Did you know there is a map breaking down every state’s favorite thing to dip in chocolate? Most of the picks are exactly what you would expect. A few are questionable. And one of them absolutely should have stayed a secret.
Let’s start with the big headline:
Across the country, the most popular thing to cover in chocolate is bacon. Yes, bacon. Somewhere, a cardiologist just sighed very deeply.
Chocolate covered bacon takes the top spot overall, thanks largely to Middle America really leaning into the sweet and salty chaos. Bacon is the number one choice in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. That is a lot of states agreeing that pork belongs in dessert.
Bananas come in as another big favorite. They are the most popular chocolate covered item in Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, and Virginia. Respectable. Classic. Nobody is mad at chocolate bananas.
Chocolate covered nuts also had a strong showing, which feels very on brand. Almonds are number one in Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Pecans take the top spot in Arkansas, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Peanuts win in South Dakota, while macadamia nuts rule in Hawaii. These states are all nuts, literally.
Strawberries, the romantic overachiever of chocolate foods, are the favorite in Alaska, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wyoming. Meanwhile, cherries win in Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and West Virginia. This feels like something you would order off a menu without questioning it.
Then things start to get weird.
California prefers chocolate covered blueberries. Pennsylvania goes with apples. New Jersey chooses pineapples, which feels aggressively tropical for that state. Kentucky likes chocolate covered grapes, while Illinois and Washington, D.C. prefer raisins, which are just grapes that gave up.
Ohio chooses chocolate covered pickles, which raises several follow-up questions no one wants answered. Florida goes with popcorn. Delaware picks pretzels. North Dakota prefers potato chips. Idaho and Kansas opt for coffee beans, which feels like a cry for caffeine help.
And then there is North Carolina.
North Carolina’s favorite chocolate covered item is crickets. Actual insects. Covered in chocolate. Somebody had to say it, and unfortunately, somebody did.
When winter arrives, some people immediately declare, “Nope,” and begin emotionally shutting down until March.
A survey found that 67% of Americans wish they could straight-up hibernate like bears. And honestly, if someone opened a clinical trial for humanhibernation, the waitlist would be miles long.
But since we cannot actually snooze our way through winter, 86% say they’re at least fully committed to getting “as cozy as possible,” which basically means transforming their home into a soft, warm nest and abandoning the concept of productivity.
People were given dozens of options, and these are the top 10 ways Americans say they achieve peak coziness:
Curling up on the couch
Layers of blankets, ideally enough to threaten mobility
Enjoying the quiet (because winter finally silences the lawnmowers)
Sleeping in
Making fresh tea, coffee, or hot chocolate (and maybe spiking it just a bit… right, grandma?)
Not leaving the home under any circumstances
Watching cold, rainy, or snowy weather from inside like a judgmental Victorian child
Lighting candles
Putting on relaxing music
Spending time with family
And because “spending time with family” can range from heartwarming to “why did I come here,” the next-most popular option is the far more universal: putting on thick socks.
Once people settle into maximum snuggle mode, it takes an average of 48 minutes before they feel fully relaxed. And 76% say they sleep better if they get cozy first, which is shocking information to absolutely no one.
There is no better way to spend winter than refusing to go outside, wearing socks that feel like tiny sheep, and pretending society does not exist until further notice.
If pop culture has taught us anything, it’s that we love to argue about fictional people almost as much as real ones. And now we have a brand new reason to fight in the group chat. TheRinger.com did a March Madness-style bracket to determine the biggest pop culture jerk of all time, and the final winner is a name Adam Sandler fans know very well.
Shooter McGavin is officially the biggest pop culture jerk ever.
The smug, trash-talking golf villain from “Happy Gilmore” squeaked out a narrow victory in the championship round, beating Eric Cartman from “South Park” with 54% of the vote. That is a tight finish, especially considering Cartman has spent decades being aggressively awful to just about everyone within shouting distance.
The tournament started with a massive field of 64 fictional jerks pulled from movies, TV shows, and cartoons. We’re talking about a truly stacked lineup of unpleasant personalities. Early competitors included Draco Malfoy, Gollum, Stifler from “American Pie”, Newman from “Seinfeld”, Jerry from “Tom & Jerry”, and Biff Tannen from “Back to the Future”. Right away, it was clear this bracket was not messing around.
The list got even more chaotic when you dug deeper. Phil Connors from “Groundhog Day” made an appearance, along with Larry David playing a version of himself on “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. Squidward from “SpongeBob SquarePants” was there, Veruca Salt from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” showed up, and Jim Halpert from “The Office” was thrown into the mix.
Jim’s inclusion raised a few eyebrows, but if you look at the show through the eyes of Dwight, Roy, or especially Toby, it makes sense. Jim did manage to beat Real Housewife Ramona Singer in the first round, but his run ended when he lost to Biff in the next matchup.
When the dust settled, the Final Four came down to Shooter McGavin, Eric Cartman, Biff Tannen, and Larry David. That is an impressive group of people you would absolutely avoid at a party. In the end, Shooter’s combination of arrogance, constant trash talk, and total lack of self-awareness pushed him over the top.
There is also something deeply funny about Larry David almost winning a tournament for playing a jerk based on himself. If anything, that feels like the kind of result he would appreciate the most.
So congrats to Shooter McGavin, who now holds the most prestigious and completely meaningless title in pop culture history. And if you disagree with the result, do not worry. That just means the bracket did its job.
If you have ever caught yourself accidentally speeding because a song came on a little too strong, science says you are not imagining it.
A new study suggests that certain popular songs can actually make you drive faster and take more risks behind the wheel, all because of their tempo.
Researchers at the South China University of Technology looked at how music affects driving behavior and found that songs with a tempo of 120 beats per minute or higher can encourage drivers to speed up and drive more aggressively.
Translation: If the song makes you want to drum on the steering wheel, it might also make your foot heavier on the gas.
According to the study, these are the most dangerous songs to drive to:
“American Idiot” by Green Day
“Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus
“Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
“Don’t Let Me Down” by The Chainsmokers
“Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen
The common thread here is speed. Fast tempos can raise your heart rate and adrenaline, making you more likely to drive faster without realizing it. The researchers say it is not about the genre, it is about how your brain responds to the rhythm.
On the flip side, the study also identified songs that are far less likely to turn your commute into a Fast and Furious audition.
Least dangerous songs to drive to:
“Location” by Khalid
“Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
“Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
“God’s Plan” by Drake
“Africa” by Toto
Of course, this does not mean you need to delete half your music library. It just means being aware of how music can influence your mood and behavior. If you are cruising on the highway or stuck in traffic, a calmer playlist might help keep both your speed and your blood pressure in check.
So maybe save “Mr. Brightside” for karaoke night, and let “Africa” guide you safely home.
If the mere idea of karaoke makes you break into a cold sweat, good news. You’re not alone, and science, or at least a survey with some research behind it, is officially on your side.
Someone set out to find the best karaoke songs for people who absolutely, positively cannot sing, and the results are basically a greatest hits playlist of crowd-powered confidence.
The research ranked the 30 best karaoke songs for non-singers, meaning tracks that are loud, familiar, forgiving, and almost impossible to ruin when the whole bar is yelling along with you. These are songs where enthusiasm matters more than pitch, and where missing a note is not a failure, it’s part of the experience.
Before you panic-scroll for something obscure, relax. The Top 10 reads like the ultimate drunk wedding reception playlist.
Coming in at number one is “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, which barely even counts as singing. At some point, the crowd just takes over with the “bum bum bum,” and you’re basically hosting a singalong. Right behind it is “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi, a song that lives entirely off vibes, fist pumps, and shouting “whoa” at the correct times.
Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” lands at number three, because no one in the room cares how it sounds as long as everyone commits emotionally.
The full list runs all the way to 30, and yes, it’s packed with similarly forgiving favorites. If karaoke night is looming and your vocal confidence is nonexistent, this list is basically your survival guide.
Grab one of these songs, sing loudly, smile bigger, and remember, the louder the room gets, the less anyone notices how you sound.
So, how’s that “New Year, New Me” thing going? Still journaling daily? Crushing it at the gym? If not, don’t worry—you’re in excellent company.
According to Forbes, only about 1% of people keep their New Year’s resolutions all the way through the year. And it’s not because we’re lazy or doomed to fail. It’s mostly because we approach resolutions like they’re one giant, dramatic life overhaul rather than a series of tiny, manageable tweaks.
The key to keeping your goals alive in 2026? Ditch the hype and embrace the hack. Here are five science-backed, sanity-friendly strategies to help your resolutions stick:
1. Get specific—and lower the bar.
“I want to get fit” is noble, but vague. “I’ll take a 10-minute walk after work” is way more doable. Start with micro-goals. They add up, and the small wins feel good.
2. Build habits into routines, not moods.
Motivation is flaky. Habits are reliable. Instead of waiting to “feel inspired,” try this: After you press the coffee maker, do five squats. Your caffeine habit becomes your cue.
3. Plan for bad days.
Life happens. Missed your full workout? Do a two-minute stretch instead. Forgot to journal? Jot one sentence. Progress doesn’t require perfection.
4. Track it—and tell someone.
There’s real power in accountability. When you track your wins and share them (even just with one trusted friend), you’re more likely to keep going. We’re wired to want gold stars.
5. Test drive big changes.
Before you quit your job to become a goat yoga instructor, try shadowing someone in the field or taking a weekend course. Small experiments can lead to big decisions—with less regret.
In short, success isn’t about willpower. It’s about design. So instead of aiming for a perfect year, aim for one where you keep getting back on track—no matter how many times you fall off. That’s the real win.
Happy 2026. Let’s keep those goals going longer than a Shamrock Shake.
You need to get that dried-out tree out of your living room before it bursts into flames! Why not make a meal of it?
If you dragged a real Christmas tree into your living room this holiday season, here’s a fun, weird, eco-friendly option for your post-holiday cleanup: you can eat it.
How to Eat Your Christmas Tree
A food writer in the UK named Julia Georgallis published a book with the straightforward, no-nonsense title, “How to Eat Your Christmas Tree.” The artisan baker and cook claims you can use nearly the entire thing to whip up some surprisingly classy recipes.
Don’t Just Grab a Fork and Knife
Of course, this isn’t a “just toss a log in your blender” situation. Before you dive face-first into a bowl of pine needles, there are a few culinary pro tips.
Most of her tips involve using your tree to season your meal. For example, the needles can be treated like rosemary or bay leaves, adding an earthy flavor to roasts, sauces, or even cocktails. (Apparently, crushed needles make a great flavor boost for gin or vinegar.) They also pack a decent punch of vitamin C.
Not All Xmas Trees Are Edible
You’ll want to make sure your tree hasn’t been treated with chemicals, pesticides, or fake snow. So if yours came from a big-box lot with a barcode tag and neon netting, you may want to skip the dining experiment and stick with curbside pickup.
Still, it’s a compelling idea: finding a second life for something that usually just sits in a landfill or gets mulched.
And if nothing else, it’s the kind of quirky fact that makes you sound like a weirdo at parties—“I finally got rid of my Christmas tree yesterday. It was delicious.”
It seems like everyone has a DIY hangover cure… that DOESN’T work.
Stuff like: Downing glasses of water… using activated charcoal… drinking pickle juice… and rubbing lemon slices under your armpits.
Researchers in the U.K. have released a comprehensive review of hangover “cures,” and it has concluded that… nothing works. So yes, we’re already a quarter of the way through the 21st Century, and science has failed to deliver ANYTHING.
The review included clinical trials on dozens of supposed remedies… including curcumin, red ginseng, probiotics, artichoke extract, and pear juice… and nothing helped. At least not consistently.
The researchers also dismissed a lot of flawed experiments in the past… saying there’s “a limited number of poor quality research studies [examining] hangovers.”
In fact, only three things showed enough promise for continued study: Clove extract… tolfenamic acid, which is a painkiller available in the U.K…. and Vitamin B. Specifically that would be a synthetic version of Vitamin B6.
If YOU discovered something that YOU think works during this holiday season, please go on TikTok and… well.. I guess join the choir, and hopefully science finds you and tests your theory.
Sean Penn chills with a drug lord, Ricky Gervais roasts Mel Gibson, and Ziggy Stardust returns to the stars. Here’s what was in the news 10 years ago this week.
David Bowie Passes Away at 69
The world lost a legend on January 10, 2016, when David Bowie passed away at 69 after a private battle with cancer. The music icon had just released his final album Blackstar two days earlier, making the news feel like a surreal and devastating final act.
In one of the most bizarre celebrity-meets-crime stories ever, Rolling Stone revealed Sean Penn had secretly interviewed notorious drug lord El Chapo while he was on the run. The meeting supposedly helped Mexican authorities track the kingpin down.
Ricky Gervais Roasts Mel Gibson at the Golden Globes
Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globes again in 2016 and didn’t hold back. He roasted Mel Gibson to his face, poking fun at Gibson’s past scandals. Meanwhile, The Revenant won Best Drama, and The Martian confusingly won Best Comedy.
Is the New Year’s Eve Ball in Times Square Racist?
The team behing the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball’s official Twitter account apologized after tweeting “#BallLivesMatter” on New Year’s – a play on the Black Lives Matter movement. Critics slammed it as tone-deaf, while others chalked it up to a silly attempt at puns. The tweet was deleted quickly.
Just in time to crush fans’ New Year optimism, George R.R. Martin confirmed he wouldn’t finish The Winds of Winter before Game of Thrones Season 6 aired. A decade later, the book still isn’t out, and fans are still not okay.
I like to think Geroge RR Martin's Winds of Winter update doubles as a disclaimer for grad school… pic.twitter.com/z7yQJj9fd2
Fandango’s annual hype list for 2016 was packed with blockbusters. The top picks included Batman v Superman, Captain America: Civil War, and Rogue One, kicking off a massive year for superhero and sci-fi fans.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens officially became the highest-grossing film ever in the U.S. in January 2016, passing Avatar. It was a nostalgic mega-hit that brought back Han, Leia, and Chewie while launching a new trilogy. It still holds the record a decade later.
Sylvester Stallone Says He’s Done with Rambo (Spoiler: He Wasn’t)
In 2016, Sly Stallone claimed he was hanging up Rambo’s headband for good, telling Variety, “The heart’s willing, but the body says, ‘Stay home!'” That didn’t last – he returned for Rambo: Last Blood in 2019, proving you can’t keep a good action hero down.
Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza Head to Cooperstown
Baseball legends Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were elected to the Hall of Fame. Griffey made history with the highest voting percentage ever at the time, receiving 437 of 440 votes (99.3%).
Science Debunks the “Mommy Kiss Fixes Boo-Boos” Myth
A study confirmed what skeptical toddlers suspected: a kiss from mom doesn’t medically help a scraped knee. Still, science can’t measure the magic of comfort, so moms everywhere carried on smooching boo-boos anyway.
The "Mom Boo-Boo Kiss" technique doesn't actually work?! For some reason the Canadians did a whole study on it. https://t.co/7KbS0MwaO2
Some classic movies celebrate their golden anniversaries this year. Here are 26 movies . . . both great and not-so-great . . . that turn 50 in ’26.
“Taxi Driver”
Robert De Niro is a lonely man in an ugly city that just doesn’t give a damn . . . much like Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker”, a film heavily inspired by “Taxi Driver”. In an ironic twist, “Joker” features De Niro as the man who pretty much pushes Joaquin’s character over the edge.
In addition to “Joker” and countless pop culture references to the classic line “You talkin’ to me?”, the film also inspired the real-life attempt on President Ronald Reagan’s life in 1981. Would be assassin John Hinckley Jr. was obsessed with Jodie Foster’s portrayal of a 12-year-old prostitute, and did it to impress her.
“The Bad News Bears”
The ultimate underdog story. There’s real heart underneath all the profanity and vulgarity, and anyone who’s ever played Little League will tell you that this movie really gets it right.
The 2005 remake, featuring Billy Bob Thornton taking the reigns from Walter Matthau as the team’s ne’er-do-well alcoholic coach, isn’t terrible . . . although it ultimately wimps out by having the kids celebrate nearly winning the championship with NON-ALCOHOLIC beer.
WARNING: This trailer contains racial slurs:
“All the President’s Men”
A film about American journalists with the guts to stand up to government corruption? File this one under “Fiction”.
“Family Plot”
Although it got overwhelmingly positive reviews at the time of its release, this is not considered among Alfred Hitchcock’s great films. It’s mostly notable for being his last.
“The Omen”
What “The Exorcist” did in bringing demonic possession into the public consciousness, “The Omen” did for the Antichrist. While considered the lesser of the two, this one is a lot more fun. The creative kills, which were amped up for 1978’s “Damien: The Omen 2”, were obvious precursors to Rube Goldberg-esque death sequences in the “Final Destination” films.
“The Outlaw Josey Wales”
One of Clint Eastwood’s best-loved Westerns, based on the 1973 novel “The Rebel Outlaw Josey Wales”, by half-Cherokee author Forrest Carter. But check this out:
While doing promotion for the movie, Forrest Carter was exposed as Asa Earl Carter, a notorious segregationist and KKK leader . . . who wrote the infamous line “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” for Alabama Governor George Wallace.
“Car Wash”
A landmark comedy with a killer theme song and some top-of-the-line black comedians and musicians, including Richard Pryor, The Pointer Sisters, Garrett Morris, Bill Duke, Franklyn Ajaye, Antonio Fargas, and . . . George Carlin???
The script was written by Joel Schumacher, who would go on to direct “St. Elmo’s Fire”, “The Lost Boys”, “The Client”, “A Time to Kill”, “Batman Forever”, and, regrettably, “Batman & Robin”.
“Carrie”
One of the greatest horror movies of all time, this one put director Brian DePalma on the map, and netted stars Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie Oscar nominations.
It also features John Travolta saying “Git ‘er done” decades before Larry the Cable Guy based his entire act on the line.
“Rocky”
What’s left to say about this one, other than the fact that it could have been a much different movie. Sylvester Stallone wrote it, and was determined to star in it. He even rejected a six-figure deal that would have seen someone else playing the lead role. As would happen with Rocky in the film, Stallone’s dogged persistence paid off.
“Freaky Friday”
The O.G., starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris in the Lindsay Lohan / Jamie Lee Curtis roles. It was actually based on a novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers, published in 1972.
Honorable, and Dishonorable, Mentions:
“The Man Who Fell to Earth”: A British sci-fi drama starring David Bowie.
“Grizzly”: A “Jaws” rip-off rushed into theaters in less than a year, about an 18-foot killer grizzly bear.
“Mother, Jugs & Speed”: Guess which one Raquel Welch played?
“The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane”: A effective thriller starring a precocious Jodie Foster and a super-creepy Martin Sheen. (Yeah, Jodie Foster was all over the place in ’76.)
“Food of the Gods”: If “Man fights giant chicken” is all you need to hear to prompt you to seek this one out, you’re my kinda people.
“Murder by Death”: A hilarious whodunit that suffers from a very dated performance by Peter Sellers as a Charlie Chan-style Asian detective.
“Squirm”: Killer worms, you say? Sign me up!
“Bugsy Malone”: An all-kid gangster musical comedy starring Scott Baio and . . . are you freakin’ kidding me??? . . . Jodie Foster again.
“Marathon Man”: A thriller starring Dustin Hoffman as a long-distance runner who gets caught up in a plot by Nazi war criminals to retrieve stolen diamonds.
“The Song Remains the Same”: The legendary Led Zeppelin concert film.
“Buffalo Rider”: A bizarre little flick that would, decades later, inspire the hilarious YouTube parody series, “Guy on a Buffalo“.
“Assault on Precinct 13”: A tense, pre-“Halloween” thriller from John Carpenter.
“Network”: A TV news satire that still hits.
“A Star is Born”: Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson in the third of what are now FOUR versions of this story.
“Silver Streak”: The first of four Richard Pryor / Gene Wilder collabs.
“King Kong”: Not great but not terrible (although I concede that this opinion is debatable), this remake features Jessica Lange in her debut film role.
![TAXI DRIVER [1976] - Official Trailer (HD)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T5IligQP7Fo/hqdefault.jpg)
