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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Dec 12, 2016
December 12, 2016
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Sucking the life out of the wire services:
As we told 'ya last Friday, (RBR12.9.16) KIRK DOUGLAS celebrated his 100th birthday with a star-studded bash at the Beverly Hills Hotel. People magazine reports his son, MICHAEL DOUGLAS, daughter-in-law CATHERINE ZETA-JONES and their two children, DYLAN and CARYS, all popped by for the fun, along with 135 of the living legend's closest pals. Michael gave an emotional speech saying dear old dad is an "amazing, amazing father," STEVEN SPIELBERG called the guest of honor the "only movie star I've ever met" and Kirk's cardiologist handed him a large glass of vodka to polish off the party --a big perk considering he forbade the A-lister from drinking several years ago. (Lee)
Lots of positives about the newest "Star Wars" movie, which premiered in front of 54-hundred people Saturday night at the Pantages Theatre at Hollywood and Vine.
Hollywood types are predicting the film will debut with a box office take around $280-million this weekend (it opens Thursday night) and fans were cheering as the closing credits rolled as each actor's name rolled by.
Deadline reports CHRIS WEITZ --one of the writers-- said "This is a fan movie made with all the toys at our disposal --we saw 'Star Wars' when we were children and that's where we're coming from."BOB DYLAN didn't show up in Stockholm, Sweden, on Saturday to pick up his Nobel Prize for Literature, but he did send over a speech, and PATTI SMITH. She was there to sing Dylan's classic, "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," but she messed up the lyrics ...twice! The well-dressed crowd didn't mind, and there were even some tears in the audience. The King and Queen of Sweden were there too. Dylan's speech was read by the U.S. ambassador to Sweded, AZITA RAJI. Dylan wrote, "If someone had ever told me that I had the slightest chance of winning the Nobel Prize, I would have to think that I'd have about the same odds as standing on the moon." Bob said he'll be in Stockholm next year for a concert and he'll do some kind of lecture or performance then. That's the only way the Swedish Academy will give him the $1-million dollar check that goes with the prize. (Marino)
Lowering expectations:
A popular toy company is debunking myths they created a "Happy Hour Playset" for children.
A fake image featuring a bar-themed Fisher-Price playset was shared on Instagram and has since gone viral. The picture shows a group of toddlers standing at a bar holding what look like beer bottles. Another kid is seen acting as a bartender. Fisher-Price tweeted that the product was definitely not "endorsed, produced or approved by" their company. Their response came after multiple users Tweeted complaints about the playset after mistakenly believing it was real. (Still) -
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