10/3/2022: Taylor Swift to Tour in 2023
Discover more from Morning Martini
10/3/2022: Taylor Swift to Tour in 2023
PLUS: Cannon Baby #10; Democratic Disinformation; and Released From Royalty
Today is Monday, October 3, 2022.
It is the 276th day of the year.
89 days remain.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
There will be no daily newsletter next week, October 10-14.
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TRENDING
Saturday was CD Player Day.
Antonio Brown landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends on Saturday after a disturbing video of the former NFL player went viral. More in Showbiz.
President Carter was trending Saturday on his 98th birthday. More on the milestone in The Swamp.
#Badgers was trending as the Wisconsin Badgers football team lost to Illinois (34-10) at Camp Randall Stadium for the first time in 20 years.
Sunday was National Name Your Car Day.
Vikings and Saints were trending early Sunday morning as the two NFL teams faced off in London. Also trending was #GodSaveTheKing which was sung before the game -- marking the first time in 70 years it has not been “God Save The Queen.”
#HocusPocus2 was trending over the weekend as fans tuned in to watch the return of the Sanderson Sisters on Disney+.
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HIT LIST
Merely days after VLADIMIR PUTIN declared annexed land in Ukraine a part of Russia, a Ukrainian counteroffensive regained control of Lyman, which had been a centralized point for Russian forces to disperse across the front lines.
Just as Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY announced the city had been cleared fully of Russian forces, Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged its own retreat, noting they were withdrawing to fortify their existing defensive positions.
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NASA has confirmed that winds and rain from Hurricane Ian did not damage the Artemis rocket, though the storm did scuttle the October launch windows.
They’re now looking at dates to launch between November 12 and 27 – in part so that staff has time to take care of any home damage caused by the storm.
MEANWHILE: Space travel startup Firefly launched an unmanned rocket into orbit on Friday. Last year, a malfunction during blastoff forced the company to detonate the rocket under orders of the US Space Force in order to avoid destruction and casualties on the ground. This launch all went to plan, though.
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Gen Z has managed to make Facebook un-cooler than ever – and they might take down Google next.
As reported by Wired, nearly 40% of 18-to-24 year olds turn to TikTok and Instagram to find a good spot for lunch, instead of searching Google or using its Maps program.
But Google isn’t going down without a fight: They’ve tweaked the search display to show more images and videos in search results and give a similar endless-scrolling experience like the feeds on Instagram and Tiktok.
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A Michigan man now officially owns the world’s tallest living domestic cat.
The Savannah cat named Fenrir measures 18.83 inches from its withers – cat shoulders, basically – to the pads of its hind legs when standing upright.
But it’s not the first world record for owner Will Powers. His Maine coon has the record for the longest tail (from tip to base) on a living cat at 16.07 inches.
PREVIOUSLY: Powers owned the all-time tallest cat and all-time cat with the longest tail, but they died in a house fire in 2017.
WATCH:
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Remember NFTs – the “non-fungible tokens” that sort-of granted a buyer ownership to digital assets like the “Bored Ape” drawings, but not really?
In January, people traded nearly $17 billion worth of NFTs across the globe. In September, it was “just” $466 million – a 95% decrease. An NFT marketplace called Open Sea, believed to be the internet’s biggest platform for trading them, saw a 99% decrease in transactions between May and August.
BUT WAIT: If you’re holding onto your NFT, there’s still some hope to cash out. Last month an NFT for a pixelated drawing fetched $4.5 million.
This is that drawing:
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow lost 500 points (1.71%) Friday to close at 28,725 (year to date it’s down 21%). The S&P lost 54 points (1.51%) to close at 3,585 (year to date it’s down 25%) and the Nasdaq lost 161 points (1.51%) to close at 10,575 (it’s down 33% year to date).
🛢 West Texas Intermediate closed under $80 on Friday, at $79.49. Brent Crude closed at $85.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.79 on Sunday.
₿ Bitcoin slid on Sunday, trading just over $19,000.
🛩 There were 1,937 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States Sunday and 432 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
Weekend Box Office
10. Top Gun: Maverick: $1.2 million (down from 9)
9. DC League Of Super-Pets: $1.3 million (down from 8)
8. Bullet Train: $1.4 million (down from 7)
7. Barbarian: $2.8 million (down from 4)
6. Ponniyin Selvan: $4 million (new)
5. Avatar: $4.6 million (re-release)
4. Bros: $4.8 million (new)
3. The Woman King: $6.9 million (down from 2)
2. Don’t Worry Darling: $7.3 million (down from 1)
1. Smile: $22 million (new)
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DEATHS
GAVIN ESCOBAR has died.
The former Dallas Cowboys player passed away in a rock climbing accident in California last Wednesday.
He was 31.
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ANTONIO INOKI has died.
The professional wrestler who famously took on MUHAMMAD ALI in a mixed-rules match, passed away from apparent heart failure Saturday at his home in Japan. He had been battling health issues for years, leaving him confined to a wheelchair. No official cause of death has been revealed, however.
He was 79.
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SYLVIA WU has died.
The California-based restaurateur, cookbook author and philanthropist passed away September 29.
Her eatery -- Madam Wu -- served several A-listers over the years, including Frank Sinatra, Mae West, Paul Newman and Princess Grace.
She was 106.
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One of the guardsmen who walked alongside QUEEN ELIZABETH’s coffin two weeks ago was found unresponsive last week at an army barracks in London.
JACK BURNELL-WILLIAMS served with the Household Cavalry, walking alongside Her Majesty’s coffin from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. While his death is “unexpected,” Metropolitan Police told The Guardian that they do not believe it occurred under suspicious circumstances.
He was only 18.
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BABY NEWS
Just two weeks after the birth of his 9th child, actor NICK CANNON celebrated the arrival of baby #10.
Cannon announced the birth of his son, Rise Messiah Cannon, on Instagram Friday.
The baby is Cannon’s third with his ex-girlfriend, model BRITTANY BELL.
WORTH REMEMBERING: Baby #11, and Cannon’s third with DJ ABBY DE LA ROSE, is due next month.
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“Bachelor” alum VANESSA GRIMALDI, 35, gave birth to her and husband, JOSHUA WOLFE’s first child, a son, on September 28.
The reality star and the 37-year-old assistant director with CJPAC announced they were expecting in April.
They tied the knot in September 2021.
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JOHN DAVID DUGGAR, 32, and his wife ABBIE BURNETT, 30, have welcomed their second child.
The reality stars announced the birth of their son, Charlie, on Instagram Friday. He arrived sometime in September.
The couple are already parents to daughter, Grace, 2.
They tied the knot in November 2018 after a five month engagement.
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TOPHER GRACE, 44, and his wife, actress ASHLEY HINSHAW, 33, are expecting baby #3.
The actor shared the news during an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
The couple, who tied the knot in 2016, are already parents to daughter Mabel Jane, 5, and a second child who was born in 2021.
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WEDDINGS
JAMES GUNN, 56, is married!
The filmmaker tied the knot with actress JENNIFER HOLLAND, 35, after seven years together.
A handful of Gunn’s colleagues from “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Suicide Squad,” “Peacemaker” and more were on hand to witness the nuptials.
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THE SWAMP
In the weeks before the 2020 Election, four academic programs with missions to stop misinformation and disinformation collaborated on a process so that the government could flag links and posts it wanted removed.
In particular, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency had access to a “ticketing” system, where it could flag disagreeable content. Then, this consortium of four groups would hector platforms like Facebook and Twitter to get those posts removed and the posters banned.
IT GETS WORSE: Also included in this ticketing system were three outside groups that had a specific interest in the outcome of the election: The Democratic National Committee, Common Cause, and the NAACP.
IN OTHER WORDS: An academic consortium worked on behalf of the Deep State and the actual Democrat Party to censor those who write and share things they disagree with.
AND HERE’S THE HAMMER: In August 2021, two members of this consortium received $3 million grants each through the National Science Foundation. Just weeks after the 2020 election, data analytics firm Graphika, which also participated in the consortium, got its own $3 million grant from the Department of Defense, and another $2 million last year. And the last member of this censorship bureau, the Atlantic Council, has gotten nearly $4.7 million in State Department grants since 2021.
All in time for the midterm elections.
Apparently, the Biden White House has had its Disinformation Governance Board all along, anyway.
(h/t Just The News)
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LOTTERY
No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tuesday night’s drawing will be for a $380 million jackpot or a $198.4 million cash payout.
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No winner for Saturday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $336 million jackpot or a $176.7 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
During Sunday’s FOX Sports broadcast, legendary Steelers QB TERRY BRADSHAW revealed that he has battled cancer twice in the past year.
Addressing concerns from viewers, Bradshaw shared that last November he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He went to Yale University Medical Center to undergo surgery and treatment and now is bladder-cancer free.
Then in March, he got an MRI due to neck issues and doctors found a Merkel cell tumor, a rare form of skin cancer. For that, Bradshaw says he underwent surgery in Houston.
“I may not look like my old self, but I feel like my old self. I am cancer free, I’m feeling great. And over time, I’m going to be back to where I normally am,” he said.
Bradshaw retired from the league in 1983 and joined the FOX pregame show in 1994.
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Several outlets reported last week that BRUCE WILLIS had sold the rights to his face to a Russian deepfake company called Deepcake, giving them full access to create his “digital twin.”
Over the weekend Willis’ rep denied the reports, telling the BBS that the actor has not made any kind of partnership or agreement with the company.
Deepcake also confirmed the inaccuracy telling the outlet, “The wording about rights is wrong…Bruce couldn’t sell anyone any rights, they are his by default.”
The reports surfaced in response to Willis retiring in March following his diagnosis of aphasia, a condition affecting one’s speech.
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TAYLOR SWIFT is gearing up for a massive stadium tour in 2023.
Sources told Page Six that that singer is “really excited to get back on the road after such a long but fruitful break.” Another insider added that “several shows have already been booked.”
Swift was supposed to go on tour in 2020, but was forced to cancel due to COVID-19.
WORTH NOTING: The time off wasn’t for naught, as she was able to re-record several of her albums following the sale of her masters by her former manager SCOOTER BRAUN.
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ELON MUSK’s dad thinks he is a modern-day Dirty Harry.
ERROL MUSK, 75, recently recounted a story to The Sun about a time he took out a group of intruders at his South African home.
He explained that he and his then 6-year-old daughter were in the home when seven armed men broke into an adjacent area of the house. Errol said he grabbed his gun and started firing, fatally hitting three while the others fled.
Errol was never charged in the shootings as they were ruled to have been in self-defense.
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Former NFL player ANTONIO BROWN allegedly exposed himself to a woman in Dubai.
The New York Post obtained footage of Brown getting handsy with a female swimmer in a pool at the Armani Hotel Dubai earlier this year. Appearing completely naked, Brown shoved his butt in the woman’s face two times before turning around and flashing her with a shot of his front.
According to The Post, the woman was not okay with the attention and complained to hotel staff.
It is unclear if Brown was reprimanded by the hotel or not, though social media is definitely giving him lots of backlash.
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Two Australians have started petitions to have crocodile hunter STEVE IRWIN featured on the $5 note instead of KING CHARLES following the death of QUEEN ELIZABETH.
Assistant Treasury Minister ANDREW LEIGH explained that the new monarch will be featured on coins “as a matter of tradition,” but may not end up on the country’s pink and purple note, as the Queen was featured for her personality not her status.
So far, the petitions have 42 signatures.
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GEORGE and AMAL CLOONEY hosted the first ever Albie Awards -- named after Justice ALBIE SACHS -- over the weekend.
The event was held at the New York Public Library and attended by several big names, including MICHELLE OBAMA, DREW BARRYMORE, JULIA ROBERTS, MERYL STREEP, GAYLE KING and CINDY CRAWFORD.
The new award show honors those who have taken a stand against injustice.
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CASTING CALL
TREVOR NOAH is leaving “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central.
He made the announcement last week, telling viewers that his seven-year tenure is coming to an end.
A CC insider told TMZ that Noah’s exit has to do with his schedule.
It is unknown when he is leaving the show.
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“Saturday Night Live” returned for its 48th season over the weekend with host MILES TELLER and musical guest KENDRICK LAMAR.
The show introduced a new logo, marking its first new look in eight years, as well as a handful of new faces after one of the biggest cast turnovers in nearly two decades.
It was also the first episode in three seasons that the cast didn’t wear face masks during the end credits.
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Sony has acquired the rights to “Tarzan” from the estate of original book author EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS.
According to Deadline, plans are in the early stages as far as how to reinvent and reintroduce the tree-swinging, loincloth-wearing wild man.
Burroughs first introduced the character in 1912 and continued to write about him into the 1940s.
As the story goes, Tarzan was the son of English nobles who was raised by apes in the African jungle after his parents were marooned there and later died. He had no knowledge of the civilized world until he was grown and deemed “King of the Apes.” The first film adaptation was 1918’s “Tarzan of the Apes.”
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN has a strict set of rules for passengers who take a ride on her $150 million private jet.
The reality star shared some of the rules with her sister KENDALL JENNER ahead of their trip to Milan for Prada’s fashion show in last week’s episode of Hulu’s “The Kardashians.”
After telling Kendall she was not allowed to get a spray tan before boarding for fear it would rub off on the cashmere seats, Kim also stated there are “no shoes on the plane,” and instead offered her some custom Skims slippers.
“Don’t breathe. Don’t touch a thing,” she later jokingly added.
WORTH NOTING: Kim’s jet is the same kind owned by JEFF BEZOS. It is unknown if he too has a set of rules for passengers.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE may be leaving Montecito.
The Santa-Barbara News-Press reported that the couple have been “hunting” for a new place in the Hope Ranch community because their home no longer “accommodates” them.
Hope Ranch is a private community about 10 minutes from the couple’s current home. It boasts a members-only country club, golf club, tennis courts, picnic grounds and equestrian trails.
Harry and Meg lived in the area when they first moved to California in 2020.
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Drama is brewing among the Danish royals.
QUEEN MARGRETHE, 82, stripped four of her eight grandchildren of their royal titles in an effort to “future-proof” the monarchy.
Per a statement from the Danish royal household, the decision was made to “allow the junior royals to lead more normal lives.”
The four grandchildren are the sons and daughter of the Queen’s second son, PRINCE JOACHIM. Despite their titles being removed, their places in line to the throne remain unchanged.
Joachim’s older brother, PRINCE FREDERIK, is first in line to the throne. His oldest son PRINCE CHRISTIAN is second in line, followed by his three siblings.
PAST CONTROVERSY: The Queen’s husband PRINCE HENRIK, who was born in France, was bitter about being named prince consort and not king consort when the two married in 1967. He was so upset that he said he did not want to be buried in the plot intended for his wife at Roskilde Cathedral. After his death in 2018, he was cremated. Half of his ashes were spread over Danish seas and the other half buried in the royal private garden at the Fredensborg Castle.
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SPORTS
SHAQUILLE O’NEAL was looking into buying ROBERT SARVER’s share of the Phoenix Suns until he found out JEFF BEZOS was also interested.
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Shaq said he wants no part in competing with Bezos’ “deep pockets”, but would be open to joining forces with the billionaire.
It is unknown how serious Bezos is about buying the team or if he would consider partnering with Shaq. The good news is, time is on their side as Sarver is in the early stages of selling off his shares.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Boyfriend Day
World Architecture Day
National Techies Day
World Day of Bullying Prevention
Virus Appreciation Day
World Habitat Day
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ON THIS DATE
1849 - Edgar Allan Poe is found delirious in a gutter outside an Irish tavern in Baltimore, Maryland.
He was wearing soiled clothing that did not belong to him and was unable to explain what had happened.
The man who found Poe brought him to a hospital where he would remain in a state of semi-consciousness for several days, before passing away on October 7.
The circumstances of his death remain a mystery.
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1913 - President Woodrow Wilson signs into law the Revenue Act of 1913.
It reestablished a federal income tax in the US and substantially lowered tariff rates from 40% to 26%.
The law also established a 1% tax on income above $3,000 per year. This affected approximately 3% of the population at the time.
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1952 - Britain detonates a nuclear weapon off the coast of Australia. It is the third country to have such weapons.
The bomb was similar in size to the one dropped over Nagasaki, Japan.
It was detonated inside the hull of an emptied British ship. The project manager for the development and detonation was an American, William Penney, who helped develop the first American nuclear weapons.
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1961 - Ford factory workers strike across the country, hoping to get better wages and benefits.
Behind the strike was the United Auto Workers union. The last deal struck was 20 years old.
Ford was virulently anti-union. Though he conceded the economic terms of the new contract, he was steadfast in opposition to cushy union regulations that promoted greater benefits for less work.
Ultimately, he would have to cave completely to get production moving again.
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1990 - East and West Germany celebrate Unity Day.
It celebrated the joining of the two countries, more than a year after the fall of the Wall.
The Soviet Union would remain for another year, but on weak legs that would soon collapse.
The first president of united Germany was Helmut Kohl.
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1995 - OJ Simpson is acquitted of murdering his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.
After a 252-day trial that gripped the nation, Simpson's attorneys were successful in defending their client -- despite a mountain of evidence implicating him for the crime.
Footprints in the dirt matched OJ's shoe size and the type of shoe he was known to wear, DNA on a bloody glove linked him to the scene of the crime, and a knife he had recently purchased was never recovered by police.
Two years later, he was found liable in civil court and held for $35.5 million for the victims' families.
Justice was very indirectly served in 2008, when Simpson was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping, and sentenced to 33 years in prison. He was granted parole and released on October 1, 2017 after having served almost 9 years.
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2011 - Amanda Knox's murder conviction is overturned in Italian court.
The American exchange student was accused of killing her roommate while living in Italy.
The circumstances surrounding the crime were bizarre and a zealous Italian prosecutor saw to Knox's conviction in 2009.Her family rallied support and helped win an appeal, during which the defense was able to throw into question much of the evidence's legitimacy.
One day after Knox's freedom, she was on a plane back home.
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2021 - Tom Brady becomes the NFL’s all-time leader in career passing yards.
He hit the milestone as his Tampa Buccaneers beat the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium 19-17.
Saints QB Drew Brees previously held the title with 80,358.
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BIRTHDAYS
Noah Schnapp - actor, “Stranger Things” - 18
Michele Morrone - actor, “365 Days” - 32
A$AP Rocky - rapper - 34
Alicia Vikander - actress, “The Danish Girl” & “Tomb Raider” - 34
Ashlee Simpson - pop singer - 38
Jessica Parker Kennedy - actress, “Smallville” - 38
Tessa Thompson - actress, “Veronica Mars” - 39
Danny O’Donoghue - rock singer, The Script - 42
John Morrison - wrestler - 43
Seann William Scott - actor, “American Pie” films - 46
Neve Campbell - actress, “Party of Five” & “Scream” - 49
Lena Headey - actress, “Game of Thrones” - 49
Kevin Richardson - pop singer, Backstreet Boys - 51
Gwen Stefani - pop singer - 53
Tommy Lee - drummer, Motley Crue - 60
Al Sharpton - minister & civil rights activist -
Chubby Checker - singer-songwriter, “The Twist” - 81
Born On This Date
John Curulewski - guitarist & singer, Styx - 1950 (d. 1988)
George Bancroft - historian, History of the United States - 1800 (d. 1891)
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