Alex’s Antics

During the 1960s “Batman” TV series, Robin said 367 different things after the word “Holy!” in his catchphrase.  They include “Holy armadillo!” . . . “Holy hamburger!” . . . “Holy grammar!” . . . and “Holy unrefillable prescriptions!”

The International Space Station is the most expensive thing that’s ever been built.  The estimated cost is around $150 billion.

Because there’s a toy in every Happy Meal, McDonald’s is the world’s largest distributor of toys.  On a similar note, the largest producer of tires in the world is . . . Lego.

July 25th is the 206th day of the year. There are 159 days remaining until the end of the year

There are 22 days until Tell A Joke Day (Aug 16)

There are 5 months until Christmas

Today is Christmas In July, Culinarians Day, International Red Shoe Day, National Carousel Day, National Hot Fudge Sundae Day and National Wine and Cheese Day

Starbucks introduced a new drink yesterday called The Pina Colada Tea Infusion. It features Teavana black tea, pineapple fruit and coconut milk. The drink costs $3.25

DOGS go through a moody teenage phase just like we do, according to a new study.  And it hits when they’re approximately eight months old.

Microsoft just announced it’s killing off its Paint program after 32 years . . . and lots of nostalgic people on the Internet are devastated.

According to a cyber security firm, a casino just got hacked through their smart FISH TANK.  They didn’t reveal which casino, but they did say it was in North America. The smart fish tank was connected to the Internet to automatically regulate the temperature and feed the fish. But apparently, a group of hackers from Finland figured out that it wasn’t secured, so they hacked into it . . . and used the info they found to spot other vulnerable areas in the casino’s network that could get them REAL access. The security firm figured out what was going on before the hackers could get to that second step though . . . and cut them off with just their intimate knowledge of the fish tank.

 

 

Researchers at Harvard Business School just wrapped up a study of almost 4,500 people that found money can, in fact, buy you happiness.  And it can do it even if you aren’t rich. The study found that paying someone to do, quote, “unenjoyable daily tasks” to give you more free time will make you SIGNIFICANTLY more satisfied with your life. And it worked even when people spent pretty reasonable amounts on help, like less than $80 a month, to take care of things like cooking, shopping, and their chores.

Kato Kaelin tells ITV News that Hollywood producers have offered him a large sum of money to star in a new reality series with OJ Simpson once OJ gets released from jail.. The show would center around the two living together again. Kato has rejected the deal

Snopes.com, one of the internet’s first and most famous fact-checking websites, said Monday that a previous website hosting vendor continues to “hold the Snopes.com web site hostage,” and the site is in danger of shutting down if it doesn’t raise $500,000. Snopes has started a GoFundMe campaign.

A boat featured in the movie Dunkirk is for sale. The sailing barge Xylonite is really a four-bedroom floating home in London, which has just has been listed for sale for $550,000. Its original character has been fully preserved, which made it a perfect choice for the film. The barge is currently moored at a marina in London.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join NBC after he retires from racing. He is expected to cover NASCAR for the network in addition to the NFL and the Olympics.

The next James Bond movie will be released in November 2019.

A new survey by the National Charity Partnership reveals that 25% of pregnant women use the phrase ‘eating for two’ as justification to consume more junk food than normal.

Chris Harrison and Sage Steele are going to host the Miss America pageant on September 10th on ABC

 

Biggest DVD Releases This Week: Kong: Skull Island; The Boss Baby and Ghost In the Shell

Biggest iTunes Streaming Releaases This Week: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Snatched

The first commercial jingle was in a Wheaties radio ad in 1926.

The 1956 Summer Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia and Stockholm, Sweden.  Stockholm was chosen to hold equestrian events because horses couldn’t be brought into Australia under quarantine regulations.

Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller” was originally called “Starlight” and the hook went, “Give me some starlight!  Starlight sun.”

 

July 24th is the 205th day of the year. There are 160 days remaining until the end of the year

43 days until School Starts (in EC Tues Sept 5)

360 Days remaining until Country Jam 2018!

Today is Amelia Earhart Day, Cousins Day, National Drive-Thru Day, National Tell an Old Joke Day  and National Tequila Day

Starbucks cafes in Japan are selling Key Lime Frappuccinos.

The 15th annual Spam Jam took place over the weekend in Hawaii. Spam is known as Hawaiian steak because Hawaii residents consume more of the canned meat than people anywhere else on Earth. This year’s convention featured Spam Pizza, deep fried mac and cheese Spam bites, Spam fritters, Spam chocolate and Spam Sushi.

If you proudly drop your greasy pizza delivery box into the recycle bin after polishing off the leftovers, apparently you’re not helping Mother Earth. According to Philly.com, used pizza boxes can’t be recycled. Experts at Stanford University offer this explanation:“Pizza boxes are made from corrugated cardboard, however the cardboard becomes soiled with grease, cheese, and other foods once the pizza has been placed in the box. Once soiled, the paper cannot be recycled because the paper fibers will not be able to be separated from the oils during the pulping process. Food is a major source of contamination in the various paper categories.”

This really could be the dullest film ever made. Baa Baa Land is an epic eight-hour, slow-motion film about sheep. I repeat: it’s a film, with absolutely no dialogue, about sheep. Baa Baa Land features no actors, talking and doesn’t even have a plotline to keep audiences hooked.

Michael Phelps finally raced a great white shark last night, and it turned out to be a complete ripoff.  They didn’t put him in the water with a real shark.  He was swimming against a computer simulation.  But he still lost.  It was a 100-meter race, which was supposed to give Phelps more of a chance to win, because sharks can only swim at their top speed for short distances.  And Phelps was wearing a monofin to help him go faster.  He finished the race in 38.1 seconds, and the fake shark finished in 36.1.

A guy tried to rob a Starbucks in California with a knife last week . . . but another customer smashed him with a chair, wrestled him down, and stabbed him with his own knife.  He’s facing armed robbery charges.

According to a new study out of Stanford University, people who just THINK about exercise and consider themselves healthy live longer than people who think they’re out of shape.

Some Walmart employees are wearing yellow capes that feature the company’s logo. It’s part of Walmart’s new school year slogan: “Own the school year like a hero.”

More than 3.2 million Americans quit their jobs in May.  That’s the most people to quit in any month since early 2001.  And believe it or not . . . that’s fantastic news.  Maybe not for their blindsided bosses and coworkers, but, like, for society.

Because one of THE biggest indicators of a healthy and thriving job market is that people are willing to quit . . . since they’re optimistic about what they’ll find out there. And they probably should be, since the number of job openings right now is higher than it’s been in over a decade.

Ward Thomas is suing the California State Lottery Commission for $5 million. He and his son stopped at a Mobil gas station before he sent his son inside to buy scratch off lottery tickets. One of the scratch-off tickets was a winner and worth $5 million. Ward submitted his claim for the winning ticket and was told by the commission he was an official winner. The commission then denied Ward’s claim because his 16 year-old son purchased the winning ticket. The state of California requires lottery players to be 18 years of age or older

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez celebrated their birthdays in Miami on Saturday with a huge party. Friends, family and the couple downed a double birthday cake while Alex sang ”Sweet Caroline”.

John Heard, the actor who played Macaulay Culkin’s dad in Home Alone, died on Friday at the age of 72. His body was discovered by a hotel housekeeper in Santa Clara County, California.

Women honored Carrie Fisher at Comic-Con this past weekend by wearing white robes and hair buns.

A new survey by Public Policy Polling reveals that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg would tie Donald Trump if he ran for President in 2020. Both men received 40% of the vote in a recent poll.

John Cena tells US Weekly that he is nervous about becoming a father. “I can barely raise myself, so I just don’t know how good a dad I’ll be. I guess that’s my biggest fear.”

 

 

A guy tried to rob a Starbucks in California with a knife last week . . . but another customer smashed him with a chair, wrestled him down, and stabbed him with his own knife.  He’s facing armed robbery charges.

Cops in Florida busted a guy for getting naked outside a motel last Wednesday, but he had an explanation.  Quote, “I get naked when I get really happy or really sad.”

DUNKIRK LEADS GLOBAL BOX OFFICE WITH $105.9 MILLION DEBUT – Dunkirk soared to first place at the global box office, making $105.9 in its opening weekend.

Bill Lear, the guy who invented Lear Jets, also invented the eight-track tape player.  But more importantly, one of his daughters was named Shanda.  Shanda Lear.

Pink Floyd’s album “The Dark Side of the Moon” was on the Billboard top 200 album charts for a record 930 weeks . . . but only spent ONE week at number one, in 1973. (That’s closing in on 18 years)

A can of Coke is 90% water . . . a can of Diet Coke is 99% water.

July 21st is the 202nd day of the year. There are 163 days remaining until the end of the year

There are 104 days until National Eating Healthy Day (Nov 2)

There are 75 days until National Kale Day (Oct 4)

Today is National Junk Food Day, Invite an Alien to Live with You Day & Take a Monkey to Lunch Day

Birkenstock is selling a new pair of Arizona sandals for $799. They released a statement saying; “The Birkenstock classic Arizona model has been recreated in the finest imbued and oiled natural leather in navy blue for this designer collection. The sterling silver buckles; which originate from the metalwork studio of jewelry designer Patrik Muff; are the highlight of the luxury sandals.”

Here are a few tips on how to stay cool in the summer when you don’t have air conditioning:  Unplug your electronics when you’re not using them . . . freeze your sheets and pillowcases, which should keep you cool long enough to fall asleep . . . and use the grill in place of the oven to cook food.

There’s a company in Grand Prairie, Texas called Bestherbs Coffee, and one of their brands is “Kopi Jantan Traditional Natural Herbs Coffee.”  The name isn’t great.  But apparently the ingredients were. Because the FDA just made them recall it after they found it contained the, quote, “active ingredient in Viagra.” I mean, I need coffee to get me up in the morning, but that’s the only time I need it to get me up.  Ahem.  You’re welcome. Anyway, they had to recall the coffee because that ingredient can be dangerous for people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease.

Here are the sweatiest cities in the country, based on things like the average temperature and the percentage of homes without central air:  New York . . . D.C. . . . Chicago . . . Miami . . . and Boston.

Pocket-sized flamethrowers are being marketed to women in China as an “anti-pervert weapon”. The handheld devices, which are capable of hurling a stream of fire about two feet long, sell for up to $40. The mini flamethrowers have sparked controversy in China. One newspaper wrote: “Of course perverts are scary, but what’s even more scary are these anti-pervert devices.”

If you need a pick-me-up in, find the Facebook page where UPS drivers can share photos of the adorable dogs they meet while doing their route. The page, called “UPS DOGS,” features photos of the friendly pooches and drivers.

Sarah Jessica Parker will launch another shoe collection in October on Amazon Fashion. She will be selling pumps, heels and boots.

Best Herbs Coffee LLC has voluntarily recalled their New of Kopi Jantan Traditional Natural Herbs Coffee because it contains a Viagra-like ingredient. The FDA says mixing the coffee and nitrates could be dangerous for some consumers.

Jason Bateman says the new Arrested Development will tackle Donald Trump.“Writers have been in a cave for the last two or three months crafting these episodes, and they’re going to lean into a lot of that [Trump] stuff for sure. They can’t wait.”

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his wife Tasha are the proud parents of a new baby boy. Their son was born last month. They kept the birth of secret.

A bag containing traces of moon dust sold yesterday for $1.8 million. Astronaut Neil Armstrong used the bag during a 1969 mission to the moon

A third attempt to please fans of Beyonce with a wax-built effigy of the singer has the Beyhive convinced that certain figures are best left untouched. An image purportedly displaying the latest likeness of Beyonce hit the internet early Wednesday and was quickly torn apart by social media for looking absolutely nothing like her…. One Twitter user said, “[I have a] theory. Beyonce wax figure makers have actually never seen Beyonce.”

New Movies Opening Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (Rated PG-13) … Starring: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna , Ethan Hawke … Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are 28th century special operatives, who head to the city of Alpha to keep peace and battle a menace

Dunkirk (Rated PG-13) … STARRING: Harry Styles, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy … in 1940, regular civilian boaters and fishermen rescue 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers from a beach invasion by Germany.

Girls Trip (Rated R) … STARRING: Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Larenz Tate …. four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival. They brawl dance and drink during their time there.

Elephants grow six different sets of teeth in their lives.  Once the sixth ones fall out, they die of starvation.

Diet Pepsi isn’t vegan . . . but Pepsi won’t say what animal ingredient it uses that keeps it from being vegan because that’s, quote, “commercially sensitive information.”

Hurricanes with female names kill about TWICE as many people as hurricanes with male names.  And it may be because we’re all SEXIST . . . as in, we don’t take female hurricanes as seriously, and don’t take the right precautions.

July 20th is the 201st day of the year. There are 164 days remaining until the end of the year

There are 43 days until Labor Day Weekend

There are 71 days until the average first frost (in EC Sept 29)

Today is Get to Know Your Customer Day, International Chess Day, Nap Day, National Fortune Cookie Day and National Lollipop Day

Tabasco is debuting a new product called Scorpion Sauce. It is 20 times hotter than their regular Tabasco. They’re selling it for a limited time online, but the first batch is already sold out.

For the past few years, Lay’s has been running their “Do Us a Flavor” contest, where anyone can submit an idea for a new flavor of potato chips . . . no matter HOW strange it is . . . and then they actually make a few of them. hey just announced the three finalists for this year, which you’ll actually be able to buy in stores . . . and, honestly, they’re all pretty tame.  Especially compared to the past years, which had flavors like cappuccino, gyros, and gravy.

This year’s finalists are . . .

1. Everything Bagel.
2. Fried Green Tomatoes.
3. Crispy Taco.

All three of them will be in stores at the end of the month.  People can vote on which ones are the best, and the person who submitted the winner will get a $1 million grand prize. The winners in the past have included things like Cheesy Garlic Bread . . . Wasabi Ginger . . . and Southern Biscuits and Gravy.

A new study found that we’re all hopelessly addicted to Facebook for one reason above anything else:  It lets us silently JUDGE our friends.  And we love doing that so much that we can’t look away.

According to a new study, we waste 98 minutes a day at work on our phones and doing personal stuff.  Which is more than one full workday a week.

New York City subway riders have been serenading Ryan Seacrest in hopes they will receive an invite to audition for American Idol.

Amazon has launched a new shopping social network called Spark. It resembles Instagram and allows online shoppers to scroll through a feed before clicking on a product image and purchasing it.

Season 8 of The Walking Dead will premiere on October 22nd.

The Chicago Sun-Times claims Rosie O’Donnell is feuding with Donald Trump supporters. She’s promoting an online game that lets players lead Trump off a cliff.

New BMWs will feature Skype on their dashboard screens

OJ Simpson’s former house guest Kato Kaelin is starring in new ads for guesthouserent.com

John McCain has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He is reviewing his treatment options.

Crystal Pepsi is going to be sold again for a limited time beginning on August 14th. Bottles will retail for $1.79

Forest Whitaker is joining the cast of Fox’s ”Empire”. He will play a music icon named Uncle Eddie, who gave Lucious his first radio airplay

The great thing about having no friends is the money you save in a year. 19% of us say we’ll spend $500 or more on gifts for their friends throughout the year.

A third attempt to please fans of Beyonce with a wax-built effigy of the singer has the Beyhive convinced that certain figures are best left untouched. An image purportedly displaying the latest likeness of Beyonce hit the internet early Wednesday and was quickly torn apart by social media for looking absolutely nothing like her…. One Twitter user said, “[I have a] theory. Beyonce wax figure makers have actually never seen Beyonce.”

New Movies Opening Tonight

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (Rated PG-13) … Starring: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna , Ethan Hawke … Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are 28th century special operatives, who head to the city of Alpha to keep peace and battle a menace

Dunkirk (Rated PG-13) … STARRING: Harry Styles, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy … in 1940, regular civilian boaters and fishermen rescue 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers from a beach invasion by Germany.

Girls Trip (Rated R) … STARRING: Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Larenz Tate …. four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival. They brawl dance and drink during their time there.

Nebraska is the only “triple landlocked” state . . . which means it doesn’t touch an ocean, the states bordering it don’t touch an ocean, and the states bordering THEM don’t touch an ocean.

More than 30 million people in China live in CAVES.

Until the mid 1970s, at least 90% of NHL players were Canadian.  Now it’s down to 46%.

July 19th is the 200th day of the year. There are 165 days remaining until the end of the year

There are 128 days until Black Friday

There are 53 days until Green Sunday (Packers first regular season game Sept 10)

Today is Flight Attendant Safety Professionals’ Day, National Daiquiri Day, National Hot Dog Day, National Raspberry Cake Day, New Friends Day, Stick Out Your Tongue Day and Take Your Poet to Work Day

The National Baby Food Festival begins in Fremont, Michigan — the hometown of Gerber Products. Adults face off in the baby-food-eating contest and tots crawl in races.

Morganstern’s Ice Cream of New York City created a hot dog-flavored ice cream. The ice cream is shaped like a hot dog and served on a freshly baked bun. It is topped with cabbage slaw, raspberry ketchup and Dijon honey mustard. Morganstern’s is selling their hot dog ice cream for $7.50. The hot dog has a sweet, salty and smoked flavor to it

Flight attendants wish passengers wouldn’t order Diet Coke on flights because it takes longer to pour the drink than other cocktails. The cabin’s lower air pressure makes the drink fizzier than other sodas.

One flight attendant, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells the paper; ”Soft drinks foam up a lot more when poured out of a can, and the worst culprit for this is Diet Coke — I literally have to sit and wait for the bubbles to fall before I can continue pouring. If all 3 passengers ask for Diet Coke I’ll often get them started, take another three drink orders, serve those, and then finish the Diet Cokes.”

 

 

If you need a pick-me-up in, find the Facebook page where UPS drivers can share photos of the adorable dogs they meet while doing their route. The page, called “UPS DOGS,” features photos of the friendly pooches and drivers.

Annie Potts has been cast in a pivotal role in the upcoming The Big Bang Theory spinoff Young Sheldon from CBS. Potts will play Meemaw, Sheldon’s grandmother who is frequently referenced as someone that Sheldon adores. She actually appeared on The Big Bang Theory in season 9. She’s described as “a woman who is very supportive of her grandson and his unique gifts.”