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Creators of Pokemon GO Have Released a Harry Potter AR Game

By Jordan Stratton
(Niantic)

Grab your wands and spellbooks—Niantic (creators of the ultra-popular Pokemon GO) have rolled out their newest AR game, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. The title was originally slated for release on Friday, June 21 but it turns out it’s available right now at the OS App Store for free. The game centers around capturing rogue creatures, people, and objects that have escaped from the wizarding world in order to protect all of the blissfully ignorant muggles.

The beta version of the game has already been playable for Potter fans in Australia and New Zealand since May, but the US and UK are getting the full version this Friday.

As a location-based AR game, players use the camera and motion sensors on their phones to seek out their magical objectives as members of the ‘Statute of Secrecy Task Force.’

Universal Studios’ Wizarding World has even announced special events and features for the game while inside the park, similar to Pokémon GO Fests.

Only time will tell if the seemingly more complex game will have the same mass appeal as the baseline “gotta catch ’em all” objective of early Pokemon GO, but you can bet there will be hundreds of players on day one. Now let’s just hope they don’t all start mindlessly wandering into danger again.

‘Fast & Furious’ Franchise Coming to an End after Final Two Movies

By Mark Chalifoux
Fast & Furious Ending
(Universal Pictures)

Family is forever. But the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise is not, as reports came out that we only have a few ‘Fast’ movies left. The franchise, which has become a global phenomenon and has raked in more than $5 billion at the box office, is wrapping up for good after two more films.

The upcoming ‘Fast’ movie, which is now set to be released in 2021, where Dom is a dad, brings the crew to a whole new realm; outer space. At least according to most rumors, ‘F9’ will be the first in the franchise to truly go out of this world. But we only have a few more movies to enjoy what’s become a legendary franchise, one that made Vin Diesel and Paul Walker stars.

Director Justin Lin, who is helming the upcoming ‘F9’, will also direct the final two films for the franchise, which will finish up at 11 total movies (not counting spin-offs, we see you ‘Shaw and Hobbs’) spanning over two-plus decades. That is a LOT of years for anyone who lives their life a quarter-mile at a time.

At least for its star, the end has always been in sight, as Diesel said earlier this year he’s already been planning the next movie and his hopes that the ‘Fast’ universe could live in with other characters in the driver’s seat.

“The universe is so robust and so rich with talent and rich with story that, on one level, it’s totally feasible to have spinoffs, and I think that’s something that is inevitable,” Diesel said. “For the fans, should ‘Fast 10’ parts one and two be the conclusion, it would be nice for this world to continue for generations to come.”

Given he recently released a song, maybe Vin is quitting his day job?

This Baby Boxing Gender Reveal Makes Us Wish We Could K-O the Whole Trend

By Yael Meshulam
Baby boxing gender reveal
(TikTok/bigrudie)

As humans, we have a tendency to – how do I put this lightly – ruin good things beyond repair. Not big things necessarily, but things like classic movies and TV shows frequently fall victim to our tendency to mess with things we love. A recent addition to the list of Things We Have Ruined is something that was never actually great, but we managed to turn gender reveal parties from hacky or relatively neutral to colorful atrocities. Heck, even the woman who decided to make gender reveal parties a “thing” has openly expressed regret about the monster she created.

Listen. I’m all for embracing your inner weirdo, but do it without burning down thousands of acres of forest like that expectant couple in LA who spent so much time reading What to Expect When You’re Expecting that they forgot to think about what to expect when you set off a pyrotechnic device in a forest full of dead grass (which is an increasingly necessary sequel).

To clarify, just because your gender reveal party isn’t dangerous doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Every day there seems to be a new example of this, parents using their unborn children as a means to achieve internet fame. One thing the vast majority of them have in common is that when they do go viral, it’s not exactly for the intended reason.

A Twitter user named TrishXCIII_ recently shared an alarming gender reveal that was posted on TikTok, a gender reveal I wouldn’t wish upon the spawn of my worst enemy. Here’s the gist: two giant inflatable babies beat the crap out of each other until the giant inflatable girl baby is knocked to the ground. John Cena’s entrance theme “The Time is Now” plays in the background. Actually, that’s pretty much it.

The video was originally shared by TikTok user @bigrudie, and across all platforms, it has accumulated millions of views and thousands of comments. The Twitter community came to the consensus of, “what?” as users were baffled by both the premise itself and the fact that people would go to such lengths for something most deemed wildly unnecessary.

Extremely questionable taste, but great execution. And hey, at least they didn’t burn down any forests.

After His Son Is Bullied for Dancing, Dad Starts a Nonprofit To Support Him

By Yael Meshulam
Dad starts nonprofit after son is bullied for dancing
(Youtube/DanceOn Chicago)

There’s a reason that so many coming-of-age movies feature bullies as the antagonists. For most kids, the closest they’ll get to a real-life supervillain is a mean kid with nothing better to do. There are a lot of ways to deal with bullies. There’s the revenge route, which is generally the one we see in movies. Though exciting in theory, bullying a bully just turns you into a different kind of bully (and we do not need any more of those). You can turn to friends for support, or you can turn your experience into something amazing.

Greg Long’s son Jimmy loved to dance. Not only did Jimmy love dancing, but he was talented. His talent and passion for dancing landed him in a school performance, showcasing his skills to his classmates. However, what should have been a celebration of hard-work turned into something sinister. Some of the students in the audience decided to hurl insults and slurs at the young dancer, emboldened by the fact that their seats were shrouded in darkness.

On the ride home, Long listened to his son and his friends discuss the unexpectedly taxing day. He recalled to TODAY, “I got to listen to how 8- or 9- or 12-year-olds process that kind of bigotry. Instead of getting angry, I decided to make a T-shirt for them. And I came up with, ‘Hey, we’re just going to dance on. We’re just going to move past this.’”

“Dance On” started as a T-shirt design, a bold statement about doing what you love even in the face of bullies. But this supportive dad wasn’t done. The idea behind the T-shirt stayed with Long, as he was certain other kids faced the same thing his son and his friends had.

Greg Long is the type of dad we all admire – the type of dad who isn’t content strictly being there for his own kids. Long wanted to support other kids like his son, showing all boys who loved dancing that it was more than ok. That they should be proud of doing what they love rather than afraid of being judged. Long started a nonprofit called Dance On, an organization that promotes acceptance.

The Dance On website explains, “Here at Dance On, we are driven by a single goal; to do our part in making the world a better place for all. We work to keep boys dancing, even in the face of adversity. Our hope is to raise awareness around acceptance, anti-bullying, and allowing all people to follow their passions… to #danceon!”

The organization has sold thousands of T-Shirts, given away scholarships to deserving dancers, and Jimmy has even spoken publicly on his anti-bullying stance (with his supportive dad right behind him, of course).

“I lost it,” Greg said of a 2018 speech given by Jimmy. “I admittedly had tears coming down my face, because the strength that it takes for somebody like that to stand in front of 20,000 people and say, ‘I’ve been bullied and I’m not going to let it stop me from what I like to do’ — it was a proud moment.”

“It’s been nice to be a part of this as opposed to just being a dad who claps very loudly in the back of the auditorium,” he said.

For as long as Jimmy is dancing, Greg will be clapping loudly. In the front row, and beyond.

Michael Jordan Opens a Second Health Clinic for People Without Health Insurance

By Mark Chalifoux
Jordan 2nd Health Clinic
(YouTube/Novant Health)

The times, they are unprecedented. But we’ve also seen certain people rise to meet the moment, and give what they can to make their corner of the world a little bit better place. Michael Jordan is one of those people, who donated millions of dollars to help open a health clinic in the city of his basketball team in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Now, Jordan, the philanthropist, has helped open a second clinic developed to serve underprivileged communities in the Charlotte area. The clinics are for the uninsured and underinsured people in the area, to provide access to physical, dental, and behavioral health services. Obviously, when our world is enduring an unprecedented health crisis, uniquely affecting those populations, there’s never been a time when this is more needed.

Novant Health opened the second clinic Monday, one year after the first was opened. Jordan told the Charlotte Observer that it gave his family “great pride to know that we are making a difference in Charlotte.”

The Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic is going to be life-changing for the people it helps. During the COVID crisis, the first clinic has been a huge resource to the community, providing accessible COVID screening, treatment, and testing. The first clinic has helped thousands of patients who may not have been able to get care elsewhere, and many of them have called it “life-saving.”

“To see how it’s evolved is so gratifying, it makes me want to do more so we can keep answering the bell,” Jordan said in a dedication interview. “We are put on this earth in some ways to make a difference in whatever way we can.”

There’s no questioning that his latest efforts are making real, tangible changes to people that need it more than most. And for that, Jordan proves once again why he’s one of the GOATs of the sports world.

Teacher Saves the Life of Her Student’s Grandma During Remote Learning Session

By Yael Meshulam
Teacher saves student's grandma
(YouTube/WOOD TV8)

The era of remote learning has come with its fair share of challenges. If getting kids to sit and focus on a screen for a day’s worth of lessons isn’t enough, lack of resources and technical problems throw a whole new mess of complications in the mix. As with most of life’s challenges, there is a silver lining. Sometimes remote learning comes with unexpected surprises – special guests, exciting activities, and in the case of one Muskegon Heights elementary school teacher, the ability to save a life.

While teaching her first-graders remotely on September 22, Julia Koch noticed one of her students having technical difficulties. Since students need their devices throughout the school day, it’s important that they charge them regularly. One student, however, explained that her device wouldn’t charge.

Rather than talking a first grader through tech support, Koch asked to speak to the student’s grandma, Cynthia Phillips. Interacting with students’ guardians happens nearly every day, especially when kids are learning from home – but unlike most teacher-guardian interactions, this one was life-saving.

As soon as Phillips started to speak, alarm bells went off in the perceptive teacher’s head.

“When she started speaking, I could tell that there was something wrong. I wasn’t sure what was wrong, but there was something wrong,” Koch told WREG.

Though Koch didn’t know exactly what to tell administrators, she contacted them immediately. She knew the woman needed help, and she knew the administration could quickly locate the students’ home address.

“I need someone at that residence ASAP, please,” a school staffer said to the 911 operator.

Koch’s instincts told her something was very wrong, and she was absolutely right. Phillips was having a stroke. Thanks to this teacher’s quick response, Phillips was rushed to the hospital where she remained for several days. Though recovery is a long and arduous process, the life-saving intervention came quickly enough to mitigate the damage.

As soon as she was well enough to do so, Phillips expressed her immense gratitude to Koch and the school’s staff. “Thank you for saving my life,” Phillips said. “If it wasn’t for them getting me the help, I needed I would’ve just not been here.”

Deepfake Tech Inserts Arnold and Sly into Step Brothers

By Mike Julianelle
Arnold and Sly in Step Brothers
(YouTube/brianmonarch)

Deep Fake technology is pretty insane.

It grants creators the ability to make it look like almost anyone is doing almost anything, in a very convincing fashion. It’s a potentially very dangerous tool, especially in today’s divisive times, and it’s possible to foresee a future in which video footage is manipulated in such a way as to provoke the public or even cause global conflict that can irrevocably impact the world in terrifying ways.

Thankfully we mostly use it to make funny clips.

In the past, deep fake has given us Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr. as Marty McFly and Doc Brown, and it has transformed Al Pacino into Ace Ventura. It has put Jim Carrey in The Shining and transformed Jennifer Lawrence into Steve Buscemi for some reason.

Now, the technology has been put to perhaps its greatest use yet: replacing Step Brothers’ stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly with two of the biggest action heroes of the 80s, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.

If you told me they had actually fully remade Step Brothers with these two, I would have already purchased a ticket. The idea of those two muscle-bound quip machines facing off and teaming up in that absurd movie sounds even more ridiculously entertaining than the movie already is (and that’s saying something).

That remake, of course, will never happen. But until then, we have this glorious footage. Enjoy!

Best Bros Affleck and Damon Reunite to Roast Each Other (and Raise Money for Charity)

By Mike Julianelle
Affleck and Damon Roast
(YouTube/Omaze)

Some 20 years ago (starts weeping), the world was introduced to and quickly became captivated by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The pair of Boston-based (actually Cambridge, but whatever) friends skyrocketed to fame by virtue of writing and starring in Good Will Hunting, a 1999 movie about a troubled genius and the psychiatrist who helps him overcome his past and realize his potential.

Affleck and Damon soon realized their potential when they won the Best Original Screenplay award and embarked on two decades of Hollywood stardom, with both of them achieving success as actors, and Affleck becoming a celebrated director.

After 20 years of ups and downs both professional and personal, it’s heartening to see that Affleck and Damon remain best pals, as evidenced by a fun video that’s circulating online.

The duo teamed up with Omaze to raise money for Damon’s Water.org foundation, which aims to provide access to safe, clean water, and Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative, which is working towards a sustainable and successful society in eastern Congo.

The pair created a video to promote sweepstakes for someone to have lunch with the two friends, though there seems to be some dispute over where. And over many other things, as the pair can’t help but give each other crap, like good friends do, over their respective franchises, and even their use of Instagram.

You don’t need to donate to the cause to enter the sweepstakes, but you’ll have a much better shot at winning if you do!

Check it out:

Orangutan Kisses Pregnant Woman’s Belly

By The Dad

Bullied 7-Year-Old Opens Food Pantry To Help Others Who Are Struggling

By Yael Meshulam
Bullied 7-year-old opens food pantry
(Instagram/cooldopeliving)

Being a kid is amazing. The freedom, the lack of responsibilities, the ability to do basically anything in public without repercussions that will haunt you for the rest of your life – it’s a time we aren’t fully able to appreciate until it’s gone. But for some, being a kid means facing struggles you aren’t equipped to handle. All it takes is one bully to turn the best time of your life into the worst. When you’re a kid being bullied, you often have to rely on others to stand up for you – unless, that is, you’re 7-year-old Cavanaugh Bell.

To say that Cavanaugh Bell was bullied feels like an understatement. The torment Cavanaugh experienced left him feeling lost, and at just 7-years-old, this brave young boy decided to do something about it.

“After I was bullied and I felt a darkness inside of me, I knew I didn’t want other kids to feel the same way I felt,” Cavanaugh explained on his GoFundMe page. “And, the more I gave back to my community, the more I wanted to keep doing it.”

After realizing his grandma was in the at-risk age group for COVID, Cavanaugh was determined to help her. But the 7-year-old knew his grandma wasn’t the only one facing a challenging situation – other people’s loved ones were at risk too, and Cavanaugh knew he had to help not just his loved ones, but everyone’s.

With his mom’s help, Cavanaugh poured everything he had into starting his own nonprofit, Cool & Dope. Rather than let the bullying keep him down, Cavanaugh used the feeling as motivation. No kid, no person, should feel the darkness he felt.

The Cool & Dope website states, “My name is Cavanaugh and I’m 7 years old. I used my own $600 savings to make care packs for the elderly in my area. I’ve been SO blessed to get help from people, like you, to create a FULL community pantry to help 5,000 people in need in Maryland.”

Cavanaugh is giving back, filling care packages with food and toiletries and distributing them throughout his community – he even opened a food pantry in a local warehouse. Just as importantly though, he’s empowering other kids to make a difference as well. In a video shared on Cool & Dope’s Twitter page, the little mover and shaker explained that he was tired of being told he was too little to help. According to Cavanaugh, nobody is too little to make a difference.

The most recent update on Cavanaugh’s GoFundMe page explains that his original goal was to help 1,000 people. A lofty goal, when a 7-year-old is in charge of the operation. But Cavanaugh has proven that he is no ordinary 7-year-old. With fierce tenacity, Cavanaugh has helped over 8,100 people to date. Filling trailer after trailer with supplies to distribute, opening a food pantry, and speaking out against bullying, Cavanaugh proved once and for all that no one is too small to be a hero.