1. THE WHO RETURNS TO CINCINNATI AFTER A 40 YEAR HIATUS: The Who plans to return to the Cincinnati area next year after a 40 year absence, it was announced this week. The quintessential British band has stayed away from the city since a stampede in 1979 led to the death of 11 fans. Now, The Who is poised to come back April 23, performing at BB&T Arena at Northern Kentucky University during its Moving On! Tour. New York Times: “The group will donate some proceeds from the concert to the P.E.M. Memorial Scholarship Fund, a Cincinnati group founded in 2010 in honor of three high school students who died at the 1979 concert. That 1979 performance was a sold-out show, with the majority of the more than 18,000 tickets sold as unassigned or general-assignment seating… Along with the 11 who died, more than two dozen people reported injuries.” 2. TWO LARGE WEDDING PLANNING PLATFORMS WILL STOP ROMANTICIZING PLANTATIONS: Two of the nation’s largest online wedding-planning platforms, Pinterest and the Knot Worldwide, are changing policies surrounding content related to former slave plantations. The Knot Worldwide—which owns the Knot and WeddingWire—is creating new guidelines to eliminate the use of language that glorifies, celebrates, or romanticizes Southern plantation history, said chief marketing officer Dhanusha Sivajee. Meanwhile, a Pinterest spokesperson said the company will restrict plantation wedding content on its website and is working to de-index Google searches for plantation weddings. BuzzFeed News: “Although plantations will still be able to list themselves as venues, Sivajee said the new guidelines are meant to ensure that wedding vendors aren’t referring to a history that includes slavery using language such as ‘elegant’ or ‘charming.' 'We want to make sure we’re serving all our couples and that they don’t feel in any way discriminated against,’ she said.” 3. SAY CHEESE! DHS WANTS A SNAP OF EVERY U.S. BOUND, OR EXITING, TRAVELER: Boarding flights in comfy sweats and with bed head might be a thing of the past if the Department of Homeland Security moves forward on a plan to photograph travelers. The agency posted a notice that it wants to take pictures of each and every traveler entering or exiting the U.S., including American citizens. The Points Guy: “Although the idea of mandatory photographs may be alarming to some people, it should be familiar to travelers with Global Entry as new facial recognition kiosks have been popping up around the country. This allows registered travelers to speed through immigration without the need for passport scanning or fingerprint recognition. The TSA has also been testing biometrics at airports including at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport back in August, but those tests have been voluntary. Both American Airlines and Delta have also tested biometric boarding.” 4. FIRST LADY UNVEILS MUTED CHRISTMAS DECOR IN VIDEO PRESENTATION: After last year’s controversial White House Christmas decor display, First Lady Melania Trump appears to have played things safe this year. The 2019 theme is “The Spirit of America,” and most of the look is monochromatic. Trump unveiled the new decor yesterday in a video instead of an in-person appearance. The Washington Post: “White paper stars hang from the ceiling of the East Colonnade, a passageway that has been transformed by arches lined with clear plastic panels printed with white line drawings of more than 60 examples of American architecture and innovation…They are the least controversial decorations to adorn the colonnade in the first lady’s tenure as Christmas-decorator-in-chief. Gone from the colonnade were last year’s (“creepy” or chic, depending on who you asked) blood red trees made of branches of cranberries." 5. PETE DAVIDSON HITS FANS WITH A $1 MILLION NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT BEFORE ATTENDING HIS SHOW: Taking an aggressive stand against social media sharing, while potentially giving a message to other talent, Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson has been sending ticket holders for recent shows a lengthy non-disclosure agreement, prohibiting the posting of opinions, comments, or the like on Twitter, Facebook, and just about any other platform, with the penalty being a $1 million fine. Davidson’s most recent performance was on Wednesday at the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco. Variety: “‘I didn’t want to sign it because it was basically saying that I wasn’t able to comment on it or have an opinion,’ attendee Stacy Young said... 'I understand that comedians are protective of their material. But to not be allowed to express an opinion, whether I liked it or not, is off-putting in an Orwellian thought police way.’” | 