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Tag: erin brockovich

  • Ryan Gosling’s Viral Beavis and Butt-Head Skit Was 5 Years in the Making

    Ryan Gosling’s Viral Beavis and Butt-Head Skit Was 5 Years in the Making

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    People watch Saturday Night Live to laugh, of course, but there are laughs and then there are sketches that last forever. This past weekend, Ryan Gosling hosted SNL and the episode may have featured one of those all-time sketches. What starts as a discussion of AI then turns into one of the most absurd and random pop culture references imaginable as two audience members who look like the characters from Beavis and Butt-Head derail the whole thing.

    Spoilers of the Week | June 17th

    If the sketch felt random, well, not only was that by design, it’s because its writers had been pitching it for the past five years. Here’s the hilarious sketch to get everyone on board.

    Beavis and Butt-Head – SNL

    The sketch was written by Mikey Day, who plays Butt-Head above, and Streeter Seidell. A pair who—according to cast member and host of the sketch, Heidi Gardner—have been wanting to do this for a while.

    “It was a sketch that had been put up at table reads and rehearsals for about five years prior to this,” Gardner told Vulture in a new interview. “Previously, I was in the sketch but as an audience member. I can’t remember the other castings of it. It never made it to a dress rehearsal.”

    This week though, it didn’t just make it to dress rehearsal, it made it to air. “Every so often, because of timing or the stage it’s in, a sketch might be cut on a Friday night as opposed to a Saturday. That’s what happened the time before,” Gardner continued. “I had never seen the costumes. It was a sketch that Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell kept on pitching, like, ‘Before the end of our time here, we have to do the Beavis and Butt-Head sketch.’ It was their white whale; they really wanted to do it. Knowing Ryan is always so down for fun and playful things, my guess is they thought he would be into it.”

    Overall, the sketch also ended up fitting because the whole episode was so driven by pop culture. Gosling’s monologue referenced Barbenheimer and featured a Taylor Swift song. One sketch was about the dog from Beethoven. Another from Erin Brockovich. And Weekend Update focused on a TikTok trend and basketball star Caitlin Clark.

    Oh, and though it didn’t make the episode itself, Gosling also followed up his famous Avatar-centic Papyrus SNL sketch with an online-only sequel, and it’s fantastic.

    Papyrus 2 – SNL

    But in the months and years ahead, one just kind of feels it’ll be the Beavis and Butt-Head sketch that people will still be talking about. And rightfully so. Read much, much more about its conception and some behind-the-scenes stories over on Vulture.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Germain Lussier

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  • A Cat Covered in Toxic Chemicals Is Terrorizing Japan

    A Cat Covered in Toxic Chemicals Is Terrorizing Japan

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    Photo: Christopher Furlong / Staff (Getty Images)

    The city of Fukuyama, Japan is on high alert after a cat fell into a vat of toxic chemicals and escaped into the night. Officials warned the animal is covered in hexavalent chromium, and residents should be careful not to touch any “cat that seems abnormal.”

    Kara Swisher on All the Nonsense in the Tech Industry

    A worker at Nomura Plating factory discovered a set of yellow paw prints leading away from a chemical tank early Monday morning. The cat was later spotted leaving the factory on security footage, according to the newspaper Asahi Shimbun. You can see a video of the ill-fated cat below.

    A dip into hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium 6, may be a death sentence no matter how many lives the feline has left. The solution can cause skin irritation, respiratory issues, heart failure, lung cancer, and even death. As the Washington Post points out, it’s the same chemical that leaked into groundwater in the Julia Roberts movie Erin Brockovich.

    【六価クロム】まみれのネコ逃走中 「触らないで」 広島・福山市

    Fukuyama Environmental Conservation Division reported that the cat may be dead but issued a warning to locals, according to Ahahi Shumbun, “If you find a cat that seems abnormal, please do not touch it and contact the city or police.” Nippon TV News reports that officials are asking elementary schools to keep children away from cats in general.

    There’s no update on the cat or its whereabouts as of press time, but the cat would probably be easy to pick out if it’s still on its feet. If the cat is alive that means it probably hasn’t licked itself clean, which means it would probably be stained a yellow or reddish-brown color thanks to the hexavalent chromium. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, chromium compounds are widely used for electroplating, stainless steel production, leather tanning, textile manufacturing, and wood preservation.

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    Thomas Germain

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  • Environmental Activist To East Palestine Residents: ‘This Is Not A Quick Fix’

    Environmental Activist To East Palestine Residents: ‘This Is Not A Quick Fix’

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    EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Worried residents packed a high school auditorium Friday as activist Erin Brockovich and attorneys warned of long-term health and environmental dangers from chemicals released after a fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

    Brooke Hofmeister, a mother of two young children, said she feared for their health and felt worse than before about the situation after hearing the presentation.

    “The truth is pretty scary,” the 29-year-old said.

    She and her husband, Cory Hofmeister, said they didn’t feel safe in their hometown and were uncertain about whether to remain, echoing concerns raised by many who attended the two-hour session. It was sponsored by East Palestine Justice, a group formed by Brockovich, lawyers and scientific and medical experts.

    No one was injured when 38 Norfolk Southern cars derailed in a fiery, mangled mess on the outskirts of town Feb. 3. As fears grew about a potential explosion, officials seeking to avoid an uncontrolled blast had the area evacuated and opted to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke billowing into the sky again.

    More than 2,000 people registered to attend the meeting Friday, with the crowd spilling into the school gymnasium. Brockovich, who gained fame and was portrayed in a film for battling Pacific Gas & Electric Co. over groundwater contamination in Hinkley, California, told the audience to fight for recognition and trust their instincts.

    “You want to be heard, but you’re going to be told it’s safe, you’re going to be told not to worry,” Brockovich said. “That’s just rubbish, because you’re going to worry. Communities want to be seen and heard.”

    Health and environmental risks will remain for years, she said.

    “Don’t expect somebody to give you the answers. Unfortunately, this is not a quick fix. This is going to be a long game.”

    Activist Erin Brockovich speaks about the Norfolk Southern train derailment during a town hall meeting at East Palestine High School on Friday.
    Residents packed the high school auditorium as activist Erin Brockovich discusses the train derailment that happened earlier this month in East Palestine, Ohio.
    Residents packed the high school auditorium as activist Erin Brockovich discusses the train derailment that happened earlier this month in East Palestine, Ohio.

    Brockovich and her associates are among a number of legal teams that have come to the area offering to talk with residents about potential litigation over the derailment. Several lawsuits already have been filed.

    Federal and state officials have repeatedly said it’s safe for evacuated residents to return to the area and that air testing in the town and inside hundreds of homes hasn’t detected any concerning levels of contaminants from the fires and burned chemicals. The state says the local municipal drinking water system is safe, and bottled water is available while testing is conducted for those with private wells.

    Despite those assurances and a bevy of news conferences and politician visits ― including this week from top officials in the Biden administration and former President Donald Trump ― many residents still express a sense of mistrust or have lingering questions about what they have been exposed to and how it will impact the future of their families and their communities.

    At Friday night’s meeting, attorney Mikal Watts urged people to get their blood and urine tested promptly, saying the results could help establish whether they have been exposed to dangerous substances and could be helpful if they take legal action.

    “The court of public opinion and a court of law are different,” he said. “We need evidence.”

    The Hofmeisters were among local residents who said afterward they intended to be tested.

    Greg McCormick, 40, a lifelong East Palestine resident who was among those evacuated after the train, said he would consider testing.

    “I’m just lost, like everyone else here,” he said. “We don’t know where we’re going, what we’re doing. … We’re about to lose our Mayberry, but we’re sure as hell going to fight for it.”

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