Twitter took us from Stars Hollow to outer space this week
As it does every week, Twitter had its late July ups and downs. The Obamas sprinkled some love on their timelines and folks had a field day when images from both NASA and Beyoncé were released (no, Queen Bey was not on the moon; yes she is otherworldly). Sarah Silverman and Shonda Rhimes had to squash a Twitter hack and show rumors, respectively, while Perez Hilton and Demi Lovato started their own gossip with a public Twitter feud. Thanks to a successful Kickstarter, one teen had a memorable prom party. Oh, and it’s almost Olympics time, and now we finally have a breakdown of who we can expect to compete for Team USA. In case you missed any of this news and more, check out our favorite Twitter stories below.
1. POTUS and FLOTUS show love on Twitter
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle showered each other with praise this week after speeches during the Democratic National Convention. “I love you, Michelle,” POTUS wrote on Twitter, adding that he was proud of his wife and saying how blessed the country was to have her as FLOTUS. Similarly, Michelle turned to Twitter to exclaim “That’s my man!” Both had spoken in Philly of their first family, the country and the future of the Democratic Party—and gave glowing endorsements of nominee Hillary Clinton.
2. Jay Z takes this elevator pic of Beyoncé and Twitter had a field day
Jay Z is a decorated rapper, Beyoncé is the reigning queen of pop and, together with daughter, Blue Ivy they make up a basically royal and very elusive family. So when Beyoncé posts any images of fam vacations, the internet usually goes crazy in love. Only this time, Jay became the butt of Twitter jokes when, thanks to some mirrors, he made a cameo in an elevator snap he took of Queen Bey. Everything from his posture, facial expression, handling of the phone, and the fact that the Brooklyn hip-hop legend was being delegated as the official Yoncé "selfie" taker (in an elevator of all places) had people in fits of laughter. But hey, it’s a great pic.
3. Sarah Silverman’s Twitter account gets hacked following DNC speech
The hilarious Sarah Silverman stirred the pot a bit when she went off script during her speech at the DNC. “Can I just say, to the Bernie or Bust people: You’re being ridiculous,” Silverman said. The Vermont-born comedian, a staunch Bernie Sanders supporter, spoke about her willingness to support Hillary Clinton. And in the days following her remarks, her Twitter account was hacked, allegedly by Anonymous, which posted a video to her timeline titled "A Message for Hillary Clinton.” It has since been deleted.
4. Shonda Rhimes says Scandal isn’t over
Shonda Rhimes avoided a scandal of her own when she cleared up rumors real quick to let people know that reports of the death of her TV show Scandal were greatly exaggerated. Phew. The false news was announced by Good Morning America’s Lara Spencer. “[It’s] a little bittersweet, however, because it has been said this is also going to be the final season,” she said while showing behind-the-scenes footage of the cast. She then said that Rhimes herself has told her the news, which Rhimes was quick to deny. “I never said this was the final season of #scandal. Way to make me spit out my coffee!” Thank goodness everything was cleared up quickly. Gladiators, you can keep your white hats on.
5. Photo from NASA turns into a meme
“The moon passed between NASA climate observatory and the earth,” astronaut Rick Mastracchio tweeted, attaching a photo of the event and adding that it was “almost unbelievable.” Seems as if those were the magic words, because the memes came pouring in instantly as people made their “almost unbelievable” versions of the event. One person turned the moon into the Death Star, another changed it to a hamburger and others decided to update it with presidential candidates. And, of course, Crying Jordan made an appearance.
6. Smartest girl in Marvel universe is 9 years old
San Diego’s annual Comic-Con unveils a lot of details about worlds we know and love. At a panel, Marvel comic writers announced that the smartest person in the entire Marvel universe is not Reed Richards (a.k.a. Mister Fantastic) or Tony Stark (a.k.a. Iron Man). They revealed that it was actually 9-year-old black girl Lunella Lafayette, the main character of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. The announcement prompted an outpouring of support from Twitter users excited about growing diversity and representation in comics.
7. Netflix finally announces dates for “Gilmore Girls”
After years of re-watching season after season, this November the world will once again be able to visit Stars Hollow, Luke’s, and Lorelei and Rory’s living room. Netflix announced that Gilmore Girls: A Year In the Life, which will entail four 90-minute episodes and be available to binge watch on November 25. Each chapter will be set in a different season in the small Connecticut town.
8. Perez Hilton and Demi Lovato are not friends
Perez Hilton and Demi Lovato are apparently in a Twitter beef. It started when Lovato, bored and going through Twitter on her phone, saw Hilton favorite a tweet about a feud between herself and Mariah Carey. “Do something with your life,” she said in a tweet that has since been deleted. This resulted in a tirade from Hilton. “Fuck it. I'm almost 40. I have zero fucks to give!,” he tweeted. “I'm nice to the people I feel deserve me being nice to.” He then tweeted out screenshots of their private conversation, but it seems as if the pop singer had other things to do: Lovato went on to give a speech and perform at the Democratic National Convention that night.
9. Terminally ill girl has a dream prom night as last wish before ending her life
Jerika Bolen, 14, has chosen to end her life after suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, a genetic condition that causes severe pain and lack of muscle control. The Wisconsin teen’s last wish was to go to prom, and with the help of friends and family she was able to do just that. Her mother organized a crowdfunding campaign and a prom party was thrown for the teen, complete with her desired black and lime green decor. Hundreds of people showed up for one last party with Bolen, including YouTube star Richie Giese. Thousands more tweeted their support. According to news reports, she will enter hospice care at the end of August.
10. U.S. Olympic team announces roster for 2016 games in Rio
The world will get a chance to come together once again in Rio during the 2016 Olympic games starting Aug. 5. The U.S. Olympic team finally announced its roster and gave us a breakdown of what to expect from the competitors representing the country. Turns out this year there are more women (the most to compete for a nation in a single games), over 350 first-timers, and almost 20 athletes defending their gold medals.
11. Lorde had an awkward Uber ride
Lorde took a break from finishing her album to hop in an Uber car and give us all a beautiful update about her driver, who apparently was gushing over a celebrity passenger he'd just dropped off. Pretty awkward, considering he did not realize that the award-winning teen (not to mention the youngest solo artist with a number one single) was in his car. Her tweets garnered thousands of favorites and retweets, particularly from people who thought she was actually tweeting lyrics when she posted: “I can tell our ride, by comparison, sparkles significantly less for him. I can feel it from the back seat, his dazed glow. He's probably now pretending that I am not here, that they are still together, and alone.” Sounds like another hit song to us.
