Ahhhh good morning! Thanks for choosing to #ReadThisFIRST on a morning when so many people were up late to celebrate the spectacle that was the TONY AWARDS!
ICYMI: Here's what you need to know... or missed... last night:
Hadestown, a musical based on a Greek myth, was the big winner of the Tony Awards Sunday night, taking home eight awards including Best Musical.
The show, broadcast live on CBS from Radio City Music Hall in New York, was hosted by James Corden.
Another highlight was Ali Stoker's win for her role in the revival ofOklahoma!, which made her the first actor in a wheelchair to receive a Tony.
The jukebox musicalsAin't Too Proud: the Life and Times of the Temptations and The Cher Show were shut out of the major categories but picked up honors elsewhere. Ain't Too Proud's Sergio Trujillo won the award for Best Choreography, while Cher's long-time designer Bob Mackie won Best Costume Design of a Musical for his work on The Cher Show, which also features the designer as a character. (The New York Times)
And now... to the OTHER STUFF I'm blabbing about on an iHeartRadio-enabled device near you today...
The Top 5 movies this weekend:
- The Secret Life of Pets 2- $47.1 million
- Dark Phoenix- $33 million
- Aladdin- $24.5 million
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters- $15.5 million
- Rocketman- $14 million
Godzilla may be the king of the monsters, but the ol' guy took it on the nose this week.Godzilla: King of the Monsters lost more than two-thirds of its opening-weekend box office revenue, sinking from the top spot to number-four. It was replaced in the number-one spot by The Secret Life of Pets 2, an animated sequel whose $47-million still leaves it with a long way to go to match the 2016 original's $368-million haul.
Also new this week, at number-two, is the super-hero movie Dark Phoenix, which took in a less than super-heroic $33 million. In fact, it was by far the weakest opening for any of the 12 films in the X-Men franchise.
Will Smith's Aladdin wished up another $24.5 million, bringing the film's three-week total to $232 million, which puts it in third place for the year, behind Avengers: Endgame and Captain Marvel.
Bringing up the rear is Rocketman, the Elton John music film which only did a little more than half of its first-weekend business. Still, the accumulation of more than $50 million in revenue puts it ninth on the list of musical bio-pics.
TODAY’S TOPICS:
Working from home becoming more common… The number of people working from home has skyrocketed in the last two decades. According to a survey by TrueCar, 62% more people are working remotely now compared to 2000. No surprise … The survey found that working from home benefits both the employee and the employer. Workers don’t have to deal with long commutes, and businesses have reduced operational costs and access to talented employees from all over the country. (The Ladders)
Does being part of a bridal party put a dent in your bank account? A survey by CompareCards found that 33% of bridal party members had to go into debt for their friend’s wedding. And for maids of honor and best men the number was even higher – 43% and 38% respectively. Clothing was the most expensive purchase for 32% of bridal party members, followed by the bachelor or bachelorette party (29%), and traveling to and from the wedding (25%). The survey found that a third people who have been in a wedding in the last two years say they regret the money they spent on it. Maids of honors were most likely to regret the wedding-related expenses (44%).
Can you guess what the most stressed city in the country is? Nope, it’s not New York. According to a new survey, Los Angeles is the most stressed city in the U.S. 76% of Los Angeles residents said they are at least somewhat stressed every day. And L.A. residents are also most likely to claim their city is the hardest to live in out of every city in the country (61%). New York was second, with 72% of respondents saying they were at least somewhat stressed on a daily basis. Thanks to the TrueCar.com team for this report!
Here are the Top 5 Most Stressed Cities:
- Los Angeles – 76%
- New York – 72%
- Chicago – 65%
- Miami – 64%
- Dallas – 48% (SWNS)
Speaking of stress… A new study has found that dog owners can actually transfer their stress onto their dogs. There is a close bond between dogs and their owners, and the research found that when dog owners go through long bouts of stress or depression, the dogs basically feel your pain. (USA Today)
Lunch shaming …Do you feel guilty or worry about what your boss or co-workers think if you actually take a lunch break? Yep, lunch shaming is apparently a thing, and according to a new survey, Millennials are nearly three times more likely than Baby Boomers to think their co-workers would judge them negatively if they took regular lunch breaks. The survey also found that Millennial bosses were twice as likely as Gen X bosses to look down on employees who took lunch breaks. (Yahoo)
TAKE A VACATION AT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
NASA has been working on a program that will allow tourists to live at the International Space Station for up to a month at a time.
If they pull this off, commercial companies will be able to lease time up there and bring people aboard, even if they don’t have any educational or scientific reason to go.
Of course, it won’t be cheap. A single trip will end up costing over $50 million. (The New York Times)
THE MOST ELIGIBLE ONLINE DATERS DRINK A LOT AND LIVE AT HOME
According to a new survey, the most eligible online daters live with their parents. And drink. A lot.
Surprisingly, dating profiles with the phrases “heavy drinker” and “living with parents” ended up getting right-swiped the most.
The survey also found it was a good strategy to reveal some personal information, such as whether they want children someday.
It seems people aren’t looking for someone who appears perfect. Instead, it’s all about being unique and memorable. (SWNS Digital)
IS DODGEBALL LEGALIZED BULLYING?
Researchers in Canadahave concluded that dodgeball is nothing more than legalized bullying and should be banned immediately.
They found that some students use dodgeball to dehumanize and harm their classmates, which turns the game into an “unethical tool of oppression.” (WTVR-TV)