5/16/2022: VOGUE vs. VOGUE
PLUS: Proper Pronouns Please, Billboard Music Awards and NBA Playoff Picture
Today is Monday, May 16, 2022.
It is the 136th day of the year.
229 days remain.
TRENDING
Saturday was National Dance Like A Chicken Day.
#FoodShortageJoe was trending Saturday as Americans tweeted about the lack of food on the shelves.
Vogue landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends on Saturday after Melania Trump slammed the publication for putting First Lady Jill Biden on their cover after she — an actual model by trade — never got the opportunity during her stint in the White House.
#BansOffOurBodies was trending over the weekend as crowds gathered in D.C. to advocate for abortion rights.
Sunday was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day.
Ted Nugent was trending Sunday after telling Trump supporters to attack Democrats. More in Showbiz.
#BillboardMusicAwards was trending Sunday. Head to Showbiz to see the list of winners.
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HIT LIST
Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has hit a weird snag.
Musk tweeted that his team is investigating just how many Twitter accounts are bots or only used to produce spam tweets.
Twitter has claimed these accounts represent less than 5% of its users.
Musk said on Twitter he would pull a random sample of 100 accounts that follow Twitter’s own twitter account and look into how many fit that bill to do the analysis.
BUT WAIT: Musk later said that Twitter’s legal department accused him of violating the non-disclosure agreement surrounding the acquisition by announcing the method to determine how many accounts are fake.
So the whole operation remains in flux. But Musk has also said he remains committed to the acquisition.
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SHOOTING IN MILWAUKEE: At least twenty people were shot in Milwaukee during late hours Friday. So far no deaths have been reported. In one incident, at least 17 were shot just blocks from Fiserv Forum, where many fans were celebrating a lucky win by the Milwaukee Bucks. Bucks officials canceled a watch party for Sunday.
SHOOTING IN BUFFALO: At least ten are dead and three others wounded following a shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. The 18-year-old gunman was arrested at the scene. A manifesto believed to be written by the suspect details his racial motivations for the shooting, which primarily took the lives of Black shoppers. In the manifesto, the gunman describes himself as a former-communist-turned-authoritarian-leftist. Law enforcement say they’ll prosecute it as a hate crime. On Sunday, the Washington Post reported that the shooter was investigated last year by New York State police after he made threatening statements at his high school.
BY THE WAY: President Joe Biden has announced plans to visit Buffalo tomorrow to “grieve with the community.” When six people were killed at a Christmas parade in Waukesha last year, the administration said he couldn’t visit, citing logistical challenges.
SHOOTING IN HOUSTON: Two groups of people started shooting each other at a flea market near Houston Sunday afternoon, leaving two dead at the scene and three others rushed to the hospital. Houston’s NBC TV affiliate reports that only those involved with the groups were killed or injured.
SHOOTING IN LOS ANGELES: One person is dead and another five wounded after a shooting at a church in Orange County, California, about 45 minutes outside Los Angeles. The wounded were in critical condition as of Sunday evening. FoxLA reports that the suspect is a man in his 60s who was subdued by the heroic actions of churchgoers.
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The small town of Kiel, Wisconsin has gotten some national attention, after the school district there filed a harassment lawsuit against three middle schoolers, who they say called a classmate by the wrong pronoun.
The apparent victim goes by “they” – but one mother of the accused says her kid doesn’t just understand it. She told the local ABC affiliate, “[The pronoun “they” is] plural. It doesn’t make sense to him.”
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty is representing the family and seeking to drop the suit.
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In South West England, in the county of Cornwall, is a little hamlet called Vogue – just like the magazine.
There, a little pub is called the Star Inn at Vogue.
Turns out the folks at the magazine didn’t like another business using its name. They sent a letter to the owner of the pub demanding he change its name, lest patrons confuse his business with the international fashion conglomerate.
It’s as stupid as it sounds. And for the owner, a man named Mark Graham, he told the snobs in London to pound sand.
In a local TV interview, he said, “There’s always too much a case of the big boys trying to stomp on the little boys, and as soon as I realized what they were trying to do, I went ‘you’re not having me, my handsome.’”
Graham responded with his own letter, assuring the editors they didn’t seek permission from the town to use the name when they opened up shop in 1918.
It was enough to get the magazine to relent, which admitted that their initial letter was an overreach.
COMPLETELY UNRELATED: Former First Lady Melania Trump called out Vogue in an interview with Fox News over the weekend.
“They’re biased and they have likes and dislikes, and it’s so obvious,” she said. She noted that First Lady Jill Biden got a cover, as did Kamala Harris.
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Want to go out for a beer and only watch women’s sports? Now you can!
The Sports Bra (not a typo) in Portland, Oregon offers just that, and has become a popular LGBT hangout, especially for lesbians, NBC News reports.
The owner says banks weren’t keen on startup loans, so instead she turned to Kickstarter, where she crowdfunded more than $100,000 over the course of a month.
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Apple is officially out of the music-player-only business.
It’ll sell out its remaining stock of iPod Touches, which last got an update in 2019. After that, they’re assuming you’ll have an iPhone, iPad, Watch, or Mac to listen to music on.
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CHARTS
Weekend Box Office
10. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent: $1 million (down from 8)
9. Family Camp: $1.4 million (new)
8. The Northman: $1.7 million (down from 6)
7. The Lost City: $1.73 million (stayed at 7)
6. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: $2.4 million (down from 4)
5. Everything Everywhere All at Once: $3.3 million (stayed at 5)
4. Firestarter: $3.8 million (new)
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 2: $4.5 million (stayed at 3)
2. The Bad Guys: $6.8 million (stayed at 2)
1. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: $61 million (stayed at 1)
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DEATHS
FRED WARD has died.
The actor, best known for his roles in “Tremors” and “The Right Stuff,” passed away on May 8, according to his rep. No cause of death was shared.
He was 79.
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LIL KEED has died.
The rapper, real name Raqhid Jevon Render, passed away Friday in Los Angeles. The cause of death has not been revealed.
He was 24.
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BRITNEY SPEARS revealed Saturday that she and fiancé SAM ASGHARI lost their baby early in the pregnancy.
Spears made the sad announcement on Instagram, writing that the couple are “devastated” over the loss, but plan to “continue trying to expand [their] family.”
She also thanked everyone for their love and support, while asking for privacy as they deal with the “difficult moment.”
Spears and Asghari revealed they were expecting five weeks ago.
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RELATIONSHIPS
MARC ANTHONY, 53, is engaged to model NADIA FERREIRA, 23.
The announcement comes just three months after the two sparked romance rumors.
Prior to dating Ferreira, Anthony had been engaged four times. He was previously married to beauty queen DAYANARA TORRES, JENNIFER LOPEZ and model SHANNON DE LIMA, the latter of whom he divorced in 2017.
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WEDDINGS
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN, 43, and TRAVIS BARKER, 46, are married.
The reality star and Blink-182 drummer tied the knot at the Santa Barbara courthouse on Sunday. Along for the nuptials were Kardashian’s grandmother Mary Jo “MJ” Campbell and Barker’s father, Randy.
After saying “I Do,” the couple drove off in a classic lowrider convertible, with a sign that read “JUST MARRIED.”
WORTH NOTING: According to TMZ, this time the wedding is the real deal. A far cry from the sham wedding in Las Vegas after the Grammy Awards.
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“Bachelor” couple JOJO FLETCHER, 31, and JORDAN RODGERS, 33, have tied the knot.
After a six-year engagement and two postponements, the two exchanged vows at the Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez, California on Saturday.
The two will honeymoon in Greece.
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THE SWAMP
Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL led a small delegation of Senators to Ukraine over the weekend, where they met with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY.
The visit comes as a $40 billion aid package remains held up in the Senate, after Senator RAND PAUL demanded an inspector general be named to oversee all American spending on the war effort there. The horror.
Paul’s objection threw a wrench in the unanimous consent to bypass a bunch of procedural moves and get the money out the door. A more formal process is expected to pass this week; anyone’s guess whether Paul’s request for oversight will be part of the final package.
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HILLARY CLINTON might be president after all, even if it’s only on TV.
Variety reports that a fictional show called “Rodham” is being shopped to streamers – in which Hillary meets Bill in college, but they never get married. The show will track pretty close to reality, at least to a degree. Variety reports that in the show, she’ll still run for president in 2016, Bill Clinton will still be an accused rapist, and former President DONALD TRUMP will rise to political fame.
CLAIRE DANES and DAKOTA FANNING are already attached to star as the former Secretary of State during different periods of her life – but no takers yet to air it.
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President JOE BIDEN is very proud of his deficit reduction efforts.
He says that the $1.5 trillion-year-over-year decrease from 2020 to 2021 is the most in history.
WORTH NOTING: He’s right. Technically. In 2020, the U.S. incurred a massive $4.2 trillion deficit as the government authorized unprecedented levels of spending amid the pandemic.
That dropped to $2.7 trillion in 2021 – but that’s still greater than the deficits of 2017, 2018, and 2019 combined under the leadership of former President DONALD TRUMP.
WORTH ASKING: So why does he tout this as an accomplishment?
WORTH NOTING: Because he thinks you’re stupid and won’t notice – and because historic inflation, a destroyed southern border, international unrest, and a national baby formula shortage aren’t winning accomplishments, either.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tuesday night’s drawing will be for a $112 million jackpot or a $64.9 million cash payout.
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No winner for Saturday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $90 million jackpot or a $52.6 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
The 2022 Billboard Music Awards aired last night live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
SEAN “Diddy” COMBS hosted the event.
And the winners are…
Overall
Artist -- Drake
New Artist -- Olivia Rodrigo
Male Artist -- Drake
Female Artist -- Olivia Rodrigo
Duo/Group -- BTS
Billboard 200 Artist -- Taylor Swift
Hot 100 Artist -- Olivia Rodrigo
Streaming Songs Artist -- Olivia Rodrigo
Song Sales Artist -- BTS
Radio Songs Artist -- Olivia Rodrigo
Billboard Global 200 Artist -- Olivia Rodrigo
Billboard Global (Excl. US) Artist -- Ed Sheeran
Tour -- The Rolling Stones, “No Filter Tour”
Billboard 200 Album -- Olivia Rodrigo, “SOUR”
Soundtrack -- “Encanto”
100 Song -- The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay”
Streaming Song -- The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay”
Selling Song -- BTS, “Butter”
Radio Song -- Dua Lipa, “Levitating”
Collaboration -- The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay”
Billboard Global 200 Song -- The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay”
Billboard Global (Excl. US) Song -- The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay”
Viral Song -- Doja Cat ft. SZA, “Kiss Me More”
R&B
Artist -- Doja Cat
Male Artist -- The Weeknd
Female Artist -- Doja Cat
Tour -- Bruno Mars, “Bruno Mars at Park MGM”
Album -- Doja Cat, “Planet Her”
Song -- Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak), “Leave The Door Open”
Rap
Artist -- Drake
Male Artist -- Drake
Female Artist -- Megan Thee Stallion
Tour -- Omarion & Bow Wow, “The Millenium Tour 2021”
Album -- Drake, “Certified Lover Boy”
Song -- Lil Nas X ft. Jack Harlow, “Industry Baby”
Country
Artist -- Taylor Swift
Male Artist -- Morgan Wallen
Female Artist -- Taylor Swift
Duo/Group -- Dan + Shay
Tour -- Eric Church, “Gather Again Tour”
Album -- Taylor Swift, “Red (Taylor’s Version)”
Song -- Walker Hayes, “Fancy Like”
Rock
Artist -- Glass Animals
Tour -- The Rolling Stones, “No Filter Tour”
Album -- twenty one pilots, “Scaled and Icy”
Song -- Måneskin, “Beggin’”
Latin
Artist -- Bad Bunny
Male Artist -- Bad Bunny
Female Artist -- Kali Uchis
Duo/Group -- Eslabon Armado
Tour -- Los Bukis, “Una Historia Cantada Tour”
Album -- Karol G, “KG0516”
Song -- Kali Uchis, “telepatía”
Dance/Electronic
Artist -- Lady Gaga
Album -- Illenium, “Fallen Embers”
Song -- Elton John & Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart – PNAU Remix”
Christian
Artist -- Ye
Album -- Ye, “Donda”
Song -- Ye, “Hurricane”
Gospel
Artist -- Ye
Album -- Ye, “Donda”
Song -- Ye, “Hurricane”
BY THE WAY: K-pop group BTS made history last night with their third win for Top Group/Duo. They are now tied with One Direction for the most wins in the category.
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While performing at a Trump rally in Austin, Texas over the weekend, TED NUGENT told the crowd to go “berserk on the skulls of the Democrats and the Marxists and the communists.”
He made the comment during a rant about how much chaos and damage the left has caused over the past 14 months.
Twitter users were shocked by his calls of violence, especially after an 18-year-old killed 10 people and wounded three others in a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.
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JASON MOMOA is apologizing after taking pictures and videos during his recent trip to the Sistine Chapel.
The actor shared the photos he took on Instagram, which offended many as photography is off-limits because it could be harmful to the artwork.
Fans were outraged over the post, with some believing that Momoa received “special treatment” to take the photos.
Following the backlash, he issued an apology video, saying “If you ever felt that I disrespected your culture, it wasn’t my intention.”
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The Trebek Center, a homeless shelter in Los Angeles named for the late ALEX TREBEK, opened last week.
Trebek’s widow, JEAN TREBEK, was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony on May 12, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
The outlet reports that the shelter contains 107 beds and will provide help for those needing permanent housing.
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ANDY DICK has been released from jail after being arrested for felony sexual battery.
A spokesperson from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office told Page Six that the comedian’s bail was set at $25,000 — of which he was only required to pay 10%.
Dick has not yet been charged with the crime as the DA’s office continues to investigate.
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US Olympic curler MATT HAMILTON chopped off his iconic locks for charity.
He hit up a Great Clips in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday to get his hair cut and donated to kids who are in need of wigs.
According to TMZ, Hamilton also used the stunt to raise awareness and money for brain cancer research.
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CASTING CALL
My Chemical Romance released a new song last week.
The single, titled “The Foundations of Decay,” is six-minutes long.
It is the band’s only release since 2014’s “Fake Your Death.”
BY THE WAY: After reconciling in 2019, the band is now headed on tour. The North American leg kicks off in August.
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POTENTIAL “DR STRANGE” SEQUEL SPOILER ALERT:
DANIEL CRAIG was Marvel’s first choice to play Mister Fantastic in the new “Dr. Strange” movie.
According to Deadline, the role only went to JOHN KRASINSKI after Craig backed out due to an uptick in COVID cases.
WORTH NOTING: Craig was already booked to shoot “Knives Out 2,” so it was probably just an actual scheduling conflict, not the kind of scheduling conflict managers come up with to make excuses for talent.
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“Bling Empire” star KANE LIM is joining another hit Netflix show — “Selling Sunset.”
He recently became a member of The Oppenheim Group as a real estate developer and will appear alongside his co-workers on the show.
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LESLIE BIBB has joined the cast of “Mrs. American Pie.”
She will star alongside KRISTEN WIIG in the Apple TV+ comedy series that follows Maxine Simmons and her attempt to secure a spot in the exclusive Palm Beach high society.
Bibb will play Dinah, a member of the high society.
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TYLER HOECHLIN will reprise his role as Derek Hale in the upcoming flick “Teen Wolf The Movie.”
He joins previously announced TYLER POSEY in the movie sequel.
Hoechlin first starred as Hale in the “Teen Wolf” series which aired on MTV from 2011-2017.
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ABC has renewed the following shows:
“A Million Little Things” — Season 5
“Big Sky” — Season 3
“The Bachelor” — Season 27
“American Idol” — Season 6
“Home Economics” — Season 3
“The Wonder Years” — Season 2
“The Conners” — Season 5
“AFV” — Season 33
“Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” — Season 3
“Shark Tank” — Season 14
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COURT CASES
The JOHNNY DEPP-AMBER HEARD defamation trial resumes today.
Multiple outlets have reported that Depp will take the stand again, following Heard’s testimony.
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Reality stars TODD and JULIE CHRISLEY head to trial today on charges including bank fraud and tax evasion.
Prosecutors allege that the couple submitted fake documents to banks when applying for loans and hid income from the IRS through a film production company they own.
Each faces one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, five counts of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of tax fraud.
The Chrisleys have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Fans are convinced that KRIS JENNER is PETE DAVIDSON’s new manager.
The Mirror reports that the momager has taken on KIM’s boyfriend after he dropped his management team last October, but Us Weekly claims a source told them “Kris is not Pete’s manager,” though she has given him advice, “just not in an official capacity.”
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KYLIE JENNER brought daughter STORMI to the Billboard Music Awards last night. Together with TRAVIS SCOTT, the trio took on the red carpet before the show. Scott later performed.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE ANDREW’s ex-wife, SARAH FERGUSON has signed a 22-book deal (yes, twenty-two) with Australian publisher Serenity Press.
The deal includes three new young adult novels, which Fergie says she will look to her own “painful teenage years” to draw inspiration.
The Duchess’ first young adult book, “Demon’s Land,” will be released at the end of June.
SPEAKING OF THE DISGRACED PRINCE ANDREW: Tina Brown, author of “The Palace Papers,” revealed that the source of the leak about PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE’s relationship came from a servant in the House of York aka Andrew’s household.
Brown writes in her book that while many thought the leak came from someone in Meghan’s camp, the servant has now been “fingered” as the leak.
It is unknown if Andrew was privy to the leak or not.
As many may remember just months into their courtship, the Sunday Express revealed to the world that the two were “secretly dating.”
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SPORTS
The NBA Playoff Picture has come together.
The Boston Celtics (2) bested the Milwaukee Bucks (3) Sunday 109-81 in Game 7. The win means Boston will face the top-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Dallas Mavericks (4) beat the Phoenix Suns (1) 123-90 in Game 7 last night. The win means Dallas will face the Golden State Warriors (3) in the Western Conference finals.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Honor Our LGBT Elders Day
National Biographer’s Day
National Coquilles Saint Jacques Day
National Love A Tree Day
National Piercing Day
National Sea Monkey Day
Drawing Day
International Virtual Assistants Day
International Day Of Light
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ON THIS DATE
1770 – Marie Antoinette and Louis-Auguste are married. He was 15, she was 14.
The marriage was politically motivated. Louis and Marie were cousins, and their union consolidated the royal family's power.
Before the wedding, Marie Antoinette had a dentist try to straighten out her teeth using an archaic form of braces. The apparatus included a metal ring with holes for thin wires, used as leverage to physically pull teeth into place.
But she still wasn't attractive enough for Louis. Even after their marriage, they did not consummate the arrangement. It took another 7 years for them to do the Deed.
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1868 – Andrew Johnson is acquitted in his impeachment trial by a margin of one vote. It was the first impeachment trial of a sitting U.S. president.
House Republicans cited eleven high crimes and misdemeanors against Johnson. He was accused of dismissing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without the Senate's Approval. Under the Tenure of Office Act, the Senate should have dismissed a cabinet secretary.
Thirty-five senators voted to convict the president, but nineteen dissented, bringing the Republicans short one vote.
In 1887 the Tenure of Office Act was repealed, and later Supreme Court rulings vindicated Johnson's actions: a 1926 case supported the president's ability to remove his appointments without consulting congress.
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1918 - Congress passes the Sedition Act, which forbade "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the government or its army.
It was passed as an amendment to the Espionage Act, approved in 1917.
It was designed to marginalize peacenik protesters as the United States engaged in World War One. The legislation gave the government tremendous power to squash any dissent. Those found guilty faced $10,000 in fines and up to twenty years in prison.
After the war, Congress repealed the act in December 1920.
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1929 – At a quiet gathering at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in front of 270 people, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences director Douglas Fairbanks presented the first Academy Awards. He handed out fifteen awards in fifteen minutes.
There was no Best Picture Award, but rather one called Most Outstanding Production and its cousin, Most Artistic Quality of Production.
Other categories: Best Director, Comedy Picture
Best Director, Dramatic Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Best Writing, Original Screenplay
Best Writing, Adapted Story
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction
Best Engineering Effects
Best Writing, Title Writing
An honorary award went to Charlie Chaplin "for versatility and genius in acting, writing, directing, and producing his film The Circus."
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1975 - Junko Tabei from Japan summits Mount Everest — the first woman to do so. She was 36 at the time.
The first American woman would accomplish the feat in 1988.
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2019 - The final episode of the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” airs.
The show, starring Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons, ran for 12 seasons.
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BIRTHDAYS
Jessica Belkin - actress, “Pretty Little Liars” & “Speechless” - 20
Issac Kragten - actor, “Odd Squad” - 20
Miles Heizer - actor, “Parenthood” & “Love, Simon” - 28
Atticus Mitchell - actor, “My Babysitter’s a Vampire” - 29
Kristin Maldonado - pop singer - 30
Thomas Brodie-Sangster - actor, “Game of Thrones” - 32
Behati Prinsloo - model - 34
Megan Fox - actress, “Transformers” & “Jennifer’s Body” - 36
Drew Roy - actor, “Hannah Montana” & “Falling Skies” - 36
Wells Adams - reality star, “Bachelor” - 38
Nancy Ajram - pop singer - 39
Joseph Morgan - actor, “The Vampire Diaries” & “The Originals” - 41
Tori Spelling - actress, “Beverly Hills, 90210” - 49
Tucker Carlson - TV talker - 53
David Boreanaz - actor, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” & “SEAL Team” - 53
Janet Jackson - pop singer - 56
Krist Novoselic - bassist, Nirvana - 57
Pierce Brosnan - actor, “James Bond” flicks - 69
Danny Trejo - actor, “From Dusk Till Dawn” & “Machete” - 78
Born On This Date
Liberace - showman, “The Liberace Show” - 1919 (d. 1987)
H. H. Holmes - serial killer - 1861 (d. 1896)
William H. Seward - former Secretary of State - 1801 (d. 1872)
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