MTV May Soon Look a Lot Less White

In a recently released press statement, MTV Entertainment Group announced a $250 million commitment to engage companies owned and operated by women and people of colour in order to produce their next three years of reality TV. The move has been applauded by some, although many say the diversification comes roughly a decade too late.

“We live in an increasingly divisive world and yet as storytellers, we believe in the power of content to give the gift of empathy and understanding,” said ViacomCBS MTV Entertainment Group president Chris McCarthy in a statement. “We’re developing our Culture Code to nurture our creative community and outline a communal set of values, respect and mutual understanding that centers around the celebration of inclusion and diversity in everything we do.”

“We are humbled to be doing it in partnership with an incredible set of organizations who have dedicated their own lives to changing the world for good,” McCarthy added.

It must be said that while MTV has long since evolved from music videos, producing a wide range of programming including reality television, much of that programming has been sorely lacking in diversity and proportional representation. It remains to be seen, however, if a more diverse offering will lead to a more diverse audience, or if it will have any effect at all for the struggling network.

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George Clooney on Pain Management

 

Roughly a year and a half ago, George Clooney thought he was toast. It happened in Sardinia, a scenic Italian island chosen as a filming location for Catch-22. Clooeny was riding his motorcycle to the set when a car turned directly in front of him, launching Clooney, an experienced rider, off his bike.

 

Here’s how Clooney described it in a recent GQ interview: “I launched. I go head over heels. But I landed on my hands and knees. If you did it 100 times, maybe once you land on your hands and knees, and any other version you land, you're toast. It knocked me out of my shoes.” Clooney wasn’t kidding, he literally lost his shoes in the accident. A more worrying aspect of the accident, however, was the fact that Clooney smashed the car’s windshield with his helmet, while his head was still in it… “When I hit the ground,” Clooney said, “my mouth—I thought all my teeth were broken out. But it was glass from the windshield.”

 

 

While Clooney is still in recovery, and was recently operated on for a disc issue caused by the accident, pain management has been an everyday part of Clooney’s life for the past 15 years. His attitude towards it, however, is one that we could all learn from in these trying times. “Basically,” Clooney said, “the idea is, you try to reset your pain threshold. Because a lot of times what happens with pain is you're constantly mourning for how it used to feel.”

 

Clooney made the conscious decision to accept the pain and discomfort as the new normal, rather than continuously mourn the loss of how things used to be. We can’t think of a better analogy for coping with the year that has been, and hope Clooney can serve as an inspiration for everyone.

 

 

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Who Performed The Karate Kid Crane Kick?

It’s been over 35 years since The Karate Kid was first released in theatres, but thanks in no small part to Cobra Kai, one of the most popular series to ever be released on YouTube, The Karate Kid is still top of mind for fans worldwide. About to release its third season, Cobra Kai sees Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) pitted against Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) once again, decades after their 1984 faceoff which ended with a crane kick fans will never forget.

Our first introduction to the crane kick, however, came from another iconic scene in the film, one in which Daniel observes Mr. Miyagi perform the crane kick from atop a wooden post on the beach. Pat Morita played the role of Mr. Miyagi in the film, but was he the one to actually perform the iconic kick? The answer, it turns out, is no.

The kick in question was in fact performed by Darryl Vidal, who is a 10th degree black belt and one of the most respected teachers in the world of Karate. Vidal did play a role in the film, but not one as significant as Ralph Macchio or his rival William Zabka. The film ultimately led to a tournament, and the semi-finalists included Johnny Lawrence, Bobby Brown, Daniel LaRusso, and a character credited only as "Karate Semi-Finalist." That unnamed “Semi-Finalist,” who showed off some flashy moves before being eliminated by Johnny, was played by, as you may have guessed, Darryl Vidal.

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Jason Momoa Does a Pretty Good Ozzy Osbourne

“Scary Little Green Men,” just the latest in a long line of music videos from legendary heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, features a fun list twist that’s caught the attention of a sizable number of fans. Yes, the dark, shadowy, and cloaked figure in the video isn’t the Prince of Darkness himself as most would expect, but rather Jason Momoa.

"We wanted to make an Ozzy video, but have Jason in it channeling Ozzy's spirit," director Marc Klasfeld said in a behind the scenes video. "We came up with a set that was very Ozzy-like, referencing one of Ozzy's old videos. So the idea is to tease people into thinking it's Ozzy, then obviously it's not Ozzy, and Jason shows up and rocks out."

The behind the scenes video released by Ozzy Osbourne shows Momoa in makeup, with his eyes and fingernails painted black, really getting into his role and enjoying the process. "I basically look like a big Dave Navarro," he says upon seeing his reflection. "Or like, big Captain Jack Sparrow... D'y'knawwhatImean?"

The video is just one of many which prove that Momoa knows how to have fun with his roles, no matter what that role may be. While an Ozzy Osbourne video isn’t necessarily where fans expected to find Momoa next, given his broad range and reputation for knowing how to have fun, his appearance doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise.

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Celebrities Who Were Secretly Spies

Here’s a quick look at three famous figures who were secretly spies!

Julia Childs. She introduced most of America to the joys of French cooking, but long before her cooking career Julia Childs at the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which was the predecessor of the CIA. During World War II, Childs coordinated information for the Allies, first working in Washington then later in Sri Lanka and China – where she worked as Chief of the OSS Registry.

Harry Houdini. He may have been the master of escape, but if the allegations are true he was the master of espionage as well! As Houdini’s fame grew, the Hungarian-American illusionist drew the attention of Scotland Yard and the American Secret Service, who reportedly asked him to infiltrate Russian police stations and get information for them. Rumour has it that as Houdini toured police stations around the world he would insist on being locked up, wow authorities with his escape, and collect valuable information at the same time.

Cary Grant. He may have been a Hollywood heartthrob, but he was also one of the greatest Nazi hunters in America. Grant was employed by the British government to snuff out Nazi sympathizers during World War II, infamously outing Errol Flynn among others. Grant also donated his wartime movie salaries to the British War Relief and the Red Cross, and was a strong supporter of the British cause.

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Clever Ways to Buy Less Stuff

We’ve all watched plenty of Marie Kondo and many of us have already gotten rid of the stuff that doesn’t spark joy, but all that work will be for nothing if we just end up buying more stuff. But don’t worry, we’ve thought long and hard and have come up with three clever ways to buy less stuff on a regular basis.

Convert prices to time. Money factors heavily into most buying decisions, but next time you’re thinking of making a purchase try converting that cost into time. Think about your hourly wage and how many hours of work it would take to finance that purchase. Don’t forget to deduct taxes and other costs, and factor in commute time as well, that should help you decide if a purchase is really worthwhile.

Take an inventory of what you have to avoid buying doubles. It’s an easy mistake to make when you’re out shopping for the basics, you think you’re out of something and end up with way more than you need! But it’s every bit as easy to avoid that mistake, simply take an inventory of what you have in the house and you won’t have to worry about accidentally doubling up.

Ignore the sales. This is a tough one, we’ll admit, but even if you’re only on the market for something specific the right sale can tempt anyone into buying way more than they need. Odds are you may not save that much anyway, so you can always buy things at regular price as needed or ask friends to pick them up for you when on sale, you’ll save a whole lot in the long run!

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Important Lessons from the Harry Potter Series

J.K. Rowling creating nothing short of a cultural phenomenon with her Harry Potter Series, but for all its critical acclaim and commercial success, there are some valuable life lessons to be gleaned from within the pages of each book. Here are two important lessons from the Harry Potter series and the quotes that brought them to light.

Love is everywhere, and it should never be underestimated. “Love is a powerful force to be reckoned with. Love lives on even after people we care for are gone and it compels us to do things that are hard. Love is found from many different people, whether it's family, friends, mentors, etc. and sometimes can be found from the people you'd least expect.”

Yes, you can in fact find love anywhere you look, you just have to know how to look for it. The power of love is mentioned once again in the series, this time coupled with the power of friends and family:

“With love, friendship, and family (whether they're still with us, or not), we can get through anything.”

Live in the moment. “It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” Much along the lines of “life is what happens when you’re busy making plans,” it’s always important to remember to live in the moment and make every moment count. Never stop dreaming, and work towards your dreams, but don’t sacrifice life in the process.

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