Mega Size Mega Fun
The Maine Coon cat is one of the largest domesticated breeds of cat. They are absolutely stunning creatures, not just because they’re massive, but because they’re gorgeous as well!
One Maine Coon cat owner created an Instagram account that features her Maine Coon, Lotus, and it’s absolutely chock-full of fantastic photos.
She’s probably the best cuddle buddy.
Enjoy!
Before you decide to be one of those people to flood the e-mail box of one of our editors with angry letters of,
understand that this is just meant to make people smile.
However, the reason it will make people smile is because there is some truth hidden among all of the above examples, and many of our readers will know this.
If you are living in an area where your school district is rational, and makes common sense decisions, good for you.
However, there are parents out there who are struggling because the schools are expelling their kids for eating and shaping Pop-Tarts into the shape of a gun, using their thumb and index finger to create a “level II lookalike firearm,” and for bringing in a key-chain with a miniature toy gun on it.
In Colorado, parents have seen their 6-year-old child suspended from school, and charged with sexual harassment, for kissing a fellow classmate.
A Maryland school was forcing their students to memorize and recite the Shahada, which is:
“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”
Can you imagine if a public school demanded their students recite the Apostle’s Creed in order to pass a world religion class?
At the same time as all of this, a student who brings a pencil case, full of wires and circuit-boards, but claims it is a clock, is suspended, but then gets a special meeting at the White House, and is able to sue for $15 million for alleged racial discrimination.
Liberals were quick to claim insensitivity, and praised Ahmed Mohamed for his ability to build a clock from scratch, and yet that is not what he did. Mohamed actually took apart a fully assembled clock, and inserted the pieces into a pencil case.
All of this is to say, that the American school system has changed over the last few decades, and if you are someone who has not noticed that change, be grateful.
H/T Young Conservatives
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LOS ANGELES — “Crazy Rich Asians,” powered by jubilant reviews and pent-up demand for a major Hollywood film led by Asian stars, took in a strong $25.2 million at North American theaters over the weekend, easily enough for No. 1.
It was the best result for a PG-13 romantic comedy in six years — since “Think Like a Man,” which featured an all-black primary cast and collected $33 million over its first three days. Among all nonsequel comedies, “Crazy Rich Asians” (Warner Bros.) posted the biggest turnout since the R-rated “Girls Trip,” which was released last summer and focused on four black women, a rarity.
“This shows — once again, with emphasis — that true diversity matters,” Brad Simpson, a “Crazy Rich Asians” producer, wrote in an email on Sunday. “Audiences are tired of seeing the same stories with the same characters. And we have to give people a reason to get off their couch or devices. We have to give them something different.”
“Crazy Rich Asians,” starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding in a love story complicated by dazzling wealth (his) and a treacherous mother (his), is the first Hollywood studio movie in 25 years to have an all-Asian cast. The last one was “The Joy Luck Club,” which Disney released in 1993. As a result, “Crazy Rich Asians” was seen as a watershed moment by many Asian-Americans, echoing the emotional manner in which African-Americans responded in February to “Black Panther,” which was rooted in black culture.
About 38 percent of ticket buyers for “Crazy Rich Asians” were Asian, according to Jeff Goldstein, Warner’s president of domestic distribution. Asian moviegoers typically make up less than 10 percent of the opening-weekend audience for a film. About 68 percent of the audience was female.
“Crazy Rich Asians,” which cost an estimated $30 million to make and tens of millions more to market, took in $34 million since arriving on Wednesday. (The film will roll out overseas in the weeks ahead.) To compare, the hit romantic comedy “27 Dresses,” starring Katherine Heigl, took in the same amount over its first five days in domestic theaters in 2008, after adjusting for inflation, going on to collect $200 million worldwide.
The movie business has changed dramatically in the last decade, however, making the turnout for “Crazy Rich Asians” all the more impressive. As living room entertainment services like Netflix and Amazon have grown in popularity, filling seats in theaters has become much harder. To compete, studios have moved to the extremes: horror movies made on shoestring budgets, and lavishly expensive franchise films aimed at the broadest possible audience.
In turn, studios have largely abandoned mid-market movies like romantic comedies and uplifting sports dramas.
Netflix almost beat out Warner Bros. for the film rights to “Crazy Rich Asians,” which was directed by Jon M. Chu and based on Kevin Kwan’s best-selling book. But Mr. Chu and Mr. Kwan decided at the final minute to forego the Netflix offer, which included generous upfront payments and the guarantee of a “Crazy Rich Asians” trilogy. The men decided that it was important for their film be seen on big screens and backed by a thundering studio marketing campaign.
For the weekend, “The Meg” (Warner) placed second, collecting $21.2 million, for a two-week global total of roughly $300 million, according to comScore, which compiles box-office data. Third place went to “Mile 22” (STXfilms), which took in $13.6 million, a bit below what most analysts had expected. “Mile 22,” which cost about $35 million to make, stars Mark Wahlberg as an elite intelligence officer.
Also of box-office note: “Billionaire Boys Club,” an indie film starring Kevin Spacey, was released in 10 theaters and took in $500 — a humiliating result that cements Mr. Spacey’s status as a Hollywood pariah. Last year, more than a dozen men accused Mr. Spacey of sexually harassing, groping or assaulting them; he denied some of the accusations against him while also saying he would seek unspecified “treatment.”
“Billionaire Boys Club,” which was already available as a video-on-demand release, is about affluent high school boys in Los Angeles who get involved in a Ponzi scheme. Filming was completed before accusations against Mr. Spacey surfaced in October. The film’s distributor, Vertical Entertainment, justified the release by saying the rest of the cast should not be penalized.
A version of this article appears in print on , on Page C3 of the New York edition with the headline: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Tops the Box Office
If you’d forgotten how great Gladys Knight was, Super Bowl Sunday was a reminder of why she’s known as the “Empress of Soul” — and you don’t get royal monikers without earning them.
It wasn’t just that the Atlanta-based R&B legend was singing the national anthem. It was she nailed it, absolutely nailed it. I may be suffering from a bit of recency bias, but I’d easily put it in the top five of Super Bowl album renditions. It wasn’t Whitney Houston in 1991 or Jennifer Hudson in 2009 — but for me, anyhow, it was close.
Sadly, even singing the national anthem is a political statement in a Super Bowl where every major performer was asked by protesters to stay away due to the fact Colin Kaepernick isn’t in the league. We could debate the merits of Kaepernick’s absence from the NFL endlessly, but the idea that every musician of note should boycott the game is a rather farcical request.
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Knight had already been less apologetic and dithering than halftime headliner Maroon 5, which made her even more of a target for social justice warriors to take out their Kaepernick-related frustrations on musicians. On Friday night, she appeared on “CNN Tonight” with host Don Lemon to explain her reasoning, and it was almost as good as her version of the anthem on Sunday.
The show can be risky territory for anyone, particularly since Lemon is fond of taking the SJW line on almost anything. And yet Knight handled it perfectly.
Lemon, who’s made no secret of the fact he doesn’t really buy that Kaepernick isn’t in the NFL because of his talents and other problems he presents, hit Knight with a quote from Kaepernick attorney Mark Geragos, who’s been vociferously attacking any musical act that dared appear at the big game.
In an interview after Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine discussed his decision to perform, Geragos accused him of being an ideological scab: “If you’re going to cross this ideological or intellectual picket line, then own it, and Adam Levine certainly isn’t owning it,” Geragos said.
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Lemon played another clip of Geragos discussing that ideological picket line and what she thought about it.
“People are going to have their opinions. You know, about whatever,” Knight said, smiling.
“And all I can deal with, all I can deal with right now is what my heart says,” she continued. “I believe in fairness. I believe in truth. I believe in all of those things, and as far as this is concerned, I grew up with the national anthem.
“We used to sing it in school before school started. We used to say prayers in school before school started, and we just don’t have that anymore and I’m just — I’m just hoping that it will be about our country and how we treat each other and being the great country that we are.”
“People are going to have their opinions about whatever, and all I can deal with right now is what my heart says.” – Gladys Knight defends decision to perform the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. “I just want them to know that we have a country that’s worth standing up for.” pic.twitter.com/GMpgQZh8xL
— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) February 2, 2019
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When asked if the criticisms could hurt her professionally, she was similarly dismissive.
“You know what? Nothing good comes easy,” Knight said. “And I would hope that they will understand, as I do, that we have a better way to do this than to be angry and why is he doing this or why ain’t she doing that, you know?.
“For me, it’s just for me about respect. If we start denying the anthem, there are so many people that have died for our country and there are so many people in my family that are still part of, you know, just standing for the country, they are in the services and that kind of thing, and just to not say that if you really listen to the lyrics of the beginning, you’ll understand that. We have fought hard for a long time and not just in wars. I have protested myself.”
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Knight went on to discuss her personal experiences during the civil rights era — in other words, disavowing the idea that protest need involve disrupting the Super Bowl.
In short, she absolutely schooled Lemon — both on his questions and the real meaning of social justice.
Knight had made a similar defense of the anthem in January when the pressure to boycott was at its most intense.
“I understand that Mr. Kaepernick is protesting two things, and they are police violence and injustice,” Knight said in a statement then.
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“It is unfortunate that our National Anthem has been dragged into this debate when the distinctive senses of the National Anthem and fighting for justice should each stand alone,” the statement said.
“I am here today and on Sunday, Feb. 3 to give the Anthem back its voice, to stand for that historic choice of words, the way it unites us when we hear it and to free it from the same prejudices and struggles I have fought long and hard for all my life, from walking back hallways, from marching with our social leaders, from using my voice for good — I have been in the forefront of this battle longer than most of those voicing their opinions to win the right to sing our country’s Anthem on a stage as large as the Super Bowl LIII.”
In the end, she sang the anthem beautifully and didn’t use it to make a political statement against America or the flag. When grilled by Don Lemon — including the implied threat that her career could suffer — she was pitch-perfect, just as she was on Sunday.
Our hats are off to you, Gladys Knight, and may future Super Bowl performers evince even a fraction of your grace and talent.
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
By taking their vows, newlyweds start a new chapter in their lives, and this often means their friends and family have to adjust to the new relationship dynamic. This, however, can sometimes become a mission impossible for those closest to the couple. Especially their single best friends who can start to feel a bit left out of the love-fest. To prevent this, Brittney and Kody Frysinger invited Kody’s best friend and Best Man, Mitch Jolliff to join them in engagement and wedding photos, and the images turned out so hilariously, you’ll feel sorry you weren’t invited to the ceremony.
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The priceless “third wheel” photos were taken by Lindsey Berger of Country Roads Photography. “I thought, how fun would it be to do a follow-up and show everyone how Mitch was handling the wedding!” Berger told A Plus. “I explained to them what I wanted, and then Mitch just owned the photo! He just made my vision come to life in a way I never could have imagined, and I am so grateful for that!”
While Jolliff might look sad and angry in photos, according to Berger the mood at the photo shoot was actually very enjoyable and funny. “These kids are just so much fun to be around and they would do anything I asked of them. And those are best types of clients — people who do not take themselves too seriously, and know how to have a good time.”
Kody and Brittney Frysinger got married in Findlay, Ohio. Their romantic yet amusing “third wheel” shots have been shared over 150,000 times on Facebook, and we wish them the happiest-ever-after!
Image credits: Lindsey Berger
Image credits: Lindsey Berger
Image credits: Lindsey Berger
Image credits: Lindsey Berger
Image credits: Lindsey Berger
Image credits: Lindsey Berger
Image credits: Lindsey Berger