What can you make of a media scan that swerves from a defensive president to Snapchat to a fake sex-change operation to chicken nuggets to sick children to a fired Citigroup trader? Um, maybe you should just jump ahead to the year 2049 (see No. 7, below). Anyway, let's get started ...
1. Via The Guardian: "Trump mocked for adding one of his own tweets to Twitter banner"; subhead: "Social media quick to ridicule US president after he changed his header to feature tweet denying collusion with Russia." Speaking of Trump-Russia stuff, this explainer via Matthew Rosenberg of The New York Times is helpful: "6 Takeaways From Monday's Senate Hearing on Russia." Here's a sample:
Perhaps the biggest takeaway on Monday was that a lot of people had serious concerns about Mr. Flynn serving as national security adviser. But none of them was named Donald J. Trump
2. Via Recode's Kurt Wagner this morning: "Three questions for Snap as it reports earnings this week for the first time" -- starting with "Is Snapchat's growth a concern?"
3. It's official:
This…is #AmericanIdol--coming to @ABCNetwork in 2018! pic.twitter.com/o2sdLAtdar
— American Idol (@AmericanIdol) May 9, 2017
4. Here's your celebrity-scandal headline of the moment: "Richard Simmons Sues National Enquirer Over 'Cruel' Sex-Change Story," per The Hollywood Reporter. OK, anybody have a different angle? "Richard Simmons Claims Former Associate Has Been Blackmailing Him for Years, Bombshell Lawsuit Reveals." Got it -- thank you, People magazine. Hey, can anyone else cram all that into one headline? "Richard Simmons sues National Enquirer and accuses former assistant of blackmail." Thanks, Los Angeles Times.
4. Carter Wilkerson, the guy who tweeted "Yo @Wendys how many retweets for a year of free chicken nuggets?" only to have Wendy's answer "18 million" has tragically fallen short of that goal -- but at least he's now officially author of "the most retweeted tweet in the history of ever (sorry, Ellen)," as the text on the certificate he's holding in this tweet reads:
.@carterjwm is now the most retweeted tweet of all-time. That's good for the nuggets, and $100k to @DTFA. Consider it done. #nuggsforcarter pic.twitter.com/k6uhsJiP4E
— Wendy's (@Wendys) May 9, 2017
ICYMI, here's the tweet in question:
HELP ME PLEASE. A MAN NEEDS HIS NUGGS pic.twitter.com/4SrfHmEMo3
— Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 6, 2017
Flackback (to Ad Age on April 12): "Lowdown: Wendy's Tweet Might Pass Ellen's Famed Oscars Tweet" -- speaking of which:
If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014
5. "I would like to apologize for saying that children in America should have healthcare. It was insensitive. Uh, it was offensive, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." --Jimmy Kimmel in his "Jimmy Kimmel Live" monologue last night, in which he talked about some of the negative responses he got to his tearful May 1 monologue in the wake of his newborn son's open-heart surgery. Bonus: Senator Bill Cassidy made a cameo appearance in Kimmel's monologue last night:
Related ICYMI: "You Can Now Mail Your Ashes To GOP Lawmakers Who Voted To Repeal Obamacare," via Refinery29. Flashback (ICYMI in yesterday's roundup): "Nobody dies because they don't have access to health care,' GOP lawmaker says. He got booed," per The Washington Post.
6. "This Is the 5-Word Message That Got a Citigroup Trader Fired." Well done, Bloomberg News! You made me click!
7. And finally, the darkly gorgeous official trailer for "Blade Runner 2049" has run up nearly five million views in less than 24 hours on YouTube, where this morning it tops the "Trending" chart. Spoiler: there's a pointed, timely wall reference -- "The world is built on a wall that separates kind" -- starting at the 0:47 mark.
Simon Dumenco, aka Media Guy, is an Ad Age editor-at-large. You can follow him on Twitter @simondumenco.
