10/23/2024: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
PLUS: Election Countdown; Return of Playboy?; and Royal Cookout
Today is Wednesday, October 23, 2024.
It is the 297th day of the year.
69 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A conker competitor is cleared of wrongdoing and new rules draw the ire of airport passengers in New Zealand. Details in HIT LIST.
A big arrest and some followup to other cases in SHOWBIZ.
Controversial “Survivor” winner RICHARD HATCH wouldn’t say no to returning to the franchise. Details in CASTING CALL.
KIM shows off the unique birthday gift she received from daughter NORTH in KARDASH.
The KING and QUEEN get behind the grill Down Under. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
THERE ARE 13 DAYS until Election Day and here’s the state of the race.
– The final poll sponsored by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution favors DONALD TRUMP, 47-to-43 over KAMALA HARRIS in Georgia.
– Trump will reportedly record an interview with prolific podcaster JOE ROGAN on Friday.
– Harris herself had no public events on Tuesday, though TIM WALZ stumped with BARACK OBAMA in Madison, Wisconsin. Trump used the opportunity to troll his opponent on the trail, saying he hasn’t had a day off in 50-plus days and joked that she’s probably sleeping.
– The Trump campaign is considering a lawsuit against “60 Minutes” for what they allege is deceptive editing of its interview with Harris earlier this month. Lawyers are demanding the program release an unedited transcript of the interview.
– The Los Angeles Times will not endorse a presidential candidate this year. In the past, it endorsed Harris in her bids for Attorney General of California in ‘14, Senate in ‘16, and when she was on the ticket with JOE BIDEN in 2020.
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The aftermath of Hurricane Helene has triggered a surprising shortage: IV fluids.
Hospitals are reportedly delaying planned surgeries while a plant for Baxter International remains closed. The company supplies a majority of IV fluids and supplies to hospitals across the country. While the plant itself incurred water damage, the surrounding infrastructure remains largely impassible.
The federal government earlier last week authorized expedited funds and resources to get the plant back online under the Defense Production Act. [via ABC News]
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FOLLOW UP: Organizers of the World Conker Championships have cleared a finalist who was accused of cheating in the tournament.
We did a deep dive on the sport in last Saturday’s Top Shelf edition >
Dave Jakins had been accused of using a steel chestnut in the game that has competitors try to crack the other’s nut attached to a string.
Organizers say that after review of photo evidence and film from the day there’s no suggestion Jakins swapped out an actual nut for his metal version: “it would be near impossible for Mr. Jakins to have swapped the conkers unnoticed.” [via AP]
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An Australian woman has survived a harrowing ordeal after spending hours trapped upside down between two rocks while trying to recover the cell phone she dropped.
Friends of Matilda Campbell called first responders after they tried to get her out themselves. By that point she was hanging upside down by her feet for at least an hour.
Responders improvised a support frame to support massive rocks and used a winch to pull aside an 1100-pound boulder to eventually free Campbell. Taking to social media after the incident, Campbell cracked that she’s “the most accident-prone person ever.”
BY THE WAY: Campbell never got her phone. [via CBS News]
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Travelers saying goodbye to loved ones at the airport in Dunedin, New Zealand now have a time limit on hugging.
“Max hug time three minutes,” a sign outside the terminal reads, while noting that “fonder farewells” should take place elsewhere; like the parking lot, where the cuddle cap is extended to 15 minutes.
The new rule aims to “keep things moving smoothly” in the designated passenger drop-off area, CEO Dan De Bono explained Tuesday.
A debate over the time limit has ensued online, with some praising the quick goodbyes and others pointing out that it takes at least six seconds of hugging for serotonin and oxytocin to be released. [via Washington Post]
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DEATHS
Actor MICHAEL NEWMAN has died.
He passed away Sunday evening from heart complications, according to a statement from his close friend, director MATT FELKER. Newman had also battled Parkinson’s for the past 18 years.
He is best known for his role as Mike “Newmie” Newman on “Baywatch.”
Newman was only 68.
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BREAKUPS
Country singer ZACH BRYAN has ended his relationship with Barstool Sports personality BRIANNA LAPAGLIA.
He’s 28 and she’s 25.
A reason for the split was not disclosed, though according to recent social media posts from LaPaglia, Bryan was the one who initiated it.
The pair started dating in summer 2023.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 6 points (0.016%) to close at 42,924 on Tuesday. The S&P lost 2 points (0.04%) to close at 5,851 and the NASDAQ increased 33 points (0.18%) to close at 18,753.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $72; BRENT CRUDE at $75.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.16 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN was mostly flat, trading arond $67,700.
🛩 There were more than 1,500 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 45 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $478 million jackpot or a $230.5 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO MIKE JEFFRIES was arrested Tuesday as part of a sex trafficking investigation, alongside his lover, MATTHEW SMITH and their “recruiter,” JAMES JACOBSON.
The arrests come roughly a year after the FBI started probing claims that Jeffries allegedly planned elaborate events to sexually abuse young male models during his 22-year tenure with the company. [via CNBC]
In a news conference on Tuesday, federal prosecutors detailed what was shared to him by some of the accusers, including being plied with drugs and prescription-grade erection-inducing injections during the parties held at Jeffries’ homes, located all over the world.
Jeffries and Smith were arrested in West Palm Beach, while Jacobson was booked in St. Paul, Minnesota. All three will be extradited to New York for future trials. [via NY Post]
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An employee at the hotel where LIAM PAYNE fell from his third-story balcony is being investigated for allegedly supplying him with anti-anxiety meds that were found in his hotel room.
Authorities are also trying to determine if the employee gave Payne any of the drugs that were found in his system, including cocaine, crack, ketamine, ecstasy and a form of crystal meth called “cristal.” [via TMZ]
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HARVEY WEINSTEIN is reportedly receiving treatment at Rikers for Leukemia while awaiting a second trial on sex crime charges.
The 72-year-old’s health has been failing over the past year, with several hospitalizations, including emergency cardiac surgery last month.
Weinstein was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years. That was overturned on appeal in April. He is also appealing a separate 2022 conviction, for which he was sentenced to 16 years. [via NY Post]
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BILLIE EILISH took a tumble during her show at Madison Square Garden last week.
Footage of the fall began circulating Tuesday, showing Eilish taking a hard nosedive down the stairs. She did jump back up, however, and carry on with the concert
Not one to shy away from the blunder, Eilish posted a photo of a huge bruise she suffered from the fall. [via TMZ]
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COOPER HEFNER, the son of the late HUGH HEFNER, wants to buy Playboy.
He has offered $100 million -- in cash -- for the company founded by his father with hopes to “restore the brand to its roots.”
Playboy became a publicly traded company in 2021, and its current parent company, PLBY Group, previously announced intentions to relaunch the magazine in February 2025. It was shuttered in 2020 amid the pandemic. [via THR]
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JEFF BEZOS’ Earth Fund will donate $60 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to help revitalize 1.6 million acres of vital U.S. landscapes across the northern great plains grasslands and longleaf pine forests of the Southeast.
Bezos declared his intention over the weekend at the NFWF’s 40th-anniversary gala, alongside his fiancee LAUREN SANCHEZ.
Over the past three years, the Bezos Earth Fund has donated $90 million in funding to the NFWF, to restore and improve management of 2.7 million acres of land across 47 states. [via People]
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JAY CUTLER’s ex-wife, reality star KRISTIN CAVALLARI, addressed his recent brush with the law on her “Let’s Be Honest” podcast.
Ahead of Tuesday’s episode she told listeners that it was “recorded right before a very public incident that happened last week,” referring to his DUI arrest. “I will not be commenting on what happened,” she added. “I do, of course, wish Jay nothing but the best.”
The former couple were married from 2013 to 2020, and share three kids.
Cutler has not addressed the incident. [via Page Six]
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The ex, and father of three of ROSIE O’DONNELL’s grandchildren, through her daughter CHELSEA BELLE O’DONNELL, is seeking to remove visitation amid the latter’s most recent drug bust.
Jacob Bourassa has requested that the court modify the custody arrangement to ensure the safety of the children, specifically that Chelsea no longer be allowed to visit them at his home without supervision.
Bourassa has had sole custody since 2019.
Meanwhile, Chelsea remains behind bars, despite a judge setting a $5000 bond. She was also ordered to stay clean upon her release, and is due back in court on the matter next month. [via The Blast]
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CASTING CALL
RICHARD HATCH, the winner of Season 1 of “Survivor,” says he wouldn’t turn town a chance to compete on the show again, though he probably shouldn’t hold his breath.
Hatch has not been a part of the competition series since 2004’s “All Stars” edition, during which co-competitor SUE HAWK accused him of rubbing his naked genitals on her during a challenge, prompting his swift boot from the show.
He was also later convicted of tax evasion for failing to report his winnings from Season 1, and spent four years in prison, followed by another nine months for not amending his previous tax returns.
Hatch recently made his return to reality TV, however, appearing on E!’s series “House of Villains.” [via EW]
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Disney has removed the Marvel reboot of “Blade” from its release calendar.
Taking over the now vacant November 7, 2025 date is “Predator: Badlands,” the sixth film in the franchise.
Elsewhere, Marvel added three untitled projects to the schedule, dated February 18, 2028; May 5, 2028; and November 10, 2028. No word on whether any of those are the “Blade” reboot. [via Variety]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
NORTH WEST gifted her mom, KIM KARDASHIAN, a diamond necklace for her 44th birthday, with a pendant engraved with “Skibidi Toilet.”
For those unfamiliar, “Skibidi Toilet” is a computer graphic web series on YouTube that follows a fictional war between human head toilets and humanoids.
The backside of the pendant reads, “Love, North.” [via Instagram]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING CHARLES and QUEEN CAMILLA did a stint tending to sausages on a grill while touring Australia on Tuesday.
The cookout was part of a massive community barbecue organized by the government of New South Wales. The monarchs also took part in a “smoking ceremony,” where fire smoke engulfing the body wards off bad spirits and brings good luck.
While closing out the afternoon, the King had a profane moment of frustration, exclaiming, “Hang on, I picked up two pages of this bloody thing!” while fumbling through the pages of his speech. [via Express]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Paralegal Day
National Boston Cream Pie
National Mole Day
Event Organizers Day
National TV Talk Show Host Day
International Snow Leopard Day
National iPod Day
National Croc Day
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ON THIS DATE
1813 - An American fur trading post in present-day Oregon surrenders its land to the more organized and powerful British North West Company.
With that, the Brits would dominate control of trade in the Pacific Northwest.
There were still American civilians living in the nearby town of Astoria, coexisting peacefully following the War of 1812. But the royally-chartered Hudson Bay Company functioned as a de facto dictatorship in the region. That would not end until 1846, when the British would give up control of all territory to the south of the 46th parallel to the Americans.
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1819 - The first boat passes through the Erie Canal. It was called the "Chief Engineer of Rome."
It was a test trip, to ensure the Canal's structural integrity.
On board were 70 guests of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton.
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1855 - Abolitionists in Kansas violently take control of the state government.
After the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, it was decided Nebraska and Kansas would decide individually whether to permit slavery. Pro-slavery contingents from Missouri took the opportunity to violently suppress abolitionists from voting.
Since the election of the pro-slavery government was a fraud, the abolitionists rose up and wrote a new constitution for the state outlawing slavery.
Four years of raids and fighting ensued in the state, which culminated in a nationwide war beginning in 1861 with the secession of the Confederate states.
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1983 - The American embassy in Beirut is attacked.
A suicide bomber drove 2,000 pounds of explosives into the compound, killing 240 soldiers.
President Reagan called the attack "a vicious, terrorist bombing.”
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2002 - Muslim extremists from Chechnya take control of a theater in Moscow, holding 700 hostage.
Their immediate demands were for Russian troops to leave Chechnya, which lies inside Russia's borders but many of whose people desire sovereignty.
Chechnya has a predominantly Muslim population.
Russian special forces ultimately stormed the theater, 57 hours later; two hostages died.
It was later revealed they used a noxious gas to knock everyone inside unconscious before they entered. It is said the Russian forces then shot anyone they identified as terrorists.
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2018 - The world’s longest sea-crossing bridge, the Hong Kong Macau Zhuhai bridge, opens to the public.
The 55km (34 mile) long bridge-tunnel system consists of a series of three cable-stayed bridges, an undersea tunnel and four artificial islands.
The bridge was designed to last for 120 years and cost 127 billion yuan ($18.8 billion US) to build.
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BIRTHDAYS
Amandla Stenberg - actress, “The Hunger Games” - 26
Nick Bosa - football player - 27
Margaret Qualley - actress, “The Leftovers” - 30
Carmella - wrestler - 37
Emilia Clarke - actress, “Game of Thrones” - 38
Miguel - R&B singer - 39
Meghan McCain - columnist, author & TV show host, “The View” - 40
Ryan Reynolds - actor, “Van Wilder” & “Deadpool” - 48
LaVar Ball - entrepreneur, Big Baller Brand - 57
Robert Trujillo - bassist, Metallica - 60
Doug Flutie - football player - 62
Weird Al Yankovic - parody singer - 65
Martin Luther King III - civil rights leader - 67
Ang Lee - filmmaker, “Brokeback Mountain” - 70
Born On This Date
Pele - soccer player - 1940 (d. 2022)
Johnny Carson - TV show host, “The Tonight Show” - 1925 (d. 2005)
James Daly - actor, “Planet of the Apes” - 1918 (d. 1978)
John Heisman - football coach, Heisman trophy named after him - 1869 (d. 1936)
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