Latest news with #Pagan
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
‘The riskier it is, the more amazed people are': Can you do the Nicki Minaj TikTok challenge?
NEW YORK – If you have a few seconds, social media has a new exercise for you to try. First, do a single-legged squat and cross the other leg over. Then try that in the highest pair of heels you can find. Once you have that figured out, do the same pose, in those heels, on top of two cooking pots stacked on the kitchen counter – or on top of the monkey bars at a playground jungle gym or on top of a single soda can. The pretzel-like pose is called the Nicki Minaj because – in what feels like ancient history by social media standards – the Trinidadian rapper and singer did it beside a swimming pool in the music video for her 2013 track High School. A clip from that video has resurfaced on TikTok in the past week, seemingly at random, and has taken on a life of its own as users have tried to recreate the pose in increasingly precarious locations, while challenging one another to come up with more difficult versions. The hashtag #nickiminajchallenge has been viewed more than 1.3 billion times. Rapper Nicki Minaj at the 2025 Met Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, on May 5. PHOTO: AFP And the challenge has drawn celebrity participants, such as American comedian Christina Kirkman (balancing on a cooking pot and a can of soup) and American singer Ciara (balancing on a stack of dumbbells). Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole backfilled; road to be repaved after LTA tests Singapore MRT platform screen doors at 15 underground stations to undergo renewal Singapore 'Medium risk' of severe haze as higher agricultural prices drive deforestation: S'pore researchers Singapore Jail for former pre-school teacher who tripped toddler repeatedly, causing child to bleed from nose Singapore Police statements by doctor in fake vaccine case involving Iris Koh allowed in court: Judge Singapore Authorities say access to Changi intertidal areas unaffected by reclamation, in response to petition Singapore No change to SIA flights between S'pore and Cambodia, S'pore and Thailand, amid border dispute Singapore Not feasible for S'pore to avoid net‑zero; all options to cut energy emissions on table: Tan See Leng 'The idea is, how could we make this tougher? How could we make this more tricky?' said Ms Francesca Pagan, 27, who posted a video of herself doing the Nicki on top of three books, one cooking pot and an aluminium can while balancing a book on her head. 'The riskier it is, the more amazed people are.' It is also essential to look calm and collected while doing the pose. Having done gymnastics and cheerleading as a kid certainly helped, Ms Pagan added. 'I'm not going to say I recommend everyone do it because that's just in bad faith,' she said. 'I think you have to have a certain level of confidence in your ability to balance.' Some commenters questioned whether her version of the pose was real, Ms Pagan said, because of its difficulty. So, she posted bloopers showing her losing her balance and the book falling off her head. She then posted a second video of the Nicki, in which she posed on top of even more stacked pots. For some, the challenge has become a way to showcase their businesses or passions. A video posted on Fenty Beauty's account, for example, features a woman doing the Nicki on top of a stack of the cosmetic brand's products in a Sephora store. Mothers shown perched atop a stack of toys, surrounded by their tumbling children, seem to project uncanny calmness amid the chaos of parenting. Professional circus artist Brianna Kalisch received a message from her friend a few days ago. 'He was like, 'You should do this,'' she said. Until participating in the challenge, TikTok videos of her bottle walking and balancing feats, which had once been flagged as 'dangerous activities', had not gained much traction on the platform, Ms Kalisch said. But she thought she would give the Nicki a shot anyway. She created a pyramid of 12 champagne bottles, climbed on top, and then assumed the pose. Her sister handed her another bottle that she placed on her head. In two days, the video received more than two million views. 'I actually tried juggling,' Ms Kalisch said, 'but my knees were in the way. It didn't work.' NYTIMES
New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Can You Do the Nicki Minaj?
If you have a few seconds, social media has a new exercise for you to try. First, do a single-legged squat and cross the other leg over. Then try that in the highest pair of heels you can find. Once you have that figured out, do the same pose, in those heels, on top of two cooking pots stacked on the kitchen counter, or on top of the monkey bars at a playground jungle gym, or on top of a single soda can. The pretzel-like pose is called the Nicki Minaj because — in what feels like ancient history by social media standards — the rapper and singer did it beside a swimming pool in the music video for her 2013 track, 'High School.' A clip from that video has resurfaced on TikTok in the last week, seemingly at random, and has taken on a life of its own as users have tried to recreate the pose in increasingly precarious locations, while challenging each other to come up with more difficult versions. The hashtag #nickiminajchallenge has been viewed more than 1.3 billion times. And the challenge has drawn in celebrity participants, such as the comedian Christina Kirkman (balancing on a cooking pot and a can of soup) and the singer Ciara (balancing on a stack of dumbbells). 'The idea is how could we make this tougher? How could we make this more tricky?' said Francesca Pagan, 27, who posted a video of herself doing the Nicki on top of three books, one cooking pot and an aluminum can while balancing a book on her head. 'The riskier it is, the more amazed people are.' It is also essential to look calm and collected while doing the pose. Having done gymnastics and cheerleading as a kid certainly helped, Ms. Pagan added. 'I'm not going to say I recommend everyone do it, because that's just in bad faith,' she said. 'I think you have to have a certain level of confidence in your ability to balance.' Some commenters questioned whether her version of the pose was real, Ms. Pagan said, because of its difficulty. So she posted bloopers showing her losing her balance and the book falling off her head. She then posted a second video of the Nicki, in which she posed on top of even more stacked pots. For some, the challenge has become a way to showcase their businesses or passions. A video posted on Fenty Beauty's account, for example, features a woman doing the Nicki on top of a stack of the brand's products in a Sephora store. Mothers shown perched on atop a stack of toys, surrounded by their tumbling children, seem to project uncanny calmness amid the chaos of parenting. Brianna Kalisch, a professional circus artist, received a message from her friend a few days ago. 'He was like, 'you should do this,'' she said. Until participating in the challenge, TikTok videos of her bottle walking and balancing feats, which had once been flagged as 'dangerous activities,' hadn't gained much traction on the platform, Ms. Kalisch said. But she thought she'd give the Nicki a shot anyway. She created a pyramid of 12 champagne bottles, climbed on top, and then assumed the pose. Her sister handed her another bottle that she placed on her head. In two days, the video received more than two million views. 'I actually tried juggling,' Ms. Kalisch said, 'but my knees were in the way. It didn't work.'
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Countdown is on to Ireland's oldest and most unique festival Kerry's Puck Fair
Puck Fair, which runs annually on August 10th, 11th and 12th, can trace its roots back to the ancient Pagan festival of Lughnasa. Among the most well-known traditions of the festival is the crowning of a mountain goat as 'King Puck' each year, his coronation being officiated by the Queen of Puck, a local schoolgirl. This year the honour goes to Robyn O'Shea, pupil at Scoil Réalt na Mara in neighbouring Cromane. 'I have had a lifelong love for the history of Puck Fair and have enjoyed celebrating the festival with my family and friends down through the years. It's the atmosphere that grips me the most, with the town coming alive and celebrating amidst all the music playing and the traditions. I am looking forward to welcoming all those to the town who decide to come home to celebrate with us and also all those who come to visit to experience first hand what this great festival has to offer.' Speaking at the festival's launch, newly elected Kerry TD, Michael Cahill said that he is absolutely delighted to launch Puck Fair 2025. 'Puck Fair, Aonach an Phoic has been celebrated for hundreds of years in this fantastic part of Kerry, where I come from, people set their calendars by Puck. All other events happen either before or after Puck, that is the importance of it,' said Deputy Cahill. "Thousands of people arrive in Killorglin from every corner of the Globe every 10th, 11th and 12th of August annually, much thanks goes to the fantastic work put in by the local organising committee, in cooperation with An Garda Síochána.' Chairperson of the organising committee, Declan Falvey, highlighted the importance of the festival to the town 'Puck Fair is Ireland's oldest festival, and one of the most anticipated events in the Killorglin calendar annually. This year, as always, we have a stellar line up of musicians and activities, so look forward to welcoming crowds from far and wide to Killorglin over the three days of the festival.' This year's festival will also include a fantastic line-up of Irish talent, with musical acts and performances which will cater to audiences of all tastes and ages. Headline acts for this year's festival, which are all free to attend, include the supercharged musical act, The Fogues, the Celtic Irish Rock group Erin's Fury, the long established South West of Ireland Group Truly Diverse, and Jack Keogh. The full list of events for the festival is at
Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Kamal Haasan ‘hates it' when daughter Shruti reveals he doesn't believe in God, would kick her out if she discussed astrology with him
Shruti Haasan spoke about her belief in astrology, and said that her father doesn't tolerate conversations around it. She also admitted that she is a practitioner of the Wiccan religion, which involves witchcraft. 'We are the granddaughters of the witches you couldn't burn,' she said in a new interview, revealing that her illustrious father 'hates it' when she publicly speaks about the atheist household she grew up in. Shruti said that art is the only religion that Kamal believes in. Appearing on Ranveer Allahbadia's podcast, she said that her household was filled with 'creativity and chaos' when she was growing up. While she was surrounded by atheism, she found spirituality later in life. She said that her father allowed her to pursue her beliefs without interfering in her journey. 'We grew up in an atheist home; a non-religious home. My dad hates it when I say this, but we didn't have God at home. None of that stuff that other homes have. It's so alien, the concept of religion and God,' she said. Also read – Shruti Haasan says she went from traveling in Mercedes to taking a Mumbai local after parents Kamal Haasan-Sarika's divorce She continued, 'Somewhere, in my child brain, I knew art was God. Every day of the week would be devoted to artistic endeavors.' Shruti said that her father is 'emotionally esoteric', which helps him as an actor, but he's 'extremely pragmatic' on a day-to-day level. 'He can gauge people better than therapists, because he's been acting since four, so has my mom… He has become more relaxed as a human being; now, with age, he has become more mellow,' she said. While Shruti admitted that her parents' diverse interests influenced her, her father would draw the line at some topics. 'If you went and said astrology to me dad, he'd be like, 'Get out'.' Shruti said that she is a believer in the transference of feminine power through generations, which is what drew her to nature-based religions such as Paganism and Wiccan. 'I think it has something to do with the matriarchal line of my family. It's the women ancestors before me, and I can seriously feel that, which is why I moved towards Wicca and Pagan worship. There was this beautiful saying, 'We are the granddaughters of the witches you couldn't burn', and I love that. I feel the bloodline of my female ancestors,' she said. In the same interview, Shruti said that she feels for her 'poor father', who has witnessed her rebelliousness from a young age, but has never stopped her from doing what she wants. 'He hates tattoos,' she said, revealing she has five. Shruti also spoke about her fascination with astrology, and said that the last year was terrible for everybody on planet Earth.
The Herald Scotland
10-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Patrick Bailey hits inside-the-park walk-off home run in Giants win
Take a look at this thrilling play: A leadoff double by Casey Schmitt followed by a single by Wilmer Flores set the stage for Bailey's dramatic heroics, which delivered a 4-3 victory. The win was the Giants' fourth straight, lifting the team's record to 51-42, good for second in the NL West and just five games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have lost five straight. Bailey's walk-off inside-the-parker was reminiscent of one hit by the Giants' Angel Pagan in the same ballpark in 2013. Pagan hit his walk-off home run in the 10th inning against the Colorado Rockies. Pagan's batted ball took a similar trajectory as Bailey's hit, bouncing off the right-center field wall and rolling down the warning track as outfielders gave chase after the unexpected bounce. The most recent walk-off inside-the-park home run happened on Aug. 19, 2016, when Cleveland's Tyler Naquin hit one against the Toronto Blue Jays. The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.
