Category: Fun

If you mention the new Ghostbusters movie to a group of people, you’re likely to immediately get some grumbling.  It’s the most disliked trailer on YouTube, and while the common refrain online is that it’s because people can’t stand the thought of an all-female Ghostbusters squad, the rationale I’m hearing most often is: “I don’t want to see it because it will ruin my childhood.”

That’s often followed by citing previous reboots-gone-wrong: Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (for those who can’t stand Michael Bay flicks), Star Trek, G.I. Joe. The thing is, would you really want a movie that exactly replicates the series you loved as a child, repeating it to a T? It’d be boring, and the jokes would probably fall flat. Having women in the lead roles, and all-new Ghostbusters in general, takes the concept you love, imagining it in a whole new way. What would happen if four different people, with their thoughts/feelings/idiosyncracies, had to throwdown against some Ectoplasm-spewing spectres?

If you can accept a different Batman every five years, you can give these Ghostbusters a chance. And it’s really only your gain if you do. The movie pokes fun at itself and its characters, and that self-awareness only adds to its charm. It doesn’t try to be serious, or unseat the original film; it does its own thing, and it does it remarkably well.

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Every few feet, I spot one. Or rather, I spot a gaggle, as they often travel in small groups. At first, you might dismiss them as any other person too obsessed with their phones, heads and shoulders stooped, eyes staring intently at that 4-inch screen. Their hands give it away though. They often hover their index fingers over the screen, flicking every once in a while, like they’re playing digital shuffleboard, and their finger’s the cue.

That, and they’re often heard muttering things like, “I almost had him!” or “Another friggin’ Weedle?! Nobody wants another Weedle!” Or, as the ultimate tell, they’re humming “Gotta Catch ‘Em All.”

Pokemon Go players have taken over New York City faster than the “Harlem Shake” in 2012, and it’s showing no signs of stopping. And I’m perfectly okay with that.

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There’s no real way to prepare yourself for the Sweets and Snacks Expo. Sure, you can study the map, but it doesn’t help you truly understand what four acres of candy and treats looks like. You can memorize Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, or religiously read press releases for every major brand in sight, but still. Nothing compares to being on the floor.

From the moment I walked through the convention center doors and glimpsed the main hall, it was sensory overload, like glimpsing Disney World for the first time. That really is the best way to describe it: An amusement park for candy dealers. Massive signs and Honey, I Blew Up the Kids-scale replicas of candy hang from the ceiling, vibrant faux-walls are erected at every booth, and mascots from just about every candy company imaginable roam the hallways. This isn’t your typical, plastic-table-and-some-poster-boards setup. Not by a longshot.

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There’s something about summertime that demands an anthem (or, at the very least, a party playlist). Every year, websites, DJs and magazines jump to try to claim which song will be THE song. The one everyone can’t stop playing. The one every great memory of those wild months of freedom is tethered to. The one that will forever take you back to this moment in time.

I’m not sure which tune will be THAT song, per se, but these picks make for a pretty good soundtrack to summer. And they make for an awesome Fourth of July Party Playlist, if you happen to be throwing one. (If you’re not, consider this your excuse to buy some bottle rockets and sparklers, make some chili cheese dog dip and epic margaritas, and blast these jams.)

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Now that there’s a themed 5K for just about everything, offering you the chance to get covered in brightly colored powder, drink beer while you jog, or leap over fire and crawl under barbed wire, it only makes sense event organizers are branching out into other interactive events that can tour the nation. Particularly ones for those of us who aren’t exactly the athletic type.

The latest one, Slide The City, essentially brings a water park to your hometown. It takes that beloved summertime game — running and bellyflopping down a plastic mat, AKA Slip ‘N Slide — and turns it into The Event of the Weekend. Instead of that paper-thin plastic sheet you grew up with (you know, the kind where you feel every rock and hole underneath it), Slide The City uses a 1,000-foot-long vinyl mat, and you ride in an inner tube all the way down, so there’s no scraping your knees as you dive onto the “slide.”

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While scrolling Pinterest one day, one particular pin caught my eye: “Theme Park Outfit.” I’d seen collage-style photos for just about any type of setting — what to wear to a job interview, a wedding, a boozy bachelorette brunch — but this was a first.

Some pins were practical, explaining the virtues of wearing layers (to deal with scorching Florida days — and frigid indoor rides) or opting for cute sneakers over strappy (AKA blister-inducing) sandals, but what really caught my eye were the outfits that slyly winked at the reason you’re there. They were printed with lines from Disney or Universal movies, or had a subtle design that nodded to the flick without looking like a puff-paint t-shirt.

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As the star of ABC’s Once Upon A Time, Jennifer Morrison’s gotten used to playing the good guy (er, girl). She’s known as the savior, after all, destined to rescue the town of Storybrooke from an Evil Queen’s curse, in this mash-up of epic Disney fairytales. This past season, the tables were turned, with her character developing a sinister alter ego: Dark Swan.

After so many years playing the protagonist, I had to know: How’d she feel about the swap? And what was it like being the baddie for once?

Admittedly, I expected a one-sentence answer along the lines of “wickedly good,” as we focused on Morrison’s favorite foods for a recent feature on Delish. Instead, she offered a powerful insight — one that wasn’t a good fit for a food-centric story, but was too good not to share.

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Normally, I’m not a big shopper…until the first glimmers of spring pop up in store windows (and in my inbox). In that moment, something weird comes over me. Maybe I’m just really susceptible to marketing, and I subconsciously think that picking up new bathing suits and shorts and sundresses and sandals will magically will warmer weather to come sooner. Maybe it’s just that those clothes (and totes, sunglasses and beach reads) remind me of home, where it was pretty much always above 75 degrees.

No matter the reason, one thing’s for sure: I feel more myself when the weather heats up.

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Let’s be honest: A huge incentive to watch the Super Bowl — maybe even bigger than the game itself — is the commercials. Companies spend millions trying to come up with the most infectious joke, jingle or slogan to captivate the 114.4 million people watching the big game, and you know that the next morning, everyone you know will be playing media critic, rating the ones they liked best.

Some commercials tug at your heartstrings (ahem, Budweiser and those animals), some make you laugh until buffalo chicken dip comes out of your nose — and some just leave you scratching your head. Mountain Dew’s Super Bowl 2016 commercial falls into the latter camp, but only at first. Its 30-second spot, called “Puppymonkeybaby,” takes you through a range of emotions:

1. Confused. “Wait — is that a puppy…and a monkey…and a BABY?!”
2. Befuddled. “Why? Just why did they do this?”
3. Disturbed. “I can’t unsee this.”
4. Strangely Amused. “You know, it is kind of cute.”
5. Hooked. “Puppymonkeybaby, puppymonkeybaby…WHY AM I SINGING THIS SONG?! Well, it is kind of catchy.”

Two hours later, you might catch yourself humming a vaguely familiar tune, only to realize it’s THIS: