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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Jun 20, 2013
June 20, 2013
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Fast Food:
Belgian fast food chain Quick is at it again.
After serving DARTH VADER burgers with black buns to promote the last Star Wars release, Quick decided to make a burger for fans of The Simpsons. So, they just introduced a Homer-themed menu. The most popular item is a donut cheeseburger. The Donut Burger has a donut-shaped bun with a beef patty, mild mustard sauce, lettuce, and cheese. Also on the menu are Mini Cheesy Donuts filled with processed cheese.
Quick's Simpsons promotion debuts in Europe on June 25. (Still)Fashion:
JENNIFER LOPEZ says she does not dress too sexy... her curvy body just makes it seem like she does. In an interview with the Telegraph, J-Lo said "I don't think I'm any racier than any other female pop artist... I'll wear a sexy outfit, but I think it's more because my body shape's a little different to other body shapes, so that's not very fair. She was addressing criticism that the leather thong body suit she wore for a live performance on "Britain's Got Talent" was too over-the-top.
NY Magazine makes an interesting point: "Having a more bodacious figure means that showing skin has more impact. And we've gotten so accustomed to seeing extremely thin celebrities on-camera that when we see one with legitimate curves... it's almost shocking. A thong on J.Lo looks radically different than one on RIHANNA or MADONNA... it is unfair to say that Lopez is a racier dresser than other pop stars, because she's not — she's simply got more to show."
Phone starter: What qualifies as dressing "too sexy" for you? Is that standard different to you if the woman is thinner or curvier? (Bartha)Grace notes:
Country music legend SLIM WHITMAN has passed away. He died of heart failure yesterday at a Florida hospital. Slim was 90 years old. His goofy falsetto, jet black mustache and sideburns kinda turned ol' Slim into a big joke, but he was a serious singer/songwriter who recorded more than 65 albums and sold millions of records. But, it was a two-LP set that was sold on late night TV that really made Slim an international star. "All My Best" sold four-million copies. He was born Otis Dewey Whitman, Jr., but when RCA Records signed him in 1949, they changed his name to Slim. A young ELVIS PRESLEY opened for Slim many times before Elvis became the King of Rock 'n' Roll, and THE BEATLES were big fans. One of Slim's biggest hits, "Indian Love Call," was the weapon that blew up the heads of the Martians in the 1996 movie, "Mars Attacks!" (Marino)
Good timing award:
Incredible story about baseball manager JOE TORRE's 44-year-old daughter, CHRISTINA. She caught a baby as it fell from a second story fire escape.
She was biking through Brooklyn yesterday morning when she happened to see a boy dangling from an apartment building fire escape. He fell to a store awning below. Then suddenly, as she was calling 911, he just dropped ... right into Torres' arms.
Except for a few cuts to his face, the boy was in stable condition when taken to the hospital.
But how'd the baby get out on the fire escape? Police believe he slipped out by a window air conditioning unit. A piece of cardboard had been used to secure it, and it's thought the boy pushed through that. Where his parents were when this all happened isn't clear, but they were handcuffed at the scene and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and neglect. The boy and his three siblings, ages two, three and five, were all reportedly taken into custody by the City's Administration for Children's Services. (Maiman)Animal Stories:
Why anyone would want to own a creature as creepy looking as the Naked mole-rat as a pet is baffling. Why scientists want to study them is easy: they might be able to cure cancer.
New studies from New York's University of Rochester, show that skin cells of naked mole-rats are high in a sugary substance that's heavily involved in tissue repair. Similar versions of the substance are already licensed to relieve pain in arthritis or used to treat wrinkles. When the substance was removed from naked mole-rat cells, the rodents became susceptible to cancer, thus researchers believe it plays a part in making the mole-rats cancer proof.
OLIVER CHILDS of Cancer Research UK says, "They're not going to win any beauty contests, but these curious creatures have long interested scientists because of their exceptionally lengthy life spans and resistance to cancer." (AB) -
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