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Michael Bloomberg Gets Low Double-Digits In Hypothetical Independent Presidential Run

Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump

Last week, the New York Times reported that former 3-term mayor of New York City and uber-billionaire Michael Bloomberg is considering a possible independent run for the White House.

(Donald Trump likes to say he’s really rich. Donald, compared to you, Bloomberg is REALLY, REALLY rich).

Having been a Democrat turned Republican turned Independent, Bloomberg believes he could pull voters from both major political parties. Plus, being worth more than $30 Billion, he could easily drop $1 Billion of his own money without blinking.

But a Morning Consult poll shows the former mayor would not fare well in a three-way race:

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a ways to go if he wants to win as a third-party candidate for president. According to a new Morning Consult poll, Bloomberg, an independent, gets just 12 percent of voters when competing in a three-way race with the Democratic underdog candidate Bernie Sanders and Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

Sanders, a democratic socialist who has recently tightened the race with front-runner Hillary Clinton, gets 35 percent of voters. Trump gets a nearly identical 34 percent.

Bloomberg is considering entering the race as an independent, third-party candidate if Trump and Sanders are the eventual nominees, the New York Times reported on Saturday, because he could compete with two candidates on the fringes of their parties.

But Bloomberg’s poll numbers barely change when he is competing against Sanders instead of Clinton. In a Morning Consult poll released last week, Bloomberg got 13 percent of voters, Clinton got 36 percent and Trump got 37 percent.

Bolding is mine.

The point being: why spend a billion dollars to come in a distant third?

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Super-Producer Avicii Teams With Coca-Cola For New Anthem

Conrad Sewell and Avicii Collaborate to Create New Anthem,

Swedish super-producer and DJ Avicii has teamed up with London born, Australia-raised singer Conrad Sewell for a new anthem for Coca-Cola.

Via press release:

The anthem is part of a brand new Coca-Cola ‘One Brand’ global marketing strategy that, for the first time ever, unites Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light/Diet Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, and Coca-Cola Life under the iconic Coca-Cola brand positioning in one global creative campaign, “Taste the Feeling”.

“Taste the Feeling” features the studio wizardry of Swedish DJ, artist and producer Avicii.

A first acoustic version by Sewell is being featured in various TV spots for the new campaign and the lead single with Avicii will be released soon.

Sewell, an Australian singer, currently living in Los Angeles, was featured in the Kygo’s breakout 2015 single “Firestone,” which produced 300 million Spotify streams and 3 million-plus worldwide sales. Conrad has also toured with a number of notable artists such as Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5 and more recently Jess Glynne.

Grammy-nominated Avicii is best known for his work with Aloe Blacc on “Wake Me Up,”feel-good theme “Levels” and dance anthem “Hey Brother.” Avicii also collaborated with Wyclef Jean and Carlos Santana to create the official FIFA 2014 World Cup Anthem, “Dar um Jeito (We Will Find a Way).” Avicii has appeared in the top 10 of DJ Mag’s ‘Top 100 DJ’s’ rankings every year since 2011, reaching number 3 in both 2011 and 2012.

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Sir Ian McKellen: Concerns About Underrepresented Minorities In Studio Movies Are “A Legitmate Complaint”

Sir Ian McKellen says he “sympathizes” with minorities who feel underrepresented in studio movies

Openly gay Sir Ian McKellen was asked his thoughts about the current brouhaha regarding the lack of diversity in this year’s Academy Award nominations.

Via The Press Association:

“I think you have to live in Hollywood where the Oscars means so much more than they do elsewhere to understand why people’s feelings are running so high, and the fact that black people feel underrepresented in studio movies and big movies. Well, it’s what women thought for a long time. It’s what gay people like myself still think. And it’s a legitimate complaint and the Oscars has become the focus of those worries. So I sympathize.”

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Zac Efron Goes Naked In The Sand For “Dirty Grandpa” Movie Poster

This made my Monday morning a bit brighter.

One of the new posters released for the Zac Efron/Robert DeNiro movie, “Dirty Grandpa,” features the hunky, handsome star waking up among a sea of beer bottles on the beach.

Although the film was panned by critics, and it did fall short of box office projections, I have to give this poster a big thumbs up 🙂

Click the pic to enlarge.

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Human Rights Campaign Joins Hillary Clinton On The Campaign Trail

Following last week’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president by the Human Rights Campaign (the vote by all 32 members of the Board of Directors was unanimous), the HRC has now joined Clinton on the campaign trail.

Speaking on from the stage of a huge rally in Des Moines, Iowa, with Clinton, HRC President Chad Griffin said:

“She doesn’t just voice her support, or vote her support for our community, she has been our partner in this fight and always willing to go to battle when we need her.”

“She has the experience and the determination and the skills that will allow her to make meaningful change from the moment she walks into the Oval Office.”

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Timelapse Video: Jonas Blizzard 2016 (New York City)

Stunning footage from The Timelapse Group:

We set out to cover New York City’s 2nd biggest snowstorm since 1869. Central Park total snow accumulation at the end of the winter storm was 26.8 inches.

We started at 1am Saturday at the Brooklyn Bridge, covering the Dumbo area. We proceeded into the city shortly after and covered midtown Manhattan, Central Park, Columbus Circle, Midtown East, and Queensborough bridge.

By the time we arrived in L.I.C., Queens it was about 6am with zero visibility. We decided to head back to the studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn to call it a night.

Craig Nisperos started his time-lapses mid day Saturday during the storms most intense winds, with winds reaching up to 40+ mph hour. On Sunday we wrapped it up by getting some additional footage and including aerials provided by Magid Metwarry.

(h/t JMG)

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Iowa’s Sioux City Journal & NH Concord Monitor Endorse Hillary Clinton For President

Following up on the endorsement by The Des Moines Register, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton scores two more newspaper endorsements.

Echoing the Des Moines Register, both focus on how qualified Hillary is to be President, and her unmatched breadth of experience.

I’ve been worried that the polls were shifting in Bernie Sander’s direction of late in Iowa, so I’m happy to have any help.

According to Nate Silver’s 538 website, since 1988 an endorsement by the Des Moines Register averages a 3% difference in the total vote. That could make the difference in the upcoming Democratic caucus’s.

From the Sioux City Journal:

Without question, the 68-year-old Clinton possesses a breadth of experiences in public life unmatched by her Democratic opponents. In the “arena” at the fulcrum of national and international events since the ’90s, Clinton requires no on-the-job training. She understands issues and knows leaders, both domestic and foreign, and appreciates the processes and peculiarities of the federal government from the perspective of both the legislative and executive branches.

From children to families to health care to human rights, including women’s rights, to marriage equality, Clinton champions issues and positions true to traditional Democratic principles. She bolsters her domestic credentials with foreign policy experience as America’s chief diplomat.

From New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor:

Only one Democratic candidate for president is truly qualified to hold the job: Hillary Clinton.

No contender’s resume can come within miles of matching Clinton’s. She’s ready to take up the nation’s top job on day one and her knowledge of domestic issues and foreign policy is encyclopedic. There is also a strong chance, should Clinton become president, that the poisonous partisanship that’s paralyzed Washington will be diminished rather than increased. Why? During her eight years as a senator from New York, she proved her ability to find common ground with Republicans, accords that allowed needed legislation to advance.

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Viral Video: The Aspirations Of 18 Year-Old Ted Cruz

Video has surfaced of an 18 year-old Ted Cruz being asked about his “life’s aspirations.”

From the video:

“Aspirations. That like sweat on my butt? Oh, I see what I want to do in life.

“Well my aspiration is to, uh, oh I don’t know, be in a teen tit film like that guy who played Horatio. You know he was in Malibu Bikini Beach Shop.

“Well, other than that, uh, take over the world, world domination, you know, rule everything. Rich, powerful, that sort of stuff.”

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Human Nature Introduces Nevada Ballet Theater’s 2016 Woman Of The Year – Olivia Newton-John

I had a fab time last night at the 2016 Nevada Ballet Theater’s Black & White Ball which honored international superstar Olivia Newton-John as their 2016 Woman of the Year.

Marie Osmond introduced Olivia for her honor, and longtime-friends Leeza Gibbons and husband Steven Fenton flew into Las Vegas to attend the event.

Osmond, Gibbons and Olivia were joined on the red carpet by fellow Las Vegas Strip headliners Human Nature and the Chippendales who came to celebrate Olivia’s honor.

I managed to get a bit of video as Human Nature opened the evening with their fantastic take on the ONJ hit “Let Me Be There.” The Australian superstars then introduced Olivia, who entered from the back of the ballroom. I love that she breaks into a skip 🙂

Nevada Ballet Theater provided some terrific entertainment with excerpts from George Balanchine’s “Who Cares?” plus performances by their current Future Dance students (a high-spirited Grease tribute) and Future Dance alum Michia Eberhardt.

I can brag a bit on my hot hubby, Michael, who is part of Olivia’s team and helped arrange much of the evening, including two video montages – one spanning Olivia’s career and humanitarian achievements, and the second – a collection of congratulations from long-time friends over the years: John Travolta, Barry Manilow, Julianne Hough, Didi Conn, Vanessa Hudgens, Clinton Kelly, Natalie Morales and Willie Geist of The Today Show and Jane Lynch.

Congrats to Nevada Ballet Theater for producing one of the very best gala events I’ve attended in forever. Absolutely first-class across the board. It’s no wonder everyone describes this as THE high-profile event of the year in Las Vegas.

You can check out Human Nature’s opening of the evening and introduction, plus a few pics I took along the way.

Chippendales, Human Nature, Olivia Newton-John and Marie Osmond on the red carpet

Leeza Gibbons, Olivia Newton-John and Marie Osmond

The Chippendales pose with Olivia Newton-John on the red carpet

Michael Caprio (R) on the red carpet with Olivia Newton-John and the men of Human Nature

Leeza Gibbons, Michael Caprio and Olivia Newton-John

Leeza Gibbons, Olivia Newton-John, Michael Caprio and Marie Osmond

My hubby Michael and I with Olivia at the pre-event reception at Cartiers at The Wynn

International superstars Human Nature open the evening with their take on Olivia’s “Let Me Be There”

Me with handsome hubby Michael

Olivia poses with the young dancers of Nevada Ballet Theater’s Future Dance program

Olivia Newton-John and husband John Easterling backstage before the event

Olivia was excited there was a signature cocktail – The Olivia – for the evening
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Daily Dog: Dachsund Heaven

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Dachshund heaven… lolPosted by When I Laugh on Saturday, January 23, 2016