July 9 Weekly News Quiz: Wimbledon, Blackfishing, Evil

39-Year-old Roger Federer broke the age record for quarterfinalists in the Open era (since 1968) held by Ken Rosewall, who was also 39 when he reached the last eight in 1974. Rosewall was 39 years, 224 days old on the final day of the '74 Wimbledon tournament, while Federer was 39 years, 337 days old on the last day of this year's event.

Roger Federer Fact

Roger Federer's bid for a ninth Wimbledon title was over on July 8, 2021, after Hubert Hurkacz won against him in the quarter-finals. The defeat marked his first straight-set loss at Wimbledon in 19 years and could be his final appearance at the grass-court Grand Slam. On Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, Federer announced in a video on his Instagram account that he would miss the 2021 U.S. Open because he needed more knee surgery.

While according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, blackfishing is Scottish for the illegal catching of blackfish, the term gained a very different meaning in recent years. It describes the behavior of people pretending to have darker skin on social media - through hair, makeup, and accessories, to blur their actual racial background.

Blackfishing News Fact:

Rapper Iggy Azalea met accusations of Blackfishing in her latest music video for "I Am the Stripclub." Azalea addressed the issue on her Twitter account, explaining, “I’m the same color as I always am, just in a dimly lit room with red lights. It’s the same makeup from every other part of the video, just with a Smokey eye and different wig.”

Elmo, Jesse, Grover, Rosita, and Abby Cadabby are among the most notable characters on “Sesame Street.” But wait, there’s more.

Sesame Street 2022

“Sesame Street” introduced a new character to the show — a white-and-brown puppy named Tango. Tango joins “Sesame Street’s” 52nd season as both an animated character and a live-action Muppet on HBO Max and streaming on PBS KIDS.

On July 1, 2021, The United States Anti-Doping Agency reported Sha’Carri Richardson tested positive for THC (the main psychoactive component found in cannabis) following her 100 m final at the U.S. Trials - which made her ineligible to compete in the 100 m Olympics.

When does Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension end?

After completing a counseling program, Richardson accepted one month of ineligibility. While Richardson is ineligible for the Olympic 100 meters due to the suspension that ends July 27, 2021, she could have been eligible for the Women's 4 × 100 relay on August 5. However, she was not selected, thereby missing the Olympics entirely.

REvil is a group of Russian hackers who run a ransomware-as-service operation.

REvil 2021 Fact

The hackers targeted software company Kaseya’s virtual systems/server administrator (VSA) on July 2, 2021. REvil demanded $70 million to unlock computers that it attacked. About 1,500 businesses were hit in the attack, including a Swedish supermarket chain forced to close some outlets over the following weekend. US President Joe Biden directed US intelligence agencies to investigate the attack.

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are both coachers on the US version of The Voice.

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton 2021 Fact

Popstar Stefani and country star Shelton celebrated their nuptials over the Fourth of July holiday during a weekend wedding in Oklahoma and posted photos of their wedding on Monday, July 5, 2021.

Vera Wang, famous for her bridal boutiques in New York, London, Tokyo, Seoul, and Sydney, celebrated her 72nd birthday on June 27, 2021. She shared some unbelievable pictures on Instagram of the celebration involving a Cher impersonator.

While viewers heard Adam Driver’s singing voice in one of 2013’s “Inside Llewyn Davis” movie songs, 2021’s Annette -  a fantastical musical starring Driver and Marion Cotillard - sees the actor in a full-fledged musical for the first time. Check out this official Annette movie clip - with Driver singing.

Annette News Fact

The 74th Cannes International Film Festival opened Tuesday, July 6, 2021, with “Annette” as the opening film. After the movie ended, the standing ovation went into its fifth minute, when Driver and his director, Leos Carax, both lit up cigarettes inside the theater, filled with maskless attendees. The 2020 Cannes Film Festival was canceled due to covid-19 restrictions.

Marvel's Black Widow’s opening credits include an orchestral cover of Nirvana's 1991 hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit," performed by singer-songwriter Malia J and produced by composer collective Think Up Anger back in 2015. The same recording originally surfaced in one of the trailers for the 2015 film The Gallows. Listen to it here.

Bonus Question: Which other movies featured Smells Like Teen Spirit covers?

Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit was covered in the 2001 film “Moulin Rouge!” during the "Can-Can" scene introducing the nightclub. In the 2011 film The Muppets, Rowlf the Dog, Link Hogthrob, Sam Eagle, and Beaker perform the song as a barbershop quartet. In the 2015 film Pan, a version of the song is sung by Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman) and the miners when Peter first arrives in Neverland.

According to a new Russian law adopted on Friday, July 2, 2021, wine manufacturers can only use Champagne for Russian wine. In the European Union and over 70 countries, the name Champagne is legally protected under an 1891 treaty, which reserved it for the sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region in France, protection reaffirmed in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. In Russian, Champagne — “shampanskoye” — has been used as a generic term for many sparkling wines since Soviet times.

Champagne 2021 Fact

On Monday, July 5, 2021, renowned winemaker Moet-Hennessy said it was suspending champagne shipments to Russia.

In mid-June 2021, Hungary’s parliament passed a law banning sharing information with under-18s that the government considers promoting homosexuality or gender change. The law also means only individuals and organizations listed in an official register can carry out sex education classes in schools.

How did other EU countries react?

Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, and Ireland were among European Union countries condemning Hungary for the new anti-LGBTQ law. In total, 16 member states out of 27 voiced their disapproval of the Hungarian law. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg authored a joint declaration condemning Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as violating the right to freedom of expression and a "flagrant form of discrimination based on sexual orientation."

Haiti became the first independent nation of Latin America and the Caribbean on January 1, 1804, when Jean-Jacques Dessalines defeated Napoleon Bonaparte's forces. Haiti was also the first country in the region to abolish slavery.

Haiti News Fact

On July 7, 2021, President of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in an overnight attack on his private residence. Haiti police killed four suspects in the murder, detained two others, and freed three officers who the assassins held hostage. Authorities said the attack was carried out by “a highly trained and heavily armed group” whose members spoke Spanish or English.

James Weldon Johnson wrote the lyrics for "Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sang" – the song known as the Black National Anthem in the United States - in 1900. His brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, set those lyrics to music for the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 1905.

Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing News Fact

Vanessa Williams performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” for PBS’s holiday broadcast Capitol Fourth celebration on Sunday, July 4, 2021 - Which incited conservative critics, saying the move was divisive and un-American. Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing was also performed on the nationally broadcasted Macy’s New York July 4th, 2021 fireworks show.

Britain lifted most of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions on July 19 in what has been dubbed "Freedom Day." Freedom from face masks, that is.