10/26/2022: Corden Buries the Hatchet
10/26/2022: Corden Buries the Hatchet
PLUS: Musk’s Twitter Deal to Close Friday; Cancer-Stopping Pill and Adidas Drops Ye
Today is Wednesday, October 26, 2022.
It is the 299th day of the year.
66 days remain.
TRENDING
All things Kanye were trending on Tuesday. Head to Kardashopus to get the details.
#earthquake landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends after a magnitude 5.1 quake hit near San Jose.
The New York Supreme Court was trending yesterday after a major ruling in regards to job losses during the pandemic. More info in Hit List.
Kevin Bacon was trending after being featured in a trailer for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. More in Casting Call.
###
HIT LIST
FRIDAY: ELON MUSK’s long-awaited Twitter acquisition is expected to close on Friday, he recently told bankers helping to finance the purchase.
Bloomberg reports that in a Monday video conference call, Musk finalized the credit agreement to clear the way for wiring the cash into Musk’s accounts. The news added some fuel to Twitter’s stock price, which was just over a dollar less than the $54.20 acquisition price.
Banks are putting up about $13 billion in financing for the deal, which in total will be worth $44 billion.
MEANWHILE: Twitter employees are circulating a letter demanding that current ownership and Musk keep everyone hired and preserve their benefits and let remote work continue indefinitely. This comes after Musk says he would reduce the staff headcount at Twitter by about 75%.
In the letter, the employees whine that the sale of Twitter puts “the public conversation in jeopardy” and the layoff plan “will hurt Twitter’s ability to serve the public conversation.”
IN OTHER WORDS: How can we censor views we don’t like when the Bad Man buys us?
###
Big win for freedom advocates in New York City who were fired for not taking the compulsory covid vaccine: the state Supreme Court has ruled that anyone dismissed for not complying must be rehired with back pay.
IT GETS BETTER: The court found fundamentally that “being vaccinated does not prevent an individual from contracting or transmitting Covid-19.”
WORTH NOTING: This ruling only applies to public employees of New York City – but is nonetheless an important victory.
BY THE WAY: President JOE BIDEN got another covid booster on Tuesday. After getting the shot, he lied, "If you get it, you’re protected. And if you don’t, you’re putting yourself and other people unnecessarily at risk… Nearly every death is preventable, so get updated. Get your updated COVID shot. Now’s the time to do it, by Halloween if you can."
###
A twice-daily pill is promising to stop the spread of cancer once it’s been detected, and the first human to try it is progressing well, a new study shows.
The patient is at a City of Hope cancer research facility. While the short term research suggests the pill is effective in stopping the spread of disease, there’s hopeful optimism it might also be able to kill off cancer cells entirely.
This Phase One trial is expected to last over the next two years.
###
Home prices nationally continue to inch upward, but at a slower rate than ever before.
In August they were up 13% year-over-year, down from 15.6% and 18.1% in the months prior. It was the fastest deceleration of home prices since 1987, CNN notes.
WORTH NOTING: This is an average, and pricey cities are seeing home prices recede, especially in San Francisco, Seattle, and San Diego.
###
The International Space Station has successfully maneuvered out of the path of potentially damaging space junk.
The wayward piece is from a Russian satellite that they destroyed in a weapons test last November. The five minute burn took the ISS safely out of the path of the space junk.
###
BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow added 337 points (1.07%) to close at 31,836 on Tuesday. The S&P added 61 points (1.63%) to close at 3,859 and the Nasdaq added 246 points (2.25%) to close at 11,199.
🛢 West Texas Intermediate closed at $85 Tuesday. Brent Crude slipped to $91.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.77 on Tuesday.
₿ Bitcoin surged Tuesday, adding more than $900 and putting its value back up over $20,000.
🛩 There were 3,943 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and 504 such cancellations.
###
CHARTS
Top 5 Fiction & Nonfiction Books Currently on the New York Times Best Sellers List:
FICTION:
“Long Shadows,” David Baldacci
“The Maze,” Nelson DeMile
“Verity,” Colleen Hoover
“It Ends With Us,” Colleen Hoover
“Fairy Tale,” Stephen King
NON-FICTION
“Confidence Man,” Maggie Haberman
I’m Glad My Mom Died,” Jennette McCurdy
“Live Wire,” Kelly Ripa
“Killing the Legends,” Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
“The Body Keeps The Score,” Bessel van der Kolk
###
DEATHS
Former Secretary of Defense ASHTON CARTER has died.
He passed away Monday evening in Boston after suffering a sudden cardiac event, according to a statement from his family.
Carter served under former President BARACK OBAMA as the nation’s 25th defense secretary from 2015 to 2017.
He was 68.
###
Iranian hermit AMOU HAJI, who has been dubbed the “world’s dirtiest man,” has died.
State media reported Tuesday that he passed away Sunday in the village of Dejgah.
Known for his grime-covered skin, Haji avoided showering for 60-plus years because he believed soap and water would make him sick. His life was the subject of the 2013 short documentary, “The Strange Life of Amou Haji.”
He was 94.
WORTH NOTING: Amou Haji is not his birth name, but rather an endearing nickname given to elderly people by villagers.
###
BABY NEWS
Country singer SCOTTY MCCREERY, 29, and his wife GABI DUGAL, 28, are parents!
The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Merrick “Avery” McCreery, on October 24, according to social media posts from both McCreery and Dugal.
###
Baby #2 is on the way for actors PATTI MURIN, 42, and COLIN DONNELL, 40.
The couple announced the news on Tuesday, telling fans that a baby girl is due in mid-April.
Murin and Donnell are already parents to daughter Cecily Philips, 2.
###
RELATIONSHIPS
“Bachelor” alums CAELYNN MILLER-KEYES, 27, and DEAN UNGLERT, 31, are engaged.
The couple have not shared the news, but sources close to them confirmed to PEOPLE magazine on Tuesday they are indeed engaged.
They have been dating for more than three years, after appearing on Season 6 of “Bachelor in Paradise.”
###
THE SWAMP
Remember how GEORGE W. BUSH was stupid and couldn’t identify every other country on a map? Or how President DONALD TRUMP’s bombast was going to get us into a nuclear war because the rest of the world thought he was an idiot?
How about this – here’s President JOE BIDEN getting the new British Prime Minister’s name wrong by a mile.
“Rashid Sanook” he calls him – not RISHI SUNAK, the man’s actual name.
WORTH ASKING: 25th Amendment anyone?
###
LOTTERY
No winner for Monday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $700 million jackpot or a $335.7 million cash payout.
###
SHOWBIZ NEWS
JAMES CORDEN formally apologized on-air for his rude behavior to wait staff at KEITH MCNALLY’s NYC restaurant, Balthazar.
The host of the “Late Late Show,” kicked off Monday night’s episode stating that his father instructed him to own up to his mistakes after he previously apologized and then later retracted it.
In a sort-of apology, Corden said: "I didn't shout or scream. I didn't get up out of my seat. I didn't call anyone names or use derogatory language. I have been walking around thinking that I hadn't done anything wrong, right? But, the truth is I have. I made a rude comment and it was wrong. It was an unnecessary comment. It was ungracious to the server."
No word from McNally on whether he has accepted the second apology.
###
As fans try to decode all the easter eggs in TAYLOR SWIFT’s new album “Midnights,” a former high school acquaintance shared her thoughts on the singer in a now-viral TikTok video.
JESSICA MCLANE claims to have attended the same high school as Swift, though says she was two years behind her -- making her a freshman when Swift became super successful on the music scene as a junior.
Of her success, McLane says that most of her classmates “hated [Swift],” explaining that “jealousy was definitely a thing.”
As for all the hidden meanings in Swift’s lyrics, McLane said that she seems to plan those out “years in advance,” such as the time she invited the senior class to the CMA’s where Swift broke history as the youngest artist to receive Entertainer of the Year.
“Y’all, she invited us to the CMAs to say [eff] you. And we deserved it,” McLane said. “So to Taylor: touche, that was a good one.”
WORTH NOTING: McLane showed off her yearbook which included photos of Swift as proof that they did in fact go to school together.
###
LESLIE JORDAN reportedly complained of shortness of breath for three weeks leading up to his untimely death on Monday.
The issue had become so bothersome that he had allegedly scheduled a cardiologist appointment to have it checked out.
As reported yesterday, responding officers suspect Jordan suffered some sort of medical emergency -- perhaps a heart attack -- prior to crashing his car into a building in Los Angeles.
WORTH NOTING: No official cause of death has been listed.
###
MATTHEW PERRY was supposed to have a role in “Don’t Look Up,” but exited the cast after a medical scare.
According to an excerpt from his memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” shared by Rolling Stone on Tuesday, after filming a scene opposite JONAH HILL, Perry did not return to set.
According to the book, Perry underwent surgery to have a medical device put into his back after lying to physicians about having severe stomach pain in order to get a script for hydrocodone. He also lied about already taking some pain pills prior to the surgery. So those, mixed with whatever cocktail doctors gave him pre-surgery, caused his heart to stop for five minutes.
Perry writes that he was revived by some “beefy Swiss guy [who] really didn’t want the guy from ‘Friends’ dying on his table.”
While doing CPR, eight of Perry’s ribs were broken, leaving him in too much pain to return to set, something he calls “heartbreaking.”
That scare lead him straight to rehab, where he was able to get serious about his sobriety journey.
###
RUSSELL WILSON poured his heart out on social media for wife, CIARA’s 37th birthday on Tuesday.
“God blessed the world on this day with you. I love you so much. You inspire the world!,” he wrote on Instagram, while sharing a sentimental photo of himself alongside the singer.
Most of the comments were sweet, matching the post, but some trolls decided to take the opportunity to rip Wilson for his 2-5 start as the Broncos QB this NFL season.
###
CASTING CALL
More than nine million viewers tuned in to watch the season finale of “House of the Dragon” on Sunday, marking HBO’s biggest finale night since the conclusion of “Game of Thrones” (19.3 million) in May 2019.
Not only was the episode up against Sunday Night Football and the final game in the American League’s Championship series, but also itself as the finale had been leaked online over the weekend.
OUTSIDE THE US: “Dragon” was the most-viewed HBO series ever in Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
###
The first round of performers for the 56th Annual CMA Awards were announced Tuesday.
CARLY PERACE, MIRANDA LAMBERT, CARRIE UNDERWOOD, MORGAN WALLEN, KELSEA BALLERINI, KELLY CLARKSON and ZAC BROWN BAND will all have their time on the stage.
More performers will be announced in the coming weeks.
LUKE BRYAN and PEYTON MANNING will host the show, live from the Bridgestone Arena on November 9.
###
In order to prepare for his role in the upcoming serial killer film “The Good Nurse,” EDDIE REDMAYNE says he spent some time at nursing school.
The actor, who plays real-life serial killer Charles Cullen in the film, spent two weeks at a nursing school to truly immerse himself in what they do.
As for how he did, Redmayne told British GQ, “I was totally shit at it, you never want me in a crisis.”
“The Good Nurse” hits Netflix today.
###
KEVIN BACON is the newest member of the Marvel Universe, appearing as himself in the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy” holiday special.
In the flick, Bacon gets kidnapped by the Guardians in an effort to bring some holiday cheer to a depressed Star-Lord, who has long been obsessed with the “Footloose” star.
The special hits Disney+ on November 22.
###
“Doctor Who” is heading to Disney+.
The BBC and Disney announced Tuesday that the UK series will stream exclusively on the platform.
Actor NCUIT GATWA plays the titular character. He is the 14th person to take on the role and the first Black actor to play it in the show’s 57-year history.
Episodes are set to premiere in late 2023.
###
COURT CASES
WNBA star BRITTNEY GRINER’s appeal has been denied.
A Russian court upheld her 9-year prison sentence for marijuana possession Tuesday morning, with the 32-year-old appearing via video for the proceedings.
It is unknown where Griner plans to go from here, though some reports suggest she’s headed to a labor camp.
As previously reported, the basketball player has been in custody in Russia since February, after she was found with hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport. She was initially sentenced in August.
President JOE BIDEN has previously said his administration would “continue to work tirelessly” to bring her back home.
WORTH NOTING: Griner was one of the athletes who followed in COLIN KAPERNICK’s footsteps and kneeled during the playing of the national anthem.
###
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Adidas has cut all ties with KANYE WEST, costing the company approximately $246 million in net income this year.
The company released a statement on the issue Tuesday morning, saying that they “will terminate their partnership with Ye, ending production of Yeezy branded products and [will] stop all payments to Ye and his companies.”
The announcement comes amid worldwide pressure for Adidas to sever ties with Ye for his anti-Semitic rants.
WHAT’S MORE: Adidas founders, the Dassler brothers, supported the Nazi party, even providing Hitler-backed Olympic athletes with shoes for the 1936 Games. Their shoe factories were also converted into munitions factories for the Nazi military during the war.
TODAY: Adidas names one of the brothers -- Adolf Dassler -- its “founding father,” while ignoring his Nazi association. Jewish athletes have worked with the company in the decades since the war.
MORE TIES CUT: Ye was also dropped by his divorce attorneys this week due to his anti-Semitic rants -- the same ones who represented MELINDA GATES in her divorce from BILL.
STANDING BY YE: Netflix says they will not be removing Ye’s documentary, “Jeen-Yuhs,” from their platform because “it does not contain any anti-Semitic remarks.”
ONE LAST THING: Ye has lost his billionaire status now that Adidas has ended the partnership. Forbes estimates his net worth at about $400 million.
###
WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
On the latest episode of her “Archetypes” podcast, MEGHAN MARKLE told her guest, actress ISSA RAE, that as a biracial woman she is afraid to speak her mind because she is fearful people will consider her “another angry black woman.”
Meg asked Rae, who is Black, if she ever feels like she is “allowed to be angry,” to which the actress replied, “Absolutely not,” suggesting the same reasoning.
Also during the episode -- titled “Upending the ‘Angry Black Woman’ Myth,” -- Meg shared her “shock” after reading the book “Algorithms of Oppression,” which looks into how search engines reinforce racism.
WORTH REMEMBERING: Several palace staffers accused Meghan of “bullying” during her time with the Royal Family. One such staffer told the Daily Mail that she was dubbed “Princess Pushy” and “Duchess Difficult” because of her “particular” wants and needs. Meg has denied the claims.
###
SPORTS
Amazon’s Thursday Night Football ratings are tanking.
According to Nielsen, Amazon Prime landed 13 millions viewers for Week 2’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers. Since then, that number has steadily declined.
During Week 7, only 7.8 million viewers tuned in to watch the Arizona Cardinals play the New Orleans Saints.
Another factor plaguing the streamer…the matchups have been awful.
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
National Chicken Fried Steak Day
National Microneedling Day
National Mincemeat Day
National Mule Day
Howl At The Moon Day
National Pumpkin Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1825 – New York Governor DeWitt Clinton leads the ceremony to open the Erie Canal.
The project linked the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, by way of the Hudson River. Once open, commerce and settlers moved into Western New York and the Midwest, including Wisconsin.
Shipping costs were reduced 90 percent, and items traveled twice as fast. Barges carrying agricultural products flooded Eastward, while manufactured goods produced on the coast poured into new territories.
###
1881 – A bloody shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona leaves 3 dead and 3 wounded.
The fight culminated weeks of tension between Wyatt Earp and the Clanton-McLaury gang. It took only 30 seconds, and an estimated 30 rounds were fired.
Virgil Earp shot Billy Clanton at point-blank, right in the chest. Doc Holliday shot dead Tom McLaury, and Wyatt Earp put a round through Frank McLaury’s stomach.
Wyatt’s brothers Virgial and Morgan were wounded, as was Doc Holliday.
Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran away.
###
1917 – The First World War escalates with Brazil’s entry into the conflict.
Brazilian merchants had been susceptible to Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare; at least four commercial barges had been sunk by U-Boats that year.
There were a few Brazilian troops involved in the war – which is to say, about 50. Troops were limited to a medical team and pilots.
###
1967 – Muhammad Reza Pahlavi declares himself Shah of Iran.
Coincidentally, it was his 48th birthday.
Though the Shah led many efforts to modernize the Islamic republic, he was eventually chased out of the country by revolutionaries backed by the US and UK. The Shah took asylum in Egypt.
###
1977- The last natural case of smallpox is discovered in Somalia.
This date is widely considered the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, marking the success of vaccination.
###
2001 – George W. Bush signs the PATRIOT Act into law.
Within 3 years of its passage, it would help the federal government file charges against 310 people for suspected terrorist activity, of which 179 were convicted or plead guilty.
###
2019 – A raid by US Special Forces kills ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria.
al-Baghdadi led the Iraqi section of al-Qaeda before announcing the formation of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq.
In June 2014 al-Baghdadi controversially declared a worldwide caliphate with himself as caliph that at its peak covered large parts of Syria and Iraq.
###
BIRTHDAYS
Allie DeBerry - actress, “A.N.T. Farm” & “Lazer Team” - 28
Crissa Jackson - basketball player - 33
Guy Sebastian - R&B singer - 41
CM Punk - wrestler - 44
Mark Barry - pop singer, BBMak - 44
Jon Heder - actor, “Napoleon Dynamite” & “The Benchwarmers” - 45
Seth MacFarlane - voice actor, “Family Guy” - 49
Anthony Rapp - actor, “Star Trek: Discovery” - 51
Keith Urban - country singer - 55
Tom Cavanagh - actor, “Royal Pains” & “The Flash” - 59
Cary Elwes - actor, “Princess Bride” - 60
Rita Wilson - actress, “That Thing You Do” & “Jingle All the Way” - 66
James Pickens Jr. - actor, “Grey’s Anatomy” - 68
Hillary Clinton - former first lady - 75
Pat Sajak - game show host, “Wheel of Fortune” - 76
Born On This Date
Shelley Morrison - actress, “General Hospital” - 1936 (d. 2019)
Jackie Coogan - actor, “Addams Family” & “Oliver Twist” - 1914 (d. 1984)
Mahalia Jackson - gospel singer - 1911 (d. 1972)
C.W. Post - manufacturer of breakfast cereals - 1854 (d. 1914)
###