Michael Allen's Blog: Michael Allen Online, page 19

Mark Wahlberg And Kevin Hart Talk Michael Jordan

When you get Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart together, you never know what’s going to happen. One thing about them though, is they are both sneakerheads. And when it comes to good sneakers, you have to talk about Michael Jordan.

To begin with, Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart are promoting their new 2022 film Me Time coming real soon on Netflix. The release date is August 26. That’s how soon I’m talking. Check out the trailer to get an idea of what’s in store for you:

Okay to get back to the story, Mark and Kevin got with Complex and were doing some Sneaker Shopping. Now, that can be done in a mall or any shoe store really. But these guys don’t do anything normal.

They went to some huge Michael Jordan store. It has nothing but thousands of Nike shoes all dedicated to the GOAT of basketball himself. That’s when Mark Wahlberg made an interesting point.

First of all, Mark and Kevin have both accomplished great things. They have movies and companies they are both involved in to keep the cash flow right. In fact, they both have shoes of their own just like the man himself.

But Mark was looking around the store and he was overwhelmed. It made him feel like he hadn’t accomplished a thing in his life when compared to Michael Jordan. That’s not true at all. He has and Kevin has, but it’s hard to not be humbled in the face of Jordan’s greatness.

As it turns out, Mark and Michael Jordan are good friends. You have to hear the story about how Kevin Hart got on Jordan’s bad side and how asking Mark to help him get back in good with the GOAT isn’t going to happen.

It’s all good. You know it is. So, this visit to Flight Club in New York City will have you rolling while you wait for the release of Me Time.

The post Mark Wahlberg And Kevin Hart Talk Michael Jordan appeared first on Michael Allen.

These Great Movie Moments Were Not Scripted

Filmmakers labor over catching great movie moments in their films. They want that memorable moment that will still be discussed years from now. Sometimes, they write a scene over and do a scene over until the entire staff is about to fall out. Then sometimes, they happen by pure accident.

In the 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Gene Wilder first introduces himself as a man who needs a cane to walk. But when he approaches the crowd, he falls forward and does a flip before addressing everyone. Gene came up with that himself.

He wasn’t supposed to do all that. But he thought it would be a good introduction because from that moment on, you never knew if he was lying or telling the truth.

Alicia Silverstone actually mispronounced Haitians during her debate scene in the 1995 film Clueless. But they let it go because they didn’t want her to know that she was actually pronouncing it wrong.

In the 1975 film Jaws, the cast and crew had an inside joke whenever anything went wrong, “You’re going to need a bigger boat.” Roy Scheider thought it would be a great idea to work the joke into the movie and it finally stuck in one of the biggest scenes they shot.

In the 1980 film The Shining, Jack Nicholson improvised when he delivered the line, “Here’s Johnny!” It’s definitely a nod to the late-night talk show host Johnny Carson and Stanley Kubrick almost cut the line from the movie. What a mistake that would have been.

In 1976, Sylvester Stallone was a young actor who was virtually unknown at this point. He wrote Rocky in three days and refused to let anyone else star in it even though United Artists was offering him huge money for the rights. In this scene, there’s a subtle moment when a guy in the marketplace throws Rocky an orange.

That wasn’t scripted. The guy thought Silvester was just some unknown man going on a run and gave him an orange. Little did he know, he was being filmed and would end up in a movie.

Tom Hanks is gold. Anything he touches is sure to become a pure masterpiece. The 1994 film Forrest Gump was bound to be one of them. When he tells Bubba his name and repeats it, he was going off-script.

But it was perfect because he was introducing himself the way Bubba had just done it. That’s why the director went with it. It worked better in the scene than what Tom was supposed to say.

There are great movie moments all over Hollywood. Sometimes, you don’t even know they’re there. But the business of filmmaking will always have those stories of how something was done by accident or they made it up on the spot and it just worked.

Don’t forget to check out The Deeper Dark, a psychological thriller available on Amazon! When a hero comes home from the war, he finds his world went on without him and now he has a new war to fight as a corrupt network of evil threatens the only person he has left in his life.

The post These Great Movie Moments Were Not Scripted appeared first on Michael Allen.

One Giant Leap For Menstruation

Thinx has been around since 2013. They have been on a mission to provide a solution for menstruation that doesn’t involve tampons or pads. You can just wear this special underwear and it will absorb whatever your body can throw at it.

I don’t know why I’ve just started hearing about Thinx recently. But these commercials are killing it. They bring a great sense of humor to a serious problem and you have to admit, it’s ingenious.

In this one, an elderly lady is introduced to the underwear. She talks about what life was like back in the day and what she had to go through before Thinx came along. But she delivers a line that is so honest and matter-of-fact, it has me rolling every time.

“I had to search for a string in my butt crack…” If you realized that was the line I’m talking about, you got it right. I just comes from out of the blue. But it’s so true.

It would have been nice if someone would have cared more about women’s needs while we were trying to race to the moon. That part of the joke isn’t missed on me.

Now, this next commercial is why I specifically said that Thinx, “will absorb whatever your body can throw at it.” It’s not just about menstruation. It’s about anything that can happen down there.

Whether it’s an unexpected shart, a prairie dog situation, or full blown diarrhea, Thinx has got your back. Or rather, Thinx has your butt.

I’ve heard women talk about peeing themselves when they laugh. But I’ve never heard of anyone having a poop problem. Well, now I know that exists and Thinx is your answer.

These commercials are the best. They acknowledge the problem and show you the solution by letting you know there are women out there who can relate. And I’m glad that women now have an option where they no longer have to look for a string in their butt crack.

The post One Giant Leap For Menstruation appeared first on Michael Allen.

The No Cry Challenge: “It’s Okay” By Nightbirde

The No Cry Challenge is just that. You have to watch Nightbirde sing “It’s Okay” and try not to cry. But first, you have to know the story.

Nightbirde is the name everyone knows her by. Jane Marczewski was the name she was given when she was born. We met her at America’s Got Talent 2021 auditions and fans fell in love. She told us her story, so I’m going to let her tell you herself.

Now, that you know what I’m talking about, maybe you should grab a seat if you don’t know the rest of the story. Nightbirde had to withdraw early from the competition just before making it to the quarterfinal round. Her health was declining and Simon Cowell agreed that she didn’t need the stress and pressure of the show with what she was going through.

She came up with her name Nightbirde after dreaming of birds singing at her windowsill during the middle of the night. She woke up one night to find them actually there singing, “It felt so poetic that these birds were singing as if it were morning, and yet there was no sign of it yet, and that’s what I want to embody.”

Nightbirde was facing her darkest moment. The story about those birds does embody that. They were singing for the morning, but it was still night. That’s exactly what Nightbirde was going through.

She passed away on February 19, 2022. Everyone who knew, we were broken in two. But she left us with so much inspiration, “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”

She had a beautiful spirit and she faced her death with courage. We only knew her for a short time, but she made such a huge impact. A person like her doesn’t come around all that often. You want to embrace every moment you get with her.

So, here’s the challenge. You have to watch the video below without crying. But don’t worry if you do. This challenge has a 100% fail rate. And I’m not even ashamed. I cry every time.

The post The No Cry Challenge: “It’s Okay” By Nightbirde appeared first on Michael Allen.

2022 Wimbledon Is Getting The Drama

Wimbledon demands a certain level of respect because it’s the game of tennis. It’s not beer pong or Hockey. The crowd is expected to be silent during play and the players are scolded if they have a temper tantrum.

So, what’s going on in 2022?

Let’s begin with Venus Williams. She and her partner Jamie Murray just wrapped up a win in the second round of doubles when they went before the press conference. That’s when a reporter asked her if she was in it to win it, “Or is it the first target just to get past the third round where Serena and Andy came a cropper?” The reference was to the 2019 Wimbledon involving her sister and Jamie’s brother.

My queen! Just like the queen of tennis that she is answered, “What kind of question is that? We’re in it for a stroll. Come on.” And then she went on to ask the reporter if he was going to, “Write a good article or just a halfway decent one.” Boom!

This response from Venus Williams was brilliant

"What kind of question is that?!" #BBCTennis #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/4e0LozWd9c

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 2, 2022

That was generally a joking experience. But you have to know that questions like that cut deep, especially when you’re considered one of the best in the world and you’re getting questioned about your motive.

In our next installment of drama, we have Rafael Nadal getting upset about something in his match with Lorenzo Sonego. What was it?

We all know that Nadal has his issues. He needs all the tennis balls distributed throughout the court equally. He fools with his drinking bottles when he’s on the designated breaks from the game. Everything has to be in the right place at the right time, and the entire tennis community deals with it because he is such a great player.

But, Nadal had to apologize for his actions while playing Sonego. Nadal had several conversations with his opponent during the game, when he won, and after the match in the locker room. What was it all about?

I think it had something to do with the way Sonego was grunting while playing. But Sports Now has a different scoop on it…

And now, to the best so far. When Stefanos Tsitsipas went to his Press Conference after getting beat by Nick Kyrgios in the Third Round, he had a few things to say about his opponent.

He called him a bully and he didn’t like the constant talking, the constant getting in his head. Then, he called him “Evil.” That’s right! “Evil!”

Sorry Tsitsipas, but that’s the game. You can’t just know how to swing a racket and serve. You have to know the mental game as well.

This is him complaining…

So, those statements were relayed to Nick who has no reason to defend himself. The game is played on two opposite sides of a net. A whole world is watching.

Bullying?

I don’t think so. But if you can’t handle how the man on the other side of the net is playing his game, time to step up yours. Otherwise, seek some therapy and come back next year to Wimbledon. Hopefully, they have much nicer players then to play against you.

The post 2022 Wimbledon Is Getting The Drama appeared first on Michael Allen.

Rosa Parks Was Once Assaulted Despite Who She Was

I find this story to be totally incredible because it happened to Rosa Parks. Hadn’t she been through enough? Criminals don’t care who you are. This particular criminal is proving that he never belongs out of prison again.

In 1994, Joseph N. Skipper broke into Rosa Parks’ Detroit home. He struck her in the face and robbed her of the $53 in her purse. He didn’t stop to think about the fact that she was Rosa Parks. No, this ignorant soul robbed a national treasure without even blinking an eye.

It didn’t take long for them to catch him, and he was sentenced on June 7, 1995. His sentence was eight to 15 years, and he was released on July 23, 2009, after serving over 14 years. But, he was back in prison for a ten-year bit just four months later.

He was released for that term in August of 2019 and only managed to stay good until New Years when he thought it would be a good idea to break into another building with the intent to rob it. In a similar case to robbing Rosa Parks, he stole about $50 from another elderly lady.

Now, it looks like he won’t be able to get out until 2030. But they can hold him until 2045 if they choose. At the rate he’s going, he won’t do any good out here. They should keep him until ’45 if he lives that long. Maybe karma will handle this one for us.

There is a happy twist to her story as far as Rosa Parks is concerned. Mike Ilitch, the Little Caesars founder and Detroit Tigers owner who passed away in 2017, heard about the Rosa Parks robbery and decided to do something about it.

This part of the story begins with Damon Keith, a Detroit native and federal judge who took it upon himself to find Rosa Parks a safer place to live. The Riverfront Apartments in downtown Detroit were what he set his eyes on, and that’s where Rosa Parks moved.

When Mike Ilitch caught wind of the move, he contacted Keith with the proposal to pay the rent indefinitely. That deal was accepted with arms wide open. Ilitch paid Rosa Parks’ rent until the day she died in 2005. The best part about it is this story was kept under wraps until after Ilitch passed away. He wanted to keep that to himself. But it’s too good of a story to keep quiet. Doesn’t it make you want to order some Little Caesars Pizza tonight?

Even though Rosa Parks made all that fuss in Alabama, sparking an entire movement, you can see that she became a very important part of Detroit’s history as well. As an icon, good standing citizens of the city looked to take care of her, not rob her like the pathetic criminal who can’t seem to do any good in this world. May God have mercy on his soul!

The post Rosa Parks Was Once Assaulted Despite Who She Was appeared first on Michael Allen.

Taylor Swift Receives Doctorate From NYU

Taylor Swift is steadily building a phenomenal life for herself. She just doesn’t stop. She records hit songs and wins awards while living her best life. Now, she has a doctorate from NYU.

In her commencement speech, she made a few jokes because, after all, she is Taylor Swift, “I would like to thank NYU for technically making me a doctor, not the type of doctor you would want around in case of emergency.”

It is an Honorary Doctorate, which means she didn’t actually attend classes to earn it. But Honorary Doctorates are given to people who have contributed significantly to a field or society in general. For that, I know Taylor Swift has earned it.

First of all, I think she is a wonderful role model for ladies. In a world that is still dominated by men, pay gaps still exist, and respect is often not given, she has a way of fighting through it all and shining with grace. Take her legal battles, for example, she has gone up against the big guys and has fought her way through, coming out smelling like a rose.

That’s Taylor Swift! And that’s why ladies should look up to her.

But she really is a role model for everyone. She is the perfect example of how to enjoy life and make the most of it. She is the perfect example of how to stand up for yourself. She does everything with class, and just because she became a star at such an early age, that didn’t mean that she could shun everything else. She valued her education. She values the rights of others, and she fights for those rights whether they have a voice or not.

The award-winning singer didn’t get to attend her junior or senior year because she was home-schooled. So, she didn’t get to do the graduation walk when she earned her degree. This was her first time.

Taylor Swift wore the gown on stage and was cheered by about 20,000 people. I’m sure it was to capacity. And then, she gave a speech, which was elegant and sophisticated. What else would you expect of a doctor?

Great words, but with a sense of humor, “As long as we are fortunate enough to be breathing, we will breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep and breathe out. I am a doctor now, so I know how breathing works.”

Listen To Her Full Speech

The post Taylor Swift Receives Doctorate From NYU appeared first on Michael Allen.

Girl Lost Vibrator And You Wouldn’t Believe Where

Just because you know something doesn’t mean you have to share it with the world. Getting social media likes is big for some people, and they would do anything for it. But that doesn’t mean they have to share everything. This is the case of the lost vibrator and how it was solved.

TikToker sophzaloafs went to her social media and shared a story about how she was using the vibrator in her butt. That’s where she lost it. Thanks for that information. I can see creeps all around the world right now spending a little one-on-one time with themselves after hearing about that.

Some people just don’t care about what others think. Think about it. The whole world knows now that she’s into that. There’s just no shame in her game. But hold on. The story gets better.

So, she lost her vibrator in her butt because it was only 3 inches. I guess it got away from her fingers, and it found itself getting really far up in there. But she couldn’t go to the hospital that night for some reason. So, she left it in there and went to sleep.

So there she is, tossing and turning while it’s buzzing inside of her. She couldn’t make it stop, and she didn’t take herself to the hospital immediately. This story gets more strange as it goes.

Would tongs have worked? That might have been a less humiliating way of solving her problem if she had thought about it. But she might have shared that story too.

No, she took herself to the hospital the next day. The doctor couldn’t just get them out of her. He had to put her through surgery.

When she woke up from surgery, the vibrator was in a plastic bag by her bed. What a nice doctor! He preserved the offending sex toy for her and hopefully she has learned her lesson. I think she needs a bigger one so that it can’t get away from her and if it does, she’ll be able to reach it.

See? I’m a problem solver. Here to help if you need me.

The post Girl Lost Vibrator And You Wouldn’t Believe Where appeared first on Michael Allen.

Millie Bobby Brown Addresses Being Sexualized

It’s very disgusting when the press swarms to a female celebrity as soon as they turn 18 and they make a big deal about how beautiful she is, as in how sexy she is and how grown up she is. It just happened to Billie Eilish a few years ago, and Bindi Irwin a few years before that. But we all remember when it happened to stars such as Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera when they made the jump from child star into adulthood. Now, it’s happening with Millie Bobby Brown of Stranger Things.

She was 12 when she started being Eleven. But we knew her a few years before that. Millie Bobby Brown was nine years old when she played the role of Young Alice in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland back in 2013.

The point is that we watched this little girl grow up. Just like the other young female celebrities, they were kids who eventually became adults. And on their 18th birthday as they are blowing out the candles, here comes the paparazzi swarming all around them.

There is no pause in Hollywood. Like vultures, they come from all angles with their cameras, hoping to catch the most interesting shots of her. Headlines talking about how she’s all grown up and how great she looks. And of course, there most likely has already been those shady vultures who have approached her about photoshoots of a completely different kind.

But the creepiest part about it all is that Millie Bobby Brown has spoken about her sexualization before. When she was 16, she talked about how she was treated. She talked about how people commented on the way she dressed and the way she looked. These weren’t just innocent comments about looking nice, or being sweet. Can you imagine being a child and the comments being published are about your body, your weight, the way you fit in an outfit?

Of course that happens to all celebrities, especially when they’re on the red carpet. But when they’re 16, doesn’t it seem inappropriate to make those kinds of observations? She thinks so, “We should be talking about the incredible people that were there at the awards show, the talent that was there, the people we are representing.” She went on to say that the new treatment she was receiving now since she’s turned 18 is “gross.”

With 17 acting credits and 4 credits as a producer, she’s an 18 year old who has accomplished more in her young life than most people will throughout theirs. Why can’t that be the topic of conversation when they mention her name? It’s as if the press is tone-deaf to the message they are trying to put out themselves. In one breath they cry ME TOO, and the next they are sexualizing a girl who just became of age.

I’m with Millie. It’s gross!

The post Millie Bobby Brown Addresses Being Sexualized appeared first on Michael Allen.

Kanye Retrieves Kim Kardashian Sex Tape

In 2007, the internet went wild over the Kim Kardashian sex tape with Ray J. It was about to go wild all over again because Ray J said there was more to it. The original release wasn’t all of it, and the raunchiest of all was yet to come.

This was all revealed on Season 1, Episode 3 of The Kardashians, streaming right now on Hulu.

So, who makes a visit to Ray J to get the rest of it? Kanye flew to Los Angeles and met Ray J at the airport. He didn’t go any further than that. He got the whole laptop, hard drive and all, then flew back to New York to hand it over to Kim.

I know he’s still in love, and whether or not they’ll get back together is still hanging in the air. She’s still with Pete Davidson, and that seems to be going strong. They both have real feelings for each other, which is what it takes to have a solid relationship.

Even though this supposedly happened back in October, doesn’t it seem like Kanye’s making better moves these days? When’s the last time you heard a headline of him threatening Davidson? That beef appears to be squashed, and Kanye is over himself. Now, he’s making heroic gestures.

Maybe he went through the stages of grief. He denied that Kim had moved on to other things. He got mad about it and showed his anger online. He bargained to get her back, and that didn’t work. Maybe he went through his depression and has now come to acceptance. Those are the stages. That’s what people go through when they deal with loss, and Kanye isn’t that different from the rest of us that it can’t hit him for real too.

Either way, the Kim Kardashian sex tape is back in her hands where it belongs, and it won’t be leaked. How he did that, I don’t know. Wasn’t Ray J threatening to release it? And Kanye said he didn’t put up any money to get it back. So, how does he just fly to L.A. and get the rest of the tape without paying for it? What did he do to change Ray J’s mind if he didn’t give the man any money?

By the way, there wasn’t anything on the tape after all. When Kim looked it over, she said, “It was just footage of us at a restaurant, at a nightclub. Nothing sexual, nothing weird, and so now I can take a deep breath and not worry about this right before SNL, right before the Bar, right before, like, everything.”

What a bluff? If Ray J got something out of it, that was slick. He totally pulled a nice poker move and won the hand, holding absolutely nothing.

The post Kanye Retrieves Kim Kardashian Sex Tape appeared first on Michael Allen.