10/24/2022: Swifties Crash Spotify
PLUS: Baby Bison; Loss of Learning; and “House of the Dragon” Leaked
Today is Monday, October 24, 2022.
It is the 297th day of the year.
68 days remain.
TRENDING
Saturday was National Color Day.
Rapper 21 Savage was trending Saturday after dropping news about his upcoming album. More in Showbiz.
Sunday was National Croc Day.
Morgan Freeman was trending Sunday as Twitter users named him as one of the greatest black male actors of all time, in response to @miles_commodore’s tweet. Others listed included Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Eddie Murphy.
In honor of National Tight Ends Day on Sunday, football fans tweeted out support of their favorite tight ends in the league.
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HIT LIST
The Kent Wildlife Trust reports that for the first time in centuries, a bison has been born in the wild in the United Kingdom.
Wild animals – including male bison – have been released into the wild at a reserve near Canterbury, England, in recent years. In July, three female bison also joined the area. The bison calf was first spotted in early September, but wildlife officials say they wanted to be sure it would survive before making an announcement – and also felt that they should wait an appropriate amount of time after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
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Last week, a landscape crew working on a mansion in Atherton, California – which is about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose – found an early 1990s-model Mercedes Benz convertible buried in the yard.
Further investigation shows the vehicle was reported stolen in 1992. Authorities on the scene also brought cadaver dogs to sniff out the area, but no body has been found – yet.
WORTH NOTING: All indications suggest the vehicle was buried well before the current owners moved in.
BUT WAIT: The man who owned the property in the early ‘90s – named Johnny Bocktune Lew – was arrested multiple times, and not for petty theft: Once on suspicion of murder and another for insurance fraud, in which he tried to sink a yacht in order to get the insurance payout.
Lew has since died.
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Amid the start of the pandemic, Walt Disney World instituted a reservation system that required attendees to book their trip in advance, as opposed to just showing up and buying tickets at the gate. This was to help the park plan and staff operations and control crowd sizes.
The system remains in effect today – to the ire of annual passholders, who say in a new lawsuit that the reservation program restricts their access and creates blackout dates.
A Disney rep says, “This lawsuit mischaracterizes the program and its history, and we will respond further in court."
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Climate activists continue to defile priceless art in protest of what they see as a lack of action to curb climate change.
On Sunday, two wingnuts threw mashed potatoes on Monet’s painting “Les Meules” (worth $111 million) at an art museum in Potsdam, Germany. Then, true to form, they glued their hands to the wall.
It came just hours after another eco-terrorist doused Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” (worth $85 million) in ketchup at a museum in London.
FORTUNATELY: Neither painting was actually damaged, museum officials say.
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Leavenworth is a small town in central Washington state with picturesque views of the Cascade Mountains and teeming with wildlife – like black bears.
A woman living there let her dog out early Saturday morning only to come face-to-face with a female black bear charging at her. The bear won the first bout, knocking the woman to the ground.
That’s when instinct kicked in and she punched the bear in the face, sending it scurrying off.
Wildlife officials say not to pick a fight with a bear, but once it’s attacked, to fight like hell to win.
Officials also reported they put the bear down later.
The victim is recovering from serious but not life-threatening injuries.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow added 748 points (2.47%) Friday to close at 31,082. The S&P added 86 points (2.37%) to close at 3,752 and the Nasdaq added 244 points (2.31%) to close at 10,859.
🛢 West Texas Intermediate closed at $85 a barrel; Brent Crude at $93.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.80 on Sunday.
₿ Bitcoin surged Sunday evening, adding more than $350 and trading north of $19,500.
🛩 There were 3,269 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday and 75 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
Weekend Box Office
10. Triangle of Sadness: $600k (up from 14)
9. Amsterdam: $818k (down from 5)
8. Don’t Worry Darling: $880k (down from 6)
7. Terrifier 2: $1.8 million (up from 8)
6. The Woman King: $1.9 million (down from 4)
5. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile: $4.2 million (down from 3)
4. Halloween Ends: $8 million (down from 1)
3. Smile: $8.3 million (down from 2)
2. Ticket to Paradise: $16.3 million (new)
1. Black Adam: $67 million (new)
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DEATHS
RON MASAK has died.
The actor, best known for his role in “Murder, She Wrote,” passed away Thursday of natural causes, according to a Facebook message posted by his daughter.
He was 86.
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Red Bull co-owner DIETRICH MATESCHITZ has died.
He passed away Saturday. While no cause of death was shared, Mateschitz had been battling an unknown form of cancer.
He was 78.
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ZURI CRAIG has died.
The former “America’s Got Talent” contestant passed away Friday. No cause of death was shared.
He was 44.
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BABY NEWS
Actress MANDY MOORE, 38, welcomed her second child with husband, singer-songwriter TAYLOR GOLDSMITH, 37, on Friday.
The couple announced the arrival of their son, Oscar Bennett Goldsmith, on Instagram.
Oscar joins big brother Gus, 1.
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Detroit Lions player TAYLOR DECKER, 29, and his wife, chef KYNDRA DECKER have welcomed their first child, a baby girl.
The couple announced the news of her arrival on Instagram Friday, sharing that Daisy Faye Decker was born on October 18.
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THE SWAMP
CNN’s JAKE TAPPER asked out loud, in all seriousness, why there hasn’t been a “national conversation” about the learning loss that’s happened as a result of widespread school closures and stay-home policies for the last two years.
WATCH:
WORTH NOTING: Half the country has been having that discussion since the first week of April 2020, when it became clear “15 days to flatten the curve” would be much, much longer and exploited by Democrats to try to defeat former President DONALD TRUMP.
ALSO WORTH NOTING: It was impossible to have a conversation that asked such questions because people who did were kicked off of social media.
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If Democrats lose the House in midterms, the rank and file members are plotting to give leadership a facelift — but not the kind Nancy has enjoyed for decades to keep looking so youthful and fresh.
As NBC News points out, “given Biden’s unpopularity and the GOP lead on the generic congressional ballot (which asks only which party people would support), the more likely scenario is a bad election night for House Democrats.”
The younger Democrat reps – so anyone under 80 – also want to see new blood in the leadership roles currently filled by STENY HOYER and JAMES CLYBURN.
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President JOE BIDEN – whose daughter wrote in her diary that he showered with her and whose son is a womanizing drug addict – would really like you to be more grateful for his leadership.
He tells MSNBC, “I'm going to say something I probably should consider not saying. I have more substantive experience on the issues facing the country, both on foreign policy and domestic policy, than any president ever.”
WATCH:
WORTH ASKING: Where has that experience gotten him? The country? The divided nation?
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LOTTERY
No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tuesday night’s drawing will be for a $45 million jackpot or a $21.4 million cash payout.
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No winner for Saturday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $610 million jackpot or a $292.6 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
KEITH MCNALLY has decided he isn’t satisfied with JAMES CORDEN’s apology.
For those who may have missed it, McNally, who owns the popular NYC restaurant Balthazar, called out the “Late Late Show” host for his alleged “abusive” treatment of his servers and banned him from the establishment. Cordern later apologized and McNally lifted the ban.
BUT WAIT: On Friday, the New York Times published an interview with Corden from the day before, amid the initial turmoil. The interview was supposed to be to promote Corden’s new show “Mammals.” Instead, the interviewer had to ask him about the dustup, to which Corden said, “I haven’t done anything wrong, on any level…I was there. I get it. I feel so Zen about the whole thing. Because I think it’s so silly. I just think it’s beneath all of us. It’s beneath you. It’s certainly beneath your publication [the New York Times].”
NOW: McNally says he wants Corden to apologize to the servers he allegedly acted rudely to and if he does, he can eat at Balthazar for free for the next 10 years.
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TAYLOR SWIFT thanked fans over the weekend for helping her reach a new Spotify record for most streams of an album in a single day.
She reached the milestone less than 24 hours after the release of her new “Midnights” album, which dropped Friday at midnight.
Swift soared past previous record-holder BAD BUNNY, whose “Un Verano Sin Ti” album grossed 183 million day-one streams in September of 2021.
WORTH NOTING: Fans were so eager to listen to the new tracks that Spotify crashed in several locations, according to Downdector.
SWIFT SURPRISE: The singer released an additional seven songs in what many called a “chaotic surprise.”
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ALEC BALDWIN remembered cinematographer HALYNA HUTCHINS on the one-year anniversary of her death on the set of “Rust” on Friday.
He posted a photo of her on Instagram, along with the caption, “One year ago today…”
As many will remember, Hutchins died on October 21, 2021 after being hit by a bullet discharged from a prop gun that was held by Baldwin.
The anniversary comes two weeks after a settlement was reached by Baldwin and the Hutchins estate.
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JOHNNY DEPP and JEFF BECK have filed a lawsuit against folklorist BRUCE JACKSON, who accused them of stealing the lyrics to their song “Sad Mother[effing] Parade” from an old poem featured in one of his books.
According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, Jeff and Johnny claim the poem, known as “Hobo Ben,” doesn’t have clear origins and has been passed down over time “like an old folktale.”
Jackson blasted the two musicians, telling Rolling Stone that in the 50 years he has been publishing stuff, “this is the first time anybody has just ripped something off.”
Jeff and Johnny are seeking damages and want a judge to clarify they didn’t commit copyright infringement.
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CARDI B and MADONNA made up Sunday after the former took issue with something the latter posted on Instagram.
On Saturday, Madonna highlighted the intense criticism she faced following the release of her book “S.E.X.” when it was released 30 years ago, writing “Now Cardi B can sing about her WAP. Kim Kardashian can grace the cover of any magazine with her naked ass and Miley Cyrus can come in like a wrecking ball.”
Cardi responded to the post, sharing how upset she was for being called out when she always considered Madge an “icon.”
Later on Sunday, both women took to Twitter where they told fans that they had chatted and “worked things out.”
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FRENCH MONTANA was honored Thursday night at the 2022 Pencils of Promise Gala for helping raise $226 million toward healthcare in Africa.
The funds went to the Budondo Suubi “Hope” Health Center, which is the primary source of healthcare for new mothers and babies in a desolate region of Uganda.
Speaking to TMZ about the honor, the rapper said that his philanthropic ways come from his “humble beginnings growing up in Morocco,” where he says he knew no English.
“Education was fundamental to my journey immigrating to the US and starting my career as an artist, which is why this work is so important to our youth,” he added.
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21 SAVAGE and DRAKE announced their joint album, “Her Loss,” will drop on October 28.
The name and date were revealed alongside the music video for their song “Jimmy Cooks,” from Drake’s album “Honestly, Nevermind,” which dropped in June.
“Jimmy Cooks” landed atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart on the day it debuted.
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CASTING CALL
The season finale of “House of the Dragon” leaked online Friday -- two days before it was set to air on Sunday night.
An HBO spokesperson told Deadline that they were aware of the leak and were “aggressively monitoring and pulling [the] copies from the internet.”
Leaks were a common theme with the show’s predecessor, “Game of Thrones.”
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Netflix has added a disclaimer to its latest season of “The Crown” after swift backlash from supporters of the Royal Family, including A-lister JUDI DENCH, said the show was making a “mockery” of the royals.
The disclaimer states that while the show is inspired by real events, it is a “fictional dramatization [that] tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign.”
Season five of “The Crown” launches on November 9.
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ADAM SANDLER’s daughters, SADIE and SUNNY SANDLER, will star alongside him in a new movie for Netflix, titled “You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah.”
Based on Fiona Rosenbloom’s coming-of-age novel, the sisters will take on the roles of Ronnie Friendman (Sadie) and Stacy Friedman (Sunny), the latter of which is preparing for her bat mitzvah, when the plans spiral out of control.
JACKIE SANDLER, Adam’s wife and the girls’ mom, will also have a role in the film.
WORTH NOTING: The teens will make $65,000 each for the flick. If there is a sequel, the girls are each set to earn more than $162,000.
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COURT CASES
HARVEY WEINSTEIN’s Los Angeles rape trial begins today.
He has pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and seven other counts of sexual assault.
As previously reported, the disgraced movie mogul has already been sentenced to 23 years in prison after his 2020 trial in New York.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
As KANYE WEST continues to speak his mind, several high fashion brands have severed connections to him.
One big one in particular being Vogue.
ANNA WINTOUR has reportedly ended a decade-plus-long relationship with Ye over his erratic behavior and anti-Semetic rants, a Vogue spokesperson told Page Six.
WORTH ASKING: Does this mean no more Met Gala for Ye?
FOLLOWING SUIT: Balenciaga also ended its relationship with Ye.
POINT PROVEN: Ye told reporters over the weekend that all the brands cutting him off just prove that what he is saying is right, adding that they are just trying to “score points.”
WHAT’S MORE: While chatting with the paps, Ye strongly hinted that he does indeed plan to run for office.
IN HIS DEFENSE: Ye has hired JOHNNY DEPP’s former trial lawyer CAMILLE VASQUEZ to represent his business interests, including all contracts, deals, etc. She will not play a role in Ye’s divorce from KIM KARDASHIAN. As previously reported, he hired MELINDA GATES’ former attorney, BOB COHEN to rep him for that.
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KIM KARDASHIAN celebrated her 42nd birthday at an In-N-Out in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Initially the reality star and friends planned to hit up Sin City, but the pilot of KYLIE JENNER’s private jet said he was unable to land in Vegas due to high wind gusts, forcing the group to head back home.
After landing back in L.A. Kim and her crew hit up the fast food joint where they indulged in some burgers and fries.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
It is unknown whether PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE will attend PRINCE CHARLES’ coronation next year.
The event, dubbed “Operation Golden Orb,” is set to take place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey.
According to The Telegraph, PRINCE WILLIAM is taking an “active role” in the planning, which has been scaled back significantly from what QUEEN ELIZABETH’s coronation looked like.
CAMILLA PARKER-BOWLES will be crowned alongside Charles.
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SPORTS
BELLA RASMUSSEN, an 18-year-old senior at Laguna Beach High School, recently became the first girl to score two touchdowns during a single varsity high school football game in the state of California.
She got both touchdowns in the second quarter of the game, according to “Today.” Her team would go on to win the game 48-0.
After news of the record broke, Rasmussen received an invite from the Los Angeles Rams to attend their game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Food Day
National Bologna Day
United Nations Day
World Tripe Day
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ON THIS DATE
1648 – The Thirty Years War comes to an end.
The Treaty of Westphalia ended squabbling between a handful of disorganized European countries and fiefdoms.
The fighting began in 1618, when future-king Ferdinand II began imposing Catholicism in all corners of the continent. Protestants weren't a fan of the policy, and every knight and Lord who disagreed took up arms.
Upon the signing of the treaty, the Netherlands became independent from Spain, Sweden took control of the Baltic Sea, and France was declared a sovereign nation. Most importantly, the Holy Roman Emperor lost much of his influence.
The infrastructure of the Treaty helped form the modern-day powers and influences in Europe.
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1881 - US ambassador to France Levi P. Morton drives the first rivet in the Statue of Liberty.
The entire statue would be completed and assembled in Paris by 1884. At that time, construction on the pedestal would begin in New York.
Lady Liberty would arrive in New York Harbor on June 17, 1885.
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1901 – The first documented person spills over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
Annie Edson Taylor was a widowed school teacher. She was seeking thrills and fame, and way to get rich by telling her story.
The trip was made in a 5-by-3-foot pickle barrel, padded on the inside.
She survived the tumble, but was a bit shaken.
Following the adventure, she had her 15 minutes of fame, including a smattering of photo ops and public appearances. It never made her much money, though.
Today, it's illegal to try to survive falling down the Falls.
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1939 – Nylon stockings are first sold to women.
They were distributed to women at the DuPont factory in Delaware. Nylon was the first synthetic material made from mineral sources that was actually somewhat comfortable.
It was designed as an alternative to silk, for women seeking comfortable undergarments.
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1945 – In order to prevent any future wars, the U.N. is established.
The five permanent members of the Security Council ratified the charter, with a handful of other countries. China, Russia, France, the U.S. and the U.K. hold those permanent seats.
The first general assembly opened in London the following January.
Construction began on the headquarters in New York on this date in 1949.
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1970 – Salvador Allende takes power in Chile.
He was elected president following a campaign espousing Marxism.
His previous campaigns in '58 and '64 weren't quite left-wing enough, based on his initial socialist policies.
Since it was during the Cold War, the U.S. actively supported Allende's opposition.
One of Allende's first acts was to formally recognize North Korea, North Vietnam, and Cuba. He also propped up leftists throughout South America.
Three short years later Augusto Pinochet would lead a military coup to unseat Allende. Pinochet led Chile to years of economic prosperity.
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2018 – The largest Mega Millions jackpot in US history — at $1.6 billion — is won by a woman in South Carolina.
She donated a chunk of her wealth to the Alabama Red Cross to aid tornado relief efforts and several South Carolina charities the following March.
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2021 - Tom Brady becomes the first QB in NFL history to record 600 touchdown passes.
He reached the milestone with a pass to Mike Evans as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on the Chicago Bears.
Tampa Bay would win 38-3.
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BIRTHDAYS
Daya - pop singer - 24
Bizzy Banks - rapper - 24
Jaylen Brown - basketball player - 26
Jalen Ramsey - football player - 28
David Casataneda - actor, “Switched at Birth” & “Jane the Virgin” - 33
Eliza Taylor - actress, “The Sleepover Club” & “The 100” - 33
Charlie White - Olympic figure skater - 35
Drake - rapper - 36
Wayne Rooney - soccer player - 37
Adrienne Bailon - singer - 39
Monica Arnold - R&B singer - 42
Kevin Cline - actor, “Sophie’s Choice” & “Big Chill” - 75
F. Murray Abraham - actor, “All the President’s Men” - 83
Born On This Date
Ronnie Kray - twin to Reggie, one of England’s most notorious gangsters - 1933 (d. 1995)
Reggie Kray - twin to Ronnie, one of England’s most notorious gangsters - 1933 (d. 2000)
Melvin Purvis - FBI agent, led the hunt for Baby Face Nelson & John Dillinger - 1903 (d. 1960)
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