INTERPREP ★ APRIL 29, 2019

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Audio • Bits & Breaks • Country Prep • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment • Fun & Games • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Number for the Day • Television • Wacky-But-True • User’s Guide Facebook Group

DATEBOOK: APRIL 29, 2019

BIRTHDAYS

• Jerry Seinfeld is 65

• Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is The New Black, Star Trek: Voyager) is 64

• Daniel Day-Lewis is 62

• Michelle Pfeiffer is 61

• Eve Plumb (The Brady Bunch) is 61

• Uma Thurman is 49

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1913: Gideon Sundbach of Hoboken, New Jersey, received a patent for the zipper.

• 1967: After refusing induction into the United States Army the day before (citing religious reasons), Muhammad Ali was stripped of his boxing title.

• 1988: Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson were married in Florida. They divorced in 1993.

• 1990: Surgeons in Jacksonville, Florida, removed a benign tumor from the abdomen of a 47-year-old woman, who went to the emergency room fearing she was having a heart attack. The tumor weighed 65 pounds.

• 1990: A wrecking crane began tearing down the Berlin Wall at the historic Brandenberg Gate. The Wall had divided East and West Berlin since August 1961.

• 2004: Oldsmobile built its final car, ending 107 years of production.

• 2014: The cast WAS announced for the next film in the Star Wars series, due out in late 2015.

• 2015: The Baltimore Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 8-2 in a game that was attended by no one. Fans were told to stay home as the city of Baltimore tried to keep everyone safe in the wake of ongoing race-related looting, fights and fires.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• International Dance Day

• Shrimp Scampi Day

• Appreciate Unscented Candles Day. Why must we smell up the place when a candle is lit. Buy and enjoy an unscented candle.

UPCOMING

• May 4: Kentucky Derby
• May 5: Cinco de Mayo
• May 14: Cannes Film Festival starts
• May 16: PGA Championship begins
• May 18: Preakness
• May 27: National Spelling Bee begins
• May 27: Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling
• July 5-6: World Wife Carrying Championship
• June 19: Juneteenth, the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery
• July 1: Wimbledon starts
• July 4: Independence Day
• August 2: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally begins
• September 2: Labor Day

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

18 billion: Pounds of plastic entering our oceans every year.

NEWS ATTACK!

Amazon is working on a free one-day shipping option for subscribers to Prime. [Someday Prime members will receive their items the day before they even think to order them.]

Over 900 college students in California have been either sent home or quarantined in an effort to contain the measles epidemic. [Parents of the students are having to pay extra to bribe their kids’ way back into classes.]

In New York City, a woman who scammed millionaires by pretending to be a German heiress has been found guilty and now faces prison time. [She says she’s looking forward to meeting Lori Loughlin.]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that because of various innovations in car design the front seat of the car is now safer than the back. [Yeah, in the front you don’t have to watch fellow passengers get carsick.]

In California, a thief was prevented from breaking into a car by a wild coyote. [Then he was chased away by a road runner.]

They had to evacuate a zoo in Australia after an orangutan escaped its enclosure for the second time in four years. [Fortunately, this time he didn’t take hostages.]

At a professional golf course in New Orleans, an alligator fought with a snake and then ate it. [Usually, professional golf courses frown upon eating on the links.]

A Nebraska company is making money by using fake photos to create fake vacations for people’s social media accounts. [“I’d love to attend your daughter’s second-grade dance recital, but, as you can see, I’m still here in North Korea.”]

A cockfighting ring was busted at a home in Philadelphia. [Really? Cockfights at somebody’s house? My wife gets upset if I forget to use a coaster.]

A man in Toronto walked on a narrow ledge six stories up to retrieve his cat. [The cat showed his appreciation by only partially ignoring him the rest of the day.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

WE LEARN TO APPRECIATE A WALK IN THE OUTDOORS AT THE AGE OF 27 _ A study has found that we learn to appreciate a walk in the great outdoors at the age of 27. The study also found 65 percent of us get restless if we are stuck indoors for too long.

WHY BACON COULD GET A LOT MORE EXPENSIVE _ AUDIO Bacon and pork product prices across the world are expected to spike as a result of the African swine fever outbreak in China. The disease is killing thousands of pigs in China — one of the world’s largest pork producers — which is wreaking havoc in the global pork supply chain.

… It boils down to this: China’s booming middle class is now eating more pork, but with the swine fever overwhelmingly killing pigs from China, the country is going to need to import more pork. This will make pork more scarce worldwide and increase the price for everyone.

BRITISH BOY IS WORLD’S YOUNGEST TO BE FITTED WITH BIONIC ARM _ An eight-year-old boy is the world’s youngest person to be fitted with a bionic arm and celebrated by eating burger with two hands for the first time. Freddie Cook, of Britain, was given his new arm days before his eighth birthday.

MORE MONEY OR A 4-DAY WORK WEEK? _ In a survey women were asked: “Which would you prefer: a four-day work-week or a 20 percent raise?” 62% would take the four-day work week.

MYSTERIOUS HAMBURGLAR IS HACKING PEOPLE’S McDONALD’S APP _ There’s someone in Canada who apparently idolizes the Hamburglar a bit too much. Police in Quebec are searching for a person who has been hacking into the McDonald’s app of strangers and racking up thousands of dollars worth of food purchases. One victim says the digital thief hacked into his app and ordered 100 meals between April 12 an 18.

39 MILLION AMERICANS CAN’T AFFORD A VACATION THIS SUMMER _ Thirty-nine million Americans — about 15% of the adult population — cannot afford a summer vacation this year. Over four in ten of those 39 million says everyday bills is the primary obstacle prohibiting vacation.

… The survey (from Bankrate) finds that, among those who are planning a summer vacation, the average expected expense is $1,979.

MARATHON REPLACED MANY PLASTIC BOTTLES WITH SEAWEED POUCHES _ The organizers behind Sunday’s London Marathon did away with a lot of water bottles this year and instead handed out edible, biodegradable seaweed pouches containing water instead. The Ooho seaweed pouches cost less money to produce than plastic bottles. But unlike plastic bottles, the pouches, which are created from seaweed extracts, decompose in less than two months. Ooho says the company uses “the building blocks of seaweed” to make the capsules; they “remove all the green stuff and the smelly stuff.” Runners can either pop the pouches with their teeth swallow the capsule, or drink up the water and spit out the capsule.

POLICE RAID CHINESE COMPANY MAKING NOT-QUITE LEGOS _ A raid on a factory in China last week discovered $30 million worth of fake Legos.

JUDGE: MAN’S McDONALD’S HASH BROWN WAS NOT A PHONE _ UPDATE: A man in Connecticut spent his own money and 13 months of his life to prove in court that a police officer gave him a $300 distracted-driving ticked for merely eating a McDonald’s hash brown while at the wheel. On Friday, a judge found Jason Stiber not guilty, bringing an end to what the defendant’s attorney called “the case of the century.”

… Back on April 11, 2018, Stiber was pulled over by Westport, Connecticut, police officer Shawn Wong Won, who testified that he saw Stiber moving his lips as he held an object resembling a cellphone to his face while driving. Stiber’s lawyer countered by saying those lip movements were “consistent with chewing” the hash brown his client purchased at a McDonald’s immediately before he was pulled over.

… Stiber also made a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to acquire records showing that Wong was on the 15th hour of a 16-hour double shift and may have had less-than-ideal judgment when he pulled Stiber over. The judge concluded that the state didn’t bring forth enough evidence to show that Stiber was, indeed, on his phone while driving.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: ROCKING CHAIRS ARE GOOD FOR US _ A study finds rocking chairs are good for your health. The study (University of Rochester) found daily rocking among Alzheimer’s patients reduced their anxiety, lifted depression, improved balance, and lessened the need for pain killers.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: URGENT DELIVERY BEFORE DELIVERY _A pregnant woman in China put in an urgent order for a pizza, asking the restaurant to send it quickly as she was about to give birth. The pizza restaurant was told to send the pizza to a local maternity and children’s healthcare hospital. The owners of the restaurant said the then-expectant mom is a regular customer.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN RESURRECTED AFTER BEING DECLARED DEAD _ An elderly man in China was resurrected after being declared dead in hospital. Doctors had confirmed the man’s death after finding his breathing had stopped. The man’s family was devastated by news of his death and had begun making preparations for his funeral. But they got a shock when they saw his hand suddenly move when he was lying in the hospital’s mourning are, and immediately sent him back to the hospital. The doctors spent five hours removing a hematoma from his brain. The man regained consciousness and left the hospital.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BIKER LOOKS FOR FALSE TEETH ON BUSY HIGHWAY _ A motorcyclist in Spain brought traffic to a standstill after he pulled over to look for his false teeth, which flew out of his mouth when he sneezed.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK COULDN’T GIVE AWAY MONEY _ A bank in Portugal tried to give away money to passers-by. A sign in the window of the bank offered the equivalent of $5 to anyone who stepped inside to collect it. But bank officials say no one took up the bargain because no one believed it.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BUTT-BITER _ In Italy, an 82-year-old is in trouble with the law because the frisky senior has a thing for biting the bottoms of pretty women. Authorities say the man is accused of no less than seven butt-biting incidents.

ON TELEVISION

THE SHOW MUST GO ON: THE QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT STORY (8p ET, ABC) — This new, 2-hour documentary chronicles Queen and Lambert’s journey since they first shared the stage in 2009 on American Idol, with brand-new interviews with Lambert, his parents Leila and Eber, and Queen founding members Brian May and Roger Taylor, as well as Bohemian Rhapsody’s Rami Malek, and Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins.

THE VOICE (8p ET, NBC) — New. The top 24 artists perform for their chance at a spot in the top 13.

THE BIG BANG THEORY (8p ET, CBS) — Repeat

THE ENEMY WITHIN (10p ET, NBC) — New. A group of contractors working for the CIA are murdered on board their chartered plane.

BULL (10p ET, CBS) — New. Bull fears that his client’s family ties will negatively impact the jury.

ENTERTAINMENT

TOP TEN MOVIES _ Almost every movie theater on the planet was gridlocked over the weekend as Avengers: Endgame arrived to record-breaking ticket sales.

… The superhero movie — the 22nd in a series from Disney’s Marvel Studios — collected roughly $350 million in the United States and Canada. That easily beat Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), which had opening-weekend sales of $248 million, which translates to about $270 million in today’s dollars.

… Avengers: Endgame took in a $1.2 billion worldwide, arriving as the No. 1 movie in at least 54 countries.

… So far 144 different box office records have been set by Avengers: Endgame, including a dozen advance ticket sale records; 29 single-day grossing records; 50 IMAX opening weekend records; and records for the fastest to $100 million in North America and fastest to $1 billion worldwide.

Avengers: Endgame, $350 million
Captain Marvel, $8 million
The Curse of La Llorona, $7.5 million
Breakthrough, $6.3 million
Shazam!, $5.5 million
Little, $3.4 million
Dumbo, $3.2 million
Pet Sematary, $1.2 million
Us, $1.1 million
Penguins, $1 million

… One year ago this week the number one movie was Avengers: Infinity War.
… Five years ago this week: The Other Woman.
… Ten years ago this week: Obsessed.
… Twenty years ago this week: The Matrix.

… In theaters Friday: UglyDolls (PG); Long Shot (R); The Intruder (PG-13); El Chicano (R)

$20 BILLION GLOBAL TOTAL FOR MARVEL MOVIES _ As of today (Monday) the 22 movie Marvel comics universe movies have made a grand total of $20 billion mark.

SOME THEATERS HAD AVENGERS: ENDGAME INTERMISSIONS _ To see Avengers: Endgame in the United States, most audiences will have to steel themselves for three uninterrupted hours. But theaters across the world have taken control of the remote and hit pause roughly halfway through. Avengers fans in countries including Egypt, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey all reported having an intermission during showings.

… In the U.S., it’s thought that only one movie theater pressed pause for fans — and independent theater outside Baltimore, a drive-in called Bengies.

MAN SHOUTING ENDGAME SPOILERS GETS BEATING FROM FURIOUS FANS _ A crowd of spoiler-sensitive Marvel fanatics pummeled a loudmouth for yelling out major plot points as they waited to see the blockbuster in a Hong Kong theater. The loud-mouth was leaving one showing of the superhero flick when he started blabbing about key moments to those waiting in line for the next showing. Infuriated movie-goers channeled their inner Hulk, beating him up.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME FAN TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER CRYING DURING MOVIE _ One over-hyped Marvel fan in China needed a superhero of her own when she cried so hard during Avengers: Endgame that she started hyperventilating and had to be rushed to the hospital.

THE BIG BANG THEORY FILMS ITS FINAL EPISODE THIS WEEK _ The Big Bang Theory records its series finale tomorrow (Tuesday).

NEW BATMAN ACTOR REPORTEDLY TO BE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK _ According to a source, an announcement about the next actor to play the title role in The Batman could come as early as this week. The last person to wear the cowl was Ben Affleck, who admitted that after starring Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League he just wasn’t able to “crack” the role of the caped crusader as writer and director of the film.

KIM FOXX HIT WITH SUBPOENA OVER HANDLING OF JUSSIE SMOLLETT CASE _Kim Foxx, Chicago’s top prosecutor, has been subpoenaed to appear at a court hearing regarding her handling of the Jussie Smollett “attack.” The State’s Attorney was hit with the subpoena by a retired appellate judge who is seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into how Kim dealt with the super controversial case. The report says retired judge Sheila O’Brien, who filed the petition for a special prosecutor, also filed a “notice to appear” in an attempt to get Jussie to attend Thursday’s court hearing. The retired judge reportedly requested Jussie and Foxx produce all original documents in the case to prove “that they have not been altered or destroyed.”

… Foxx has been harshly criticized ever since her office dismissed all 16 counts against Jussie over the alleged “attack.” The retired judge reportedly wrote that Foxx’s handling of the case was “plagued with irregularity” and that “Foxx misled the public into believing that Smollett’s case was handled like any other prosecution and without influence.”

SANTA CLARITA DIET CANCELED AT NETFLIX AFTER THREE SEASONS _ Almost exactly one month after Netflix’s dark comedy series Santa Clarita Diet debuted its third season, the show starring Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant has suddenly been canceled. The series follows realtor spouses Sheila (Drew Barrymore) and Joel (Timothy Olyphant) Hammond, who led vaguely discontented lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita with their teenage daughter Abby (Liv Hewson). But suddenly Sheila went through a dramatic change that sent their lives down a road of death and destruction. That change was turning into a zombie that needs to eat flesh to survive, but it turned out be something that saved their family.

KATHERINE SCHWARZENEGGER HAD A BRIDAL SHOWER _ Katherine Schwarzenegger celebrated her upcoming nuptials to Chris Pratt at a lavish bridal shower at her mother Maria Shriver’s Los Angeles home on Saturday. A source described the shower as “beautiful and elegant” and it featured a pretty star-studded guest list with Oprah Winfrey among the 100 attendees. Guests arrived at Shriver’s home around noon for a “backyard luncheon” that was described as “very traditional and exactly what you would imagine for a classic bride.” There was live music from a guitar player as well as lots of champagne.

MEGAN FOX FILES TO DISMISS DIVORCE FROM BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN _ Megan Fox and husband Brian Austin Green are officially back together. The Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actress filed papers at a Los Angeles court last week to dismiss their divorce proceedings. Before then, no documentation regarding the case was filed since 2017.

… Fox had filed for divorce from Green in 2015 after 11 years together, including five years of marriage. The two soon reconciled and a year later, she revealed she was pregnant with their third child. In August 2016 Fox gave birth to the couple’s third son, Journey, who joined big brothers Noah and Bodhi.

… Since their split and reconciliation, Fox and Green have avoided making joint celebrity appearances but have occasionally been photographed together elsewhere in public.

TAYLOR SWIFT’S NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR ME! BREAKS YOUTUBE RECORDS _ Taylor Swift released her newest single, ME!, on midnight Thursday and in just 24 hours the song broke YouTube records. YouTube tweeted the news on Saturday that Taylor broke the record for highest female and solo 24-hour debut — 65.2 million views.

… Prior to Taylor’s new song, Ariana Grande held the record with her song Thank U, Next.

LIFETIME ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATE FOR SURVIVING R. KELLY FOLLOW-UP _ The impact of the documentary featuring R&B singer R. Kelly’s alleged sexual abuse victims will be examined in a follow-up special to Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly. The network will air a two-hour special that discusses the impact the six-part docuseries has had on both R. Kelly and his accusers since it aired back in January. The segment will be hosted by Soledad O’Brien and will be titled Surviving R. Kelly: The Impact. The special will include music journalists, legal experts, non-profit organizations, and psychologists to discuss how the stories surrounding the documentary have changed the views of the artist. The documentary is set to air on May 4.

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the PRO AUDIO PAGE.

• BACON: Pork prices could be going up globally so get ready for higher bacon prices. → April 29 News & Nuggets

• DROP: He’s polite, he’s thoughtful, he tries really hard.

BITS & BREAKS

LIFE’S LITTLE PLEASURES

Adults were asked: “What ‘Life’s Little Pleasure’ is your favorite?”

Peace and quiet
Going for a walk
Getting out in the fresh air
A stroll on the beach
The sound of birds
Fresh bed sheets
A clear and starry night
Hugs from children / grandchildren
Seeing friends
Laughing so much your belly aches
Sleeping in
The sounds of rain
Listening to a favorite song
A hot cup of coffee in the morning

KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS WHEN THEY PRAY

Here’s what my friend posted on Facebook: “4-year-old Emily saying her bedtime prayers tonight… ‘And bless Mama… and Daddy… and Timmy… and kitty and fishy… and please help us have nice dreams… and watch over us… and help us drive safely… and please help me with my ninja training… Amen.'”

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: What funny things has your little one prayed for?

WOMEN REVEAL THEIR FACEBOOK DEALBREAKERS

Want a woman to unfriend you on Facebook? Do these things.

• “I found out via Facebook that the guy I was dating had an unhealthy obsession with the female news anchors on News12 — to the point where he would post photoshopped photos of them on his Facebook, putting their heads on superhero bodies like Wonder Woman, Bat Girl, or Cat Woman.”

• “I had been on two dates with this guy that I really liked. He friended me and I did what I assume every girl does. … I went through all his photos/liked pages/events/posts etc. Nothing jumped out as too weird or abnormal until I found an album titled ‘flavors of the month,’ filled with random photos of girls. Granted, this was an album from college, and maybe he’d grown up since then…but I wasn’t willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

• “I had a guy randomly add me on Facebook. We had mutual friends in common, so I accepted…and then he messaged me saying, ‘I wish you were my sweat towel at the gym.'”

• “When a guy likes every one of my pictures, status updates, etc., it’s a dealbreaker for me. It just comes off as a huge sign of desperation.”

• “I was friends with a cute guy from my job, and we stayed in touch via Facebook after I left. But it got to a point where he was messaging me all the time, and being really annoying about it. I ignored him thinking it would fade out…but he still messages me at least once a day. I have not responded to a single message in over a year.”

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: A standard one of these measures 7’8″ by 3’2″ by 6′. (Grave)

TRIVIA: This can grow up to 35 inches in a day. (Bamboo, which is the world’s tallest grass)

TRIVIA: About 2.1 percent of U.S. garbage is made up of what? (Diapers)

TRIVIA: When blowing out birthday candles, 1 in 4 women say they’ve wished for this. Hint: It has to do with their husbands. (They wish for more time with their husbands.)

DATEBOOK: APRIL 30, 2019

BIRTHDAYS

• Cloris Leachman is 93

• Burt Young is 79

• Adrian Pasdar (Heroes) is 54

• Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory, Roseanne) is 44

• Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) is 38

• Kirsten Dunst is 37

• Dianna Agron (Glee) is 33

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1789: On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington took the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.

• 1938: Bugs Bunny first appeared on screen in the cartoon Porky’s Hare Hunt, directed by “Bugs” Hardaway for Warner Bros.

• 1939: Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first President of the United States to appear on television during the World Fair’s opening ceremonies broadcast.

• 1945: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide after being married for one day.

• 1952: The first toy was advertised on television: Mr. Potato Head.

• 1967: Muhammad Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army and was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title. He sited religious grounds for his refusal.

• 2005: Jennifer Wilbanks, missing from Georgia, turned up in Albuquerque. She had claimed she was abducted, but then admitted she was a “runaway bride.”

• 2009: Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

• 2018: The world’s oldest known spider, a female trapdoor, died at age 43 after being killed by a wasp sting in Australia.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Adopt A Shelter Pet Day

• International Jazz Day

• National Honesty Day

• Raisin Day

• Oatmeal Cookie Day

UPCOMING