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samhexum

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  1. Macy’s Backstage to close at Queens Place as part of nationwide downsizing Students in Queens invited to honor their teachers in Applebee’s essay contest
  2. Amorous octopus latches on to hunky model shooting swimming video — and won’t let go Talk about clingy. An Italian model vacationing in the Seychelles found love when he was least expecting it — with an octopus. Federico Cola was taking a dip in the stunning waters of the East African honeymooners paradise when the creature cruised over — promptly attaching itself to the hunky holidaymaker and refusing to let go. Italian model Federico Cola was vacationing in Seychelles, East Africa when he found himself in a clingy relationship with an octopus. The meet-cute was captured on Cola’s Instagram account. Viewers can see the octopus tripping up the object of her affection, wrapping herself around his legs as he’s trying to walk out of the ocean in an effort to get him to notice her. “What a magical surprise this first of the year, I found my love (actually she found me) haha,” the caption on the video read. Nearly one million viewers have liked the clip. As Cola tries to untangle himself from her tentacles, the cephalopod asserts her dominance by latching onto his back. Despite the unusual situation, Cola appeared comfortable with the creature. He walked her out of the Indian Ocean to splash her with water, caressed her, and let her latch on to him. Many people online joked about the chemistry between the pair. “She is falling in love with you,” gushed a watcher. “That octopus knew exactly what she was doing,” laughed one person. “Get a room.” “Not sure if this came to me through my hot guy algorithm or my octopus lover algorithm,” another confessed. “That’s honestly amazing but initially I think I would’ve died and had a heart attack!” admitted an Instagram user. Some onlookers were quick to judge the budding relationship. Octonation, an Octopus activist group on Instagram, didn’t see the interaction as endearing as Cola’s many followers. They called out the model for his alleged “harsh and unproductive” behavior towards the sea creature — sparking a great debate. Cola and the organization exchanged words back and forth, in now-deleted comments. The two parties eventually took their conversation private, where they were able to reach a resolution. Octonation later released a lengthy statement apologizing for the misunderstanding. Upon further examination, the group stated that the octopus was “likely senescent and displaying end-of-life behavior,” explaining the intimate conduct with the model. Cola chimed in, saying, “I’m glad that after watching my whole video, you understood that it was an extraordinary event and that I just wanted to show people that we can love this special animal.”
  3. Comedian Pete Lee did not cancel his booking on the Tonight Show last night, the day after his house burned down.
  4. I'm watching the view on YouTube. An ad comes up for ciabatta dippers (from Panera). I looked at it quickly and read ciabatta diapers. I'm guessing that would not be a big selling item.
  5. NEXT IN HOT TOPICS... (NOT!) Who is Emmanuel Hostin? All about Sunny's husband as he is accused of medical fraud “The View ”cohost Sunny Hostin's husband, Dr. Emmanuel 'Manny' Hostin, accused of insurance fraud in federal lawsuit ‘The View’ co-host’s husband accused of insurance fraud ‘The View’ host’s husband named in ‘major RICO Case’
  6. The party might not be over for everyone at Party City, as some franchisee locations across the U.S. are expected to remain open. Nearly 900 locations were in operation when the sudden news broke that Party City was going out of business. On Dec. 21, Party City filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, after already emerging from a previous bankruptcy in 2023 with about $1 billion less in debt. But nine franchises that collectively own 29 Party City stores plan to remain open despite the closure of hundreds of stores. Anisa Patel, who co-owns two Party City stores with her mother and father in the Austin area, told USA TODAY all franchisees are working together to stay afloat. "We're all in this together, were in contact with them," Patel said. "We've all kind of been thrown in this together, we're having to rebuild on our own so we're banding together." For her, the writing was on the wall for Party City, as she said the company had implemented markdowns on products back in October. But following the announcement of the bankruptcy, she feels that franchisees have been left in the dark. "They have not communicated with us at all, there's not been a letter," Patel said. "This is our livelihood." “The nine franchisees are sticking together and talking to each other each day and sharing resources,” Steve Fram, owner of two Party City locations in Virginia, told Richmond BizSense. And as for keeping the name of Party City, Fram told the outlet they'll stick with it, "at this point.” Party City did not immediately return USA TODAY's request for comment Thursday. Where are Party City stores remaining open? Patel provided a list of franchisee-owned stores that plan to remain open across the United States. USA TODAY contacted each location to confirm their plans.
  7. I have come up with the perfect trade proposal… Marcus Stroman to Milwaukee, which needs starting pitchers. They offset his 2025 salary, though not his option for next year, by trading Rhys Hoskins to San Francisco, which needs power. San Francisco offsets most of that salary by trading overpriced but effective lefty Taylor Rogers to the Yankees. And Steve Cohen sends $6 million to the Giants to offset the rest of Hoskins' salary because the deal effectively eliminates San Francisco's need for a first baseman, thus cutting Pete Alonso's leverage that much more. Everybody wins, except Pete Alonso and Scott Boras. I think we can all agree that's an ideal outcome.
  8. NOPE. Miami is nice... Rose: We won second place. Blanche: What did you get? Dorothy: Treated badly. They told us to get out of the way while they had the first-place winner take pictures with Anita Bryant.
  9. A STOUFFER'S FRENCH BREAD PIZZA
  10. 81 year old Raye Birk and his wife have been married since 1966. He was also in a very funny episode of MY SISTER SAM.
  11. I know many gay people wanted to beat the pulp out of her.
  12. Today they started with a live report from Matt Gutman, who was in front of his aunt's home which had burned down. James Longman was on later discussing his book and mental health. 02:11 - Matt Gutman Reports Live From The Pacific Palisades Neighborhood 19:43 - Jamie Oliver Shares Recipes From His 'Simplest Book Ever' 27:37 - James Longman Opens Up About Family Mental Illness Struggles In New Book
  13. Before it was replaced with a new span a few years ago, the Kosciuszko Bridge between Brooklyn and Queens was just as perilous an adventure at rush hour.
  14. Two stars from the movie “School of Rock” have tied the knot more than two decades after meeting on the beloved 2003 film. Angelo Massagli and Caitlin Hale were just 10 years old when they first crossed paths at the audition for “School of Rock,” which follows Jack Black as a destitute, never-was rock and roller who builds a rock band from a class of elementary school kids. Hale played precocious pig-tailed back-up singer Marta, or “Blondie” as Black’s character referred to her. Massagli took the part of Frankie, a k a the “Tough Guy,” one of the band’s security detail. The young actress wowed producers with a show-stopping rendition of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from “Gypsy,” switching up the lyrics to be about the movie’s director, five-time Oscar nominee Richard Linklater. “I was like, ‘wow, that girl’s really, really, really something else,’” Massagli said. When spontaneously asked to sing a song at the audition in New York City, a nervous Massagli sang the only tune he knew by heart: “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne. After booking the gig, the pair met again one year later when filming began in New York. According to Hale, all of the young actors playing the peewee rock and rollers became fast friends, bonding during actual school time on set and trips to Benihana. Their moms grew close too, and Black reportedly joined the kids for lunch and played games between takes. Hale and Massagli said that neither had a crush on the other during filming. After production wrapped and the movie was released, the cohort of kids remained in touch through a long-running group chat. Massagli and Hale ended up leaving acting behind. Now a lawyer, Massagli works as a music product counsel for TikTok. Hale is an OB-GYN sonographer. The pair reconnected in 2018 while they were both pursuing degrees at universities in Florida. They grabbed lunch for old times’ sake and sent a selfie to their moms, who had been close during filming. “We thought that was kind of it,” Massagli recalled. “But we just kept grabbing dinners and going out for the weekends. We were like, ‘something’s brewing here.’” “Even though it wasn’t romantic, that familiarity we had and our families had when we were younger, really cut through some of those early relationship hurdles,” he added. Hale knew that Massagli was endgame shortly after reconnecting. “I knew very early,” Hale remembered. “I actually said to one of my close friends, I remember being in an Uber on the way down to Miami one weekend and we were going out and I was like, ‘I think I’m gonna marry this guy.’” That same year, Massagli gave Hale permission “to crash” at his Miami home while he was out of town for a week to save her from commuting from Fort Lauderdale to Miami, where she was part of a residency program. Massagli returned to find Hale had fully moved in. In 2019, the pair relocated to Brooklyn. Massagli popped the question in June 2023 in front of the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After Hale said yes, the couple celebrated with dinner at Nino’s, an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side, and Champagne at the Carlyle. The wedding took place on Jan. 4 at the Park Château Estate & Gardens in East Brunswick, NJ. A Versailles-like venue, the estate was the perfect spot for the couple who said they wanted to “go all out.” As for the music, Hale and Massagli entered their reception to “Through the Wire” by Kanye West before dancing their first dance to Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire.” They had specific marching orders for the DJ: Play songs that felt like “if Studio 54 never closed,” Massagli said. In a pointed callback to “School of Rock,” the couple danced to “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks. They were joined by nine of their castmates, who were on hand to celebrate their friends’ union. Jack Black could not attend as he was working on a movie. But Hale said the star “was so nice and generous with his words and definitely commemorated it privately.” The former child star also had a sweet reunion on the dance floor with the other “School of Rock” backup singers, which she described as a “time capsule moment.” “We were just dancing together to some old-school disco and then there was some sort of ad lib in the song and we all just hit it,” she shared. “We looked at each other and we’re like, ‘That just happened. We still got it.’” Wedding guests were treated to a three-tiered wedding cake, cannoli on the dance floor and a food truck handing out McDonald’s on their way out. applause.wav are you sure you wanna do that.wav FamilyInsanity.wav Here Comes Trouble.wav I am the master.wav I feel good (James Brown).wav Please Come Again.wav That's the way I like it.wav You Are My Sunshine.wav tradition.wav
  15. Carnivores are in mourning tonight... Bob Veale, best known for being 1/3 of Pittsburgh's meatloaf trio (Veale, Lamb, Moose), has died.
  16. Robber busted in driverless Waymo taxi — when it pulls over after detecting sirens
  17. Meredith's husband died on Xmas eve.
  18. Goes into effect Wednesday. I think I'll celebrate by sitting on my ass all day in front of my computer.
  19. Astoria pride: Tootles & French named USA Today’s Best New Restaurant Queens native Adrien Brody wins Golden Globe for Best Actor for performance in ‘The Brutalist’ Brody, 51, a native of Woodhaven, was nominated for his performance in the audacious three-and-a-half-hour post-war epic “The Brutalist.” The film follows a Holocaust survivor and architect in the United States after the Second World War. Brody remains proud of his Queens roots and paid a visit to Woodhaven last May, stating that the neighborhood helped make him the man that he is today. “This is where I was born and raised. Made me the man that I am these days,” Brody said during an Instagram video documenting his return to Woodhaven. The Queens actor beat off competition from Timothée Chalamet, and Ralph Fiennes which I'm sure they enjoyed. Daniel Craig (“Queer”), Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”) and Sebastian Stan (“The Apprentice”) were also nominated in the Best Actor in a Drama Film category.
  20. Stella Stevens was in dire need of a paycheck when Playboy came calling. The actress, who was groomed to be the next Marilyn Monroe before she made her own mark during the final years of Hollywood’s golden era, died in 2023 at age 84. She’s now the subject of a new documentary by her son Andrew Stevens, “Stella Stevens: The Last Starlet.” It features commentary by Quentin Tarantino and Vivica A. Fox, among others. In the film, viewers learn how Stevens, who had a young son to feed, took an offer to pose nude for the magazine. It cemented her role as a sought-after screen siren, but it came at a price. “She was alone in Hollywood, barely 18 years [and] broke with no source of income,” Andrew told Fox News Digital. “A photographer and his wife came to her, and they said, ‘We shoot for this magazine called Playboy, and we’ll pay you $5,000 if you do a layout.’ Stella said, ‘It was a job, and I needed a job. I had a child to support. I was a single person living in LA and I didn’t know anyone. So I took the work.’” Before stripping down, Stevens was discovered at a department store in Memphis. She was flown to Hollywood for a screen test and then signed a three-year contract with 20th Century Fox. While Stevens filmed three movies in six months, she was dropped by the studio over a work card technicality. Despite the $5,000 offer, Stevens said Playboy founder Hugh Hefner told her after the racy shoot that he would only pay her half. To earn the rest, she had to work as a hostess at one of his clubs. “She’s quoted as saying, ‘I told him to shove it, I will not,’” said Andrew. Stevens signed a new contract with Paramount. She scored a co-starring role in “Li’l Abner” as Appassionata Von Climax. She was determined to get her photos back before they went to print. “She called Hugh Hefner and said, ‘I have this big Hollywood movie now… please don’t publish the photos. I’ll buy them back from you,’” said Andrew. “He said, ‘Oh no, you have a contract. We’re using them.’ So, [Playboy] exploited ‘Li’l Abner,’ which takes place in a mythical place called Dogpatch. They titled her photos ‘Dogpatch Playmate.’” “The irony is, after being dropped from 20th Century Fox, she won a Golden Globe as Best Newcomer of the Year in 1960 when Marilyn also won a Golden Globe for Best Actress,” Andrew shared. “And [Marilyn won] for the studio that had just dropped [my mother’s] contract.” Stevens felt that being a sex symbol was a “double-edged sword,” said Andrew. “On one hand, she appreciated that she got more attention in the Hollywood community,” he explained. “Everyone wanted to meet her… [But] the old Hollywood studio system at that time was a very male-dominated, misogynistic community. And the casting couch was very real. And as [film critic] Leonard Maltin is quoted as saying [in the film], ‘There was a whole town run by early day Harvey Weinsteins.’” “In some ways, [being a sex symbol] gave her a career boost,” said Andrew. “But on the flip side, she’s quoted as saying it killed doing anything decent or legitimate after that. People wouldn’t take her seriously because of this sexpot moniker that she was given. So, the more weighty and meaty dramatic roles were not as forthcoming as the more frivolous post-Marilyn Monroe-type roles.” Stevens was determined to be taken seriously as an actress. According to the documentary, Stevens had zero desire to appear alongside Elvis Presley in 1962’s “Girls! Girls! Girls!”. “The studio was pushing her to do it,” Andrew explained. “At the time, very few actors had any say over what the studio assigned them to do… Stella, quite outspokenly, said, ‘I don’t want to be the girl that Elvis Presley leaves for another girl. That’s not what I have in mind for my career.’” “She had just finished a film called ‘Too Late Blues,’ directed by John Cassavetes, starring Bobby Darin,” Andrew pointed out. “It was this… dramatic piece. That’s the kind of work she was interested in doing. Not some frivolous fluff piece, although Elvis movies were very popular at the time. [But] nobody took him seriously as an actor, and nobody took them seriously.” “She was having her own struggles with trying to be taken seriously after having posed in Playboy.” While Stevens had “great respect” for Presley, she urged the studio not to cast her in the film. Stevens only agreed to do it after she was promised to play opposite Montgomery Clift in her next movie. It never happened. Stevens detested the Presley flick and could never bring herself to watch it. There was one person who believed in Stevens’ talent – Jerry Lewis. The comic chose her to play his love interest in 1963’s “The Nutty Professor.” “Stella and Jerry Lewis loved each other,” said Andrew. “They had such a great collaborative working relationship. When Jerry got the green light to shoot ‘The Nutty Professor’ at Paramount, he said, ‘I want the most beautiful girl you have under contract.’ And I think he named the role Stella Purdy after Stella. They just had a lovely relationship.” “I have fond memories of knowing Jerry Lewis and being on the set, watching him direct,” Andrew recalled. “… I think he was a great mentor for Stella.” Growing up, Andrew admitted that his relationship with Stevens was complicated. She dropped out of high school at 15 to marry Andrew’s father, Herman Stephens. The couple divorced in 1956, and she took Andrew to California, where she could pursue an acting career. His father and grandfather later showed up at her home to take him back to Memphis, resulting in an ugly custody battle. “The unfortunate thing about both of them is that they were babies having babies,” Andrew reflected about his parents. “My mother was 16 and my father was 18 when I was born. “My father barely graduated from high school. My mother had to quit high school to stay home and take care of me. She went to school at night to get a GED to be able to then go to Memphis State University… But neither one, quite honestly, was really equipped to take care of a child.” “… My preference would always have been to be in Memphis with my friends and the rest of my family,” Andrew admitted. “I certainly don’t begrudge my mother from wanting her child. But quite frankly, neither of my parents had the goods to be able to raise a kid.” While mother and son had “multiple periods of estrangement,” they bonded on set. She directed the 1989 film “The Ranch,” which starred Andrew. He later directed her in 1991’s “The Terror Within II.” Stevens worked steadily in television in the 1970s and ’80s, appearing in “Wonder Woman,” “Hart to Hart,” “The Love Boat” and “Night Court,” just to name a few. She stayed busy until she could no longer work due to Alzheimer’s disease. To Stevens’ dismay, his mother wasn’t included in the Academy Awards’ annual “In Memoriam” segment, and she never received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “My mother deserved better,” said Andrew. “Even though my life with her was tumultuous and complex and not always warm and fuzzy, time and distance have given me a new perspective on the impact she had.”
  21. @pubic_assistance is a connoisseur of that classic bit of cuisine. 😇 😁 😋 🤣
  22. My sister: Is Marie Osmond sending paper roses? Me: No, but she's catering the shiva calls with products from Nutrisystem
  23. Legendary singer Wayne Osmond has died at 73.
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