What’s Happening – Via JJ Duling
Rocker Bon Jovi has sold his West Village home in New York City for $22 million, to former Disney Chairman Michael Ovitz. The spacious 3,951-square-foot home comes with its own elevator landing, a chef’s kitchen and a master bedroom with floor to ceiling windows.. Bon Jovi bought the 14th-floor unit for $18.94 million in 2017. (NY Post)
The Baz Luhrmann Elvis biopic opened above expectations over the weekend, luring large number of older moviegoers. About 60% of the “Elvis” audience was over age 35, a group that has been careful about returning to theaters post pandemic. “Top Gun: Maverick,” came in at number two, topping a billion dollars in overall ticket sales in its fifth week of release. Rounding out the top 5, last weeks number 1, Jurassic World Domination, the debut of Universal’s horror pic, The Black Phone at #4 and Disney’s Lightyear at #5. (Box Office Mojo)
According to family members, Alan Parsons emergency spinal surgery on June 24th was a complete success and the legendary performer and producer will be back on the road this fall with his band, The Alan Parsons Live Project. The 73-year-old Parsons has enjoyed a five decade career, fusing progressive, symphonic, and classic rock elements together into a canon of best selling LPs and CDs. (Ultimate Classic Rock)
NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood has an unusual plan for the July 3 game between Kansas City and the Tigers at Comerica. The Peacock network will not have booth announcers. Instead reporters will take fans around the ballpark and view the game from different vantage points. Both teams are under .500 for the season and the network is likely hoping the novelty of the telecast will draw viewers. (DetNews)
Flight delays and cancellations are becoming ubiquitous. And The Wall Street Journal reports some business travelers are choosing to drive instead of fly. Our desire for face-to-face connections is strong after two-plus years of Zoom relationships. Zoom fatigue is definitely a thing. After my California trip last week, I’m eager for more IRL interactions. (WSJ)
An FCC commissioner has echoed other voices in charging that TikTok is spying on you. Brendan Carr is the latest voice calling on Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, citing national security concerns. “At its core, TikTok functions as a sophisticated surveillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of personal and sensitive data,” Carr said in the letter, which he shared in his Twitter post. Carr cited a Buzzfeed News report earlier this month that China-based employees of TikTok’s parent ByteDance have repeatedly accessed data about U.S. TikTok users.
The U.S.’s small business owners are a confident bunch, with two-thirds expecting revenue to go up over the next year despite rising worries about inflation. Axios Markets co author Emily Peck writes that that 43% intend on hiring more staff—up significantly compared to the same period last year. (Axios)
A 48-year old Illinois truck driver was stunned to realize he had won a cool million playing the Michigan Lottery’s Mystery Multiplier instant game. “I didn’t believe it was real until I called the Lottery office to confirm my prize.” the man, who asked to remain anonymous, told MLive. He collected the $633,000 flat amount rather than the 1 million dollar annuity. (MLive)
Pickleball is “in a pickle in Falmoth, Mass. Residents have sued the city over pickleball. It’ seems the popular sport that’s a cross between badminton and ping pong is a little too noisy for the neighbors. They want the city to limit the hours of play to cut down on the noise. 4.8 million people play the game, invented by a bored Congressmen and his businessman partner in Bainbridge Island, Washington in the summer of 1965. (WSJ)
27 year Burger King Employee Kevin Ford is $133,000 richer, after a video of what viewers called a depressing service award went viral. The single dad who never missed a shift found himself at the center of his daughter’s go-fund-me project. The Web had it their way and over 4,000 people contributed cash to recognize Kevin’s dedication. (MSN)
Want to live longer? Strike a flamingo pose! A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found people between ages 51 and 75 who could balance on one leg with their heads up and arms at sides for 10 seconds, 84% more likely outlive the one-in-four who failed the test. (Axios)
A WWII Ship Found Off Philippines Coast Is the Deepest Wreck Ever Discovered. The USS Samuel B. Roberts, also known as the Sammy B, was located off the coast of the Philippines, 22,600 feet — or 4 miles — down by explorer Victor Vescovo. Here’s video.
Keener Number Ones
(1964) Rag Doll, Four Seasons
(1965) Satisfaction, Rolling Stones
(1966) Wild Thing, Troggs
(1967) Blue’s Theme, Arrows
(1968) Journey to the Center of the Mind, Amboy Dukes
(1969) Spinning Wheel, Blood Sweat & Tears
(1970) Ball of Confusion, Temptations
(1971) Watcha See Is Watcha Get, Dramatics
Keener Birthdays:
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1910-1944))
Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975)
Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon/Buddy Holly Story) is 78
Comedian Richard Lewis is 75
Fred Grandy (The Love Boat) is 74
Sharon Lawrence (Fired Up, NYPD Blue) is 61
Colin Jost (Saturday Night Live) is 40
