Today is Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
It is the 290th day of the year.
76 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
North Korea continues its conflict escalation and a driver narrowly escapes a bizarre bomb attack. Details in HIT LIST.
50 CENT and LISA VANDERPUMP are heading to Vegas, though for very different reasons. Find out more in SHOWBIZ.
AL PACINO almost didn’t star in “The Godfather” and a “Dirty Dancing” sequel may or may not still be in the works. Details in CASTING CALL.
More disturbing claims about YE in KARDASH.
PRINCE WILLIAM hits the (American) football field. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
There was a time, not so long ago, when angsty teenagers yearned for adulthood and to be taken seriously as contributors to society. Now the youngest adults-on-paper, Generation Z, say they’re not fully grown until they hit 27 years old.
In a recent survey, respondents of all ages said there were a few factors that mark the beginning of adulthood: paying your own bills (56%), financial independence (45%), and prioritizing responsibilities over fun (38%).
Across all ages, Americans expect to be financially stable well into adulthood, at 46 years old.
IT GETS WORSE: 40% say they’ll never achieve financial stability. Across all ages, 71% agree that it’s more difficult to be an adult now than it was in 1994. [via Fortune]
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North Korea’s Kim regime is not just barricading rail and road entry points with the South, it has totally destroyed at least two roads connecting the countries.
South Korea’s military reported this week they detected explosions near two crossing points. In addition to the demolition, the North has planted mines and removed lighting along these two routes.
Footage aired on South Korean media showed trucks and excavators on the north side clearing out piles of debris after the explosions.
No damage to the South’s roads have been reported. In response, they fired “warning shots” near the Military Demarcation Line. [via NPR]
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A few weeks after MICROSOFT announced it would begin the process to win regulatory approval to activate the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant for its data centers to power A.I., GOOGLE announced it is also getting in the nuclear game.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is financing the construction of seven small nuclear power reactors across the country for its own A.I. efforts. In partnership with energy company Kairos Power, Google expects to get the plants online in the next five years.
A Google rep says, “The end goal here is 24/7, carbon-free energy.” [via WSJ]
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In a devastating earnings report, WALGREENS CEO says about one-fourth of the pharmacy chain’s locations are unprofitable, and the company will close 1200 locations in the next three years.
Walgreens blames expanded online shopping and the growth of pharmacy services in big-box retailers for their struggles, among broader economic concerns. [via AP]
MEANWHILE: Convenience store chain 7 ELEVEN will shutter 400 locations by the end of the year. The company specifically blames decreased cigarette sales as the biggest factor for its diminished sales. [via NJ.com]
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A Washington family is lucky to be alive after narrowly escaping a fiery explosion last week.
John Richards, a radio DJ for KEXP’s morning show, shared the traumatic story, explaining how he, his 11-year-old son, and wife were driving home, when what he thought was a soccer ball rolled into the road. Assuming a child would be running out after it, Richard says as he slowed down, at which point he realized that it wasn’t a ball, but a bomb.
“Maybe it’s not funny, but it’s watching Bugs Bunny. You see those little bombs they light, and they’re throwing them in the cartoon. I think that trained me more than any other thing,” Richard said.
Thankfully, no one was injured in the explosion. An investigation into the incident is ongoing. [via WBAY]
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BABY NEWS
JINGER DUGGAR VUOLO, No. 6 in the lineup of 19 Duggar kids, and her husband JEREMY VUOLO are expecting their third child.
The couple are already parents to two daughters, 6-year-old Felicity and 3-year-old Evangeline.
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SICK BAY
Rock guitarist JAKE E. LEE was hospitalized Tuesday after being shot multiple times in Las Vegas.
He is in the ICU, but expected to make a full recovery, according to a rep.
The shooting is believed to have been random, though an official investigation is underway.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 324 points (0.75%) to close at 42,740 on Tuesday. The S&P lost 44 points (0.76%) to close at 5,815 and the NASDAQ lost 180 points (0.98%) to close at 18,321.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $70; BRENT CRUDE at $74.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.20 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN gained on Tuesday, trading around $67,000.
🛩 There were more than 1,760 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 90 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $408 million jackpot or a $196.3 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
50 CENT is heading to Sin City for his first-ever Vegas residency.
The “50 Cent: In Da Club” residency so far has six shows spanning from December to January at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. One of those shows will be a New Year’s Eve performance.
As for his cut, 50 is reportedly earning around $15 million for the gig. [via Complex]
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TAYLOR SWIFT is releasing a 256-page hardcover book inspired by her record-breaking “Eras Tour.”
The book will be filled with some of Swift’s “own personal reflections, [and] never-before-seen behind the scenes photos,” according to the official announcement.
It hits shelves on November 29, aka Black Friday. [via NY Post]
BY THE WAY: She kicks off the final leg of the tour this week.
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RYAN LIZZA, the ex-fiance of OLIVIA NUZZI, the journalist rumored to have had an affair with ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., is spilling the tea on what he knows about the alleged relationship.
In his recently filed response to Nuzzi’s no contact order, Lizza claims that RFK Jr. wanted to “possess,” “control,” and “impregnate” her. He also said that Nuzzi called the relationship “toxic,” “unhealthy,” “psychotic,” and “indefensible.”
As previously reported, Nuzzi met RFK. Jr. last year when she interviewed him for New York Magazine. He says that was the only time the two ever met, and has denied Lizza’s description of the alleged relationship. [via Daily Beast]
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The Connecticut home once shared by DONALD TRUMP and then-wife IVANA TRUMP recently sold for $31.5 million.
The Georgian-style mansion was owned by the former couple in the 1980s, and then went to Ivana after their divorce in 1990. From there, she sold it to financier ROBERT STEINBERG for $15 million.
No word on exactly who bought the place, though Sotheby’s International Realty, who represented the buyer, referred to them as a “prominent family.” [via WSJ]
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LISA VANDERPUMP dropped $5 million on a new home in Vegas.
The property sits on a golf course and features breathtaking views of the surrounding desert.
The purchase doesn’t mean she is leaving Beverly Hills, however. Insiders say Vanderpump will simply split her time between the two homes, while managing her businesses in both locations. [via TMZ]
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Olympic volleyball star APRIL ROSS is retiring.
After “18 years, 16 seasons, four quads,” the 42-year-old announced she will be leaving the sport competitively at “the end of this @avpbeach League season.”
Ross is walking away with three Olympic medals, including a silver from 2012, bronze from 2016 and gold from 2020. [via Instagram]
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CASTING CALL
COOPER KOCH is addressing the speculation surrounding a specific scene from Netflix’s “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”
During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live,” Koch told ANDY COHEN that he was au natural, and did not use a prosthetic, in a scene featuring his character, Erik, in the shower.
“Congratulations to you, Cooper. You’re very blessed, aren’t you,” Cohen quipped. [via People]
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AL PACINO wasn’t the first choice to play Michael Corleone in “The Godfather.”
According to his new memoir, “Sonny Boy,” the studio wanted RYAN O’NEAL, ROBERT REDFORD or WARREN BEATTY, but director FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA pushed for Pacino.
Even after Pacino was cast and weeks into filming, he was almost given the boot because Paramount bigwigs weren’t impressed with his acting. Not ready to give up on him, Coppola switched around the filming schedule a bit, giving Pacino one last shot to prove that he was the right choice.
The move worked and not only did Pacino keep the gig, but he also later earned an Oscar nom. [via TMZ]
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A documentary centered on MEGAN THEE STALLION will hit Prime Video at the end of the month.
According to the logline, the doc focuses on Meg’s “road to stardom” while navigating “fame, grief, pressure and success.”
As for the release date of October 31, that’s no coincidence, as Halloween is reportedly Meg’s favorite holiday. [via Deadline]
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“Dirty Dancing” star JENNIFER GREY is still waiting for a follow-up film.
Plans for a sequel were first announced in 2020, then pushed back last year with the Hollywood strikes. Now, Grey says she isn’t sure where things are in the process.
“I’m just waiting for them to really nail it down as it has to be right,” she told GamesRadar+.
No other cast members from the original have been attached to the sequel. [via GamesRadar+]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
More disturbing claims have emerged from LAUREN PISCIOTTA’s lawsuit against YE.
In the filing, she claims that the Yeezy offices were used as Ye’s “sexual playground,” complete with “makeshift bedrooms” and a “rotating list” of “sexual targets.”
Pisciotta also claims that BIANCA CENSORI, who worked for Yeezy at the time, was a “willing participant” in Ye’s “twisted and bizarre sexual behavior, fantasy and foreplay,” including helping him organize “sex parties” at luxury hotels.
Ye has not yet responded to the new claims from Pisciotta. [via Daily Mail]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE WILLIAM has a pretty good throwing arm for American football, it turns out.
The Prince of Wales attended an event sponsored by the NFL Foundation in London geared toward supporting youth in disadvantaged areas. William participated in throwing drills and even quarterbacked a few plays.
Welsh rugby player-turned-NFL-wide-receiver LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT was on hand for the scrimmage and raved about Williams’ skills: “He can throw the ball better than me. He can get a good spiral on the ball as well, not like me!”
But for his own part, William was overheard asking for advice on how to perfect his spiral and said at one point he didn’t understand much of the NFL’s rules. [via DailyMail]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Steve Jobs Day
Global Cat Day
National Missouri Day
World Food Day
Department Store Day
National Boss’ Day
National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day
Global Dignity Day
Global Ethics Day
World Spine Day
National Fossil Day
National Feral Cat Day
Hagfish Day
National Dictionary Day
National Liqueur Day
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ON THIS DATE
1579 - Francis Drake spies land in the Philippines after crossing the Pacific Ocean aboard the Golden Hind.
The ship began her voyage across the Pacific on July 23 that year.
Drake would land at Ternante in the East Indies on November 3, where he would make a treaty with the Sultan, and bring along a cargo of cloves.
He would arrive back in Plymouth on September 26, 1580.
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1793 - Marie Antoinette's life comes to a head.
The wife of deposed King Louis XVI is executed at the guillotine.
On her way to the chopping block, she reportedly stepped on the executioner's foot, and apologized, saying, "Pardon me sir, I meant not to do it."
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1847 - “Jane Eyre” is published.
Written by Charlotte Bronte, the novel would leave an indelible mark on English literature.
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1854 - While running for Congress, Abraham Lincoln publicly speaks out against slavery.
The speech decried the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which left the decision of slavery to the new territories of Kansas and Nebraska.
In effect, the act also repealed the Missouri Compromise, which outlawed slavery in new settlements west of Louisiana.
Lincoln was a staunch abolitionist -- and a Republican. He was also very opposed to civil war, advocating for policies that confined slavery to the South, where he believed it would eventually die out.
He would of course become president in 1860.
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1946 - The day after Herman Goering commits suicide, 10 remaining Nazi officials are hanged for their crimes with the Reich.
They had been languishing for 10 weeks following guilty convictions from the War Crimes Tribunal.
Seven more were given prison sentences, like those who renounced allegiance to Hitler. Three more were acquitted.
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1958 - Chevy debuts the El Camino, a car-truck hybrid with a pickup build on an Impala body.
It was in response to the Ford Ranchero, which had dominated the odd-shaped car market for two years. Such automobiles were popular among farmers in Europe, but it never caught on stateside.
The model only lasted for two years. In 1964, Chevy introduced a new design, making it one of the iconic muscle cars of the 1960s and '70s.
In 1987, its production would permanently end.
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1964 - China becomes the fifth nation to detonate a nuclear bomb.
The successful test heightened tensions in Vietnam, where the United States was beginning to ramp up its involvement and troop commitment. It added concerns of nuclear war not just with Russia, but also with the Chinese.
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1986 - The U.S. government shuts down due to disputes between President Reagan and the House.
The issues were over a provision to ban companies from creating subsidiaries to get around labor contracts, another requiring that half the goods and labor used in offshore oil rigs be American in origin and one that would have expanded Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
All were supported by the Democrat-controlled House and opposed by Reagan and Senate Republicans.
The shutdown lasted one day after House Democrats gave up a number of their demands and secured a promise for a vote on their welfare expansion and in return passed appropriations necessary to reopen the government.
Republicans offered concessions related to the government’s sale of Conrail, a then public railway.
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2018 - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle begin their first royal tour.
The pair visited Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the Kingdom of Tonga.
They focused on youth leadership, environmental and conservation efforts, as well as, the recovery and rehabilitation of servicemen and women through the Invictus Games.
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2023 - A model of a Star Wars X-wing Starfighter from “Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope,” sells for over $3 million at auction.
It was one of four models created for the movie by Oscar-nominated model-maker Greg Jein.
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BIRTHDAYS
Waylon Wyatt - country singer - 18
Naomi Osaka - tennis player - 27
Bryce Harper - baseball player - 32
Andrew Santino - comedian - 40
Caterina Scorsone - actress, “Grey’s Anatomy” - 43
Sue Bird - basketball player - 44
Jeremy Jackson - actor, “Baywatch” - 44
John Mayer - rock singer - 47
Flea - bassist, Red Hot Chili Peppers - 62
Tim Robbins - actor, “Bull Durham” & “The Shawshank Redemption” - 66
Born On This Date
Suzanne Somers - actress, “Three’s Company” & “Step by Step” - 1946 (d. 2023)
Angela Lansbury - actress, “Murder, She Wrote” - 1925 (d. 2022)
Oscar Wilde - novelist, “The Importance of Being Earnest” - 1854 (d. 1900)
Noah Webster - lexicographer, Webster’s Dictionary - 1758 (d. 1843)
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