Here’s The Things You’ll Want To See Hear and Know Today.
The Big Picture
Edward Snowden is still in hiding, probably in Hong Kong, but he did an interview over there yesterday and came out with some new allegations. Now he’s saying that the U.S. has also been hacking the Chinese, for at least the past four years. (The interview was with the South China Morning Post. Apparently Snowden gave them documents to show that we’ve been hacking Chinese public officials, as well as students and universities, going back at least to 2009.)
Two window washers in New York City almost died yesterday when their platform buckled, 44 stories off the ground. Firefighters had to cut a hole in the side of the building and pull them through it, onto the 44th floor. (It took an hour, so the guys were basically just holding on for dear life during that time. The platform was still underneath them, but it was unstable and bent in the middle, so they just stood there the whole time, trying not to shake anything.)
See it (Warning: not for those with fear of heights)
A new study came out that says hands-free texting while driving is actually MORE dangerous than talking on a handheld phone. They’re not talking about a regular phone conversation, just about using a voice recognition system to TEXT while you drive. They say it’s more distracting because you have to focus on what you’re saying, and it takes more concentration to listen to the phone when it talks in a computer-synthesized voice. (The AAA is recommending that the hands-free systems be turned off automatically whenever the car is in motion.)
Showbizzy Newz
Chris Christie came on Jimmy Fallon’s show last night and helped him “Slow Jam the News.” (Jimmy calls Christie the “Love Gov.” Christie says we don’t need another unelected politician just sitting around Congress. Jimmy says that when Christie sits around Congress, he really sits AROUND Congress.
There’s a new montage online of David Letterman saying the same thing over and over again to dozens of bands, including The Black Keys, The Strokes, OK Go, The Foo Fighters, and about 30 more. He walks over from his desk, looks at the drummer and says, quote, “Are those your drums, or are they rentals?” Then he usually comments on how great the drum set is.
The seventh annual Guys’ Choice Awards aired on Spike last night. Ben Affleck won the award for Guy of the Year. During his acceptance speech he made a crack about Matt Damon and Michael Douglas hooking up on their Liberace movie.
Q Country Closeup
Blake Shelton just got a bunch of country stars to help him out on a remix of “Boys ‘Round Here”. Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Reba McEntire, Hank Williams Jr., and Keith Urban are just a few of the names on it.
Randy Travis and Joe Nichols just recorded a tribute song for George Jones. It’s called “Tonight I’m Playing Possum”.
Check it out
The Backside of the News
. Someone in Wyoming called 911 on Tuesday because a woman had stopped breathing and had a heart attack . . . while they were trying to CAST DEMONS OUT OF HER. Apparently it worked . . . when the cops got there, the woman was fine.
Another photo has surfaced of a fast food worker doing something disgusting to your food. This one shows a Wendy’s employee drinking a Frosty straight out of the machine. Wendy’s says it’s investigating.
Randoms
Someone uploaded a nearly eight-minute montage video of amusing reporter bloopers to YouTube. All the clips have to do with the reporters encountering some kind of animal. Here are some highlights from the montage.
Bad news for BILLY CLINTON . . . SCARLETT JOHANSSON has NOT been approached to play HILLARY in that upcoming movie. Reports said she was one of several actresses up for the part, but her rep says, quote, “Scarlett has never been asked to do this film. She hasn’t been approached about it nor seen a script. It’s a total fabrication.”
SANDRA BULLOCK might play the mean lady who runs the orphanage in the upcoming “Annie” remake.
