10/31/2024: Witchy Warnings!
10/31/2024: Witchy Warnings!
PLUS: Election Countdown; Swift Approval; and The King’s Whisky
Today is Thursday, October 31, 2024.
It is the 305th day of the year.
61 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Another FTX executive is sentenced and more intel from Ukraine’s front lines. Details in HIT LIST.
REBA MCENTIRE gets loopy and the MENENDEZ BROTHERS could be home for Christmas. More in SHOWBIZ.
MARTHA STEWART wasn’t a fan of her daytime talk show and ARMIE HAMMER returns to acting. Details in CASTING CALL.
YE is thinking about getting in the whiskey biz. More in KARDASH.
KING CHARLES puts a limited-run whisky on sale. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
THERE ARE 5 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY and here is the state of the race.
– An Axios survey shows 23% of voters have lied about who they’re supporting in the election and 22% have considered lying about it. Another third say they’ve distanced themselves from family over political disagreements.
– BUZZ ALDRIN endorsed Trump on Wednesday in a lengthy statement that concluded in part, “For me, for the future of our Nation, to meet enormous challenges, and for the proven policy accomplishments above, I believe the nation is best served by voting for Donald J. Trump.”
– The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that Virginia may proceed in removing 1,600 self-identified non-citizens from its voter rolls. The Biden-Harris DOJ inexplicably sued to keep these people on file.
– White House Press Secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE said yesterday that JOE BIDEN will attend the inauguration next year, no matter who wins.
– The Trump Campaign successfully sued Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to extend early voting through Friday this week. The Commonwealth’s law requires anyone in line by 5:00 pm to be able to vote that day. The suit alleged voters had been turned away before the deadline. For most of Pennsylvania, early voting ended Tuesday, but in Bucks County it will continue through the end of this week.
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Another FTX executive has been sentenced for his role in the exchange’s fraud and eventual collapse.
NISHAD SINGH, the company’s engineering director, pleaded guilty to six felony charges in February last year and has since been an essential witness and source for prosecutors. On Wednesday, a judge spared Singh prison time, giving him time served and three years of supervised release.
The new management at FTX, which is winding the company down and working to repay creditors and customers, even argued for Singh to remain out of custody to assist their efforts. [via Coin Telegraph]
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South Korean intelligence believes North Korea wants nuclear weapons technology from Russia in exchange for mobilizing troops to Ukraine.
Russia has a similar technology-sharing program with Iran, that provides resources for developing nuclear weapons, ICBMs, and even nuclear submarines and satellites. South Korea’s defense minister says he believes the North has a similar arrangement with Russia.
South Korea’s government believes 13,000 North Korean troops have already been deployed, aggressively beating the estimate that 10,000 soldiers would head to Ukraine by the end of the year. [via CNN]
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Sandwich chain SUBWAY faces another lawsuit alleging false advertising – but this time it’s not over whether a footlong is actually a foot long.
Instead, in a tale as old as menu picture boards, Anna Tollison says her $6.99 Steak & Cheese didn’t have nearly as much meat as the image in the app promised. The suit calls the disconnect “unfair and financially damaging,” adding that, “Subway actions are especially concerning now that inflation, food and meat prices are very high and many consumers, especially lower income consumers, are struggling financially.”
The suit includes similar gripes posted on social media by other customers, and seeks damages for anyone in New York State who’s bought a Subway Steak & Cheese in the last three years.
WORTH REMEMBERING: In 2021, a judge dismissed a similar suit that accused Subway’s tuna sandwiches of not actually containing tuna. [via CBS News]
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In honor of Halloween, here is a spooky find from across the pond.
A volunteer from English Heritage, a charity in the UK, recently discovered 20 “witchy” symbols and patterns carved into the walls of Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire.
"Among the marks, are rare ‘curse’ inscriptions, which were probably made around the time that William Hickman owned the property (from 1596). In one inscription, Hickman’s name is written upside down. This was believed to curse the named person," the charity posted on social media.
Other marks include, six-petaled flowers in a circle, which was thought to trap demons; a pentangle, to protect against evil; and around 100 burn marks, to protect against fire.
The markings are the most identified at any of the charity’s 400 locations. [via The Guardian]
FAST FACTS: English Heritage, established in 1983, took over care of Gainsborough Old Hall in 2011, so the new find is remarkable.
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BREAKUPS
CHANNING TATUM and ZOE KRAVITZ have called off their engagement.
He’s 44 and she’s 35.
The actors were first linked in 2021. No word on what led to the split.
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RELATIONSHIPS
Olympic snowboarder SHAUN WHITE and actress NINA DOBREV are engaged after 5 years of dating.
He’s 36 and she’s 34.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 91 points (0.22%) to close at 42,141. The S&P lost 19 points (0.33%) to close at 5,813 and the NASDAQ lost 104 points (0.56%) to close at 18,607.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $69; BRENT CRUDE at $72.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.13 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN ticked down Wednesday after reaching record highs Tuesday, trading around $72,600.
🛩 There were more than 1,740 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 30 such cancellations.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $281 million jackpot or a $129.8 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
TRAVIS KELCE has the approval of TAYLOR SWIFT’s dad, according to a TikTok video from someone who sat next to SCOTT SWIFT on a flight from New Orleans.
“Out of all of her boyfriends in the last 12 years … Travis has made the biggest impact,” Scott stated. He also praised the entire Kelce clan, calling them a “phenomenal family.” [via TikTok]
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RYAN REYNOLDS and ROB MCELHENNEY are now co-owners of Wrexham Lager Beer Co Ltd, the oldest lager brewery still existing in Great Britain.
Currently only sold in the UK, Australia, Japan and Scandinavia, “distribution is the US and Canada is set to go live in the coming months,” according to a press release.
The new venture comes four years after the actors purchased the Welsh soccer team, Wrexham AFC. [via People]
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REBA MCENTIRE once unknowingly took a 25mg gummy while taking care of her late mother. She detailed the experience on her recent appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Instructed to give her ailing mom a full gummy before bed, Reba said she wasn’t really comfortable doing that so she gave her half, and took the other half herself -- purely out of curiosity.
At one point in the middle of the night, Reba said her mom needed to use the bathroom, and as she got up to assist her she quickly realized just how much the gummy impacted her.
After getting her mom settled back in bed, Reba said she laid down and swore she saw “weeds and flowers growing out of [her] head.”
It was only later that she realized the exact amount she had ingested. [via Billboard]
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ERIK and LYLE MENENDEZ could be home for Christmas.
TMZ reports that their attorneys will be in court on December 11, at which point a judge will potentially rule them to be set free immediately.
The hearing was scheduled yesterday during a meeting with the brothers’ attorneys, prosecutors and the new judge assigned to their case. [via TMZ]
SPEAKING OF THE BROTHERS: SHARON OSBOURNE has zero sympathy for them, telling TMZ they need to stay locked up. Her son, JACK OSBOURNE, agrees. [via TMZ]
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DAVE GROHL’s wife, JORDYN BLUM, isn’t ready to give up on their marriage, following the news that the FOO FIGHTERS frontman fathered a child with another woman.
“She wants to make the marriage work but she doesn’t trust Dave. She’s torn,” an insider said, before adding that her friends are pressuring her to file for divorce.
The couple share three daughters and do not have a prenup. [via InTouch]
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MICHAEL MYERS (the “Austin Powers” one, not the “Halloween” guy) went completely unnoticed on a stroll with his wife through the streets of London this week.
The couple made stops at a gourmet grocery shop, a fancy department store, and The Armoury of St. James, where Myers made an unknown purchase.
SPEAKING OF THE INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY: Myers has previously stated that he would be interested in making a fourth “Austin Powers” flick. Yeah Baby, Yeah! [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
In her new Netflix documentary, MARTHA STEWART reveals that prison was easier than filming her daytime TV show.
“A live audience, crummy music, that was more like prison than being at Alderson,” she quipped, referencing her 5-month stint in the joint.
Stewart explained that when she agreed to do the show, she had hoped it would be like what she had done in the past, more of a “how-to” than a “talk show with a variety of guests.”
At the time, however, Stewart had lost everything she had built and didn’t really have a say in the show’s format.
Despite her annoyance,“The Martha Stewart Show” ran from 2005 to 2012; an impressive feat. [via EW]
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ARMIE HAMMER is ready to get back to acting.
Three years since his last gig -- thanks in part to several allegations of sexual assault -- Hammer is set to star in “Frontier Crucible.”
He will star opposite THOMAS JANE in the western flick, which is set to begin filming next month.
Hammer posted the news on Instagram, sharing a photo of him holding a script, and the caption, “Back in the saddle.”
The news comes just days after he launched “The Armie HammerTime Podcast.” [via Deadline]
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HODA KOTB has thoughts on who should take over her seat on “Today.”
While she technically has no say in the matter, Kotb told E! That it has to be someone who has “beautiful chemistry” with her co-hosts, SAVANNAH GUTHRIE and JENNA BUSH HAGER.
“It’s never about either anchor, it’s about what’s between. So bring the chemistry,” she said.
Kotb announced this month that she will exit the show early next year. [via E!]
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Another one-hour special set to raise funds for those impacted by the recent hurricanes will air this weekend.
The BACKSTREET BOYS, BLAKE SHELTON, TAYE DIGGS, STEPHEN COLBERT, and KELSEA BALLERINI are some of the famous faces who came together for the benefit, which was taped this past weekend in Nashville.
The special will air on November 2 on CBS and CMT. [via THR]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE’s next venture involves whiskey.
Several sources report that the rapper has filed papers to trademark the name “Villadram” - a reference to the traditional measure of scotch.
Other booze listed in the filing includes: mead, ouzo, port wines, alcoholic punch, rum, sake, sangria, schnapps, sherry, distilled blue agave liquor, vermouth, vodka, wine, wine coolers and wine punches.” [via RadarOnline]
The filing may seem odd to some as in the past, Ye has admitted to struggling with alcohol consumption. Most recently, he blamed Hennessy for his social media rants. Hennessy is a cognac -- one of the few alcohols not included in the trademark. [via Morning Martini]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING CHARLES’ Highgrove estate has a new boozy offering: a limited-run single malt whisky made from barley grown on its grounds.
Only 400 bottles are available, running 250 Pounds a pop, or about $520.
It’s not the first bottled liquor sold by the estate, but it’s the most expensive – another bottle of booze goes for a relatively more reasonable 130 Pounds. But if you buy from this limited run, each bottle is individually numbered and packaged in a gift box with a watercolor design painted by His Majesty himself.
The Sun reports that the whisky “promises connoisseurs a vanilla and orange peel nose, a hint of candied ginger and a lightly spiced finish.” [via The Sun]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Halloween
National Caramel Apple Day
Reformation Day
Girl Scout Founder’s Day
National Unity Day
World Cities Day
National Knock Knock Joke Day
National Magic Day
World Savings Day
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ON THIS DATE
1517 - Martin Luther nails a piece of paper with his 95 theses written on them to the front door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
The document outlined Luther's contempt for the corruption in the Catholic Church. More than anything, he decried "indulgences" -- by which Catholics could pay the church to forgive their sins faster.
While the Church tried to silence Luther, they failed. He then embarked on translating the Bible to German, which took 10 years.
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1776 - In his first public speech since receiving the Declaration of Independence, King George III admits that the war is not going well.
He said that even though the Brits had won a few key victories, the resolve of the colonists to maintain independence was strong. Worse, there would be a need for more fighting.
It was largely assumed that the rebellion in the colonies in the New World would be short-lived, especially in the context of a free, non-monarchical society that was supposed to emerge from it.
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1892 - The first print of “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” is printed.
It is the first collection of Detective Sherlock Holmes stories; previously they had only appeared in magazines, starting in 1887.
The author, Arthur Conan Doyle, would be knighted in 1902, not for his work as an author, but for his field work as a doctor.
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1957 - The first US Headquarters for Toyota opens, in Hollywood.
The building itself was formerly a Rambler dealership.
Toyota was leveraging their cheap Crown sedans against other domestically-produced cars.
By 1975, Toyota would become the best-selling import in the US.
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1961 - Nikita Khrushchev orders that Joseph Stalin's embalmed corpse be taken from the special mausoleum next to Vladimir Lenin.
The move came as Khrushchev liberalized the communist society and sought to get rid of its more despotic history.
Lenin remains on display.
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2000 - A Soyuz spacecraft carries the first long-term crew to the International Space Station.
On board are two Russians and an American, William Shepherd. Under designation Expedition 1, the crew stayed on board until March 2001, when they returned to Earth on an American Space Shuttle.
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2011 - The world population hits 7 billion, according to the United Nations.
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2018 - The Statue of Unity is unveiled in the state of Gujarat, India.
It depicts Indian statesman and independence activist Vallabhbhai Patel, who was the first deputy prime minister and home minister of independent India.
It is the world’s tallest statue, standing 597 feet tall.
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BIRTHDAYS
Willow Smith - pop singer - 24
Danielle Rose Russell - actress, “The Originals” - 25
Noah Sebastian - metal singer, Bad Omens - 29
Letitia Wright - actress, “Black Panther” - 31
Vanessa Marano - actress, “Switched at Birth” - 32
Frank Lero - guitarist, My Chemical Romance - 43
Eddie Kaye Thomas - actor, “American Pie” - 44
Vanilla Ice - rapper - 57
Darryl Worley - country singer - 60
Rob Schneider - actor, “The Waterboy” & “Mr. Deeds” - 61
Peter Jackson - director, “Lord of the Rings” - 63
Nick Saban - football coach - 73
Deidre Hall - actress, “Days of Our Lives” - 77
Dan Rather - news anchor, “CBS Evening News” & “60 Minutes” - 93
Born On This Date
John Candy - actor, “Uncle Buck” & “Cool Runnings” - 1950 (d. 1994)
Michael Landon - actor, “Little House on the Prairie” - 1936 (d. 1991)
Juliette Gordon Low - founder of Girl Scouts - 1860 (d. 1927)
Christopher Columbus - explorer - 1451 (d. 1506)
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