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A weekday morning newsletter of cultural tidbits, celebrity gossip, and stuff that's good to know to get you through the day.

10/25/2022: Country Legend Announces 2023 Tour

PLUS: McRib Farewell Tour; Joe Loses Stoner Supporters; and Protestors Target King Charles

Oct 25, 2022

Today is Tuesday, October 25, 2022.

It is the 298th day of the year.

67 days remain.

HIT LIST

McDonald’s says this season’s release of the McRib will be its “Farewell Tour” – suggesting it’s the last time to buy the annual offering.

WORTH NOTING: This also isn’t the first time the Arches has said it’s the last chance to get the sandwich, made of pressed pork product and an abundance of barbecue sauce.

To check availability near you, there’s always McRibLocator.com.

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A man accidentally shot himself in the leg amid a bear attack in Wyoming over the weekend.

Lee Francis was hunting with his son near the Grand Teton National Park when the grizzly approached. Francis fired rounds from his handgun – it’s unclear whether he aimed at the bear or they were just warning shots – but in doing so managed to plug himself in the leg.

Fortunately, his son had a satellite phone, which he used to call for help. Eventually a helicopter took Francis to the hospital, though no word yet on how he’s doing.

Wildlife officials say they couldn’t locate the bear in question.

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Amazon appears to have again shut down another labor organization movement before it could build too much steam, this time in California.

Just two weeks ago, organizers filed paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a vote to unionize the 800-some staff at the fulfillment center in Moreno Valley, California. Without explanation, that effort was withdrawn on Monday.

Amazon has been scolded by national labor organizers for meddling with unionization efforts before, but no word yet on how or what went down in this case.

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A Spanish man backpacking through the Middle East en route to the World Cup in Doha, Qatar has disappeared after crossing into Iran.

Santiago Sanchez is 41, and an experienced adventurer with a military background, who had been sharing updates about his trek on Instagram over the last nine months. Since crossing the border from Iraq to Iran on October 2, his family says they haven’t heard from him.

WORTH NOTING: Domestic protests have intensified against the Iranian regime in recent weeks, after a 22-year-old woman died in police custody at a hospital after being arrested for not wearing the hijab.

To date, at least 201 people have been confirmed killed by Iranian police amid the turmoil.

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Nearly half of the students and faculty of a Virginia High School called out sick Friday after experiencing severe gastrointestinal distress – with no certainty yet behind what caused it.

Officials estimate one thousand students were laid up late last week, prompting what NBC News calls a “deep cleaning and disinfecting of the school.” Other schools in the area didn’t have a similar situation. A preliminary review of the food service and drinking fountains didn’t reveal an obvious culprit, either.

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The Dow added 417 points (1.34%) Monday to close at 31,499. The S&P added 45 points (1.19%) to close at 3,797 and the Nasdaq added 92 points (0.86%) to close at 10,952.

🛢 West Texas Intermediate closed at $84 on Monday; Brent Crude at $91.

⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.79 on Monday.

₿ Bitcoin lost more than $200 during the day Monday, trading around $19,300.

🛩 There were 4,529 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and 136 such cancellations.

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CHARTS

Top 5 Songs on iTunes:

Taylor Swift, “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”
Taylor Swift, “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”
Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras, “Unholy”
Taylor Swift, “The Great War”

Top 5 Songs on Spotify:

Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”
Rema & Selena Gomez, “Calm Down”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras, “Unholy”
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha, “I’m Good (Blue)”
Harry Styles, “As It Was”

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DEATHS

LESLIE JORDAN has died.

The actor was driving in Hollywood on Monday when he crashed his car into the side of a building. First responders suspect he suffered some sort of medical emergency. No further details have been shared.

Leslie was famous for his roles on “Will & Grace,” “Hearts Afire,” “The Cool Kids,” “Call Me Kat” and “American Horror Story.”

He was 67.

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BABY NEWS

LINDSAY ARNOLD, 28, and her husband SAM CUSICK, also 28, are expecting baby #2.

The former “DWTS” pro revealed the news on Monday, telling followers that their second child is due in May.

The couple are already parents to daughter, Sage, 1.

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Actor CHRIS SULLIVAN, 42, (“This Is Us”) and his wife, wellness guru RACHEL SULLIVAN, 36, have welcomed their second child.

The little girl, named Aoife Bea, arrived three weeks early, according to Sullivan’s social media post.

The couple are already parents to son Bear, 2.

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THE SWAMP

In Season Five of the Netflix political drama “House of Cards,” Frank Underwood – the evil, ruthless, power-hungry president, played by Kevin Spacey – is desperately trying to win an election to stay in office, and scares Americans over invented terrorist threats to polling places in areas where his opponent has popular support.

SMASH CUT TO: Reality, where on Monday, Politico reported that president JOE BIDEN’s Justice Department is desperately trying to keep Democrats in power, and is scaring Americans over invented terrorist threats to polling places in areas where Republicans have popular support.

As Politico reports, “Officials said election workers, including those working at polling stations, are likely to face threats and harassment from extrements [sic] both online and offline, the person familiar with the matter said.”

WORTH REMEMBERING: Just eight minutes ago, questioning any external influences on America’s election was grounds for being called a fascist and getting kicked off of social media. What changed?

MEANWHILE: The DOJ announced Monday a crackdown on 13 Chinese nationals accused of espionage in three separate cases.

One case involves attempts to get an ex-patriot living in New York to return to China. Another includes spying related to the US’s federal case against Chinese manufacturer Huawei. The final case specifically involves efforts to recruit spies for China.

Prison sentences for the dozen-plus men involved carry between ten and forty years.

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President JOE BIDEN has lost the love of the stoners.

WORTH REMEMBERING: Earlier this month, Biden gratuitously pardoned an estimated 6,500 convicted of simple possession of marijuana – but this move just cleared records and got virtually no one out of prison.

Protestors gathered at the White House blared a clip of Biden from 2019 promising to release anyone incarcerated for possession. There’s still an estimated 2,700 people convicted for pot use and possession in prison.

One attendee tells the New York Post, “I 100% know this was for the midterms,” adding, “I think we need to be wiser and not be used again.”

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LOTTERY

No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $45 million jackpot or a $21.4 million cash payout.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

Senator TED CRUZ sat down with the ladies of “The View” Monday to promote his new book “Justice Corrupted: How the Left Weaponized Our Legal System.”

During his appearance, not only was he challenged by the women, but also heckled by audience members about climate change. The shouting got so intense that co-host WHOOPI GOLDBERG shushed them, saying “Let us do our job. We hear you,” before being forced to cut to commercial.

WHAT’S MORE: The night before Cruz was at Yankee Stadium to watch his hometown team, the Houston Astros, clinch a World Series berth. Several fans in attendance were seen flipping him the bird and heard shouting obscenities at him.

MEANWHILE: Cruz’s book hits shelves today.

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MATTHEW PERRY says he spent millions of dollars to get sober.

Speaking to the New York Times about his sobriety journey, the actor, who is 18-months clean, said, “I probably spent $9 million or something trying to get sober.”

Perry, who has battled addiction since he was 14, details his struggles in his upcoming memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.”

WORTH NOTING: In the interview, Perry noted that he is very aware that he has access to resources that most addicts don’t, but he also said that they have the “gift of anonymity” that he doesn’t, meaning they are “spared the humiliation of having their darkest moments exposed.”

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BLUE IVY CARTER, the 10-year-old daughter of BEYONCE and JAY-Z, bid over $80,000 on a pair of diamond earrings at Saturday’s 2022 Wearable Art Gala.

The preteen was caught on camera raising her paddle for the evening’s highest-priced item, a set of Lorraine Schwartz earrings worn by her grandmother, TINA KNOWLES, and previously owned by her mom, Queen Bey.

Blue didn’t win the bling, however. The earrings went to MONIQUE RODRIGUEZ, founder of Mielle Organics, for a final bid of $105,000.

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TIM BURTON says his days working with Disney may “be done.”

Speaking about his film career at the Lumiere Festival in Lyon, France, the 64-year-old filmmaker criticized Disney for becoming “very homogenized” -- only focusing on Marvel, Star Wars or Pixar. He has previously declared that he wouldn’t work on a Marvel movie.

Burton began his career with Disney. His early works include “Fox and the Hound,” “The Black Cauldron” and “Tron.”

His latest project, an “Addams Family” spinoff titled “Wednesday,” will premiere November 23 on Netflix.

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A 22-year-old Brooklyn woman who was punched and pushed onto the subway tracks by a random man last month says she was able to pull herself back up to the platform thanks to all of the times she pulled herself on stage at GWEN STEFANI concerts.

“It’s because Gwen’s pulled me on stage so many times,” she told FOX’s New York affiliate. “That’s why my body knew what to do.”

NYPD officers told the station that the suspect, who stole the woman’s phone, is still in the wind.

No word on whether Gwen has heard about the story or not.

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BILLY MCFARLAND, the man behind the infamous and disastrous Frye Festival, is working on a new project.

On Monday, he posted a teaser clip on TikTok featuring a treasure map and phone number. Those who called the number were given a video clue as to what’s coming next. Insiders told TMZ that McFarland is creating another festival.

For those unfamiliar, McFarland organized the Frye Festival back in 2017. It quickly turned into a financial disaster, leading to him pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud, for which he was sentenced to six years in prison. He was released in March of this year after serving only four years.

WORTH NOTING: Several big name celebs who promoted the Frye Festival, such as KENDALL JENNER, also fell in some hot water after it flopped. Hopefully they will think twice before promoting any future McFarland-backed festivals.

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GEORGE STRAIT aka “The King of Country” is heading back on tour.

The country superstar announced a six-stadium tour in 2023, starting May 6 in Arizona and ending August 5 in Florida.

He will be joined on the road by LITTLE BIG TOWN and CHRIS STAPLETON.

This will be Strait’s largest stadium run since his sort-of retirement in 2014.

WORTH ASKING: Did TOM BRADY start a new “un-retiring” trend?

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CASTING CALL

WAYNE BRADY will host the 2022 American Music Awards.

The ceremony is set to air live on Sunday, November 20 on ABC.

IN THE MEANTIME: Fans can watch Brady strut his stuff on the dance floor as he competes for the MirrorBall Trophy on “Dancing With the Stars.”

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TOBIN BELL will reprise his role as Jigsaw Killer John Kramer in the next “Saw” film.

The next film in the horror series is slated for release on October 27, 2023. No other details are known at this time.

For those unfamiliar, the “Saw” films follow Jigsaw, a former civil engineer who survived colon cancer and has subsequently decided to test others’ will to live via a series of deadly games.

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HENRY CAVILL is back as Superman.

He posted a video to social media Monday confirming the news, stating that he wanted to wait to announce it after fans were able to see the newly released “Black Adam,” which teases his return.

Cavill was introduced as Superman in 2013’s “Man of Steel.” No word on when a sequel will be released.

WORTH NOTING: Deadline reported Cavill’s return earlier this year, so the news really is no surprise to Marvel fans.

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CELEBRITY CELLBLOCK

Former NFL player LANCE KENDRICKS was arrested for DUI in Santa Monica over the weekend.

Officers told TMZ Sports that they responded to reports of a Ford Bronco that was swerving in and out of traffic. When they made contact with the vehicle, they found Kendricks passed out in the driver’s seat with the engine running.

After he came to and underwent several field sobriety tests, it was determined he was very intoxicated -- like double the legal limit of .08.

He posted his $5,000 bail and was released hours after being booked.

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

KIM KARDASHIAN condemned KANYE WEST’s anti-Semitic comments on Monday.

Taking to social media, the reality star wrote, “Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.”

Her sister, KHLOE KARDASHIAN also shared her support on Instagram, writing “I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people.” While the message is succinct, it is also a powerful show of support for the Jewish community.

KENDALL, KRIS and KYLIE all followed suit.

MEANWHILE: Adidas has remained silent on Ye’s rants, leading many to call on a boycott of the brand.

ALSO OUT: Attorney CAMILLE VASQUEZ -- who rose to fame defending JOHNNY DEPP -- is no longer working with Ye after he refused to retract his anti-Semitic comments.

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

KING CHARLES’ wax figure was defaced at Madame Tussauds in London on Monday morning.

Two protestors, wearing shirts that read “Just Stop Oil,” threw cakes at the statue’s face, while shouting, “The science is clear. The demand is simple: Just stop new oil and gas. It’s a piece of cake,” according to the BBC.

They reportedly showed up to call for an end to new oil and gas agreements.

WORTH REMEMBERING: Fellow protestors from the Just Stop Oil group threw cans of tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting last week.

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SPORTS

Chances of seeing SERENA WILLIAMS back on the tennis court are “very high,” says the champion player herself.

Speaking at an appearance at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, Williams said she is “not retired,” before adding that the chances of her returning are “very high.”

The 41-year-old last played at the US Open in September.

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DAY OF THE YEAR

Crisp Sandwich Day

World Pasta Day

National Greasy Foods Day

International Artist Day

Sourest Day

Punk For a Day Day

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ON THIS DATE

1760 – King George II dies, with little fanfare, atop the Royal Throne.

Minutes after entering his enclosed toilet area, his personal valet heard a loud crash. The valet found the monarch keeled over on the floor. George was taken to his bed, but died moments later. It was determined he died of an aortic aneurysm.

George II was succeeded by George III, his grandson.

Which brings us to:

1774 – The First Continental Congress petitions King George III with complaints about the colonies’ treatment.

While many were still willing to pledge loyalty to the Crown, it was difficult to stomach such allegiance with unfair treatment under the Intolerable Acts. These rules, issued by the King, included ridiculous taxes and the Quartering Act, which permitted British troops to reside in any house, by force.

George brushed off the petition. Eight months later, the Second Congress would adopt the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms – an outline of the reasons for war.

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1828 – One of the first major naval docks to service London opens.

Construction on St Katharine Docks had begun more than a year before, with more than a thousand houses demolished to accommodate the project. 11,300 people lost their homes.

The docks failed commercially, and were combined with the nearby London Docks in 1864.

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1944 – Nazi Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler starts pursuing the Edelweiss Pirates, a youth group of renegades to counteract the growing influence of the Hitler Youth.

By November, 13 leaders were captured and executed; six were teenagers.

Later the remnants of the group in East Berlin would play a role in fighting against communist oppression by the Soviets – but also caused trouble for Allied rebuilding efforts throughout Germany.

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1983 – By order of President Reagan, US Marines invade Grenada to overthrow the small island’s Marxist regime. The Operation’s codename was Urgent Fury.

Almost 2,000 troops stormed the island, and within a week had taken over control. Free elections were held in December of the following year.

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1990 – The first lung transplant from one live donor to another is successfully performed.

A mother donated to her 12-year-old daughter.

The chief surgeon was also the first to transplant a heart and lung into an infant.

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1995 - Singer Cliff Richard is granted knighthood by Queen Elizabeth.

He is the first rock star to be knighted.

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2005 - The Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 7-5 in game 3 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

At the time the game was the longest World Series game, lasting 5 hours and 41 minutes. It tied for the most innings with 14.

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2020 - Pope Francis appoints 13 new cardinals.

One of them is Wilton Daniel Gregory, who is the first African American to be appointed.

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BIRTHDAYS

Juan Soto - baseball player - 24

Ciara - R&B singer - 37

Mia Wasikowska - actress, “Alice in Wonderland” & “Stoker” - 33

Rylan Clark - pop singer - 34

Katy Perry - pop singer - 38

Rosa Mendes - wrestler - 43

Antony Starr - “The Boys” - 47

Persia White - “Girlfriends” - 50

Craig Robinson - actor, “The Office” - 51

Adam Goldberg - “Dazed and Confused” & “Zodiac” - 52

Chad Smith - drummer, Red Hot Chili Peppers - 61

Nancy Cartwright - voice actress, Bart Simpson - 65

Mike Eruzione - hockey player (played on 1980 Olympic team) - 68

Born On This Date

Pablo Picasso - painter - 1881 (d. 1973)

John Francis Dodge - co-founder of Dodge Brothers Company - 1864 (d. 1920)

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