Sterling K. Brown reveals the touching reason he stopped going by his middle name
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Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Joan Anderson, unsung heroine of hula hoop history, dies at 101
'Everyone was having such fun,' she added, 'I thought, 'I'd like to do that, too.'' Back in Los Angeles, Ms. Anderson asked her mother to mail her one of the rings from Australia, and it soon brought joy to the Anderson household. Her children played with it. Ms. Anderson swerved it around her hips for friends at dinner parties. When someone told her that it looked as if she was 'doing the hula,' the traditional Hawaiian dance, Ms. Anderson was struck with inspiration. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up She named the object the hula hoop. Advertisement What transpired next would place Ms. Anderson at the center of what she described as an American tale of shattered dreams and promises, a business deal made on a handshake, and, eventually, a lawsuit. Ms. Anderson died July 14 at a nursing facility in Carlsbad, Calif., north of San Diego. She was 101. Her daughter, Loralyn Willis, announced the death. The hubbub over the hoop started when her husband, Wayne, saw opportunity in the object and decided to pitch it to Wham-O, a toy company that soon became known for the Frisbee. As it happened, he was acquainted with one of Wham-O's founders, Arthur Melin, known as Spud, so he arranged a meeting. Advertisement The encounter, she recalled, occurred in a parking lot outside Wham-O's offices in San Gabriel, Calif. The Andersons opened up the trunk of their car and took out the hoop. 'There were no witnesses,' Ms. Anderson said in the documentary. 'Just Spud and my husband and myself.' 'We told him, 'We've called it the hula hoop,'' she continued. 'He said: 'Looks like it has some merit. If it makes money for us, it's going to make money for you.'' The deal was sealed with what Ms. Anderson characterized as a 'gentleman's handshake' and nothing more. Wham-O began experimenting with the hoop, developing a plastic version of it and trying it out on children at a Pasadena, Calif., elementary school. The company also started giving them away to generate buzz. By the time Wham-O was selling the hoop, lines were forming outside department stores. As the popularity of what Wham-O trademarked as the Hula Hoop grew, Ms. Anderson said, she and her husband heard less and less from Melin. 'We called Spud and asked him what was going on, and he kept putting us off,' she said. 'Then they just ignored us.' The hoop quickly became a national sensation. From Ms. Anderson's home in the suburbs of Monterey Park, Calif., she watched as newspapers landed on her porch with headlines like 'Hula-Hoop Sales Soar to $30 Million in 2 Months.' Over the years, stories about Wham-O's success sometimes spoke of a 'friend' visiting from Australia who first told the company about the hoop. 'I think that bugged me more than anything,' Ms. Anderson said. 'It was never reported correctly at all. I was not a 'friend.'' Advertisement In 1961, the Andersons filed a lawsuit against Wham-O. But the company presented records demonstrating its own woes. Just as quickly as the Hula Hoop sensation took off, it swiftly ended, entering the annals of American fads. Wham-O was left with heaps of unsold hoops and argued that it had not made a profit after production costs. The case concluded in a settlement, and the Andersons walked away with just a few thousand dollars. The couple moved on with their lives. Wham-O went on to release the SuperBall, the Slip 'N Slide ,and Silly String. Melin died in 2002. (Wham-O was sold in 1982 to the Kransco Group Cos. for $12 million. It was later sold to Mattel, which then sold it to a group of investors, and it has continued changing hands ever since.) 'We often talked about the money we could have made from it and maybe changed our life a little bit,' Ms. Anderson said in the documentary, 'but it didn't work out that way.' 'The world isn't fair. But life goes on.' Joan Constance Manning was born Dec. 28, 1923, in Sydney to Claude and Ethel (Hallandal) Manning. Her father was a real estate broker. As a young woman, Joan was a swimsuit model known as the 'Pocket Venus' because she was 5 feet 2 inches tall. In 1945, Wayne Anderson, a US Army pilot on leave from duty, approached Joan on Bondi Beach. They married a few months later and moved to California. Anderson, who went on to run a prosperous woodwork machine manufacturing business, died in 2007. Advertisement In addition to her daughter, Loralyn, Ms. Anderson is survived by two sons, Warren and Gary, and six grandchildren. Another son, Carl, died in 2023. Over the years, Ms. Anderson's brush with hula hoop history faded into family lore. When her children grew up, they sent letters about her story to Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, but nothing came of it. Fate intervened in 2016, when Ms. Anderson's daughter was recounting the story to coworkers while dining at a restaurant in La Mesa, near San Diego. At a table nearby, eavesdropping, was the mother of Amy Hill, a filmmaker. She asked for her telephone number and passed it along it to Hill. Intrigued by the tip, Hill began vetting the story with her husband and collaborator, Chris Riess. They decided to pursue the project and interviewed Ms. Anderson at La Costa Glen, the retirement community where she lived. The resulting short documentary, 'Hula Girl,' premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. At 94, Ms. Anderson flew to New York to promote the film, and a writer for Vogue interviewed her for an article. The documentary was also shown at the Sydney Film Festival and received coverage in The Atlantic and Smithsonian magazine. It was screened as well for Ms. Anderson's fellow residents at La Costa Glen. Her friends watched in fascination as they learned about her connection to the hula hoop. At La Costa Glen, Ms. Anderson stayed fit by swimming every week and taking ballroom dancing lessons. She also became a formidable bridge player. And in her apartment, she kept the original wood hoop that her mother had mailed to her from Australia, although it mostly sat collecting dust. Advertisement 'I do it once in a while for exercise,' she said, 'but not as much as I should.' This article originally appeared in
Black America Web
a day ago
- Black America Web
Stevie Wonder Clears the Air on Blindness Rumors
Source: Justin Engelhardt / Radio-One Stevie Wonder recently addressed the long-standing rumor questioning his blindness during a stop on his 'Love, Light and Song' U.K. tour in Cardiff, Wales, as reported by Variety. Speaking to the audience on July 9, Wonder tackled the speculation with his signature humor and grace. In footage captured by fans, Wonder joked about the persistent rumors, saying, 'When did I want to let the world know this? But I wanted to say it right now.' He acknowledged the chatter about his ability to see, earning laughs from the crowd, before delivering a heartfelt response: 'Seriously, you know the truth.' Wonder clarified his condition, stating, 'Shortly after my birth, I became blind. Now, that was a blessing because it's allowed me to see the world in the vision of truth, of sight. See people in the spirit of them, not how they look. Not what color they are, but what color is their spirit?' The rumors, which have circulated for decades, have even been fueled by celebrities. Lionel Richie once joked on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' about an incident where Wonder pretended to drive a car, leaving Richie momentarily stunned. Wonder's playful sense of humor has often added fuel to the fire, but his recent remarks in Wales offered a poignant perspective on his life and vision. By addressing the rumors head-on, Wonder reminded fans of his unique ability to see beyond physical appearances, focusing instead on the spirit and essence of people. His words resonated deeply, showcasing the wisdom and perspective that have made him a beloved icon for generations. RELATED: 1974: Stevie Wonder Makes History… Again | Black Music Month SEE ALSO Stevie Wonder Clears the Air on Blindness Rumors was originally published on
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Sydney Sweeney is a meme stock icon now
An American Eagle ad campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney has sent the apparel company's stock soaring. Retail traders on Wall Street Bets piled in, with the stock rising as much as 12%. American Eagle joins the ranks of other meme stocks that spiked this week, like Opendoor and Krispy Kreme. Roaring Kitty. Ryan Cohen. Sydney Sweeney? It may not seem like the famous actor has much in common with the most famous retail trader folk heroes, but Sweeney on Thursday was the unlikely catalyst of a sudden stock surge. An American Eagle ad featuring the actor went viral on the internet on Wednesday, attracting the attention of not only the clothing retailer's fans but also the Wall Street Bets crowd, sending shares of the company surging. The campaign, titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," is tailored toward drawing in the brand's Gen Z customer base. The company's stock spiked as much as 12% on Thursday. "$AEO Who doesn't like Sydney Sweeney. That's my DD," one Reddit user said, sharing a captioned screenshot showing a position of 20,000 shares in American Eagle opened on Thursday. American Eagle shares some characteristics with its meme stock brethren: its short interest level is elevated at around 12% of the total float. That makes the stock a promising target for retail investors looking for a short squeeze. That puts it among the DORKs—Krispy Kreme, Opendoor, Rocket Lab, and Kohl's—which all rallied this week. And like Opendoor and the others, American Eagle's business has been challenged. The new ad campaign featuring Sweeney is part of the apparel company's move to revitalize the brand amid stiff competition and caution from consumers due to lingering economic uncertainty. The company's most recent earnings report showed a 5% drop in revenue, and American Eagle has pulled forward guidance. Despite the recent rally, the stock is still down 32% year-to-date. But at the end of the day, the rise of particular meme stocks might not have much rhyme or reason. For the retail traders piling in, the investment thesis is simple: they think Sweeney is hot. "I'm going in too, it's a meme world now. 🌎🔥," another Redditor commented. Read the original article on Business Insider Sign in to access your portfolio
