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Pop Culture

Man’s cheery ‘Hey good morning’ videos have given TikTok a breath of fresh air

People are calling him the next Levar Burton and insisting PBS give him his own full show.

PBS; TikTok; Reading Rainbow; Levar Burton; new Reading Rainbow host
PBS|TikTok and Levert The Bassman|TikTok

Man's TikTok videos creates calls for him to host 'Reading Rainbow'

Sometimes you see someone and know they've got a gift. It's not always something you can put your finger on, but you know there's something special about them and you want them to succeed. That's basically what happened to Levert The Bassman thousands, if not millions, of times on TikTok.

Levert, who starts every video with his signature cheery, "Hey good morning!" has been spending his time making education videos on the social media platform. Without fail, on nearly every single video, multiple commenters tag PBS and ask them to give him his own show. Something about his voice is calm and soothing, yet possesses an authority that makes people want to stop and listen.

He's made videos on a plethora of historical topics, and after multiple requests, he's even read children's books. People have been virtually pitching Levert to PBS to become the next "Reading Rainbow" host.

All you have to do is take a cruise through his comment section and you'll see people saying he's the next LeVar Burton. The internet has declared Levert a star even if PBS hasn't made him the host of "Reading Rainbow" or created an entirely new show just for him. But if you think his fans' pleas were for naught, you'd be wrong.

Social media is a powerful tool, and PBS reacted like any curious person or brand who got tagged a million times. They went to check him out. It didn't take long for the Public Broadcasting Station to see that the fans of Levert just might be on to something. PBS decided to partner with Levert and it all started with a box that contained a blanket and a postcard that read, "you, me & a documentary," back in February 2023.

@pbs

#stitch with @levertthebassman #greenscreen run to his page. We dare you to watch his videos and not smile, it’s impossible. #package #unboxing #pbs #blanket

The package seemed innocent enough, like a small token of acknowledgment, but PBS had something a little bigger in store. Nothing had really changed on Levert's page until months later when one of his videos popped up on the PBS TikTok page in a playlist they have labeled, "Learn with Levert."

Talk about people freaking out! So many commenters were so excited for Levert and the potential opportunities that could come for him. He's made multiple videos in his partnership with PBS, but that doesn't stop people from encouraging the station to give him his own show on television. Everyone still seems to be holding out for a "Reading Rainbow" reboot and who better to give it to them than Levert.

That catchy theme song could become future generations' childhood earworm and I, for one, don't think that would be a bad thing. Since the time frame between Levert getting the package and his audience finding out about his partnership with PBS was nearly six months long, it's highly unlikely a show announcement would happen so soon. All anyone can do is wait. Shows take time to come together, but there's no doubt that anything PBS might make with Levert as their host would be worth the wait.

@pbs

Lets take a little dive into the history of pregnancy, women, and prisons. Like for part two. @LevertTheBassman #PBSFilmFest #history #levertthebassman #prison #womeninprison

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new reading rainbow host
Joy

Unlikely couple falls in love after man rents woman’s spare room as an Airbnb

The funny thing about love is that the person we fall in love with, more often than not, we run into by accident. Another strange twist is that the love of our life is likely to show up when we least expect it.

The following story, which feels like the promise of a hit rom-com, comes courtesy of a twist of fate created by the World Cup and an Airbnb.

In 2013, after six years of battling an illness, Ana was living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Having been financially drained by years of being sick, she invested the last of her money to buy two bunk beds and convert one of her bedrooms into an Airbnb for small groups of friends.

The Airbnb was a last-ditch effort to pay her rent and medical bills. A year later, the modest investment grew into a success, Ana’s health began to return, and the World Cup, one of the largest sporting events in the world, was coming to Rio.

To take advantage of the soccer fanatics flocking to the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City), Ana and her roommate, Fabio, turned a half room in their apartment into an Airbnb rental to give tired soccer fans a place to sleep.

“Though it was a small (pantry!) room, we added a bunk bed and listed two beds on Airbnb. One day after the listing went live, we had tons of requests for ‘Fabio’s Pantry,’” she shared. “It was fully booked for the entire World Cup period except for one week in July.”

Around this time, Ana was feeling well enough to go on her first vacation in years and took a quick trip to Uruguay. Just before she left, Ana received a reservation from a man named "Darko B." for the only unbooked days in July.

“I have always been a big fan of the movie ‘Donnie Darko’ and thought it was a strange coincidence, but didn't think anything of it,” Ana wrote. “I accepted the request, let him know I would not be there for check-in and Fabio would care for him until I was back the following week.”

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travel
Joy

Nurse turns inappropriate things men say in the delivery room into ‘inspirational’ art

"Can you move to the birthing ball so I can sleep in the bed?"

via @Hollyd_rn/TikTok

Holly the delivery nurse.

After working six years as a labor and delivery nurse Holly, 30, has heard a lot of inappropriate remarks made by men while their partners are in labor. “Sometimes the moms think it’s funny—and if they think it’s funny, then I’ll laugh with them,” Holly told TODAY Parents. “But if they get upset, I’ll try to be the buffer. I’ll change the subject.”

Some of the comments are so wrong that she did something creative with them by turning them into “inspirational” quotes and setting them to “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton on TikTok.

“Some partners are hard to live up to!” she jokingly captioned the video.

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nurses
Health

Dermatologist reveals 3 places you absolutely must wash to avoid life-threatening infections

You will never forget to clean your belly button again.

via Dermguru/TikTok and Karolina Grabowska/Pexels

Dermatologist Lindsey Zubritsky has a warning for everyone.

Remember when you were a kid learning how to take a bath and your mom said, “Don’t forget to wash behind your ears!” According to a viral TikTok video by dermatologist Lindsey Zubritsky (@Dermguru on TikTok), your mother was right.

In a post with over 3.3 million views, Zubritsky reveals the places you “absolutely need to be washing more often than you are.” They are behind the ears, beneath the fingernails and in the belly button. Zubritsky says that failure to keep those areas clean can result in some severe health problems that can be life-threatening.

First, let’s take a look behind the ear.

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hygiene
Family

A letter to my mother-in-law who spoiled my sons

"It's pointless to dwell on regrets, but I often think about how I had it all wrong. I was so wrong in how I perceived your generosity."

Tina Platamura


You always stole my thunder. You gave them everything they wanted. You never said no when they asked for anything.

Tina Platamura

A second helping of dessert. Candy before dinner. A few more minutes in the bath. Money for the ice cream truck.

I struggled to show you respect and appreciation while trying to make sure you didn't spoil my children. I thought you would turn them into “selfish brats" by giving them everything they wanted. I thought they might never learn to wait, to take turns, to share, because you granted their wishes as soon as they opened their mouths and pointed.

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Pop Culture

Bach wrote a whole song about a woman obsessed with coffee. It's delightfully relatable.

Bach's "Coffee Cantata" lyrics are a hilarious argument between a highly caffeinated young woman and her father trying to get her to quit her coffee habit.

Public Domain (left) Photo by Hunter Newton on Unsplash (right)

Bach's 300-year-old Coffee Cantata feels surprisingly modern.

When you think of Johann Sebastian Bach, you might picture a bewigged man in tailcoats composing classical symphonies and concertos frequently associated with high-falutin' society. At the very least, you probably don't picture a comedian.

But "the father of classical music" had a silly side, and it came out in full force in his nearly 300-year-old "Coffee Cantata" (aka "Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht," or "Keep quiet, don’t chatter."). In the "Coffee Cantata," the voices we hear are a narrator who opens and closes the scene, a father (Herr Schlendrian) who has an issue with coffee-drinking women and Liesgen, his highly caffeinated daughter who is willing to give up anything for a cup o' Joe.

For context, coffee was extreme popular in 18th-century Europe, with some people sanctimoniously thinking it was a bad habit that needed to be broken (hence the dispute between this father and his coffee-obsessed daughter). But anyone who loves coffee will appreciate Liesgen's dedication to—and subversive deception to get—her three cups of java a day.

Witness and enjoy how the lyrics of Bach's "Coffee Cantata" translate to English:

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humor
Science

Levi's CEO settles the debate on just how often you should wash your jeans

There are a lot of diverse opinions on the topic.

via Levi Strauss and Ricardo Gomez Angel/Unsplash

How often should you wash your jeans?

Social media has become a fertile breeding ground for conversations about hygiene. Whether it’s celebrities bragging about how little their family bathes or battles over how often people should wash their sheets or bras.

One of the debates that gets the most diverse responses is how often people wash their denim jeans.

Denim atelier Benjamin Talley Smith tells Today that jeans should be washed "as little as possible, if at all.” Laundry expert Patric Richardson adds they should be cleaned “after nine or 10 wearings, like to me, that is the ideal." At that point, they probably have stains and are "a little sweaty by that point, so you need to wash 'em," Richardson says.

Still, some people wash and dry them after every wear while others will hand wash and never hang dry. With all these significant differences of opinion, there must be a correct answer somewhere, right?

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clothing
Family

How 5 diabolical parents called their kids' bluff in hilarious ways

Photo by Phuong Tran on Unsplash



Recently, blogger Jen Hatmaker had a funny conversation with a friend about parenting:

"My girlfriend told me the greatest story. Apparently her 11-year-old also wanted to be a grown up this week and, in fact, not only did he treat his siblings like despised underlings, but when asked what he wanted, he said: 'I want the authority to be in charge of them and tell them what to do, because they deserve it!'


Well. My girlfriend and her husband are NOT AT ALL MESSING AROUND with parenting. Calmly, evenly, they granted his request to be a grown-up for a week by pulling him out of camp (the underlings still got to go, because they are 'such children') and sending him to work ALL DAY EVERY DAY with his dad. He has to get up early and shower and make breakfast for everyone. He has to kiss the underlings before he goes to work and tell them to have a great day and that he loves them. He has to work on a typing project during his office hours. He only gets to eat what his dad eats, because eating like a grown-up is not nearly as fun as eating like a kid.


Want to be an adult? Fine."

Photo via iStock.

Hatmaker's post went viral, with thousands of parents chiming in with their own stories of tough love, both giving and receiving.

The responses were hilarious, poignant, and a sign that the next generation is being parented by extremely capable, if not a little bit diabolical, hands.

Here are five of my favorite stories from the comments about parenting-gone-absolutely-right:

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