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While Amazon’s Big Spring Sale may be over, stellar pricing is still available on some handy power tools, like power washers and portable power stations, among others. But the one handy tool everyone should own, especially ahead of road-trip season, is a portable tire inflator, and this top-selling model is still 50% off for Prime members.
The Qyqboon 12V Portable Tire Inflator is still on sale for just $20, a 50% discount on its normal price of $40. Shoppers have been loving this inflator: It has been sold over 4,000 times this past month, and it has well over 350 five-star ratings, making it one of the top 10 bestsellers on Amazon. If you don’t have a Prime membership but want to score this deal, Amazon offers 30-day free trials, and you can cancel at any time if you choose not to keep it. Otherwise, we recommend checking out this model that’s just under $30.
Qyqboon 12V Portable Tire Inflator, $20 (was $40) on Amazon
This little device packs a powerful punch, delivering a max pressure of 150 PSI airflow, making it an ideal choice for bicycles, cars, motorcycles, and trucks. It runs on a 1200mA rechargeable battery and has enough juice to inflate 10 car tires or 30 bicycle tires. It can also charge your phone in a pinch with its built-in USB-C and USB input/output ports. Set your desired air pressure, and the pump will inflate to said number then automatically shut off to avoid over-inflation, too. It also has a built-in flashlight with three modes: flashlight, SOS, and strobe.
“It’s been a total game changer—this little device is super easy to use and surprisingly powerful, inflating my car tires in just a few minutes,” stated one shopper. “I especially love the auto-shutoff feature—it stops exactly when it hits the desired pressure, so there’s no guessing or over-inflating.” They also loved how portable it is: “I can toss it in my glove box or backpack without worrying about tangled cords, and the rechargeable battery lasts a good while. It’s saved me on the road more than once—it’s reliable and fast; this one is a no-brainer.”
“I bought this portable air compressor for my car, and it has been a lifesaver,” said another buyer. “The build quality is solid, and it’s surprisingly compact, making it easy to store in my trunk. The digital display is clear, and the preset pressure function works perfectly—just set the desired PSI, and it stops automatically when reached. It inflates tires quickly, and it only took about 3-4 minutes for my SUV tires to go from 25 to 35 PSI.”
Despite being bought more than 4,000 times in the past 30 days, it has yet to sell out. Don’t wait for that to happen, and grab yourself a Qyqboon 12V Portable Tire Inflator today.
The 1980s ushered in a wave of fitness trends, from step aerobics and home workout videos to spandex and leg warmers. It was also a defining decade for bodybuilding and strength training.
As the fitness boom took off, so did national gym chains like Gold’s Gym and Bally Total Fitness, which catered to bodybuilders and strength athletes. The facilities were packed with Nautilus and Cybex strength machines, endless rows of dumbbells, barbell bench presses, and squat racks. During this era, high-rep, high-volume training also became a go-to method for building muscle, solidifying its place as a foundation of hypertrophy training.
What Is High-Rep, High-Volume Training?
“High-rep, high-volume training is a training strategy that emphasizes a larger number of sets and reps to create muscular fatigue, thus creating specific metabolic stress, which has been shown to have positive outcomes in developing muscle growth,” says Marty Miller, NASM CPT.
The strategy requires slower tempo controlled reps ranging between 12 to 20. This type of movement is used to increase the total time under tension with a specific focus on the eccentric (negative) muscular contraction. The sets should be between 4 to 6 per body part based on the individual’s training experience and the overall weekly training load.
“One key component that’s often overlooked is the rest interval between sets. To maximize the benefits from this form of training, it is critical to rest only 30-45 seconds between sets. This is the game changer!”
“The physiological benefits of this type of training will be an increase in muscular development (hypertrophy), increased muscular endurance, and maximized muscular pump and blood flow,” Miller adds. “High rep, high-volume training also stimulates the release of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), both of which are critical in enhancing muscle-protein synthesis. These benefits are initiated by the increased metabolic stress and cellular swelling, which triggers anabolic (muscle building) signaling.”
Miller also adds that the extended time under tension compared to standard training protocols increases mechanical stress on muscle fibers. This can enhance muscle recruitment and fiber breakdown, fostering optimal muscular development—especially when paired with adequate rest and proper nutrition.
The Importance of Rest and Recovery in High-Rep, High-Volume Training
“Muscular development does not occur in the gym,” Miller says. “During a workout, especially a high-rep, high-volume workout, muscles are specifically targeted, worked to the proper level of fatigue to create cellular stress, and micro traumas to the muscle fibers. This is a critical component to muscular development.”
To properly recover from this kind of training, Miller suggests honing in on the following:
Sleep: Muscle-protein synthesis, or the process of repairing/building muscle, is maximized during sleep due to the increase in growth hormone. It is critical to try to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night, as sleep is when your body is in its most anabolic state.
Rest days from training: Depending on how the workout is designed, scheduling 1-2 days off per week from weight training will prevent overtraining while maximizing recovery.
Mobility and soft tissue work: Using foam rollers, massage guns, and stretching muscles that have the propensity to become tight will increase recovery, decrease soreness, and increase blood flow, all while potentially decreasing the chance of soft tissue injuries.
Nutrition and supplementation: It is critical to properly fuel the body with the right amount of calories, as well as micro and macro nutrients to maximize muscular development. Experts highly recommended speaking with a Registered Dietician to best determine the proper number of calories, protein, carbs, and fats that would be needed to meet your specific goals, and if this could be met from diet only, or if there are specific supplements you should consider adding to your daily routine.
The TikTok ban is looming ahead, but Mark Cuban might have a solution for social media users: Skylight. The new app, created by Tori White (CEO) and Reed Hermeyer (CTO), officially launched on April 1.
Cuban first put out the call on Jan. 14 ahead of the original TikTok deadline.
“So, I appreciate everybody reaching out to try come up with a TikTok alternative,” Cuban said in a social media post. “I would be open to investing a supporting anybody or somebody who creates a TikTok replacement built on the AT Protocol.”
The AT Protocol is also what powers Bluesky’s network and “videos posted on Skylight can be seen and engaged with by users on Bluesky and other ATProto-based apps,” per TechCrunch. Users will be able to upload videos up to three minutes in length which is similar to the Bluesky app.
New features on the horizon include “support for sounds, duets, stitching, bookmarks, and playlists” and eventually more control for social media users on their feeds.
The availability of the app comes on the heels of President Donald Trump confirming that an agreement with ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, will be done by the April 5 timelier, according to Reuters.
“We have a lot of potential buyers,” he told reporters on March 31. “There’s tremendous interest in TikTok. I’d like to see TikTok remain alive.”
The media outlet noted on March 28 that private equity firm Blackstone might be making a minority investment in TikTok for U.S. operations only.
Skylight is currently available on the Apple App Store and is in beta on the Google Play Store.
Longtime Saturday Night Live comedian Kenan Thompson has no plans to exit the late night sketch comedy program, despite his 20+ year tenure.
In an interview with Us Weekly published on April 1, Thompson said that when it’s his time to leave, it will be a mutual decision.
“When my badge stops working, you know what I mean? [When] I don’t have access anymore, that’ll tell you,” the 46-year-old said.
“It’s their environment to employ me at. You know what I mean?” Thompson, who first joined the show in 2003, continued. “So [if] they keep asking then and I’m more than happy to oblige, and as long as the audience continues to laugh when we do something new.”
Thompson marked his 20th season on Saturday Night Live in October 2023. While he’s taken on other roles, he has truly enjoyed his time on SNL. In an interview with People magazine at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards red carpet, he explained that the newness of each show is what keeps him hooked.
“It’s exciting like that. It’s really exciting to find new, funny things, especially when you’re further down your tenure,” he said at the time.
Saturday Night Live‘s most recent episode on March 30 was easily one of the most talked about episodes in recent years. The reason? Musical guest Morgan Wallen abruptly walked off stage at the end of the show.
“I don’t know what goes through people’s minds when they decide to do stuff like that. I don’t know if he understood the assignment or not, or if he was really feeling a certain kind of way,” he said.
“You see somebody before you get a chance to say hi or say good job or anything like that, they just dipping. I thought maybe he had to go to the potty or something,” he added.
Britt Lower is used to playing a few different roles.
The Severance star who plays outie Helena Eagan and innie Helly R. revealed in an interview with Jimmy Fallon during her appearance on The Tonight Show that she juggled responsibilities in high school like marching band, cheerleading and playing on the high school basketball team.
“I grew up in a really small farm town, and that meant that everyone had to do all of the extracurricular activities in order to field all of the teams,” Lower recalled. “So I would often be playing basketball and then I’d go to speech-team practice and practice my original oratory in my basketball shoes. I was also a cheerleader, and at halftime of the football games, I would run and grab my trumpet and march with the marching band [while] wearing my cheerleading outfit.”
Lower, at the behest of Fallon, eventually picked up a trumpet for the first time since high school and delivered the theme song from Severance – relatively flawlessly.
But her performance wasn’t the only thing that caught the attention of the viewers. Dressed in a long-sleeve blue dress, Lower stunned the audience.
Derrick Henry continues to defy Father Time — or at least the NFL’s version of it for the running back position. The 31-year-old has quieted those who believe that running backs hit a decline at age 30 by continuing his dominant play in 2024.
A recent clip of the Baltimore Ravens star getting in a ridiculous offseason workout is almost certainly one way he’s been able to continue to thrive ahead of his 10th NFL season.
Henry was spotted doing a sprint workout on a steep hill, but it’s not the type of workout fans will typically see on their social media feed. Henry’s uphill sprints also included footwork drills, resistance training, and much more, as seen below.
Derrick Henry is getting after it this offseason 😤
Henry putting in this type of work isn’t surprising; however, the fact that he’s doing so in early April, months before the new season, is eye-opening.
The Ravens star not only led the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 16 last season at the age of 30 but rushed for 1,921 yards and averaged a career-best 5.9 yards per attempt.
Henry’s stellar season earned him his fifth Pro Bowl nod and, for the third time in his career, second-team All-Pro honors. He’s now led the NFL in rushing touchdowns three times (2019, 2020 and 2024) while leading the league in rushing yards twice.
While the Ravens ultimately fell short of their goal of winning the Super Bowl, Henry was excellent in the team’s two playoff games as well. He rushed 42 times for 270 yards (6.4 yards per attempt) and scored three touchdowns on the ground.
Following a lengthy, five-week hospital stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital while battling pneumonia, including moments where doctors say he could have died, Pope Francis is at home in the Vatican recovering and moving forward.
Now, things are getting back to normal, or as normal as things can be for the pope, who is still recovering and rehabbing. Francis doesn’t seem to be skipping a beat, because he’s been making some major moves in the Catholic Church as he slowly gets back to optimum health.
According to the Vatican, Pope Francis has approved the first-ever female saint from Venezuela. On March 31, Francis made way for the canonization of Blessed María Carmen Rendiles by approving a decree that recognizes a miracle attributed to her, the founder of the Congregation of the Handmaids of Jesus.
While the move has been approved, the Vatican has yet to announce a date for her canonization.
Catholic leaders in Venezuela actually asked for her canonization back in 1995, so the approval is a long time coming. She was also beatified in 2018.
María Carmen Rendiles was born on Aug. 11, 1903, in the capital of Venezuela, Caracas. She passed away in the same city on May 9, 1977.
According to Saint for a Minute, “One of the miracles attributed to Blessed Carmen’s intercession involved the healing of Trinette Durán de Branger on 18 July 2003.” They add that, “This miraculous healing played a significant role in the process of her beatification and bears witness to her continued presence and intercession in the lives of those who seek her help.”
In a release sent out on March with the news, the Catholic bishops of Venezuela said that Rendiles was born without a left arm, but her physical deficiency “did not prevent her from developing an exemplary Christian life.”
Looking to make gains at home? Even if money isn’t an object, space is usually an issue. Whether you’re living in a one-bedroom apartment or sharing a multi-bedroom house with the family and kids, there isn’t always enough room to create the iron paradise of your dreams.
For many guys, the solution is the garage. Out goes the car, and in comes the swole stuff. You don’t have to choose, though. With the right space-saving home gym equipment, you can have a full-fledged fitness center in your garage or house and still have room for the car or whatever else you want around.
To find the most effective and affordable items for filling out your personal garage of gains, we consulted three home-gym experts. Here’s their advice on how to choose equipment that will last, and their recommendations for high-quality, space-saving pieces for your home gym.
The 11 Best Pieces of Home Gym Equipment for Small Spaces
There are thousands of products that can provide results in a home gym, and they can vary in cost from just a few dollars to as much as a car. These 11 products cover the whole range, from budget-friendly ($20-30) up to thousands of dollars. No matter what you spend, these 11 pieces are all tested and loved by our experts; they save space and can create serious gains.
Best for Space-Saving Squats and Deadlifts: Rogue R-3W Fold Back Wall Mount Rack
Rogue R-3W Fold Back Wall Mount Rack
Courtesy of Rogue
This Rogue R-3W Fold Back Wall Mount Rackpairs a power rack with a barbell, plates, and a bench, so you’ve basically got a whole gym’s worth of strength training versatility in a single piece of equipment. And this folding version is a favorite of Ryan Koziol, owner of RYKO Fitness. When you’re not using the rack, it can quickly be folded up so it protrudes just five inches from the wall.
“Pull the car out, then pull the rack out, and it still doesn’t take up too much space,” Koziol says. The rack comes in two depths—one that’s 20.5 inches from the wall when fully unfolded and one that’s 40.5 inches from the wall. “Pair that with an adjustable bench, and bingo, you’ve basically got a whole gym.”
The Rogue Rack is made of 11-gauge steel and has pins that easily lock it into place when unfolded. Attach the included pullup bar, and you’ve got a base not just for pulling but for hanging a TRX suspension trainer or bands for even more versatility.
Best Upgrade for Your Rack: Spud Inc. Super Econo Pulley Systems
Spud Inc. Super Econo Pulley Systems
Courtesy of Rogue
The Spud Inc. Super Econo Pulley System is a simple, light set of pulleys and cables that turn a squat rack into a cable machine that can help you do lat pulldowns, horizontal rows, face pulls, cable curls, and a zillion other exercises at home. It’s been a game-changer for Shawn Arent, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., chair of the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina.
“I’ve got two of these, and it’s wound up being a better investment that I ever thought it would be,” he says. Instead of having a whole cable stack of weights with a pulley, he says, plates can be hung from one end of the Spud system to act as weight. “They’re great for pushdowns, ab work, woodchoppers. You can set it up to do low rows…anything really.”
One note, Arent says, is that because the plates you attach are suspended by the cable, they can swing when exercises are done quickly. His solution: Use a resistance band to attach the plates to the opposite side of the rack to keep the weights from swinging.
Best Bench: X-Master Adjustable Bench 2.0
X-Master Adjustable Bench 2.0
Courtesy of Xmaster Fitness
Jose Guevara of ShreddedDad.com admits the X-Master Adjustable Bench 2.0 is pricey. But when buying adjustable benches from a big box store, the construction can often be flimsy and uncomfortable. You might be able to find a cheaper option that suits your needs, but this professional bench is the best one Guevara’s ever tested.
When folded flat, there’s no awkward gap between the seat and the back pad. Both pads are thick, a feature many home gym benches lack. It can fold to seven different angles, each of which is marked with a convenient number on the side. And it’s heavy duty, allowing for an unbelievable 1,200 pounds of load.
Best Dumbbells: Powerblock Elite USA 90 Adjustable Dumbbells
Powerblock Elite USA 90 Adjustable Dumbbells
Courtesy of PowerBlock
Adjustable dumbbells save a ton of space, and the Powerblock system is the best of the best. Unlike many other adjustable sets that top out around 50 pounds, Powerblock’s boxy offerings can go up to 90 pounds per dumbbell. They’re also built to last.
As for versatility, they’re dumbbells: You can do almost anything with them! But, Koziol points out, Poweblock’s unique shape puts your hand in a kind of “cage.” For certain exercises, this form can feel a little different than regular dumbbells. This is also true of other adjustable dumbbells, though. The bulky sides can bump your shoulders on curls, for example.
If you don’t think you’ll ever need 90 pounds of resistance on each arm, the Powerblock systems that top out at 70 or 50 pounds are a little less expensive.
Best Small-Space Cardio: Concept2 RowErg
Concept2 RowErg
Courtesy of Concept2
A rowing machine only does one thing, but it does it really well. Full-body cardio on a rower, whether done for slow, steady efforts or in grueling, all-out HIIT sessions, is tough to beat. The Concept2 RowErg is the gold standard for all-over conditioning.
At 6 to 7 feet long, they don’t seem space-saving, though. According to Koziol, a C2 machine is so light that you can roll it to the wall and store it vertically in your room before and after each session. Since it’s powered by air resistance, the C2 doesn’t require power. And for even more space saving, it can be easily broken down into two pieces for storage if you want to row only during certain seasons.
Best for Versatile Resistance: REP Workout Sandbags
REP Workout Sandbags
Courtesy of REP Fitness
When Arent and colleagues performed a study using sandbags and resistance bands for a high-rep workout and compared it to using a full gym’s worth of equipment, the sandbag group was able to gain almost as much muscle and strength as the bars-and-plates group. But the sandbag, without sand in it, weighed just a few pounds.
This, he says, makes the bags a great option for travel. Take the empty bags with you on a trip to the beach, and scoop sand into them for a week’s worth of exercise. And since the REP bags, like many other sandbag systems, actually have internal bladders—kind of like mini sandbags within the main bag—you can easily adjust the weight for different exercises. REP bags range from a small size, which can be loaded up to 25 pounds, up to an extra-large bag that can hold 200 pounds.
Sandbags can mimic just about anything you can do with a barbell, Arent says, and may even feel more comfortable. Doing Olympic lifts or front rack exercises like front squats with a sandbag can be easier on the wrists than with a bar.
And sandbags let you do some moves you can’t do with a barbell because the bags can be thrown and tossed. You can lift it from the ground and dump it over your shoulder, again and again, for a conditioning session, toss it laterally across a field or beach, or slam them like medicine balls.
Best for Your Carry-On: PerformBetter Flat Loop Superbands
PerformBetter Flat Loop Superbands
Courtesy of Perform Better
Looped resistance bands are more versatile than those with handles. In addition to holding them in your hands for curls, overhead presses, and other moves, the PerformBetter Flat Loop Superbands can be used for assisted pullups, or tied to a pole and looped around your waist for resisted lunges or marches. And because they fold flat and weigh almost nothing, they’re perfect for travel, Koziol says.
Unlike the rubber super bands of the past, which can pinch, these PerformBetter Flat Loops are made with stretchy cloth webbing.
They come in five weights, from “light” to “super heavy,” but you don’t need a whole set. Depending on your strength, you’ll probably only need two—a lighter one, like the “medium,” for moves like curls and assisting with pullups, and a slightly heavier one, like the “heavy” or “extra heavy,” for stuff like overhead presses, heavier squats, and pushdowns.
Best for Zone 2 All Day: UREVO Under Desk Treadmill
UREVO Under Desk Treadmill
Courtesy of Amazon
If doing more Zone 2 training is on your fitness to-do list, a walking pad—basically a treadmill without handles—can be your ticket to 10,000 steps or more. By using one during his workday calls, 39-year-old dad Max Valverde was able to build his aerobic engine to the level where he could compete in the U.S. National championships for ski mountaineering in 2023.
Since they’re handle-free, walking pads aren’t ideal for running, though. The UREVO Under Desk Treadmill lets you dial up the incline, increasing the intensity of your walk without increasing your risk of a fall. And since they’re relatively flat, they can be slid under a bed or folded up into a closet when not in use, Koziol points out.
Most Unique Piece of Equipment: The SledTred
The SledTred
The Tib Bar Guy
If you’ve always wanted to push a weighted sled but don’t have the space (or don’t want to tear up your backyard), the SledTred could be your new favorite piece of equipment. It’s a pullup and dip station with a folding manual treadmill attached. Step on, lean into the push pads, and you’re in the same position you’d be in to push a sled; and with the treadmill’s adjustable resistance, you can dial up the intensity.
This unique piece of equipment is the most surprising apparatus in Guevara’s home gym, he says. He uses it much more than he’d ever anticipated. In addition to the fun and challenge of sled pushing, the manual treadmill can also be used for backwards walking, a popular move for strengthening the knees and lower legs. For added versatility, it also has a pullup bar and dip bars, as well as a setup to do Nordic hamstring curls on the treadmill deck. The multi-handled pullup bar can also be used to anchor resistance bands.
Best for Minimal Spaces: Two FringeSport Prime Kettlebells
Two FringeSport Prime Kettlebells
Courtesy of Fringe Sport
The Prime Kettlebells from FringeSport are a must-have for your home gym. Instead of getting one, Koziol suggests getting two so you can do swings for conditioning, multi-exercise complexes for strength endurance, superset-style circuit training, or even straight sets of strength moves.
His recommendation is to get one lighter kettlebell and one heavier one. The heftier bell can be used for swings and heavy squats, while the slightly lighter one can be used for overhead presses, Olympic lifts like cleans, and other lighter moves like curls.
How heavy? It depends on your strength, of course. For the heavy bell, he says, most guys can probably swing a 44- to 53-pound bell. For the lighter one, Koziol suggests choosing one with which you can perform a single-arm overhead lunge. Hold the kettlebell with a straight arm next to your ear, then perform a lunge. If you can do it with that weight, it’s probably light enough for the other moves you’ll want to do, too.
Best for New Challenges: Brrrn Board+
Brrrn Board+
Courtesy of Amazon
If you’ve seen a slideboard before, you’ve probably watched someone doing cardio like they’re speed skating. And the adjustable Brrrn Board+, which Arent loves, can do that. It’s a form of cardio that’s great for training for skiing, but also for challenging your body in side-to-side motion, a pattern that’s often ignored and can keep you moving more healthfully as you age.
But a slideboard can do much more, Arent says, and has become a serious part of his workout arsenal. By placing one foot on the board, you can perform challenging, sliding lunges to the front, reverse, and side while your other foot is anchored on the ground. You can challenge your abs with pikes, mountain climbers, and body saw movements.
The Brrrn Board+ is also adjustable in length, so you can slide to a stopping point, reducing the risk of overstretching on moves like a side lunge.
Best for Big-Budget Tech Lovers: Tonal 2
Tonal 2
Courtesy of Tonal
With its resistance that can go up to 250 pounds and the included bench, a Tonal really can replace a whole gym’s worth of equipment, Arent says.
The wall-mounted unit uses magnets to create that resistance, so it doesn’t need hundreds of pounds of weights. And the adjustable arms mean you can perform just about any move you could with dumbbells, a barbell, or a cable machine, with workout instructions built in.
It’ll cost you, though. In addition to the price tag, the Tonal 2 requires a 12-month membership at $59.99 per month, more than $700 annually. For that price, you can get a fully kitted-out (but decidedly lower-tech) gym with a rack, barbell, weights, and more.
The most important quality in a piece of home gym equipment that saves space is versatility, Huevara says.
While big, commercial gyms can have equipment that’s only good for one exercise, a garage gym doesn’t have that luxury. Try to find items that are versatile. Kettlebells, for example, are great for conditioning through swings, but also sub in well for dumbbells for exercises like rows, overhead presses, and curls. A squat rack, barbell, and bench can be used for almost every type of strength training exercise imaginable.
Once you’ve chosen the right equipment for the exercises you want to do, Guevara suggests thinking about quality. With the rise of fake reviews online, this can be tough: It’s hard to know if a reviewer, even one on video, is just a paid promoter.
The ShreddedDad creator suggests looking for a few things. First, look for multiple video reviews that highlight the same features or weaknesses, as it’s likely that these aspects are more accurate. Second, look for equipment that doesn’t just have a warranty but that comes from an established company.
“Even if a piece of equipment has a lifetime warranty, if the company doesn’t survive, it doesn’t matter,” he says.
Meet the Experts
• Shawn Arent, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., chair of the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina, studies space-saving gym equipment for military use and uses small-space equipment in his home gym and his laboratory.
• Jose Guevara of ShreddedDad.com, who tortures and tests home gym equipment as a reviewer.
• Ryan Koziol, owner of RYKO Fitness, has trained countless clients in his own garage gym and helps remote clients find the right equipment to use for their in-home training.
Patty Maloney, the 3-foot-11 actress who played a lovable Wookiee in 1978’s infamous The Star Wars Holiday Special, passed away on Monday, March 31 in Winter Park, Florida. She was 89 years old.
Maloney’s health first suffered a setback in 2010, when she was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, which made it challenging for her to read scripts. More recently, she suffered a series of strokes, which eventually led to her death.
“For a little person growing up in a big world, she did everything she wanted to do,” Maloney’s brother, Dave Myrabo, told The Hollywood Reporter.
That included an entertainment career that dated back to her teens, when Maloney traveled with a carnival during the summer and worked as part of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. She exited the entertainment world in 1961, when she married Joseph Vitek, a printer from Chicago. Following his death in 1968, however, she was encouraged by friends and family to return to the stage in order to help her overcome the grief brought on by losing her husband.
In 1975, Maloney landed a recurring role on Sid and Marty Krofft kid’s TV show Far Out Space Nuts playing Honk, an alien who spoke by honking. She went on to appear on a number of popular TV shows of the time, including Charlie’s Angels, Rhoda, Little House on the Prairie, and The Love Boat. She also landed recurring roles on Marty Hartman, Mary Hartman; The Bay City Rollers Show; and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. She maintained a busy career as a voice actress as well, which included voicing Darla in the animated version of The Little Rascals. She did some voice work on HBO’s Tales from the Crypt, where she also operated The Crypt Keeper.
Maloney became a part of pop culture infamy with a starring role in The Star Wars Christmas Special, which aired the week before Thanksgiving in 1978. The variety show-style caper was seen as a quick cash grab to bank on Star Wars’ amazing popularity. While the film’s main stars, including Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, all appeared, the special was centered around Han Solo’s Wookiee pal Chewbacca and his family back on his home planet of Kashyyyk, where Chewie has returned to celebrate “Life Day” with his friends and family. Maloney played the costumed role of Lumpy, Chewbacca’s young son.
In a 2008 interview, Maloney noted how “very, very warm” the costume was because it “was made of all human hair.”
Following The Star Wars Holiday Special’s TV debut, and subsequent thrashing by critics, George Lucas stated that, “If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every bootlegged copy of the program and smash it.”
Maloney’s final role was in a 2005 episode of My Name is Earl.
In addition to her brother, Maloney is survived by her two nieces and her brother-in-law.
Paul Rudd has a reputation in Hollywood for being a truly nice guy. However, the actor recently admitted that he can get riled up once in a while. In fact, a person from his past has never been forgiven by the actor, and seemingly never will.
Rudd talked to the Wall Street Journal and shared the details on April 1. The person who Rudd harbors long-term animosity toward turns out to be a dentist he went to early in his career. He admitted he doesn’t even remember the dentist’s name.
Despite not remembering his name, Rudd admitted the dentist left him “so furious” after he “screwed up my teeth.”
“I always had decent teeth, and I never had braces,” Rudd explained. Sometime after his breakout role in Clueless, he went to a new dentist. He noted he was in his “late 20s, early 30s” at the time.
During his appointment with the new, unnamed dentist, Rudd recalls he was told, “You got six teeth that had cavities and I gotta take out these fillings and put in white fillings.”
Rudd continued, “And he goes, ‘On this one, you also gotta do some preventative stuff.’ And he had told my sister she needed to do it, too.”
He shared that his sister, Mandi Rudd Arnold, declined the additional work the dentist suggested. Rudd, however, felt that the dentist should know what he was talking about, so he went forward with the recommended work.
“This guy screwed up my teeth so badly,” Rudd revealed. He added, “It’s one of the things that I carry around. I’m so furious. It’s the only time I ever went to him.”
Rudd also said, “If he’s reading this, I hope he knows he’s a terrible dentist.”
