LOVE IT
• The official Scrabble dictionary added several new words, including twerking, lolz and hashtag.
L[subscript 1]
O[subscript 1]
L[subscript 1]
Z[subscript 10]
• Asked to name a hymn that’s also the title of an award-winning musical, a Jeopardy! contestant answered “Kinky Boots” instead of “Rock of Ages.”
• The Unicode Consortium will reportedly release 38 new emojis in 2016. Among them: bacon, avocado and clinking glasses.
• Reese Witherspoon has been tapped to produce and star in Tink, a live-action film based on beloved Peter Pan sidekick Tinker Bell.
THE DIGITS
20.1 million
Number of views that Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” music video logged on Vevo in the 24 hours after its debut, besting Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” (19.6 million) to set a record for the streaming service
QUICK TALK
Shania Twain
After more than two decades, the pop-country star, 49, says she’s done with live performing. Her North American farewell tour kicks off June 5 in Seattle.
–JAMIESON COX
This is your fans’ last chance to see you live. What should they expect?
The core of a Shania concert is obviously the hits, so they’re all there. But the theme is “Rock This Country,” so it’ll be loud, and the guitars will be featured more. It’s going to be a visually exciting show and very different from my Las Vegas residency.
What will you miss most about performing?
The people. That’s the key for me when I’m up onstage–watching their reactions, interacting with them myself. I like people, and I like communication.
You’re still working on a new album, though–your first since 2002. How’s that going?
I’m feeling really good about it. I’ve got too many songs, in fact, so I’m going to have to make some tough decisions.
There are a lot of female country singers, like Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert, who seem to be following in your footsteps–experimenting with pop and really owning their femininity. What do you make of that?
I think for those girls, coming after me, there was less risk, and that must’ve been a very liberating experience. For me, it was a total risk. But I was completely willing to take it.
You once filmed a docuseries for the Oprah Winfrey Network. Did Oprah give you any of her trademark advice?
I don’t think she ever gave me any advice! She’s just a very encouraging person.
That must mean you have it all together.
Exactly. I hope so!
SNEAK PEAKS
How did sneakers go from humble footwear to status symbol? “The Rise of Sneaker Culture,” a new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, opening July 10, traces that evolution, drawing from designer archives and collectors like Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, whose rap song “My Adidas” helped define the sneaker vogue. Here, a preview of the wares:
Thomas Dutton and Thorowgood running shoe, 1860
Converse All Star, 1917
Adidas Stan Smith, 1980
Nike Air Jordan I, 1985
Puma x Undefeated Clyde Gametime Gold, 2012
ROUNDUP
Legends of Longevity
The oldest man in Nebraska, 110-year-old Mark Behrends, recently revealed that his secret to a long life is … drinking a can of beer a day! “He always joked that that was his medicine,” his daughter told the Omaha World-Herald. The practice sounds odd, to be sure, but Behrends isn’t the first centenarian to offer an unconventional wellness tip. Here, a look at five others:
DRINKING LOTS OF COFFEE
–Downing Kay of Baltimore, who is 107
Staying away from men
–Jessie Gallan of Aberdeen, Scotland, who lived to be 109
Eating raw eggs
–Emma Morano-Martinuzzi of Verbania, Italy, who is 115
Sunbathing
–Jiroemon Kimura of Kyotango, Japan, who lived to be 116
EATING SUSHI
–Misao Okawa of Osaka, Japan, who lived to be 117
ROPE FLOATS
No, that’s not the world’s coolest spiderweb. But it’s close. In order to craft As If It Were Already Here, a new 600-ft.-long (180 m) installation over Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway, artist Janet Echelman stitched a network of rope and twine that is strong enough to undulate with the wind. Its six colored bands are a reference to the six-lane highway that once cut through the open green space above which it floats.
VERBATIM
‘It made me feel bad, and then it made me feel angry, and then it made me laugh.’
MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, 37-year-old actor, revealing that she was denied a role in a movie after being told she was “too old” to play the love interest of a 55-year-old man
LEAVE IT
• So many people were using selfie sticks on rides that Disney World has posted signs barring the practice.
• Johnny Depp could face 10 years in prison for illegally bringing his two dogs into Australia while filming the next Pirates of the Caribbean.
• Crayola had to issue a public contradiction after several beauty bloggers recommended using colored pencils as eyeliner.
• As part of a senior prank, five students allegedly released 72,000 ladybugs at their Maryland high school.
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