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Buzz Feed
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
45 Father's Day Gifts Everyone Will Wish They Bought
A ~dazzling~ decanter and glasses set if they're a big fan of whiskey and would love to make their bar cart look *extra* fabulous. It comes with a sleek decanter and two matching tumbler glasses so they can get their drink on in style! A foldable 3-in-1 wireless charging station that'll quickly juice up all their gadgets at the same time! And it just looks super cool, TBH. It's super lightweight so it's perfect for travel, especially if they wanna cut down on how many cords and chargers they have to lug around. A towel warmer because they deserve a hot towel waiting for them as soon as they step out of the shower. This thing is about to take the meaning of 'warm and fuzzy' to a whole new level. It can heat two oversized towels in under a minute and will automatically shut off after an hour. Lightsaber chopsticks — let's face it, we all have that one dad in our life who'd love to use ~The Force~ to master these utensils. They glow *and* grip onto sushi and noodles so well, they'll want to use them for every meal! A very cool and challenging 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle if they like to be kept on their toes. They'll also feel *very* accomplished when they step back to admire the finished Lego-esque creation. And this rotating puzzle table to ensure they have a solid surface to do puzzles on! It spins, so they won't have to strain and reach across the table to fill in that corner piece! There are six drawers where they can store unused puzzle pieces until the next time they work on it. A comfy pair of Bose wireless noise-canceling headphones with up to 24 hours of battery life if the audiophile in your life could use a break that involves some solo time and a soothing playlist or podcast of their choosing. It has three listening modes, a built-in mic, and touch controls on the ear cups for adjusting volume, skipping tracks, and answering calls. A Gillette heated razor kit so they no longer have to dread their grooming routine. It's fully waterproof with an adjustable temperature setting so it'll feel like they're being pampered with a hot towel shave. It also comes with a magnetic charging deck and two cartridge refills! A 44-piece Thor Hammer Tool Set they'll reach for just fun *and* when they need to fix something around the house. It includes a hammer (duh!), tape measure, screwdriver, wrench, utility knife, etc. This mighty Mjölnir tool set will put all other toolboxes to shame, that's for sure. Murdle, Volume 1 — a compilation of murder mystery–themed logic puzzles from the creator of Murdle, which is a daily puzzle site similar to Wordle but with a heaping side of murder mystery fun! They'll use deductive (and detective) skills to solve the puzzle with the provided clues and nab the perp. It has four levels of difficulty to keep 'em on their toes. A brilliant beer dispenser to transform their fave bottle or canned beverage into a nitro-style draft beer that's overflowing with a rich, creamy foam! If they're not already a beer snob, they're about to become one. A personalized serving tray for that special dad in your life who absolutely *loves* to entertain. This'll add a unique personal touch to all the goodies they make for parties. Prepare for all their guests to swoon over it and ask, "Where did you get that?!" An acrylic vinyl holder that'll help keep their extensive record collection nicely organized. Their fave album will always be within reach *and* they'll get tons of compliments on their impeccable music taste. A deep tissue massage gun so you can show 'em how much you care about their well-being. It has five massage heads and five speeds for targeting their arms, back, and legs to help reduce tightness. It can also help with recovery if they've been hitting the gym hard lately. Or a heated eye massager when they suffer from migraines and eye pain and would benefit from a lil' TLC. It has various modes for a personalized experience — they can combine heat, massage, and compression, or they can be used individually. It also has a 15-minute timer and can play music via Bluetooth. Relaxation mode: activated. A splurge-worthy Ooni outdoor pizza oven because wood-fired pizza heaven is a real place and Dad is about to teleport there. This portable, tabletop oven is perfect for backyard entertaining and cooks drool-worthy 'za in literally 60 seconds. What more could they need?? Good luck convincing them that no, it's not acceptable to eat pizza for all three meals. Or this restaurant-style pizza stone, aka a one-way ticket to a mouth-watering ~slice~ of heaven they'll never grow tired of. This baking stone absorbs moisture while it cooks so the crust comes out perfectly crispy! The Book of Unusual Knowledge — it's filled with a heap of random, interesting facts they'll be eager to impress all their guests with the next time they host a game night! Get ready to be fascinated with facts about peculiar sporting events, Hollywood urban legends, and even presidential pets. A Shea Moisture beard grooming kit perfect for dads who take immense pride in their facial hair. It's a four-piece set that'll help soften and condition their beard! Plus, it'll nourish and moisturize their skin with shea butter, argan oil, maracuja oil, and vitamins A, E, and F. A durable outdoor blanket if they're the outdoorsy type and would prefer to spend their night under the stars. Now they'll *actually* be comfy when doing so! It's way better than a flimsy sleeping bag. And this heavy-duty camping hammock because is any camping trip really complete without one? It comes with everything they need to set it up and can easily be attached to some trees or even their car, according to one reviewer! Shredder claws to save them a whooole lotta time and have their meat perfectly shredded in a matter of minutes. When they're done, it'll look like an Edward Scissorhands masterpiece that's ready to be devoured! A spacious Carhartt insulated lunch bag — this thing can keep their snacks and drinks cool for several hours. It's big enough to hold a six-pack of beer and has a separate top compartment that's insulated for extra storage! A HyperX gaming keyboard that has a customizable rainbow backlight so all other keyboards pale in comparison for the rest of eternity. If gaming is their favorite way to unwind, this gift will be an instant hit! A set of magnetic lights with flexible goosenecks because who said they can't indulge in burgers and hot dogs after dark? This will ~light up~ the grill so they can actually see what they're doing. No assembly required because magnets!!! A waterproof Bluetooth speaker so they don't have to pause their riveting true crime podcast just to take a shower. Store this gadget in the bathroom and they can listen while washing! It also offers up to 10 hours of battery life and has a built-in carabiner, which makes it the perfect outdoor companion. A miniature Stanley tape measurer keychain to ensure dad is always prepared to take important measurements, which will def come in handy the next time they're at Home Depot! This is suuuper tiny and will fit on their keychain without taking up a ton of space. An inflatable lounger because they deserve to kick back and relax wherever they feel like it — in the backyard, at their fave campsite, or on the beach. They don't even have to bother with a hand pump, it just has to be whisked in the air to inflate. Genius! It will stay inflated for up to five hours and comes with a convenient carrying bag. A fishing rod holder rack that'll bring some much-needed order to their massive rod collection. It attaches right to the back of the garage door and can hold up to six rods, so they'll stay organized *and* save room for other stuff. A rocks glass with a map of their favorite city if they'd love nothing more than to sip their fave beverage from a glass that also happens to remind them of their fave place in the world. They'll be talking about this gift for years to come! A PlayStation 5 wall mount, a dream come true for gamer dads who could benefit from some organization for their beloved console. You know the rectangular device that sits on the floor collecting dust under their TV? It'll look so much nicer displayed on the wall! LED flashlight gloves, which will truly make everyone say, "Why didn't I think of that?" as soon as dad opens it. If he's known for being Mr. Fix It, these gloves will come in ~handy~ time and time again. A collection of The Amazing Spider-Man comics by legends Stan Lee and Steve Ditko! It contains 12 key stories from the first two years of Spider-Man's published comics. You simply will not find a better gift for die-hard Marvel fans. A gorgeous wood-burning fire pit made of durable rust-resistant steel, which will bring an outdoor camping experience right to their backyard. They're bound to become the designated host for all future gatherings. Make sure everyone comes prepared to share their scariest ghost stories! OR! A tabletop s'mores firepit if they're dreaming of the day when they have enough outdoor space for a real fire pit to enjoy — until then, this is the next best thing. It'll make an eye-catching centerpiece on their table, and it even comes with marshmallow roasting sticks for a fun s'mores night. Plus, the burn time lasts for an hour! A History Channel trivia game when they live and breathe all things history *and* it happens to be their favorite channel to watch, too. It contains over 2,000 trivia question spanning a variety of categories, like arts and culture, science and technology, geography and landmarks, and more. Name a better gift for history buffs. I'll wait! Versace cologne, which smells like luxury in a 3.4-ounce bottle so they'll be ~hypnotized~ by their super smooth new scent. The woody, spicy aroma gives off expensive vibes that'll make them think you spent a fortune. A SipCaddy beer holder so they can redefine their go-to phrase, "hold my beer" forever. Plus, they won't have to worry about their drink falling into the tub! Crisis averted. An Adventure Challenge book if pops would prefer an experience over a tangible gift. The whole fam can join in on the fun, too. It includes 50 scratch-off activities so everyone can participate while making long-lasting memories. A fancy Nespresso Aeroccino milk frother that'll make their at-home coffee more appealing. This uses a simple one-touch operation to deliver the creamy milk foam of their dreams — even if they use non-dairy milk! It can quickly heat up milk to between 160 and 170 degrees and has an auto shut-off feature. The Sopranos Family Cookbook to help Dad commemorate their most re-watched show with some juicy Italian recipes that Tony Soprano himself would be impressed by. You may just get lucky and reap some of the scrumptious benefits of this gift, too. A racetrack T-shirt for dads who wanna take a load off while still technically spending some quality time playing with the little ones. This is one of those silly lil' gifts everyone in the house will be endlessly entertained by! A heavy-duty Yeti cooler so they never have to leave ice-cold beverages behind when heading out to explore. Whether they're a fan of camping, fishing, hiking, or all of the above, this will keep their drinks chilled all day long. Brightland's Duo olive oil set, which will magically upgrade any meal they make with high-quality oils. These are perfect for roasting, sautéing, soups, stews, bread, salads, hummus, and more. A portable espresso maker because they should be able to sip a fresh cup of the good stuff even when they're on the go. Travelers who hike, camp, and attend festivals will love this thing! No batteries or electricity needed — they just add ground coffee, add hot water, then unlock the piston and dispense their hot, delicious espresso into the cap.
Metro
08-05-2025
- Health
- Metro
Woman quit over results of ‘which Star Wars character are you?' personality quiz
A woman has been handed nearly £30,000 after she was compared to Darth Vader in a team building exercise. Lorna Rooke, an NHS blood donation worker, was told she had the personality of a Sith Lord by colleague Amanda Harber. Amanda had taken a Star Wars -themed Myers-Brigg psychology quiz on Lorna's behalf because she was out of the room on a call and told everyone the result. The quiz sorted people into 16 categories based on several factors including: introversion intuition decision making worldy perception Darth Vader was described as a 'very focused individual' who brought people together. However, Lorna said the result made her feel unpopular as she didn't like being compared to Darth Vader who is half-human, half-machine, and uses the dark side of The Force in pursuit of building his galaxy empire. She cited the comparison as one of the reasons why she resigned a month later. Employment judge Kathryn Ramsden agreed with her, saying the comparison was upsetting. She added that it was 'little wonder' that Lorna was upset. She said: 'Darth Vader is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting.' The tribunal found that her resignation was as a result of the comparison, but did accept the incident had been detrimental to her. As a result she was awarded £28,989.61 in compensation. Three other claims of unfair dismissal, discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments were rejected by the panel. However, her claims for unfair dismissal, disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments were thrown out. NHS blood and Transplant has been contacted for comment. check our news page.
Forbes
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Big Weekend Of Free Games For Star Wars Fans
May the fourth is always a big date in the calendar for Star Wars devotees. This year, the games stores are fueling the celebrations with a selection of free games for fans of The Force. Amazon Prime Gaming is giving away two free Star Wars games for the PC this month: Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga and Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga. These game are free to download and keep for anyone with an Amazon Prime subscription. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is now a vintage title, released back in 2009, but it's still a belter. It has a 96% rating on Steam. The game basically sees you fight your way through dozens of familiar scenes from the Star Wars movies, switching between characters to solve puzzles and swish your way through waves of enemies. I installed the game on my Steam Deck yesterday, and it's perfect for the handheld console. Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga is an even older title, harking all the way back to 2001. It's a real-time strategy game where you can play as the Empire, the Rebel Alliance, Wookies or other tribes, each with unique units. If we're being honest, the graphics are more than showing their age, but it was a much-liked game of its day (92% rating on Steam) and is a real nostalgia trip. Both of the free Star Wars games on Prime are activated via so you'll need to set up a (free) account there too if you don't already have one. You may see a warning when you activate the games that 'Due to high demand, your game might take a little longer to appear in your Owned Games section, but don't worry — it'll be there shortly!' In my tests, it took a few hours for the games to appear, so don't worry if they fail to arrive immediately. Over at Epic Games, there's a huge deal of Star Wars activity. Fortnite yesterday released Galactic Battle, a new Star Wars-themed battle royale map where you're charged with driving back an Imperial invasion. The game includes familiar weapons and vehicles, such as lightsabers, DL-44 blaster pistols, Imperial TIE fighters and the X-Wing. New characters are due to be unveiled as the month unfolds, with Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia arriving on May 8, and Chewbacca dropping on May 15, amongst others. If you connect your Epic and My Disney accounts, you can also collect a free Stormtrooper outfit for Fortnite. Epic is also rumored to be dropping a free Star Wars game this week, most likely on May 4 itself. It's not been confirmed what the title is, but a title from the Star Wars: Jedi series is the hot favorite. Meanwhile, lots of games stores are backing the Jedi holiday season with chunky discounts on Star Wars games. Star Wars Jedi Survivor is down by 80% on Steam to $13.99, Star Wars Outlaws has 50% off at $34.99 and Battlefront II is 80% off at $7.99, among a huge range of discounts. The Epic Games Store has many of the same titles on sale too, with varying degrees of discounts. Among the offers here are Star Wars Pinball Collection 1 and 2, both $8.99, and The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu, which is down 30% to $13.99.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
In Pictures: Star Wars fans celebrate in Japan as new film announced
The Force was with many Star Wars fan in Japan at an event where Lucasfilm announced that the next instalment in the franchise will hit theatres in May 2027. Appearing on stage before a lightsaber-waving crowd at Makuhari Messe centre outside Tokyo, Ryan Gosling showed a photo of his childhood bedsheets, plastered with illustrations from the space epic created by George Lucas. 'I guess I was dreaming about Star Wars, even before I saw the film,' Gosling said. Only the title was shown on a giant screen, although that was enough for the crowd to burst into cheers. The event, called Star Wars Celebration, which runs through Sunday, is full of Star Wars-themed merchandise including T-shirts, toys, books, manga comics, AC chargers, cellphone covers, autographs, posters and more.
Los Angeles Times
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Column: The TV ad is a dying art. This year's Super Bowl proved it
Has video killed the Super Bowl ad? If ever there were a Super Bowl that needed a bunch of surprising, cool and smartly written commercials, it was Super Bowl LIX. As Philadelphia systematically destroyed Kansas City, Eagles fans were no doubt too… ebullient to pay much attention to the ads, while Chiefs supporters no doubt spent the commercial breaks bargaining with God or dousing themselves with Arthur Bryant BBQ sauce for luck. For the rest of us, well, let's just say it would have been nice to find some distraction from a really funny and/or powerful ad or two. Alas, it was not to be. With a few notable exceptions — Nike's 'So Win' spot, which pushed back against the 'no win' situation in which female athletes are often trapped, was terrific, as was Kieran Culkin's sassy voice work as a beluga whale for Nerdwallet — this year's Super Bowl commercials did not live up to the hype. And that hype may be part of the problem. In the last two decades, Super Bowl commercials have taken on a life of their own, competing for next-day water-cooler/internet anointment as fiercely as the two teams taking the field. Long before Taylor Swift began dating Travis Kelce, these spots became a way of drawing in non-football fans: Get snacks and go to the bathroom during the game, come back to catch the debut of the most expensive, and occasionally most creative, commercials on television. Increasingly, however, it is not their debut. After the phenomenal success of Volkswagen's 2011 'Star Wars' themed spot 'The Force,' advertisers began dropping their Super Bowl ads before the big game. Media outlets, which already offered 'reviews' of the spots, began providing 'sneak peaks' and early best/worst rankings or lists of who/what to watch for. This year, you didn't have to watch Super Bowl LIX to see Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal revisit their famous deli scene from 'When Harry Met Sally' for Hellman's Mayonnaise, or watch Catherine O'Hara and Willem Dafoe emerge as pickle ball champions for Michelob Ultra or even catch the cross-over Matt Damon/Ben Affleck joke between Dunkin' and Stella Artois. But the advertisers, it seems, have begun to believe their own publicity. As if the fact that they had nabbed a Super Bowl spot (or two) and a few famous faces guaranteed success. Trapped by the uncertainties of an election year, many of the ads settled in the safe space of nostalgia. In addition to Ryan and Crystal's throwback for Hellman's, Seal (as an actual and rather frightening seal) sang a modified version of his 1994 hit 'Kiss From a Rose' for Mountain Dew's Baja Blast; Instacart unleashed Mr. Clean, the Jolly Green Giant and the Kool-aid pitcher; and 11 years after they starred in the first season of 'True Detective,' Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson re-united for Agentforce. Watching the ads play out in their intended habitat — the Super Bowl — it was difficult not to wish that the advertisers had taken their own messaging to heart. That, as in the good old days, they had worried less about multi-platform promotion of the commercial and more about making the commercial good and memorable. Surprise certainly would have helped, particularly for the more unusual offerings — Barry Keoghan going full 'Banshees of Inisherin' while pitching laptops at unsuspecting Irish folk for Squarespace, Jeremy Strong 'getting into character' but submerging himself in a barrel full of wet coffee beans for Dunkin' — but in the end most of the spots, which sold for an average of $8 million, relied on famous faces over clever conceits and sharp writing. (Both Seal's Mountain Dew ad and CoffeeMate's Cold Foam spot, which featured a contorting life-sized human tongue, no doubt seemed funnier and less disturbing in the pitch meeting.) There were so many stars — including, in addition to those mentioned above, Walton Goggins, Kevin Costner, Harrison Ford, Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, Issa Rae, Glen Powell, Adam Brody, Greta Gerwig, Nate Bargatze, Aubrey Plaza, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny, and Bill Murray — that they quickly ceased to make an impact. Martha Stewart showed up twice (for Sketchers and Uber Eats), as did McConaughey (for Uber Eats and Agentforce), though 'Schitt's Creek' was the clear winner of the Super Bowl ad war. In addition to O'Hara for Michelob Ultra, Eugene Levy and Sarah Levy showed up for Little Caesar's and Dan Levy appeared for (Culkin and Strong, both Oscar nominees, made 'Succession' a healthy second.) Perhaps ironically, then, many of the most powerful ads were those without Hollywood A-listers: the NFL's spots celebrating youth organizations and supporting women's flag football; Dove's 'These Legs' campaign for body positivity among girls and women; paean to home and home ownership and, of course, Budweiser's annual Clydesdale-centric spot, this one featuring the little foal that could, all connected on an emotional level. The rest mostly fell flat, at least in Super Bowl terms. Most of them weren't bad, they just weren't all that special. No Jeep 'Groundhog Day' or 'Alexa Loses Her Voice,' never mind Pepsi's iconic 'The Showdown,' in which Larry Bird and Michael Jordan shoot hoops. No doubt those who paid millions for Super Bowl spots will consider it money well-spent. With linear television at an all-time low, the Super Bowl, with its average annual viewership of 100 million, is literally the biggest game in town. And with the steady collapse of broadcast networks, the television commercial is, in many ways, a dying art. (Whether the streamers will revive it in any meaningful way remains to be seen.) So perhaps it is an issue of unrealistic expectations. As the digital multitudes, professional and amateur, turn social media into a never-ending carousel of promotion, advertising, or at least the art form it became in the latter part of the 20th century, has become as splintered as the platforms on which it used to run. It's tough to remember the days in which 'Got Milk,' celebrity-studded American Express ads or the 'Mac vs. PC' campaign were touchstones of the cultural conversation, the viral Tik Toks of days gone by. Still, it's disappointing that, given the rare (and expensive) opportunity of the Super Bowl, no company managed to break through with an ad that people will be talking about for days. Instead we are left only with the game — and it wasn't exactly one for the record books.
