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Today is Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
It is the 276th day of the year.
89 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
The syrupy-sweet American southern drawl could be dying out and SAM BANKMAN-FRIED gears up for trial. More in HIT LIST.
PETE DAVIDSON has another fender bender and DRAKE gives big bucks to a heartbroken fan. More in SHOWBIZ.
TOM HANKS talk A.I. and ELLEN DEGENERES has ghosted a famous gal pal. More in CASTING CALL.
KIM CATTRALL has jumped on the SKIMS bandwagon. See who else is part of the new campaign in KARDASH.
A group of hackers gets revenge on KING CHARLES for his foreign policy statements. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
FTX-FILES: SAM BANKMAN-FRIED’s trial begins today to determine whether he’s guilty of seven criminal counts, including wire and securities fraud.
Prosecutors have struck deals with a handful of insiders who were close to SBF. They’re expected to testify against him.
WORTH NOTING: Prosecutors will have to prove that SBF knew he was in the wrong when he authorized the use of funds in customer accounts to pay his company’s bills. His defense is expected to hinge on SBF’s belief that he wasn’t doing anything wrong and took bad advice from attorneys.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Jury selection begins today. The trial is expected to be wrapped up well before Thanksgiving. [via Morning Martini]
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A study out of the University of Georgia shows that residents of the state are losing their iconic southern drawl. The linguistics professor overseeing the research analyzed voice samples recorded by people born between 1887 and 2003.
She found that starting with Gen X-ers, the accent started to fade away. What Boomers call a “dray-uss,” younger folks pronounce as “dress.” Likewise, “prahz” turned into “prize.”
Locals interviewed by the Wall Street Journal about the study anecdotally noted that the accent is still pretty thick in rural areas of the state, but less pronounced in cities. [via WSJ]
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A group of fishermen in Tennessee reeled in a homemade bomb after casting lines into a pond over the weekend.
A deputy dispatched to the scene determined the basic explosive included a fuse stuck into a bundle of Tannerite, a substance commonly used on long-range targets that create small explosions when a bullet hits it.
As any good southern boy would dream of doing, the deputy shot at the Tannerite three times trying to get it to explode with no luck. He reckoned it was too waterlogged to go off. [via WSMV]
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A Florida woman is begging a burglar to return the valuables stolen from her apartment – including her French bulldog.
The victim tells local media the pooch isn’t even a year old and relies on medication. She believes the thief cased her home to determine when she’d be out, leaving plenty of time to ransack the joint.
The unnamed woman says she doesn’t care about the money, but wants the dog returned. [via WSVN]
WORTH NOTING: French bulldogs can cost north of $10,000.
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At 104-years-old, Dorothy Hoffner is now the oldest parachutist in the world.
The Chicago-native reached the milestone Sunday as she completed a tandem jump in Ottawa, Illinois.
When asked how it felt to be back on the ground, Hoffner said, “Wonderful. But it was wonderful up there, too. The whole thing was delightful, wonderful.”
Before Hoffner, the world’s oldest parachutist was Rut Linnea Ingegard Larsson from Sweden, who earned the title in May 2022 when she was 103. [via Chicago Tribune]
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BABY NEWS
Country singer JIMMIE ALLEN and his estranged wife ALEXIS GALE have welcomed baby #3.
The baby boy, named Cohen Ace James, arrived on September 27. He joins siblings one-year-old Zara James and three-year-old Naomi Bettie.
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BREAKUPS
Model JODIE TURNER-SMITH has filed for divorce from actor JOSHUA JACKSON after nearly four years of marriage.
In her filing, Jodie cited “irreconcilable differences” and also requested joint custody of their three-year-old daughter.
There is a prenup, so dividing up assets shouldn’t be a problem.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 74 points (0.22%) to close at 33,433 on Monday. The S&P was flat and the NASDAQ ticked up 88 points (0.67%) to close at 13,307.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $88 on Monday; BRENT CRUDE at $90.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.81 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN was trading around $27,800 Monday evening.
🛩 There were more than 2,400 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 55 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS will be for a $300 million jackpot or a $137 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
The blinged-out shorts TAYLOR SWIFT wore to cheer on TRAVIS KELCE and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night have sold out.
The AREA jorts, which retail for $1,213 were 50% on Sunday night and were completely sold out as of Monday morning. [via TMZ]
RATINGS SPIKE: As for the game, NBC says “SNF” peaked at 29 million viewers and averaged 27 million -- making it the biggest-ever streaming audience for a regular season “SNF” game. [via TMZ]
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PETE DAVIDSON got in another fender bender, this time side-swiping a wall while leaving his stand-up show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
It is unclear what caused the accident, though eyewitnesses said there were a handful of paparazzi on the scene taking photos of Davidson. Perhaps their flashes acted as a distraction?
WORTH REMEMBERING: Davidson started an 18-month diversion program in July after being charged with reckless driving after losing control of his vehicle and crashing into a Beverly Hills home in March. [via Page Six]
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DRAKE gifted a lovelorn fan $50,000 at his “It’s All a Blur Tour” stop in Miami.
The fan was holding a sign that caught Drake’s eye. It read, “I spent all my savings buying tickets for me and my ex, but Honestly, Nevermind, it’s really Her Loss,” referencing two of the rapper’s album titles.
After reading the sign and asking about the breakup, Drake told the guy that he is going to give him “50 bands.” [via People]
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SMASH MOUTH frontman STEVE HARWELL has been cremated following his death last month.
His ashes will be buried at Los Gatos Memorial Park in San Jose, California, in a public memorial.
As previously reported, Harwell passed away on September 4 of liver failure. [via TMZ]
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When JIMMY BUTLER’s time on the basketball court is done, he plans to kick off a career in music.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the Miami Heat player detailed how he’s been in “the lab writing and producing country music” with some “real artists and songwriters,” though he played coy about who they are. [via Rolling Stone]
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STEVIE NICKS now has her own Barbie.
“She’s strong and she’s fierce and she’s solid,” Nicks told People Magazine. “She’s a dream catcher.”
Mattel dressed Nicks’ Barbie in an all-black ensemble, which was lifted from the cover of FLEETWOOD MAC’s masterwork, “Rumors.”
When asked if the doll could sing a song from her vast collection of tracks, Nicks told the outlet that she would probably sing “Landslide” or “Dreams.” [via People]
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CASTING CALL
TOM HANKS wants his followers to be aware that an A.I. version of him is being used in a promotional video for a dental plan.
“I have nothing to do with it,” Hanks wrote over a photo of his likeness from the clip.
While perturbed by the use of his face in this instance, Hanks has discussed the positive side of A.I. before, noting how he could be “hit by a bus tomorrow” but with A.I. his “performances can go on and on and on.” [via CNN]
Speaking of artificial intelligence...that topic along with streaming residuals and minimum rate hikes are among the key issues on the table as SAG-AFTRA engaged in bargaining talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Monday.
While the writers were able to come to an agreement last week, SAG’s strike continues. [via Variety]
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A documentary about boy bands is in the works at Paramount+.
According to Deadline, that doc will feature bands such as NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, BACKSTREET BOYS, NSYNC, and 98 DEGREES.
The untitled project is being produced by JOHNNY WRIGHT, who was a tour manager for NKOTB, BSB, BRITNEY SPEARS and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE. [via Deadline]
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A movie based on the OceanGate Titan tragedy is in the works.
Producer E. BRIAN DOBBINS has teamed up with MindRiot Entertainment to make a fictional film covering the five-day search for the missing sub.
A spokesperson from MindRiot spoke about the project, saying it will “honor those involved” in the tragedy while also addressing a “more macro concern about the nature of media today.”
It will be called “Salvaged.” [via IGN]
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When ELLEN DEGENERES ended her daytime talk show in 2022, she also ditched her friend and potential successor, actress JULIE BOWEN.
An insider told Radar Online that Bowen was “part of the show’s extended family -- to the point where Ellen was pretty overtly grooming Julie for more hosting work.”
Sources now blame DeGeneres for Bowen’s inability to find “her groove” since the end of “Modern Family,” as she had hoped to be part of one of her projects. [via Radar Online]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM CATTRALL is the latest celebrity to strip down for KIM KARDASHIAN’s SKIMS line.
For the new campaign, called the “Best of Skims,” the 67-year-old wore the Sculpting Mid Thigh Bodysuit, which retails at $72.
“It’s a phenomenal fit, and it makes me feel confident whenever I wear it,” she told Page Six.
The new campaign also features actress COCO JONES, model HARI NEFF, singer NELLY FURTADO and actress LANA CONDOR. [via Page Six]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
A group of Russian hackers are taking credit for knocking the official website of the Royal Family offline for an hour and a half over the weekend.
The group, called KillNet, reportedly initiated the Denial of Service attack after KING CHARLES condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine while in France last month. Such an attack is fairly common and easy to achieve, in which the hackers use bots to artificially barrage a website with more traffic than its servers can handle, forcing it offline.
Reps for The Firm say the personal accounts of senior royals were spared in the attack. [via The Sun]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Boyfriend Day
National Techies Day
Virus Appreciation Day
National Fruit at Work 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 $35.5 million for the victims' families.
Justice was very indirectly served in 2008, when Simpson was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping, and sentenced to 33 years in prison. He would be granted parole and released on October 1, 2017 after having served almost 9 years.
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2011 - Amanda Knox's murder conviction is overturned in Italian court.
The American exchange student was accused of killing her roommate while living in Italy.
The circumstances surrounding the crime were bizarre and a zealous Italian prosecutor saw to Knox's conviction in 2009. Her family rallied support and helped win an appeal, during which the defense was able to throw into question much of the evidence's legitimacy.
One day after Knox's freedom, she was on a plane back home.
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2021 - Tom Brady becomes the NFL’s all-time leader in career passing yards.
He hit the milestone as his Tampa Buccaneers beat the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium 19-17.
Saints QB Drew Brees previously held the title with 80,358.
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BIRTHDAYS
Noah Schnapp - actor, “Stranger Things” - 19
C.J. Stroud - football player - 22
Michele Morrone - actor, “365 Days” - 33
A$AP Rocky - rapper - 35
Alicia Vikander - actress, “Tomb Raider” & “The Danish Girl” - 35
Ashlee Simpson - pop singer - 39
Jessica Parker Kennedy - actress, “Smallville” & “Black Sails” - 39
Tessa Thompson - actress, “Veronica Mars” & “Westworld” - 40
Danny O’Donoghue - rock singer, The Script - 43
Seann William Scott - actor, “American Pie” films - 47
Neve Campbell - actress, “Party of Five” & “Scream” - 50
Lena Heady - actress, “Game of Thrones” - 50
Kevin Richardson - pop singer, NSYNC - 52
Gwen Stefani - pop singer - 54
Lindsey Buckingham - guitarist, Fleetwood Mac - 74
Tommy Lee - drummer, Motley Crue - 61
Al Sharpton - minister & civil rights activist - 69
Chubby Checker - singer - 82
Glenn Hall - hockey player - 92
Born On This Date
Douglas Allen Woody - bassist, The Allman Brothers Band - 1955 (d. 2000)
Roy Horn - one half of Vegas duo Siegfried & Roy - 1944 (d. 2020)
George Bancroft - historian, “History of the United States” - 1800 (d. 1891)
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