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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Jun 13, 2014
June 13, 2014
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This is the only Friday the 13th of this year.
Fear of 13 is triskaidekaphobia, but fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as frigga-triskaidekaphobia. Others might call the fear stupid.Fun Facts about Friday-the-13th:
--Thirteen has always had a tainted history, but some believe Friday the 13th was spun from the Christian story about the last supper attended by 13 people: Christ and his 12 disciples. He was crucified the next day, a Friday --or so the story goes.
--Many hotels and office buildings have no 13th floor and many hospitals have no room 13. And next time you're at the airport, see if you can find Gate 13. Not often.
--Some famous leaders who were triskaidekaphobic include NAPOLEON, HERBERT HOOVER and FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT. FDR refused to travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal.Father's Day, the second class holiday:
Since its founding, Father's Day has always been the beta holiday, the analogue to Mother's Day, never celebrated with as much hoopla or dollars.
Both holidays were created right around 1910 but Mother's Day became a nationally recognized holiday in 1914, while Father's Day wasn't formally recognized until the Nixon administration. By then, Mother's Day had long been turned into an exercise in commercialized exploitation.
They say Father's Day spending is catching up to Mother's Day but still has a long way to go. The National Retail Federation projects that the average person will shell out $119.84 on dad's gifts this year, up from $117.14 last year.
How much did we typically spend on mom last month? $168.94, up 11 percent from last year's $152.52.
"I love you, dad, but I love mom about $30 bucks more."Fashion Emergency:
Jimmy Choo shoes are downsizing their sky-high stilettos. The famous luxury shoewear brand has launched a nationwide makeover that looks downright sensible. Racked.com says Jimmy Choo's new low-rise concept has already taken hold at its Rodeo Drive store and will eventually affect all stores. The company's creative director told the Detroit Free Press that Jimmy Choo is "moving away from the stiletto and into brogues, combat boots and skater shoes." They're calling the collection Choo.08. A basic flat will cost $595 dollars. The luxury company is also joining Christian Louboutin and Ferragamo by offering customizable shoes. The made-to-order program begins at $750, and offers up various silhouettes, fabrications, colors and heel heights. (Bartha)
Reality Round-Up:
The sixth season premiere of "Duck Dynasty," which featured a guest appearance by LA Gov BOBBY JINDAL, turned out to be cable's number one show on the night, but according to Nielsen, the show's ratings have continued to erode. The show posted its lowest numbers since the fall of 2012, with only 4.6 million viewers.
That's off 45 percent from the fifth-season opener this past January.
Nobody's talking about the possibility that the show's numbers have gone down because of PHIL ROBERTSON's derogatory comments about gays last winter.
Daily Variety says it also should be noted that "docudramas in general tend to have a relatively short shelf life," and that may be part of the reason as well.Grace notes:
CELINE DION gave her husband the heave-ho as her manager. The Wall Street Journal says RENE ANGELIL has looked after his wife's career for the last 30 years, but he's stepping down to become chairman of Celine's Feeling Productions Inc. Rene's good buddy, Aldo Giampaolo will take over as Celine's day-to-day manager. Rene had a cancerous tumor removed from his throat in December of 2013.
FYI: Celine LOVED the video stranded Delta Airlines passenger Richard Dunn made to her cover of ERIC CARMEN's "All By Myself." Richard shot the video while he was on an overnight layover at McCarren airport in Las Vegas, and it went viral. Celine posted a video response saying Richard's effort was (quote), "hilarious and very touching." She added that if Richard gets stuck in Vegas again, he should come see her show, and he can use her bathroom anytime. (Marino) -
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