Paige Bueckers Parties With Rapper, Kangaroo Attacks Toddler, Vols Win CWS & Pinterest Boards For Sex Scenes
I'm doing GREAT, thank you for asking! I'm so happy today, there is absolutely nothing that can bring me down. Not even a mean email from Greg (but we'll get to that later).
Why am I so jubilant, you ask? Because my Tennessee Volunteers just won the College World Series. The last time I woke up celebrating a Natty was in 2008 when Pat Summitt (God rest her legendary soul) took the Lady Vols to a second-consecutive women's basketball championship. And not to age myself, but that was back when I was still a student at UT.
So it's been a long time coming, and it feels GOOD. I know I'm not the only member of Vols Nation flying high today.
Hell, this fella is probably still dancing.
While I can't compete with that absolute legend in Omaha, we did plenty of dancing, tequila shooting and fight song singing at our house, too. My husband and his buddy even tried to shave a "Power T" on the dog… and that didn't go so well. Good thing fur grows back.
So my fellow Tennesseans, this one's for you today. Dance a little jig and raise up a cold one for Good Ol' Rocky Top. It's Nightcaps time!
Adria Arjona & Glen Powell On Preparing For Sex Scenes
Netflix released a new movie called Hitman earlier this month, starring Adria Arjona and Glen Powell. It's a comedy, crime drama and romance all wrapped up in one about a professor who moonlights as a hit man (hence the title) for the city police department.
Now, I haven't seen it yet, but rumor has it there are a few spicy scenes between Adria and Glen. And in a recent Variety profile, the actress explained how they prepared for their on-screen chemistry: by making shared Pinterest boards to plan their sex scenes. (Thereby — probably — making Glen the only man alive who has an active Pinterest account.)
"Everyone finds different things sensual," Adria said. "It was interesting to see both of our perspectives, hone in and start molding it from that sense. It sparked conversations that you wouldn’t normally have, because we were in the process of creating it."
Like most Millennial women, I use Pinterest to post inspiration for houses and vacations I can't afford and DIY projects I'll never actually do. In fact, I was unaware the platform was used for anything else — let alone choreographing sexy time.
But back to Hitman…
"So often, sex scenes feel almost divorced from the movie, like a marketing play or it feels icky," Powell chimed in. "In this movie, those scenes are crucial in the changing and seizing of identity. You have to see a guy who sees the world in such a binary, stale place checking logic at the door and becoming a whole new person. This romantic relationship is really expediting it. It’s the catalyst for everything."
I'm with Glen on this one. I have seen very few (if any) movies or TV shows where watching people have sex was necessary to the plot.
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I hate graphic sex scenes in films. And I don't mean just two characters being intimate or the implication of sex. I mean the overly salacious, blatantly pornographic scenes that are just awkwardly thrown into TV shows with the sole purpose of making it move. (I'm looking at you, literally everything on HBO.)
Call me a prude if you want to (although if you read Womansplaining, you know I am not), but sometimes you want to be able to watch a movie with your pals — or God forbid, your parents — without having to sit uncomfortably through moaning and thrusting.
Paige Bueckers Parties With Rapper
Before we get to Paige, I'm going to admit my ignorance here: I originally wrote in that headline, "Alleged Rapper." Because this guy's name is A Boogie Wit da Hoodie. Yes, that's what he calls himself: A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.
And I thought, What a stupid name. There's no way this dude is legit.
So I did a quick search, and I'LL BE DAMNED, y'all. A Boogie Wit da Hoodie (we're gonna call him "Boogie" moving forward because I cannot keep typing that) has 7.1 million Instagram followers, 18.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and he's headlining a tour that's selling out venues.
And sometimes he doesn't even wear a hoodie, which is confusing to me.
So what the hell do I know? The answer is nothing. I am grandma, and I am out of touch with these kids and their rap music.
Moving on… Boogie played a show at Xfinity Theatre in Hartford, Conn., over the weekend, and Paige Bueckers was in the crowd. After the concert, the UConn Huskies star (and likely No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft) somehow ended up backstage shooting hoops with the rapper.
Then, Boogie, Paige and his entourage all headed over to the casino to play craps. I'm not familiar with my Connecticut casinos (or any casinos, actually), but some folks on social media said this is Foxwoods — which is an hour away from Xfinity Theater.
What an absolute glow up women's basketball has seen! Two years ago, no one was talking about women's college whoops or the WNBA. In fact, the average person probably couldn't name five female basketball players. Now, they're signing $28-million shoe deals, celebrating on championship floats with the Celtics and high-rolling with rap stars.
Good work, ladies. Speaking of female athletes…
Katie Ledecky Is Not Human
I watched the U.S. Olympic swim trials last weekend, and, as usual, Katie Ledecky was incredible. The most decorated women's swimmer in history is headed to Paris to add to her fat stack of gold medals.
And after hearing all this (literal) sh*t about the Seine River, I'll bet she's really happy she swims in a pool.
Anyway, I might be really late to this party, but have you seen this video of her swimming with a glass of chocolate milk balanced on her head?!
I am floored. Truly.
It's all I can do not to spill my beer in the pool when I'm holding it in my hand and sitting on a floatie — let alone balance it on my head and exercise!
Speaking of beer, though, this made me chuckle.
When Animals Attack!
Remember that show?
I think I have an animal segment every week in Nightcaps. I'm not sure if that's because there's an abundance of crazy animal videos or if I'm just into them. I could probably just do an entire weekly column on critters and the outdoors.
But for now… let's head to Australia.
Living in Australia must be wild, man. That continent is full of wildly dangerous animal species that aren't found anywhere else in the world. For example, there's this little guy called the southern blue-ringed octopus. It's smaller than a golf ball, but its bite can kill a fully grown human in just a few minutes!
But even if Aussies are careful to avoid venomous snakes and spiders and sea creatures, you never know when a kangaroo is going to come out of nowhere and kick you right in the face!
And that's exactly what happened to a toddler in New South Wales last week.
This little girl was just minding her own business in her own yard when this juvenile male kangaroo came burrowing in, growling and ready to brawl. Fortunately, Dad was there to save the day.
Mom says they're going to get a fence to avoid future kangaroo assaults.
According to the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH), kangaroo attacks on humans are very rare. Allegedly, fewer than five people a year are treated for kangaroo-related injuries. But I simply do not believe that.
Because I see videos like this all the time. Those things are ALWAYS looking for a fight!
And frankly, I don't want to be caught in a dark alley with one. Especially if he looks like this.
Thank goodness we live in the good ol' U-S-of-A, where all we have to worry about are very hungry bears — like this one who just wanted some gumbo!
Watch until the end for a surprise.
That lady is lucky he was already full.
OK, let's open the mailbag.
Last week, I wrote about my trip to Myrtle Beach. I explained that — while I will never complain about a five-day vacation by the ocean — it was not my favorite place I've ever visited. It was insanely crowded and extra touristy.
Well…
Greg Did Not Appreciate My Myrtle Beach Review
I read your article reviewing Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach. As a resident of Myrtle Beach, I invite you to try another visit, but this time, do a little research about what locals do and where they go. The Grand Strand is a giant tourist trap and you and your clan were not inclined to avoid it. So guess what happened? You were stuck in lines and crowded places with…other tourists who tried no harder than you to figure out how to have a good time without the crowds. This would be like me going to Disney and Universal and Daytona Beach and SOBE and complaining that all of Florida is a cesspool of tourists and trash. I lived in Florida and I know better, so I would never make such an egregious mistake.
Look, I do not care whether you like my home or not, and I do not care if you want to play tourists or not, but please do not trash my hometown for being a tourist trap when all you did was the tourist trap BS. There are so many other unique and cool options, but apparently you expected those opportunities to fall in your lap and spent no time trying to find them. It really is not very hard.
Save my email address. Next time, just email and I will plan your entire itinerary and then wait for the rave review you write about my home town. However, if you never come back, please allow me to thank you now for doing all of the overpriced tourist stuff. That keeps our local economy booming in the nine months of offseason, and the taxes you paid on those outrageous bills keep our property taxes low. That, my friend, is very much appreciated.
Amber:
Greg, buddy, I live in Nashville. If there's anyone who understands the tourist economy, it's me. And if someone wrote a review about how awful the over-priced, over-packed, smells-like-stale-beer-and-puke bars on Broadway are, I would agree with them — even though there are plenty of places to go in Middle Tennessee that are much more charming.
So, yes, I understand how to work Google and do my own research on a destination. But as I stated in my column last week, this trip and the itinerary were not my choice. I was there to celebrate my cousin's 21st birthday, thus, I did whatever she wanted to do. She wanted to stay on the touristy beach and do the touristy things. She was into it. And that's OK, too.
So it was not my intention to trash Greg's hometown. I was talking about Myrtle Beach itself — not the nice little towns and neighborhoods surrounding it.
Speaking of…
Murray Has Some Suggestions
I just read your thoughts on Myrtle Beach on OutKick. You are absolutely right about that part of Myrtle Beach. The problem is, you went to the wrong part of Myrtle. The area south of Myrtle Beach is way better.
Starting with Myrtle Beach State Park — very uncrowded. Then look at Surfside Beach, Garden City Beach, Pawley's Island, Litchfield Beach and Murrell's Inlet. These areas have almost no hotels. Just a few high-rise condos and a lot of beach houses. Far less crowded and filled with Old South charm.
Murrell's Inlet is a sort of fishing village with a boardwalk on the inlet connecting a string of excellent seafood restaurants and open air live music bars that you can carry your drink from one to the other. You can also rent jet-skis to take out to the ocean during the day.
The pier at Garden City beach is endless entertainment, starting with a game arcade for the kids, while the far end of the pier is widened and covered and has a country rock band and a bar. There are people drinking, dancing, fishing and socializing 1000 feet out over the ocean. Great fun. Sometimes, if you look over the pier, you will see 6-foot sharks swimming around just waiting for someone to fall in. Haha!
We have been going down there for 30 years and always have fun. They can keep the main part of Myrtle Beach, although Broadway at the Beach can be entertaining. They have great fireworks every week. It's also better to go after mid-August, when most kids are back in school.
Just thought I'd let you know about the best parts of the Grand Strand before you give up on it.
Amber:
Unfortunately, we didn't have a ton of time to go exploring, but my parents and I did check out Murrell's Inlet after the rest of the family left. We had lunch at a place on the water called Dead Dog Saloon. It was a little morbid with memorials to thousands of dogs all over the wall (as the mom of an old 15-year-old mutt, I'm extra sensitive to that sort of thing), but the food was good.
I'd definitely go back there when it's not scorching hot to enjoy the marsh walk. The pier sounds great, too. I'd love to see some sharks — from a safe distance with a little drinky drink in my hand, of course.
And One More Myrtle Beach Email From MP
I go to Myrtle Beach in November for the Beach Music Awards weekend. It’s not nearly as crowded as in June/July, and Awards Show weekend is a lot of fun. Friday night and Saturday night are good pub crawl nights at the Ocean Drive Beach and Golf resort as you go from HOTOS (Harold's on the Ocean) to the Spanish Galleon to the OD Ballroom. An indoor pub crawl: what a concept! If you like, you can go outside and hit other nearby clubs. They all have live music and DJs on the premises.
Saturday afternoon there’s a pig picking outside the OD resort. There’s great barbecue, plus it’s a fundraiser for a scholarship fund for the students whose parents are in the Beach Music industry. Sunday is awards show day. The awards show is at the Alabama Theater. Before the show, there’s tailgating in the parking lot. The theater stage is decorated for Christmas because the awards show is borrowing the stage from a show called "The South’s Grandest Christmas Show."
There’s lots of great performances by many of the region’s top performers, and unlike shows like the Grammys, the presenters say the old school "And the WINNER is" instead of "and the Grammy goes to." After the show, there are after parties at HOTOS and Spanish Galleon. Myrtle Beach can be more than just going to the beach itself.
Amber:
You know I love a man with a plan, MP. This sounds like a hoot.
One More Thing…
While all of my attention was on the Vols last night, there was another championship being won. Congrats to the Florida Panthers on winning the Stanley Cup!
…and then taking it to the beach.
As a fan of a football team who inspired 100,000 crazies to throw a set of goalposts in the Tennessee River in October 2022, I have nothing but respect for this move.
OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m.
Follow me on X / Twitter at @TheAmberHarding or email me at [email protected].