These are the top maybe-not headlines from the past 84-hours presented by The Conversation Project from raw engagement data from our social media to the headlines posted over the past weekend.
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The 8 topics that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:
PUBLICIST JOYCE SEVILLA FOUND DEAD IN WEST HOLLYWOOD
A public information officer at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told The Hollywood Reporter that no suspicious activity or foul play is suspected, and a spokeswoman for the coroner said results from an autopsy are pending. Sevilla’s death sent shock waves through Hollywood on Thursday as the news found its way to friends and former colleagues, with many taking to social media to share their love of the publicist, known by her nickname “Golden Lady.” She had recently returned from a trip to Grand Cayman in the Caribbean — her birthday was Dec. 27 — where she swam with dolphins and stingrays and celebrated a love for travel.
[SOURCE: hollywoodreporter.com]
HARRY STYLES CONCERT IN MIAMI A WASHOUT AS STORM HITS AREA
The Styles show was to be held at Meridian at Island Gardens, a concert venue on Watson Island along the MacArthur Causeway between Miami and Miami Beach. Pepsi, the sponsor behind the concert, said it planned “to do what we can to make this right.” Earlier, videos posted on social media showed fans streaming out of the venue after the show was called off. Some fans were seen walking through water that appeared to be ankle-deep. Other social media posts showed the sign posted on the concert stage: “Attention: Extreme weather is approaching. Please calmly make your way to the exits now.”
[SOURCE: foxnews.com]
LEAKED MEMO SHOWS US BORDER OFFICERS WERE DIRECTED TO STOP IRAN-LINKED TRAVELERS
The single-page undated document, issued by the Tactical Analytical Unit of CBP’s Seattle Field Office, is titled “Iranian Supreme Leader Vows Forceful Revenge after US Kills Maj. General Qasem Suleimani in Baghdad — Threat Alert High.” The memo states that, among others, anyone born in Iran, Lebanon or the Palestinian territories between 1961 and 2001 should be vetted, along with anyone who has connections to those countries and territories. The focus is clearly placed on Iran and some of its potential sympathizers from the region. CBP officials have previously denied that there was any directive to question people at the border based on ethnicity after dozens of American citizens of Iranian descent said they were stopped at a port of entry in Blaine, Washington, in early January following the general’s death. Some were detained for hours and reported that they were asked detailed questions about their country of birth as well as religious affiliations and military service. Others alleged their passports and car keys had been taken by officers during questioning.
[SOURCE: cnn.com]
VANESSA BRYANT REQUESTS ITEMS LEFT BY KOBE BRYANT FANS AT STAPLES CENTER MEMORIAL
At the request of Kobe Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, she will be given some items left by the thousands of fans that came to honor her husband, daughter Gianna and seven others who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday. Lee Zeidman, the president of Staples Center, L.A. Live and Microsoft Theater, said they also will take the perishable things and compost and spread them around the complex. Zeidman said they got the idea from England’s Manchester Arena, which suffered a terrorist attack in 2017 after an Ariana Grande concert and took “all the flowers and everything and they took them all and they composted everything and they spread them around the city.”
[SOURCE: latimes.com]
HOUSTON’S DEJON JARREAU EJECTED AFTER OFFICIALS SAY HE BIT OPPONENT
With 6 minutes, 16 seconds remaining in Saturday’s game, Jarreau lost his dribble and dove for a loose ball. While on the ground fighting for the ball, it appeared as though Jarraeu bit Diarra’s right thigh. Officials reviewed the play and they also said they saw evidence of a bite on Diarra’s leg. Jarreau was given a flagrant foul 2 and ejected. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson disagreed with the officials, telling reporters after the game that Jarreau didn’t bite Diarra.
[SOURCE: espn.com]
FANS DEMAND ‘JUSTICE FOR JOHNNY DEPP’ AFTER AMBER HEARD ADMITS ‘HITTING’ ACTOR DURING FIGHT
The ongoing battle between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp was just thrown for a loop after shocking audio between the two has revealed the “Aquaman” star apparently admit to “hitting” her then-husband during one of their blowout arguments. The audio confession, which was released by The Daily Mail, is reportedly from a series of taped therapy sessions while the two movie stars tried to work through their volatile marriage issues. The 33-year-old actress is heard trying to minimize her physical altercation with Depp, however, she does admit to hitting him in some facet.
[SOURCE: theblast.com]
2 INDICTED IN SLAYING OF ATLANTA COLLEGE STUDENT ALEXIS CRAWFORD
The indictment against Barron Brantley, 21, and Jordyn Jones, 22, was announced Friday. Crawford was strangled, placed in a plastic bin and dumped at a park, police said. Crawford and Jones were roommates, and had a fight inside their apartment and Jones’ boyfriend, Brantley, got involved, court records show. Brantley strangled Crawford, and then the couple put her body into the bin and left her in a park outside Atlanta, police said. “The case has come to one of the saddest conclusions possible, and has been absolutely heartbreaking,” Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields said at a November news conference after Crawford’s body was found.
[SOURCE: usatoday.com]
OLD BAY HOT SAUCE IS HERE AND YOUR FOOD WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
The company released the limited-edition hot sauce via its online store on Wednesday and sold out within a few hours. The good news is that the folks at Old Bay are working on a restock as you’re reading this and a bunch of retailers and restaurants — like Acme, Wegmans, Safeway, and Food Lion — will also carry the spicy sauce. As of now, a 10oz bottle will set you back around $3.49. Well, it’s safe to say that fans of the salty seasoning are pretty devoted — and we don’t blame them. Imagine Old Bay hot sauce on crab legs, sprinkled into Bloody Marys, doused over chicken wings, or squirted on some mac & cheese. The possibilities are limitless and we’re hungry just imagining it.
[SOURCE: thrillist.com]
Eight Things To Talk About uses the raw engagement data from the social media engagement from The Conversation Project to generate the top-ranking headlines over the course of a weekend.
A full weeks’ data (from Friday to Friday) is compiled, weighed, and sorted to produce the content for the Wrap-Up Show with J Cleveland Payne, published every Saturday as a podcast available at ThisIsTheConversation.com or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.
To ‘participate’ in the rankings of the headlines for this newsletter or the podcast, follow the Conversation Project on social media and engage with the posts to give them more ‘votes.’ The Conversation Project can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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