CALIFORNIA Wildfires maps and other news updates… ABC News
What to Know About the Fires in California’s Los Angeles county… CBS News
Continuing UPDATES for California wildfires as thousands of residents, businesses are without power or homes to return to… NBC News
A Canadian “super-scooper” was grounded due to wing damage after colliding with what was reported to be a civilian drone over Los Angeles county. The aircraft is designed to scoop over a thousand gallons of ocean water to dump over active fires… CNN
The January 30, 2025 concert to fundraise for organizations assisting in Los Angeles county fire relief – FIRE AID – will also be available for streaming on Apple TV+ and YouTube… FIRE AID
HOW TO HELP: Donate to the Los Angeles Fire Foundation – California Fire Foundation – World Central Kitchen (assisting with meals for evacuees, EMS personnel) – Los Angeles Regional Foodbank – League of California Community Foundations – American Red Cross
Families and businesses affected by the August 8, 2023 land and wildfires in Lahaina and Upcountry Kula on Maui continue to rebuild. To learn more and help with a monetary donation or volunteering efforts: Maui Nui Strong – Maui United Way – Pacific Disaster Center offers a list of verified organizations here
Lady Gaga’s next studio album has a name, “Mayhem”, and the speculation of her music’s upcoming tone and tempo are informed by her recent residencies in Las Vegas, movie roles… Billboard
Hawaii Island’s Kilauea continues to mesmerize and you can safely watch the spectacle via the U.S. Geological Survey’s YouTube channel
The teams are set for Super Bowl (59)…now for the entertainment in the Apple Music Halftime Show of rapper Kendrick Lamar with special guest, SZA 🙂 Take a look at how “The Evolution of the Super Bowl half time show” went from marching bands to highly choreographed, multi-genre crossing artists… CNN
The Oscar nominations were announced this week with “Emilia Perez” earning thirteen nominations and first-time nominees include Ariana Grande (Best Supporting Actress, “Wicked”) and Jeremy Strong (Best Supporting Actor, “The Apprentice”)… CNN
The 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards welcomes comedian Trevor Noah as its host on Sunday, February 2, 2025… GRAMMYS
Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan’s song lyrics and scribbled notations for “Mr. Tambourine Man” sold at auction for $500K this week… AP
“Body neutrality” is the 2025 vibe for singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, sharing a full body mirror selfie on her social, including comments of what she has and has not incorporated into her overall looks since her 20’s 🙂 Glamour
The Inauguration had a few technical moments though a couple of meme-able favorites seemed to be from former President George W. Bush 🙂 E!
(below: an amazing solve by a contestant who used 1.3 seconds – maybe even less! – to reveal her answer on “Wheel of Fortune”)
“Get Started Transcribing for the National Archives” – This is an ongoing effort to create an accessible public source of the United States’ written materials while there are folks who can decipher the cursive handwriting of the past. It’s fun to take a look at how the correspondence between persons evolved over the generations… National Archives
Viral memes live forever online and sometimes screengrabs take on another life as new internet users discover older videos and images. For “Side-Eyeing Chloe”, it is a good example of how there are perks and downsides to this phenomenon 🙂 People
Director James Cameron wants fans of “Avatar” to brace themselves for a very different…Avatar…when “Avatar 3: Fires and Ash” plays in theatres… Empire
(below: Singer-songwriter Carrie Underwood performed an a capella version of “America the Beautiful” after a tech glitch on her backing music. So pro!)
Country music star Kenny Chesney is almost wistful when recalling how he wrote a check to Taylor Swift for canceling a tour with her early on in her career (she was 17 years old and the sponsor of the tour didn’t want an underage opener)… Billboard
AI or artificial intelligence makes for easier workflows and entertaining memes though it also is being used to con people when used to mimic public figures and celebrities, in this instance, posing as actor-activist Brad Pitt to a French citizen… Too Fab
Actor-activist Brooke Shields shared intimate details about a surgery she underwent and that her doctor performed a “bonus” procedure without her consent. It’s discussed in her memoir, “Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old”… (NSFW)… E!
The life of an NFL rookie and their family can be exciting though for many, while the perks are many, sometimes the cost of signing then breaking a contract to move to another team is where the bank account breaks… US Magazine
(below: official new trailer for SEASON 2!! of Max’s “The Last of Us”, debuting in April 2025)
Fans of sometime Kauai resident Carlos Santana will need to wait a bit longer to see his Las Vegas residency show after the award-winning musician took a hard tumble, breaking his pinky finger… Billboard
Singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera welcomed 2025 with her Instagram montage and part of her message was do what you want because people will support you (even while others don’t!)… People
New year, new list of #finally getting to see big films including “Wicked: Part Two”, “Freakier Friday”, and Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) leading “Love Hurts” opposite Ariana DeBois next month… Huff Post
Streaming NOW! Tumua’s first stand up special, “STRICTLY ALOHA”, filmed live at the Hawaii Theatre. If you were in the audience that night, you might see yourself throughout the video and here are a few images from the evening…as well as their soundcheck from the night before the filming. Much appreciation to Tumua and his family \m/!
SCAM NOTICE – There are newer phishing scams that are coming to your smart device, email, texting, and social media accounts that appear to be sent from authentic or official addresses. When in doubt, delete! You can also refer to the FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION‘s official pages for better practices when receiving messages and phone calls from numbers NOT in your contact list… Consumer Advice, Federal Trade Commission