10/26/2023: That’s Not a Bomb! 💣
PLUS: Pumpkin Truck Fire; The Rock Gets Shaded; and Meg’s New Gig
Today is Thursday, October 26, 2023.
It is the 299th day of the year.
66 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
The FTX trial is back in session today. More in HIT LIST.
BRITNEY SPEARS is celebrating the success of her memoir and HAILEY BIEBER wants people to stop assuming she is pregnant. More in SHOWBIZ.
CILLIAN MURPHY went above and beyond for his role in “Oppenheimer” and a fan favorite is leaving “Chicago PD.” More in CASTING CALL.
KYLIE JENNER launches her new clothing line, Khy. More on that in KARDASH.
MEGHAN MARKLE’s next big move could be taking shape. Find out what it is in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
UNITED AUTO WORKERS and FORD reached terms for a new union deal Wednesday evening.
Reuters reported the 4-and-a-half-year contract includes record pay raises.
If all goes well, the agreement would still require approval by the UAW National Ford Council — an internal committee — as well as the full union.
SO FAR: Anderson Economic Group estimates the 45,000-worker-strong strikes have reached $9.3 BILLION in cumulative economic losses. No word yet on when Ford workers go back to work. Deals with GM and STELLANTIS remain in limbo. [via Reuters]
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FTX-FILES: Court is back in session for the fraud trial of SAM BANKMAN-FRIED.
SBF’s lawyers indicated on Wednesday that he will indeed take the stand in his own defense – and at his own peril. This is either a hail mary move or SBF’s own ego and belief that if he can just explain himself, people will understand his motives.
WORTH REMEMBERING: SBF was thrown in jail ahead of the trial because he kept contacting journalists and outsiders trying to share “his side” of the con. [via Morning Martini]
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A Tennessee man wanted to be proactive about preventing dents and dings on his car. So he duct taped a rubber bumper to the side of his car. Then he parked outside a restaurant and things started to get weird.
Someone mistook the dent-device for a bomb and called the cops, who immediately had the entire surrounding area evacuated and put nearby schools on lockdown. The driver of the vehicle was among the restaurant evacuees standing across the street trying to figure out what was going on, having no idea his contraption was the cause for concern.
That’s when his phone rang and he had to explain to officers that he certainly did not have a bomb. Fortunately, because he had no intent to cause any harm, he rightfully was not charged. [via WSMV]
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A 23-year-old New York man spent a long night in a secure vault when the security doors automatically closed on a timer.
The man was attending to his safety deposit box just before 8 pm Tuesday when the doors snapped shut, trapping him inside. He was able to reach authorities, who tried to free him by cutting through 30 inches of concrete, but had to stop when they ran into a metal plate. At that point, the man had been trapped for ten hours in the 20-by-40-foot room, but he only had about two more hours until the doors reopened on their own. So he waited it out.
Officials say there’s video footage of the man entering the secure storage facility, so he’s not being investigated for a break-in-attempt-gone-wrong. [via ABC News]
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The CDC is investigating a multi-state outbreak of salmonella infections.
As of midweek, 73 people across 22 states had been infected with a strain believed to have come from recalled onions. Of those, 15 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
A recall was issued Monday by Gills Onions for its fresh diced onions products that had been shipped to six states; Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. [via NY Times]
JUST TO KNOW: Symptoms of salmonella can include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, which can last from six hours to six days.
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A semi truck carrying pumpkins burst into flames in the early hours Wednesday in Lebec, California. That’s about 90 minutes north of Los Angeles.
The incident shut down traffic in one direction for over four hours as crews cleaned up the mess. Witnesses spotted charred pumpkins over the road as crews fought the blaze.
No word yet on the cause. [via KTLA]
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DEATHS
Actor RICHARD ROUNDTREE has died.
He passed away Tuesday after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
Roundtree is best known for his role as a tough-talking private eye in “Shaft.”
He was 81.
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SICK BAY
Actor ERIK JENSEN has been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.
The diagnosis, which was made public via a GoFundMe account, comes two years after he survived a brain aneurysm.
Jensen, who appeared in “The Walking Dead,” “Alias” and “CSI,” is only 53.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 105 points (0.32%) to close at 33,035 on Wednesday. The S&P lost 60 points (1.43%) to close at 4,186 and the NASDAQ dipped 318 points (2.43%) to close at 12,821.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $85; BRENT CRUDE at $88.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.54 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN continued its mega-rally, up around 2.5% day over day and trading around $34,750.
🛩 There were more than 2,225 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 80 such cancellations.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS will be for a $137 million jackpot or a $59.6 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
BRITNEY SPEARS took to Instagram to thank her fans for making her book, “The Woman in Me” “the highest selling celebrity memoir in history.”
Just 24 hours on the shelves and the memoir was topping both Amazon and Barnes and Noble’s best sellers list.
It has not yet popped up on the New York Times Best Sellers list. [via Instagram]
UPDATE: As of Wednesday afternoon, TMZ reported that over 400,000 copies of Spears’ book had been sold -- and she gets 25% of the net profits. [via TMZ]
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As KIM ZOLCIAK and KROY BIERMANN wait for someone to buy their Atlanta mansion, a judge has ordered her to stay in their basement/nanny suite, while Kroy gets the master bedroom.
According to court documents, obtained by TMZ, the estranged couple will share common areas like the kitchen and living room, and will “act civilly” in the presence of their kids.
As previously reported, the home recently hit the market for $6 million. [via TMZ]
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FOLLOW UP: The Grevin Museum in Paris has made good on their promise to “update” actor DWAYNE “The Rock” JOHNSON’s wax figure.
Variety confirmed Wednesday that the museum officially fixed Johnson’s skin color -- making it darker to offset the lights -- and it is now back on display. [via Variety]
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HAILEY BIEBER is sick of the media speculating about potential pregnancies.
In a new GQ Hype interview, Mrs. Bieber said all the reports about whether or not she is expecting are “disheartening.”
As for when it does happen, she said, “...you, as in the internet, will be the last to know.” [via GQ]
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Actor JACOB ELORDI appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” to promote his upcoming biopic, “Priscilla.”
While chatting with the host during a game of “Tonight Show Firsts,” Elordi revealed his first celebrity crush was BRAD PITT.
“That’s a beautiful man. There’s just no denying it,” he explained.
Elordi plays Elvis Presley in the upcoming flick. [via Insider]
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CASTING CALL
A recent episode of “Family Guy” poked fun at PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE for their lack of productivity.
In the episode, the couple are laying poolside when a butler hands Harry a stack of money, saying, “Sir, your millions from Netflix for no one knows what.”
The jab clearly references the couple’s lucrative media deals that have been scaled back for underperformance in recent months. [via NY Post]
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For his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer, actor CILLIAN MURPHY spent three months memorizing a snippet of Dutch so he could accurately recreate an academic lecture in “Oppenheimer.”
Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who is Dutch, recorded a portion of one of Oppenheimer’s lectures and slowed it down so Murphy could learn it phonetically for the film.
In a recent interview, Murphy said the lecture is “one of those things that [he] will never forget because [he] did it so many times.”
FOR THE RECORD: “Oppenheimer,” based on the 2005 biography “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” is 2023’s third highest-grossing movie and highest-growing biographical movie of all time. [via People]
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“Dancing With the Stars” pro dancer CHERYL BURKE recently appeared on former “Bachelor” host CHRIS HARRISON’s “The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever” and confronted him about her getting rejected from the dating show.
During the interview Burke asked Harrison if it was true that he was the reason she was not given a chance to be the “Bachelorette” because — according to producers — he said she was a “sloppy drunk.”
“Like I have the power to decide who the Bachelor, Bachelorette is,” Harrison sarcastically replied.
Some may recall that Burke expressed interest in joining the show before marrying -- and later divorcing -- actor MATTHEW LAWRENCE. [via Page Six]
BY THE WAY: She is currently five years sober…so maybe she should try again?
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Comedian MATT RIFE is getting his own Netflix special.
The streamer announced this week that the new comedy special “Natural Selection” will hit the platform on November 15.
Rife launched into the spotlight over the summer thanks to TikTok. [via Deadline]
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Another fan favorite is leaving “Chicago PD.”
TRACY SPIRIDAKOS, who has played Detective Hailey Upton since joining the show in 2017, will reportedly make her final appearance in Season 11.
She has not publicly addressed her exit. [via Variety]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KYLIE JENNER has debuted her new clothing line, Khy, with a sneak peek in WSJ Magazine.
In the magazine Jenner said the line is “inspired by [her] personal wardrobe, and the different moods that [she’s] in.”
In addition to landing the cover of the November issue of WSJ, Jenner is also set to be honored at the magazine’s 13th annual Innovator Awards on November 1. [via People]
WORTH NOTING: She is now the third member of the family (or fourth if you count brother ROB KARDASHIAN’s sock line) to have ventured into the world of clothing.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
You haven’t heard the last of MEGHAN MARKLE’s voice: Express reports that Meg is on the cusp of signing a deal with AUDIBLE, the audiobook and podcast company owned by Amazon.
No financial numbers have been reported yet as part of any potential deal, but Audible could be a new home for her interview-style podcast.
One insider tells Closer that Meg is thrilled at the prospect of joining the same audio company that’s distributing projects by BARACK and MICHELLE OBAMA. The Obamas left SPOTIFY in 2019 and signed an estimated $20 MILLION deal with Audible. [via Express]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Chicken Fried Steak Day
National Microneedling Day
National Mule Day
National Mincemeat Day
National Pumpkin Day
Howl At The Moon Day
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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.
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.
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1881 - A bloody shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona leaves three dead and three 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 Virgil and Morgan were wounded, as was Doc Holliday.
Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran away.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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2001 - George W. Bush signs the PATRIOT Act into law.
Within three 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 pleaded guilty.
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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.
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BIRTHDAYS
Crissa Jackson - basketball player - 34
CM Punk - wrestler - 45
Jon Heder - actor, “Napoleon Dynamite” - 46
Seth McFarlane - actor, “Family Guy” & “Ted” & “Ted 2” - 50
Rosemarie DeWitt - actress, “Standoff” & “The Poltergeist” - 52
Keith Urban - country singer - 56
Tom Cavanagh - actor, “Royal Pains” & “The Flash” - 60
Cary Elwes - actor, “The Princess Bride” - 61
Rita Wilson - actress, “That Thing You Do!” - 67
James Pickens Jr. - actor, “Grey’s Anatomy” - 69
Hillary Clinton - politician & email eraser - 76
Pat Sajak - game show host, “Wheel of Fortune” - 77
Born On This Date
Jackie Coogan - actor, “The Addams Family” - 1914 (d. 1984)
Mahalia Jackson - gospel singer - 1911 (d. 1972)
Georges Danton - leading figure in the French Revolution - 1759 (d. 1794)
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