All posts tagged: Bird

Everything we know about Kelly Clarkson’s beef with a Brooklyn store over a now M bird

Everything we know about Kelly Clarkson’s beef with a Brooklyn store over a now $15M bird

Published by Daniella Wilson

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Kelly Clarkson’s viral feud with a New York City shop over a beloved bird automaton named Molly has evolved rather dramatically over the last few days. The saga began over the weekend when the 44-year-old “Breakaway” singer shared in an X post to her eight million followers that she had visited Brooklyn games store Art of Play and interacted with a “rude” sales associate in an experience she compared to a famous scene in Pretty Woman. Since then, the conflict has escalated to include not only several strongly worded tweets, but also leaked security footage from the interaction in question and the store owner’s desperate declaration that the singer “has put us in danger.” Here, we break down what we know about the incident between the American Idol winner and the small business. The tweet heard around the borough Store security footage shows Kelly Clarkson pointing at the bird and …

Kelly Clarkson’s Art of Play feud over a ,000 bird, explained

Kelly Clarkson’s Art of Play feud over a $15,000 bird, explained

Published by skeptic

A celebrity shopping complaint can become everyone’s business pretty quickly. This weekend, that customer was Kelly Clarkson. The purchase in question? A $15,000 singing bird. “Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me,” Clarkson posted on X on Oct. 10. “Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale.” This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. The shop in question is the Brooklyn Heights store Art of Play, which sells games, puzzles, toys, books, and home goods. Clarkson called it out by name, comparing her experience to the boutique scene in Pretty Woman, where employees famously dismiss Julia Roberts’ character because they assume she can’t afford to shop there. “But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character …

Behind Kelly Clarkson’s “hazel eyes”: A K bird

Behind Kelly Clarkson’s “hazel eyes”: A $15K bird

Published by Sam Flores

A five-minute shopping trip to Brooklyn has turned into a multimillion-view social media feud for Kelly Clarkson, who accused a novelty shop of treating her like Julia Roberts’ character in *Pretty Woman* — all over a $15,000 mechanical singing bird. Clarkson visited Art of Play, a high-end shop on Atlantic Avenue, on Saturday and said an employee looked at her as though she couldn’t afford its merchandise. “Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy,” Clarkson wrote on X, adding that an employee offered to find her something comparable. Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me. Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y’all should go check out Art of Play in …

‘Ray Gunn’ review: Brad Bird brings ‘Incredibles’ energy to his animated noir thriller

‘Ray Gunn’ review: Brad Bird brings ‘Incredibles’ energy to his animated noir thriller

Published by skeptic

Brad Bird makes the case that animation can be for adults with Ray Gunn. The big-budget film noir comes not from Pixar, where Bird helmed such hits as The Incredibles and Ratatouille, but from Netflix, which won the Best Animated Feature Oscar last winter for KPop Demon Hunters. To be clear, Bird’s latest isn’t inappropriate for kids. Like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, this animated movie with a film noir core could play to children and grown-ups alike. But it’ll be older audience members who can best appreciate the influences Bird is bringing into play in Ray Gunn. SEE ALSO: Wake Up, Oscars: Animation isn’t just for kids What’s Ray Gunn about? Credit: Netflix The film, written by Bird and Matthew Robbins, is named for Raymond “Ray” Gunn (voiced by Sam Rockwell), a former police officer who has quit the force to start his own private investigation firm. But the going is tough, in part because Ray is a shamus so determined to do the right thing that he rejects dirty money. This high-mindedness is not …

Sam Rockwell in Brad Bird Netflix Neo-Noir Cartoon

Sam Rockwell in Brad Bird Netflix Neo-Noir Cartoon

Published by Daniella Wilson

Ray Gunn (Sam Rockwell), private eye, is special. He’s “the only honest player in a crooked game,” the only dick who prioritizes things like truth and justice over cold hard cash. In a retrofuturistic society where aliens are disdained as second-class citizens, he’s the rare human who stands up for extraterrestrials. Some scorn him for his heroism; others admire him for it; all agree he’s something of an oddity. Ray Gunn, Netflix’s new Skydance Animation feature from Pixar alum Brad Bird, is not special. It’s a blandly palatable jumble of sci-fi and neo-noir clichés, not so much awful as underwhelming. Lacking in both visual pop and emotional specificity, it’s a forgettable entry in an otherwise rich career that’s run the gamut from Ratatouille to The Incredibles to Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. Ray Gunn The Bottom Line A bland pastiche. Release date: Friday, Dec. 18 (Netflix)Cast: Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Waits, Bobby Cannavale, Alan Tudyk, Matt Berry, Kether Donohue, Michelle RodriguezDirector: Brad BirdScreenwriters: Brad Bird, Matthew Robbins Rated PG, 1 hour 59 minutes The …

Climate shifts sparked rare bursts of bird evolution

Climate shifts sparked rare bursts of bird evolution

Published by Jenni Sidey

An analysis of more than 170,000 skeletal measurements from 2,057 passerine species suggests that bird body shapes evolved through rare bursts of rapid change rather than at a steady pace. Several major accelerations in morphological evolution coincided with periods of climatic instability, including strong global cooling around 35 million years ago, although the study does not prove climate caused those bursts. Modern bird communities at higher latitudes contain species with faster average rates of body-shape evolution, linking deep-time evolutionary patterns with present-day geographic differences. Ancient climate swings may have helped shape the birds you hear outside your window today. A new University of Michigan study suggests that passerines, the vast group that includes songbirds and perching birds, did not evolve their body shapes at a slow and steady pace. Instead, their history appears marked by rare bursts of fast change, often during periods when Earth’s climate shifted sharply. The study used artificial intelligence and a new statistical model to examine more than 170,000 skeletal measurements from 2,057 passerine species. Passerines are the largest order of …

Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 Pro Review: Premium but Paywalled

Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 Pro Review: Premium but Paywalled

Published by skeptic

Every bird enthusiast has probably heard of Birdfy and Birdbuddy smart bird feeders, but a handful of competitors have quietly been refining their models over multiple generations—to the point where they’re starting to outpace the OGs in engineering, features, and design. Kiwibit is one of them. I tested Kiwibit’s first feeder, the Beako, in mid-2025 and was impressed by its robust plastic body, removable dual-sided seed reservoir, and three-minute video captures—there was nothing quite like it at the time, and almost all of its features were available sans subscription. However, the optional rooftop solar panel stopped working after six weeks, which kept it from being a pick in my guide to the Best Smart Bird Feeders. The Beako’s subsequent update, the Feeder 2, made the solar panel standard on all units, upped the panel’s output from 4.4 to 5 watts, and fixed the longevity issue—it’s currently my top pick for Best Design. The Feeder 2 Pro, meanwhile, has totally redone the camera to offer phase detection autofocus (PDAF) in 4K HDR—one of the most impressive …

Winners of the Bird Photographer of the Year 2026

Winners of the Bird Photographer of the Year 2026

Published by Daniella Wilson

© Henley Spiers / Bird Photographer of the Year Sunball Rocket. Gold Winner, Birds in the Environment, and Bird Photographer of the Year 2026. “A northern gannet seems to burst through the sun as it pierces down through the water. The handsome northern gannets lead a dualistic existence. In the nest, their newborn is carefully nurtured, and a couple’s bond is reinforced by pointing sharp beaks to the sky as they tenderly stroke their white necks together. In flight, hunting mode takes over, and piercing yellow eyes, fringed with blue circles, scour the sea for prey. Their long wingspan and streamlined bodies make flying look effortless, gliding along with just the occasional pulse of their wings. When fish are spotted, the gannets fly into the wind and stretch out their wings as brakes, precisely adjusting their position in relation to their quarry. Moments later, with wings tucked in tightly, the gannet shape-shifts into a pointed torpedo, diving into the water at speeds of up to 86 kilometers per hour.” Source link

20 soaring images from the Bird Photographer of the Year 2026 awards

20 soaring images from the Bird Photographer of the Year 2026 awards

Published by Jenni Sidey

A northern gannet dramatically breaks the surface of the ocean, propelling through the water like a torpedo at speeds of up to 86km/h 53mph). Photographer Henley Spiers captured the moment in a stunning image (seen below) and earned the top prize at the 2026 Bird Photographer of the Year awards. “The handsome northern gannets lead a dualistic existence,” Spiers said in a press release. “In the nest, their newborn is carefully nurtured, and a couple’s bond is reinforced by pointing sharp beaks to the sky as they tenderly stroke their white necks together. In flight, hunting mode takes over, and piercing yellow eyes, fringed with blue circles, scour the sea for prey”.  Overall winners Bird Photographer of the Year 2026: “Sunball Rocket” by Henley SpiersA northern gannet seems to burst through the sun as it pierces down through the water. The handsome northern gannets lead a dualistic existence. In the nest, their newborn is carefully nurtured, and a couple’s bond is reinforced by pointing sharp beaks to the sky as they tenderly stroke their white …