10/27/2022: Elon Moves In
PLUS: Waukesha Massacre Suspect Guilty; Amy & Maya Get Baked; and Harry’s Memoir Out in 2023
Today is Thursday, October 27, 2022.
It is the 300th day of the year.
65 days remain.
TRENDING
#NationalPumpkinDay landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends on Wednesday. Twitter users used the hashtag while showing off their pumpkin carving skills.
Bart Star, Reggie White and Brett Favre were trending Wednesday morning as responses to Twitter user @MadScientistFF’s tweet asking, “Without using Google, who is the greatest Green Bay Packer of all time?”
Pine-Sol was trending after the company recalled approximately 37 million bottles over fears they could contain potentially harmful bacteria.
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HIT LIST
ELON MUSK posted a video of himself walking into Twitter’s headquarters ahead of Friday’s close of the buyout deal.
In prime pun-loving form, Musk captioned the video, “Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!” … while literally carrying in a sink. Musk has always been a sucker for dad jokes on the platform he will soon own.
He also changed his Twitter bio to “Chief Twit.”
WATCH:
IT COULDN’T COME SOON ENOUGH: Leaked internal documents show Twitter has been hemorrhaging its most active users. A leaked memo shows the platform is struggling to keep what they call “heavy tweeters,” which they define as someone who logs in almost every day and tweets 3-4 times a week; these compose 10% of its user base and create 90% of all tweets.
MEANWHILE: The most prominent topics for growth on Twitter include cryptocurrency trading and porn, so they have that going for them.
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Darrell Brooks was found guilty on six counts of first-degree intentional homicide Wednesday in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Last year, Brooks killed and injured dozens of people after he ran them over in an SUV.
The prosecution also got a clean sweep of guilty convictions on lesser crimes; as CNN reports, he “also was convicted of 61 counts of recklessly endangering safety with the use of a dangerous weapon, six counts of fatal hit and run, two counts of felony bail jumping and one count of misdemeanor domestic battery.”
Brooks faces multiple consecutive life sentences.
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The Artemis I mission has a new launch date – this time at night.
NASA will try again to get the rocket designed to eventually take humanity back to the Moon on Monday, November 14. The planned mission duration would be 25 days, with a splashdown in December.
Weather and equipment malfunctions have bedeviled the launch since September.
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Florida’s annual python hunt was a slithering success – especially for 19-year-old Matthew Conceptcion. He bagged 28 Burmese pythons over ten days in a hunt that brought in adventure-seekers from across the globe.
In all, 231 pythons were removed, according to the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission.
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Two men accused of rigging a fishing competition on Lake Erie earlier this year pleaded not guilty to cheating, attempted grand theft, possessing criminal tools, and misdemeanor charges of unlawfully owning wild animals, per the Associated Press.
Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky are accused of catching walleye and stuffing them full of metal weights to score more points in the Lake Erie Walleye Trail event held September 30.
When the fish they registered to weigh came in well above normal for fish that size, event organizers cut the walleye open, and found weights and filets of other fish stuffed inside.
Though it seems pretty cut-and-dry, the alleged perps posted personal bonds and say they didn’t do it.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow was flat Wednesday, adding just 2.37 points (0.007%) to close at 31,839. The S&P lost 28 points (0.74%) to close at 3,830 and the Nasdaq lost 228 points (2.04%) to close at 10,970.
🛢 West Texas Intermediate inched up to $88 a barrel. Brent Crude closed at $93.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.76 on Wednesday.
₿ Bitcoin added more than $690 Wednesday, trading north of $20,700.
🛩 There were 3,396 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and 153 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
In honor of National Pumpkin Day, here are some hippos from the Cincinnati Zoo crushing some pumpkins in their massive jaws.
WATCH:
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DEATHS
Actor MICHAEL KOPSA has died.
He passed away Sunday after suffering complications from a brain tumor.
Kopsa was best known for his roles on TV shows “The X-Files,” “Smallville” and “Stargate SG-1,” as well as the movie “Fantastic Four.”
He was 66.
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BABY NEWS
NFL player JJ WATT, 33, and his wife, soccer star KEALIA OHAI, 30, are parents!
The couple welcomed their first child, a boy named Koa James Watt, on Sunday.
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BREAKUPS
ROSIE O’DONNELL, 60, and her girlfriend AIMEE HAUER, 43, have called it quits.
An insider confirmed the split to PEOPLE magazine on Wednesday, though did not share any further details.
The former couple went Instagram official in June after meeting on social media.
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THE SWAMP
A Trump versus Biden rematch could very much be in the cards for 2024 – if both men make it through their party primaries.
Former President DONALD TRUMP is reportedly hiring Republican consultant Christ LaCivita to run his campaign. LaCivta worked closely with the Swift boat veterans and POWs who took on JOHN KERRY in 2004. More recently, he’s consulted for Wisconsin Senator RON JOHNSON.
MEANWHILE: When asked in a recent roundtable discussion if a change in party control at midterms or in 2024 would jeopardize his blanket student loan debt forgiveness program, President JOE BIDEN said, “Hopefully there’s not going to be a new administration that’s going to change it in the next six years.”
This of course suggests he intends to run and win in 2024.
WORTH REMEMBERING: Biden illegally, single-handedly, without any Congressional oversight, allocated up to nearly half-a-trillion dollars to bail out wealthy campaign donors and their friends and family who still have enormous balances from attending law school and medical school, and you, hardworking parent who saved and scrimped to get your kids a higher education, are suckers.
WORTH NOTING: A Republican Congress would investigate this illegal, unilateral, authoritarian overreach at minimum.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Friday night’s drawing will be for a $64 million jackpot or a $31 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Despite several outlets reporting that JERRY LEE LEWIS died yesterday, he did not.
A person claiming to be Lewis’ rep told TMZ that the rock ‘n’ roll legend passed away Wednesday morning. A local CBS News station also reported the news.
Those reports were quickly retracted Wednesday afternoon after his actual rep told TMZ that Lewis -- who is 87 -- is in fact still alive.
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LESLIE JORDAN was on his way to film for “Call Me Kat” when he crashed his car on Monday morning.
Insiders told TMZ that cast and crew members became concerned after Jordan was more than an hour late for his call time -- something they say was very out of character for the actor.
Production for the show has been paused in the wake of his death.
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MARTHA STEWART says she would definitely go on a date with PETE DAVIDSON, telling DREW BARRYMORE that she thinks he is “cute.”
The topic came up as Stewart played a game called “Red Flag, Yellow Flag, Green,” which asked questions about qualities she seeks in a partner, on Barrymore’s daytime talk show.
Many may recall that rumors of Stewart and Davidson dating began swirling this summer after the two were photographed holding hands at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
BY THE WAY: She is 81. He is 28.
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Another excerpt from MATTHEW PERRY’s new memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” shared by Page Six, details the time actress CAMERON DIAZ hit him in the face.
According to the “Friends” alum, he and Diaz were set up on a date shortly after she split from JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE in 2007.
Perry writes that he remembers Diaz getting “immediately stoned” during their dinner party and “wasn’t interested in [him] at all.” When he tried to win her over with his witty humor, he says she “accidentally” hit him in the face while aiming for his shoulder.
Also in the book, Perry writes about how he allegedly beat up Canadian Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEU when they were kids and one time he made out with VALERIE BERTINELLI while her husband, EDDIE VAN HALEN, was sleeping nearby.
“Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Things” hits shelves on November 1.
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DWAYNE “The Rock” JOHNSON’s daughter has entered the ring.
SIMONE JOHNSON, 21, made her WWE debut this week, under the name Ava Raine.
She is the first fourth-generation WWE wrestler from the same family, following in her famous dad, grandfather Rocky and great-grandfather Peter Maivia’s footsteps. Her great-grandmother, Lia Maivia, was also one of the first female promoters.
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Actress SIGOURNEY WEAVER shared the extensive year-long training she underwent to learn how to hold her breath underwater for her role in “Avatar: The Way of Water” during a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
The 73-year-old said that the cast was taught by Navy SEALs how to “free dive” and do “breath holds,” during which she says she learned how to hold her breath underwater for up to six and a half minutes.
The key, she told Fallon, is to resist. “When the desire to breathe comes, [the trainer] called it ‘The Dirty Villain.’ And you ignore ‘The Dirty Villain.’”
To distract herself from wanting to breathe, Weaver said she found herself singing -- in her head, obviously.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is set to hit theaters on December 16.
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CASTING CALL
KENAN THOMPSON will return as host of this year’s People’s Choice Awards.
The awards show will air on NBC and E! on Tuesday, December 6 from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.
Fans are now able to vote for their favorite nominee in each of the 40 categories representing movies, TV, music and pop culture. Voting ends on November 9.
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RYAN MURPHY’s real-estate thriller, “The Watcher” is the most-watched series on Netflix for the second week in a row, with more than 148 million hours viewed. In total, the series has more than 273 million hours viewed since it launched.
“The Watcher” follows the Brannock family who move into what is supposed to be their dream home, but quickly find it to be a living hell.
Murphy’s other show, “Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” is in second place on the streamer’s most-watched series list with a total of 856.2 million hours viewed since it was released.
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AMY POEHLER and MAYA RUDOLPH are teaming up to host Peacock’s reality show “Baking It.”
Poehler is replacing ANDY SAMBERG in the second season of the show, joining her old pal, Rudolph. The five-part show follows bakers who compete to win a cash prize.
The second season will launch on December 12.
OLD FRIENDS: Poehler and Rudolph appeared together on “SNL,” and films such as “Wine Country” and “Sisters.” This will be their first time hosting a reality show together.
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JESSE WILLIAMS (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is joining the cast of Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” for Season 3.
He will play a documentarian with a particular interest in the case that SELENA GOMEZ’s character Mabel Mora and STEVE MARTIN’s Charles Haden-Savage are working on, according to Variety.
Season 3 is expected to premiere next spring or summer, though nothing has been confirmed by the streamer.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
GEORGE FLOYD’s brother says he is not planning on taking legal action against KANYE WEST…at least for the time being.
Attorney LEE MERRITT, who is representing PHILONISE FLOYD, told TMZ this week that his client is “temporarily standing down” on his original threat to bring a lawsuit against Ye, CANDANCE OWENS and others for “pushing a false narrative” that his brother died from fentanyl and not the actions of former officer DEREK CHAUVIN.
Lee says Philonise is waiting because all he wanted was for Ye to “stop repeating that false narrative,” which he has done over the last week.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
New Year. New Royal Rift.
The New York Times reported yesterday PRINCE HARRY’s long-awaited memoir will be released on January 10, 2023, citing industry executives.
The book is said to cover everything from Harry’s childhood to his military duty in Afghanistan and marrying MEGHAN MARKLE and becoming a father.
As previously reported, the release date was bumped back following QUEEN ELIZABETH’s death in early September.
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SPORTS
The high school football coach who famously lost his job for leading prayers on the field after games is getting his job back.
Attorneys representing the Bremerton School District (located in Washington state) and those representing former coach JOSEPH KENNEDY released a joint statement this week saying that “Kennedy is to be reinstated to his previous position…on or before March 15, 2023.”
Many may recall that the Supreme Court sided with Kennedy in June, ruling 6-3 that he was protected by the Constitution when he knelt and prayed post-game.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National American Beer Day
National Black Cat Day
National Mentoring Day
Navy Day
Cranky Co-Workers Day
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ON THIS DATE
1775 – King George III addresses Parliament, first reading the colonies’ proclamation of rebellion issued a few weeks earlier.
The king compelled the Parliament to send British troops to take control of the rebelling by force. At the time, many colonists believed the king would not put his own subjects in the way of his own army’s harm.
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1873 – Joseph Glidden, a farmer from Illinois, submits a patent for barbed wire.
He came up with the idea when trying to improve upon Henry Rose’s earlier design.
Plains farmers were eager to use the cheap, strong, defensive wire fence.
The innovation allowed new homesteads on the plains to flourish; farmers could protect their animals and crops without having to import lumber for fences.
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1904 – New York City Mayor George McClellan inaugurates the city’s first subway car.
More than 100,000 people paid a nickel that evening to take the first rides through underground Manhattan.
Though systems in London and Boston predated New York’s subway, the Big Apple would soon boast the country’s largest and most extensive system.
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1936 – American socialite Wallis Simpson is granted a divorce from husband Ernest Aldrich, and the wheels are set into motion for a way for her to marry King Edward VIII.
A morganatic marriage was suggested, by which Edward could remain king but his wife would not be queen; the prime ministers of Australia and South Africa objected to this measure.
Ultimately the King abdicated the throne to his brother, the Duke of York, who later ascended the throne as George VI.
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1994 – The American prison population surpasses one million for the first time, according to the Justice Department.
With 1,012,851 men and women incarcerated, it made the US second only to Russia for incarceration rate.
A majority of the prisoners were being held for drug-related convictions.
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2004 – The Boston Red Sox take home their first World Series victory since 1918, breaking the “Curse of the Bambino.”
In the ALCS that year, the Sox had trailed the Yankees three-games-to-none, but ended up sweeping the last four—advancing them to their first World Series since 1986.
The Sox ended up sweeping the St Louis Cardinals in four games.
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2020 - Amy Coney Barrett is added to the Supreme Court.
And…
A record 69.5 million Americans already cast votes — a week before election day. The amount is half of total votes cast in 2016.
Also…
Europe is hit with a second wave of COVID-19 with rapidly rising cases.
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BIRTHDAYS
Gianni DeCenzo - actor, “Cobra Kai” - 21
Lonzo Ball - basketball player - 25
Samantha Logan - actress, “General Hospital” - 26
Casey Moreta - guitarist, Hey Violet - 27
Casanova - rapper - 36
Kelly Osbourne - daughter of Ozzy - 38
Marla Maples - model & ex-wife of Donald Trump - 59
John Cleese - actor, “Monty Python” & “Life of Brian” - 83
Born On This Date
John Gotti - head of the Gambino crime family - 1940 (d. 2000)
Sylvia Plath - poet - 1932 (d. 1963)
H.R. Haldeman - White House Chief of Staff during Nixon’s Watergate - 1926 (d. 1993)
Theodore Roosevelt - 26th POTUS - 1858 (d. 1919)
James Cook - British explorer - 1728 (d. 1779)
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