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Ryan Reynolds takes you on a hilarious journey with 'Underdogs': meet nature's quirkiest stars

Ryan Reynolds takes you on a hilarious journey with 'Underdogs': meet nature's quirkiest stars

IOL News03-07-2025
"Underdog" spotlights the unique and unpredictable behaviours of a cast of little-known animal characters in the natural world.
The new Disney+ series "Underdogs," narrated by " Deadpool " actor Reynolds, takes a refreshing step back, opting to shine a light on the lesser-known and often quirky creatures of the animal kingdom.
Step aside, Sir David Attenborough , because Ryan Reynolds is taking over.
The five-part series from National Geographic celebrates the unsung heroes that are often left out of traditional nature documentaries and showcases their unique abilities, habits, "terrible parenting" strategies and at times, the downright gross aspects of the animal world.
The first episode homes in on a set of animals Reynold's dubs the "Superzeros", a group of creatures from around the world with unique and fascinating "superpowers" that help them survive in the wild.
Reynolds kicks off the global journey with the velvet worm, which launches a special adhesive at predators to trap them in their place.
From there, viewers will get to learn about the nearly indestructible honey badger, the elusive glass frog, the echolocating Madagascar lemur, the unstoppable snapping pistol shrimp, the limb regenerating axolotl and the dopamine-inducing jewel wasp.
Other episodes are aptly subtitled "Total Grossout", "The Unusual Suspects", "Sexy Beasts" and "Terrible Parenting", each with wildlife that fits the profile.
While the animals are all-around fascinating to learn about, it is Reynolds's signature wit and humour that's a major draw.
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Witty, wild and weirdly relatable: why 'Single Parents' hits home
Witty, wild and weirdly relatable: why 'Single Parents' hits home

IOL News

time2 days ago

  • IOL News

Witty, wild and weirdly relatable: why 'Single Parents' hits home

The cast of Disney+'s family-friends series, "Single Parents". Image: Instagram. If you thought raising kids was a walk in the park, then get ready for the rollercoaster ride that is "Single Parents" on Disney+. This series plunges viewers into the chaotic yet hilarious reality of modern parenthood, where laughter is the ultimate remedy for daily mayhem. With a cast that feels like your own quirky circle of friends, the show captures the relatable struggles of juggling child-rearing responsibilities while trying to keep your personal life from spiralling out of control. At the helm is Will Cooper, played by Taran Killam. Cooper's world turned upside down when his wife opted for a life on the road, leaving him in charge of their daughter, Sophie. And if you thought that was tough, just wait till you meet the rest of the single-parent ensemble. There's Angie (Leighton Meester), a stressed out paralegal trying her best to stay afloat with her son Graham; Poppy (Kimrie Lewis), a sommelier trying to sip her way through parenting with her son Rory; Douglas (Brad Garrett), a widowed dad navigating fatherhood while holding onto some rather dubious ideologies, and Miggy (Jake Choi), a fresh-faced, 20-year-old attempting to balance fatherhood with his DJ ambitions after being left high and dry by his baby mama. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Angie (Leighton Meester), a frazzled paralegal trying her best to stay afloat with her son Graham (Tyler Wladis). Image: Instagram. Together, this band of single parents forms a supergroup forged by their shared bonds of frustration and exhaustion. What makes "Single Parents" a breath of fresh air is its refreshing approach towards the digital age of family life. The show avoids the pitfalls of crude humour and excessive adult themes. Instead, it finds its charm within the laughter that comes from sheer absurdity and the sassiness of the couple envy every single parent feels. Yes, it gets cheesy at times, but isn't that what life, and parenthood, is all about? The writing is smart, funny and often heart-warming, showing that perhaps sometimes kids are the ones imparting life lessons while parents are just along for the laughs. Poppy (Kimrie Lewis) with her son Rory (Devin Trey Campbell). Image: Instagram. Whether it's the hilarity of a poorly executed school pick-up or the cringeworthy misadventures in the dating world, "Single Parents" embodies that age-old adage: it takes a village to raise a child. As you binge through the episodes, expect a hearty mix of genuine community support and the rollercoaster of emotions that come with being a single parent. The moments shared between the parents highlight the joys and trials of parenthood and remind viewers that people can band together, creating their own family out of friendship and shared experiences. Taran Killam and Brad Garrett as Will and Douglas in "Single Parents". Image: Instagram. So, grab your popcorn, settle in and prepare for a delightful escape with "Single Parents", a show that promises laughter alongside lessons of resilience and community. After all, in the whirlwind of parenting chaos, sometimes laughter truly is the best remedy.

How algorithms are transforming the way we communicate
How algorithms are transforming the way we communicate

TimesLIVE

time2 days ago

  • TimesLIVE

How algorithms are transforming the way we communicate

As social media platforms increasingly rely on algorithms to moderate content, online communities are changing how they speak to evade their censors. Sensitive or suggestive topics such as suicide and sex have become 'unalived' and 'seggs'. When words are caught in the system, emojis act as loopholes — the watermelon emoji being used by pro-Palestinian creators as a symbol for Gaza or the grape emoji as a byword for sexual assault. This new terminology is trickling offline and into the mainstream — a phenomenon linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic has dubbed 'algospeak'. I find it alarming that censorship exists, but it's beautiful that humans are always able to find ways to say what they want to say. Adam Aleksic In his new book of the same name, he breaks down how this form of coded speech develops, its fringe influences and what it means for the future of communication, on and offline. How do you define algospeak? Adam Aleksic: Algospeak is the concept that algorithms are affecting how we speak. You can't say 'kill' on TikTok because the word is suppressed, (so) creators instead chose to use words such as 'unalive' — it comes from a meme (in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man in which the character Deadpool says 'unalive' to avoid saying 'kill'). Now, we have young people offline writing essays about Hamlet contemplating 'unaliving' himself and that's an example of how this algospeak is bleeding into our real life. It's also maybe the most surface-level we can get with algorithms because we can just point to this and be like, 'Oh, this is clearly algorithms causing language change'. I think it's every aspect of language change. It's where words come from; it's how words spread. Usage of such terms, especially offline, is often derided as 'brain rot'. Do you see the rise of algospeak as related to that? I want to separate the idea that language rots your brain. A brain rot to me is this meme aesthetic that people use. Such as repeating words ad absurdum, that's brain rot. I think (brain rot) is a commentary on why we are getting so many of these words. It makes the words funny so you repeat them more, which makes them funnier. Why are they funny in the first place? Because they are there and they are there because of the algorithm — that's what brain rot as a meme aesthetic is to me. But it also points to how creators perpetuate these words into virality. Once we see a word is trending we'll hop onto that word. Can you share an example from your research where algospeak changed the meaning or tone of a conversation online? Algospeak is so much more than (a response to) censorship. One example I find fascinating is the word 'preppy'. To people (who are) older Gen Z and above, it means academic attire — Ivy League, Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, that sort of aesthetic. Now, if you ask any middle school girl what the word preppy means to them, it's bright pink clothing with smiley faces on it. How did that happen? It's partially just normal semantic drift; you go from these upscale brands such as Ralph Lauren to more mid-tier retailers marketing to younger children. Preppy becomes associated with what middle school girls like to wear and all of a sudden we now have, since middle school girls like bright pink clothing, preppy becomes that word. I think algorithms accelerated that. I use the example where several TikTok shops have popped up advertising preppy clothing and they did that because they know this word was trending in that demographic. They hijacked a trending word on the algorithm for a chance for increased algorithmic visibility, for algorithmic optimisation, and by using that definition of preppy they pushed preppy further to the mainstream. What is the most unsettling algospeak term you've come across? I have a chapter on incel slang and I think it's unsettling that a lot of words middle schoolers are using — from 'sigma' to the suffixes such as 'pilled', 'maxing' and 'mewing' — these come from the manosphere. Sometimes (these terms) directly come from or are popularised by incel circles — this violent, misogynistic group of involuntary celibates. It seems concerning that their language reached the mainstream. I'm not trying to be an alarmist; I think most middle schoolers don't know where these words come from. They just think it's a funny word to say with their friends and that's reassuring and refreshing. Is this sort of fringe influence over mainstream language common? Yeah. We don't just spontaneously start using a word at once. It starts with groups that have a shared need to invent new slang and usually that's minority groups (or) fringe communities, because the mainstream already has mainstream language representing them perfectly. It's people who don't feel represented by language as a whole who need to come up with these new words. Historically, some prolific producers of language have been minority communities or fringe communities, such as incels. The way we adopt slang words usually follows the conduits of what we see as funny or cool. Who owns algospeak? Owning a word is an interesting thing. You go back to 2014, the phrase 'on fleek', which was popularised through (the short-form video app) Vine, was the first time we have video popularising phrases. It was coined by user Peaches Monroe, whose real name is Kayla Newman. Kayla never got a cent of royalties for this. She tried, repeatedly, to trademark the phrase, but couldn't until three years later and by then the trend was dead. In the meantime, (on fleek) was repurposed by brands. I consulted on a lawsuit a few months ago where one influencer sued another for stealing her vibe and part of that was the linguistic intonations of her manner of speaking. My recommendation was that they're sort of both copying other people because you have to; this is how language works. We draw our idea of what language is from previous things and then we replicate that. Do you see algospeak as a form of digital protest? Absolutely. All language has multiple uses. I think this is one of the uses. Also, there are two definitions of algospeak: the old definition is the 'unalive' sort of stuff, the censorship avoidance. And then I tried to expand that definition, arguing that everything is algospeak. The genre of 'brain rot' is a cry for help from the algorithmic oversaturation of trending slang. It's poking fun at the fact that these words are over-represented, which already is a meta critique of the algorithm and (the) panopticon we're in. You look at individual surveillance-avoidant language because you have to recognise every word is being surveilled, which is a crazy thing we haven't had in the past. Is algospeak mostly an English-language phenomenon or are you seeing similar patterns globally? Totally globally. In Spanish, some people say 'desvivirse', which had a previous meaning of 'do your utmost'. Now it can also mean 'unalive' in the same way (it does in) English. In Chinese, the word for censorship is censored, so people use a word such as 'harmony' in allusion to the Chinese government's goal of making a harmonious society. But then that started being censored, so people started saying 'rivercrab' because it sounded similar; it was one tone off. Then that started being censored, so people started saying 'aquatic product'. It's alarming that the censorship exists, but it's beautiful that humans are always able to find ways to say what they want to say. Do you see algospeak evolving into a sort of digital pidgin or could it vanish as content moderation tools get smarter? We're always going to be one step ahead of artificial intelligence (AI). I believe that because AI has a biased representation of what language is. Language is constantly being changed and updated and you can't possibly have AI catch on to that. There's a lot of stuff with context that only humans can get. I think humans are resilient at finding ways to say what they want to say.

How Lebo M's former ballroom dance mate became the author of his ‘Nants'Ingonyama' autobiography
How Lebo M's former ballroom dance mate became the author of his ‘Nants'Ingonyama' autobiography

The Citizen

time3 days ago

  • The Citizen

How Lebo M's former ballroom dance mate became the author of his ‘Nants'Ingonyama' autobiography

Lebo M's book is titled Nanst'Ingonyama, a phrase that the world first heard at the beginning of the Lion King movie. 'I don't know how many biographers I've fired all over the world to finally have a biography that is coming out,' shared renowned music producer Lebo M about the launch of his book. Titled Nanst'Ingonyama, the iconic phrase that the world first heard at the beginning of The Lion King movie, the book is written by South African-born author and playwright Soentjie Xavier. ALSO READ: Lebo M says there's nothing to celebrate about what government has done for the creative industry in 30 years of democracy Ballroom dance mates Lebo M and Xavier met as youngsters at the Tladi Youth Club ballroom dance in Soweto, around the ages of seven and eight. The two reconnected a few years ago when Lebo was performing in Portugal, where Xavier is based. 'She sent me this thing and I read it. For some reason, I had this natural instinct that God or the universe has presented the ultimate person to tell, not my story, but the journey of Lebo M, who starts as Lebohang Morake, who comes from Soweto,' said Lebo. A copy of Lebo M's book, Nanst'Ingonyam. Picture: Supplied The Grammy award-winning artist was speaking at the launch of the Dreamer and the Dream exhibition, a walk-through of Lebo M's 60 years, captured in images. Lebo said there was a book that Disney had backed, which was complete, but didn't hit the right notes with him. 'Disney was issuing a book about Lebo M, and I read it and I shut it down. It was 'this kid comes from South Africa, lives in LA and becomes a star', you know.' Xavier read an excerpt from the book on the night. The release date of the book is yet to be announced. ALSO READ: Lebo M celebrated ahead of first concert in SA on Good Friday Making it to the Hollywood Bowl Lebo M said his dream came true last year when he celebrated three decades of The Lion King by performing at the Hollywood Bowl. 'I grew up in Los Angeles and I used to drive a taxi in Los Angles. I would park my cab while big shows are happening. I'd just sit there and dream and imagine one day that I'm gonna be inside the Bowl, imagine, one day, I'm gonna play the Hollywood Bowl. That happened to me last year for the first time,' shared Lebo. Most of the images in the Dreamer and the Dream exhibition were taken by Lebo M's official photographer, Blaq Smith. 'We've seen the world. We've been everywhere and back, and it's been a fruitful journey — I'd like to believe,' said the photographer. Wall to wall: Images of Lebo with Dr John Kani and another image with US film producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Pictures: Supplied. The images feature Lebo M alongside some of the world's biggest names. The photos range from Prince William to one with singer and actor Jennifer Hudson. 'All these images were handpicked, and these were the most remarkable moments that I managed to capture of Unc. My favourite is actually that one,' said Smith, pointing at the shot of Lebo M with Kim Kardashian and her daughter, North West. Brotherhood: Blaq Smith and Lebo M. Picture: Supplied. Sharing a story about Blaq Smith's favourite photo, Lebo M said he was impressed by Smith's fearlessness. 'Just before my change of clothes, Smith comes and says, 'Unc, you gotta stay', he instructs me. He said, 'Kim, come this way', and I turn around and it's Kim… We've interacted before [with Kim], but I just loved his confidence. I loved how he said we're taking this picture now,' shared Lebo. 'Being talented and having the eye to really capture moments is quite special,' Lebo M said of the South African photographer. NOW READ: Sbongiseni Shezi: 'These are answered prayers but they don't look the way that I anticipated'

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