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NBC News
13 hours ago
- NBC News
Joan Anderson, who brought the hula hoop to the U.S. and named it, dies at 101
Joan Anderson, the woman who introduced the hula hoop to the United States and gave it its iconic name, died last month at age 101. Anderson's daughter, Loralyn Willis, confirmed her death to NBC News on Friday and said her mother passed away on July 14 at a nursing home in Carlsbad, California. Anderson's story was largely unknown until the 2018 documentary 'Hula Girl,' which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Filmmakers Chris Riess and Amy Hill brought her story to light after Hill's mother overheard it in a restaurant. Born Joan Constance Manning on Dec. 28, 1923, in Sydney, Australia, she met her husband, U.S. pilot Wayne Anderson, at Bondi Beach in 1946. They married four months later, moved to the U.S. and eventually settled in Hollywood, where Joan worked as a model, according to a biography on a website for 'Hula Girl.' After visiting family in Australia in the 1950s, Anderson noticed a toy hoop craze sweeping the country. Curious, she asked her mother to send her one. When it arrived, even the deliveryman questioned why it had come so far. According to the documentary, Joan and Wayne played with it for months before showing it to friends. At a dinner party, someone commented that it looked like doing the hula, to which Joan replied, 'There's the name — hula hoop.' The couple introduced the hoop to Arthur 'Spud' Melin, the co-founder of Wham-O. The meeting was informal — no paperwork, just a handshake, according to Anderson. 'We were very naive,' Anderson said in 'Hula Girl.' Wham-O went on to make millions. The Andersons sued and settled in 1961 for under $6,000 after legal fees. 'They never acknowledged who gave them the hula hoop,' Anderson said in the film. 'I think that bugged me more than anything. That's about the biggest lie I've ever heard.' Despite the outcome, Anderson and her husband used the settlement money to start a successful manufacturing business. 'We let it go and just went on with our lives.' Anderson said in 'Hula Girl.' 'Why be angry with something you can't change.' Hill, the filmmaker who co-directed 'Hula Girl,' said Anderson's story resonated far beyond the toy's origin. 'We use the word 'revenge' because she says that in the film,' Hill said, referring to a moment in the film when Anderson said happiness is the best revenge. 'But it's more than that. It's just a life well lived. It's living your best life in spite of a setback.' Anderson is survived by her daughter, two sons and six grandchildren.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Today,' ‘GMA' & ‘CBS Mornings' Ratings Show Dramatic Swing
The latest morning news ratings have seen a surprising swing towards ABC News, with Good Morning America landing in the top spot in both total viewers and the key demo for the first time in almost two years. According to AdWeek, citing live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen for the week of July 21, GMA knocked NBC News' Today show from its longtime spot at the top of the ratings charts. GMA averaged 2.625 million total viewers and 481,000 viewers in the coveted Adults 25-54 demo, marking the first time since the week of August 7, 2023, the show has held the top spot in both measured categories. Compared to the week prior, GMA was up 1% in total viewers and 8% in the key demo. The show also held up well compared to the same week in 2024 (the week of July 22), remaining flat in the demo and down just 1% in total viewers. The Today show fell to second place in both total viewers and demo, with 2.297 million total viewers and 474,000 in the demo. Compared to the week before, Today was down 5% in total viewers and 10% in the demo. The show was also down on 2024, with -12% in total viewers and -20% in the key demo. CBS Mornings occupied the third spot with 1.8 million total viewers and 287,000 viewers in the demo for the week of July 21. While the show was down 2% in total viewers on the week prior, it was up 11% in the demo, making it the only network to gain double-digit improvements. However, compared to 2024, CBS Mornings was down 10% in total viewers and 20% in the demo. GMA is hosted by , , , and , with as contributor. Meanwhile, Today is helmed by , (who replaced Hoda Kotb back in January), , , , , and . CBS Mornings is hosted by , , and Tony Dokoupil, with Vladimir Duthiers and Adriana Diaz serving as fill-ins. , Weekdays, 7am/6c, ABC , Weekdays, 7am/6c, NBC , Weekdays, 7am/6c, CBS Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Baloney about Blue Angels, biting in the office, and more. July's seven craziest stories
Yes, America, it's been another truly crazy month. July featured big, beautiful bills and bigger freakouts. We had the collective media breakdown over the cancellation of Stephen Colbert. Another about President Donald Trump defunding PBS and NPR. And then one about a jeans ad. More on all three of those below. But oddly enough, two of the strangest stories came from the legal profession, including one involving cats. 1 Catastrophic attack: The left hates the military, even some of the best of the military. Their latest campaign is to ground the Blue Angels. The Blue Angels, for the 12 people who have never heard of them, are acrobatic pilots who exemplify some of the best the military has to offer by performing death-defying maneuvers flying as close as 18 inches from one another. Eleven million Americans see the incredible flying of the Blue Angels each year. Leftist climate loons can't stand that. They are running a campaign to stop the historic show, at least in their insane neck of the woods, complete with billboards. They are even resorting to cat lawsuits. Here's a bit from a ridiculous NBC News story: "The final days of a Seattle cat were spent in 'terror' due to flyovers by Blue Angels fighter pilots, before squadron leaders blocked the feline's human mother on social media in an act of 'cowardly censorship,' she said in a lawsuit filed this week." NBC News says the author of the lawsuit, a paralegal, whined about the fliers last year on Instagram, "Nobody gives a f--- about your stupid little planes." Except for 11 million people. 2. F-bombs galore: One of the month's freakouts featured the embarrassing behavior of media liberals willing to debase themselves to keep Colbert employed, though his show lost tens of millions of dollars and wasn't funny. The worst of these came from his buddy and former coworker Jon Stewart. Stewart mocked the network (which shares the same corporate owners as his own Comedy Central) for not trying to save their late-night show and for "killing a show that you know rankled a fragile and vengeful president." Half of the segment was classic Stewart with a degree of self-deprecating humor. Then he launched into song, complete with backup singers, telling the network, "Just go f--- yourself." Counting the singers repeating his mantra, the segment featured at least 35 or so F-bombs. That's what the left is down to, they are losing so badly that all they can do is F-bomb like kids who learned a naughty word. Besides, Jason Mewes did it better. 3. Big law bites: Law has often been described as swimming with the sharks. But leave it to a young associate to put that metaphor into action – like the shark out of "Jaws." A summer associate at the prestigious Sidley Austin law firm reportedly lost her job because of her eating habits. According to Above The Law, "a Biglaw summer associate bit people at the firm — with her teeth." The site termed her the "Biglaw Biter" after rejecting several other options including, "Associate Lecter." The site reported that five people were bitten and with "a faux-quirky manic pixie dream girl crossed with the Donner party vibe." Ah, the joys of telecommuting. 4. Misreading history: Those of us who like history find it hard to reconcile the amazing stuff historian Ken Burns does with the absolute idiocy that he delivers at times. This month was no exception. He went on CBS to pretty much defend the people who pay him: "I couldn't do any of the films I've done without them being on PBS." Burns admitted he doesn't believe there's bias at the network, which really does call into question every other analysis he has ever done. Then came the killer quote: "It is the Declaration of Independence applied to the communications world." Yeah, leaves me speechless. I wish it had done the same to him. 5. In the bag: There are purses and bags and then there's the Birkin. (You can almost hear the angelic choir in the background.) Birkin bags are the in fashion accessory for the heavily cashed set. You know, the kind of people who think shopping at Tiffany is middle class. (That's a dating story.) For them, there is the almighty Birkin bag. There are videos devoted to it and even songs. One hundred years from now, it will probably qualify as a religion. This month, the late Jane Birkin's original Birkin bag sold at auction … for $10 million. This wasn't pristine, as many Birkin owners try to keep theirs. No, according to the Post, "Scratches, surface scuffs, and signs of use are present on all sides." But you know the old adage, if you have to ask how much, you can't afford it. I'm not sure I can afford to be in the same Zip Code. 6. 'Blue Jean Baby': American Eagle unveiled a new ad for their jeans with sex symbol Sydney Sweeney as spokesmodel. And it was WW II all over again. In the ad, Sweeney seductively pulls on her jeans and makes word play mixing "genes" and "jeans." The campaign tagline says, "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans." The reaction was swift and unhinged, whining that pretty women are controversial and arguing it was all about "eugenics." MSNBC claimed: "Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad shows a cultural shift toward whiteness." Yahoo ran a piece arguing, "I'm astounded Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ads got approved." Some online commentators even whined about her initials. This is the kind of reaction that makes you wish Al Gore had never pretended to invent the internet. 7. Bowling for …: And speaking of word play, Pittsburgh Area Naturalists held naked bowling in July. Naked bowling – except for shoes. (You have to protect the integrity of the game, after all.) According to WTRF out of Pittsburgh, $30 got you four hours of bowling and footwear. The event was naturally called, "Balls Out Bowling." The story included the important caveat, "Nudity is required with the exception that women can wear bottoms." I pity the poor business that had to design the trophy.
