-
Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - May 5, 2014
May 5, 2014
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
Cinco de Mayo:
Believe it or not, Cinco de Mayo is a bigger holiday in the U-S than it is in Mexico.
Cinco de Mayo has nothing to do with Mexico's Independence Day --which is actually September 16. May fifth actually marks the victory of Mexican forces over the French at the Battle of the Puebla, back in 1862, while we were messing around in the Civil War.
But even though the Mexicans gave a beat-down to the French, the Frenchies were on the way to Mexico City and eventually conquered it, putting Emperor Maximillian on the throne in 1863. The Mexicans then turned around and although it took them several years, defeated the French and kicked them out of Mexico, executing Emperor Maximillian in 1867.So why the big hubbub over Cinco de Mayo? In the 1980s, Mexican beer distributors, looking for a way to publicize their brews, decided to make the holiday an event and were joined by Latino groups in the U-S who were also eager to have a holiday of "their own" like St Patrick's Day for the Irish. USA Today says that drive helped make Corona the #1 imported beer, with the holiday responsible for up to 200 million bottles of Corona alone (and that's just my brother-in-law)!
Nowadays the holiday has evolved into a celebration of Mexican food and culture in many cities. And now you know the whole story, so nachos grande for everybody!
Editor's note: You know what they call Cinco de Mayo in Arizona? Sunday.
--I plan to celebrate the way I do every year: by pressing "Español" on the ATM machine. (Maiman)Like you really care:
Amazing the stuff that turns up for sale on Craigslist: WILLIE NELSON's tour bus.
You're too late. The bidding ended Saturday at midnight but we don't know what it went for. Last we checked on Saturday, it was $65 grand, but that was right around 6pm. The seller preferred cash.
You can still get a look at it courtesy of the Village Voice. It gets seven miles a gallon, it sleeps eight; it's lined with wood paneling, red velvet and beveled glass --it pretty much looks like a saloon inside, and it runs just fine.
Editor's note: $65 grand? There's probably that much stash still hidden in the wood paneling. Probably get a contact high just from brushing against the fabric on the seats. (Maiman)Another Chalk Outline:
A tragic story out of Sao Paulo, Brazil, where a soccer fan was killed by a toilet bowl.
Police say angry fans ripped three toilet bowls out of the bathrooms at Arruda Stadium and threw them from the bleachers. Sadly, one of them landed on PAULO RICARDO GOMES da SILVA, killing him instantly. It happened when rival supporters clashed after a match between Santa Cruz and Parana. (Still)Stars and their movies:
Oscar-winning actress SALLY FIELD ("You like me, you really like me") is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this morning to celebrate her 50 years in TV and the movies.
Sally will be getting the 2,524th star in front of the Hollywood Wax Museum at 6767 Hollywood Boulevard at 11:30 am (Pacific).
Sally starred in three television series by the age of twenty-five, starting with "Gidget" and "The Flying Nun." She's also been in a number of movies, including her Oscar winners, "Places in the Heart" and "Norma Rae," as well as "Smokey and the Bandit," "Absence of Malice," "Steel Magnolias," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Forrest Gump" and "Lincoln," and is in the new "Spider-Man 2" as Peter Parker's Aunt May.Hollywood rumor mill:
Deadline.com reports that the TV show "Green Acres" is being "rebooted" into a movie and may possibly be made into a stage play for Broadway!
The original TV show, which starred EDDIE ALBERT and EVA GABOR, ran on CBS from 1965-71, and was about Oliver and Lisa Douglas, a couple from New York City who left to run a farm in the Midwest. And --proving that good ideas never die-- the TV show was actually a reboot from a radio show from the 1950s! -
-