A Flight Attendant Says the Middle Seat “Does” Get Both Armrests – LINK
Influencer inflames Hawaiians with ‘pathetic’ behavior at erupting volcano – LINK
Is This Toilet Flush Gender Reveal the Worst Ever? – LINK
One Corrupted File Caused the FAA to Ground All Flights for the First Time Since 9/11 – LINK
Winning $1M Powerball ticket sold in St. Louis County – LINK
Coventry Cat Cutter keeps shaving perfect squares onto people’s pets – LINK
Pepsi is Ditching Sierra Mist and Replacing It with . . . “Starry” – LINK
Here’s why we are seeing a nationwide egg shortage – LINK
I’m a wear wolf! Japanese man spends £18,000 on ‘ultra-realistic’ animal costume to fulfil his dream of living like a wild predator – LINK
Guitar god Jeff Beck died Tuesday after contracting bacterial meningitis. He was 78. Beck is a two-time member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with the Yardbirds, then solo. He won seven Grammys. Here is a montage, beginning with the Yardbirds, then solo with Rod Stewart, again with Rod in 1985, and the beautiful “Cause We Ended as Lovers”, written for Jeff by Stevie Wonder. Of Note: Stevie wrote the song “Cause We Ended as Lovers” as an apology and gift to Jeff for releasing “Superstition” before Jeff did. They had collaborated on Stevie’s version. Guitar god Jeff Beck died Tuesday after contracting bacterial meningitis. He was 78 years old. Beck’s career really took off when he succeeded Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds in 1965. During his career, they released the hits “Heart Full of Soul”, “I’m a Man”, “Shapes of Things”, and “Over Under Sideways Down”. After leaving the band in ’66, he formed The Jeff Beck Group, which initially included Rod Stewart on vocals and Ronnie Wood on bass. Last year he released an album with Johnny Depp called “18”, and played on two songs on Ozzy Osbourne’s latest album, “Patient Number 9”. (Depp reportedly visited Beck’s bedside.) (Consequence) (Check out tributes to Jeff from Ron Wood, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Gene Simmons, Ozzy, Jimmy Page, and . . . MORGAIN FAIRCHILD??? . . . here and here.)
Remember Riverdance superstar Michael Flatley? He wasn’t just a dancer. For a while there, he was LORD of the Dance. Well, unfortunately, he’s battling what he calls an “aggressive form of cancer.” In an Instagram post, his team said, quote, “He has undergone surgery and is in the care of an excellent team of doctors. No further comments will be made at this time. We ask only for your prayers and well wishes. Flatley was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma back in 2003, when a viewer spotted it during an MTV appearance . . . but it was successfully treated. Flatley is 64 years old. (Yahoo!)
Nick Cannon has enough kids . . . he won’t miss just two of them, right? Mariah Carey is reportedly seeking primary custody of their twins, Moroccan and Monroe. They’re 11 years old. A source says, quote, “She wants to put him on notice that he can’t just flit in and out of their lives while he attends to his other children. And she wants legal standing as the twins’ primary caregiver.” The kids are already with Mariah most of the time, so not a lot would change, other than the legal status. (Yahoo!)
Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael had some good material. But one particular joke landed with a THUD. There was a very awkward silence when he said, quote, “So, we are here, live, from the hotel that killed Whitney Houston, the Beverly Hilton.” Not surprisingly, Whitney’s loved ones didn’t appreciate it. Her sister-in-law Pat Houston, who’s also the executor of her estate, said, quote, “The Whitney Houston Estate is disappointed in the joke, and felt it was in poor taste.” (That wasn’t Jerrod’s only clunker. He also got a very muted reaction to a joke about Tom Cruise and Scientology.) (TMZ)
50 Cent has APOLOGIZED to Megan Thee Stallion, for not believing her claim that Tory Lanez shot her, and making fun of her on social media. In a radio interview, 50 said he didn’t believe her because, during an interview with Gayle King, she said she never had a sexual relationship with Tory. Since she lied about that, he figured she was lying about everything else. Now that we KNOW Tory shot her . . . and has been convicted . . . 50 is manning up. He said, quote, “I’m gonna apologize to Megan Thee Stallion.” (Rolling Stone)
Mindy Kaling’s animated “Velma” series landed on HBO Max today. If you saw the trailer that released yesterday, you probably noticed an important “Scooby-Doo!” character missing . . . SCOOBY DOO. Well, for starters, it’s an origin story about Velma and the events that led to her assembling Fred, Daphne, and Norville (Shaggy). Back at New York Comic Con in October, the showrunner said they wanted to separate it from the children’s show, since this one will have mature elements. But the main reason is Warner Brothers Animation didn’t give them permission to use Scooby. The first two episodes premiered today. New episodes will come out on Thursdays until the finale on February 9th. (EW) (Watch the trailer here.)
The Chainsmokers said in the early days of their career, they had a few threesomes with fans. On the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, member Alex Pall said, quote, “I think we were like, ‘What the [eff] just happened?’ Because they were never planned. It’s been a long time . . . “And it was also the days when we used to have to share hotel rooms. In Europe they have the two beds, they don’t even split them apart, so it’s almost by force that we were forced into these scenarios.” (You can listen to the podcast on Spotify. Go to 55:30 for their threesome comments.) (Billboard)
Rachael Ray’s eponymous daytime talk show may be on the chopping block after 17 seasons, according to TV insiders.“Her show is ending. This will be the last season,” one industry source speculated.Another TV source told us they wouldn’t be surprised if the show went away because, “it hasn’t been doing well for a while. It’s easy to forget that it’s even on.”Ray’s show kicked off this year with the host making chicken with champagne and garlic with guest chef Emeril Lagasse — and dishing on topics like “new bras for the new year.” On Friday, she’ll have “M3GAN” star Allison Williams on as a guest. But insiders at the show scoffed at the industry buzz the show is getting the axe, telling Page Six, “This talk comes up every year because the show is renewed yearly. In fact, they’re out there renewing the show right now. There’s never a decision until later in the spring,” one said. So we’ll see. I know you’re watching this closely now Rizz. https://pagesix.com/2023/01/11/rachael-rays-talkshow-may-be-coming-to-an-end/
A lawsuit has been filed in Chicago federal court against “a number of online sellers for allegedly violating [Harry Styles’] intellectual property rights by selling counterfeit merchandise to unsuspecting Harry fans,” specifically citing that “the counterfeiters are mostly located in China, or in ‘other foreign jurisdictions with lax trademark enforcement system.’” The key context from Billboard‘s report: “Arguing that the counterfeiters use misleading tactics to make it ‘difficult for consumers to distinguish such stores from an authorized retailer,’ attorneys for Styles want a judge to issue a sweeping court order that would, among other things, force big web platforms like Amazon and Etsy (who are not named as defendants) to immediately shut down the listings.” We’ll see where that goes. Speaking of Harry Styles… He was the runner up last year for total album sales. 2nd place selling 1.06 million. 1st place had almost 3 times as much.. Taylor Swift sold 2.9 million albums last year . . . almost three times as many as the runner-up Harry Styles.
Frankie Muniz is going from “Malcolm in the Middle” to the middle of a racing pack … revealing Wednesday he’s set to drive full time in the NASCAR-owned ARCA Series this season!!! The actor-turned-driver will be behind the wheel for Rette Jones Racing’s #30 Ford Mustang … starting next month, when the series hits Daytona International Speedway. Muniz said this week he’s pumped for the career change, revealing it’s been a lifelong goal of his to eventually trade paint on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit. Muniz has been a lifelong fan of professional driving … and has even posted pics and vids of him behind the wheel several times throughout the past few years. Ford Performance Motorsports official Mark Rushbrook called Muniz “a skilled and enthusiastic racer” … while Rette Jones Racing co-owner Terry Jones said he’s thrilled to see Agent Cody Banks commanding one of his rides this year. Muniz’s first race is expected to go down on Feb. 18
Twisted Sister called it a career as a touring band in 2016, but the group’s members will strap on the instruments one more time later this month when they are inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame. Steve Vai and Mike Portnoy will be on hand to induct Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, Mark Mendoza and late drummer A.J. Pero during the ceremony.
Read More: Twisted Sister Announce One-Off 2023 Reunion Show (LINK)
BuzzFeed recently asked their readers if there’s a well-liked celebrity that they personally can’t stand. Here are some of the responses:
- Chris Pratt: “Once he got into the action star roles, something was missing. It seems like he’s got a huge ego.”
- Reese Witherspoon: “I don’t know why exactly, but I just get these vibes from her that tell me she’s probably not a very nice person. Something about her just doesn’t sit right with me.”
- Liam Hemsworth: “I’d hate to be stuck in a car with him for a long trip.”
- Mindy Kaling: “Every character she plays/writes seems to be an insufferable person.”
- Neil Patrick Harris: “[He] strikes me as pretty holier-than-thou . . . I just get icky vibes from him.”
- Miles Teller: “He got into that fight in Hawaii, refused to get the COVID vaccine, and then, surprise, got COVID and shut down the set of a movie because of it. Also, the mustache doesn’t help either. He gives off frat bro vibes.”
- Chris Evans: “I think he has an amazing PR team working on his behalf.”
- Ryan Reynolds: “There’s just something about him that feels disingenuous.”
- Oprah: “Completely fake and out-of-touch.”
- Drake: “His lyrics sound like the kind of stuff I wrote in my diary in fifth grade, and it’s so full of red flags. He comes across as a whiny, crybaby man-child, yet everyone still goes WILD for his music. It’s baffling to me.” (You can see more at BuzzFeed.com.)