Friday 9/27/24
If you watched Masked Singer this week..are you as obsessed with the Leaf Sheep as I am??? Oh, and let’s talk about the Sea Bunny!!!!
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New Movies this weekend
Megalopolis - a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America directed by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola. Starring Forest Whitaker, Adam Driver, Shia LaBeouf, Aubrey Plaza, Talia Shire, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Giancarlo Esposito, D.B. Sweeney, Laurence Fishburne, and Jason Schwartzman.
The Wild Robot - DreamWorks Animation brings Peter Brown's beloved book to the screen. Featuring the voices of Mark Hamill, Bill Nighy, Ving Rhames, Pedro Pascal, Lupita Nyong'o, Matt Berry, Catherine O'Hara, Stephanie Hsu, and Kit Connor.
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A recent study found that as much as 40% of the food that's served at restaurants never gets eaten.
There are also people taking "GLP-1" diabetes and weight-loss drugs who are eating less . . . and trends where people are using tech to monitor their portion sizes to control their calorie intake.
This means that restaurants might be making portions smaller. They shot up in the 1980s and have stayed there since then.
Finally, there's so-called "snackification," which is gaining popularly among younger people. That's where traditional meals are replaced with snacks and small platters of food that take the place of meals.
According to the 2024 National Restaurant Association report, more than 75% of customers say they want smaller portions for less money.
Be careful restaurants..just don't do what many are in the retail food market of making things smaller, but keeping the price the same. (shrinkflation)
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According to a new poll by Plenty of Fish, some of the top dating trends to expect next year. Here are their top five . . .
1. Yap-Trapping. When someone just talks about themself on a date and doesn't ask questions. 49% of singles have dated a yap-trapper before.
2. Freak Matching. Connecting with someone over shared quirks or general weirdness. 39% have experienced it.
3. Grim Keeping. Bonding with someone over your darker side or shared dislikes. 28% have bonded over mutual hatred before.
4. Being "smutten." When you fantasize about things from shows or movies happening in real life. 33% have done it . . . 40% of women and 28% of men.
5. StICKing. Pursuing someone after looking past an initial "ick," or something superficial you don't like. 36% have done it.
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Some people struggle to define what "American" food is . . . because a lot of the most popular dishes in the U.S. are heavily influenced by other countries and cultures . . . even if the American version is unique.
CNN has a new feature on the "20 Greatest American Dishes," and they've included one that most Americans might AVOID: Fried okra. It's #2 on the list, even though it's unclear if they were actually ranked.
They have barbecue at #1, and the rest of list includes: Cobb salad . . . the peanut butter and jelly sandwich . . . the hamburger . . . apple pie . . . chili . . . clam chowder . . . the Reuben sandwich . . . eggs Benedict . . . grits . . . spaghetti and meatballs . . . and chocolate chip cookies.
Some of the less ubiquitous items include: Fry bread . . . red beans and rice . . . gumbo . . . poke . . . the classic Mission burrito . . . and banana pudding.
And there's also General Tso's chicken, which has basically been claimed by America at this point.
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A new survey asked 5,000 Americans, across all 50 states, how optimistic they are on a scale of 1 to 10. The good news is that the average answer was 6.7.
The most optimistic people are in Wyoming, where the average was 7.2. California is second, followed by New Jersey . . . Alabama . . . and Maryland.
The least optimistic state is Vermont, where the average was 6.0. Texas and Mississippi were second, followed by West Virginia and Kansas.
The generation that's the most optimistic is Boomers. Millennials are next, followed by Gen X, and then Gen Z pulling up the rear.
It can seem like Boomers carry a lot of doom and gloom, but according to the survey, most older folks avoid letting daily annoyances get under their skin and "kick off their day with a positive mindset."
Overall, the survey found that the people who are the most optimistic have healthier habits: They have better diets, stick to regular exercise routines, spend time outdoors, and get as much sleep as they can.
They also "brush off setbacks" . . . and are "less bothered by daily frustrations."
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20 years ago, Ben Stiller starred in "Dodgeball" . . . now he's got his eye on TODAY'S sport-of-the-moment: Pickleball.
Ben is directing a movie called "The Dink". It stars Jake Johnson as a washed-up tennis pro who becomes a pickleball player to save a club in crisis.
The cast also includes Mary Steenburgen and Ed Harris . . . while Stiller and actual tennis star Andy Roddick will have key supporting roles.
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Green Day's "Dookie" recently became the 13th album to be certified Double Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.
An album goes Diamond when it sells 10 million copies, so Double Diamond means at least 20 million copies.
Here's a list of all 13 albums that have hit the 20 million mark, in ascending order:
1. "Dookie", Green Day (1994): 20 million
2. "Come on Over", Shania Twain (1997): 20 million
3. "Rumours", Fleetwood Mac (1977): 21 million
4. "Cracked Rear View", Hootie & The Blowfish (1994): 22 million
5. "Greatest Hits Volume 1 & Volume 2", Billy Joel (1985): 23 million
6. "Double Live", Garth Brooks (1998): 23 million
7. "The Wall", Pink Floyd (1979): 23 million
8. "Led Zeppelin 4", Led Zeppelin (1971): 24 million
9. "The Beatles (The White Album)", The Beatles (1968): 24 million
10. "Hotel California", Eagles (1976): 26 million
11. "Back in Black", AC/DC (1980): 27 million
12. "Thriller", Michael Jackson (1982): 34 million
13. "Their Greatest Hits (1971 to 1975)", Eagles (1976): 38 million
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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just announced the list of special guests for next month's induction ceremony.
It includes: Busta Rhymes . . . Dr. Dre . . . Demi Lovato . . . Dua Lipa . . . James Taylor . . . Jelly Roll . . . Julia Roberts . . . Keith Urban . . . Kenny Chesney . . . Roger Daltrey . . . Sammy Hagar . . . Slash . . . and The Roots.
It's unclear who is presenting for which inductee, and who is performing. There will also be additional guests announced closer to the show.
The inductees who are scheduled to perform are Mary J. Blige . . . Cher . . . Dave Matthews Band . . . Foreigner . . . Peter Frampton . . . Kool & the Gang . . . and Dionne Warwick.
The ceremony streams live on Disney+ on October 19th at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Then on January 1st, ABC will air a primetime special of the biggest moments. The special will be available January 2nd on Disney+ and Hulu.
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Today’s Useless Fact of the Day - More than 19,000 people have been relocated with the U.S. Federal Witness Protection Program . . . and not a single one of them has been tracked down by the criminals they were hiding from.
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