News of the Week: Sandwiches, Sandals, and a Sitcom from a Friend

Have You Tried the Bernie Sandwich?

Well, the results are in, and apparently we’re all going to have to get used to the phrase “President Trump.” But something funny happened on the night of the New Hampshire primary, and it involved sandwiches.

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, talking about Democrat winner Bernie Sanders, accidentally called him “Bernie Sandwich.”

Of course, social media loved it, and now many people are coming up with their own versions of a “Bernie Sandwich” My advice? You can sell it at your restaurant or deli, just make sure it’s affordable for everybody.

I’m not sure which primary night mistake was my favorite though. Over on Fox News, Megyn Kelly called him “Bernie Sandals.”

I’ll stick with Bernie Sandwich though, because sandals are gross. Besides … hey, sandwiches! It will go great with some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Matt LeBlanc Is Doing Friend Again!

I wrote that headline that way for two reasons. One, it’s one of those obnoxious Internet headlines that’s supposed to catch your eye and maybe some hits from Google. Second, like most headlines online, it’s deceptive and a lie. Notice I said Friend and not Friends. Sorry, Friends isn’t coming back (even if they did have that recent semi-reunion).

LeBlanc has signed with CBS for a sitcom. The title? I’m Not Your Friend. I guess you can pretty much assume that this is a direct reference to his NBC show (I’m talking about Friends, not the spinoff Joey). The pilot will be directed by James Burrows, and it already has a 13-episode commitment from CBS.

LeBlanc is busy. He’s about to start filming the final season of his Showtime show Episodes, and this week it was announced that he’s going to be the co-host of the British version of Top Gear. But don’t believe the U.K. media reports that LeBlanc had a nervous breakdown after Joey was canceled.

The Great Twitter Freakout of 2016

If Twitter went away or people stopped using it, I don’t know how people would let everyone know their ideas for the Bernie Sandwich. I guess there’s always Facebook. And websites. And telephones. And email. And texting. And face-to-face. And letters. Oh, I guess we do know how.

But the people who love Twitter really love Twitter, and this was one of those weeks where a rumor about the service was spread, and it kinda freaked people out. BuzzFeed reported that Twitter may soon change its entire structure, and instead of showing you on your timeline a reverse chronology of everyone’s tweets, it will instead be more like Facebook and use an algorithm of the tweets it thinks you want to see (you do know that you don’t see everything your friends post on Facebook, right?).

The hashtag #RIPTwitter soon exploded, with people letting everyone know how stupid/needless/unwanted this change would be and how it was going to RUIN EVERYTHING. It got so intense that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey had to get on Twitter and assure everyone that Twitter was still going to be the same Twitter everyone (except the millions that don’t use it) knows and loves.

Of course, his explanation wasn’t exactly a denial of the rumors, so it didn’t make anyone relax at all. And on Wednesday, Twitter did indeed make a change to the timeline, though not as big a change as most feared. You have to turn it on yourself right now but it will soon be the default across all platforms. Twitter says you’ll be able to shut it off and leave Twitter the way it is if you don’t like it. Like most Web changes people will probably get used to it.

But let’s hope that users don’t have to turn it off every single time they go on Twitter, the way Facebook users have to change the “Top Stories” back to “Most Recent” every day. That’s when you’ll see another freakout on Twitter.

Telegrams, Part Two

Rotary dial of telegram machine
(yanugkelid/Shutterstock)
A couple of weeks ago I told you about The Atlantic writer Adrienne LaFrance’s attempt to send telegrams to her boss. One of the telegrams she sent did actually come (late), and now the second one has finally arrived (late, and like the first one, not really a telegram.

I’m the type of person who loves and uses older tech (landline phones, handwritten letters, typewriters), but I think real telegrams are a technology whose time has come and gone. #RIPTelegrams

National Potato Lovers’ Month

Chip butty on a plate
(stuart.ford/Shutterstock)
I don’t know why, but I suddenly have sandwiches on my mind. Since February is National Potato Lovers’ Month, how about some that include some form of that popular vegetable?

Here’s Elvis’ Fried-Potato Sandwich, which involves a lot of bacon. Here’s an egg and potato sandwich from Food Network. And last but not least there’s the chip butty, which is made with french fries and either a brown sauce or ketchup.

There’s a song that goes along with the sandwich, titled “The Greasy Chip Butty Song.” It’s sung to the tune of John Denver’s “Annie’s Song” and originated with the Sheffield United football club.

And that’s probably the last time I will ever type a paragraph that includes John Denver, football, and french fries.

Upcoming Events and Anniversaries

Valentine’s Day (February 14)
This year, why not make your own candy hearts and write whatever you want on them? (And check out some of our classic Valentine’s Day covers.)

Cinderella opens (February 15, 1950)
The Disney animated film debuted in Boston and then nationally on March 4.

Presidents’ Day (February 15)
It’s not just for Washington and Lincoln anymore.

King Tut’s tomb opened (February 16, 1923)
Was a curse unleashed when the tomb was opened?

First NBC nightly news broadcast (February 16, 1948)
It was first called NBC Television Newsreel and used Movietone newsreels, then later became Camel News Caravan with John Cameron Swayze as the on-camera host.

Prizes included in Cracker Jack for first time (February 19, 1912)
​I didn’t know that they now come in bags and in more than one flavor.