Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the stars of the new film “Wicked,” did an interview with journalist Tracy E. Gilchrist from Out magazine that’s been making the rounds on X. As of Friday morning, the clip has more than 22 million views. In the clip, Gilchrist tells Erivo, “I’ve seen this week people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that, and feeling power in that.”  Despite the fact that the statement seems to make no sense, Eviro appears to be deeply moved and replies, “I didn’t know that was happening … that’s really powerful. That’s what I wanted.” “I didn’t know that was happening,” Eviro repeats as Grande grabs her hand and strokes her fingers, making affirmative noises. “It’s really cool.”  “I’ve seen it on a couple posts, I don’t know how widespread,” Gilchrist clarifies. “But you know, I am in queer media, that’s my – you know.”  pic.twitter.com/NL8VlANzKa — masha (@MashaParty) November 21, 2024 Commenters were confused by what the journalist was saying and questioned whether the stars of “Wicked” understood. “Can someone explain to me wtf is going on here,” one popular response says.  CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE “If I was going to sound inauthentic as possible, this is what I’d sound like,” another reply said.  “Let’s be honest… this is insufferable,” a third agreed. “Wicked” premieres nationwide on Friday and is doing well at the box office, with more than $19 million in previews. It’s expected to perform strongly through the weekend and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The musical, which is being released in two parts, is based on the long-running Broadway musical of the same name. There’s been a lot of time and money spent on advertising, but those efforts haven’t been without controversy. For one thing, fans have questioned why Grande and Erivo cry so often during joint interviews. “We can’t help it, we get very emotional about it,” Erivo said of their overly emotional responses.  Also, earlier this month, the toy company Mattel was forced to apologize when packaging for its “Wicked” themed toys directed customers to an explicit pornography site. The doll collection was removed from the shelves at Target and other major retailers because the boxes were printed with the address of the website wicked.com, which features graphic adult content, instead of the correct address, wickedmovie.com. Erivo also had a meltdown in October when a fan-edited movie poster made to more closely resemble the Broadway version started circulating online. The actress was upset that in the new version, her eyes were obscured by her witch hat. “This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen,” Erivo said in part. “None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us.” “The original poster is an Illustration,” she continued. “I am a real life human being, who chose to look right down the barrel of the camera to you, the viewer …because, without words we communicate with our eyes. Our poster is an homage not an imitation, to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me. And that is just deeply hurtful.” The star later apologized for her reaction, saying it was a “human moment” and that she probably should have called her friends instead.   

It’s not just birds of a feather who flock together! Australian diners were surprised to see an emu and a pelican befriend one another in the waters just outside a Coffin Bay eatery. 7NEWS Adelaide shared a delightful video of the encounter on social media. It’s incredible to see these two very different animals hanging out together! @7newsadelaide In an unusual treat for South Australian wildlife lovers, an inquisitive emu has made friends with a pelican at Coffin Bay. 7NEWS ♬ original sound – 7NEWSAdelaide – 7NEWSAdelaide In the rare clip, an emu decided to take a dip while a pelican was swimming nearby. Although emus aren’t water birds, 7NEWS says that these critters can sometimes be found bathing in the natural springs around Coffin Bay. So, it wasn’t completely unheard of for one of these animals to seek out some aquatic refreshment. However, we bet they weren’t expecting to make a friend! When the emu entered the body of water, though, they quickly found themselves accompanied by a pelican. As the larger bird waded near the shore, the other swam around them. At one point, it almost seemed like the emu was following the pelican’s lead! How cute are these two? Screengrab from TikTok We’re not sure how long this unlikely friendship lasted, but it was still really cool to see these creatures getting to know one another. 9News Adelaide shared a slightly longer video on Facebook of the pair enjoying their peaceful bath. In this clip, the two could be seen getting quite close to one another as they both relaxed in the shallow water. “If anyone can make friends with an emu, a peli-can,” joked one person in the comments section. This isn’t the only time a pelican has made an unexpected friend, though. Apparently, one man in Lebanon became besties with one of these birds after rescuing them. Now, they swim together all the time! Nature never ceases to surprise us. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Emu And Pelican Become Best Friends In Adorable Australian Love Story appeared first on InspireMore.

When you share your story of freedom, you break the chains of shame and fear—not just for yourself, but for others longing for hope. 

The Giants are going to need a serious pallet cleanser

He is facing his own assault and malpractice lawsuit

'This show is just going to be legal notes'

We must undo the Biden-Harris administration’s failures

A post on X implies that a SpaceX Super Heavy Booster rocket “exploded” unintentionally when landing in the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX Super Heavy booster has exploded while attempting a landing in the Gulf of Mexico. pic.twitter.com/k8DkXsECG1 — ????? (@RandomHeroWX) November 19, 2024 Verdict: False The maneuver was pre-planned, and the result was expected. Fact […]

Abandoned homes are mysterious in their own right, begging questions such as who lived in the house, what was their life in the home like, and why did they leave it in shambles? But this abandoned house in the remote Northern Neck peninsula of Virginia may take the cake for creepiness. Formerly owned by a physician, it's full of old doctor's equipment and medicine bottles, browning books... Source

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A coalition of Republican lawmakers wants to investigate how much federal funding goes to abortion providers including Planned Parenthood. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, House Pro-Life Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith, Rep. Robert Aderholt, and Rep. Claudia Tenney led a bicameral letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office requesting a report on federal funding for abortion providers between fiscal year 2022 and 2024. This comes one day after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will head President-Elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, said DOGE will help “end federal overspending” by cutting expenditures that are unauthorized by Congress or being used in ways that Congress never intended, including “nearly $300 million to progressive groups like Planned Parenthood.” Smith said he hopes the requested report will help Musk and Ramaswamy defund Planned Parenthood. “We look forward to working with them in the ongoing effort to stop American taxpayer dollars from funding the abortion industry,” Smith told The Daily Signal. “We have high expectations and great confidence that they’ll do that.” The coalition of 112 Congress members request reports on the federal funding that goes to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates, International Planned Parenthood Federation, MSI Reproductive Choices, federally qualified health centers, and four domestic abortion providers, according to the letter shared with The Daily Signal. GAOreportrequestDownload “It is our hope that this report will provide greater insight as Congress considers funding levels and provides increased transparency and openness for our constituencies and the general public,” says the letter signed by 81 House members and 31 senators. The Government Accountability Office has responded to several Congressional requests with prepared reports on federal funding for abortion organizations. The most recent report revealed that the abortion industry had received almost $2 billion in federal taxpayer dollars between fiscal years 2019-2021. The letter asks for the report to detail Planned Parenthood’s federal obligations, disbursements, and the expenditures of federal funds by each of the organizations; reported obligations, disbursements, and expenditures by program from federal agencies other than HHS; the funding sources for federal agencies and programs associated with these federal funds; how these funds were made available; and reported obligations, disbursements, and expenditures for the top 15 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services programs. During the Biden-Harris administration, Planned Parenthood received a record $750 million of taxpayer dollars. Meanwhile, it performed a record 392,000 abortions between Oct. 1, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022. Roughly one-third of Planned Parenthood’s total income comes from the federal government. Planned Parenthood Federation of America did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment about its use of federal funding. The lawmakers request the report in a timely manner and ask for an estimated completion timeline. “Proper oversight of public funds and programs is crucial for determining the value of the goods and services provided to and funded by American taxpayers,” the letter says. “The information sought in this inquiry is instrumental for policymakers and the public alike.” The post EXCLUSIVE: GOP Lawmakers Call for Accountability on Federal Funding for Abortion Giants appeared first on The Daily Signal.