10/11/2023: How to Wash Your Jeans 👖
PLUS: Record Pumpkin; Who Killed Tupac?; and Fergie’s New Gig?
Today is Wednesday, October 11, 2023.
It is the 284th day of the year.
81 days remain.
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WHAT’S ON TAP
A documentary duo finds a century-old shipwreck and SBF’s ex takes the stand in his fraud trial. More in HIT LIST.
BOB COSTAS saved a guy and MADONNA once licked AL PACINO. More in SHOWBIZ.
ELON MUSK threatened to burn down Warner Bros. and ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER bit a dead vulture. More in CASTING CALL.
JULIA FOX says her relationship with YE was all for the tabloids. More in KARDASH.
FERGIE is considering revisiting an old career opportunity. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
FTX-FILES: CAROLINE ELLISON testified on Tuesday that SAM BANKMAN-FRIED orchestrated the systems that allowed internal hedge fund Alameda Research to use customer funds in the FTX exchange for improper use.
She also said point blank, “Sam directed me to commit these crimes,” and added that he “directed us to take customer money to pay loans.”
Ellison ran Alameda and dated SBF for a few months beginning in late 2018.
Ellison has already struck a deal with prosecutors for her involvement with the fraud.
WORTH NOTING: While prosecutors already have a strong case against SBF ordering the illegal behavior, they still need to prove that he knew what he was doing was illegal to nail him on the specific charges. [via CNBC, CNN]
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A Minnesota man has broken his own world record for the heaviest pumpkin.
This year, Travis Gienger hauled the massive squash to the annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in California, where officials weighed it in at 2,749 pounds.
Gienger previously set records in 2020 and 2022, when his entry weighed in at 2,560 pounds. He’s taking home $30,000 in prize money, as well as bragging rights. [via ABC 7]
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The CEO of Levi’s says there’s a correct way to wash jeans – and it doesn’t involve a washing machine.
CHARLES BERGH tells CNBC that a washing machine tears down denim’s fibers and alters their shape and color.
Instead, he advises spot-cleaning stains when they happen. And when they get really dirty or sweated-up: “put them on in the shower and wash them with soap, just like you would your body.” [via CNBC]
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When husband-and-wife documentary filmmakers Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick heard about a sonar anomaly from scientists conducting a fish survey in Lake Huron, they deployed their specialized underwater video equipment attached to a remotely operated drone.
That anomaly turned out to be much more than the big pile of rocks they expected to find: it was a shipwreck. Closer investigation revealed it was a merchant ship called the Africa, which sank in 1895 while hauling coal between Ohio and Ontario during a snowstorm. The Africa was towing a ship called the Severn, which eventually ran aground and all crew survived, but the Africa and its 11 crew succumbed to the icy waters.
Drebert and Melnick are releasing a film that includes the find next year – but its main focus is actually the impact of invasive mussels in the Great Lakes. [via Inspired Planet Productions]
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A 57-year-old woman, known as the Mid-South Wedding Crasher, has been arrested.
Sandra Lynn Henson was busted last month at a Mississippi wedding where she was found snooping around the bridal suite while eating a piece of wedding cake.
As she did her best to try and convince the bride’s sister that she was in fact an invited guest, the wedding coordinator realized $200 was missing from her purse that had been in the suite. When asked about the missing money, Henson eventually copped to it after someone threatened to call the police.
As for how she earned the nickname the “Mid-South Wedding Crasher,” Henson was arrested for wedding-related crimes in Alabama in 2019, and for stealing over $1,000 in gifts, cash and gift cards at a different wedding in Mississippi in 2021.
According to the Mississippi Department of Corrections site, Henson is on parole until January 2025 for those previous crimes. [via Insider]
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DEATHS
FOLLOW UP: Dorothy Hoffner, the 104-year-old who was recently named the oldest person to ever jump from a plane, has died.
She passed away in her sleep on Sunday night at a senior living community in Chicago, according to a close friend.
Hoffner made her record-breaking jump on October 1, jumping 13,500 feet out of a plane at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois.
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SICK BAY
Olympic gymnast MARY LOU RETTON is fighting for her life in the ICU, battling a rare form of pneumonia.
According to a SpotFund page that has been set up to help with medical costs, the 55-year-old is unable to breathe on her own.
Retton made history as the first American woman to win the all-around gold at the 1984 Olympics. She also took home two silvers and bronzes that same year.
In 1997 she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW was up 134 points (0.4%) to close at 33,739 on Tuesday. The S&P added 22 points (0.52%) to close at 4,358 and the NASDAQ added 78 points (0.58%) to close at 13,562.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $85; BRENT CRUDE at $87.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.68 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN slid to around $27,400 on Tuesday.
🛩 There were more than 2,274 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 72 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $1.73 BILLION jackpot or a $756.6 million cash payout.
SHOW ME THE MONEY: It is the second-largest jackpot in US history!
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Is Diddy responsible for the murder of TUPAC?
KEEFE D, the guy who has been arrested for the 1996 murder, told a Las Vegas courtroom that SEAN “Diddy” COMBS paid $1 million to “take out” Pac and Death Row Records boss SUGE KNIGHT.
Another former Compton gangster doubled down on the rumor, telling the US Sun that Diddy was “terrified” of Knight and put a price on his and Tupac’s head. (Remember, in the ‘90s there was an ongoing war between the Bad Boys Records on the East Coast and Death Row Records on the West.)
Several witnesses appeared at the grand jury hearing to speak about the animosity between Diddy and Tupac, in defense of Keefe D’s allegations. [via The Sun]
WORTH NOTING: Rapper EMINEM raps about Diddy ordering the hit on Tupac in his song “Killshot,” with the lyrics: “But, Kells, the day you put out a hit’s the day Diddy admits / That he put the hit out that got Pac killed, ah!” Though he ends the track saying, “And I’m just playin’, Diddy / You know I love you.” [via Genius]
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Expect to see a lot of couples dressed as TAYLOR SWIFT and TRAVIS KELCE this Halloween.
According to Halloween retailer 3 Wishes, their Taylor and Travis-inspired costumes have sold out.
The getup is also the company’s second-fastest-selling product in history. Their “Tiger King” costume from 2020 is still No. 1. [via MensJournal]
WORTH ASKING: Isn’t it odd that a costume sold during the pandemic -- when people were told to stay home, do not go to parties & certainly don’t go to strangers’ homes and ask for candy -- is the No. 1 best seller? 🤔
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After several days of mediation, JOE JONAS and SOPHIE TURNER have reached an agreement when it comes to their kids.
Until things are finalized by a judge, sources say the couple have settled on a temporary child custody agreement for the three- and one-year-old.
Sophie gets them for a few weeks, during which she can travel with them to the UK, if she so chooses, before giving them back to Joe. He will then get them for a few weeks -- including Thanksgiving -- before giving them back to Sophie who will have them for Christmas and New Years. Etc. Etc. Etc.
No word on how things will look once the girls are old enough for school, but for now all parties appear to be happy with the plan. [via People]
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Former NBC correspondent BOB COSTAS recently performed the Heimlich maneuver on a fellow diner, possibly saving his life.
Sources told Page Six that Costas jumped into action when a patron, who wasn’t seated near him, started to choke.
When asked about the incident, his rep said that Costas “did what just about anyone else would do,” while adding that he “doesn’t think [it] was that big of a deal.” [via Page Six]
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DON’T TASTE THE RAINBOW: MARIO LOPEZ thinks California Governor GAVIN NEWSOM should focus on real issues affecting the state, instead of banning Skittles.
“Crime is through the roof, worst drug epidemic ever & homelessness at an all time high in CA… Let’s focus on Skittles,” Lopez tweeted alongside a headline announcing the Skittles ban.
WORTH NOTING: While the ban is not actually about Skittles, but rather asking companies to remove Red Dye 3 from products, Lopez is right to be outraged over the priorities of what is actually harming Californians. [via X]
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“Housewife” SHANNON BEADOR has entered an outpatient behavioral wellness program following her DUI arrest last month.
While the decision makes it appear as if Beador is taking her charges seriously and hoping to make a change, insiders say she still plans to be part of the “Tres Amigas” comedy show, which she performs alongside her “Real Housewives of Orange County” co-stars TAMRA JUDGE and VICKI GUNVALSON.
The show has a alcohol-heavy theme, including a pre-show VIP Cocktail Party, which sources say Beador will try to avoid. [via Page Six]
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The jacket MICHAEL JACKSON wore in one of his 1984 “Pepsi Generation” ads is hitting the auction black.
The black-and-white leather coat is expected to fetch at least $230,000, according to Propstore. [via TMZ]
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What’s the first thing you would do if granted the chance to meet legendary actor AL PACINO? Would it be to stick your tongue in his ear? Because that’s exactly what MADONNA did.
According to her former roommate, Whitley Hill, the singer was introduced to Pacino at a dinner in the late ‘70s by Hill’s father, actor ED SETRAKIAN.
After the meal, Setrakian drove everyone home -- including Pacino. After dropping them at home, Hill said her dad called her to relay what Pacino had told him, which was, “That friend of your daughter’s stuck her tongue in my ear! We were driving home, she leaned over and stuck her tongue in my ear!”
Fast forward to 1990 and Pacino and Madonna would find themselves starring opposite one another in the film, “Dick Tracy.” No word on if there was anymore licking. [via Insider]
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CASTING CALL
When rumors surfaced that AMBER HEARD was possibly going to be let go from “Aquaman 2,” her then-boyfriend ELON MUSK took matters into his own hands.
An expose from Variety details how Musk had one of his attorneys draft a “scorched-earth letter to Warner Bros. threatening to burn the house down” if she was fired.
The threat worked and the studio “caved,” according to insiders.
Musk also came to the rescue when he donated $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Heard’s behalf in order to help her complete her promise of donating the $7 million she received in her divorce settlement from actor JOHNNY DEPP.
YOU MAY RECALL: Heard was questioned about the promised donation during the defamation trial involving her and Depp after claiming to have donated the full amount to the ACLU and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Depp’s team asked for receipts of the transaction in an effort to undermine Heard’s credibility after she had stated under oath it had been paid.
After several subpoenas, it was revealed that Heard had only paid $350,000 to the ACLU, while Musk made the $1 million donation in her name as a gesture of goodwill.
Remember, Heard wrote an op-ed for the ACLU about being a domestic abuse survivor. While she didn’t name him specifically, the piece was clearly about her marriage to Depp, which is what prompted him to sue her for defamation.
It is assumed she used most of the settlement to pay fees associated with the defamation trial. [via Variety & Rolling Stone]
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While filming the 1982 flick “Conan the Barbarian,” ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER bit a dead vulture.
“I bit a real, dead vulture that required I wash my mouth out with alcohol after each take. (PETA would have a field day with that one.),” he writes.
The story was shared in his new self-help book, “Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life,” which hit shelves this week.
WORTH NOTING: The experience clearly wasn’t that bad since Schwarzenegger went on to appear in the sequel, “Conan the Destroyer.” [via OK!]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
JULIA FOX says her relationship with YE was “fake,” claiming he used her as a “prop.”
“I feel like he’s using me in some weird, twisted game. It makes me feel dirty,” she writes in her new memoir, “Down the Drain,” about their time together.
Fox also claims that several of their outings were created for the paparazzi, writing how Ye would sometimes make her “recreate” the scene several times for photogs.
As for why the relationship didn’t work out, she says that he ended things after she refused to sign an NDA. [via The Mirror]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Friends close to SARAH FERGUSON say she has her eye on a new career to help support herself and ex-husband PRINCE ANDREW – twenty years in the making.
Fergie reportedly filmed a pilot for a daytime talk show two decades ago, but that job ultimately went to ELLEN DEGENERES. She was spotted chatting with the TV producer behind the pilot while visiting New York in recent weeks. Insiders say that Ferg “might have a second shot” at the potentially lucrative gig, which catapulted Ellen to enormous wealth over her long-tenured run. [via Radar Online]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Pet Obesity Awareness Day
National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day
International Top Spinning Day
National Fossil Day
National Emergency Nurses Day
Bring Your Teddy Bear To Work & School Day
National Sausage Pizza Day
International Day of the Girl Child
Southern Food Heritage Day
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ON THIS DATE
1776 - Before being vilified as a traitor, Benedict Arnold was a keen Patriot general; on this date he defended Valcour Island on Lake Champlain in New York from a British fleet.
Though the Continentals would eventually lose the fight, Arnold’s forces gave ground troops enough time to mount strong defenses around New York. The British advance into the city would not be attempted again until the following year.
Arnold was also a hero of the capture of Fort Ticonderoga the year before.
In 1780, angry that he had not received enough credit for his military victories, he would take a bribe from British brass and surrender American intelligence.
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1809 - Explorer Meriwether Lewis dies in Tennessee, three years after returning from his expedition to the West Coast.
Since then, he had failed as the appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory, battling bureaucracy and power struggles. He and his partner, William Clark, had also failed to publish much of the scientific research conducted on their famous expedition.
Historians assume Lewis took his own life while staying at Grinder’s Tavern. Gunshots were heard from his room, but no one actually saw what happened. He was found the next morning, fatally wounded, and died soon after.
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1962 - Pope John XXIII gathers the Second Vatican Council.
The gathering of bishops was to consider ways to modernize the Church in an advancing society. It also aimed to bring together disparate Christian churches, particularly the Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Protestants.
Though Pope John died the next year, his successor, Paul VI, continued the Council.
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1968 - Apollo 7 launches into orbit.
It’s the first manned Apollo mission. On board are Wally Schirra, Don Eisele, and Walter Cunningham.
The mission lasted 11 days. The crew was the first to broadcast live on TV from orbit.
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1975 - Arkansas lawyers Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham get married in Little Rock.
There aren’t too many details on the wedding – and the rest is history.
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1975 - The first episode of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” premieres.
It stars Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman.
At the time it competed with an ABC show called “Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell,” but NBC would buy the naming rights in 1977.
It has since become the longest-running and highest-rated show in late-night TV.
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2018 - A flight between Singapore and New Jersey becomes the longest direct commercial flight – again.
The fight lasted 17 hours and 52 minutes and covered over 9,000 miles.
Singapore Airlines had flown the route previously, but couldn’t keep up with fuel costs.
The reimagined route had no economy seats, instead installing 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy with expanded seats and leg room.
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BIRTHDAYS
Rhea Ripley - wrestler - 27
John Luke Robertson - reality star, “Duck Dynasty” - 28
TJ Watt - football player - 29
Brandon Flynn - actor, “13 Reasons Why” - 30
Cardi B - rapper - 31
Michelle Trachtenberg - actress, “Harriet the Spy” & “Gossip Girl” - 38
Bradley James - actor, “Merlin” - 40
Trevor Donovan - actor, “90210” - 43
Matt Bomer - actor, “White Collar” & “Chuck” - 46
Emily Deschanel - actress, “Bones” - 47
Jane Krakowski - actress, “30 Rock” - 55
Rikishi - wrestler - 58
Joan Cusack - actress, “Shameless” & “Toy Story 2” & “Toy Story 3” - 61
Born On This Date
Luke Perry - actor, “Beverly Hills, 90210” & “Riverdale” - 1966 (d. 2019)
Dusty Rhodes - wrestler - 1945 (d. 2015)
Eleanor Rossevelt - longest serving First Lady - 1884 (d. 1962)
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