New Trend: Christmas List PowerPoint Presentations
Kids can be sneaky and manipulative sometimes. Need proof?
Christmas list POWERPOINT presentations are a thing now. And some of the ones we’ve seen online are pretty sleek.
The idea is to present a list to your parents in the most organized way possible, and you’ll up your chances of getting more stuff. You also want to make the buying process easy by including links to everything.
It’s not a brand-new idea. A kid’s PowerPoint wish list went viral last year too. But it’s gaining steam, because more people have smart TVs that pair with phones and computers. So kids can easily cast onto a big-screen now.
Some woman posted a six-minute video of her daughter Kayla’s presentation the other day. She ended up asking for $2,500 worth of stuff. (!!!) (Here’s a screenshot.)
Another strategy behind it is your parents will be impressed and proud of you . . . especially if they DON’T know how to do a PowerPoint. So they’ll reward you with more gifts.
(NY Post)
The Most Popular Baby Names of 2023 . . . Did “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” Make the Cut for Nicknames?
Some people like to give their babies names that are popular, others pick ones that are more unique, like “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer.” (???)
BabyCenter.com has released its annual report on the top baby names of the year, and here are FIVE interesting takeaways:
1. The most popular name for girls is, still, Olivia. It was also #1 in 2022 and 2021, and has been in the Top 10 for 20 years.
Emma is #2 this year, and the rest of the Top 10 is: Amelia . . . Sophia . . . Charlotte . . . Ava . . . Isabella . . . Mia . . . Luna . . . and Evelyn.
2. The most popular name for boys is: Noah. That ends a four-year streak of Liam being #1. Noah didn’t come out of nowhere, it’s been in the Top Five for a decade. And Liam just dropped one notch to #2.
Oliver is #3 this year, and the rest of the Top 10 is: Elijah . . . Mateo . . . Lucas . . . Levi . . . Leo . . . Ezra . . . and Luca.
3. There’s a trend of names getting SHORTER, including nicknames. For example, Ellie has overtaken Elizabeth and Eleanor . . . Josie is preferred over Josephine . . . and Theo and Leo are more common than the longer versions Theodore and Leonardo.
4. “Barbie” beat “Oppenheimer” in the box office AND in baby names . . . but both aren’t popular. If you count Barbie’s full name, Barbara is up 994%, but that’s still just at #1,336. Ken is down 846 spots, #2,612.
As for Oppenheimer, if you count “Robert,” that name is down 29 spots, to #178, and Katherine (Oppenheimer) is down 18 spots, to #471.
5. The trend of boys names ending in “en” seems to be fading. That’s names like Jayden, Raiden, and Kayden. Those names are all trending down, but are still in the Top 500.
But names ending in “ya” are rising for girls . . . ones like Siya, Haya, Inaya, Aadhya, and Ariyah. All those names are in the Top 500, and trending up.
(You can find the Top 100 names for both boys and girls, here.)
(And you can find the “baby name trends” of 2023, here.)
A guy who was supposedly a former friend and employee on the set, claims to have seen Will Smith having sex with an actor named Duane Martin in a dressing room on the set of “The Fresh Prince” back in the day. Will’s rep denies it, and he and Jada are considering legal action. According to the rumors, Will was on the RECEIVING end, if you will. The source said, “There was a couch and Will was bent over the couch and Duane was standing up killing him, murdering him. It was murder in there.” Will’s rep has already denied it, saying, quote, “This story is completely fabricated and the claim is unequivocally false.” https://www.tmz.com/2023/11/14/will-smith-duane-martin-sex-relationship-denies-allegation-false/
Kevin Hart will receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor next March. He says, quote, “I’ve been doing comedy since the inception of this award 25 years ago. To be honored in this commemorative year feels surreal.” https://people.com/kevin-hart-to-receive-mark-twain-prize-for-american-humor-2024-kennedy-center-8402300
Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscars for the fourth time. The 96th Oscars will air live on ABC, Sunday, March 10, 2024, from the Dolby Theatre. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oscars-jimmy-kimmel-back-2024-host-1235648177/
A Taylor Swift cruise sets sail next October. The official website says, quote, “Join us as we celebrate all things Taylor, make new friends, dress up in our favorite eras, trade friendship bracelets, and enjoy everything this amazing ship has to offer!” https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/a-taylor-swift-themed-cruise-will-set-sail-in-2024/
Pluto TV now has a Car Chase channel where you can, quote, “watch adrenaline-fueled car chases and high-speed drama 24/7, including live coverage of real-time chases.” https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/65244c403fd33c0008ffff31
Sammy Hagar was on Stern and said anyone who wants to join him next summer on his Best of All Worlds Van Halen tribute tour is welcome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhBxq1ss6ho
An early member of Linkin Park has sued them over royalties he believes the band owes him for his contributions. Bassist Kyle Christner played on their first EP, released in 1999, which shares the title Hybrid Theory with their debut album, released the next year. The thing is, he was initially under the impression that his bass parts had been re-recorded, but now believes that wasn’t the case. https://blabbermouth.net/news/linkin-park-sued-by-former-bassist-over-1999-recordings
AND FINALLY!
“Entertainment Weekly” put together a list of the best Christmas movies for kids.
- “The Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992)
- “Elf” (2003)
- “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1964)
- “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)
- “The Santa Clause” (1994)
- “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966)
- “A Christmas Story” (1983)
- “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965)
- “The Christmas Chronicles” (2018)
- “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” (2020)
- “Home Alone” (1990)
- “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas” (1977)
- “The Year Without a Santa Claus” (1974)
- “Klaus” (2019)
- “The Polar Express” (2004)
- “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947)
- “Prep and Landing” (2009)
- “Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas” (2021)
- “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)
- “Frosty the Snowman” (1969)
Carli Banks
Today’s birthday girl has been in 281 fine films, including:
– 3. 2. 1. Let’s Tickle
– Blondes in Black Leather
– Bound and Gagged Captives of Chloro
– Feeling Lez
– Foot Lickin’ Fun
– Hot Rod for Sinners
– Knocked Out Beauties 15
– Naked College Slumber Party
– Noisy Naked Tickle Fights
– Struggling Suits
– and who can forget her role in 2007’s Wrapped-Up for the Holidays
Carli Banks is 38 years old.
Texas A&M fired its head football coach, Jimbo Fisher, on Sunday. The dismissal will cost the university plenty. Fisher’s reported contract buyout is $77 million, the largest in college football history. In 2020, Fisher signed a guaranteed $94 million contract that ran through 2031. Texas A&M’s record is 6-4 this season. For a university expected to compete for conference and national titles, the program has underachieved for the last three seasons.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of the 2023 season after he suffered a broken bone in his throwing shoulder Sunday during the team’s win over the Baltimore Ravens, the team said Wednesday.
The team said Watson also suffered a high-ankle sprain, and both injuries occurred in the first half. Browns lose Deshaun Watson for rest of 2023 season with serious shoulder injury | Fox News
The NBA is suspending Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green five games without pay for “escalating an on-court altercation and forcibly grabbing Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert around the neck in an unsportsmanlike and dangerous manner.”
The league announced the penalty Wednesday in a statement from executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars. The statement cited Green’s “history of unsportsmanlike acts” in assessing the penalty.
The NBA is also fining Gobert, Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels $25,000 each for their roles in Tuesday’s melee between the Warriors and Timberwolves. NBA suspends Draymond Green 5 games for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold (yahoo.com)