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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Mar 26, 2015
March 26, 2015
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The White House:
State Department spokeswoman JEN PSAKI is defending the White House's prisoner exchange for Army Sgt. BOWE BERGDAHL, just hours after the Army announced that it would charge him with desertion. When asked about the case by Fox News host MEGYN KELLY, she said, "Was it worth it? Absolutely."
Psaki added, "We have a commitment to our men and women serving overseas, or in our military, defending our national security every day, that we will do everything we can to bring them home, and that's what we did in this case." (Pacelli)Watercooler:
Almost three in 10 Millennials never read print newspapers, according to a recent survey into newspaper format and readership attitudes by location-based mobile platform Retale.
That's likely because one has to actually purchase a print newspaper --and Millenials aren't willing to pay for newspaper content --either online or in print. Just 19 percent of Millennials said they had paid for online newspaper content in the 30 days leading up to the survey of more than a thousand adults across the U.S. That's lower than other age groups; within the same time period, a quarter (24 percent) of those aged 35-54 had paid for newspaper content, as had a third (34 percent) of those over 55.
As for buying a printed newspaper, half of all age groups said they were unwilling, with Millennials the least willing. But respondents were even more negative when it came to their willingness to pay for digital news formats. More than two-thirds of all respondents said they were unwilling to pay to read newspaper content online. (Kaye)On, off and way-off Broadway:
After 55 years, the longest-running musical in world history will finally close. The New York Times says "The Fantasticks," which will have played 20,672-performances at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village and 3,510 at the Jerry Orbach Theater at the Snapple Theater Center on Broadway and 50th Street brings down the curtain for the last time on May 3rd. The show opened on that date in 1960. Jerry Orbach was in the original production and sang the musical's signature tune, "Try To Remember." (Marino)
Fashion Emergency:
McDonalds Sweden just launched a Big Mac fashion line! And we are McLovin' It. The Swedish-language online shop is stocked with hoodies, long underwear, rain boots, a rain coat... a dog rain coat! Bedsheets and wallpaper. Yumpin Yiminy! It's epic. It's all pictures of Big Macs on white backgrounds. Racked.com says the shop is meant to celebrate the fast food giant's "I'm Lovin' It 24" campaign. And it may have been inspired by designer JEREMY SCOTT, whose "Golden Arches" themed collection raised eyebrows on the runways last season.
Editor's note: No word on if the Big Mac fashions will make their way stateside... but this needs to happen. (Bartha)Overheard on Sunset Blvd:
Probably no surprise to find out that there's a "Barbershop 3" film in the works, considering the original film made $75 million and the sequel another $65 million.
Deadline reports ICE CUBE and CEDRIC the ENTERTAINER are in talks to return for the sequel as well as with QUEEN LATIFAH and NICKI MINAJ to round out the ensemble cast.Use it or lose it:
Passover's coming next weekend (starts Fri night, Apr 03, and runs thru Sat evening, Apr 11) and the guys from Six13 have done an awesome parody to (wait for it...) "Uptown Funk" called "Uptown Passover." Sample lyrics: "Seder tonight, we saved you a spot. Don't be slavin', just nosh!" You'll probably need an edit: my suggestion 2:48-4:28... Pull it off YouTube HERE.
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