Today is Friday, October 4, 2024.
It is the 278th day of the year.
88 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
The latest on hurricane reconstruction and a look at a potential piece of art history. Details in HIT LIST.
PINK FLOYD sells their musical catalog to Sony and AMANDA BYNES finds a new passion project. More in SHOWBIZ.
“Rust” will premiere at the Camerimage Festival in honor of cinematographer HALYNA HUTCHINS. Details in CASTING CALL.
MASON DISICK needs his TikTok monitored. More on that in KARDASH.
PRINCE HARRY visits Lesotho. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Prosecutors trying second Trump assassination-attempt suspect Ryan Routh have requested an indefinite delay for their trial.
The feds say they have gathered approximately 4 terabytes of data (that’s 4 MILLION gigabytes) including media and text files, in the weeks since the attempted shooting in Florida. The data comes from 13 search warrants executed in three states and hundreds of witness interviews. Prosecutors also say they are waiting on responses on more than 100 subpoena requests from expert witnesses.
The trial had been scheduled to begin rather promptly, on November 18. [via ABC News]
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The death toll from Hurricane Helene now exceeds 200. Here’s the latest on recovery efforts:
– With many roads still inaccessible because of debris or total destruction, some videos show volunteers carrying in supplies by pack mule.
– FEMA is handing out $750 to people in four counties in North Carolina that have been hardest hit.
– A group of veterans and locals have created a “forward operating base” in Swannanoa, North Carolina, about 10 miles east of Asheville, to coordinate supply deliveries and search teams using private helicopters and ATVs.
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Workers at east coast ports are expected to return to work today after agreeing to terms about wage increases in the short-term.
The current contract will extend until January 15, giving the country some wiggle room following the destruction of Hurricane Helene and one less hair-on-fire crisis to manage in the month before Election Day.
Workers have been told to return to work as they go through the formal ratification process of the deal – but if they strike down the stopgap, ports could shut down once again.
Analysts have estimated that each day of shutdown triggers at least five days of catchup to get back on track, meaning the four-day work stoppage could mean about two weeks to get back up to speed. [via CNN]
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Add vision issues in children to the growing list of unnecessary consequences from covid lockdowns.
Research, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, found that 1 in 3 children and teens have myopia, also known as nearsightedness or shortsightedness.
Scientists analyzed 276 studies that included 5.4 million children and teens from 50 countries across six continents. What they found is that since 1990 myopia diagnoses more than tripled in prevalence -- with a notable spike following the pandemic.
Lead author of the study, Dr. Yajun Chen, said school closures resulting in “prolonged indoor living” and “reduced outdoor activity for children and adolescents,” while also “increasing screen time,” likely caused the “myopia crisis” to worsen. [via Fox News]
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A painting owned by an Italian family since the 1960s could very well be an original work by Pablo Picasso.
It spent years hanging in the family’s living room before being hung at the restaurant they own near Naples. Andrea Lo Russo, the son of the original owners of the painting, is now trying to have it validated as the real thing.
He previously had experts at the Picasso Museum in Paris take a look at the work but they declined to hold onto it to investigate further. Now, he’s had the work examined, and believes more than ever Picasso painted it. In particular, a handwriting expert has authenticated the signature on the piece as Picasso’s and analysis of the paints used line up with the types used by Picasso himself.
If it’s legitimate, it could be worth north of $12 MILLION, but it could be a while. The Picasso Administration receives multiple inquiries every day and is very cautious and skeptical about the work it seeks to validate. [via Associated Press]
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DEATHS
Actor RON HALE has died.
He passed away at his home in St. George, South Carolina on August 27, according to a recent report. A specific cause of death was not shared.
Hale is best known for his role as Mike Corbin on “General Hospital.”
He was 78.
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BABY NEWS
EMINEM’s daughter HAILIE JADE SCOTT is expecting her first child with husband, EVAN MCCLINTOCK.
The news was announced in Em’s newly released music video for his song “Temporary.” In one scene Hailie gives her dad a custom Detroit Lions jersey that says “Grandpa” on the back. She also hands him a sonogram photo.
Reps for the rapper confirmed the news is true, and not just a stunt for the video.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 184 points (0.44%) to close at 42,011 on Thursday. The S&P lost 9 points (0.17%) to close at 5,699 and the NASDAQ lost 6 points (0.03%) to close at 17,918.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $73; BRENT CRUDE at $77.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.19 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN made a modest gain from Wednesday evening, trading around $60,800.
🛩 There were more than 2,350 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 60 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $108 million jackpot or a $53.8 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $295 million jackpot or a $147.9 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music Friday
The Bug, “Machine”
Coldplay, “Moon Music”
Finneas, “For Cryin’ Out Loud”
Foreigner, “Turning Back the Time”
Genevieve Stokes, “With A Lightning Strike”
Leon Bridges, “Leon”
Nate Smith, “California Gold”
The Smile, “Cutouts XL”
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A new report says DENZEL WASHINGTON once screamed at SEAN COMBS during one of his now-infamous all-night parties in 2003.
An insider shared the tidbit with Us Weekly, stating that the actor screamed “You don’t respect anyone.”
It is unclear what led to the outburst, though the source says Washington and his wife saw “something and stormed out.” [via Us Weekly]
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PINK FLOYD recently sold its music catalog to Sony Music.
The deal, worth $400 million, includes the band’s recorded-music and name-and-likeness rights.
The latest acquisition joins other big-name catalogs from BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, BOB DYLAN, and QUEEN, for which Sony spent more than a billion dollars to get. [via Variety]
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AMANDA BYNES is launching her own clothing line.
Collaborating with designer AUSTIN BABBITT, the actress is using her own artistic skills and degree to design the collection, which includes two pairs of shorts ($100 each) and a T-shirt ($60).
After announcing her new project, Bynes told fans she plans to host a pop up art show in December that will feature her “art and clothing.” [via OK!]
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After landing his first big deal in 1990 (worth $6 million), MARK CUBAN says he got drunk and spent six figures on a lifetime pass from American Airlines.
Speaking about the purchase on SHANNON SHARPE’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, Cuban said he initially spent $125,000, but then “upgraded it” to an amount he said he no longer remembers.
Then, nine years later, after selling his streaming platform Broadcast.com to Yahoo for $5.7 billion in stock, Cuban bought a $40 million Gulfstream G5 jet on the internet. That sale holds a Guinness World Record for largest single e-commerce transaction. [via NY Post]
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The buyers of the Beverly Hills mansion where ERIK and LYLE MENENDEZ brutally shot their parents JOSE and KITTY, are gutting the place.
A TikTok video shows some of the rooms stripped to the studs, with only permanent shelving and curtains still in place. [via TikTok]
MEANWHILE: Another TikTok video claims to show the spirits of Jose and Kitty haunting the home at 722 N Elm Drive. [via TikTok]
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The Athletic asked 102 NFL players if they believe TAYLOR SWIFT’s presence and subsequent “coverage” at Kansas City Chiefs games is good for the league.
Of those, 72.5% said “yes.”
Five players said they felt it was a “negative” for the league, while 23 players were “somewhere in the middle” on the topic. [via The Athletic]
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CASTING CALL
The world premiere of “Rust” will take place at the Camerimage Festival in Poland this November.
The event honors the work of cinematographers and directors of photography, which is notable as several sources report that the late HALYNA HUTCHINS will be honored at the screening.
Hutchins, as many know, was killed in an accidental shooting while working as cinematographer on the film.
No word on whether ALEC BALDWIN, who not only starred in the movie, but also produced it, will be in attendance. [via People]
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WILL SMITH once let out such a potent fart on the set of “Men in Black,” that the cast and crew had to evacuate for three hours.
“Will Smith is a farter. It’s just some people are, and you really don’t want to be inside a very small hermetically sealed space with a Will Smith fart,” director BARRY SONNENFELD disclosed on KELLY RIPA’s “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast.
“He’s a lovely guy, just he farts,” Sonnenfeld concluded. [via NY Post]
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SEAN ASTIN is heading to Broadway. He will play Santa, alongside GREY HENSON who stars as Buddy the Elf in “Elf the Musical.”
The role marks Astin’s Broadway debut.
Opening night is set for November 17. [via THR]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN has come under fire after her eldest son, 14-year-old MASON DISICK, made a racist comment in a TikTok video.
In the clip the teen says, “Who do you think I am? This [n-word] tried to scam us.”
Followers shared their outrage in the comments, with one person asking, “Why do u talk like u were born in the hood?,” to which Disick said, “Sorry let me put on the Kardashian accent.”
Other comments called attention to the fact that Disick has several Black family members.
The video has since been deleted. [via The Mirror]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE HARRY spent the week touring Lesotho, meeting with the African nation’s royal family and its prime minister.
Harry co-founded his AIDS relief charity Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. During his visit, Harry met with young people and listened to their experiences around a bonfire, Express reports.
In a tragic twist of irony, Seeiso’s father died in a car crash one year before PRINCESS DIANA died.
FUN FACT: Lesotho is landlocked entirely by South Africa. [via Express]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Cinnamon Roll Day
World Smile Day
Kids Music Day
World Animal Day
National Body Language Day
National Truckers Day
No Disposable Cup Day
College Radio Day
Manufacturing Day
National Vodka Day
Ship in a Bottle Day
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ON THIS DATE
1777 - An early-morning clash between Patriot and British troops at Germantown, Pennsylvania leaves hundreds of troops on each side dead.
The Americans were undertrained, under-rationed and probably not ready for a fight against professional warriors. A thick fog separated the four columns that General Washington had sent toward the British forces. Though the Americans were forced to retreat, both sides suffered hundreds of casualties.
The battle was one of only a few before Washington hunkered his troops down for a cold winter at Valley Forge.
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1824 - A democratic government in Mexico enacts a new constitution after the overthrow of the Agustin de Iturbide government.
Key items in the document included declaring definitive separation from Spain, Roman Catholicism as the only legal religion and three branches of government similar to the United State’s.
The period marked the beginning of decades of political turmoil for the country, with government overhauls implemented every couple of decades. The next constitution would come 33 years later, in 1857.
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1918 - German Chancellor Max von Baden sends a telegram to President Wilson requesting an armistice to end hostilities in World War I.
Wilson responded by refusing to negotiate with a military dictatorship, even though von Baden and the Kaiser had made such a promise. Diplomatic finagling continued throughout the month as Germany’s military position deteriorated.
German General Paul von Hindenburg reignited armistice negotiations in early November; major hostilities would end November 11.
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1957 - Soviet scientists successfully launch Sputnik I, scaring Americans into accelerating their space program. Most importantly, putting the first probe into space gave the USSR an edge in the mounting arms race.
Almost four months later the US responded in kind, launching the Explorer I probe, and kicking off the space race.
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1965 - Pope Paul VI visits the United States. He’s the first reigning pope to make it across the pond to America.
He only spent one day stateside, confined exclusively to New York City, where he visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral and met with President Johnson at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
His Holiness also addressed the General Assembly at the UN, said Mass at Yankee Stadium, and visited the Vatican Exhibit at the World’s Fair.
All in less than 14 hours.
An estimated 1 million spectators turned up to see the Pope in person; another 100 million watched on TV.
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1970 - Rocker Janis Joplin overdoses on heroin in an L.A. hotel room and dies.
Joplin was working on her album “Pearl,” which would be the best seller of her career.
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1990 - “Beverly Hills, 90210” debuts on FOX.
The series, produced by Aaron Spelling, followed the lives of a group of friends living in the upscale and star-studded community of Beverly Hills, California.
The show would run for ten seasons before ending in 2000.
It would be revived on August 7, 2019 on FOX. It was called “BH90210” and featured original cast members.
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2006 - WikiLeaks is launched by publisher Julian Assange.
The media organization and associate library specializes in large datasets of censored or otherwise restricted official materials involving war, spying and corruption.
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2018 - Tom Brady becomes the third QB to record 500 career touchdown passes.
The pass that got him the record was to Josh Gordon in the Patriots’ 38-24 win over the Colts at Foxborough.
He joins Peyton Manning and Brett Favre.
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BIRTHDAYS
Dakota Johnson - actress, “Fifty Shades of Grey” - 35
Lil Mama - rapper - 35
Derrick Rose - basketball player - 36
Melissa Benoist - actress, “Glee” & “Supergirl” - 36
Rachael Leigh Cook - actress, “She’s All That” - 45
Alicia Silverstone - actress, “Clueless” - 48
Liev Schreiber - actor, “The Sum of All Fears” & “Salt” - 57
Russell Simmons - entrepreneur, Def Jam & Phat Farm - 67
Bill Fagerbakke - voice actor, “Spongebob Squarepants” - 67
Sherri Turner - golfer - 68
Susan Sarandon - actress, “Thelma & Louise” - 78
Tony La Russa - HOF baseball manager - 80
Born On This Date
Anne Rice - author, “Interview with a Vampire” - 1941 (d. 2021)
Charlton Heston - actor, “The Ten Commandments” - 1923 (d. 2008)
Brendan Gill - critic, The New Yorker - 1914 (d. 1997)
Rutherford B. Hayes - 19th POTUS - 1822 (d. 1893)
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