+
“A balm for the soul”
  review on Goodreads
GOOD PEOPLE Book
upworthy
Culture

Epic 'Bridgerton' musical—made entirely on TikTok—has scored a Grammy nomination

Barlow and Bear, bridgerton musical, grammys, bridgerton musical tiktok, tiktok musicals
Instagram, TikTok

Barlow and Bear's reaction to their Grammy nomination

It all started with a simple question: What if "Bridgerton" was a musical?

For musicians—and now, bonafide TikTok stars—Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, it would mean not only creating the world's first-ever fully conceptualized TikTok musical, but also a Grammy nomination in the process. Take a listen to just one of their epic tunes and you'll see why.

ICYMI, "Bridgerton" took Netflix by storm when it debuted last year. Shonda Rhimes' period romance full of dramatic family dynamics quickly became the platform's most watched show in history.

Barlow and Bear—as they're known professionally—in turn took TikTok by storm as well. Their first ballad, "Ocean's Away," featuring Emily playing piano and Abigail on vocals, racked up 880 million views, catapulting the concept. Now "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical" can be played on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube, among many other channels.


@abigailbarlowww I’m pitchy but I’m having too much fun writing this ✨ #IsThisAvailable #fyp ♬ original sound - Abigail Barlow

The album has a classic-with-a-pop-twist sound that many modern Broadway shows try to achieve, and fail (so sayeth the recovering musical theatre major, no offense "Dear Evan Hanson"), and it arguably gives the entire "Bridgerton" story a bit more depth than its Netflix predecessor.

Tracks include "Burn For You," a duet between Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset, the show's ingenue and leading man, respectively. The tune is aptly titled for its steaminess, and is a perfect embodiment of the couple's hot-and-cold romance.

@abigailbarlowww What kind of song should I write next? Let me know in the comments ✨💜 #bridgertonmusical #fyp ♬ original sound - Abigail Barlow

There's also fan favorite "If I Were a Man," meant for headstrong and progressive Eloise Bridgerton, which has more than 10 million views. With those soaring belts and clever, whimsical lyrics, it's no surprise.

@abigailbarlowww WE WERE THE LAST ONE TO BE ANNOYNCED OH MY GOD WERE GOING TO THE GRAMMYS @emilythebear #bridgertonmusical ♬ original sound - Abigail Barlow

Fast-forward to November 25, when Bear and Barlow learn that their online passion project received a Grammy award nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album. Their teary, awestruck reaction is just as heartwarming and entertaining as the songs that scored them the nod.

TikTok has helped us discover musicians like Lil Nas X and Loren Gray, but this is the world's very first album that was conceptualized, created and performed entirely on TikTok. The creative process between musician and consumer was interactive start-to-finish, which helped the duo cultivate a loyal and excited following of more than 200 million viewers.

Artists in the music field are constantly trying to close the gap between their work and their audience (Amanda Palmer ditching her label and starting her own Patreon page, for example). I wouldn't be surprised if this inspires a new wave of albums being something of a collaboration between creators and fans.

TikTok Bridgerton Musical Compilation

This is really a case for following your creative bliss. Barlow told The Independent, "We didn't do it to make money, we didn't do it to get famous. We just did it because we love to write and we love Bridgerton." You just never know what magic will happen when you act on your inspiration.

Barlow and Bear have posed the question "Which musical should we do next?" So it might be just a matter of time before we have another TikTok masterpiece. Personally, my fingers are crossed for a rock opera version of HBO's "Succession."

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
creativity
Joy

Teen with a fishing magnet found a safe full of cash. And then he returned it all to its owner.

The safe was stolen 22 years ago.

via Wikimedia Commons

It's incredible what a double-sided magnet can do.


A new trend in treasure hunting called magnet fishing has blown up over the past two years, evidenced by an explosion of YouTube channels covering the hobby. Magnet fishing is a pretty simple activity. Hobbyists attach high-powered magnets to strong ropes, drop them into waterways and see what they attract.

The hobby has caught the attention of law enforcement and government agencies because urban waterways are a popular place for criminals to drop weapons and stolen items after committing a crime. In 2019, a magnet fisherman in Michigan pulled up an antique World War I mortar grenade and the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate.



Fifteen-year-old George Tindale and his dad, Kevin, 52, of Grantham, Lincolnshire in the U.K., made an incredible find earlier this month when they used two magnets to pull up a safe that had been submerged in the River Witham.

George has a popular magnet fishing YouTube channel called “Magnetic G.”

After the father-and-son duo pulled the safe out of the murky depths, they cracked it open with a crowbar and found about $2,500 Australian dollars (US$1,800), a shotgun certificate and credit cards that expired in 2004. The Tindales used the name found on the cards to find the safe’s owner, Rob Everett.

Everett’s safe was stolen during an office robbery in 2000 and then dumped into the river. “I remember at the time, they smashed into a cabinet to get to the safe,” Everett said, according to The Daily Mail. “I was just upset that there was a nice pen on my desk, a Montblanc that was never recovered.”

The robber, who was a teenage boy, was apprehended soon after the crime because he left behind a cap with his name stitched inside.

The father and son met up with Everett to return his stolen money and the businessman gave George a small reward for his honesty. He also offered him an internship because of the math skills he displayed in the YouTube video when he counted the Australian dollars. “What’s good about it is, I run a wealth management company and… I’d love him to work for us," Everett said.

Although the safe saga began with a robbery 22 years ago, its conclusion has left Everett with more faith in humanity.

“I was just amazed that they’d been able to track me down,” he said. “There are some really nice and good people in this world. They could have kept the money, they could have said they attempted to get hold of me.”

“There’s a big lesson there. It teaches George that doing good and being honest and giving back is actually more rewarding than taking,” Everett added.

Treasure hunting isn’t the only allure of the hobby for George. His mother says the hobby has taught him a lot about water pollution and its effects on local wildlife. “George is very environmentally conscious. He always has been since primary school,” she said. “When he first started to do this, he was after treasure. Everything ends up in the rivers and canals.”


This article originally appeared on 04.25.22

From Your Site Articles
good samaritan
Pets

When their owner collapsed on a mountain trail, these dogs coordinated a rescue plan

Dogs are smarter than we think.

via Keswick Mountain Rescue Team/Instagram

The dogs that saved day.

Dogs are keen observers of the human condition. They can become very attuned to our daily behaviors and have the ability to recognize our facial expressions. A dog's amazing sense of smell also gives them a unique window into our health and emotions.

A dog's sense of smell is up to 10,000 times more sensitive than a human's. That gives them the ability to notice if we are ill by recognizing the changes in our body chemistry. They can also tell if we're depressed by noticing changes in our feel-good hormone levels.

That's why dogs are known for nuzzling up to people when they feel down.

A pair of dogs in England's ability to know when something was wrong with their owner may have saved his life.

A 71-year-old man was walking his two dogs, a golden retriever and a black labrador, on Saturday when he became unconscious and collapsed. The man and the dogs were hiking through Braithwaite How, a mountain summit in the Cockermouth to Newlands region in the northern part of the country.

Braithwaite How has an elevation of 564 feet.

After their owner fell to the ground, the two dogs broke up into a rescue team. The black labrador ran down the trail and found a hiker who had walked past them a few minutes before. The labrador barked and motioned for the woman to follow it down the trail.

While one dog was out getting help, the loyal golden retriever stayed by the man's side to protect him and keep him company. How's that for teamwork?

When the woman found the man, the golden retriever was right by his side. She then called the emergency number, 999, for assistance.

The dispatcher summoned the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team who sent out a team of 12 people. By the time they arrived, the man had regained consciousness and felt well enough to walk down the hill into an awaiting ambulance. He was then taken to the hospital for further checks.

The rescue team had to be amazed that his dogs were able to coordinate a two-dog rescue plan to keep him safe. They thanked them for their bravery on Facebook.

"Many thanks to the passing walker and the amazing dogs," the rescue team wrote.

The man who collapsed did a good job in picking the right dogs to accompany him on a hike. Labradors are known to be one of the smartest dog breeds and the golden retriever, among the most loyal.

The smart labrador knew to run and find another human to help and the loyal golden retriever stayed by his side the whole time.

Let's hope that both dogs got a bowl full of treats when they got home that night because they are a wonderful example of why dogs are known as "man's best friend."


This article originally appeared on 11.4.21




From Your Site Articles
dogs
Popular

Couple in their 30s live permanently on cruise ships for a little over $10K a year

“I’m not a millionaire ... I just live full-time on cruise ships.”

via Matthew Barra/Pexels

A magnificent cruise ship on the ocean.

Giving it all up and retiring to live on a cruise ship at 32 seems like a lifestyle choice only available to the ultra-wealthy. However, two financially savvy retired school teachers from Tennessee have managed to do just that, spending under $10,000 for the first eight months at sea.

Monica Brzoska, 32, and Jorrell Conley, 36, met in 2015 while teaching in Memphis, Tennessee. The following year, they booked a week-long cruise to Mexico, Belize, and Grand Cayman. After that, they were hooked on cruising together.

Eight years later, in March 2023, they booked a week-long Caribbean cruise. When it was over, instead of returning home to Memphis, they had a wild idea: Why not continue to book consecutive cruises? So, they did just that.

Monica was inspired to start living the life she always wanted after her father fell ill and her mother told her: "Don't wait for retirement. Follow your dreams."



The couple crunched the numbers and found that if they chose the cheapest cabins and used the deals they’ve received from Carnival Cruises, they could book the first 8 months for just under $10,000. “It sounds mad, but the numbers made sense. Accommodation, food and entertainment would be included – we’d only need spending money,” Brzoska told The Sun. “And because we’d been on so many Carnival cruises, we’d earned access to some amazing offers.”

Hopping from ship to ship isn’t difficult for the couple because many disembark from the same ports. But they sometimes have to fly when they can’t walk to the next ocean liner.

The couple then quit their jobs, sold their possessions, and started a new life on the high seas. They rent out their 3-bedroom home in Memphis to maintain steady cash flow. The average 3-bedroom home in the area rents somewhere between $1200 to $1900 a month.



Over the first year of their new life, the couple completed 36 consecutive cruises. They have already visited countless destinations across the globe, but they can’t choose a favorite. "For a cultural experience, we loved Japan," Brzoska told a Carnival Cruise director on Instagram. The couple also loved Greece for its “history” and Iceland because it was the "closest to being on Mars."

One of the most incredible benefits of loving on a cruise ship is that so many things are taken care of for you. The couple never has to cook any meals, do any laundry or drive. Every night, there is something to do, whether it’s checking out a comedy show or enjoying drinks and dancing in the nightclub.



Plus, on cruises, just about all the costs are covered, so you rarely have to open your wallet. It’s a stress-free, all-inclusive lifestyle. Brzoska says that when you remove the everyday stresses from life, it’s great for your marriage. “Without the daily stresses of life, we rarely argued, but always told each other if we needed space or more time together,” she said.

The couple also makes sure to have one date night a week, during which they dress up and have a nice meal together.

Most people may be unable to give it all up and live their lives hopping from ocean liner to ocean liner. But there’s a great lesson in the story of Brzoska and Conley: You never know how much time you have left, so don’t wait for retirement to live the life of your dreams.

Upworthy has reached out to Brzoska for comment and is still awaiting a response.









Education & Information

Dramatic video shows a woman confronting a harasser at the gym

That's how you do it.

via Chelsie Gleason/TikTok

Chelsie Gleason confronts a man who was harassing her.

A video on TikTok posted by Chelsie Gleason has more than 12 million views because of the way she assertively told a man who who was harassing her to get away. Gleason was filming herself lifting weights when a man approached her attempting to strike up a conversation. She ignored him and was wearing earbuds, but the man didn't get the point.

"I was just trying to work out when this happens," a voiceover says in the video taken at a Crunch Fitness gym. "I've never met this guy and he's been harassing me for months."



Finally, Gleason had enough and snapped at the man. "Don't come near me," she said confidently as she dropped her weights and took a step back. The man immediately turned and briskly walked away. You can tell she got her point across because he looked like he wanted to get out of there fast.

@justchesslee

being a female is fun(:

Registered dietitian Carrie Taylor says that Gleason did the right thing by telling the man to stop while he was harassing her. She says that if you tell someone to stop harassing you at the gym and they persist, to immediately talk to the manager and threaten to call the police if swift action isn't taken.

She says you should also get a restraining order if necessary. Anything to stop the harassment because it could intensify. Gyms should also prominently post signs that warn people about sexual harassment so that these situations don't happen in the first place.

After the video went viral, Crunch Fitness announced it had found the man and banned him from its facilities.

"Our philosophy at Crunch is 'no judgments,' where we promote positive self-esteem and respect all races, cultures and nationalities in a fun atmosphere," a spokesperson for Crunch Fitness told Newsweek. "All of our gyms are committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all members."

"He's been found and as been banned! Thank you @CrunchFitness," Gleason wrote in the comment section.


One person in the comments made an important point about why this type of harassment is so dangerous. "Imagine if a shyer girl is walking to her car at night and he's out there...he needs to be kicked out," a TikTok viewer wrote. Who knows what the man's intentions were and whether he was grooming her for something truly terrible?

This isn't the first time Gleason has faced harassment in the gym. She's tweeted about it several times in the past. It's clear from the video that she's hit a breaking point.

Gleason's brave decision to confront the man put an end to his creepy, threatening behavior in the moment. But the video may serve a greater purpose by showing women how to react to men who harass them. Further, it could also deter men from harassing women in the first place by showing them there are serious consequences for being a creep.


This article originally appeared on 10.19.21


From Your Site Articles
sexual harassment
Joy

28-year-old buys cruise ship apartment because it's less than renting and he can see the world

An all-expenses-paid life for about $50,000 a year? Sounds like a deal.

via Pixabay

A cruise ship floating on azure waters.

Living the rest of your life on a cruise ship seems like the dream of the ultra-rich. You wake up every morning and have an all-you-can-eat breakfast. Spend the afternoon hanging out by the pool or touring a fantastic city such as Rome or Dubrovnik.

At night, have a drink in the lounge watching a comedian or a jazz band, then hit the sack and do it all over again the next day. Seems too good to be true for the average person, right? Think again.

Twenty-eight-year-old Austin Wells of San Diego told CNBC that he can make it happen because it’s cheaper than living onshore in Southern California and he gets to see the world. “The thing that most excites me is I don’t have to upend my daily routine, in order to go see the world,” Wells told CNBC.


“I’m going from this model where you want to go somewhere, you pack a bag, you get on a flight, you rent a room, to now my condo, my gym, my doctors and dentists, all of my grocery stores travel the world with me,” he added.

Wells purchased an apartment on the MV Narrative, which is currently being built in Croatia and sets sail in 2025.

The rough math for Wells' dream makes perfect sense. He purchased a 12-year lease on the ship for $300,000. That comes to about $2,100 a month if he didn’t have to take out a loan. By comparison, most apartments in San Diego cost more than $2,100 per month in rent.

The ship charges an additional $2,100 a month for all-inclusive services, which include food, drinks, alcohol, gym membership, routine healthcare check-ups, onboard entertainment and laundry.

So, it could cost Wells as little as $4,200 a month to live an all-expenses-paid life. Plus, there’s no need to pay for a car or waste time shopping for groceries or traveling anywhere. It’s all on the ship.

Wells can work from the ship because his job with Meta is fully remote.

"What I'm probably most excited about is going to places that ships can only uniquely go,” he told CNBC, adding that cruise ships can travel to “unique ecological parts of the world or beautiful dive spots that are a few miles off land or caves to dive through and the ship will do a number of overnight stays in those areas."

Wells isn’t the only person who’s decided to live on a permanent vacation. Upworthy spoke with a couple in their 50s earlier this year who live on cruise ships because it’s cheaper than their mortgage.

Richard Burk and his wife, Angelyn, are living their best life hopping from ship to ship for around $100 a night, depending on the cruise. "Cruise costs vary quite a bit, our goal is to average about $100 per night, for the couple, or less across an entire calendar year," Richard told Upworthy.

The Burks keep the costs of cruising down through loyalty memberships. “We love to travel and we were searching for a way to continuously travel in our retirement that made financial sense,” Angelyn told 7 News.

People like Wells and the Burks may be outliers in society. They’ve chosen to give up the comforts of home for the comfort of living a life being catered to 24/7. While most of us probably won’t opt to make the big leap and live life out at the sea, their stories are a wonderful reminder that with a little creative thinking, we can create the perfect lives for ourselves whether on land or at sea.


This article originally appeared on 12.19.22

From Your Site Articles
cruise ships
Trending Stories