+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
Most Shared

'Are you kidding me?': Amy Poehler derails silly Q and A to talk about dire issues.

Some (most?) days, it feels like the world is going to hell in a handbasket.

No one gets along anymore (or at least it feels that way). Social media is like a bad ex who loves toying with our moods. The news cycle is downright exhausting. Oh! And climate change is literally destroying our planet faster than ever before.

[rebelmouse-image 19534327 dam="1" original_size="580x282" caption="Thank you, K.C. Green, for blessing us with this all-too-real meme." expand=1]Thank you, K.C. Green, for blessing us with this all-too-real meme.

It can be ... a lot. So escapism can be a good thing! Read a silly book, binge on your favorite sit-com, walk in circles until you forget who the president is. Whatever works for you.

Some days, though, it's honestly too difficult to focus on anything trivial when it feels like there's so much on the line.

Amy Poehler gets the feeling.

Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images.

Poehler did a question and answer session for The Hollywood Reporter's "40(ish) Most Powerful People in Comedy" feature.  

And the interview went spectacularly well or terribly wrong, depending on how you see it.

In response to eight lighthearted questions posed to the comedian, Poehler flipped the script, answering most of them with sobering realities about the current state of affairs.

"Who cares?" Poehler answered as a way to start things off when asked about her most memorable heckler. "The whole world is on fire."

[rebelmouse-image 19534330 dam="1" original_size="799x489" caption="Image via The Hollywood Reporter." expand=1]Image via The Hollywood Reporter.

College comedy audiences are "kids that are afraid they will be shot in their own schools," she continued. "What has happened to us?"

"Let's not forget over 4,600 people have died in Puerto Rico," she chimed in when asked about her guilty pleasure.

"A giant whale just died in Thailand after eating 80 plastic bags," she answered instead of detailing her "dream product endorsement."

Can anyone blame Poehler for getting real in her interview?

Things do feel particularly bad right now. But we don't have to accept the status quo.

  • Concerned for whales and other ocean life? Support organizations fighting to get plastic out of our oceans.
  • Alarmed our elected leaders don't seem to care about the people of Puerto Rico? You can help, even if Washington is failing them.
  • Sick and tired of senseless gun violence? Do something about it.
  • Also, vote. Vote, vote, vote. Make sure you're registered!
  • And lastly — and this one is especially crucial — don't forget to laugh along the way. You deserve it.

Our whole world may feel like it's burning, but — believe it or not — there's a lot of good happening too.

From Your Site Articles
Pop Culture

Finally, someone explains why we all need subtitles when watching TV

No, you're probably not losing your hearing.

Vox/YouTube

Finally, someone explains why we all need subtitles

It seems everyone needs subtitles nowadays in order to "hear" the television. This is something that has become more common over the past decade and it's caused people to question if their hearing is going bad or if perhaps actors have gotten lazy with enunciation.

So if you've been wondering if it's just you who needs subtitles in order to watch the latest marathon-worthy show, worry no more. Vox video producer Edward Vega interviewed dialogue editor Austin Olivia Kendrick to get to the bottom of why we can't seem to make out what the actors are saying anymore. It turns out it's technology's fault, and to get to how we got here, Vega and Kendrick took us back in time.

They first explained that way back when movies were first moving from silent film to spoken dialogue, actors had to enunciate and project loudly while speaking directly into a large microphone. If they spoke and moved like actors do today, it would sound almost as if someone were giving a drive-by soliloquy while circling the block. You'd only hear every other sentence or two.

Keep ReadingShow less
subtitles
Pop Culture

How two brothers’ attempts to eliminate food waste resulted in the beloved tater tot

The kids' staple was an afterthought.

via Bill Bumgarner/Flickr

Tater Tots, fresh out of the oven.

It’s hard to imagine growing up in America without Tater Tots. They are one of the most popular kiddie foods, right up there with chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. The funny thing is the only reason Tater Tots exist is that their creators needed something to do with leftover food waste.

The Tater Tot is the brainchild of two Mormon brothers, F. Nephi and Golden Grigg, who started a factory on the Oregon-Idaho border that they appropriately named Ore-Ida. The brothers started the factory in 1951 after being convinced that frozen foods were the next big thing.

According to Eater, between 1945 and 1946, Americans bought 800 million pounds of frozen food.

Keep ReadingShow less
food
Pop Culture

10 years ago, a 'Stairway to Heaven' performance brought Led Zeppelin's surviving members to tears

Heart, John Bonham's son and a full choir came together for the epic tribute.

Mark Pakula/YouTube

Led Zeppelin got to see their iconic hit performed for them.

When Billboard and Rolling Stone pull together their "Best Songs of All Time" lists, there are some tunes you know for sure will be included. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" is most definitely one of them.

It has everything—the beauty of a ballad, the grunginess of a rock song, the simple solo voice, and the band in full force. "Stairway to Heaven" takes us on a musical journey, and even people who aren't necessarily giant Led Zeppelin or classic rock fans can't help but nod or sing along to it.

Of course, it's also been so ubiquitous (or overplayed, as some would claim) to become a meme among musicians. Signs saying "No Stairway to Heaven" in guitar stores point to how sick of the song many guitarists get, and when Oregon radio station KBOO told listeners they would never play the song again if someone pledged $10,000, Led Zepelin singer Robert Plant himself called in and gave the donation.

Keep ReadingShow less
music legends
Family

Developmental scientist shared her 'anti-parenting advice' and parents are relieved

In a viral Twitter thread, Dorsa Amir addresses the "extreme pressure put on parents in the West."

Photo by kabita Darlami on Unsplash, @DorsaAmir/Twitter

Parents, maybe give yourselves a break

For every grain of sand on all the world’s beaches, for every star in the known universe…there is a piece well intentioned, but possibly stress-inducing parenting advice.

Whether it’s the astounding amount of hidden dangers that parents might be unwittingly exposing their child to, or the myriad ways they might be missing on maximizing every moment of interaction, the internet is teeming with so much information that it can be impossible for parents to feel like they’re doing enough to protect and nurture their kids.

However, developmental scientist and mom Dorsa Amir has a bit of “anti-parenting advice” that help parents worry a little less about how they’re measuring up.

First and foremost—not everything has to be a learning opportunity. Honestly, this wisdom also applies to adults who feel the need to be consistently productive…raises hand while doing taxes and listening to a podcast on personal development…
Keep ReadingShow less
internet
Health

Eye-opening video shows why being a dangerous driver is a tell-tale sign of narcissism

It's a red flag you can spot early in a relationship.

via Joseph Mietus/Flickr

A guy with road rage screaming out of his car.

A psychologist who’s an expert in narcissism has released a telling video that reveals one of the red flags of the disorder, being an erratic driver.

"Most people, when they tell the story backwards of a narcissistic relationship, are able to see the red flags very clearly,” Dr. Ramani said in her video. “However, seeing them forwards isn't hard. But if you see them too late, it means you've already been through the narcissistic relationship, you're devastated and have likely wasted a lot of time."

Dr. Ramani Durvasula is a licensed clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, Professor Emerita of Psychology at California State University and author of several books, including “Should I Stay or Should I Go: Surviving A Relationship with a Narcissist.”

Keep ReadingShow less
mental health
Joy

Man hailed 'Highway Hero' for running across four lanes of traffic to help an unconscious driver

Talk about acting quickly!

www.youtube.com

Man hailed 'Highway Hero' for running across four lanes of traffic

Holy cow, Bat Man! You're always supposed to be aware of other vehicles when you're driving but what do you do when you notice someone has lost consciousness while speeding down the highway?

It's a scenario that no one wants to see play out, but for Adolfo Molina, the scenario became reality and he didn't hesitate to spring into action. Molina was driving down the highway when he spotted a woman in a blue car who lost consciousness as her car careened down the shoulder of the highway. The concerned driver quickly pulled over in order to attempt to rescue the woman.

But there was a problem, he had to cross four lanes of traffic on the highway just to make it to the woman's still moving car. That obstacle didn't stop him. Molina sprinted across the highway, crossing right in front of a black pick up truck before running at full speed to attempt to open the woman's door and stop her car.

Keep ReadingShow less
massachusetts man
Trending Stories