Month: July 2019

There’s a new viral challenge sweeping the internet, and it’s actually tougher than it looks. 

The so-called #bottlecapchallenge has a deceptively simple set-up. All you need is a long-necked glass or plastic bottle with a screw top. 

The trick is to ever-so-gently spin the cap off by touching it with the tip of your foot… while throwing a spinning back kick. No big deal, right? But for those without any serious martial arts training, it’s definitely easier said than done. 

Men’s Health notes that the trend appears to have first gained pickup when ACRONYM designer Errolson Hugh posted his successful attempt and passed the torch to UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway. 

Holloway’s execution was practically perfect, of course, and he nominated John Mayer. Apparently, the singer-songwriter (and Dead and Co. frontman) understands a thing or two about kicking range.   

Mayer then tagged Jason Statham. The Hobbes and Shaw star proved that he can back up his on-screen hand-to-hand combat skills by acing the challenge.  

Statham called out Aladdin director Guy Ritchie and retired MMA fighter James Moontasri, both of whom made it look easy. Moontasri even did it while holding a dog. 

Conor McGregor also got in on the action. The UFC superstar congratulated Statham on his “excellent job” and posted his rendition, in which he shamelessly holds a bottle of his Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey. 

McGregor dared none other than Floyd Mayweather to take on the #bottlecapchallenge next. 

Maybe we’ll finally get to see if “Money” can kick as artfully as he can throw hands. 

Netflix released a trailer for the upcoming new episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, the Jerry Seinfeld-hosted series that pairs exotic automobiles alongside Seinfeld-style diner chats with his fellow comics.

Netflix acquired the former Crackle network show in 2017, so you can stream all of the past episodes now, but the latest batch are set to hit Netflix later this month. Upcoming guests include Eddie Murphy, Seth Rogen, Ricky Gervais, Matthew Broderick, Bridget Everett, Melissa Villaseñor, and Martin Short.

Watch the new trailer above, in which Seinfeld zings the various shows that have copied his show’s automotive-theme, James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke among them; drives Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royces and other exotic cars; and pointedly asks Rogen why he has a beard. (Rogen’s answer: “Because it changes the shape of my face.”)

New episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee hit Netflix on July 19.

For obvious reasons, Chanel Couture shows are always a magnet for celebrities and some of the fashion world’s most stylish It girls. Show attendees jump at the chance to deck themselves out in Chanel, and today’s F/W 19 showing was no exception. Anna Wintour is a front-row fixture at every Chanel show, including today’s (which marked the first couture show for the label’s new creative director, Virginie Viard). For the occasion, Wintour wore her usual printed dress and nude sandals, but she subtly added a piece she doesn’t normally wear to shows: a white T-shirt. Wintour layered the tee under her shirtdress and, of course, wasn’t without her usual statement necklaces and sunglasses. It was undoubtedly the least-sloppy way to wear a white T-shirt and proves it will always be the number one wardrobe staple.

Scroll on to see how Wintour styled a tee for today’s Chanel Couture show and what the rest of the celebrity and fashion-insider attendees wore.

Next up, 10 things you didn’t know about Chanel.

Opening Image: Splash News

Colin Kaepernick and the Flag are in the news again, but not in the way you might think. 

Kaepernick, a Nike athlete, objected to a new Air Max sporting the so-called “Betsy Ross” version of the American flag. Now Nike is reportedly removing that shoe from stores and has taken it offline without explanation, and in retaliation the state of Arizona is removing financial incentives it was set to offer the athletic wear giant to open a factory there.

Kaepernick famously became the face of Nike’s “Just Do It” 30th anniversary campaign in 2018. The ads featured the former 49ers QB, who hasn’t worked in the NFL since he began protesting racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem.

The “Betsy Ross” flag, which features stars in a circle representing the original colonies, was long considered the original American flag, though modern historians have disputed the story behind its creation. But inaccurate history isn’t the problem, as the Wall Street Journal reports.

For one thing, sources familiar with the situation tell the WSJ that Kaepernick “reached out to company officials saying that he and others felt the Betsy Ross flag is an offensive symbol because of its connection to an era of slavery.” And Kaepernick is also far from the first person to make note of issues attached to this symbol:

In 2016, the superintendent of a Michigan school district apologized after students waved the Betsy Ross flag at a high-school football game, saying that for some it is a symbol of white supremacy and nationalism, according to Mlive.com, a local news outlet.

While the flag’s use isn’t widespread, the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said at the time that it has been appropriated by some extremist groups opposed to America’s increasing diversity.

Naturally, this was an immediately polarizing issue, and one of the most visible responses came from the Republican governor of Arizona, Doug Ducey, who lashed out at Nike in a practical way, issuing a statement via Twitter which read in part:

Today was supposed to be a good day in Arizona, with the announcement of a major Nike investment in Goodyear, AZ. And then this news broke yesterday afternoon. Words cannot express my disappointment at this terrible decision. I am embarrassed for Nike.

Nike is an iconic American brand and American company. This country, our system of government and free enterprise have allowed them to prosper and flourish. Instead of celebrating American history the week of our nation’s independence, Nike has apparently decided that Betsy Ross is unworthy, and has bowed to the current onslaught of political correctness and historical revisionism. It is a shameful retreat for the company.

American businesses should be proud of our country’s history, not abandoning it.

Nike has made its decision, and now we’re making ours. I’ve ordered the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentive dollars under their discretion that the State was providing for the company to locate here.

Arizona’s economy is doing just fine without Nike. We don’t need to suck up to companies that consciously denigrate our nation’s history.

It looks as though Nike will need to find another place to not make shoes with allegedly questionable flags on them. 

Social media reactions were intense all across the political spectrum:

So far the impact on Nike isn’t easy to predict, though taking what appears to be a socially progressive stance by putting Kaepernick up as a face of the brand has worked to its advantage in the past. 

Will people begin burning their expensive Nike shoes and athletic gear anew, as they did when the company debuted its Kaepernick campaign? Given the intensity of social media reaction, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if they did.