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Resurfaced clip shows a pre-famous Chappell Roan nailing 'Dream' by the Cranberries

Dolores O'Riordan would be proud.

@joedotie/TikTok

She was made for this.

Any fan of Chappell Roan knows she’s a master of switching back and forth between head and chest voice, to the point where yodeling is a bit of a signature move. And while yodeling isn’t the most mainstream of pop music tricks, when it works, man does it work. Her single “Guilty Pleasure” is a brilliant example of this.

Prior to Roan, there was another female vocalist whose folksy yodel was the stuff of legend that you might fondly remember—Dolores O’Riordan of the Cranberries. While you can pretty much hear that satisfying keening in every Cranberries song, it really shines in “Dream” during the third verse. If you know the song, you know the part I’m talking about. (Aah, la-ah-la-ah, La-la-la, La-ah-la-ah…you can hear it, can’t you?)

And while “Dream” will always rightfully belong to O’Riordan, a resurfaced clip from Roan’s pre-famous days shows that her unique voice also lends itself perfectly to it, and has made people excited to hear one of the band’s beloved tunes come to life again in a whole new way.

Below, in a video posted to TikTok by the account @joedotie, we see Roan before she was a household name pulling out the cover while opening up for singer Declan McKenna for his concert in Virginia. As the account, and tons of viewers, noted, her voice is so incredibly well suited for recreating that distinct Cranberries sound, it’s a bit unreal.

Watch:

@joedotie A video of Chappell Roan covering Dreams by The Cranberries from 2018 has gone viral before the American singer would become a household name.⁠ ⁠ The video of Chappell Roan is from a Declan McKenna gig in Virginia, USA.⁠ ⁠ The singer's voice is so well suited to The Cranberries. #ireland #dublin #irish ♬ original sound - JOE.ie


Down in the comments, people couldn’t help but share the love.

“This has to be the most respectful cover I’ve ever heard of this song.”

“Possibly the only person who can do this song justice and not butcher it.”

“Hats off to Chappell Roan, that’s probably the best rendition outside of Dolores herself.”

And in case you’re jonesing for more after that short sample, here is a full version of the cover, from the same tour:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Again, people applauded Roan for paying perfect homage to O’Riordan, and noted split similarities between the two icons.

“Chappell brought me back to the ‘90s — an era I miss. She did a terrific job. Dolores would be proud.”

“OMG!!! This was absolutely stunning. It's like Dolores reincarnated into Chappell cuz her voice especially the yodeling at the end was nothing short of heavenly and beautiful and perfect. Thank you for sharing this. I hope one day Chappell sings this again in a huge sold-out arena in the future.”

“Well it’s safe to say, she definitely has some Gaelic roots!! She kills the keening kind of vocal. Dolores would be proud of not only her vocals and talent, but also her fierceness, individuality and her willingness to stand up and fight against the grievances of fame. She is the most exciting artist I’ve listened to since Lana. So proud!”

Like Roan, O’Riordan had a knack for bringing her own distinct expression into everything she did, whether that was an original song or a cover. It’s part of what makes her still such a renowned artist today, long after her tragic passing. And it certainly seems to be the path that Roan has chosen for herself, whether it be through constantly evolving her vocal styles and general aesthetic, to using her platform to bring topics that matter to her into the conversation, as she did recently by using her Grammy speech to advocate for artists to make a more "livable wage.”

Similarly, O’Riordan was an activist herself, particularly advocating for children throughout the world. Heck, “Zombie,” arguably the Cranberries' most popular chart-topper, was a protest song. All this to say, maybe Roan was inspired by more than just O’Riordan’s musical choices. Who knows. If that’s the case, she certainly seems to be succeeding.

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Humor

Robin Williams doing his thing in a phone commercial from the 1970s is peak nostalgia

A blast from the past in so many ways.

@petermorely_sle/Youtube

Williams was great at everything he did.

Sure, we all know and love the late, great Robin Willams for his work in movies, television shows, Saturday Night Live, and standup. But let’s not forget he also has a slew of commercials under his belt as well. Because honestly, what medium wouldn’t benefit without his signature charm and humor?

Even the biggest Robin Williams fans might be surprised to find this recently unearthed commercial he did for the Illinois Bell phone company (later known as AT&T) back in the 1970s.

In the clip, where Williams unsurprisingly plays a mischievous husband making voices while his wife shops around for the perfect landline phone, we see a delightful foreshadowing of his alien character Mork from the sitcom Mork & Mindy—it certainly helps that the woman playing his wife resembles Pam Dawber, who played Mindy in the show. And the fact that he says "people of Earth” with that perfect alien voice.

Watch:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Of course, it wasn’t just nostalgia for Williams that people felt while watching this video, but also wistfulness for a bygone era…a simpler time when something like a landline was even a thing. Here’s a small smattering of comments from Youtube:

“You bought a phone and it sat on a desk or hung on the wall for decades and did its job, no updates, no 'starting it up', it was always on and always worked.”

“Miss the days when you could slam the phone.”

“The most surprising thing is that they repaired the broken phones rather than simply throwing them out and giving you a new one.”

“Oh, the times when we could make ourselves unavailable.”

“I remember having to go to the phone company. All the different color phones on display.”

“Our yellow kitchen wall phone had a cord like 12 ft long. It got knotted and tangled once and just stayed that way forever.”

“I remember being so excited about the new "pushbuttons" instead of the rotary dial.”

And last but not least, “I want to live in this time period.”

While we have two things to miss because of this video, it also, as one view put it, gave us “something to smile about.” And that’s never a bad thing.

By the way, thanks to the internet we have a few more archived Robin William commercials at our disposal, arguably more chaotic than the one for Illinois Bell.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Especially this rather notorious one, in which Williams drives director Howard Storm insane with his shotgun style improv skills.


Williams’ comedic genius continues to be something we marvel at, and its inexplicable blend of zaniness, tragedy, and existentialism will always be a mystery we can never fully solve. That’s part of what made it so magical, and why we can watch even one of his most seemingly insignificant works, and still be mesmerized. He was one of the greats, no doubt about it.

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Friendship

Ryan Reynolds trolled Hugh Jackman on the opening night of his Broadway show 'The Music Man'

These antics just never get old.

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We never want them to become friends.

Ah, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. No 'celebrity feud' has been this entertaining since the days of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Unlike Davis and Crawford, however, the war between Jackman and Reynolds is nothing but friendly fire.

Before starring together in the billion dollar cinematic hit Deadpool and Wolverine, the pair spent years playing jokes on each other and having a good-natured series of laughs at each other's expense.

Who could forget their People’s Sexiest Man Alive shenanigans? Or their fake political ads against one another in 2018? I mean, these are some grade A, next-level types of pranks here.

So is it any surprise really, that on opening night of “The Music Man,” where Hugh Jackman would star as the titular character, that Ryan Reynolds wouldn’t behave himself? I think not. And we’d all be disappointed if he did, anyway.

Cut to opening night, as Jackman prepares to take the stage as con man Harold Hill. Jackman reveals in a hilarious tongue-in-cheek Instagram post that among the blessings of “gorgeous flowers, champagne and heartfelt wishes,” he also received Ryan’s gift … if you can call it that.

In Jackman's dressing room are two black-and-white portraits of Reynolds, one a sketch of him looking dapper while leering with arms crossed and the other a photo while he leaps in the air, sort of the same move Jackman does in the show. Perhaps one to intimidate, and the other mock? Who knows why mad men do what they do.

Attached is a note, with a passive aggressive pep talk from Reynolds.

“Hugh, good luck with your little show. I’ll be watching.”

Despite the jabs, however, Reynolds gave nothing but glowing reviews, calling the show “actually perfect.” But what he had to say about Jackman in particular was even more noteworthy.

“I don’t generally like to speak about @thehughjackman. Particularly in a positive light,” Reynolds wrote. “But his performance in @musicmanbway is one of the most electric things I’ve ever seen him do. The chemistry between [him] and @suttonlenore is off the charts.”

ryan reynolds hugh jackman

The only review of "The Music Man" that you really need.

Instagram

I mean, if even Jackman’s infamous nemesis enjoyed it, this show has to be really something, right?

During an interview in 2020, Jackman told The Daily Beast, "It's gone back so long now … God, this is a classic sign where your feud has gone too long, where you don't even know why or how it started," regarding the playfully tumultuous relationship he shared with Reynolds.

But ask anyone, and I think they’ll tell you that we never want this delightful trolling to end.


This article originally appeared three years ago.

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Pop Culture

Finally, we know how the parents from 'Home Alone' were able to afford that lavish house

Putting an age old internet debate to rest once and for all.

Credit: Wiki Fandom

No, it was not through organized crime.

It’s a question that’s plagued us since November 10th, 1990: how the heck did the parents from Home Alone afford their massive, luxurious house nestled in the picturesque suburbs of Chicago? (Not to mention a Christmas vacation to Paris for nine people) Seriously, what impressive job title could Kate and Peter McCallister possibly have to make all this happen? In a recession, no less.

There have been several memes dedicated to this headscratcher, along with a few theories—including one arguing that Peter McCallister must have been involved in organized crime—but finally, we now have a definitive answer.

i.pinimg.com

While appearing on a recent episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, prolific filmmaker Chris Columbus (who directed both Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York) revealed what Kevin’s parents did for a living.

“Back then, [screenwriter] John [Hughes] and I had a conversation about it, and we decided on what the jobs were,” Columbus shared.

Kate, everyone’s favorite neglectful mom, made iconic by Catherine O’Hara, “was a very successful fashion designer." In fact, we see clues to her profession in the film, when Kevin places mannequins in the windows to trick the Wet Bandits into thinking there was a holiday party afoot.

Filmmakers weaving hints into the story via set design, color scheme, costume choices, etc., otherwise known as “Easter eggs,” is a storytelling technique that’s been around since the art form began, essentially. But it’s a concept that’s taken on a life of its own with the introduction of social media. After all, there are entire Youtube channels dedicated to finding and breaking down these hidden clues mere days after a show or movie’s release—especially with comic books or fantasy series, which are franchises with a ton of lore to excavate.

Corporations that churn out these pop culture behemoths, like Disney, have undoubtedly caught on to this, and infuse Easter eggs into a lot of their movies, hoping to make bank off of the intrigue it incites. Does actual substance get sacrificed for this marketing ploy? Sure. But is it effective? Often, yes.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Point being: perhaps if Home Alone had premiered today, in the digital age, we might have never wondered so much about the McAllister’s jobs in the first place.

As for the late great John Heard’s Peter—Columbus’ memory is a little foggy. “The father could have, based on John Hughes’ own experience, worked in advertising, but I don’t remember what the father did,” he told THR. Still, we can definitely put one fan theory to rest, as Columbus said Peter’s income did NOT come from “organized crime, even though there was, at the time, a lot of organized crime in Chicago.”

While that settles one quandary involving this legendary house, since it was recently sold for around $5 million, we are left once again wondering who might possibly be able to afford living there…and if their place of employment is currently hiring.

via GIPHY

Again, living in the age of Google, it’s easy to find at-length breakdowns behind virtually every piece of modern day pop culture out there. Whether you’re hunting down origin stories to alternative endings to meanings behind obscure references, the answers are fairly easy to find. Which is what makes these little reveals about older pop culture mainstays so satisfying. Often they come after years of dedicated fans relentlessly asking questions.

Take for instance the ultra viral “mystery song” that played during an episode of The X-Files, which took a whopping 25 years to solve, and involved hunting down the original call sheet that listed every person who participated in said episode. That simply would not happen with a show today. Not likely, anyway.

Just saying, when thought is carefully put into it, a story becomes enduring. That’s the reason why we are still captivated by these shows even years after.

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