It’s the stuff of dreams… and maybe for others, nightmares. You sit in a crowded theater audience. Suddenly, a voice asks for a volunteer over the microphone to step onstage and replace their ailing keyboardist. After all, the show must go on. Does this make you break out into a cold sweat? Or would you be brave enough to play your heart out? For 21-year-old student and musician Sterling Nasa, that daydream fantasy became a reality during a live concert performance in Sydney, Australia. Everything was going great during the first half of a La La Land in Concert presentation at ICC’s Darling Harbour theatre. Twenty-five hundred movie and music fans were gathered to watch the film on screen as a live orchestra played the score underneath. At intermission is when things got out of sync. The keyboardist suddenly fell ill and could not continue with the performance. A panic broke out backstage as musicians frantically messaged nearby friends and colleagues, looking for anyone with the required advanced skills who could step in quickly. Meanwhile, what was meant to be a ten-minute intermission stretched out to an increasingly anxious 40-minute delay. Raise your jazz hands With no backup musicians close enough to make it to the theater on time, the show was on the verge of being canceled. This is when Justin Hurwitz, the film’s Oscar-winning composer and the orchestra’s conductor, decided to make a wild, last-minute plea: Was there a pianist in the house who could sight-read a highly complex score on the fly? The University of Sydney politics and international studies student, Nasa, initially hesitated. Sterling had plenty of confidence in his piano and organ skills—he even tutors students learning the bagpipes. But just walking onstage and syncing up with an entire orchestra to play complex, jazz-infused music blind? That was daunting to say the least. Sterling’s friend Scarlett took the initiative; she was the one who raised his hand. Moments later, he stepped out of the crowd and into the spotlight. A Woollahra man has had the concert experience of a lifetime after answering an urgent call to fill in for a sick member of the orchestra.Sterling Nasa was in his seat ready to watch La La Land but soon found himself centre stage. pic.twitter.com/RitcctiHTg— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) June 1, 2026 It’s one thing to sit behind a keyboard and play along to an intricate film score unrehearsed. It’s quite another to attempt the incredibly technical, fast-paced synthesizer solo featured in John Legend’s piece from La La Land, entitled ‘Start a Fire.’ If you don’t remember it, the song features a significant solo from Ryan Gosling’s jazz-pianist character, Sebastian. Hurwitz and the other musicians in the orchestra were nervous for Nasa—with good reason. Even a seasoned professional might struggle to sight-read such a complex sequence. Instead of trying to get it perfect on the first try, he took a leap of faith and improvised instead. The show must go on… so he did When the moment came, Sebastian Nasa bet on himself, and the gamble paid off. He crafted a brilliant solo, all on-the-fly. Not just in the correct key and scale, but in the spirit of the film. This clutch performance completely wowed Hurwitz and prompted the 2,500-strong audience to erupt into applause. Speaking later to The Guardian, Hurwitz marveled at the 21-year-old’s incredible keyboard skills. “To be able to play a really cool solo… with no rehearsal—it was remarkable.” In the aftermath, the tour’s production team is now finding more permanent replacements for the remaining stops. Nasa, meanwhile, has returned to its regularly scheduled university lectures. He may not decide to pursue music full-time as a career, but for one unforgettable night, his performance rose to the occasion. One that would be sure to get an iconic Ryan Gosling appreciation nod. The post 21-year-old audience member steps up and joins ‘La La Land’ orchestra concert after pianist falls ill mid-show appeared first on Upworthy.

Holiday parties are often nights filled with celebratory shots and champagne toasts. One doctor is gently reminding folks the importance of partying responsibly, during the holidays and all year round. Dr. Brian Hoeflinger, an Ohio based neurosurgeon with over two decades of experience, has a TikTok channel filled with educational videos and lifestyle tips. In late 2022, smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season, Dr. Hoeflinger shared a clip explaining just how long it takes our bodies to break down alcohol, and it went viral. In the video, which was shared on Christmas Eve of that year, Dr. Hoeflinger sets the scene of a party where “a lot of drinks are going down” by setting up a bunch of shot glasses filled with water. “Say you’re having five drinks in the first hour,” he says, taking five water-filled shots. “As you’re taking them, that alcohol is building up in your system fast. [It] goes to your brain within five minutes and starts to affect you.” The same can’t be said for other parts of the body. As Dr. Hoeflinger noted, “Your liver only metabolizes one ounce of alcohol per hour.” And according to Northwestern Medicine, that process only begins 20 minutes after consumption. Hoeflinger continues, “I’ve got five ounces of liquor in my system right now, and at the end of the hour I’m only going to burn off an ounce…so I’m going to have [four] ounces left in my bloodstream.” @doctorhoeflinger Knowing this about drinking could save your life! #fyp #party #drinking #alcohol #foryou #holiday #christmas ♬ Storytelling – Adriel Here’s what’s actually happening in your body Of course, there are different factors (such as body mass, hormones, medications, etc.) that affect someone’s rate of absorption. And yes, we might be able to form a functional tolerance where behaviorally, we show no signs of intoxication. However, even with all these variables, for the most part all bodies are affected by alcohol similarly. In other words, your blood alcohol level will be more or less the same, and the risks will remain even if you don’t “feel drunk.” Hoeflinger continues, saying, “The party’s rockin’, so we’re gonna have some more,” while taking three more shots and reminding viewers that he still has only burned off one ounce of liquor during the hour that’s passed. Now he’s had a total of eight ounces of alcohol in two hours. He’s burned off two, but still has six ounces left in his system, meaning that in this scenario, it will take another six hours to completely burn off. Shots. Photo credit: Canva In hour three, Hoeflinger takes one shot since the party is “winding down.” This brings him up to a total of nine ounces of alcohol over three hours. His liver has metabolized three ounces, leaving him (still) with six ounces of liquor left in his bloodstream. “You’re going to be drunk well into the wee hours of the morning; it doesn’t wear off,” he warns, noting the common misconception people have that “they stop drinking an hour or two and can hop in the car and drive.” But in reality, “You can’t do that as you’re still drunk five, six hours down,” he explains. Dr. Hoeflinger concludes his video by saying: “For this holiday season the whole point is I really want to tell people that’s how alcohol can stack up in your system easily when you’re drunk and you won’t know it and it won’t wear off for hours and hours down the road.” This is followed by an urge for people to take an Uber or Lyft home to avoid potentially taking their own or another’s life. The informative clip, which has since been viewed tens of millions of times, received a flood of praise from viewers online, especially from parents with kids of a drinking age. “This is the first time I have ever had anyone explain this in this way. I am forwarding this to my son,” wrote one parent. It also resonated among designated drivers. One person commented, “thank you for caring and educating. I’m the sober ride. I’ve seen the devastation from drinking and driving.” Why this doctor takes it so personally The topic hits Dr. Hoeflinger on a personal level as well. He lost his 18-year-old son more than a decade ago from drunk driving. Coming from a medical professional, the plea to not drink and drive is important to hear. But as a parent, it hits different. As he shared in the clip, “Losing somebody you love is one of the worst experiences you can have in your life.” Though Hoeflinger focused on the effect of liquor in his party example, the principle applies to wine and beer as well. Healthline recommends only having one large glass of wine every three hours, and one pint of beer every two hours. What experts say you should actually do It also gives some best practices to avoid intoxication, including: Eat at least one hour before drinking. Sip your drinks slowly. Avoid shots, which you’re likely to down rather than sip. Don’t drink more than one standard drink per hour. Alternate between alcohol and nonalcoholic drinks, preferably water. Limit or avoid carbonated drinks, like champagne, sparkling wine, and cocktails mixed with soda. Sit down when drinking, since doing it while standing tends to make people drink faster. And of course, don’t be afraid to get another ride home. For the holiday season (and beyond), feel free to kick back and have fun. But let’s look out for one another by doing it safely. This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated. The post Doctor’s alcohol tip that ‘could save your life’ goes viral on TikTok appeared first on Upworthy.

What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again. In January 2023, single dad Patrick Forseth shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution. The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat radical compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations. “I got an email a few days ago from my 9-year-old son’s teacher that he had done a ‘prank’ to a fellow classmate and it ended up embarrassing the classmate and hurt his feelings,” the video begins. At this point, Forseth doesn’t split hairs. “I don’t care who you are, that’s bullying,” he said. “If you do something to somebody that you know has the potential end result of them being embarrassed in front of a class or hurt, you’re bullying.” So, Forseth and his son Lincoln sat down for a long talk (a talk, not a lecture) about appropriate punishment and how it would have felt to be on the receiving end of such a prank. He let his son decide how to make it right From there, Forseth told his son that he would decide how to make things right, making it a masterclass in taking true accountability. “I demanded nothing out of him. I demanded no apology, I demanded no apology to the teacher,” he continued, adding, “I told him that we have the opportunity to go back and make things right. We can’t take things back, but we can try to correct things and look for forgiveness.” @l.cant.die Replying to @sunshinyday1227 And then it’s my kid #endbullyingnow #talktoyourkidsmore #dadlifebestlife #singledadsover40 #teachyourchildren #ReadySetLift ♬ Get You The Moon – Kina Then Lincoln did something no one expected So, what did Lincoln do? He went back to his school and actually talked to the other boy he pranked. After learning that they shared a love of Pokémon, he then went home to retrieve two of his favorite Pokémon cards as a peace offering, complete with a freshly cleaned case. Lincoln would end up sharing with his dad that the other boy was so moved by the gesture that he would end up hugging him. “I just want to encourage all parents to talk to your kids,” Forseth concluded. “Let’s try to avoid just the swat on the butt [and] send them to their room. Doesn’t teach them anything.” In Forseth’s opinion, kids get far more insight by figuring out how to resolve a problem themselves. “That’s what they’re actually going to face in the real world once they move out of our nests.” Why this approach works better than punishment He certainly has a point. A slap on the wrist followed by being marched down somewhere to say, “I’m sorry,” only further humiliates kids most of the time. With this gentler approach, kids are taught the intrinsic value of making amends after wrongdoing, not to mention the power of their own autonomy. Imagine that: blips in judgment can end up being major character-building moments. Kudos to this dad and his very smart parenting strategy. This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated. The post Dad found out his son bullied a kid at school and came up with a brilliant teaching moment appeared first on Upworthy.

Summer’s here, and we want to enjoy every second in the sun. Sometimes, that means running to our favorite restaurants instead of cooking. Popeyes understands and is ready to celebrate summer with its $6 Big Value Box, according to All Recipes.  Fans will choose two pieces of Popeyes chicken or three tenders and a side. Cajun fries, slaw, and red beans & rice come at no additional charge. Those who prefer a premium side like mac & cheese will pay a small upgrade fee. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @popeyes Popeyes’ $6 Big Value Box Isn’t the Only Deal on the Menu For those feeding a crowd, Popeyes is now offering the $20 Family Meal in addition to the $6 Value Box. The family meal includes 11 tenders, nine pieces of chicken, a large side, and four biscuits. Popeyes teased the return of the $6 Big Box on social media, and fans immediately cheered. “Should we bring back a fan favorite…,” the restaurant asked on Instagram. “I mean yes but also can I get the old chicken wrap back… the one with beans,” a fan swote. “I need the wraps back. Beans and rice with chicken strip wrapped up. Give me that!” Another person agreed. “YYYEEESSSSSSSSSSS!! IMMEDIATELY,” a fan begged. “Idk why it keep goin away,” someone asked. Some people used the post as an opportunity to tell Popeyes what they’d like to see on the menu in addition to the $6 Big Value Box. “I need the glazed pickle sandwich back, pretty please,” someone kindly requested. This person just wants Popeyes to get moving. “Don’t talk about it. Just do it. Give the people what they want,” they wrote. The $6 Big Value Box and the $20 Family Meal are available beginning June 1, 2026. This story’s featured image is by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images

One of the things that makes humans unique is our ability to talk about a wide range of topics, from the mundane to the complex. But that doesn’t mean conversations are always easy. Some of us are naturally gifted verbal communicators, while others have to work at it. Conversation is a skill that can be honed and improved like any other. Even the introverted or socially anxious among us can improve in this area with some specific tools. That’s why people are loving the “F.O.R.M.” framework shared by a TikTok creator, which he says helps him always keep a conversation flowing. The man, who goes by Dyllionaire, said that conversations don’t usually die because people run out of things to say, but because they run out of things to ask. Here are his four “elite questions” he says you can ask at any point in a conversation. @dyllionaire321 ♬ original sound – Dyllionaire The F.O.R.M. framework for asking questions in conversation FEELING Dyllionaire says he asks questions like, “What was that like?” “How did that feel?” “Cool. How was that?” to move conversations along. When someone shares something that they’ve done or that happened to them, ask them how they felt or feel about it. Some people might think asking about feelings feels too personal, but unless it’s a really sensitive topic, it’s a perfectly reasonable—and human—question to ask. ORIGIN “If someone tells you that they paint, play pickleball, they got a new job, or something that they do, instead of moving past it, you say, ‘What got you into that? How long have you been doing that for? What did you do before? Have you always done that?'” Dyllionaire says. “Almost no one asks the question, and the people that do become way more interesting to talk to, I promise.” REFLECT Dyllionaire calls this one “a little bit sneaky,” but basically all you’re doing is taking the last part of what someone says and reflecting it back to them as a question. He gives the example of someone saying, “My mom was a little bit weird about it.” You’d follow up with, “Your mom was a little weird about it?” “Nobody wants to be misunderstood, and everyone is excited to be able to open up to people, but most people don’t pry anymore,” he says. “This is a really good way to get people to continue to open up without being too nosy.” MORE “Tell me more,” might be the simplest and most effective way to keep a conversation going. It’s an easy way of expressing interest in what someone is talking about, which makes them feel good. "Tell me more" is 3 powerful words in any conversation— Zach Homol (@zachhomol_) September 13, 2021 “I use at least one of these in every single conversation I have,” Dyllionaire says. Asking questions also helps you form bonds with people Studies show that asking the right questions can help people form closer bonds between loved ones and strangers alike. The key to the “right questions” appears to be self-disclosure, or sharing things about ourselves. People sometimes fear getting “too personal” when chatting with people, but talking about personal things is what brings people closer together. And that feeling of being closer to people releases feel-good endorphins in our brains, similiar to the effects of opioids. So, not only can using the F.O.R.M framework help you feel less awkward in conversations, but the questions you ask may ultimately make you feel happier about talking with people in the first place. You can follow Dyllionaire on TikTok for more conversation tips. The post Man shares the four words he uses to keep conversations flowing effortlessly appeared first on Upworthy.