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A TikToker has gone viral after meeting a homeless cancer patient and becoming his “angel” with her genuine acts of service.
A DC-based college student by the name of Sanai Graden became a viral sensation in less than 24 hours after vlogging her experience with a homeless man diagnosed with prostate cancer. In a nearly four-minute video shared on Thursday, February 1, Graden showed how she was on her way to buy groceries from Trader Joe’s when the man walked up to her and asked if she could buy him a cup of hot tea.
“I’m walking to Trader Joe’s. Want to walk with me?” she asked the man.
The California native proceeded to vlog her time with the man, which included a trip to CVS to purchase medicine for him and the visible pain he was in.
“He just got insurance yesterday, but it takes 45 days for his insurance to be active so I told him ‘I’m just going to pay for it,” she explained.
@hustlanani Please help me help him !
After getting medicine for her new “Unc,” Graden took him to Starbucks and bought him a large green tea. But her kind efforts didn’t stop there. The young scholar was on a mission to get the correct medicine the man needed to relieve his pain, which wasn’t at the initial CVS they went to.
Graden walked to another CVS without the man because he was in too much pain to walk. She was successful in obtaining the prescription and walked back to the man to give it to him.
She continued her acts of kindness by getting the man a hotel room for the night. Graden then asked him what type of cancer he has, which he reveals is prostate cancer.
From there, the connection had already been made and Graden became dedicated to making sure her new “Unc” got the help he needed. In her post, she asked for her followers to “help me help him!” and they most certainly did.
Graden followed up with another video informing TikTok of the GoFundMe campaign she started to raise money for the homeless man she identified as “Alonzo.”
“I’m grateful I have this platform to change someone’s life with your guy’s help. I’m planning to use the funds to make sure he has a place to live, new clothes, shoes, a bank account, doctor’s appointments, a phone, etc,” she wrote. “I will be documenting the rest of this on my Tiktok if you are interested but Thank you so much for Donating.”
By Friday morning, Graden shared a video seated alongside Alonzo where he opened up about how “lonely” he’s been and he laid down and asked God “Could you bring my little angel back to me.” The college student went on to let him know that she had already raised over $150,000 for him by the time of the recording, which Alonzo told her “It’s ours.”
@hustlanani I know you’ve all been waiting on his reaction. I just made it home. Please enjoy it. Thank you everyone for coming together. This would not have been possible without the endless support. This is just the beginning of something great. I’m enternally grateful. God did that !!!
Graden will continue documenting Alonzo’s journey. Her latest video showed her taking him shopping for a phone and new clothes. Next up will likely be a place to lay his head every day.
The USC Berkley student continues to express her gratitude for the good deed and support she’s receiving for her efforts. One video shows her crying tears of joy while her mother praises her for her genuine kindness to someone in need.
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The post TikToker Raises Over $250K For Homeless Cancer Patient, ‘Help Me Help Him’ first appeared on Black Enterprise.
VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images By Elizabeth Ayoola ·
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When it was first announced in 2021 that multi-hyphenate artist Donald Glover (Atlanta) was coming out with a new version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the eye-roll reception was to be expected. People love to hate remakes, believing that revisiting previous stories and concepts and approaching them from a different perspective lacks originality. Well, this is Donald Glover, and no one should expect him to simply remake the 2005 Brangelina action rom-com. He told EW, “I hope some people are like, ‘This is better than the original,’ and some people are like, ‘This is far worse.’”
Co-created by Francesca Sloane (Fargo, Atlanta), Prime Video’s eight-episode series reimagines a decidedly more grounded, relatable Jane (Maya Erskine) and John Smith (Glover). The action-packed opening scene may be more along the lines of a spy thriller. But there’s a distinct shift in tone to a sleeker, more corporate setting where we meet the titular spies. Their interviews look like they’re taking place in an episode of Black Mirror, which creates an immediate sense of unease and excitement. The two are strangers to each other, paired by an unknown agency that gives them new identities and a set of wedding rings.
The newlyweds/partners have their unconventional, extremely awkward meet cute in their new home, a beautiful Manhattan brownstone decked out with high-end everything and the best mood lighting. They also now live right next to Paul Dano’s charming character, accurately credited as “Hot Neighbor.” I was immediately invested in this marriage and eager to see how two expert liars open up to a new spouse, or if it is even possible for them to do so. Their relationship is tested as they discover each other’s appealing traits and annoying habits (gross mouth sounds, adorable laughs, etc.).
Both Erskine and Glover have perfected being endearingly weird and awkward characters. With similar senses of humor and fearless vulnerability when it comes to acting, their incredible chemistry and comedic timing are what makes the series compelling from beginning to end. This series allows them to play into their natural comedic talents while providing genuinely dramatic moments and surprisingly intense action scenes. Whether they’re on the streets of New York arguing over how to intercept packages or laying in bed exchanging hilarious observations, Jane and John enjoy a lot of awkward intimacy, which either has you feeling anxious or joining in on their infectious laughter, usually both.
The two share the screen with an impressive roster of guest stars including John Turturro, Parker Posey, Wagner Moura, Michaela Coel, Ron Perlman, Sharon Horgan, Billy Campbell, Alexander Skarsgård, and Eiza González. Whether they’re in multiple episodes or only one scene, the actors all deliver mesmerizing performances as characters varying in eccentricity and threat level.
And as seen in the trailer, the Smiths go see a couples’ therapist played by the wonderfully talented Sarah Paulson. At the center of the series is the growing relationship between Jane and John as colleagues and as a real couple. These scenes remind me of You, Season 3, when Joe and Love go to therapy and have to talk about her “breaking a vase” that was actually her killing someone again.
Speaking of body disposal, a similar incident occurs early on in this series and it’s one of the best scenes. Getting rid of a dead body is usually horrific and messy or presented with slapstick silliness, but Mr. & Mrs. Smith has it both ways, which feels more realistic. Authenticity is consistent throughout the series, especially when it comes to relationships. They experience the good and the bad and go through the usual things that couples have to deal with. They just happen to be figuring it out while they’re surrounded by constant danger.
Glover and Erskine each wrote and starred in semi-autobiographical TV shows, Atlanta and PEN15, respectively, both of which can be just as relatable as they are surreal. And the two get to tap into some of that surrealist comedy here. Real life is often bizarre in general. But their job requires pretending to be other people and surviving life-or-death situations. They’re thrown into intense shootouts and have masked assassins on motorcycles chasing them in beautiful locales around the world. But this isn’t James Bond or even Austin Powers for that matter. John and Jane aren’t the suave spy and femme fatale. The specificity in their personalities — John’s laid back optimism and Jane’s coldness and need for control — feels familiar and relatable.
Fans of Atlanta will recognize the similarities in cinematography — off-center shots, close-ups, voyeuristic ’70s-era horror angles — because Glover shares directing credits with directors and DPs who also worked on his series — Hiro Murai, Christian Sprenger, Amy Seimetz, Stephen Murphy, Cody Jacobs, along with Karena Evans (Dead Ringers). More behind-the-scenes talent includes writers Stephen Glover (Swarm, Atlanta), Adamma and Adanne Ebo (Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul), Carla Ching (Home Before Dark), Yvonne Hana Yi (Raising Dion), and Schuyler Pappas.
For all the skeptics: this isn’t a remake, reboot, or requel; it’s a new story inspired by Donald Glover’s own viewing experience of the 2005 film. There are more differences than similarities, and honestly, if the character names and the series title weren’t Mr. & Mrs. Smith, it probably wouldn’t have been compared to the film at all. It wasn’t created as a race-swapped version, either. (Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge was originally slated to be Jane before exiting because of creative differences).
Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a fun comedy with high-stakes action and realistically imperfect romance. The series subverts the crime thriller and rom-com genres, taking a look at the reality behind the spectacle of espionage, the mundane moments post-mission when all they want to do is take off their shoes, wash off the blood, and watch cartoons. Jane and John don’t calmly walk away from explosions; they faceplant and disorientedly flee the scene.
Between the exceptional writing and direction, composer David Fleming’s (The Last of Us) mix of modern beats and retro doo-wop music, costume designer Madeline Weeks’ (Armageddon Time) stylish fits, and the absolutely stacked cast, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is an undeniable hit that more than deserves another season or five.
Some may feel like the series isn’t something they need but they’ll sure want it.
All eight episodes of Mr. & Mrs. Smith debut February 2, 2024, on Prime Video.
Of all the streaming shenanigans that have come to pass in recent history, password-sharing crackdowns seem like the most unfair (and, sadly, one of the most effective) tactics of them all. Yes, someone has to pay in order for streaming services to survive. But it does feel especially discordant to limit the use of a digital product in such a way. After all, no one would prevent you from mailing a friend a DVD you purchased. But password-sharing crackdowns seem to be the new horizon for streamers. Netflix first began the sharing limitations, and since then, Disney+ added language to set up a similar restriction. Now, Disney-owned Hulu has also taken the first measures for a password-sharing crackdown of its own, following in the footsteps of the other streamers.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Hulu sent an email to its subscribers warning them of the password-sharing crackdown to come. The email noted, “Unless otherwise permitted by your Service Tier, you may not share your subscription outside of your household… ‘Household’ means the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein.”
Additionally, Hulu cautioned, “We may, in our sole discretion, analyze the use of your account to determine compliance with this Agreement. If we determine, in our sole discretion, that you have violated this Agreement, we may limit or terminate access to the Service and/or take any other steps as permitted by this Agreement.”
Sigh! This Hulu password-sharing crackdown language feels very similar to what Disney+ shared with its subscribers in September of 2023. It doesn’t seem like Disney+ has offered any further action or explication of the message after the terms of agreement change, though. But Disney sending this notice to Hulu’s users seems to hint at an escalation across platforms. The Hulu password-sharing crackdown will go into effect on March 14.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney CEO Bob Iger shared last summer, “We’re actively exploring ways to address account sharing and the best options for paying subscribers to share their accounts with friends and family… we will roll out tactics to drive monetization sometime in 2024.” We guess we will see how harshly Hulu and Disney+ legislate password sharing in the coming months.
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