ON THIS DAY
On this date in 1859 the first daring young man appeared on a flying trapeze. He flew through the air with the greatest of ease. I feel a song coming on.
In 1892, "Pudge" Heffelfinger became the first-ever professional football player by accepting $25 for travel and a $500 bonus.
On this date in 1933, two professional football teams did something that no teams had done before: played on a Sunday!
In 1946, the very first artificial snow was created at a ski area.
Former "Friends" star David Schwimmer turns 43. Megan Mullally, Karen from "Will & Grace," hits 51 today.
National Sundae Day -- the first ice cream sundae was said to be served by accident way back in 1881. Druggist Edward Berner of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, couldn't serve flavored soda water on the Sabbath so he compromised and put ice cream in a dish and poured the syrup on top. It was called an ice cream Sunday. The spelling was later changed to "sundae."
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Aaron Carter danced his way home this week on "Dancing with the Stars." Just four teams left.
- Former "Apprentice" contestant, Omarosa, is getting her own reality TV show about dating, called "Omarosa's Ultimate Merger."
- Sexy Eva Mendes has posed nearly naked in a giant, city-blcok sized billboard ad for Calvin Klein in the trendy SoHo neighborhood of New York City. AOL's PopEater reports that Eva is wearing a sheer bra and tugging at the skimpy briefs worn by an equally sweaty male model.
- Shaquille O'Neal's wife has filed for a separation and says she's heading to a divorce.
- Oh no. Men who are in their 40s and smoke, have high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol will likely die 10 years earlier than their healthier friends, according to a study by researchers at the University of Oxford in England.
- Lindsay Lohan's mom says that Lindsay was dating Heath Ledger at the time of his death.
- Nicolas Cage is suing his ex-manager because of his current money woes, but some are saying he didn't help his own cause. For example, did Nick really need to out-bid Leonardo DiCaprio and buy that dinosaur skull for $276,000?
- Steven Tyler says he isn't leaving Aerosmith. Tyler made a surprise appearance with guitarist Joe Perry and his band Tuesday night at a New York City venue.
- This year's World Series was a huge ratings hit, drawing an average of over 19 million viewers per game. That's an increase of more than 6 million per game over last year.
- ABC has canceled "Eastwick," a show based on the John Updike novel "The Witches of Eastwick."
- The final price tag on Michael Jackson's funeral has passed the $1 million mark.
- Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood has been divorced by his wife of 24 years on the grounds of adultery. Oh really? Do tell. The 62-year-old guitarist married Jo Wood, a 54-year-old former model in 1985 and they have two children together.
- Tiger Woods is among the golfers down under competing this weekend in the Australian Masters.
- An arrest warrant has been dropped for actor Randy Quaid and his wife, Evi, who are accused of stiffing a Santa Barbara County hotel on a $10,000 bill. Prosecutor Lee Carter says the warrant was recalled after the Quaids posted bail of $20,000 each last week.
- Former Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa is looking lighter these days. He says it's due to some skin rejuvenation treatments he's undergone.
- American Idol runner-up David Archuleta already has a Christmas album out.
"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell, creator of "America's Got Talent," is the top earning man on prime-time U.S. television with an estimated haul of $75 million reports Forbes.com.
- Simon Cowell, $75 million
- Donald Trump, $50 million
- Ryan Seacrest, $38 million
- Charlie Sheen, $21 million
- Steve Carell, $20 million
- Howie Mandel, $15 million
- Kiefer Sutherland, $13 million
- Jeff Foxworthy, $11 million
- Hugh Laurie, $10 million
- David Caruso, $9 million
Miley Cyrus, 16, was named 2009's worst celebrity influence by readers of AOL's teen pop-culture blog, according to JSYK.com. Cyrus earned 42 percent of the vote, edging out competitors such as Britney Spears and Kanye West. Editors at the site attributed the win to her scandalous pole dance routine at the Teen Choice Awards. (Us Weekly)
Also from Us Weekly, stars break the bank with thanks while others stiff their servers:
- President Barack Obama - Total check $2.00, tip $18.00 that's 900%
- Tom Cruise - Total check $8.00, tip $50.00 that's 625%
- Drew Barrymore - Total for drinks she always tips 100%
- Jay-Z - Total check $1,200.00, tip $500.00 that's 42%
- Britney Spears - Total for meals she always tips 20%
- Madonna - Total for dinners she has tipped less than 5%
- Kate Hudson - Total check $10.00, tipped nothing.
Compared with men, women lose more sleep to job and family worries, a study shows. When those two demands increase, women scale back on leisure time more than men do and sleep is part of that sacrifice, says study author David Maume, Ph.D. of the University of Cincinnati. (Men's Health)
