Friday 11/22/24
Celebrate:
Go For a Ride Day - Today the focus is on the journey, not the destination. It's a day for escape, for wandering, and for taking in the scenery.
Humane Society Anniversary Day
National Cranberry Relish Day
National Stop the Violence Day
Start Your Own Country Day
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New in Theaters
Wicked - The Broadway musical makes its big screen appearance with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Also starring Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Bowen Yang, Keala Settle, Marissa Bode, Jonathan Bailey, Bronwyn James, Colin Michael Carmichael, and Ethan Slater. I've had a few friends see it and they were wowed!!!
Please no singing out loud along with the movie..there will be special screenings for that around Christmas.
Gladiator II - Ridley Scott continues the epic saga. Starring Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Derek Jacobi, Fred Hechinger, Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn, and Lior Raz.
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Who can forget Barbenheimer, right? It was the summer of 2023 . . . "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" both hit theaters on the same day, and both were box office hits.
Well, we've got a similar situation brewing for this weekend. It's called Glicked.
"Gladiator 2" and "Wicked" both open this weekend, and both are expected to do big business.
According to projections, "Wicked" is going to make $100 million to $110 million in its opening weekend. Maybe MORE.
And "Gladiator 2" should finish a solid second, with $65 million.
For the record, "Barbie" opened with $162 million back in July of 2023 . . . and "Oppenheimer" made $82.5 million.
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44 years ago - In 1980, an estimated 83 Million People tuned in to "Dallas" to find out "Who Shot J.R.?" The payoff was a pretty big letdown. It turned out to be the relatively minor character Kristin Shepard, played by Mary Crosby.
Got me to thinkjing and went to Reddit to see if there was a discussion.
What was the last big “Water Cooler” moment where it was guaranteed people showed up @ work or school talking about what happened?
Was it The Red Wedding in Game of Thrones in 2013?
When “Friends” ended you knew everyone was talking about it the next day, same with “The Sopranos”. It was a shared cultural experience. But now? It’s all fragmented and seperate and this reddit author says the culture is lesser for it.
Most likely, it's Sports and Award shows since they are live and a once in a moment show.
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Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude . . . giving back . . . and sharing time with family and friends. And this year, it seems like younger adults are embracing thankfulness, but older adults aren't in the mood.
A new survey asked people, "Does your family have a Thanksgiving tradition of going around the table and announcing what you are thankful for?" 30% of people said YES . . . including more than 40% of Gen Z'ers and Millennials.
There's a big drop off after that, and only 17% of Boomers say they do that . . . and it was also less popular in the Midwest than any other part of the country.
They also asked, "Compared with previous Thanksgivings, how do you feel this year?" 37% of people said "more thankful" . . . 39% said "about as thankful" . . . and 13% said they're feeling LESS thankful this year.
Once again, people 45 and older . . . particularly in the Midwest . . . are feeling LESS thankful.
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If you're someone who IS embracing gratitude this holiday season, there are MANY things to be thankful for. And these are the most popular:
47% of people say they're the MOST thankful for family and friends . . . 19% are most thankful for their health . . . 8% say their faith . . . 5% say America . . . 4% say their pets . . . and 3% say their job or personal finances.
Women were more likely to put an emphasis on others . . . family and friends . . . while men were more likely to be thankful for their own health and America.
When broken down by age, younger adults said they were most thankful for family and friends . . . their health . . . and their job.
Older adults were more thankful for their faith . . . America . . . and their pets.
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A 97-year-old former cheerleader in central Michigan got to relive her glory days. Her name is Ilagene Doehring. She helped form Merrill High School's first cheer team 80 years ago.
The school's current cheerleaders surprised her at her retirement home and brought her a uniform to put on. They planned to do a few simple cheers with her, but then she asked them to lift her up so she could "fly" again. Thankfully, no one broke a hip.
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Yesterday was National Stuffing Day! (see..it should have been Thanksgiving)
Google released a map of the top Thanksgiving side each state is searching for more than other states. And three states love stuffing more than everyone else.
1. The three states searching for "stuffing" the most right now are California, Arizona, and West Virginia.
Two other states are googling more unique versions: "Sourdough stuffing" in Massachusetts . . . and "pineapple stuffing" in New Mexico. It's popular with people serving ham. Also, "croissant stuffing" is a top-trending search this year.
2. "Green bean casserole" is a top search across the country, but especially in the Midwest.
3. The top five mashed potato-obsessed states are Oregon, Montana, North Carolina, Maryland, and Maine.
4. And finally, the most unique sides include: "Ramen noodle salad" in Nebraska . . . "fruit salad" in Louisiana . . . "bacon-wrapped green beans" in South Carolina . . . "pumpkin risotto" in Rhode Island . . . and a ton of people in Connecticut are just googling the word "corn."
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - A chemist named William Mitchell is credited as the key inventor behind Pop Rocks, Tang, AND Cool Whip.
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