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10/17/2022: Honoring Angela Lansbury

PLUS: Man Bites Dog; Obama Takes Dig at Dems; and Gronk Returns to Fox

Oct 17, 2022

Today is Monday, October 17, 2022.

It is the 290th day of the year.

75 days remain.

HIT LIST

On Friday, ELON MUSK said SpaceX could no longer afford to front the cost of providing satellite internet to Ukraine through its Starlink service. He noted that providing the service will have cost the company about $100 million by the end of the year. Musk called on the Department of Defense to pick up the tab, especially since Starlink is powering much of Ukraine’s military operations.

BUT WAIT: Just a day later, Musk changed course. He tweeted, “The hell with it. Even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer [money], we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.”

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A drunken dustup with police outside Berlin, Germany put an inverted spin on a common neighborhood issue – in which a man is accused of biting a dog!

The Associated Press reports that police were called to intervene during an argument between a man, a woman, and her dog. The police report says the cops used “massive physical force” to detain the man, and also notes that in the brawl, the man bit a police dog.

Fortunately, the pooch didn’t have any injuries. No word on where the bite was on the animal.

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The Nigerian city of Igbo-Ora just wrapped up its annual festival celebrating the town’s strange birth rate of twins.

Where in the United States an estimated 33 out of 1,000 births include twins – and about half that rate in Europe – this town boasts 158 sets of twins for every 1,000 live births. There’s not yet a conclusive study for why this happens, but some suggest it has to do with foods made from yam flour in the area, which could boost hormones in pregnant women that lead to off-the-charts fertility.

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A group of three professional golfers have established the record for most holes of golf completed at par or under in less than three minutes. Three LPGA competitors completed the feat, cycling through six times on the 17th hole of Canada’s Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club within the time allotted.

Since it was a new certified record, Guinness insisted on the time constraint and that the distance from tee to hole be at least 160 yards.

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Amid the summer travel chaos of long lines and short staff, countless airline passengers reported missing or lost luggage in the fray. Many got wise, using simple trackers like Apple’s AirTags – putting the small discs to good, practical use instead of creepily stalking people. For the first time in decades, passengers had a bit of power and leverage over indifferent airline staff.

BUT WAIT: One airline has already tried to ban the little devices, because the customer was getting just too much power: Lufthansa said the devices do not meet safety regulations regarding transmitting devices and cannot be included in suitcases and bags.

THE PLOT THICKENS: The uproar was swift and immediate. Lufthansa backtracked, and said in a statement that “tracking devices with very low battery and transmission power in checked luggage do not pose a safety risk” and “these devices are allowed on Lufthansa flights.”

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The Dow lost 403 points (1.34%) Friday to close at 29,634. The S&P lost 86 points (2.37%) to close at 3,583 and the Nasdaq lost 327 points (3.08%) to close at 10,321.

🛢 West Texas Intermediate fell to $85 and Brent Crude slid to $91.

⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.88 on Sunday.

₿ Bitcoin was mostly flat Sunday, adding just about $70 and trading just north of $19,000.

🛩 There were 1,926 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday and 76 such cancellations.

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CHARTS

Weekend Box Office

10. Top Gun: Maverick: $685k (down from 9)

9. Terrifier 2: $850k (up from 10)

8. Bros: $920k (stayed at 8)

7. Barbarian: $1.4 million (stayed at 7)

6. Don’t Worry Darling: $2.1 million (down from 5)

5. Amsterdam: $2.8 million (down from 3)

4. The Woman King: $3.6 million (stayed at 4)

3. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile: $7.3 million (down from 2)

2. Smile: $12.4 million (down from 1)

1. Halloween Ends: $41.2 million (new)

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DEATHS

ANGELA LANSBURY has died.

The legendary actress, known best for her roles in “Sweeney Todd” and “Murder, She Wrote,” passed away in her sleep on October 11 in Los Angeles, according to her family.

Other notable accolades include being formally named a dame in 2014 by QUEEN ELIZABETH and receiving a Kennedy Center Honor in 2000.

Lansbury was 96.

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ROBBY COLTRANE had died.

The actor, best known for his role as Rubeus Hagrid in the “Harry Potter” films, passed away at a hospital near his home in Larbert, Scotland. It is unclear what caused his passing, but multiple outlets reported that the actor had been sick for years. Though what ailed him is also unknown.

He was 72.

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JOYCE SIMS has died.

The singer passed away Saturday, according to a statement from her family. No cause of death was shared.

She was 63.

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COREY PHELAN has died.

The minor league baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies organization passed away Thursday after a battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

He was 20.

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SICK BAY

Former NBA player DIKEMBE MUTOMBO, 56, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

The league revealed the news Saturday, while noting that he is currently receiving treatment in Atlanta.

No further information was shared.

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WEDDINGS

New England Patriots owner ROBERT KRAFT, 81, and ophthalmologist DANA BLUMBERG, 47, are married.

According to several sources, Kraft invited family and friends to a “Kickoff and a Touchdown” party at the Hall des Lumieres in lower Manhattan on Friday. After a 10-minute video montage was shown, the couple was introduced as husband and wife. It is unclear when and where they actually tied the knot.

In attendance was TOM BRADY, who, according to eyewitnesses, attended the event solo.

The couple were serenaded by ELTON JOHN, ED SHEERAN and MEEK MILL.

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THE SWAMP

Amid a contentious midterm season and a President with low approvals that’s no use to candidates on the stump, Democrats running for the legislature are clamoring for former President BARACK OBAMA to step in and drive turnout.

But even Obama isn’t keen on the shape of the Democrat Party.

On the Pod Save America podcast, hosted by staffers of his former administration, Obama took a dig at the rampant cancel culture plaguing Team Donkey. “Sometimes Democrats are [buzzkills]. Sometimes people just want to not feel as if they are walking on eggshells, and they want some acknowledgment that life is messy and that all of us, at any given moment, can say things the wrong way, make mistakes,” he said.

MEANWHILE: Obama is indeed headed on the campaign trail in some battleground states, especially Georgia and Wisconsin.

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LOTTERY

Two winners -- one from California and one from Florida -- will split Friday’s $494 million jackpot. There is also the $247.9 million cash payout option.

Tuesday night’s drawing will be for a $20 million jackpot or a $10 million cash payout.

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No winner for Saturday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $480 million jackpot or a $242.2 million cash payout.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

R&B singer GINUWINE passed out while practicing a dangerous stunt during a rehearsal at Criss Angel’s Magic with the Stars show last week.

The 51-year-old was practicing an underwater hold in a glass box with heavy chains wrapped around it when he lost consciousness. His rep revealed in a statement that while the incident was terrifying for all who witnessed it, the singer is “okay, and has made a full recovery.”

Another source told Fox News Digital that Ginuwine volunteered for the stunt in an effort to “conquer a fear” of being underwater.

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HARRY STYLES was hit in the groin-area with a bottle of champagne during his recent concert in Chicago.

Showing immediate signs of pain, Styles quipped “Now that’s unfortunate.”

It’s not the first time things have been thrown at him on stage. In August, fans threw chicken nuggets at Styles, which he refused to try because he doesn’t eat meat.

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DRAKE and THE WEEKND are skipping the Grammys again this year.

Vibe reported Saturday that both Canadian artists have declined to participate in the awards show.

The Weeknd’s beef with the show dates back to 2021, when he felt his album “After Hours” was snubbed, while Drake’s issue with the Grammys dates back to 2017, when his hit “Hotline Bling” was only nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song, despite it not being a rap track.

The 65th Annual Grammy Awards is set for Sunday, February 5, 2023.

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MEGAN THEE STALLION is taking some time off from the spotlight.

After pulling double duty on “SNL” over the weekend as both host and musical guest, the rapper told fans that she is both “physically and emotionally” drained and will be taking a break.

The announcement comes after Megan revealed that while preparing for the sketch-comedy show her home was burglarized, with over $300,000 in jewelry, cash and electronics stolen.

SPEAKING OF SNL: Rapper JACK HARLOW announced on Twitter that he is set to host and perform on the show on October 29.

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JOE PESCI doesn’t give a you-know-what that he has been crowned the king of vulgar vocabulary.

According to a study by Crossword-Solver, Pesci tops his fellow actors when it comes to number of times muttering the F-word in a single film

The movie that landed him the crown is “Casino,” in which he says the swear word 241 times.

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BILL MURRAY is in the hot seat after a report from Puck claims he allegedly paid $100,000 in a settlement to a “much younger” female crew member who he worked alongside on “Being Mortal.”

Many may recall that production on the film was suspended earlier this year after a complaint was made against the actor for “inappropriate behavior;” specifically that Murragy “kissed and straddled” a woman on set.

Actress GENA DAVIS shared her own accusations against Murray in her memoir “Dying of Politeness” which was released last week. She claims that the first time she met her soon-to-be-coster on the set of their 1990 flick “Quick Change,” he “insisted” on using a massage machine on her.

Davis also detailed a time when Murray made her uncomfortable during an interview when he tried pulling down the strap on her dress as she spoke.

Other celebs have voiced issues with Murray over the years, including SETH GREEN, LUCY LIU and several of his former “SNL” castmates.

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CASTING CALL

Country singer BLAKE SHELTON has decided to leave “The Voice” after 12 years as a coach.

After announcing last week that the next season of the singing competition show will be his last, Shelton also gave a shout out on social media to his fellow coaches, including his wife GWEN STEFANI, and all of the contestants he has worked with.

Shelton began coaching in season one alongside ADAM LEVINE, CHRISTINA AGUILERA and CEELO GREEN.

Coaches for the upcoming 23rd season will be Shelton, KELLY CLARKSON, CHANCE THE RAPPER and NIALL HORAN.

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After 21 consecutive days at the top of Netflix’s daily chart of most watched TV series, “Dahmer. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” had been dethroned.

Taking over the top spot is “The Watcher.”

WORTH NOTING: Last week, “Dahmer” became Netflix’s second most popular English-language series of all time, behind the fourth season of “Stranger Things,” with over 701 million viewing hours in just two weeks.

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After teasing fans about a possible “Sister Act 3,” WHOOPI GOLDBERG revealed her fantasy cast.

Speaking to CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD on his Comedy Central show, “Hell of a Week,” Goldberg said she wants KEKE PALMER, LIZZO and NICKI MINAJ to join her in the potential third installment.

“I want everybody, I want as many people who wanna have some fun ‘cause I really, desperately need to have some fun,” she added.

WORTH ASKING: Does this mean she doesn’t consider her time with the ladies on “The View” “fun”?

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Turner Classic Movies announced plans for an ANGELA LANSBURY tribute next month.

A 24-hour marathon of her movies will air on November 21.

The lineup includes, “National Velvet,” “The Three Musketeers,” “Tenth Avenue Angel,” “If Winter Comes,” “All Fall Down,” “Dear Heart, “The Harvey Girls,” “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Gaslight,” “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” “Kind Lady” and “Sweeney Todd.”

ALSO: In honor of the late actress’ passing, Broadway dimmed its lights Saturday.

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COURT CASES

Actor MEL GIBSON has been cleared by a Los Angeles Superior Court to testify in defense of his friend, who is one of HARVEY WEINSTEIN’s many accusers.

The 66-year-old actor was one of a handful of witnesses whose identities were revealed in court last week.

Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence for a 2020 conviction for rape and sexual assault in New York. He was brought to Los Angeles for a subsequent trial, which is expected to last eight weeks. Jury selection will continue this week, with opening statements expected to begin on October 24.

WORTH NOTING: Weinstein’s attorneys sought to have the trial delayed because of last week’s release of the film “She Said,” which tells the story of how two New York Times reporters revealed the assaults.

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

KANYE WEST could be at the center of a lawsuit filed by GEORGE FLOYD’s family after statements he made during a recent interview on “Drink Champs.”

Ye explained that he agrees with what conservative commentator CANDACE OWENS stated about Floyd’s death -- that he died from a drug overdose and other preexisting conditions like heart disease and not from officer DEREK CHAUVIN pinning him down.

Civil rights attorney LEE MERRITT told TMZ the family is now considering suing Ye for what they say are “false remarks.”

During the interview, Ye also slammed PETE DAVIDSON, TREVOR NOAH, and his ex, KIM KARDASHIAN.

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A would-be intruder attempted to make his way into KIM KARDASHIAN’s home over the weekend, but was stopped by security after slipping through the gate.

Sources told TMZ that the man, later identified as Deandre Williams, was arrested Saturday morning on his way to Kim’s Hidden Hills home.

He has been booked on battery and trespassing charges. The battery charges are due to a scuffle with officers during his arrest, according to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department.

It is unknown if Kim was home at the time of the incident.

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

The News International reports that PRINCE HARRY is delaying the release of his memoir to add a new chapter about his family.

Royal commentator RICHARD EDEN tells the outlet that Harry wants an opportunity to respond to stories that he was “offended” at QUEEN ELIZABETH’s funeral and feels his book is the perfect outlet.

“This could be a way that all the tenses are correct, referring to the Queen in the past and then having that new chapter could be a quite elegant way to do with it,” Eden stated.

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SPORTS

After announcing his second retirement from the NFL, ROB GRONKOWSKI is returning to FOX as an analyst for “Fox NFL Sunday” and “Fox NFL Kickoff.”

“I’m Back!!! See you Sunday,” he tweeted on Saturday, one day before his return to broadcast.

Gronk served as an analyst in 2019, the same year he first retired from the NFL. In the spring of 2020 he decided to give it one more go and followed TOM BRADY to Tampa Bay for two seasons.

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DAY OF THE YEAR

National Pasta Day

National Mulligan Day

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Forgive an Ex Day

Wear Something Gaudy Day

Spreadsheet Day

National Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day

National Playing Card Collection Day

Black Poetry Day

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ON THIS DATE

1777 - Continental General Horatio Gates captures almost 6,000 British soldiers at Saratoga, New York.

More than 20,000 American forces were on hand to surround the relatively small group of Redcoats and Hessians. Rather than being decimated, their general negotiated surrender. The men would remain in captivity, and pledged to never again serve the Crown in North America.

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1835 - The Texas Rangers are founded -- the border guards, not the baseball team.

The corps of lawmen kept watch over the Brazos and Trinity Rivers, which outlined part of the independent republic's territory.

They were especially important during Texas' war with Mexico. Settlers along the frontier were especially in danger from Mexican troops or even hostile Indians.

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1912 - The First Balkan War is set into motion, when Serbia and Greece declare war on the Ottoman Empire.

The Turkish powerhouse still controlled much of Southeastern Europe, including smaller countries like Montenegro and Macedonia.

Even when the Ottomans were driven out and countries' borders redrawn, the situation remained chaotic with new independent states struggling to govern themselves.

War would break out again in 1913, after Bulgaria was ticked off that it didn't get more land in the deal -- though they would be quickly defeated.

All of the tumult eventually impelled the world into its first global war.

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1931 - Al Capone gets 11 years in prison for tax evasion and is slapped with an $80,000 fine. The sentence marked the beginning of the end for the infamous gangster.

Though Elliot Ness' "Untouchables" were successful in breaking up Capone's bootlegging enterprises, the FBI finally busted Capone for not paying taxes.

Capone began his sentence in Atlanta, but word got out he was given too good of treatment, so he was transferred to Alcatraz. He would be released in 1939 for good behavior, having spent the last year of his sentence in the hospital (for syph).

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1974 - President Ford outlines his reasons for pardoning his predecessor Richard Nixon.

When Ford took office, he famously said that the "long national nightmare" was over.

Since there was no precedent for Ford's handling of the indictment hanging over Nixon's head, he took action to move forward, noting an endless trial would only serve to polarize the country.

In response to the pardon, Nixon apologized for not acting more decisively in the handling of Watergate, lamenting that it turned from a political scandal to a national tragedy.

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1989 - A 7.1-magnitude earthquake rocks San Francisco.

It lasted 15 seconds. Millions of people witnessed the disaster on TV, since game three of the World Series was being hosted in San Francisco.

It began just before the start of the game -- the sportscasters turned into news anchors, reporting from the stadium.

63 died and more than 3,000 were injured. 100,000 buildings sustained damage.

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2004 - The Taipei 101 skyscraper becomes the tallest high-rise in the world when it's fixed with an extra-tall tower on top.

It would hold onto the title for 6 years, until 2010 when the Burj Khalifa would open in Dubai.

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2006 - The US population reaches 300 million.

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2015 - Football (soccer) superstar Cristiano Ronaldo becomes Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer.

He hit the milestone with his 324th goal in a 3-0 win over Levante.

The record was previously held by club legend Raul.

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BIRTHDAYS

Queen Naija - R&B singer - 27

Witney Carson - dancer, “DWTS” - 29

Jacob Artist - actor, “Glee” - 30

Charles Oliveira - MMA fighter - 33

Chris Motionless - metal singer, Motionless In White - 36

Matthew Macfadyen - actor, “Pride & Prejudice” - 48

Eminem - rapper - 50

Chris Kirkpatrick - pop singer, NSYNC - 51

Wyclef Jean - rapper - 53

Doug McMillion - CEO of Walmart - 56

Rob Marshall - theater & film director, “Mary Poppins” & “Chicago” - 62 *from Madison, WI*

Guy Henry - actor, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” - 62

Alan Jackson - country singer - 64

Mae Jemison - first African-American female astronaut - 66

Born On This Date

Norm MacDonald - comedian - 1959 (d. 2021)

Evel Knievel - motorcycle daredevil - 1938 (d. 2007)

Marsha Hunt - actress, “Born to the West” - 1917 (d. 2022)

Arthur Miller - playwright, “Death of a Salesman” & “All My Sons” - 1915 (d. 2005)

John Marley - actor, “The Godfather” - 1907 (d. 1984)

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