10/14/2024: Starship Success! 🚀
PLUS: Foul-Mouthed Fans; T.I. Retires; and The World’s Most Bullied Woman
Today is Monday, October 14, 2024.
It is the 288th day of the year.
78 days remain.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
We sent Friday’s edition only to Premium subscribers by mistake. It is now available to everyone online. Thank you for your understanding.
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WHAT’S ON TAP
Questions swirl around the arrest of another alleged Trump assassin and tensions escalate around the world. Details in HIT LIST.
R. KELLY’s daughter makes some shocking accusations and KEVIN COSTNER releases a new song for hurricane victims. More in SHOWBIZ.
AL PACINO has no movie souvenirs and a “Wild Robot” sequel is in the works. Details in CASTING CALL.
More legal drama for YE in KARDASH.
MEGHAN MARKLE teaches young women the subtle art of victimhood. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
The Sheriff’s Office for Riverside County, California, announced Sunday it arrested a man who they believe was planning to kill DONALD TRUMP during his speech in Coachella on Saturday.
Police apprehended the suspect, 49-year-old Vem Miller, about a mile from the entry point for the event. In his car, he had a loaded shotgun, handgun, and magazine. He reportedly also had multiple passports with different names, multiple phony event passes, and a forged press pass. His vehicle was also unregistered and had a fake license plate.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Biano says, “We probably stopped another assassination attempt.”
Miller has a bit of a public profile, most recently running for the Nevada State assembly in 2022 as a Republican. He’s been booked on charges of illegal possession of a firearm and high-capacity magazine, but posted $5,000 bail.
BUT WAIT: Friends of Miller swiftly took to social media to call the incident some kind of suspicious mistake. Miller has been a vocal Trump supporter on social media. He even posted videos from the RNC in Milwaukee in July. [via Riverside Sheriff, Morning Martini]
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SPACEX conducted the fifth launch of its Starship rocket on Sunday to stunning success.
The mission accomplished two major milestones: recovering the booster section so it can be reused and safely returning the Starship body to Earth from orbit, right on target in the Indian Ocean.
Catching the Super Heavy booster engine has to be seen to be believed. WATCH >
That isn’t A.I. or a computer rendering. Not only was the booster section able to maneuver itself toward a launch pad after carrying a rocket toward orbit, it was snatched mid-air by what SpaceX calls “chopsticks” mounted to its “Mechazilla” tower. To make the achievement even more astounding, this was the first test of the system, including the “chopstick” technology to catch the Starship booster, the most powerful space rocket engine ever built. [via SpaceX, Morning Martini]
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BOOTS ON THE GROUND: American troops will deploy to Israel to manage and operate a missile defense system.
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Battery requires a crew of about 100 soldiers. The deployment marks the first time American troops will be on the ground in Israel since the October 7 attacks last year.
In a statement, the Pentagon says the defense system will “help bolster Israel's air defenses following Iran's unprecedented attacks against Israel.” [via US Department of Defense]
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North Korean state media reported Sunday that it has fortified its southern border with artillery units and is preparing to shoot down drones flying over the area.
These drones typically drop aid packages and pamphlets critical of the Kim regime. On Friday, the North accused the South of sending drones all the way to Pyongyang, its capital. The Kim regime says the South must stop private groups from deploying these drones in the first place and failure to do so will require military retaliation.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says it cannot confirm the North’s accusations. [via Reuters]
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Who are the rudest, most foul-mouthed fans in the NFL? According to betting site FlashPicks, Detroit Lions fans top the list.
FlashPicks looked at each of the 32 NFL teams Reddit channels and tallied up the number of profanities, of which Lions fans spewed 288.
Las Vegas Raiders fans came in second with 274 cuss words, followed by Pittsburgh Steelers fans with 238 swear words. [via NY Post]
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BABY NEWS
Country singer BRANTLEY GILBERT welcomed his third child, a baby boy, with wife AMANDA COCHRAN GILBERT Friday night.
The labor and delivery took place on the band’s tour bus, which was parked outside the Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo, where Gilbert was performing at the time.
He left mid-show to be there for the birth, and then returned to finish the show.
The couple are already parents to 6-year-old Barrett Hardy-Clay, and 5-year-old Braylen Hendrix.
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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
10. The Apprentice: $1.6 million (new)
9. The Nightmare Before Christmas: $2.3 million (re-release)
8. My Hero Academia: You’re Next: $3 million (new)
7. Saturday Night: $3.4 million (up from 19)
6. Transformers One: $3.6 million (down from 4)
5. Piece by Piece: $3.8 million (new)
4. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: $7 million (down from 3)
3. Joker: Folie a Deux: $7 million (down from 1)
2. The Wild Robot: $13.4 million (stayed at 2)
1. Terrifer 3: $18.3 million (new)
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 409 points (0.97%) to close at 42,863 on Friday. The S&P increased 34 points (0.61%) to close at 5,815 and the NASDAQ increased 60 points (0.33%) to close at 18,342.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $75 on Friday; BRENT CRUDE at $78.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.20 on Sunday.
₿ BITCOIN was steady over the weekend, trading around $63,100.
🛩 There were more than 2,575 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday and more than 170 such cancellations.
💰Tuesday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $169 million jackpot or a $80 million cash payout. Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $364 million jackpot or a $175.2 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
R. KELLY’s eldest daughter claims he molested her when she was around 8 or 9 years old.
“I just remember waking up to him touching me,” BUKI ABI recalls in “Karma: A Daughter’s Journey.”
“I didn’t know that, even if he was a bad person, that he would do something to me,” she added. “I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom.”
Kelly’s lawyer “vehemently denies” the allegations. Meanwhile, his client is serving a 30-year sentence and is eligible for release in 2045, at which time he will be almost 80. [via Page Six]
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KEVIN COSTNER’s band, MODERN WEST, released their first song in nearly five years in an effort to support hurricane victims.
“I hope that ‘Find Your Way’ provides that kind of refuge for anyone trudging through and losing sight of hope,” he shared on Instagram, adding that all proceeds from the release will benefit disaster relief fund, Hope Force International. [via Instagram]
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THE WEEKND is nearing 120.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, breaking his own record of 100 million listeners set last year.
The milestone comes just months after he joined the streamer’s Billions Club with his hit “After Hours,” which has been streamed more than 1 billion times.
It is his 18th song to break the threshold -- the most for any artist.
His song “Blinding Lights” is also the most-streamed song in Spotify history. [via HNHH]
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After five years of living in the UK, TOM CRUISE is ready to come back stateside.
He wrapped filming on “Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning II” last week, and swiftly said good-bye.
A source said that while Cruise has “fallen in love with the country” he is looking forward to being “closer to his son Connor and friends” in the states.
No word on whether or not he will try to mend things with his daughter SURI, who is now an adult. [via The Sun]
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JOE EXOTIC has scabies.
The “Tiger King” star says he is one of 140 inmates at FMC Fort Worth that has been infected with the painful skin condition.
Per the CDC, scabies is caused by a human itch mite that leads to intense itching and a pimple-like skin rash. It is spread by skin-to-skin contact.
That’s not all, Exotic also says rats have infested the living quarters.
A spokesperson for the prison says all “necessary precautions” are in place to “protect employees, incarcerated individuals, and the community” from being exposed.
No word on the rodents though. [via TMZ]
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JACK NICOLSON, SPIKE LEE and BILLY CRYSTAL were added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s James F. Goldstein SuperFan Gallery on Sunday.
The honor went down Sunday, just hours before this year’s class was enshrined.
Nicolson’s team is the Lakers, Lee loves the Knicks and Crystal supports the Clippers. [via NY Post]
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JELLY ROLL says he was just 14-years-old when he was “court-ordered” to attend his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
He discussed his journey to sobriety on SiriusXM’s “The Highway,” detailing his many hours spent not only at AA meetings, but also Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
“I think everybody should experience one,” he added, saying he has “never been more inspired” than after “leaving” a meeting. [via Page Six]
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T.I. is retiring from the rap game.
He announced that Atlanta’s 96.1 The Beat’s annual Jingle Ball festival will be his last performance. He is headlining the event, alongside KHALID, TINASHE, T-PAIN and THE KID LAROI.
As for why T.I. feels now is the time to lay down the mic, he said that he simply doesn’t “want to do it anymore.” [via The Sun]
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CASTING CALL
Despite starring in several iconic films, including “The Godfather” and “Scarface,” AL PACINO says he has never taken anything from the set.
“I’ll probably lose them,” he admits in his memoir, “Sonny Boy,” which hits shelves tomorrow. [via People]
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A “Wild Robot” sequel is in the works.
After crossing $100 million globally last week, Deadline confirms that a follow-up is currently in development at DreamWorks Animation.
In the movie, actress LUPITA NYONG’O plays a robot called ROZZUM unit 7134 that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings. Roz gradually builds relationships with the animals and becomes the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.
“The Wild Robot” is the first in the trilogy of books written by PETER BROWN. “The Wild Robot Escapes” is the second book in the franchise. [via Deadline]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE is being sued by a former employee, who alleges he suffered “emotional distress, retaliation and labor code violations,” after being tasked with investigating the Kardashians and their “supposed various criminal links.”
The suit also claims that Ye made him hire a private investigator to “tail” his wife BIANCA CENSORI during a solo trip she took to visit her family in Australia.
There was also an incident of Ye threatening the accuser with “great bodily injury, including death” after he was informed about some alleged abuse that had occurred at the Donda Academy.
The former employee is seeking punitive and compensatory damages, including unpaid wages. [via People]
There’s more…
YE has been accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a former assistant at one of SEAN COMBS’ parties.
LAUREN PISCIOTTA claims the rapper invited her to a party he was co-hosting with Combs. Once there, she says guests were told to drink or leave, and after having only a few sips, says she “suddenly started to feel disoriented.”
The following day Pisciotta said she couldn’t remember what had taken place at the party and that she felt “ashamed and embarrassed” about it. It wasn’t until almost a year later -- after she was fired by Ye -- that he confessed that they “hooked up” that night.
Pisciotta added the new allegation to her existing wrongful termination and sexual harassment lawsuit against Ye.
Combs is not mentioned in her filing.
BY THE WAY: Ye would have been married to KIM KARDASHIAN at the time of the alleged incident. [via NY Post]
SPEAKING OF DIDDY PARTIES: TRAVIS BARKER’s 21-year-old son LANDON BARKER is being slammed online after attending a party at which bottles of baby oil were being passed around; a clear reference to Combs’ freak-off parties. In one clip, the DJ can be heard yelling, “We’re getting freaky tonight. We’re getting Diddy freaky tonight.” [via Page Six]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
If you ask MEGHAN MARKLE, she’s one of the most bullied people in the world.
Meg spoke to members of Girls Inc. of Santa Barbara, a group with the noble cause of training girls and young women to be leaders. Her Archewell Foundation is a major donor, as is OPRAH WINFREY.
One of the founders of the group tells Vanity Fair, “We did an activity where we talked through a bunch of scenarios, and Meghan talked about being one of the most bullied people in the world. We had girls wave these little emoji signs and talk about how each one of these scenarios would have impacted them emotionally.” [via Vanity Fair]
WORTH NOTING: Being mocked by tabloids for upending decades of royal tradition and earning a reputation for treating staff horribly is very much not the same kind of bullying and harassment young women face on social media.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Columbus Day
National I Love You Day
National Kick Butt Day
International E-Waste Day
National Real Sugar Day
National Dessert Day
Be Bald and Be Free Day
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ON THIS DATE
1066 - The last Anglo-Saxon king of England is killed in battle by William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings.
King Harold II’s troops were decimated by the invading Norman force. Harold took an arrow through the eye, according to legend.
The battle was over Harold’s claim to the throne, which William the Conqueror disputed – so he marched into England with his army and took it. After the victory at Hastings, the people of London bowed to their new king.
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1586 - Mary Queen of Scots goes on trial for treason against her cousin, Elizabeth Tudor of England.
She would be found guilty the following day and sentenced to be executed.
Her execution would take place the following February. Mary was 44-years-old.
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1892 - Arthur Conan Doyle publishes “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.”
The collection of 12 stories was originally published serially in “The Strand Magazine.”
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1912 - Milwaukee barkeep John Schrank shoots Teddy Roosevelt in front of the Gilpatrick Hotel – that was on Kilbourn and North 3rd Street.
Roosevelt was on his way to give a speech. He had folded a copy of his remarks in his chest pocket, which slowed Schrank’s bullet.
Schrank was subdued, and reportedly said that anyone seeking a third term ought to be shot!
Roosevelt continued on with the speech with blood seeping into his coat and with the bullet lodged in his chest. He opened his remarks by saying, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose!”
A medical examination afterward showed the bullet stuck in three inches of tissue. It would have been more dangerous to attempt to remove it than to just leave it in – which he did for the rest of his life.
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1926 - A. A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh” is released.
It follows the lovable characters of Christopher Robin’s imagination, including Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga and Roo.
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1947 - Chuck Yeager becomes the first man to break the sound barrier in flight.
In the top-secret X-1 jet over Southern California, Yeager piloted the plane faster than 662 miles per hour at altitudes above 40,000 feet. It had to be taken into the air by a B-29 then dropped through the bomb bay before rocketing farther skyward.
The whole project was so secret that it wouldn’t be announced publicly until the following year.
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1962 - The United States and Soviet Union grow closer than ever to nuclear war with the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
A spy plane snapped pictures of Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles south of the Florida coastline.
Eight days later President Kennedy gave a TV address explaining the situation and the implementation of a blockade around Cuba.
A deal was eventually struck between the two superpowers: Khrushchev would pull out the missiles if the U.S. promised not to invade Cuba. Kennedy also secretly yanked American missiles from Turkey.
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1964 - Nikita Khrushchev is pushed out of office by Soviet party heads – in particular Leonid Brezhnev.
Khrushchev stepped aside without a fight. He prided himself on mollifying the presence of the Soviet dictatorship, especially compared to the terrifying years under Stalin.
The Soviet Central Committee easily accepted Khrushchev’s apparent voluntary retirement -- and replaced him with Alexei Kosygin. Brezhnev became General Secretary.
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1994 - Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” premieres in movie theaters. It was a box office hit, raking in more than $100 million.
It starred an ensemble cast, including John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, and Uma Thurman.
The flick got 7 Oscar nominations and won for Best Screenplay.
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2007 - “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” premieres on E!.
The show follows the lives of the Kardashian-Jenner clan and would become one of the longest running reality television series in the country.
The show, often criticized for its emphasis on the “famous for being famous” concept, is a guilty pleasure of many and has continued to attract high viewership ratings.
The success has led to the creation of numerous spin-offs, including: “Kourtney and Kim Take Miami,” “Kourtney and Kim Take New York,” “Khloe & Lamar,” “Kourtney and Khloe Take The Hamptons,” “Dash Dolls,” “Rob & Chyna,” “Life of Kylie” and “Flip It Like Disick.”
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2017 - Harvey Weinstein is expelled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The decision was made after several women came forward with accusations of sexual harassment and rape against the producer.
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BIRTHDAYS
Rowan Blanchard - actress, “Girl Meets World” - 23
Quinn Hughes - hockey player - 25
Jared Goff - football player - 30
Charlie Kirk - founder of Turning Point USA & author - 31
Max Thieriot - actor, “Bates Motel” & “SEAL Team” - 36
Jay Pharoah - comedian - 37
Stacy Keibler - wrestler - 45
Usher - R&B singer - 46
Natalie Maines - country singer, The Chicks - 50
Stephen A. Smith - TV personality, ESPN - 57
Beth Daniel - golfer - 68
Ralph Lauren - fashion designer - 85
Born On This Date
Roger Moore - third actor to play James Bond - 1927 (d. 2017)
Dwight D. Eisenhower - 34th POTUS - 1890 (d. 1969)
William Penn - founder of Pennsylvania - 1644 (d. 1718)
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