Rappers Nicki Minaj and Future to bring NickiHndrxx Tour to Golden 1

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by SacBee.com on June 12, 2018

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Rappers Nicki Minaj and Future will make a stop at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center on Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the NickiHndrxx Tour. Presale tickets are available now and tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, June 15 at 10 a.m. Live Nation Entertainment

Sacramento hip-hop fans will get a chance to see two of rap’s biggest artists when Nicki Minaj and Future team up at the Golden 1 Center on Nov. 17 as part of the NickiHndrxx Tour.

Announced today in a tweet from the arena, presale tickets are available now. Tickets for the general public will go on sale Friday, June 15 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased through the concert’s organizer LiveNation via Ticketmaster.

Minaj will be promoting her upcoming fourth studio album “Queen” during the tour. The album is scheduled to release Aug. 10. A new single from the album called “Rich Sex” featuring Lil Wayne was released Monday. Future also has a song by the same name.

Future’s album “Hndrxx” was released in February 2017 and featured the single “You Da Baddest,” which featured Minaj. The song reached No. 19 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs Billboard chart in August.

Future most recently produced the official soundtrack for the movie SuperFly, which is coming to theaters Wednesday.

Los Angeles and San Jose are the other California stops on tour, which runs from Sept. 21 to Nov. 24, according to a full list of dates reported by Rolling Stone. The U.S. tour will be followed by a European tour in the winter of 2019.

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Sacramento ranked No. 7 in what? Plus, see how it ranked among other cities

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by SacBee.com on June 7, 2018

When it comes to reasons why people love Sacramento, weather might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, a tourism insights group placed the city in its top 10 in that category.

Sacramento ranks seventh in weather on Resonance Consultancy‘s annual Best Cities list. Las Vegas topped the list in that category.

Overall, the city ranks 33rd among large cities in the United States and 83rd on the worldwide list. New York City and London ranked first on those lists, which were released Tuesday.

Sacramento was No. 33 last year as well. Three California cities made the top 10 both last year and in 2018, and their spots didn’t change: Los Angeles at 3, San Francisco at 4 and San Diego at 6.

The No. 7 ranking for weather was attributed to Sacramento’s Mediterranean climate, which is described by Britannica as having hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The city’s “natural attributes also drive its livability,” the report said.

Other rankings for Sacramento included No. 11 for safety, No. 12 for diversity and No. 16 for median household income.

“Sacramento, California’s state capital, is peaceful and wealthy — #16 in our Median Household Income category among America’s large cities and an even better #11 nationally in the Crime Rate ranking,” the report states. “But it’s Sacramento’s openness to immigrants that ranks it #12 in the country for diversity.”

Top 10 for Weather

According to Resonance Consultancy

1. Las Vegas

2. Los Angeles

3. Riverside

4. Phoenix

5. San Diego

6. Tucson

7. Sacramento

8. San Jose

9. San Francisco

10. Dallas

This story shared a byline with Noel Harris

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Why Lil Jon ‘can’t wait to head back to Sacramento’ and rock with fans

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by SacBee.com on June 7, 2018

Hip hop star and Grammy winner Lil Jon is heading to Sacramento and will perform during the inaugural California Classic.

The event, a four-team summer league hosted by the Kings on July 2, 3 and 5, “will be the first opportunity for fans to watch 2018 NBA draft picks, as well as the highly-anticipated debut of Sacramento Kings rookie Harry Giles III,” according to an announcement from the Kings.

Lil Jon will provide a full performance July 3 outside of Golden 1 Center’s open hangar doors where a beer garden and plaza party will take place.

In anticipation for his appearance, the artist known for songs such as “Get Low” and “Turn Down for What” said, “Can’t wait to head back to Sacramento and rock with yall on July 3!!”

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This isn’t the first time Lil Jon has visited Sacramento. He performed during halftime of the Kings’ home opener Oct. 18, 2017.

The rapper also appeared at Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday and the first game of the Stanley Cup Final in Las Vegas on May 28.

The rosters for the teams participating in the event’s games, which include the Kings, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, will be filled out with rookies, sophomores and other players hoping to make it onto NBA and G League rosters.

Each team will play three games during the event. No games will be played July 4 due to the Independence Day holiday.

As a complement to the games, a fan zone outside of the arena will provide additional entertainment. There will be family themed entertainment featuring autographs, face painting and Kings Kids Club activities on the final day.

Tickets are available now as three-day passes, which start at $49 with tickets for day two including the Lil Jon concert. Single-day passes for groups of 10 or more start at $18. For more information, including ticket pricing and other details, visit the official site for the California Classic or call 888-91-KINGS.

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The Warriors stole a road game in the NBA Finals. Here’s when you can get a free taco

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by SacBee.com on June 7, 2018

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Customers line up at a Taco Bell inside Miami International Airport on May 2. The restaurant is giving all customers one free taco in celebration of the Golden State Warriors’ road victory in the NBA Finals on Wednesday. Wilfredo Lee The Associated Press

Americans can thank Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors for a free taco.

The Warriors won on the road Wednesday, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-102 in Game 3.

To celebrate, Taco Bell is giving away one of its Doritos Locos Taco.

Taco Bell tweeted on May 29 that if a road team stole a victory in the NBA Finals, America would score a free Doritos Locos Taco.

Anyone can stop by participating Taco Bell restaurants on June 13 from 2-6 p.m. and chow down, thanks in large part to Durant’s 43 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. One free taco per customer.

Yes, even Cavaliers fans get a freebie.

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Here’s when you can see Jerry Seinfeld in Sacramento

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by SacBee.com on June 7, 2018

Get ready to laugh.

Actor and comedian Jerry Seinfeld is coming to Sacramento’s Community Center Theater on Friday, Aug. 24, with a routine full of jokes about everyday life.

Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, June 8, at 10 a.m. and a presale is available now.

Seinfeld is best known for his self-titled hit 90s sitcom that was billed as the “show about nothing.”

He currently produces an Emmy-nominated Netflix series called “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” that has featured guests like Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig and former President Barack Obama.

In September of last year, the “Bee Movie” actor released a Netflix standup special titled “Jerry Before Seinfeld” in which he returned to the club where he got his start in the 1970s.

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Watch this UC Davis grad, local business owner on American Ninja Warrior tonight

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by SacBee.com on June 6, 2018

Instagram ScreenshotUC Davis graduate, gymnast and local business owner Anna Shumaker is set to appear on Wednesday night’s episode of American Ninja Warrior.

Shumaker graduated from UC Davis in 2014 with her bachelor’s degree in exercise biology. She competed in gymnastics for 18 years, including for the Aggies, and retired from the sport in April 2014 following several injuries. Born in Richmond, Va., Shumaker resides in Sacramento and owns two businesses, ShuFit Personal Training, which is located in West Sacramento, and OnPoint Nutrition.

Shumaker said she’s looking forward to seeing how her performance from the Los Angeles qualifier in March looks on TV and is excited for her friends and family to be able to watch.

“I ran the course in the middle of the night, so it was a very exhilarating, adrenaline-filled nerve wracking experience,” she said. “When you go to compete, we haven’t seen those obstacles before. We don’t get a practice run. While I was competing, I had an absolute blast. I enjoyed every second of it and absolutely loved it.”

Episode two of American Ninja Warrior season 10 airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Shumaker is coming off an appearance in the finals of Team Ninja Warrior’s second season as part of Team NorCal Ninjas. She also competed on season nine of American Ninja Warrior, but said her run was not aired.

She began training for American Ninja Warrior in 2015 and saw it as a way to fulfill the competitive drive that fueled her gymnastics career.

“I wasn’t ready to give up the challenges and excitement that gymnastics brought me,” she says in an autobiography on her website. “It was mentally and physically the perfect replacement for what gymnastics left behind.”

Shumaker graduated from Alameda High School in 2010.

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See where $49 gets you from Sacramento during this Southwest Airlines sale

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by SacBee.com on June 6, 2018

Southwest Airlines is offering a 72-hour sale on several flights from Sacramento with prices starting at $49.

The one-way tickets include nonstop flights to Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and San Diego, among others. The sale, announced Tuesday on Twitter, runs through Thursday at 11:59 p.m.

Other flights available on the sale include Sacramento to Seattle/Tacoma, Washington, for $79 and to Austin, Texas, for $129.

Southwest’s website currently lists 13 destinations from Sacramento as part of the sale. The sale includes flights from several other cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Oakland.

Last month, Southwest announced it would end its nonstop weekly route to New Orleans from Sacramento International Airport starting Aug. 5, but the airline will add a nonstop daily route beginning Nov. 4.

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Last ‘Wizard of Oz’ munchkin Jerry Maren dead at 98

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by SacBee.com June 6, 2018

The last of the munchkins from The Wizard of Oz Jerry Maren has died. He was 98.

Jerry Maren, the final living member of the Lollipop Guild, died last month at a nursing home in San Diego, according to TMZ. Maren’s cause of death is unknown but a funeral was held for the actor over the weekend at Forest Lawn in Hollywood. Rolling Stone reports Maren had dementia.

His death was confirmed by two separate Facebook posts from family members, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Maren became the last living Oz munchkin in 2014 when co-star Ruth Duccini died, Rolling Stone said.

Maren was born on Jan. 24, 1920 in Boston, Massachusetts, according to his IMDB profile. His death was reported in March 2016 and it was said at the time that Maren had died from pancreatic cancer, but those reports were later confirmed untrue by his close friend Steve Cox, who co-authored the 2006 book Short and Sweet: The Life and Times of the Lollipop Munchkin.

The three-foot-four-inch actor got the role of munchkin in the 1939 film after taking acting lessons at a young age and then joining a group of Hollywood-bound little people on a bus to California from New York at 19 years old. Though he is uncredited in the film, according to IMDB’s biography, which was written by Cox, Maren played the green-outfitted munchkin that hands Dorothy (Judy Garland) a lollipop to welcome her to Munchkin Land.

“She was a lovely gal,” Maren said of co-star Garland in a 2011 interview with patch.com. “She always waved at us and said, ‘Hi kids, hi gang!’ She was a typical teenager. She loved us as much as we loved her. We fell in love with her.”

Maren is credited with several other acting roles throughout his 72-year career, including roles on Bewitched, The Twilight Zone, Seinfeld, and The Odd Couple. His last role came in 2010 when he played a mime in the movie Dahmer vs. Gacy.

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Visit a national park for free on MLK Day – one of four no-fee days this year

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by SacBee.com Jan. 12, 2018

Screenshot (89)In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on Monday, Jan. 15, all national parks will waive entrance fees. This year is the first since 2007 that King’s birthday and the national holiday honoring the civil rights leader, who would have been 89, fall on the same day.

“National parks are America’s best idea, and there are more than 400 parks available to everyone, every day,” an announcement on the National Park Service website said. “The fee-free days provide a great opportunity to visit a new place or an old favorite, especially one of the national parks that normally charge an entrance fee.”

In addition to Monday’s free entrance day, the National Park Service will offer fee-free entry on April 21 (first day of National Park Week), Sept. 22 (National Public Lands Day) and Nov. 11 (Veteran’s Day).

A deadline for public comment on a National Park fee increase proposed by the Trump Administration that California leaders moved to block was originally set for Nov. 23, 2017, but was extended to Dec. 22. Though that comment period is now closed, no further details on whether the fees will increase have been released.

On Monday, President Trump named the birthplace of King a National Historic Park, signing the law on Air Force One in the presence of Alveda King, King’s niece, according to CNN.

If unable to make it to a National Park, two MLK Day marches will take place Monday in Sacramento.

For those looking to visit a park sooner, a year of free admission kicks off Saturday, Jan. 13 for more than 40 California state redwood parks to celebrate 100 years of saving the giant trees. Passes are limited and given on a first-come, first-serve basis. The free redwood park admission will take place on every second Saturday of 2018.

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Diet Coke says millennials thirsty for new experiences, introduces four new flavors

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by SacBee.com Jan. 10, 2018

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Coca-Cola is introducing four new Diet Coke flavors in a new campaign to “re-energize and modernize Diet Coke for a new generation of drinkers.” The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company is introducing the first major change to its popular Diet Coke brand since its launch 35 years ago with the addition of four new flavors and a new look as well.

The flavors include Ginger Lime, Feisty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange and Twisted Mango, the company announced Wednesday.

According to a press release, Coca-Cola gathered feedback and ideas for the new flavors from more than 10,000 people across the United States.

In addition to regular Diet Coke’s currently offered sizes and packages, the new flavors will be offered in a tall and slim 12-ounce can and in packs of eight. The new cans will be similar to the company’s Dasani Sparking product.

“Millennials are now thirstier than ever for adventures and new experiences, and we want to be right by their side,” Rafael Acevedo, Coca-Cola North America’s group director for Diet Coke, said in the release. “We know Diet Coke has all kinds of fans – from people who have loved its great taste since it launched in 1982 to millennial men and women who are always looking to try new things.”

Diet Coke’s new look and flavors will launch later this month.

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