PRO May 28, 2015

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Bits & Breaks • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment • Fun & Games • Image of the Day • Joke of the Day! • Last Minute Items • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Number for the Day • Television • Video of the Day • Wacky-But-True

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DATEBOOK: MAY 28, 2015

This is day 148 of 2015. There are 217 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani is 71

• Rock Hall of Famer Gladys Knight is 71

• Sondra Locke is 71

• Rock Hall of Famer John Fogerty is 70

• Brandon Cruz (The Courtship of Eddie’s Father) is 53

• Christa Miller (Scrubs, The Drew Carey Show) is 51

• Kylie Minogue is 47

• Justin Kirk (Weeds) is 46

• TV personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck is 38

• Monica Keena (Dawson’s Creek, Undeclared) is 36

• Colbie Caillat is 30

• Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby) is 30

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1896: The first recorded automobile accident involving two vehicles occurred on this date in New York City. Henry Wells of Springfield, Massachusetts was driving a new Duryea Motor Wagon, the first automobile model to be made and sold in the U.S. Unfortunately, he collided with Evelyn Thomas of New York, riding a bicycle. Thomas went to the hospital with a broken leg, and Wells spent the night in jail.

• 1928: Dodge Brothers Incorporated merged with Chrysler Corporation.

• 1934: Near Callander, Ontario, the Dionne quintuplets were born to Olivia and Elzire Dionne, later becoming the first quintuplets to survive infancy.

• 1937: The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, was officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, DC, who pushed a button signaling the start of vehicle traffic over the span.

• 1954: President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law that added the words “under God” to the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance.

• 1985: Seattle retiree Gay Mullins founded The Old Cola Drinkers of America, a group determined to bring back the original Coca-Cola. Within two months Coke announced Classic Coke, to be sold in addition to it’s New Coke.

• 1987: 19-year-old West German pilot Mathias Rust evaded Soviet Union air defenses and landed a private plane in Red Square in Moscow. He was immediately detained and was not released until August 3, 1988.

• 1996: President Bill Clinton’s former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, James McDougal and Susan McDougal, and Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker, were convicted of fraud.

• 1999: In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci’s newly-restored masterpiece “The Last Supper” was put back on display.

• 2006: Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth on the career list and move into second place behind Hank Aaron.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Hamburger Day

• Amnesty International Day

• Brisket Day

UPCOMING

• June 6: Belmont Stakes (Saturday)

• June 21: Father’s Day (Sunday)

• June 21: Summer begins (Sunday, 12:38PM Eastern)

• July 4: Independence Day (Saturday)

• More holidays

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NUMBER FOR THE DAY

87: Pounds of tomatoes the average person consumes each year.

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NEWS ATTACK!

A bill has been introduced in the House to dramatically cut the federal tax on alcohol. [And bribes.]

Singapore Airlines revealed that a passenger jet temporarily lost power two both engines but landed safely thanks to the professionalism of the pilots. [Of course, they had to thoroughly clean the cockpit seats.]

Parents in Australia are being criticized for throwing a birthday party for their three-year-old daughter that cost $39,000. [Well, the cast of The Avengers doesn’t work cheap.]

Parents in Australia are being criticized for throwing a birthday party for their three-year-old daughter that cost $39,000. [They could have put the money to better use like paying for half a semester of college.]

A Vermont woman was treated at the hospital after she reached into a bag of grapes and was bitten by a spider. It was a black widow. [Whoa. That’s a little too organic.]

A Missouri fisherman caught a 65-pound striped bass. [Well, actually it was only a 60-pound fish. It had swallowed a 5-pound cat.]

When Jennifer Lopez arrived at the airport in Los Angeles she was confetti-bombed by a tattooed clown. [Which in one sentence tells you pretty much all you need to know about Los Angeles.]

Thieves have stolen thousands of tax-payers’ data from the IRS. [It’s a good thing that I never give them any correct information.]

According to a new report, the skinniest state is Hawaii. [You lose a lot of weight out-swimming sharks.]

Merriam-Webster has added 1,700 new words to its dictionary. [My entire vocabulary isn’t 1,700 words.]

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NEWS & NUGGETS

APPLE FIXING BUG THAT CRASHES iPHONES WITH A TEXT MESSAGE _ Beware if you have any jokester friends with iOS devices — they might just have a way to ruin your day if you have any iOS gadgets of your own. Apple has confirmed that it’s fixing a recently discovered bug that crashes iPhones and other iOS 8 hardware the moment you get a carefully crafted set of Unicode characters in iMessage and other communication apps with notification previews. It’s not clear when that fix will be available, but the only existing safeguard is to turn off those previews. Otherwise, you may have to bend over backwards to make sure that those rogue messages don’t cause further chaos.

SENIOR CLASS GIVES TRIP MONEY TO PRINCIPAL BATTLING CANCER _ The graduating class at Profile Junior-Senior High School in Bethlehem, New Hampshire had raised nearly $8,000 for their senior class trip. But instead of using the money to fund their year-end efforts, the students decided to give the money to the school’s principal, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Principal Courtney Vashaw said they work hard to teach the students about caring for others and being compassionate, but not in her wildest dreams did she think that lesson would directly affect her. The students had raised the money to spend four days at an Adirondack, New York ranch resort. When seniors voted, they unanimously decided to give every cent they raised to their principal.

DOG ON DEATH ROW IS NOW A STAR K-9 COP _ Libby’s a pit bull mix with her own Facebook page. And if any dog deserves to be on the social media site, it’s Libby. She was a shelter dog who ended up on death row. But with just days to go before being euthanized she was rescued from a Texas animal shelter by the nonprofit group Operation Pets Alive, which rescues dogs. Because Libby’s a pitbull it took two years before someone would adopt her. That someone was Constable Jesse Bullinger, who’s K9 was about to retire. So Libby was chosen for K-9 training. It’s important to note that police dogs are an elite bunch: Many of them are purebreds, such as Dutch Shepherds, that are imported from Europe and cost up to $15,000. So Libby’s story is something right out of a movie. Libby’s training went well — very well. On Libby’s Facebook page there’s a recent update with details on the shutdown of an alleged drug house. • LINK

POLICE DOG SAVES PARTNER’S LIFE AFTER AMBUSH ATTACK _ A police dog is being hailed a hero after the K9 saved the life of a Mississippi sheriff’s deputy, ripping into the men authorities say dragged the officer into the woods in an ambush attack. Now the manhunt is under way for the three suspects who beat Hancock County, Mississippi, sheriff’s deputy Todd Frazier and slashed him with a box cutter. Frazier’s life was saved by his K9 partner, Lucas, a black Belgian Malinois who police say chased the assailants down before they could slit Frazier’s throat. Frazier was able to activate the button that opens the door to his vehicle, releasing Lucas. The dog bit at least one, possibly two, of the suspects.

MAN TAKES DYING DOG ON BUCKET LIST ADVENTURE _ Following a terminal diagnosis, a New York City dog named Poh has been living his dying days traveling the nation with his owner, crossing off many desirable destinations from their bucket list. Poh’s human buddy, Thomas Neil Rodriguez, got to spend seven weeks traveling with his friend and now he’s just waiting for the inevitable. Rodriquez adopted Poh from an animal shelter back in December 1999, when he was eight weeks old. The 15-year-old mixed-breed has been diagnosed with several health problems, in which veterinarians have concluded that he will not live much longer.

… Beginning March 6, Rodriquez, his fiance, and Poh drove cross country, visiting 35 cities, and traveling around 12,000 miles. On the way to California, Poh made stops in North Carolina, Texas, Oregon, Arizona and more, posing in front of many well-known landmarks in the United States. They even stopped by Walter White’s house in New Mexico and The Goonies house in Oregon. And of course they hit plenty of dog parks. • IMAGES

EATING GRILL BRUSH BRISTLE IN BURGER LANDS WOMAN IN SURGERY _ A Connecticut woman was rushed to the hospital with intense stomach pain after she accidentally swallowed something in her hamburger. The culprit: a bristle from a grill brush. The tiny piece of metal was less than an inch long. A CAT scan showed the metal was stuck in her intestine.

iPHONE BEATS SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN _ In England Ryan Duggan has been convicted of attempted murder after firing the shotgun at another teen. Duggan had been hanging around outside some apartments intimidating the residents with a group of other teens. They had apparently cut off the building’s water, which led to a verbal altercation and one teen chasing Duggan down a footpath. Duggan turned around during the chase, pulled out the sawed-off shotgun and shot the teen. While he suffered serious injury to his abdomen, his iPhone actually took the majority of the blast, saving his life.

A TWO-LEGGED CAT IS TAKING INSTAGRAM BY STORM _ She’s half rabbit, half T-Rex, and all feline. Roux the two-legged cat is taking Instagram by storm. Roux — whose full name is Lil’ Bunny Sue Roux — was born without her two front limbs, which means she has to hop around on her hind legs. Roux was left at a shelter outside of New Orleans when she was six months old. Fortunately, vet tech Jackie Deak Akey saw her and it was love at first sight. Like Akey, the Internet has fallen head over heels for Roux, who’s cultivated a healthy Instagram following of more than 70,000 fans in a month’s time. Roux lives with her friend Kangaroo — who is an actual bunny. • IMAGES

HOTEL APOLOGIZES FOR BOOTING NAVAL OFFICER FROM BAR _ This should probably go without saying, but here’s a little tip for swanky New York City hotels: If service men and women show up to your bar in uniform, it’s probably not a good idea to kick them out for violating the dress code. Especially on Memorial Day weekend. That’s what happened on Saturday night when a Navy officer and her three relatives tried to visit the Top of the Standard lounge at New York’s Standard Hotel. They were turned away by a bouncer before they even got to the elevator, even though the naval officer, who wishes to remain anonymous, was wearing her white uniform and her family members were dressed in cocktail attire.

… Following the incident, the naval officer’s family complained to the hotel’s front desk, where they were told that admission was at the “lounge’s discretion.”

… A hotel representative later emailed the family to apologize and invite them back to the rooftop bar. The email also stated that the bar’s dress code should not apply to service uniforms and that the issue had been addressed with the entire staff.

NEW RESEARCH SHOWS MEN PREFER INTELLIGENCE TO BREASTS _ A new study (University of Cambridge) shows a woman’s intelligence is considered far more attractive to a man than her breast size. Intelligence shows that a woman is more likely to be a successful parent.

… Another coveted female trait that doesn’t really matter? Long legs. While straight legs are a sign of genetic health and something that is more attractive, surveys have shown most men prefer regular length.

MOM’S PUNISHMENT FOR ‘CLASS CLOWN’ SONS GOES VIRAL _ Michigan mom Christina Maze has made it quite clear that she does not condone clowning in class, and if her two sons were unaware of her sentiments they definitely know now. Apparently the two boys — ages 8 and 7 — have a history of clowning in class and their unruly behavior has reportedly become a problem at home, as well. Maze recently came up with a “creative” form of punishment to reprimand the boys for their behavior. She apparently believes in public humiliation and now her punishment has gone viral. The two boys were forced to stand in their front yard and hold up signs detailing their shortcomings and bad behavior.

… Their controversial signs read, “I’m a wild boy. I’m hardheaded. I don’t listen. Look at us!” and “I’m a class clown.” However, that’s not all. The boys have also received infamous George Jefferson haircuts for their actions. So, in addition to holding up the embarrassing signs, they also have patches of hair missing from their heads.

STUDENT GETS DETENTION FOR GIVING ‘GHOST PEPPER’ TO CLASSMATES _ A Long Island, New York student was slapped with detention for bringing the world’s spiciest pepper to his high school and sharing it with friends. High schooler Nick Lien is upset over the detention because, he says, he didn’t realize that giving someone a pepper could get him into trouble. Lien gave small pieces of the so-called ghost pepper — 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce — to friends in gym class. Two of his pals couldn’t stomach the spice. Their faces turned the color of hot sauce, they grabbed their stomachs and ran straight for the nurse’s office. That angered school officials who said he put the other students in danger. Lien — who buys the fad food in packs of three for $12 online — was punished with two days of after-school suspension on Tuesday.

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WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TEACHERS SMASH STUDENTS’ CELLPHONES _ Teachers at a high school in China showed they had no hang ups about smashing the mobile phone of four students who violated a class ban. Debate immediately kicked up on social media about whether the teachers had crossed the line.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NYPD BUILT A $60,000 ZUMBA STUDIO AND NEVER USED IT _ New York Police Dept. Commissioner Bill Bratton wants more money from the City Council — but he should look a little closer to home and save some money first. According to the New York Post, Bratton’s Deputy Commissioner of Personnel spent $60,000 on exercise mats and flat-screen TVs to outfit a basement room in NYPD headquarters to be used for Zumba. When Bratton found out he ripped the Deputy Commish for blowing the cash.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FUGITIVE VISITS POLICE STATION FOR ADVICE ON AVOIDING POLICE _ The long arm of the law didn’t have to reach very far when a fugitive in a knife attack walked into a police station in China asking for advice on how to avoid being caught. The man specifically asked about how to dodge ID checks. When the man refused to divulge his name or any other information, a detective took him into an interrogation room for further questioning. It turns out the guy had been on the run since April 3 after he slashed someone.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SELF-PARKING CAR HITS JOURNALISTS AT HIGH SPEED _ If you’re excited at the prospect of owning a self-driving car, there’s been a bit of a setback. A self-parking Volvo mowed down a journalist or two that stood in front of a car, expecting it to detect them and stop on a dime. Instead the self-parking car kept right on going at a relatively high rate of speed, and hit the journalists. Apparently the self-parking car didn’t stop when the journalists expected it to stop because the owner didn’t enact the “pedestrian detection” option. Nevertheless, the YouTube video of the incident has gone viral. Volvo has issued a statement that media personnel — nor any human being, for that matter — should stand in front of a car as a test. • VIDEO

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN CONTINUES GAMING AFTER GIVING BIRTH IN CYBERCAFE _ Some folks are just plain addicted when it comes to computer gaming. Apparently, in an Internet cafe in Shandong, China, a female gamer actually gave birth to a daughter before she went back to play her online game. Shocked onlookers decided to help the newborn by wrapping her with a piece of cloth in order to keep her warm, and called an ambulance to the scene. The new mother was then offered some warm water to clean herself up, but in a surprising move, she declined that act of kindness and resumed playing her online game.

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ON TELEVISION

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

FINALE: 500 QUESTIONS (8p ET, ABC) — This limited series ends with a 2-hour finale.

DATELINE (8p ET, NBC) — Repeat

BONES (8p ET, FOX) — New

iZOMBIE (8p ET, CW) — Repeat

2015 SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE (8p ET, ESPN) — ESPN covers the finals of this year’s Bee. Chris McKendry will host and also provide word-by-word commentary during the competition. Paul Loeffler, a finalist in the 1990 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals, is back for the 10th consecutive year to provide analysis. Kaylee Hartung returns for her second year as the broadcast’s sideline reporter.

THE ODD COUPLE (8:30p ET, CBS) — Repeat

SERIES PREMIERE: AQUARIUS (9p ET, NBC) — David Duchovny (The X-Files) stars as a police detective in this new historical drama series set in 1967 Los Angeles. When the daughter of a friend goes missing, he agrees to find her with the help of a young, idealistic undercover vice cop (Grey Damon, True Blood and Friday Night Lights). All 13 episodes of the series will stream online immediately after the premiere.

MOM (9p ET, CBS) — Repeat

WAYWARD PINES (9p ET, FOX) — Justin Kirk (Weeds) guest stars in this new episode.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (9p ET, CW) — Repeat

MIKE & MOLLY (9:30p ET, CBS) — Repeat

ELEMENTARY (10p ET, CBS) — Repeat

JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (10p ET, ABC) — Repeat

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ENTERTAINMENT

TRACY MORGAN AND WAL-MART SETTLE CRASH LAWSUIT _ Tracy Morgan has settled his lawsuit against Walmart over a highway crash that killed one man and left Morgan and two friends seriously injured. A filing in federal court (in Newark, New Jersey) on Wednesday refers to a confidential settlement reached by the two sides. Walmart called it an “amicable settlement.” Details weren’t disclosed.

… Last June a Walmart truck slammed into the back of a limo van carrying Morgan and the others back from a show in Delaware. Comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair was killed. Morgan suffered head trauma, a broken leg and broken ribs. Walmart reached a settlement with McNair’s two children in January.

IS CHRIS PINE GOING TO STAR IN WONDER WOMAN? _ Is Chris Pine about to star in the Wonder Woman film? The star already is leading off one powerful franchise thanks to J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, but according to the Hollywood Reporter Pine is currently in negotiations to star alongside Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot. Insiders say Pine is being considered for the role of Steve Trevor, who is a big love interest of Wonder Woman’s.

LIVE ACTION JONNY QUEST HEADED TO THE BIG SCREEN _ Jonny Quest fans, here’s some news you’ll want to hear: the cult animated show is headed to the big screen in live action form, and Robert Rodriguez has been signed to direct. Wildly popular when it first premiered in 1964, Jonny Quest followed the exploits of the boy adventurer, who traveled the world with his father, Dr. Benton C. Quest. Government agent and bodyguard Race Bannon accompanied them, as did orphan Hadji, Jonny’s best friend, along with the Quest’s pet bulldog, Bandit. Director Rodriguez’s previous work includes the Spy Kids franchise. • THEME

TINA FEY AND AMY POEHLER ARE NOW ACTION FIGURES _ They may have left the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update desk for good, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will live on permanently in the only appropriate way: They’ll be immortalized as action figures. Action figure and collectibles vendor Entertainment Earth will be hawking miniature versions of Fey and Poehler at San Diego Comic Con in July. Only 2,400 of the 3½-inch figurines will be made available.

BRUCE JENNER RESPONDS TO WRONGFUL DEATH SUIT _ Bruce Jenner argues in new court paperwork that the adult stepchildren of the wealthy widow who died after Bruce Jenner rear-ended her car have no right to sue for wrongful death. Jenner’s legal team argues the relatives weren’t financially dependent on 69-year-old victim Kim Howe before her February 7 death on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, and lacked standing when they sued the reality TV star on May 1.

JAKE GYLLENHAAL DID 1,000 SITUPS A DAY TO PLAY A BOXER IN SOUTHPAW _ What does it take to not just pretend you’re a boxer, but to become one for a film? For Jake Gyllenhaal it was 1,000 situps a day. Jake says he knew very little about boxing but knew he had to train twice a day to get his body in shape for his role in Southpaw. His trainer outlined a strict regimen for the 34-year-old star, including 1,000 sit-ups a day, 100 pull-ups, 100 dips, 2 sets of 100 squats, jumping rope, and running eight miles a day, not to mention footwork drills, punching, and sparring. By the time filming began Gyllenhaal gained 15 pounds of muscle. The movie comes out in late July.

SHERYL CROW WANTS TO USE OLD BLUE JEANS TO HELP REBUILD NEW ORLEANS _ Sheryl Crow has joined more than 600 Habitat for Humanity volunteers for a “Build a Thon” on America Street in New Orleans, where 10 homes are being constructed over the final 10 days of May. The insulation for the homes will consist of recycled denim provided by Cotton Incorporated’s Blue Jeans Go Green denim recycling program. Crowe says she’s a part of the Habitat build because of her connection to New Orleans. It’s where her second album was made. And she has her own jeans line, so working with this Habitat project made sense to her.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH WILL PLAY THOMAS EDISON _ Benedict Cumberbatch will play famed inventor Thomas Edison in The Current War, which chronicles the true story behind the direct/alternate current debate and follows the intense rivalry between inventors Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse as they battled to be the first to commercially implement a practical system of electricity.

… The film will follow the events known as the War of Currents, which took place in the late 1880’s between Edison, who backed his direct current for electrical distribution, and Westinghouse who promoted alternating current. The rivalry got so intense that Edison launched a smear campaign against Westinghouse in an attempt to highlight the safety issues with alternating current. Edison lobbied against AC in state legislatures, spread disinformation on “fatal AC accidents,” and even went so far as to publicly execute animals through electrocution.

JEREMY RENNER CRASHES A WEDDING IN HOUSTON _ It’s no average wedding when Hawkeye makes an appearance. Jeremy Renner joined the long list of celebrity wedding crashers over the weekend when he made an impromptu stop at one lucky couple’s nuptials in Houston. The Avengers star was in town for the Comicpalooza, which took place at The Regency Hotel, where the newlyweds’ reception also happened to be going down. Images captured by sneaky fans show Renner hanging by the bar, smiling politely as he chats with wedding guests, although the actor’s rep says that Renner tried to keep a low profile to ensure the spotlight was on the bride and groom.

CHRIS PRATT AND SON JACK RECITE PLEDGE _ Chris Pratt has shared an adorable video of him with his son Jack in honor of Memorial Day. In the clip, the father-son duo are shown reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in front of an American flag on a porch, with the former Parks and Recreation star feeding his little one each and every line. On his Facebook page Pratt wrote, “Meant to post this on #MemorialDay but I was in China and my phone wasn’t working. I’m proud to be American. I’m blessed to get to travel the world!” • VIDEO

ELLEN DEGENERES NOT MOVING TO AUSTRALIA _ Ellen DeGeneres is not moving to Australia once her talk show contract ends, despite a new report from a tabloid. The made-up story says when DeGeneres’ daytime talk show contract is up in 2017, she wants to pack her bags and move to her wife Portia DeRossi’s native Australia.

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BITS & BREAKS

TOP TV SHOWS

Week of May 18-25

1. Dancing With the Stars (Monday), ABC, 14.35 million

2. Dancing With the Stars (Tuesday), ABC, 13.49 million

3. The Voice (Tuesday), NBC, 11.56 million

4. The Voice, NBC, 11.32 million

5. Survivor, CBS, 9.74 million

6. NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 9.33 million

7. NCIS, CBS, 9.15 million

8. The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8.11 million

9. The Voice (special), NBC, 7.83 million

10. NBA Playoffs: Atlanta/Cleveland (Sunday), TNT, 7.76 million

11. Mike & Molly, CBS, 7.75 million

12. 2 Broke Girls, CBS, 7.56 million

13. NCIS: New Orleans, CBS, 7.25 million

14. Chicago PD, NBC, 7.211 million

15. Survivor (Reunion), CBS, 7.208 million

16. Modern Family, ABC, 7.198 million

17. The Bachelorette, ABC, 7.10 million

18. The Bachelorette (Special), ABC, 7.09 million

19. Mysteries of Laura, NBC, 7.05 million

20. Law & Order SVU, NBC, 6.96 million

INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THE 2015 SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE

By tonight (Thursday) when ESPN broadcasts the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals (8PM ET) there will be just a dozen spellers left. Here are a few things that will help viewers fully appreciate this harrowing, inspiring American ritual.

• Americans are about 10 times more likely to be struck by lightning in their lifetime than to make it to the national finals. The odds of being zapped by lightning are about one in 3,000. Of the 11 million kids who compete in the bee on some level, only 283 made it to the competition in National Harbor, Maryland, this year. That’s roughly .000026%, or one in 38,869.

• There’s an app for that. Scripps, the sponsor of the bee, debuted an app called Buzzworthy this year. When you sign up, you’re automatically assigned five spellers that are essentially your fantasy football team for the competition. They spell words right, you get points. And each has an endearing bio so there’s no way to remain unattached.

• The process for picking the spelling words is top secret. The officials at Scripps who put on the bee guard their process for developing the word list like nuclear launch codes. There is a word committee, whose members are secret. The sources they use are secret. The qualities they look for are secret. There are whispers that some word committee members are dictionary officials, while others are former spelling champions themselves.

• Words in the preliminary rounds come from study guides of about 1,500 words that are given to the spellers when they advance to the national finals. But once spellers get to the semi-finals and finals, the words they face could be any of the roughly 472,000 that are in Merriam-Webster’s Third Edition.

• There can be up to three co-champions of the bee. Once the spellers have advanced to the championship list of 25 words, there’s no other place to go. If everyone still in the game at that point spells all the words correctly as the officials go through the list, then everyone wins. That’s why there were two co-champions in 2014.

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FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA:100 years ago there were 2,600 of these in the U.S. Today there are about 1,330. (Daily newspapers)

TRIVIA: 82% of smartphone owners have at least one photo of what on their device? (Their pet)

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JOKE OF THE DAY

Two elderly women were talking. One said, “The preacher came to call the other day. He said, ‘At your age you should be thinking about the hereafter’. I told him, ‘Oh I do all the time. No matter where I am — in the living room, upstairs, in the basement, in the kitchen — I ask myself, ‘What am I here after?'”

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

Dog with stick figures out how to cross a bridge.

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IMAGE OF THE DAY

Photobombing seagull.

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LAST MINUTE ITEMS

• Guy replaces pet names in local pet store with new hilarious labels.

• Classic cars next to their modern version.

• The E.T. sequel that fortunately never happened.

• Eat This Much automatically creates meal plans that meet your diet goals.

• An architect wants to build an underwater tennis court in Dubai.

• Mac users: get the fantastic Forecast Bar.

• Dad saves the day!

• Watch two crazy people fly jetpacks over Dubai.

• Captain American backpack.

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