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Open Casting Call For Steven Spielberg Film
The hunt is on for a young boy to star in an upcoming Steven Spielberg film. The director is looking for a young boy to play the lead role in "The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara," a historical drama he'll direct about a Jewish boy in Bologna, Italy. The film is based on the 1997 book of the same name.
An open casting call for the told was held last night in Los Angeles at American Jewish University's Colen Conference Hall. Casting directors were looking for a 6- to 9-year-old boy, "someone truly special, gifted, curious and intelligent with a mischievous streak" to star in the film that will begin shooting in Europe this April.
Source: NBC Los Angeles
Beware Of "Can You Hear Me?" Phone Scam
According to multiple news agencies, there’s a new scam going around that we need to be aware of. It’s pretty simple, but they warn it could be dangerous. A scammer calls and asks “Can you hear me?” – which sounds like a simple question that most of us would just answer “yes” to. But the scam is that caller then records you saying “yes” and uses your response to authorize credit card charges.
"You say 'yes,' it gets recorded and they say that you have agreed to something," says Susan Grant, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America. "I know that people think it's impolite to hang up, but it's a good strategy."
The most popular question seems to be “Can you hear me?” but there are other questions being used to get a “yes” response, like “Are you the homeowner?” and “Do you pay the bills?” If you do get a suspicious call, authorities advise hanging up and calling the police right away. And if you’ve gotten a call like this before, make sure you monitor your credit activity, just in case.
Here are some other tips from Fox News for avoiding this scam:
- Don’t answer the phone from numbers you do not recognize.
- Don’t give out personal information.
- Don’t confirm your number over the phone.
- Don’t answer questions over the phone.
Source: Good Housekeeping
Today is National Croissant Day
January 30th is National Croissant Day! In 1683, the Ottoman Empire conducted an attack on the city of Vienna, Austria. They failed several times to invade the city by force, and finally decided to dig a tunnel underground. However, the bakers of Vienna, working in the basement storerooms, heard the sounds of digging and alerted the army of the invasion.
For their assistance in defeating the Ottomans, the bakers received high honors. To celebrate, they baked bread in the shape of a crescent moon so that Austrians could eat the symbols of the Ottoman Empire. These crescent-shaped breads were so delicious that it became custom to serve them with morning coffee.
Over a hundred years later, Marie Antoinette, the Austrian Princess who married Louis XVI, introduced this pastry to the French, who named them “croissants.”
Dogs Love Chilling To Reggae Says Noteworthy Study
A new study published in the journal Physiology and Behavior suggests that dogs in animal shelters prefer listening to reggae and soft rock more than other musical genres.
Researchers with the Scottish SPCA and the University of Glasgow studied how different musical genres affected the stress levels of shelter dogs.
The dogs wore heart monitors while listening to different music styles, including Motown, pop and classical.
Reggae skanked its way to the on top at reducing canine stress, according to a news release.
“Overall, the response to different genres was mixed highlighting the possibility that like humans, our canine friends have their own individual music preferences,” University of Glasgow professor Neil Evans said in the release. “That being said, reggae music and soft rock showed the highest positive changes in behavior.”
Evans believes the results make a good case for piping in music into animal shelters, which can be stressful and scary to newly arrived dogs.
As a result of the study, the Scottish SPCA now plans to install sound systems into all of its kennels complete with a canine-approved playlist.
8am
Breadcrumbing: New Term For A Brutal And Age-Old Dating Tactic
These days it’s tough to keep up with all the new terms in the dating world, but one of the newest describes a very old habit: “breadcrumbing.” Not familiar? It’s the act of sending out a vague, flirty text to someone every so often, at random times, just to keep their hopes up that someday you two might actually date, even though you have no intention of really getting together.
So it’s a new name for something many of us have done, or had done to us. It’s all about keeping the false hope of dating alive. And it usually involves a brief, super casual text, along the lines of the oh so eloquent, “sup” or “what are you doing?” out of the blue, once or twice a year. No plans are made, the sender just wants to string the recipient along.
Breadcrumbing can also come in the form of the “creeper” – you know, the person who checks out your Instagram and Snapchat stories, and might throw you a “like” now and then, but they never even text. This person could also be an ex who just can’t let the past go all the way. Or someone who just wants to keep their options for the future open. Some people thrive on knowing someone out there is still sort of interested in them.
So what’s the best way to deal with breadcrumbing if it happens to you? If you’re ready to put an end to this kind of evasive communication, not responding at all sends a pretty clear message. Or you could always breadcrumb the breadcrumber with your own less enthusiastic message, if you want to string them along.
Source: POPSUGAR
Movie Theater Is Serious About Stopping Customers From Sneaking In Snacks
With the high prices movie theaters charge for popcorn and soda these days, who hasn’t tried to sneak in their own food or beverage into a theater? Well, one theater in New York City is putting their foot down when it comes to outside food and they are going to extremes to enforce their policy.
At the Cinépolis theater in Chelsea, New York, one ticket taker was seen searching through patrons’ bags with a flashlight and those who were found with outside food were kept from entering the theater. Instead, at least one moviegoer was forced to sit in a corner and wolf down her food before she was allowed in.
It’s totally understandable why someone would want to bring their own snacks to the movies, especially when you consider what a night at the theater sets you back in the Big Apple. The movie ticket itself costs $17.75, while a large (and probably stale) popcorn sells for $8.25 and a soda goes for $4.25 (and it's not much cheaper in other parts of the country).
A spokesperson for the theater insists they aren’t "snack-shaming" customers and the bag search is supposed to be for weapons, not food. “Our policy is, if a guest comes in with a large bag, it’s searched for safety reasons,” M.J. Salcido, a rep for the theater, insists. “If food is found during that search, guests are asked to finish food outside theater or bring it to their cars. That’s probably what these people encountered."
Source: New York Post
Ben & Jerry’s Introducing Three New Flavors
While ice cream may not be the first thing you think about in winter when it’s freezing cold outside, Ben & Jerry’s just may change that. The ice cream company is about to introduce three new flavors, and they sound absolutely irresistible.
The new flavors include:
- Urban Bourbon – A base of burnt caramel ice cream, with almonds, fudge flakes and bourbon caramel swirls.
- Oat of this Swirled – A base of brown sugar ice cream, mixed with fudge flakes and chunks of oatmeal cinnamon cookies.
- Truffle Kerfuffle – A vanilla ice cream base, mixed with roasted pecans, fudge flakes and salted chocolate ganache.
And you won’t have to wait too long to try these delicious delectables. All three are expected in stores and in scoop shops in mid-February.
Source: People