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:
JORDAN COX DEAD: FORMER HULL KR AND WARRINGTON WOLVES FORWARD DIES AGED 27
Rugby League forward Jordan Cox, formerly of Hull KR and Warrington, has died at the age of 27. The Rugby League Benevolent Fund announced the news of Cox’s death, saying it occurred “at home, in Hull, in circumstances believed to be non-suspicious and not related to the current public health situation.” Cox started his career with hometown club Hull KR and went on to play for Warrington, Sheffield, York and Doncaster. KR owner Neil Hudgell paid his tributes to Cox, saying: “Jordan’s passing has come as a terrible shock to us all at the club. I last saw him at a reserves game and exchanged a few jokey one liners with him. Jordan always seemed so full of life and spirit and his loss is so sad. I’d like to express my sincere condolences to his mum, girlfriend and family at this awful time.” Warrington chief executive Karl Fitzpatrick said: “During his brief spell at Warrington, Jordan was an incredibly popular member of the team and a real character in the dressing room. He will be sorely missed by everyone at the club and in the rugby league family. Our deepest condolences go out to Jordan’s family and friends at this devastating time.”
COMMENTARY: I don’t know much about Jordan Cox or the Rugby League, but this was a trending topic that I wanted to see how you would respond to. Based on your response, I will have some research to do for a very popular story that is sure to make the Weekly Wrap-Up. [SOURCE: standard.co.uk]
INCREASINGLY DESPERATE ALEX JONES SAYS HE WILL KILL AND EAT HIS NEIGHBORS
Alex Jones seemingly hasn’t been doing so well lately. Things are so tough that he has pivoted to talking about his imminent cannibalism, and how he will kill and eat his neighbors. “You think I like sizing up my neighbor, how I’m gonna haul him up by a chain? Chop his ass up? I’ll do it. My children aren’t going hungry,” Jones said on a recent episode of his live streamed radio show. He reiterated how he’s ready to resort to cannibalism several times. “I’ll admit it. I will eat my neighbors … I’m just gonna be honest … I’m literally looking at my neighbors now going ‘Am I ready to hang them up and gut them and skin them and chop them up?’ and you know what, I’m ready … I’ll eat my neighbors … I’ll eat your ass, I will,” he added, nodding. The cannibalism clip is a stark reminder of how far Jones has fallen and what Jones always was—a doomsday carnival barker selling outrage to the gullible who, briefly, amassed an outsized amount of cultural cache.
COMMENTARY: Any news involving Alex Jones is usually disturbing. From an entertainment standpoint, I understand who he still exists and still has his reach of followers, but the followers are among the most gullible people who are just searching for someone to tell them what is what. Its in the stories that Jones obsesses over that is the real problem. [SOURCE: vice.com]
‘TODAY’ SHOW STARS HODA KOTB AND SAVANNAH GUTHRIE APOLOGIZE TO MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY
Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb had a major “oops!” moment during a Today show commercial break this week. The NBC co-stars unintentionally made things awkward on Tuesday after they were caught gushing about actor Matthew McConaughey while briefly off the air. The Oscar-winning actor appeared on Today to talk about his new public service announcement about the importance of wearing face masks. But before Matthew started discussing his PSA, apparently Hoda and Savannah made some comments about the actor during a commercial break, not knowing that Dallas Buyers Club star could hear them. As you can imagine, it made the return from the commercial break cringe-y (though, Craig Melvin and Al Roker got a good kick out of it). “Savannah and I were having a little conversation during the commercial break, and Matthew was listening, so we’d like to apologize,” Hoda said while laughing. Savannah then added, “Yeah, it was embarrassing. Matthew, sorry you had to hear us talking about you that way, but it’s all good.” Meanwhile, Matthew just smiled and assured the Today co-hosts that he didn’t mind.
COMMENTARY: When you work around microphones and cameras, you assume they are always on and someone is always listening and watching. ‘Hot mic’ moments are usually harmless, just like this one, and becomes a good laugh between all involved. Except when they are not. [SOURCE: goodhousekeeping.com]
CARMEN ELECTRA PORNHUB SEARCHES SKYROCKET AFTER ‘LAST DANCE’ APPEARANCE
Carmen Electra’s appearance on “The Last Dance” left some fans wanting more of her, uh, content, this week … which translated to some HUGE search numbers on one of the world’s biggest XXX sites. Of course, the former Baywatch bombshell and Playboy model popped up on the uber-popular ESPN doc to discuss her relationship with Dennis Rodman … which included an infamous mid-season vacation to Vegas. Oh, yeah … and the time Michael freaking Jordan barged in on them in bed together. Good stuff. Electra’s appearance on the doc was pretty memorable for several reasons … which inspired some eager viewers to do more “research” on the sex symbol. Pornhub tells TMZ Sports … demand for Electra was ENORMOUS this week … with more than 1.7 MILLION searches for videos related to her. To compare … there were just 14,796 searches the day the show aired … and then they shot up to 393,000 the day after. But, the biggest day came on April 28, with more than 588,00 searches!!
COMMENTARY: The magic of the modern internet and the things that gain our attention are both . . . amazing. As the full articles says,” Remember to clear your browser history, folks.” [SOURCE: tmz.com]
CORONAVIRUS: NEW YORK CITY TO OPEN STREETS TO PEDESTRIANS AS THE WEATHER WARMS
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Friday the city plans to open 40 miles of streets in May and nearly 100 miles over the course of the city’s Covid-19 outbreak to pedestrians as the weather warms. He said the city will start opening streets to pedestrians on Monday, with 4.5 miles of streets opening inside the city’s parks and 2.7 miles of streets adjacent to parks. The plan is in coordination with the New York City Council, he said. However, de Blasio added that the city will monitor the area to ensure people are still following social distancing guidelines and are wearing face coverings. Polly Trottenberg, commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, said the department worked with the New York Police Department, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the New York City Fire Department to select which streets would close. De Blasio also warned against protesters who want to reopen the city and ease social distancing guidelines, saying that history has proven that declaring victory prematurely can be a “very dangerous thing.” He said New York City has not yet won its battle against the coronavirus outbreak.
COMMENTARY: We can’t be held back forever, and the city of New York trying to get back to normal is a great sign of the nation learning from this ordeal. But as the mayor stated in the article, this operation must be taken with extreme caution, and lay people have to buy in on the precautions that are beng leveled. [SOURCE: cnbc.com]
NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR ORDERS ROADS CLOSED TO CITY OF GALLUP IN EFFORT TO STOP CORONAVIRUS SPREAD
New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham invoked the state’s Riot Control Act to slow the spread of coronavirus and sealed off the roads into and out of the hard-hit city of Gallup, she announced Friday. To help control a surging outbreak in the city, the Democratic governor locked down the city at the request of Gallup’s mayor, Grisham said in a news release. The Riot Control Act allows the state’s governor to enact temporary restrictions under a state of emergency, including prohibiting residents from being on public streets and the use of certain streets and highways. Beginning noon Friday, all roads into the city were shut down and businesses were required to close from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. in the city of 22,000. Additionally, only two people are allowed in a vehicle at the same time. The governor said residents should shelter in place “unless absolutely necessary for health or safety or a medical emergency.” Anyone who fails to comply with the restrictions will be found guilty of a misdemeanor, or a fourth-degree felony if they are found to be breaking the rules more than once. The city’s lockdown will expire May 4, as the Riot Control Act terminates automatically at noon on the third day after it becomes effective.
COMMENTARY: In contrast to the previous story on New York City trying to open up despite its still high numbers of COVID-19 cases, New Mexico is leveling a Wuhan-like quarantine on the city of Gallup. It may not be a total lockdown, but it shows that some areas have a better handle of the virus and its effects than others. [SOURCE: foxnews.com]
ADULTS IN SPAIN GET A BIT OF SUNSHINE AS CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN PARTIALLY LIFTS
After waiting out a seven-week coronavirus lockdown and some of the strictest social distancing measures in Western Europe, adults in Spain are being allowed out to play at last. On Saturday, six days after Spanish children got the chance to exercise outside, authorities offered their counterparts above the age of 14 the opportunity to do the same for the first time since mid-March. Many across the country enjoyed a balmy spring day, putting on running shoes, breaking out bicycles or simply slipping on a mask and heading out for a walk after the national government in Madrid lifted its ban on nonessential outdoor activities. Spain has so far suffered one of Europe’s worst outbreaks, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, with more than 213,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and a death toll of more than 24,500 linked to COVID-19, as of late Saturday afternoon. In a desperate attempt to slow the spread of the disease, Spanish authorities declared a state of emergency as of March 14, threatening fines of more than $1,000 for anyone who left their home for any activity but those deemed essential, such as visits to the market or pharmacy. The rules have proven effective, as the number of new cases reported each day in the country has begun to taper and the COVID-19 fatality rate has recently fallen. But they have also chafed at a population increasingly desperate for outdoor activity. By last Sunday, under pressure from parents and pediatricians, authorities had relented on their blanket ban on children under 14 leaving the house. Lawmakers partially lifted the ban as part of legislation extending the state of emergency through May 10.
COMMENTARY: Again, a perspective of an area re-opening after taking on the coronavirus threat. This is a full nation, Spain, that went in heavy on its response. Some places are getting it right (or at least seem like they are getting it right), some are woefully just not getting it. [SOURCE: npr.org]
SAM LLOYD, ACTOR ON ‘SCRUBS,’ DIES AT 56
Sam Lloyd, best known for his role as downtrodden lawyer Ted Buckland on “Scrubs,” has died. He was 56. Lloyd was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor last year, which was revealed in a GoFundMe campaign that was launched by “Scrubs” producer Tom Hobert and his wife. Lloyd appeared in 95 episodes during the longrunning medical comedy’s run on NBC and ABC. He reprised the role briefly in Lawrence’s other series, “Cougar Town.” A veteran character actor Lloyd has more than 60 credits to his name across a 30-year career. He made appearances in TV shows including “Desperate Housewives,” “Happy Together,” “Shameless,” “Modern Family,” “Spin City” and “Seinfeld.” In films, Lloyd can be seen in “Galaxy Quest” and “Flubber.” Lloyd was also a musician, even playing his guitar during an episode of “Scrubs.”
COMMENTARY: This was a story that took me a few shots of getting into the feeds, including sending this link to drafts and learning of my error hours later. Sam Lloyd was a character actor that definitely resonated with all of you. [SOURCE: msn.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.
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