On Today’s Show
➢ A luxury high rise in Brooklyn has been making a high-pitched shrieking noise, and neighbors want it fixed. They think it’s because of how the balconies are designed, and the wind is causing it.
➢ A 54-year-old Croatian man managed to set a new world record for holding breath for the longest time underwater, after spending 24 minutes and 33 seconds submerged without coming up for air. Budimir Buda Šobat’s incredible feat was achieved in a swimming pool, under the supervision of doctors, reporters and supporters, and occurred after he spent a few minutes hyperventilating on pure oxygen, to increase body oxygenation.
➢ Shaq surprised a stranger at an Atlanta-area Zales store by walking up and offering to pay for an engagement ring he had on layaway. He said the guy didn’t want to accept at first, but he talked him into it. (Here he is talking about it during the NBA after-show on TNT on Tuesday.)
➢ If you love true crime here’s your chance to make some money. MagellanTV, a streaming service, is offering $2,400 each to three people willing to watch 24 hours of true crime documentaries and post about the experience on social media. In the posting for the job, they write, “Our ideal candidates live for true crime. They can handle the most menacing serial killer, the goriest details, and don’t flinch at the chilling paranormal.” Applications are being accepted through May 5th.
COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE
2013 Brad Paisley released his ninth studio album Wheelhouse. The album debuted at #1 in the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, becoming Paisley’s seventh #1 album.
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Guy Who Got Mailed Around the World in a Crate Is Looking for the Guys Who Helped Him
There’s a 75-year-old guy named Brian Robson who lives in the U.K. Back in 1965, when he was 19, he got a job working with a railroad company in Melbourne, Australia. They flew him out to the job, but he was homesick and he hated it.
Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t quit, because he’d signed a two-year contract. His flight home would’ve cost around $950, and he was making $55-a-week.
So he came up with a scheme with two buddies at the job to MAIL him home in a wooden crate.
He wound up getting shipped around for FIVE DAYS and he says he was passing in and out of consciousness. Then finally a worker looked through a hole in the crate, saw him, and got him out . . . in Los Angeles. He’d been shipped to the wrong place.
After the U.S. officials figured out he wasn’t a threat, Pan Am flew him home.
Now he’s releasing a book about what he did . . . and he’s trying to track down the guys who shipped him. Quote, “We were very good friends, [but] only for about three months. I’d love to find them again.”
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FOUR RANDOM FACTS
- Elton John’s song “Philadelphia Freedom” was written as a favor to his friend,
Billie Jean King . . . because she was on a professional tennis team called the Philadelphia Freedoms. The team lasted for one season.
- Ladybugs are called “ladybirds” in England.
- The average cloud weighs 1.1 million pounds. But the weight is distributed across such a big space, it still floats.
- If you commit any crime at sea, you are, by definition, a pirate.
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GOOD NEWS
The owners of an Indian restaurant in Edmonton have given out over 32,000 free meals since the pandemic started.
And they’re still doing 100 meals a day.
People in the community have been donating to partially cover the cost of it. (Here’s the manager talking about the kinds of meals they make.)
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BIRTHDAYS
[67] Dennis Quaid, actor
[31] Kristen Stewart, actress (“Twilight Saga” films, “Snow White & The Huntsman”)
[22] Elle Fanning, actress (“Maleficent”, “Super 8”)/younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning.
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DONATING BLOOD
A 19-year-old in northern California named Mary Robertson donated blood earlier this month.
But she left before the nurses cleared her to . . . and then passed out on her way home, and drove into a lake.
Luckily, she made it out of the car before it went under.
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FRIDAY APRIL 9TH
- NJD 6 – BUF 3 NYI 3 – PHI 2 SO PIT 5 – NYR 2 BOS 4 – WSH 2
CAR 3 – FLA 0 TBL 6 – CBJ 4 WPG 4 – MTL 2 EDM 3 – OTT 1
NSH 7 – DET 1 DAL 5 – CHI 1
LA Angels 7 Blue Jays 5
The Mets beat the Marlins yesterday after a botched call, where Michael Conforto was hit by a pitch. He WAS hit, but it was also a strike, and he should’ve been out. Some people think he stuck out his elbow on purpose. (Here’s the play.)
- A 62-year-old ambulance driver in the U.K. spenta full year fighting COVID and had to learn to walk again, but recovered. So his paramedic friends brought in a bagpiper to welcome him back to work this week.
- William Shatner is having an AI version of himself madeso friends and family can talk to him when he’s gone. Nothing creepy about that. (He’s a brand ambassador for StoryFile.)
- Here’s comedian Keith Alberstadt on a harmless prank . . . at least to most.
In Honor of National Pet Day, Here Are the 10 Most Popular Pets
Sunday is National Pet Day, so that’s a chance to be even MORE obsessed with your pet than normal.
Here are the results of a survey in honor of the holiday . . .
- The most popular pet in the U.S. is . . . a dog. 45% of people who own a pet have a dog. Cats are second, at 30%.
- The rest of the 10 most popular pets are: Fish . . . birds . . . hamsters or gerbils . . . horses . . . snakes . . . guinea pigs . . . lizards . . . and tarantulas. Yes, around 1% of people who own a pet have a pet tarantula.
- 10% say their pet is their best friend.
- 11% of people say they specifically “hang out” with their pets.
- And finally, 10% have conversations with their pets.
JIMMIE ALLEN, GABBY BARRETT EARLY ACM AWARDS WINNERS
Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett are both early ACM Awards winners, being named New Male Artist of the Year and New Female Artist of the Year, respectively. Keith Urban surprised them both with a personalized video card in where he shared the good news yesterday (Thursday, April 8th). They will both perform live on the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 18th on CBS.
Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton will co-host the awards for the first time together. Keith hosted solo last year.
LUKE BRYAN RELEASES DELUXE EDITION OF ‘BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE’ TODAY
Luke Bryan released the deluxe version of his latest album, Born Here Live Here Die Here, today (Friday, April 9th). The Deluxe Edition features the original 10 tracks along with six new songs that Luke tells he just couldn’t wait to share with fans. [“You know, when we put Born Here Live Here Die Here, the original album out, and then because of COVID and stuff, we already had three number ones, and I’m like, we put 10 on this album, when I look at some of these songs that I’ve written, I wrote ‘em and they’re on my brain now, and it’s like, I don’t want to sit on ‘em and hold ‘em for a new project. I’ve got the songs that I love. I got the songs that I’m proud of that tell the story of where I’m at right now, and there’s no need for fans not to hear ‘em right now.”]
Born Here Live Here Die Here was originally set to be released last April, but due to the pandemic, the project was moved to August. It includes four Number One hits so far with “Knockin’ Boots,” “What She Wants Tonight,” “One Margarita” and “Down To One,” which landed as Luke’s 26th career chart-topping single.
MIRANDA LAMBERT LOVES SPENDING TIME ON HER ‘FREEDOM WAGON’
Miranda Lambert and her husband, Brendan McLoughlin, spent most of 2020 touring around the country in their beloved Airstream and sharing their sights and experiences along the way on social media. Miranda tells us that road-tripping in the Airstream is one of her favorite things to do. [“We love to take our Airstream on road trips. We bought the Airstream at the beginning of 2020 and were like this was a good way for us to get around safely and also to see the world. You know, I’ve been a lot of places but I don’t get to spend a lot of time in those places so it’s been really fun to experience that with him. Just kinda take off and go wherever we want to. I call our Airstream the “Freedom Wagon” because it gets me out and it kinda – it gives me that travel fix that I’ve been missing since I have not been on the road.”]
Miranda will finally return to the road later this month for five shows at Billy Bob’s Fort Worth beginning on April 22nd.
