10/9/2023: It’s a Marathon And a Sprint 🏃
PLUS: Monkeying Around; Drake on Hiatus; and Would-be Assassin Sentenced
Today is Monday, October 9, 2023.
It is the 282nd day of the year.
83 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
An historic painting explodes in value and you’re not alone in your bug battles. More in HIT LIST.
MILLIE BOBBY BROWN loves her carrots dirty and WILL FERRELL pumped up the jams at USC. More in SHOWBIZ.
Lots of spooky things happened while filming “The Exorcist.” Find out more in CASTING CALL.
Things are official for YE and BIANCA CENSORI. More on the union in KARDASH.
A story that dodged headlines during the 2021 Christmas holiday resurfaces. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
FTX-FILES: The former FTX Chief Technology Officer testified on Friday that the company misspent $8 BILLION of customer funds at SAM BANKMAN-FRIED’s direction.
GARY WANG, who is credited as a co-founder of the company, said that company executives had special access to use customer funds, essentially giving them a blank check to spend it on the company’s operations and themselves with next to no oversight. Wang testified that the funds were laundered through Alameda Research, the internal hedge fund that SBF owned, but which SBF has asserted operated totally independently from his influence.
Court will not be in session today for Columbus Day. Wang is expected to wrap up his testimony tomorrow and should be followed by SBF’s former girlfriend and hedge fund director CAROLINE ELLISON. [via Coindesk]
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In 2021, a painting called “The Adoration of the Kings” sold at a Christie’s auction for 860,000 Euro. Art historians and experts marketed it as being completed within the “Circle of Rembrandt” – not by the Dutch master himself, but by the students and colleagues he worked with.
NOW: After 18 months of close research and infrared imaging technology, an art specialist for Sotheby’s auction house has officially re-attributed the work to Rembrandt himself. It’s expected to sell for north of $12 MILLION when it hits the block in December. [via ARTNews]
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KELVIN KIPTUM not only won the Chicago Marathon on Sunday and not only set a new world record for the fastest completion – he became the first to cross the finish line in under two hours and one minute.
At two hours, thirty-five seconds, Kiptum beat the previous record set last year at the Berlin Marathon by fellow Kenyan ELIUS KIPCHOGE.
That works out to a pace of one mile every 4 minutes and 37 seconds. Or just over 13 miles per hour. For two hours straight.
Kiptum is 23 years old and reportedly trains without a coach.
After winning, Kiptum still had the energy to jog past the line of spectators and give hugs and handshakes to friends and family.
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Did you know? The average homeowner encounters a bug (inside and outside) their home about five times a week.
According to a OnePoll survey of 2,000 homeowners, 56% said they feel “frustrated” when they find a bug or pest in their home, while 39% reported feeling scared, disgusted or anxious.
As for how they handle an indoor bug encounter, 22% of respondents said they would have someone else deal with the issue, 17% reported that they would “swat it” and 12% felt that it was their “duty” to set them free.
BUGGY MYTHS: 48% of respondents believe bugs and pests won’t enter a clean home and 4 out of 10 stated they believe the average person swallows eight spiders in their sleep over their lifetime. [via SWNS]
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A monkey named Momo caused some serious chaos in an Indianapolis neighborhood last week.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department received several calls about a small monkey that was charging at people, trying to get into homes and seen chugging beer from a garbage can.
It was eventually located in a vacant home, where officers were able to lure it into a bathroom. From there the monkey’s owner’s brother (making him a monkey’s uncle?) came in to retrieve the escapee.
No word on whether or not Momo’s owner is a man with a yellow hat. [via Insider]
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DEATHS
Baseball player JIM POOLE has died.
He passed away Friday of complications from ALS.
Poole spent 11 seasons in the league, pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians and San Francisco Giants.
He was 57.
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BABY NEWS
Country singer RUSSELL DICKERSON and his wife KAILEY have welcomed baby #2.
Radford Arthur Dickerson was born on October 1, according to a joint Instagram post.
He joins big brother, three-year-old Remington Edward.
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RELATIONSHIPS
Former football player JAY CUTLER is dating actress/designer SAMANTHA ROBERTSON.
Robertson was previously married to fashion designer TRACE AYALA and Cutler was famously married to reality star and entrepreneur KRISTIN CAVALLARI.
He’s 40 and she’s 33.
FUN FACT: Ayala co-founded the apparel line William Rast with friend JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE.
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WEDDINGS
“Sister Wives” star CHRISTINE BROWN married DAVID WOLLEY in Moab, Utah on Saturday.
She’s 51 and he’s 59.
Brown was previously “spiritually” married to polygamist KODY BROWN. They split in 2021.
No word on if the wedding was filmed by TLC.
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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
10. Hocus Pocus: $1.5 million (30th anniversary re-release)
9. The Equalizer 3: $1.8 million (down from 8)
8. Dumb Money: $2.1 million (down from 7)
7. The Nun II: $2.5 million (down from 4)
6. A Haunting in Venice: $2.7 million (down from 5)
5. The Blind: $3.9 million (up from 6)
4. The Creator: $6 million (down from 3)
3. Saw X: $8.1 million (down from 2)
2. PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie: $11.7 million (down from 1)
1. The Exorcist: Believer: $27.2 million (new)
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW increased 288 points (0.87%) on Friday to close at 33,407. The S&P added 50 points (1.18%) to close at 4,308 and the NASDAQ increased 211 points (1.6%) to close at 13,431.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $82; BRENT CRUDE at $84.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.70 on Sunday.
₿ BITCOIN was up over the weekend but ebbing down on Sunday, trading shy of $27,900.
🛩 There were more than 2,400 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday and more than 95 such cancellations.
💰Tuesday night’s MEGA MILLIONS will be for a $20 million jackpot or a $8.7 million cash payout. Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $1.55 BILLION jackpot or a $679.8 million cash payout, marking the biggest jackpot of the year and the third-biggest in the drawing’s history.
SO CLOSE: Someone bought a ticket in Maine over the weekend matching five of the six numbers and a “power play” – still earning a $2 million prize.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Filmmaker SHAWN LEVY tells Variety “it’s almost depressing” that he is getting noticed more for attending the Kansas City Chiefs game alongside TAYLOR SWIFT and co. than for his work on several hit projects.
Levy is behind “The Adam Project,” “Deadpool 3,” “Night at the Museum” and “Stranger Things” -- all very popular and well-known -- yet is getting more attention for being “the guy in the orange suede jacket” in Swift’s star-studded suite.
BY THE WAY: He was invited to the game by RYAN REYNOLDS, who was there with his wife BLAKE LIVELY, who is besties with Swift. [via Page Six]
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DRAKE is taking a hiatus from music to focus on his health.
“I’ve been having the craziest problems for years with my stomach,” he said Friday on his SiriusXM show, “Table for One.”
Without sharing any more details about exactly what is ailing him, Drake explained that he will be out of the studio for “a little bit. Maybe a year or something…maybe a little longer.”
The news is huge as Drake has released nine studio projects in the last 13 years, with his most recent album, “For All the Dogs,” dropping Friday. [via TMZ]
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Fans flocked to defend actress DIANNA AGRON over the weekend after a video of paparazzi yelling at her went viral.
In the clip, Agron and playwright JEREMY O. HARRIS were seen mingling with fellow guests outside the New York City Ballet’s gala, when photogs began shouting at them to get out of the way.
Turns out Agron and Harris were standing in front of actress SARAH JESSICA PARKER, who the paps were eagerly trying to photograph.
“That’s not the way to treat people,” one fan commented on X, while another added, “This was so rude. [They] weren’t doing anything wrong.” [via X]
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BRUNO MARS’ concert scheduled for Saturday in Israel was canceled just after Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU declared the country is at war.
Mars performed Wednesday night at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv, and was set to do so again on Saturday. He and his bandmates were able to exit the country following an unprecedented attack by the militant group Hamas. [via Page Six]
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Actress MILLIE BOBBY BROWN says “the dirtier the better” when it comes to choosing carrots.
In an interview shared by UNILAD, Brown is seen analyzing several different carrots, including shredded, baby, and those that appeared to have come straight from the garden, with the green top intact.
“These are great. The dirtier the better!” she exclaimed while selecting the “earthier”-tasting carrots.
Many fans were shocked to see her munching on the unwashed carrots, while others questioned why she doesn’t like ranch to dip them in! [via TikTok]
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SIMONE BILES is now the most decorated gymnast in history.
She hit the milestone Friday after winning the individual all-around title at the World Championships for the sixth time.
Biles’ win comes just three months into her return to competition, following a two-year absence.
In total, Biles has 27 World Championship medals -- 21 of which are gold. She also has seven Olympic medals. [via THR]
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Insiders say KIM ZOLCIAK has “really hit things off” with her “Surreal Life” costar CHET HANKS.
Hanks, the son of actors TOM HANKS and RITA WILSON, and Zolciak, who is currently in the midst of a messy divorce, both took part in the series, which documents a group of D-list celebrities all living together under one roof.
No word on whether the two have seen each other since returning to the States since filming wrapped in Colombia. [via BNN]
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GOING OLD SCHOOL: WILL FERRELL played DJ at a Sigma Alpha Mu frat party at USC over the weekend.
The actor was likely in town for a family weekend, as his 19-year-old son attends the school.
Will is also a USC alum. [via Cinemablend]
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Celebrities love their yachts.
Here are the top 10 most expensive luxury yachts and who owns them.
10. J.K. Rowling - “Amphitrite” - $22.9 million
9. Tiger Woods - “Privacy” - $29 million
8. Sir Elton John - “Wabi Sabi” - $29.1 million
7. Jackie Chan - “Jinlong 4601 - $46 million
6. Giorgio Armani - “Main” - $64 million
5. Sean Combs - “The Maraya - $65 million
4. Steve and Laurene Jobs - “Venus” - $120 million
3. Diane von Furstenberg - “Eos” - $200 million
2. Jeff Bezos - “Koru” - $500 million
1. David Geffen - “The Rising Sun” - $590 million.
[via NY Post]
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CASTING CALL
“The Exorcist: Believer” hit theaters over the weekend -- 50 years after “The Exorcist” sent movie goers fleeing from their seats in fear.
The original 1973 film left many who dared to watch it feeling faint, sick or terrified, according to one security guard who worked at a movie theater at the time.
But that's not all…many who worked on the horror flick believe it was cursed. While filming the famous exorcism scene, the set caught on fire. The house was a complete loss -- except for the bedroom, where the exorcism takes place.
There were also a handful of deaths connected to the movie too. ELLEN BURSTYN, who starred as Chris MacNeill, says she recalls at least nine deaths -- including actor JACK MACGOWRAN, the baby of an assistant cameraman, a man who refrigerated the set, a night watchman, and several others.
“These weren’t casualties from stunts or things like that. These were men standing behind the camera and all of a sudden dropping dead,” Joe Hyams, the movie’s publicist said in a documentary made for the movie’s 25th anniversary.
Despite all of that, Burstyn signed on to appear in the reboot. As for what made her decide to do that, “A lot of money,” she said. [via NY Post]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
It turns out that YE and BIANCA CENSORI are legally married.
The couple tied the knot last December, just a month after he finalized his divorce from KIM KARDASHIAN, with a “confidential marriage license.”
According to the document, obtained by the Daily Mail, Censori used her full name, while he simply signed Ye, which he legally changed his name to in October 2021.
It was long believed that the pair were not legally married after they reportedly tied the knot in Beverly Hills in January. Since then the two have been inseparable. [via Daily Mail]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED that on Christmas Day 2021, a 19-year-old man broke onto the grounds of Windsor with a loaded crossbow and told the security officer who detained him he was there to kill the Queen.
The perpetrator, now 21, said he was sent on the mission by an A.I. chatbot girlfriend.
NOW: He’s pleaded guilty on three charges of Britain’s Treason Act. He’s been detained at a criminal psychiatric facility, where a judge has ordered him to stay until he remains healthy enough to serve the rest of his nine-year sentence in prison. [via Sky]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
International Beer and Pizza Day
Columbus Day
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Curious Events Day
National Moldy Cheese Day
Canadian Thanksgiving
Fire Prevention Day
World Post Day
Scrubs Day
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ON THIS DATE
1635 - Roger Williams is sent out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and told to never return.
He was vocally opposed to strict religious rules and to the infiltration of Indian land.
This made him an ally of the native Americans, who helped him establish the first civilized colony in present-day Rhode Island. It was intended to be a place for anyone seeking freedom and by the day's standards - separation of church and state.
Williams viewed his work and success as a sign from God, and named the town "Providence."
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1888 - The Washington Monument opens to the public in Washington DC.
It is made of marble, granite and bluestone gneiss.
Construction had begun in 1848, but was stalled by funding problems and eventually the Civil War.
At 555 feet, 5-and-one-eighth inches tall, it stood as the world's tallest structure, though a year later the Eiffel Tower would become the tallest.
The Washington Monument still holds the title for tallest stone structure and tallest obelisk.
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1919 - In the World Series, the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago White Sox -- thanks to eight Chicago players throwing the game.
Arnold "Chick" Gandil was at the heart of the operation. He motivated others on the team with promises of making a lot of money and sticking it to their manager, Charles Comiskey, who many despised.
Word made it around the underground gambling world that the fix was in ahead of the series and the odds against Cincinnati fell quickly. A series of bad pitching and lame fielding would eventually impel the Reds to victory.
Rumors swarmed about the conspiracy. The following Fall, two players came forward admitting to it. As the scandal unfolded, Comiskey suspended those still on the team, dashing his team's chances at making it to the playoffs.
No one went to jail, but those responsible were banned from the league for life.
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1936 - The Hoover Dam opens for business, sending electricity to Los Angeles, across 266 miles of power lines.
It was at first named Boulder Dam, but later renamed in honor of President Herbert Hoover by Franklin Roosevelt.
While it was useful in supplying electricity, it was also an effective way to manage fresh water in the arid American southwest.
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1944 - Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin begin a conference in Moscow to discuss the beginning of the end of World War II.
Churchill negotiated Stalin's support against Japan following Germany's seemingly inevitable surrender.
After the conference, much of the post-war Soviet bloc map was drawn. Yugoslavia was cut in half -- the East and the West. Romania went to the Reds while Greece would remain in control of free European powers.
Unfortunately, no treaties were signed and the deals were not officially documented -- as became evident at the dawn of the Cold War.
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1967 - One day after capturing leftist terrorist Che Guevara, the Bolivian Army executes him.
Five shots to the leg, one to the right shoulder, one to the arm, one in the chest, and one in the throat.
He was 39 years old when he was killed.
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2012 - Women’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai is shot three times by a Taliban gunman as she boards her school bus in northwest Pakistan.
Despite the attack and continued death threats from the Taliban, she continued to advocate for worldwide access to education, especially for young girls and women.
In 2014, she would become the youngest-ever Nobel Prize recipient.
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2019 - Nearly 1 million people in northern California have their power cut by Pacific Gas and Electric to prevent wildfires from electrical equipment amid high winds.
By late October over 3 million people would lose power as more preemptive shutoffs took place.
The shutdowns were met with widespread backlash and criticism from residents who blamed government officials for lack of information. For his part, Governor Gavin Newsom blamed the PG&E.
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BIRTHDAYS
Landon Barker - rock singer & son of Travis - 20
Ben Shelton - tennis player - 21
Megan Moroney - country singer - 26
Cole Preston - drummer, Wallows - 27
Bella Hadid - model - 27
George Kittle - football player - 30
Scotty McCreery - country singer - 30
Tyler James Williams - actor, “Everybody Hates Chris” - 31
Zachery Ty Bryan - actor, “Home Improvement” - 42
Brandon Routh - actor, “Superman Returns” & “Chuck” - 44
Steve Burns - actor, “Blue’s Clues” - 50
David Cameron - politician - 57
Guillermo del Toro - director - 59
Sharon Osbourne - reality star & wife of Ozzy - 71
Donna Kelce - mom of Travis & Jason - 71
Born On This Date
Eddie Guerreo - wrestler - 1967 (d. 2005)
John Lennon - rock singer, Beatles - 1940 (d. 1980)
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