A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on
A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on
I don't know how this plays as a political decision, but while a small army of Republican presidential candidates descended on Cleveland and Fox News, Hillary Clinton and a small army of Hollywood folks descended on the phone of Scooter Braun, manager to Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. According to Variety:
The sold-out early evening event drew about 250 people, at ticket prices of $2,700 per person, giving her campaign another shot of cash. Early evening arrivals included Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, according to two attendees, along with Kris Jenner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jessica Alba and Cash Warren, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Usher, Jason Collins and Mary Steenburgen, a longtime friend of the Clintons. Also there was Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey, Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).
Before the event, Kim Kardashian sent out this, uh, pensive Instagram expressing her desire to meet "the next president" and her hope that they might share a selfie:
A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on
Her goal was more than met. Not only did Kim get that selfie (with Kanye) and Instagram it out, Hillary matched her 'gram for 'gram and sent it out on her official account as well (although with Kim's 41.7 million followers, it's clear who's doing whom the real favor):
It's time to say goodbye to Jon Stewart as host of 'The Daily Show.' Well, it was time last night, but you were asleep.
Last night was Jon Stewart's final episode of "The Daily Show" and as he put it "What a big big night!" It was a night of cameos, tears, behind-the-scenes views, and speeches. Stephen Colbert was there. Jon cried twice. Heck, we teared up during the opening theme.
Enjoy his finale. We have until Monday to figure out our next voice of sense in a world of stupidity. No problem.
"Ladies and gentlemen, two people you already care about, no matter how 'epic' their dance is."
https://youtu.be/DRvfwIS_-SQ
This is, no question, an impressive first dance. Hollie and Dave and their wedding party cycle through genres and hit songs with amazing choreography and it goes on for six minutes, which is a long time for wedding guests to cheer, but they do. (Although you can tell that after 2 minutes some of the guests are like, okay, next video.)
But I feel like someone needs to remind these guys that it's their wedding! They have the right to sit back, relax, and order someone to rub their feet. Demands on brides and grooms are already too damn high. I want to see a viral video of a bride and groom that totally half-assed their first dance and then pulled chairs up to the apps table and stuffed their faces while all their guests cheered.
Please watch this ad from the patriotically named Foundation for American Security and Freedom, and we will discuss below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBSlns7DwZQ
I'm going to ignore the political message here, because no matter whether you agree or disagree with the explosive point of this ad, it has some problems:
1. Yes, that was a nuclear bomb blowing up a family as they sat down to dinner with their favorite jaunty, copyright-free music playing in the background.
2. Yes, this ad was made by the Foundation for American Security and Freedom, a nonprofit with a name so generic that it could do anything from provide housing to veterans to installing burglar alarms on all American homes.
3. Yes, this is dumber than things made by Trump, the man who had a picture of Nazis in one of his campaign tweets. The Trump Nazi photo was, at least, obviously a mistake of someone pulling the wrong "soldiers" picture from a stock photo site. For this commercial, several people had to be involved with writing, producing, editing, and approving it, all the while saying "Yup! This is what we want to do!"
4. But hey, at least they didn't do any fearmongering.
Katy Perry recently followed someone on Instagram with a very pointed username.
If you could go back in time and tell them what was to come, would you? (via Getty)
Sure, Taylor Swift has accused others of pitting women against each other. And Katy Perry has accused Taylor Swift of hypocritically accusing women of pitting women against each other. But now who is pitting women against what when? Are you keeping up? It's extremely complicated to follow, yet a culturally and personally enriching experience on par with reading Anna Karenina or visiting the Louvre.
So here's what happened: Perry was "caught" taking the probably very shrewdly considered action of following "sluttytaylorswift" on Instagram. According to E!:
Someone named Dinah owns the account, and the page is filled with random selfies and other pictures that have nothing to do with T.Swift. Perhaps Perry is just following the account because of the profile name, or maybe she's friends with Dinah.
Yes, great theory! Dinah could be Katy Perry's friend! Did you ever think about that? It could just be a huge coincidence that Katy Perry's friend Dinah who she follows on Instagram happens to have a username calling her sworn feud compatriot "slutty," and not in a way that's reappropriating the word.
From my research of scrolling through the 201 people who Katy Perry currently follows on Instagram, I came to the conclusion that she has likely unfollowed her (potentially) dear pal sluttytaylorswift. But I did notice that she follows a lot of powerful women, including Beyoncé, Tavi, Lily Allen, Ellie Goulding, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, and Lena Dunham. Theorists, what do you make of that? Free dissertation idea.
This guy did that above-and-beyond nice thing for a stranger you always think you'd do.
Buying a used juicer changed her mom's cancer treatment plans. (via Facebook)
Cara Duggan of Belfast, Northern Ireland, wanted to buy her mom a juicer. Her mom was recently diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer, and juicing is a way to get high-density nutrition (and for some of us, to feel a little superior to our coworkers). Juicers are expensive, but Duggan found a used Nutribullet for about $200.
She texted the guy selling it and got a surprisingly kind reply:
In fact, she was so surprised that she couldn't quite process what was happening. The Nutribullet guy—now appropriately saved in her phone as "Kindest Man Ever!"—was paying for a free, brand new Nutribullet.
Duggan picked up the Nutribullet, and shared her story on Facebook, where it quickly went viral, because when you find yourself weeping at your phone, you want to explain why to your concerned friends.
The new Nutribullet. Useful for juicing and also for spreading your story online.
Now, this stranger's extreme generosity has inspired other strangers to donate to Cara's mom on their GoFundMe page. They've already raised £9,375 (that's about $14,500 if you're too lazy to calculate it), which is almost double the £5,000 they set out to crowdsource.
On Facebook, Cara writes that this money has actually influenced the treatment options they can consider for her mom.
Donald Trump is doing surprisingly well as the potential Republican candidate for the 2016 election. People are asking themselves how it's possible despite all the offensive things he's saying.
One answer from @Snowcone965: maybe he's so successful because he's the real life Biff Tannen. Too far-fetched? They already look very similar. Plus, based on Trump's backward views on Mexico, they're probably both equally obsessed with the film A Fistful of Dollars.
I think Donald Trump being the next president of the United States is about as likely as him owning a real time machine, going back to retrieve an Almanac, and gambling his way to the top.
As he explains in his caption, he was a troubled youth at the time of this picture, and had been expelled from multiple schools across the country. But that didn't mean he couldn't class it up for picture day, with a crisp suit, perfect fade, and a "dead caterpillar" on his upper lip. He looks like he just came from the March on Washington, and that's a look to be proud of.
The only question that remains is: will we see people dressing up as this photo all over the Internet? I'll be very disappointed if we don't.
Just when you thought 'The Daily Show' finale couldn't get emotional enough.
The least awkward over-the-desk hug I've ever seen. (via Hulu/The Daily Show)
Last night was Jon Stewart's final Daily Show, and of course, Stephen Colbert made a guest appearance. He did an in-character bit comparing his relationship to Stewart to that of Frodo and Sam from The Lord of the Rings. It's pretty cute and mildly entertaining, but not as entertaining as what happened next.
Colbert interrupted the cut to commercial break, broke character, and gave Stewart an immense thank you for all that he's done for his employees in the last 15 or so years. He tells him that he's "a great artist, and a good man" who is "infuriatingly good at [his] job," in addition to a slew of other heartwarming compliments.
Watch the emotional moment below, and see if you can do a better job of holding back tears than Stewart.
At one point, Colbert thanks him for saving him from the fate of being a "turd-miner," like his father before him. This is actually a call back to an old Daily Show joke from 2004, which is still just as funny:
A New Zealand man went to great lengths to make sure his 6-year-old daughter didn't feel self-conscious.
You want some feels? We got your feels right here.(via Twitter)
Alistair Campbell is a (great) dad from Taupo, New Zealand. His 6-year-old daughter Charlotte is hearing impaired, fully deaf in her left ear, and with a limited ability to transmit sound to her brain from her right. She had her first cochlear implant put in when she was four, and just recently had to go back to the hospital to have another put in. Still, her dad was determined for her not to feel like an outsider because of her condition, so he booked his own appointment, except his was at the tattoo parlor.
Alistair, who previously had no tattoos, shaved his head and had a realistic tattoo of a cochlear implant inked on his scalp. When asked why he did it, he told the New Zealand Herald,
"My love for her really. Hey, my hair can grow back."
It really is a sweet gesture. He can go about his life with no one the wiser, but any time he wants to reconnect with his daughter, all he has to do is bust out the razor. What a brilliant dad hack.
Charlotte's diagnosis didn't come as a surprise – her mother Anita has used a cochlear implant too, and her brother has hearing aids. Now the whole family matches. What's more, Anita says that the implants have had a wonderful effect on her, transforming her from someone who would keep to herself to "pretty much a social butterfly." Of course, it can't hurt that she has some kickass parents.
Since the images of Alistair's tattoo were shared online, they've gone viral. People around the world are virtually lining up to get their daily dose of aww juice from the adorable dad and daughter. One was shared on Facebook by The LAD Bible, where it currently has more than 3,000 shares and 68,000 likes.
In the end, the Internet's reaction can best be summed up by what Charlotte said when she first saw her dad's tattoo:
David Griffin is the chapter president of East Prince County's Mother Against Drunk Driving. Let me rephrase—he was the president, until he was arrested for drunk driving.
Griffin, who, by the way, worked as a police officer for 45 years, volunteered for the organization until his arrest in June. According to MADD laws, any member of the organization who is caught driving under the influence is immediately forbidden from working or volunteering for the organization. Griffin resigned right after his arrest, and has yet to make a statement. He's probably still sobering up from the embarassment.
Donald Trump tried to warn her. He said he'd been nice to Megyn Kelly despite her not returning the favor (and what's not to like about this affable man?). He also apparently has a history with Frank Luntz who put together a focus group that claimed the debate was won by either Ted Cruz or Mike Huckabee:
The clear winner of last night's debate, according to a poll from The Drudge Report, Time Magazine, and Donald Trump, was Trump.
Donald Trump is so ready for his "4 AM phone call" when he's in the White House, that he stayed up way past 4:00 AM just to tweet at Megyn Kelly and Frank Luntz about how much they sucked:
.@FrankLuntz is a low class slob who came to my office looking for consulting work and I had zero interest. Now he picks anti-Trump panels!
So... Did he win or not? Goebbels said "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." All Donald Trump has to do is keep saying he won for the rest of the race, whether he is or not. Even if people point out facts and poll numbers that differ from his, he can just keep boasting that he won.
I hope after he loses the election, he just shows up for the innauguration anyway, and they swear him in. That's how bold Trump is. He can shut down everything, including a democratic election.
A Dublin teenager's story of meeting a dangerously depressed man has gone viral on Facebook.
That's what I'd hope my guardian angel would look like.(via Facebook)
Sometimes, reaching out to a stranger in need can save a life. And all it takes is not pretending you didn't see a stranger who obviously needs help. I know it feels impossible, but give it a shot. That's what Jamie Harrington did, and now he's a legit hero.
Harrington lives in Dublin's Ballymun neighborhood. One day, he encountered a man ominously sitting on the edge of a bridge. Unable to walk by without saying anything, Harrington engaged him in conversation. Here's the story in his own words, as he told it to Humans of Dublin:
"I was just on my way to the American sweet shop to buy some Gatorade, when I saw this guy in his 30s sitting on the ledge of the bridge. I just thought, "wow..." I stopped and asked him if he was okay, but I knew from the look in his eyes he wasn't, and he didn't say anything either, but I saw tears coming from his eyes. I pleaded with him for a while to come down and sit on the steps, and eventually he did. We sat on the sidewalk on the south side of the Liffey and talked for about 45 minutes, about what was happening to him, why was he feeling that way..."
Despite the stranger's protests, Harrington was eventually able to convince him to let him call an ambulance. The man was taken to St. James Hospital, but Harrington got his number first, just so he could check up on him. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise. Then, months later, he heard from the man again. What he had to say will melt any part of your heart that's still not melted from the first part of the story:
"And about three months ago, he texted me that his wife is pregnant, they're having a boy, and they're naming him after me. Can you believe that? They're going to name their child after me... He said in that moment that I approached him, he was just about to jump, and those few words saved his life. That they're still ringing in his head every day. 'Are you okay?' I can't really understand how these few words could save his life, but he told me, 'Imagine if nobody ever asked you those words…'"
A lot of times, we're so worried about being too personal with each other that we don't reach out even though we know something's wrong. But when you think about somebody being treated that way by everyone in their life, it paints a grim picture. And think of it this way: if you help out a stranger in need, you might become Internet famous like Jamie Harrington! His post on Humans of Dublin has gone the good kind of viral, with more than 46,000 likes and almost 6,000 shares.
Nor is it his first brush with online fame. Last month, Harrington was profiled by Dublin 2020 as the "Unofficial Lord Mayor of Ballymun." Check it out here, and marvel at the fact that you can still fall further in love with this kid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtYEqkpODlc
He might be the unofficial lord mayor of Ballymun now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's the real mayor of Dublin in a few years. Then, who knows? Mayor of the world? Probably.
After Betty and Richard Odgaard refused to allow same-sex marriages at their Iowa gallery, the couple closed their business and bought 1,000 billboards denouncing gay marriage. Obviously.
When Betty and Richard Odgaard refused to allow same-sex marriages in their Iowa venue, the Gortz Haus Gallery, they believed they were just exercising their religious rights. But a same-sex couple filed a complaint against them, and the Odgaards decided they'd rather close their venue than let same-sex couples get married there. The couple then resolved to use donations made to their organization, God's Original Design Ministry, to fund 1,000 billboards supporting traditional marriage, because that's definitely a better use of charitable donations than feeding the hungry or housing the homeless. The first billboards went up last week in Durant, Oklahoma, a state that they even don't live in because spreading hate knows no state-lines.
The Odgaard's do say that the billboards aren't about hate. "It's just that we want to hold up the Biblical view of marriage," they told the Des Moines Register. It's also worth noting that Betty and Dick claim to work with, hire, and serve gays and lesbians. Although these people are without comment, as far I have found, I have no doubt that they definitely, certainly exist.
If you're curious, you can watch two videos about the Odgaard's fight for religious freedom. One video is brought to you by The Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, in what most reasonable people would call religious propaganda:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcDHVmMLJTU
And the other video is brought to you by Congress's favorite petulant child, Ted Cruz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvwuZKhRa4E
If you're interested, Cruz is hosting a rally for Religious Liberty on August 21st in Des Moines, Iowa. You can go there to find likeminded homophobes fighting for their right to openly discriminate.
The show was soooo biased towards young white dudes with dark hair. (via Digg)
Just when you thought you couldn't get enough Daily Show nostalgia, Digg had to go and do this. It shows the first appearances (or first available appearances) of all the Daily Show correspondents, followed by clips from their later works. It'll surprise you on many counts. You'll be amazed at how young some of the hosts look, and how easy it is to forget that some pretty famous people used to work for Stewart (I, for one, totally forgot about Olivia Munn and Demetri Martin). Check it out below, and prepare yourself to ruminate on age and the fleeting nature of time.
