The Weekly News Round Up for December 21

Welcome, Nacho Readers to another weekend and another Weekly Round Up of interesting news stories found online. It is the weekend before the holidays so there is a lot of holiday cheer going around! Hope your holidays, no matter what they are, are fun and you all have a good time

Why It’s A Wonderful Life is the nation’s favourite
It’s been voted Britain’s favourite Christmas film, but there will be a lot of people who have never watched It’s A Wonderful Life. The film is over 70 years old and is an uplifting story of family, love and hope. But it is also the story of one man’s struggle with life’s knockbacks.

BBC has a story about the Holiday Television favorite “It’s A Wonderful Life” that premièred in theaters on December 20, 1946. The movie stars Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed and has been shown on TV channels around the world this time of year since. It wasn’t a big hit in theaters but was cheap enough so that Stations played the movie to have something airing that didn’t cost them much money to do so. It’s been aired for so long the movie has become a tradition of its own!

Watch Macaulay Culkin revisit ‘Home Alone’ – CNN Video
Macaulay Culkin updates “Home Alone,” this time in an ad for Google Home. But he isn’t the first celebrity to bring back a beloved character for a commercial.

CNN Business has the story of another classic holiday movie being reenacted for Google Homes. Home Alone was a big holiday hit back in 1990, and it’s star Macaulay Culkin revisited the movie in an ad for Google Homes. I remember seeing the movie in the theaters and how big of a run it had, so it’s neat to have that new look with a little bit of a modern spin on it.

Yemeni mom reunites with dying son as father calls for end of travel ban
After months of legal challenges, conference calls with doctors and hours aboard a plane, a Yemeni mother has finally arrived in California to be with her dying son.

CNN has this update to a story we carried about Shaima Swileh. a Yemeni mother living in Egypt who was not allowed to enter the U.S. to see her sick son, Abdullah, in person before his battle ends against a genetic brain condition. The State Department granted her an emergency Visa after a tough struggle and she arrived in the United States. Shaima arrived in California Thursday morning in California. She and little Abdullah’s father Ali Hassan went immediately to the hospital to be with 2-year-old Abdullah and asked for privacy for the family in these moments.

As historically significant as Apollo 11, Apollo 8 launched 50 years ago this week
Launched 50 years ago this week, the Apollo 8 mission was the first true moon shot, even rivaling Apollo 11 for historical significance.

NBC has news of another anniversary as the Apollo 8 mission launched 50 years ago this week. Apollo 8 was NASA’s first attempt to get close to the Moon and the mission set a lot of the groundwork for the future mission Apollo 11 that was the first manned mission to the Moon itself. It doesn’t get the same recognition as the landing, but it is a BIG moment in history.

Saturn’s rings are disappearing faster than anyone realized
Saturn’s rings are one of the solar system’s most recognizable features, but a new study shows that the planet is losing its famous accessories – and faster than anyone realized. Astronomers have known since the 1980s that the sixth planet from the sun is shedding its signature rings, which are made up of swirling rocks and water ice.

NBC News also has this other story from space as scientists now think that the planet Saturn is losing it’s most identifiable feature, its rings. Scientists have said Saturn was shedding its rings since the 1980s, but now say that it is happening faster than originally thought. However, Saturn’s most remembered feature may still last another 100 to 300 million years so it’s not in any hurry to do so either.

Penny Marshall, ‘Laverne & Shirley’ Star and Movie Director, Dies at 75
Penny Marshall, the nasal-voiced co-star of the slapstick sitcom “Laverne & Shirley” and later the chronically self-deprecating director of hit films like “Big” and “A League of Their Own,” died on Monday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 75. Her publicist, Michelle Bega, said the cause was complications of diabetes.

The New York Times has this story on the passing of Penny Marshall. The actress was known to many for her roll on the 70’s Happy Days Spinoff Laverne and Shirley but she made a bigger impact as a movie director. She was the person behind such big-name movies as Big, Awakenings, and A League of their Own. She made history as her movie Big in 1988 was the first movie directed by a woman to bring in over $100 million. A League of their Own did the same thing in 1992. She directed some great movies and as a fan of her work, she gets a salute from me in saying Goodbye.

Obama visits D.C. children’s hospital
Former President Obama visited a Washington, D.C. children’s hospital on Wednesday, clad in a Santa hat and carrying a bag of gifts. “Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas,” Mr. Obama said as he walked in.

MSN has this story fitting of the holiday season. Former United States President Barack Obama made a visit to a Washington D.C., children’s’ hospital wearing a Santa hat and carrying a bag of gifts for the kids. His wife, M<ichelle Obama made annual visits to the hospital between 2009- 2014 and Barack himself last visited in 2014. This visit he made sure to meet most of the patients and their families in their rooms and well as several of the hospital playrooms during his time there.

With Mr. Obama given some Holiday cheer to some special people, we bring an end to this week’s Round Up of news found online. remember, in life, keep your eyes open and keep reading!