How much does Flo from Progressive make in a year? Meet the actress behind the icon
These are the best things I found on the internet this week!
Hello to all my dear readers,
Christmas is fast approaching (still time to buy a Cinephile Bucket List!) and I’ll just throw out there that my favorite movie of the season is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I like to think a little outside the box and have adopted a pretty liberal view of what’s considered “a Christmas movie.” Do you all have one that you watch every year?
It’s clear the internet content mill is starting to wind down for the year, with fewer options to pick from this week. But there were still enough nuggets to field my weekly “conversation starters,” the best, most interesting and most entertaining content on the internet. Enjoy!
What’s the coolest story or thing you found on the internet this week? Reply to this email and shoot me a link. Would love to hear from you!
Ever heard of Stephanie Courtney? Probably not, but she might be one of the most recognizable actors in the country. The New York Times Magazine (and more specifically Caity Weaver, perhaps the best celebrity profiler on the planet) profiled the woman who plays Flo in the Progressive commercials. This fantastic story is our Long Read of the Week. (Tease…you’ll never guess how much money she makes per year.)
Have you ever heard of Whamageddon? This game is news to me. Basically you and a group of friends try to last as long as you can in December without hearing “Last Christmas” by Wham! A lot riding on the honor system here…but it’s a fun idea.
Everyone knows the Winkelvoss twins as the spoiled losers who got (possibly) screwed out of Facebook. But these Winklevii have been dead set on convincing the world they made a comeback as crypto billionaires. The “crypto winter” hasn’t just been difficult for business, it’s also exposed risky, potentially fraudulent activity that could cast them as embarrassing losers once again.
McDonald’s has spent the last few years rethinking its burgers, apparently waking up to the fact that its ruthless push for efficiency and profit margin led to a pretty mediocre taste (who knew!). This is a pretty transparent quote from an executive in the Wall Street Journal: “We can do it quick, fast and safe, but it doesn’t necessarily taste great. So, we want to incorporate quality into where we’re at.” I’m curious to see if the new version is actually better.
Headlines That Require No Context, from The Chicago Tribune: He was too sick for a lung transplant. So doctors held his heart in place with breast implants (paywall free aggregation here).
Red Lobster admitted it underestimated how popular its $20 unlimited shrimp deal was going to be, and says it’s the key reason why the company lost $11 million in its financial third quarter. Oops?
New York Mag is running a “Timmy Wéek” to celebrate Timothee Chalamet, cinema’s “prince that was promised” … on the eve of what to my eye looks like a disastrous Wonka. Forgive me if I think it’s a bit much for the 27-year-old.
Thanks for reading and sharing! May December has been the most talked about movie of the week, and I will add my two cents in our movie edition on Friday! Talk to you then.