Because Olaf isn't just a cute snowman's name.
Busy watching football this weekend? Or did you spend your Sunday night watching one of the greatest fighters in MMA history prove why he can't still hang with the best in the business? Maybe you just decided to sleep a lot or do something crazy and read a book.
Regardless of how you spent your weekend, you missed the saddest announcement in circus history, an epic Hollywood birthday party, a very good Bad Beginning, and some other stuff. Here's what you missed over the weekend.
The Greatest Show on Earth No More
Dreams of sweet cotton candy, dancing elephants, and acrobats fearlessly soaring on trapezes are soon to be no more. In a devastating blow to the childhood memories of people everywhere, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has made the difficult decision to close its doors to the public. After 146 years in the bigtop business, the three-ring circus is set to put on its final performance on May 21 of this year, citing financial difficulty, a declining interest in the once iconic pastime and the biggest factor of all: protests from animal rights activists.
.@RinglingBros will hold its final performances in May of this year. Details: https://t.co/Z4iQLxI0Sh #RinglingBros
— Ringling Bros. (@RinglingBros) January 15, 2017
Though Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment who owns the circus, won a $25.2 million settlement against various organizations claiming that the company abused its elephants, they were ultimately forced to remove the gentle giants from their shows entirely in 2016. The three-hour spectacle was also shortened to a mere two hours and seven minutes. And while he doesn’t attribute any particular cause leading toward the decline in public interest, he does allude to the increase in technology resulting in a disinterest in the old-timey circus thrills. Be sure to check your local tour dates for one final chance to see “The Greatest Show On Earth.”