at the time, but both say that they eventually sought medical attention after having been slapped hard across the ear and face, and also choked. Selvaratnam says that Schneiderman warned her he could have her followed and her phones tapped, and both say that he threatened to kill them if they broke up with him. (Schneiderman’s spokesperson said that he “never made any of these threats.”)
A third former romantic partner of Schneiderman’s told Manning Barish and Selvaratnam that he also repeatedly subjected her to nonconsensual physical violence, but she told them that she is too frightened of him to come forward.
Eric Tradd Schneiderman was born December 31, 1954, in New York City, New York. The Democratic politician served as a member of the New York Senate in the 20th and 31st districts, before becoming the 65th Attorney General of New York. Schneiderman was elected in 2010 before a successful re-election campaign in 2014.
Schneiderman earned his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School and went on to serve as a judicial clerk for two years within the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He eventually became a partner at law firm Kirkpatrick and Lockhart LLP. After a stint as a public interest attorney, Schneiderman began his successful and promising political career.
However, everything has now come to a halt following the serious allegations against him.
Schneiderman, who was a strong advocate for the #MeToo movement and pursued legal action against Harvey Weinstein, was a vocal opponent of Donald Trump.
Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, had been rumored to be dating Tesla CEO, SpaceX found, and all-around genius Elon Musk. On Monday, May 7, the two finally made their relationship public when they walked the red carpet together ahead of the 2018 Met Gala in New York City. The way the two allegedly met was through social media.
According to a report from Page Six, Musk noticed the 30-year-old musician through a joke he was going to make on Twitter about artificial intelligence. However, he discovered that Grimes had already made the witty remark.
“Elon was researching the idea of joking about Rococo Basilisk, and when he saw Grimes had already joked about it, he reached out to her,” an insider told the magazine. “Grimes said this was the first time in three years that anyone understood the joke. They were both poking fun at AI.”
If you aren’t a genius and don’t get the joke — full disclosure: that was waaaaay over my head — here is an explanation:
Thought experiment Roko’s Basilisk considers the hypothesis of a future where AI lords over the world and could punish those who did not help it into existence. His joke was to merge this thought experiment with a pun using “Rococo,” referring to the ornate French 18th century baroque style, perhaps pointing out that both concepts are complex, too extreme and ridiculous.
Sure, we will go with that.
Grimes was a double major in psychology and philosophy before dropping out of school to pursue music. But that knowledge apparently stuck with her, because it was enough to make a joke that only a genius billionaire like Musk could understand.
You can see photos of the new couple on the red carpet of the Met Gala below:
NBA stars have had some incredible nicknames throughout the years. Names like “King James,” “The Greek Freak,” “The Round Mound of Rebound,”Shaq,” and even “The Beard,” there are some notable nicknames that you will immediately recognize. But as it turns out, none of these nicknames are as incredible as the nicknames NBA stars receive from Chinese fans on the internet.
Nick Kapur, who is a historian of Japan and East Asia, blessed Twitter with an incredible thread this week that unveiled some of the nicknames the Chinese basketball fans have been using for their favorite players.
Some are hilarious, others are flat-out rude, and then there are a handful of NSFW ones.
“China is crazy for the NBA, but official sources use boring phonetic transcriptions, failing to take advantage of Chinese characters having both sound and meaning,” Kapur wrote on Twitter. “Chinese netizens have ‘improved’ on these official names.”
Let’s take a look at some of the best.
LeBron James
Lebron James – 小皇帝 “The Little Emperor”
A play on the English “King James” that is also a slang term for a “spoiled only child” under China’s “One Child Policy”
Used more when Lebron was young but now mostly by Lebron haters. His fans prefer 詹皇 (Zhan Wang or “King James”).
This is an extremely elaborate pun. One of Curry’s phonetic names is 库里 (ku li) and the second character is a combination of the characters 日 (“sun”) and 土 (“ground”). But 日 is also slang for “fuck.” 1/3
Given Curry’s penchant for launching shots into the sky, Chinese netizens apparently felt it would be more apropos to name him “fucks the sky” instead of “fucks the ground,” so they replaced “earth” (土) with “sky” (天) in the second character. 2/3
Other common nicknames for Steph Curry include “Sprout God” (萌神) and “The Elementary School Student” (小学生), both playing on his diminutive stature. 3/3
Kobe is "Snail Shell" because it rhymes with "My [guy] Kobe."
When he was young they called him 小飞侠 or “Peter Pan” (literally "Little Flying Warrior") and at the end he became 唠嗑 (“Chatterbox, Gossip"), which rhymes with "Old Kobe."
Jordan's ordinary name in Chinese is 乔丹 (qiao dan), but Qiao is also the surname of Qiao Feng, the leader of the "Beggars' Sect" in popular wuxia martial arts novels, often known simply as "Gang Boss Qiao" (乔帮主).
Jingdezhen is a town famous for making fragile porcelain, so "Son of Jingdezhen" (景德镇之子) is a term for an NBA flop artist. Harden is perceived to be the best at this "art," so he gets to be the "mayor" of Floptown.
Idaho State University has been fined for losing a small amount of radioactive, weapons-grade plutonium. While the plutonium is is too small to make a nuclear bomb, it could still be used in a dirty bomb.
Dr. Cornelis Van der Schyf, vice president for research at the university, blamed partially completed paperwork from 15 years ago as the school tried to dispose of the plutonium. Idaho State reported the material missing on October 13 and was hit with an $8,500 fine and has 30 days to dispute the measure.
A spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said that the agency “has very rigorous controls for the use and storage of radioactive materials as evidenced by this enforcement action.”
Furthermore, the U.S. Nuclear Regulartory Commission said a school employee doing a routine inventory discovered the university could only account for 13 of its 14 plutonium sources, each weighing about the same small amount.
In a statement released on Friday, ISU said improvements to the school’s inventory system and other administrative changes have been put into place to prevent future discrepancies. The statement also said that both the university and regulatory officials have “responded in an appropriate and responsible fashion.”
ISU has a nuclear engineering program and works with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory. The plutonium was being used to develop ways to ensure nuclear waste containers weren’t leaking and to find ways to detect radioactive material being illegally brought into the U.S. after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the school said in an email released on Friday.
The university, which has 30 days to dispute the proposed fine, reported the plutonium missing on Oct. 13, according to documents released by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The agency said a school employee doing a routine inventory discovered the university could only account for 13 of its 14 plutonium sources, each weighing about the same small amount.
ISU searched documents and found records from 2003 and 2004 saying the material was on campus and awaiting disposal. However, there were no documents saying the plutonium had been properly disposed. The last document mentioning the plutonium is dated November 23, 2003.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulartory Commission nuclear commission said senior university officials planned to return the school’s remaining plutonium to the Energy Department
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when we’re talking about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. His father, future Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, hit 449 home runs over the course of his career, and Vlad Jr. looks like he has even more power than his dad did! Vlad Jr. has been tearing up the minor leagues all year long and is currently ranked as the number three prospect in all of baseball. Vlad Jr. is currently hitting .404 with three home runs and 30 RBI’s in just 25 games!
With fellow top prospects like Victor Robles, Ronald Acuña, and Gleybar Torres getting the call to the show, what’s stopping the Blue Jays from giving Vlad Jr. the same call? Who cares if he’s only 19 years old, if you’re ready for the MLB, you deserve to play. Look at Red Sox stars Rafael Devers, who got called up at just 20, and Andrew Benintendi who didn’t even spend a full year in the minor leagues. You be the judge, check out some of his highlights from Spring Training and in AA ball this season, and make your own decision if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is ready to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Watch this and tell me that isn’t elite MLB power! Guerrero has hit 24 home runs and driven in 152 runs during his time in the minor leagues, which is only 205 games. He has a .316 career batting average in the minors, and don’t forget his granted, limited, Spring Training sample size where he hit .538 with a home run and two RBI’s.
He makes hitting off a tee look good too. He has a smooth swing and shows good discipline at the plate too (unlike his dad who swung at anything from his head to his toes) with 121 walks in his minor league career compared to just 109 strikeouts.
With elite power, and the ability to hit for average as well, and since the Blue Jays haven’t had Josh Donaldson for a good portion of this year, they should consider calling up Vlad Jr. Even if it is for a limited time, or if they just have him as the designated hitter, this guy has proven that he has what it takes to fit in at the MLB level, and gives the Blue Jays a star of the future to market.
– Speaking of Deadpool 2, which comes out next weekend: everything we’ve seen so far leads us to believe that the sequel will be just as good — if not better — than the original:
– The Raptors got swept by the Cavs last night, completing maybe literally the most pathetic playoff performance in recent history.
– The 76ers were able to stave off elimination (and being swept) by winning Game 4 at home:
– Hey, the Capitals finally f*cking did it (!), defeating Sydney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 20-something years.
– In the Western Conference, the Predators forced a Game 7 by dominating the Jets in Winnipeg:
– Tonight’s NBA schedule:
– No games in the NHL until Thursday, however, we’ve got some midweek Premier League action as Swansea takes on Southampton in what amounts to a relegation playoff, as the loser will be relegated to the second tier of English football:
News & Politics
– New York AG Eric Schneiderman resigned due to multiple allegations of assault. Schneiderman has also been a vocal proponent of the #MeToo movement, bringing legal action in New York against film producer Harvey Weinstein.
– Iggy Azalea — sucks at rapping but she has a HELL of an Instagram:
VIEW GALLERY
Song of the Day
– Been on a massive Childish kick since ‘This Is America’ dropped? Us too:
Quote of the Day
“Nothing that was worthy in the past departs; no truth or goodness realized by man ever dies, or can die; but is all still here, and, recognized or not, lives and works through endless changes.” — Thomas Carlyle
When you think about the ideal best friend or partner there is no better representation than The Millenium Falcon’s co-pilot, Chewbacca. Chewie, as his friends call him, is fierce, loyal, and strong and often is the only reason everyone’s favorite Corellian Smuggler doesn’t find himself 6 feet under. The Wookie is a kind-hearted being and will do anything to keep his friends safe. His piloting ability is nothing to scoff at either. The towering, lovable beast has been a mainstay in Star Wars since it all began and is about to get a whole lot more screen time in the upcoming movie, Solo: A Star Wars Story. Here are some need to know facts about everyone’s favorite Wookie.
Chewbacca Is Old…
When Disney purchased Lucasfilm a decision was made to erase the existing Expanded Universe in favor of creating their own version. One of the facts that crossed over from the old books (referred to as the “Legends” book by Disney) and comics is that Chewbacca is VERY old. Well not old for a Wookie, it turns out the race has a much longer lifespan than humans. The lifespan of a Wookie is actually 400 years. So even though Chewie is an epic 190 years old in the new Solo flick, in human years he really is only around 30-40 years old. Still, 190 years old and not a single grey hair? Impressive.
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Epic Treehouse Dude!
Chewbacca and his Wookie brethren come from the planet Kashyyyk. It is a planet covered by massive trees that blot out the sun from the surface of the planet. So that they wouldn’t have to live on the planet floor with all the big bad nocturnal meanies the Wookies took to the trees. The large race now lives in epic and elaborate tree houses and buildings, hundreds of feet above the planet. Puts our childhood tree houses to shame right?
Do You Speak Shyriiwook?
Because that’s what Chewbacca does! We know that his sounds are more than guttural grunts and moans since both Han and Rey can understand exactly what he is saying. So if Chewie can understand Basic and they can understand Shyriiwook why don’t they talk to each other in one or the other? The same reason you can imitate a dog barking but not sound exactly the same. Wookies have different vocal chords than humans and vice versa. So, for now, we’ll have to keep relying on his friends to let us know what Chewie is saying.
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#1 Dad
We know Chewbacca as the tough, ready to fight co-pilot to Han Solo but guess what? He’s also a family man! The idea of Chewbacca having a family was first introduced in the hard to find Star Wars Holiday Special. In it, we visit Chewie and his wife Mallatobuck, his father Attichitcuk, and his son Lumpawarrump. Han lovingly calls them Malla, Itchy, and Lumpy. Yup… Lumpy. Fans wondered whether this was going to be kept canon and they finally got their answer in the book Aftermath: Life Debt. In the second book of the three-part Aftermath series, author Chuck Wendig reveals that in one of the Imperial prison camps the group liberates, Chewbacca finds his son. So if he’s a dad why is he always flying aroudn the galaxy with Han? Well…
He Owes Han A Life Debt
In the original version of his backstory, Han saved Chewbacca from Imperial slavers and in Wookie culture he now owed Solo a Life Debt. A life debt means the person serving must accompany the person who saved them and keep them safe. Chewbacca is bound by honor to keep Han safe and that is a sacred act to his people. This fact crossed over into the new canon and we’ll probably see more about what happened to cause this in the new Solo movie.
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The Best Pilot In The Galaxy?
When Star Wars fans debate who the best pilot in the Galaxy is there are a lot of names thrown around. Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo. This writer personally has a Wedge Antilles tattoo so spoiler alert on my pick… But who consistently pilots their way in and out of danger, regardless of co-pilot? Chewbacca that’s who. Often thought of as Han’s co-pilot and nothing more, we consistently see Chewie piloting the Falcon through harrowing situations effortlessly with whatever co-pilot he is given. Of course there is Han, but he is also seen at the helm with Lando Calrissian, Leia, Rey… and a Porg. There is no denying Han’s abilities as a pilot but Chewie consistently pilots the fastest ship in the galaxy at an expert rate regardless of who’s sitting next to him.
Where’s The Bling?
We all know the ending the Episode IV: A New Hope. Luke pilots his X-Wing down the trench of the Deathstar as Vader quickly approaches. Suddenly the Falcon makes a triumphant return, dive bombs the Dark Lord and clears the way for Luke to destroy the massive space station. We then see a massive hall filled with Rebel military personnel and down walks our heroes, Luke, Han, and Chewie. They reach Leia and she bestows the Medal of bravery on Han, then Luke– and then that’s it. No Medal for Chewie, what the heck!? Multiple stories have tried to retcon this travesty, saying that he actually did get a medal, or that Wookies don’t believe in trophies so he wouldn’t have accepted it. I call foul. Thankfully MTV fixed it, awarding Chewbacca the Lifetime Achievement award at the 1997 Movie Awards. It was even given to him by Carrie Fisher herself. I still call for justice for Chewie though, you know why? Because…
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Chewie Has Your Back
Remember that whole scene we just talked about? The Heroic scene in which the Falcon returns and saves the day? Well, it was Chewbacca’s idea to return! He was the one who talked Han into returning and helping the Rebellion. So in reality, General Solo was a bit of a jerk and the Rebellion would be nothing without Chewie.
Who’s A Good Boy?
Chewbacca is lovable, protective, and fiercely loyal. Sounds kind of like a dog right? That’s because he is a dog. Well not literally but he is based on George Lucas’ dog Indiana. An Alaskan Malamute. He truly is man’s best friend.
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The Man Behind The Snout
The new Solo movie will truly be the beginning of a new era. It will be the first time in the franchise that the original actor Peter Mayhew will not be involved in the process of performing the character. He put on the suit in every film up until Episode VII: The Force Awakens and worked as a “Chewbacca Consultant” on The Last Jedi. This will be Joonas Suotamo’s first outing on his own as the beloved character. Mayhew has been a mainstay at conventions and celebrations for years and has embraced the fans and his role with open arms. He finally had to hang it all up the old bear suit due to chronic knee and back pain. Mayhew is a juggernaut of the Star Wars world and will always be loved for what he has done and it seems Suotamo understands what has been handed down to him, penning a beautiful letter of appreciation to Mayhew after his official retirement.
I for one am looking forward to the new Solo movie and getting to see more of the big furry oaf we all know an love. Check out the trailer below.
Since May 3rd, Hawaii’s most active volcano, Kliauea, has been emitting lava and molten rock and destroying at least 26 homes, prompting evacuations, especially in the local Leilani Estates residential area. Over the days the volcano had been impacting the area, photos and videos have come out showcasing the situation.
The eruption is actually normal for the area
While the story seems like a current event, this technically isn’t the case. In reality, the Kilauea volcano has been erupting without interruption since 1983, according to the US Geological Survey, as it sits on a hot spot in the middle of the Pacific plate with large amounts of magma. What makes this recent eruption notable is the fact that it’s impacting a residential area.
According to The Verge, Janine Krippner, a volcanologist at Concord University, issued the following statement over the recent volcanic interruption:
“What we’re seeing right now is pretty normal for the Kilauea activity”
“It’s coming out right below these people’s homes.”
The situation has notably lent itself to video captures and time-lapses in recent days. One notable video showcased lava engulfing a car and impacting a fence in the area.
What’s happening in the area?
Over the past few days, magma was traveling down the East Rift Zone, an area where the rocks that make up the volcano are split, which allows the lava to emit, essentially dropping 721 feet (or 220 meters) below the crater’s rim.
Cracks called fissures have also been opening up in the area due to the magma building up pressure underground and fracturing the land. Normally, the lava moves pretty slowly, but it can also develop into lava fountains, which are extremely gassy and can shoot out quickly.
At this time, it’s hard to say how long this most recent eruption will last, as confirmed by Krippner. The volcano’s history also complicates estimates, as one that began in May 2016 ended only a few days ago. Ultimately, the only sure thing we can say is, well, it will end when it ends. That’s normally how things work.
You may remember the story of CJ LaFrance, a nine-year-old boy who was welcomed by the Syracuse football program after allegedly being diagnosed with Hogkin’s lymphoma. Well, it turns out that the story was all one big lie and his parents are now facing some serious and disturbing charges. According to a report from Syracuse.com, CJ’s parents, Martin and Jolene LaFrance, have been charged with child endangerment and scheme to defraud.
They are accused of lying about CJ’s cancer in order to get access to the Syracuse football team and also soliciting money. A GoFundMe page set up by the family collected around $3,000 from donors.
The report states:
Deputies, acting on a tip, discovered that Martin and Jolene LaFrance solicited money under the guise that their son, CJ LaFrance, was battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After a four-month investigation, the sheriff’s office “conclusively” learned that CJ was never diagnosed with cancer or any other medical condition.
It was just last summer that the Syracuse football program and head coach Dino Babers welcomed CJ to practice and brought him on the field to participate in some 1-on-1 drills with players. It was a feel-good story at the time, with his parents claiming CJ was a month into an extensive chemotherapy treatment and that he had multiple lymph nodes removed via surgery.
His parents claimed that doctors informed them they were seeing very little progress.
Syracuse.com had previously shared video of LaFrance and Syracuse linebacker Kielan Whitner playing catch on the field before the young kid broke down the huddle.
CJ truly appreciated the welcome from the Orange players, but now we learn of the circumstances that led to the meeting and its unfortunate that his parents made a sick, twisted lie for their own gain.
Yes, Iggy Azaela may be one of the worst rappers in the history of sound, but man oh man does she a Hall of Fame, Mount Rushmore-worthy Instagram game.
Amethyst Amelia Kelly, born June 7, 1990 and known professionally as Iggy Azalea, is an Australian rapper and model who moved to the United States at the age of sixteen to pursue a career in hip-hop. Azalea’s big break came due to the single “Fancy” with Charli XCX. It was released on February 17, 2014 by Def Jam Recordings and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Azalea’s debut studio album, “The New Classic”, was released in 2014 and peaked among the top five of several charts worldwide. However, despite her admittedly impressive peak, she’ll always be remembered for how truly poor of a rapper she is:
Despite her career tailspin, her Instagram remains as fire as ever, which is all the credit in the world to Iggy — she knows what the people want. She also doesn’t seem to have any sense of quit in her, as she has a new album called Surviving the Summer in 2018.
Jaclyn Truman, a 30-year-old Florida teacher who was arrested on Friday, October 20 after she was accused of having a sexual relationship with a female student, has admitted to the assault in a plea deal.
In October 2017, the unidentified female teenager told authorities she had sex with substitute teacher Truman “on multiple occasions” at Florida’s Hagerty High School between March and May, that year.
Truman was convicted of two counts of lewd and lascivious battery. She will have to register as a sex offender and be placed on sex offender probation for the next 15 years. Truman will not spend any time behind bars.
Robert Fisher, Truman’s defense attorney, said:
“She is contrite. She is remorseful. She obviously wishes this never happened. It should never have happened. My suggestion to teachers is just recognize that you are held to a higher standard.”
Truman is just the latest teacher to be charged for an alleged relationship with a teenager student. Over the course of just a few months, educators across the country were arrested for entering into an inappropriate relationship with their students, Tennessee teacher Janet Smothers,LaToya Parker, Florida teacher Caroline Lawson, 26-year-old Allyson Moran and Katherine Ross Ridenhour were all arrested on similar charges.
42-year-old Heather Butts of California was arrested on a second-degree felony charge, Nancy Leigh Ann Brann, a former Christian school teacher, was arrested for having sex with a student, Coine Audiat pleaded no contest to having sex with a minor in 2016 and 23-year-old Darci Lake was arrested for an inappropriate relationship. 27-year-old Brittany Zamora from Arizona was arrested on similar charges. Keri Hoffman, 35, was also arrested for an alleged relationship with a student. More recently, 29-year-old Tiffany Ranweiler-Oblander was arrested on similar charges.
A court ruling from Centre County, Pennsylvania, Judge Steven Lachman will send eleven more Penn State fraternity members to trial over the death of Timothy Piazza. The ruling, which happened on Monday, May 7, comes after 12 defendants had preliminary hearings over three days that concluded on Friday, May 4.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said that “the Office of Attorney General is committed to seeking justice for Timothy Piazza and his family and holding responsible individuals accountable for their actions, consistent with the law and the evidence in this case.”
In late March, District Judge Allen Sinclair threw out involuntary manslaughter charges and some of the other most serious remaining charges against 11 fraternity members.
Piazza, 19, was a 2015 graduate of Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Readington Township. He was a pledge of the fraternity’s Alpha Upsilon Chapter. Piazza was studying engineering while attending the university.
He also played football and track when he was in high school. He was a member of the homecoming court in 2014, and also served as a Red Devil ambassador at Hunterdon Center and on the school’s Teen Prevention Education Program. He did volunteer work to help teach children with special needs how to play sports such as football, basketball, and baseball.
Piazza’s death spurred a cascade of changes in the Penn State greek life community. On March 30, Penn State levied hard sanctions against greek life focused on hazing. These changes altered the rules for how fraternities and sororities can recruit members and host social events with alcohol. Beta Theta Pi was also permanently banned from Penn State.
