A Facebook fundraiser by Australian comedian Celeste Barber has raised over $30 million for New South Wales’ volunteer firefighters, providing them with some much-needed help during Australia’s bushfire crisis.

Barber went viral back in 2015 with #celestechallengeaccepted, a long-running series in which she humorously recreates celebrities’ Instagram posts. Now she is using her 6.5 million Instagram followers for good, asking them to donate to those fighting Australia’s catastrophic fires.

“Want to join me in supporting a good cause?” Barber wrote on her Facebook fundraiser page, launched Jan. 3. “I’m raising money for The Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate a lot or a little. Anything helps. Thank you for your support.” Read more…

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Russell Crowe picked up the second statue of the evening at the 2019 Golden Globes, but he wasn’t there to actually pick it up. 

The Australian actor, as presenter Jennifer Aniston told the audience in a slightly shaky voice, was at home protecting his family, rather than in Hollywood to see if he won Best Actor In A Limited Series for playing the late Fox News boss Roger Ailes in The Loudest Voice.

“He sent this statement in case he won,” Aniston said:

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Ricky Gervais’ return to the Golden Globes hosting gig was meant to invoke the comedy actor’s unpredictability and acid wit — but Gervais began his Jan. 5 monologue by declaring that this would be the last time.

“I don’t care,” he said up front. 

As usual, the camera cut throughout his monologue to mixed audience reactions, including a perplexed Tom Hanks and steely Jonathan Pryce.

Gervais did get laughs for the jabs he took at Hollywood collectively, such as telling the entire room they had less education than Greta Thunberg and a cheeky “I know he’s your friend” after groans for a joke about Jeffrey Epstein. He also scoffed at his peers who use awards show speeches to spread political awareness. Read more…

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Every night, I go to bed after popping a melatonin gummy and blasting the “Baby Sleep Aid: Rain Sounds” playlist on Spotify. 

But the Muse S has me rethinking my entire routine.

The company debuted its latest meditation wearable at this year’s CES. And this time, it’s a lot more comfortable than its previous versions. 

At $349.99, the Muse S packs an accelerometer, an EEG, a gyroscope, and a heart rate monitor. At 10 hours, it also has double the battery life of both headbands that came before it.

For those unfamiliar with Muse, all of its headbands come equipped with sensors for guided meditations with real-time feedback depending on your movement, breathing, heart rate, and mental activity.  Read more…

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Welcome to the 2020 Golden Globe Awards! 

From Parasite, Hustlers, and Dolemite Is My Name to Fleabag, The Morning Show, and Chernobyl, 2019 gifted moviegoers and TV viewers alike with a wealth of spectacular storytelling. 

Audiences united in streaming the best series, telling the rich to go fuck themselves in theaters, and crushing on Kendall Roy, the Hot Priest, an evil Rebecca Ferguson, and one lucky sweater. 

So, which projects and players rose to the top of the top? As decided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, here is the full list of nominees and winners, updating live during the 77th Golden Globe Awards ceremony — airing Sunday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.  Read more…

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President Donald Trump sent a volatile notice into the Twittersphere Sunday afternoon, giving the 535 members of Congress a heads up that the United States military will “quickly & fully strike back” if Iran attacks the United States.

Legal experts quickly responded to the absurdities and inaccuracies of Trump’s tweet, mostly about a violation of the nearly 50-year-old War Powers Act. This law, among other matters, “requires the President to consult with Congress before introducing U.S. armed forces into hostilities or situations where hostilities are imminent, and to continue such consultations as long as U.S. armed forces remain in such situations,” according to the Library of Congress.  Read more…

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Dracula only comes out at night and apparently so does its marketing. 

A new BBC miniseries in the UK called Dracula (also streaming on Netflix outside the UK) arrived for the new year and with it some creative billboards.

What looks like a random assortment of bloody stakes plunged into a white backdrop on billboards in London and Birmingham transforms into shadow art as the light of the day disappears. A familiar face then emerges with help from strategically placed projected lights. 

Take a look at a time-lapse that went viral to get the full effect:

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Pink wants to help.

As the struggle continues to beat back Australia’s raging bushfires – yet another glaring example of how climate change is reshaping our planet in real time – a growing number of public figures are stepping up to offer their assistance. The pop singer Pink did so herself early Saturday, pledging in a tweet to donate $500,000 “directly to local fire services.”

“My heart goes out to our friends and family in Oz,” the tweet reads, referring to the bushfire-stricken country by one of its nicknames. Pink’s work has resonated in Australia over the years, with the singer having posted big sales and top-of-the-charts recordings multiple times. She’s also done a lot of good there, and even donated $250,000 back in 2009 after a smaller bushfire broke out. Read more…

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Finding more juice for your electric car might be something of a scavenger hunt in certain states  across the U.S.

A new study from the nonprofit Pew Trusts found that public electric charging stations are harder to come by in certain parts of the country. States like Alaska and North Dakota only have 26 and 36 public chargers, respectively. That’s throughout the entire state. Electric vehicle owners might want to look elsewhere for new homes.

California crushes it as the only state with more than 4,000 stations. Throughout the Golden State you’ll find a whooping 22,620 stations to recharge your EV. Read more…

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The promo looks legit. The timing lines up. Keep those salt shakers handy, but it sure looks like we know when the next Samsung Unpacked event is happening.

There’s an allegedly leaked promo floating around that, if accurate, confirms a Feb. 11 date for our first look at the next round of new Samsung products. The promo comes courtesy of Max Weinbach, from XDA Developers. (Though Weinbach also points out that M. Brandon Lee found it first.)

What does it mean? Why are the two As in the word Galaxy replaced by bulges that appear to be hiding squarish objects? Is this a hint of what the next Unpacked might bring – a first look at two new devices, perhaps? – or is it just some vague promo mystery with no obvious conclusions? Read more…

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