Fonseca Trending 08/13/21

Happy Friday the 13th! Here's How Five Common Superstitions Got Started

It's Friday the 13th! Here's how five common superstitions got started. 1. Friday the 13th. Nobody knows for sure how it started, but one theory is that it has biblical origins and is tied to the number of guests at the Last Supper and Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday. 2. Breaking a mirror. Ancient Romans believed that mirrors held a piece of your soul . . . and a separate myth said that our body "renews" itself every seven years. So those two things together helped create the "seven years of bad luck" thing. 3. A black cat crossing your path. In the Middle Ages, black cats were associated with witchcraft and demons. And that snowballed into the idea that if a black cat crossed your path, they were blocking your connection to God and path to heaven. 4. Knocking on wood. The idea here came from ancient civilizations that believed trees housed various spirits . . . and touching the tree would give you a protective blessing from those spirits. 5. White lighters are bad luck. This has its roots in the 27 Club, where young musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain all died at the age of 27. According to the superstition, they had white lighters on them when they died. But BIC disposable lighters weren't even invented until 1973 . . . and Hendrix and Joplin died in 1970.

Beer for Breakfast? IHOP Is Adding Alcohol to Its Menu

If pancakes and BEER sound like a fun pair, IHOP has you covered. They just announced they're adding beer, wine, and champagne to their menu at some locations. Only a dozen are doing it right away. But if it goes well, they eventually want to do it at most of their restaurants in the U.S. They WON'T be offering liquor because they don't want it to feel like a bar. And they say it's mostly meant for people who come in later in the day. But it also seems like they want IHOP to became more of a brunch spot. And a promo photo they posted shows someone pouring a mimosa. (Here's the photo.) Two locations in New Mexico are doing it this week. Another one in San Diego will add alcohol next month. And nine more will do it by the end of the year. The beers they're adding are Bud Light, Blue Moon, and Corona. The two champagnes are Barefoot Bubbly Brut, and Barefoot Bubbly Chardonnay. And they're adding red wine too . . . a Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon. Some locations might have local beers too. And they're going to suggest different pairings. Like, French toast and mimosas . . . or a Corona with your Spicy Poblano Omelette.

A Third of Us Don't Shower Every Day

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis took heat last week for saying they don't bathe their kids unless they're visibly dirty. Then Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard said they sometimes wait until their kids start to STINK. But let's ignore the parenting aspect for a minute and focus on ourselves. How often do YOU shower? A new poll asked over 5,000 Americans . . . and not all of us do it every day. Over a third said they DON'T usually shower that regularly.

62% of us shower at least once a day, including 11% who said more than once. But 20% said every two days . . . 6% said three . . . 2% said four . . . another 2% said every five days . . . 1% said six . . . and 3% said once a week or less.

A Bank Robber Failed . . . Because the Teller Couldn't Read His Handwriting

You rarely hear about doctors robbing banks, and now we know why. Their HANDWRITING is too bad to write the "this is a hold-up" note. That, and they usually have a more reliable source of income. A 67-year-old man in England named Alan Slattery decided to get into the bank-robbin' business back in March . . . and his first stop was a total bust. He handed over a note to the teller, but they couldn't read his "poor handwriting." So, he left empty-handed. The employees later huddled together and figured it out. It said, quote, "Your screen won't stop what I've got, just hand over the 10s and the 20s. Think about the other customers." (Here's a photo of it.) It's unclear if the "screen" was a permanent anti-theft fixture, or if it was a more temporary anti-COVID divider. Alan wrote a legible note at Bank #2, and got away with around $3,000. He also hit up a third bank, but the teller there refused to comply. The police caught him, he was arrested, and pleaded guilty on robbery and attempted robbery charges. He'll do four years behind bars.

Cats Might Be the Only Animal That Doesn't Like Working for Its Meals Cats have a reputation for being lazy, entitled, little jerks. And we love them anyway. But this probably won't help with that: Studies have found most animals prefer WORKING for their food over getting a free hand-out. It's probably why it's so easy to get dogs to sit and do tricks for treats. But a new study found cats might be the ONLY animal that doesn't feel that way. Researchers gave them the option of solving an easy "food puzzle" to get their dinner, so they had to work for it a little. OR they could just eat freely from another plate. And it's not clear why, but all of the cats in the study preferred the free hand-out, and didn't want to work for it. It might be because they're just wired that way. Or it's possible the "food puzzle" didn't motivate them in the right way. Cats love to ambush their prey, and that wasn't really part of it.

A New "Home Alone" Movie with Kenan Thompson and Ellie Kemper Is Coming to Disney+

A new "Home Alone" movie is coming for all ya filthy animals. It's called "Home Sweet Home Alone" and it hits Disney+ on November 12th. It'll be about a boy named Max who is left home . . . alone . . . while his family is on vacation in Japan. A married couple will attempt to break into Max's home to get their hands on a priceless heirloom, so he must protect it. KENAN THOMPSON, ELLIE KEMPER, and ROB DELANEY are in it, but there's no word who they're playing.

Today's Showbiz Highlights

1. People on Reddit are discussing celebrities that they no longer admire. The list includes: JARED LETO . . . JAMES CORDEN . . . and GWYNETH PALTROW. 2. BRITNEY SPEARS' father Jamie has agreed to step down from her conservatorship. But his lawyer says, quote, "Mr. Spears will always be Ms. Spears' father, he will always love her unconditionally, and he will always look out for her best interests." 3. KELLY CLARKSON had a win in her divorce to Brandon Blackstock . . . her prenup is being upheld. She received the email while filming "The Voice" and let out a scream and had a celebration with her co-stars. (Full Story) 4. During last night's "Field of Dreams" game, the New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox in a close game of 8 to 9. There were EIGHT home runs, including three in the 9th. KEVIN COSTNER gave an opening speech where he asked the audience, "Is this heaven?" 5. Another "Home Alone" movie is coming to Disney+ on November 12th. It's called "Home Sweet Home Alone" and it'll star KENAN THOMPSON, ELLIE KEMPER, and ROB DELANEY. 6. There's a phony streaming service called Nestflix, which is dedicated to fake movies within real movies. Like that old gangster flick "Angels with Filthy Souls" from "Home Alone". 7. SEAN PENN wants unvaccinated people not to go to the movies. He says, quote, "Independence cannot live without interdependence, and that's what vaccines are. Vaccines are a great movement of interdependence." 8. Jennifer Hudson hits theaters today as Aretha Franklin in "Respect". She's up against the Ryan Reynolds movie "Free Guy", and the horror thriller "Don't Breathe 2", which stars the villain from "Avatar" as a blind badass. 9. TLC is airing a "Long Island Medium" special where psychic THERESA CAPUTO relays messages of "healing and heroism" from 9/11 victims to their families. You know, typical TLC classiness. 10. DEMI LOVATO criticized Lollapalooza for their huge crowd during a pandemic . . . but one week later, she performed with ALL TIME LOW at the Sad Summer Festival in Anaheim. 11. DARIUS RUCKER remembers people hating on Hootie and the Blowfish back in the '90s. There were even "[Eff] Hootie" bumper stickers, but he laughed all the way to his new house, new car, and sold-out concerts. 12. CHRIS YOUNG and a TikTok influencer named Lexy Lately surprisedtwo Nashville musicians with a huge tip. She put $1,000 into their jar, and Chris matched it with another $1,000.