STATUS UPDATES
A week in which a ‘straight country boy’ showed his Pride, and a meteorologist couldn’t weather the storm
FIXING: Bigotry, with duct tape. At least that’s the aim of selfdescribed “straight country boy” Cody Barlow. The Oklahoman, 28, decorated the tailgate of his pickup like a pride flag, with the message “NOT ALL COUNTRY BOYS ARE BIGOTS.” He’s planning to attend nearby parades.
DISSED: Turkish national soccer team members. A long customs search upon landing in Iceland caused anger, but perhaps most egregious was that among the journalists holding out microphones near players on arrival, one person brandished a dish-scouring brush.
WELCOMED: Whales to the Big Apple’s waterways. Last year, a total of 272 whales were spotted in New York City waters, says local group Gotham Whale. That compares with just five in 2011. Cleaner waters are being credited for luring back the beasts.
INCLUDED: Nicole Kidman’s pet cats on her recent hikes. But her revelations about their travels in her backpacks have sparked a backlash. Some animal rights groups are warning that this is not so comfortable for the animals, causes stress and leaves nowhere to hide if they’re scared.
DAMAGING: A gator, who saw a patrol car as just another snack. As police were awaiting wildlife specialists to help with the gator — who’d crawled to the middle of a highway — the creature chomped off part of the front bumper. The biggest surprise: it happened in Louisiana, not Florida.
PROMOTED: Michael Douglas’s lavish Mallorca estate, by the actor himself. He put it up for sale for $93 million in 2014, the Daily Telegraph reports. It’s now being offered for $48.8 million and he’s lent his own voice to a promotional film to try to entice a buyer.
BANNED: Rocketman in Samoa. Homosexuality in the Elton John biopic didn’t pass the principal censor in the mostly Christian Pacific nation. Though the censor seemed to like it: Leiataua Niuapu Faaui told a newspaper: “It’s a good story, in that it’s about an individual trying to move on in life.”
TOSSED OUT: A meteorologist in Illinois who criticized station management on air. Joe Crain complained about having to issue “Code Red” weather alerts when not always warranted. His comments went viral, and the station’s parent, Sinclair Broadcast Group, issued him a code pink.