1/10/2024: Hot for Chancellor 🍺
PLUS: Working With Gen Z; Streep & Short; and Scrapped Referendum
Today is Wednesday, January 10, 2024.
It is the 10th day of the year.
356 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
STARBUCKS launches aggressive expansion into a new international market and Ecuador cracks down on gang activity, hard. Details in HIT LIST.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE scrubs Instagram and JIMMY KIMMEL is waiting for an apology. More in SHOWBIZ.
A new MARTIN SCORSESE film will debut later this year. Details in CASTING CALL.
TRAVIS BARKER’s ex bashes his new family. Find out more in KARDASH.
Australia scraps an important vote. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Ecuador’s government has aggressively cracked down on gang activity as part of its effort to track down gang kingpin ADOLFO “FITO” MACÍAS, who escaped from prison over the weekend.
As news of his disappearance spread through the prisons, inmates began riots requiring aggressive intervention. Four police officers have been kidnapped and the media reports multiple explosions across the country. So far, the government has not confirmed whether these attacks are part of a coordinated gang effort or general chaos exploited by bad actors.
By Tuesday afternoon, the government designated all gang groups as domestic terrorist organizations.
The current state of emergency in the country will last for sixty days and includes a nationwide curfew and ban on public gatherings.
INSIDE JOB: Prosecutors say they have charged two prison guards in connection with Fito’s apparent escape – but officials say he could very well still be hiding within the prison itself. [via DailyMail, NEXTA]
MEANWHILE: Gang members appear to have stormed a live news broadcast to protest the crackdown on gangs. WATCH >
WORTH NOTING: El Salvador’s president virtually eliminated violent crime during his first term by aggressively cracking down on gang activity.
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A craft brewery in La Crosse, Wisconsin, debuted a new beer that either celebrates or mocks former UW-La Crosse Chancellor JOE GOW’s porn career.
WORTH REMEMBERING: Just before the New Year, news broke that Gow was fired from his job for producing a porn channel with his wife that featured other adult film actors cooking vegan meals with the couple before moving things to the bedroom for some freaky fun.
NOW: 608 Brewing has rolled out a limited run of the “Hot for Chancellor” Fruited Sour beer. The can depicts a caricature of Gow running naked, with a graduation gown flowing behind him, while he carries a bowl of fruit – a nod to his healthy eating habits and to the beer’s fruity flavor. The brewery says the beer includes cherries, apricots, peaches, and vanilla. [via 608 Brewing]
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GET A LOAD OF THIS: Nearly one in five hiring managers say a Gen Z job candidate with a recent college degree brought a parent with them to a job interview last year.
IT GETS WORSE: Almost half of respondents said the interviewees were dressed inappropriately for the job. More than half say the young’uns struggled to make and maintain eye contact during the interview, and a solid 50% of hiring managers said the compensation requests were unreasonable.
OVERALL: 39% said they prefer to hire older employees because the new crop makes such a terrible first impression and that they’ll pay more for someone more experienced to avoid dealing with totally unprepared new entrants to the workforce. [via Business Insider]
A WISE MAN ONCE SAID: It’s just not that hard to be above average.
SHMOLLEGE: What, then, is the point of college, if the recently-earned diploma counts against you?
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The Russian government announced on Tuesday it has detained a 32-year-old American named Robert Romanov Woodland on charges he attempted to produce and sell illegal drugs.
Woodland was arrested on Friday and was immediately ordered to serve two months in detention. Of course, he’ll likely face trial and a more harsh prison sentence.
CBS News reports that Woodland was born in Russia and lived with an American foster family for most of his life. About six years ago he returned to Russia to find his biological mother. Since then, he’s worked as an English teacher outside Moscow.
WORTH NOTING: Two other Americans are currently detained in Russia, Wall Street Journal reporter EVAN GERSHKOVICH and Marine Corps vet PAUL WHELAN. Both are being held on trumped-up espionage charges that the US government explicitly denies. As far as we know, Gershkovich was a working journalist and Whelan was in Russia to attend a friend’s wedding. [via CBS News]
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STARBUCKS is aggressively expanding in India, where the coffee giant says it will open 1,000 stores by the end of 2027. That’s a pace of one new location every three days for the next four years.
Starbucks currently operates 390 stores in the country, in partnership with an Indian company. [via CNN]
DEATHS
Drummer JAMES KOTTAK has died.
He passed away Tuesday in Kentucky. No further details were shared.
Kottak performed with the SCORPIONS and KINGDOM COME.
He was 61.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 157 points (0.42%) to close at 37,525 on Tuesday. The S&P lost 7 points (0.15%) to close at 4,756 and the NASDAQ gained 13 points (0.094%) to close at 14,857.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $72; BRENT CRUDE at $77.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.07 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN dipped half a point on Tuesday, trading around $45,850.
🛩 There were more than 8,065 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 1,283 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $60 million jackpot or a $29.7 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
JASON MOMOA and LISA BONET finalized their divorce on the same day that she filed.
According to court documents, obtained by Page Six, the two had everything settled prior to her filing and the divorce is listed as “uncontested,” meaning neither of them will fight it.
As previously reported, Bonet filed for divorce on Monday -- almost two years to the day that they announced their separation. They were married for six years. [via Page Six]
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Months after disabling comments on his Instagram page, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE has now scrubbed his account of all posts, except for a photo of his eyes looking into a mirror.
While the initial move was in response to all the backlash following his ex, BRITNEY SPEARS’ memoir, the recent deletion may be in anticipation of new music.
Remember, JT is going on tour this year. [via Instagram]
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A recently released coroner’s report states that SINEAD O’CONNOR died of natural causes.
Her death made headlines last July, when The Irish News confirmed her passing, saying she had been found unresponsive in her apartment.
She was only 56. [via TMZ]
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JIMMY KIMMEL wants an apology from AARON RODGERS after the QB joked that his name would be on the now infamous “Epstein List.”
During a seven-minute monologue this week, Kimmel said that not only was his name not on the list, but Rodgers’ joke put his family in the “crosshairs” of some “pretty delusional people.” He also called Rodgers a “hamster-brained man” who is “too arrogant to know how ignorant he is.”
Kimmel ended his speech asking Rodgers for an apology, before admitting he probably shouldn’t hold his breath. [via Page Six]
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LIL NAS X is releasing some new music this week and dedicating it to the “man who had the greatest comeback of all time” -- Jesus Christ.
The song is part of what Nas is calling his “Christian Era,” and will be released independently, not through his longtime label, Columbia Records.
The new track, titled “J CHRIST,” will be released Friday. [via Billboard]
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WHOOPI GOLDBERG apparently has a thing about discussing other people’s feet.
On Tuesday’s episode of “The View,” the women were discussing a story by an anonymous person who said his wife stopped letting him touch her feet after he revealed he had a foot fetish.
After co-host ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN said “you have to entertain your partner’s kink, within reason,” Goldberg decided she’d had enough with the conversation and walked off the stage.
MEANWHILE: Co-host JOY BEHAR says she has “beautiful” feet, that “have created foot fetishes out there.” [via Decider]
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KEVIN HART is in a “secret” (though not anymore) chat group with some of the biggest names in action-based films.
“Yup! Dwayne [Johnson], Mark Wahlberg, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Jet Li, Jackie Chan. All the biggest players,” he told People at the premiere of his new Netflix movie, “Lift.”
Of those in the chat, Hart has only starred alongside Johnson, in films such as “Central Intelligence,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” and “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.” [via People]
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MERYL STREEP and MARTIN SHORT are not dating.
A rep for Short quickly shut down rumors, saying they are “just good friends.”
Rumors started after the two were spotted hanging out together at the Golden Globes.
If they did decide to date that would be okay as Streep is estranged from her husband DON GUMMER and Short’s wife passed away in 2010. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
MARTIN SCORSESE’s film about Jesus will debut later this year.
The director, who teased the project in May, told the Los Angeles Times that the screenplay is complete and he is now shopping for distributors.
The movie, which is only 80-minutes in length, takes place in the present day and focuses on the principles of Jesus’ core teachings. It is loosely based on the book “A Life of Jesus” by Shusaku Endo.
WORTH NOTING: Scorsese adapted Endo’s book “Silence” for the screen in 2016. [via LA Times]
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JACOB ELORDI will play the titular role in GUILLERMO DEL TORO’s “Frankenstin” at Netflix.
The gig was originally meant for ANDREW GARFIELD, who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts as a result of this past summer’s Hollywood strikes.
It is unknown if del Toro’s version of Mary Shelley’s classic will be a period pic or set in modern times. [via Deadline]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
TRAVIS BARKER’s ex-wife, SHANNA MOAKLER, thinks he is a “womanizer” and blames his new wife, KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN, and her family for “driving a wedge” between her and her kids.
Speaking on the “Dumb Blonde” podcast, Moakler, who shares 20-year-old son Landon and 18-year-old daughter Alabama with Barker, said he “did [her] pretty dirty” during their marriage.
As for the Kar-Jenner clan, Moakler said “[Eff] you, that family. You’re disgusting. I removed myself so that they couldn’t bond with my children over hating me.” [via Page Six]
RECAP: Kourtney and Travis have been longtime neighbors and friends, though Shanna says she always suspected there was something more going on even when they were with their respective partners.
As for the kids, Alabama has been outspoken about her deteriorating relationship with her mom, and her love for Kourtney, and their new blended family.
Another thing that should be noted is that Shanna’s other daughter, 24-year-old Atiana, whom she shares with her ex-fiance OSCAR DE LA HOYA, considers herself part of Travis and Kourtney’s family too; and Travis has always called her his daughter.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
In preparation for hosting KING CHARLES at a state dinner later this year, Australia’s government has scrapped plans to hold a referendum on leaving the Commonwealth of Nations that keeps the British Monarch as the nation’s official head of state.
The constitutional reform vote will be suspended indefinitely. One government minister said the government is instead focusing efforts on reducing the cost of living. [via Express]
DAY OF THE YEAR
National Save the Eagles Day
National Take the Stairs Day
National Houseplant Appreciation Day
National Oysters Rockefeller Day
National Cut Your Energy Costs Day
National Bittersweet Chocolate Day
Peculiar People Day
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ON THIS DATE
1861 - William Seward accepts President-elect Abraham Lincoln's invitation to become secretary of state. Seward became one of the most important members of Lincoln's cabinet and engineered the purchase of Alaska after the Civil War.
His careful politicking helped to counter the public perception that the administration was dominated by radicals.
Although he supported the end of slavery, Seward downplayed the effects of emancipation to gain support from Democrats and conservative Republicans during the presidential campaign of 1864.
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1901 - A drilling derrick in Texas produces thousands of barrels of oil for the first time, marking the unofficial start of the oil industry in America. It was the first major recorded discovery in the U.S.
The derrick produced 100,000 barrels of oil a day. It took nine days to cap, with black gold spilling all over the Texas landscape.
It wasn’t until oil was used to power motors that it became more valuable than just a lubricant or lamp-fuel source.
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1923 - Four years after the end of World War I, President Warren G. Harding orders U.S. occupation troops stationed in Germany to return home.
U.S. troops, along with other Allied forces, were to occupy the defeated Central Powers nations to enforce the terms of the peace agreement.
In Germany, Allied occupation and stiff war reparations levied against the country were regarded with increasing bitterness, and after years of contending with a resentful German populace, they were ordered home.
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1946 - The first General Assembly of the United Nations, comprising 51 nations, convenes at Westminster Central Hall in London, England. One week later, the U.N. Security Council met for the first time and established its rules of procedure.
Then, on January 24, the General Assembly adopted its first resolution, a measure calling for the peaceful uses of atomic energy and the elimination of atomic and other weapons of mass destruction.
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1967 - Edward W. Brooke takes his seat as the first popularly elected African-American to the US Senate.
He ran in Massachusetts as a Republican.
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1990 - China lifts martial law that was imposed after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.
The decision was made partly to ease foreign criticism and allow the resumption of loans and high-level exchanges, while Premier Li Peng said it was lifted because the army had fulfilled its task.
Martial law was implemented seven months earlier after students fighting for democracy refused to leave the Square.
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1999 - “The Sopranos” debuts on HBO.
The series stars James Gandolfini as mobster Tony Soprano. Over its eight-year run, it would earn 111 Primetime Emmy nominations and 21 wins, including two for Outstanding Drama in 2004 and 2007. With its 2004 win, HBO became the first cable network to earn the recognition.
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2021 - More than 3,000 daily deaths attributed to COVID-19 are recorded for the first time in the US.
The number brought cumulative deaths from the virus to over 375,000.
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BIRTHDAYS
Renee Rapp - singer & actress, “Mean Girls” - 24
Mason Mount - soccer player - 25
Rauw Alejandro - raggaeton singer - 31
Jared Kushner - real estate developer & son-in-law to Donald Trump - 43
Sarah Shahi - actress, “Sex/Life” & “Fairly Legal” - 44
Tamina Snuka - wrestler - 46
Lyle Menendez - one half of the infamous Menendez Brothers - 56
Andrea Swift - Taylor’s mom - 66
Pat Benatar - rock singer - 71
George Foreman - boxer - 75
Donald Fagen - rock singer, Steely Dan - 76
Rod Stewart - rock singer - 79
Born On This Date
Josh Ryan Evans - actor, “Passions” - 1982 (d. 2002)
Paul Henreid - actor, “Casablanca” - 1908 (d. 1992)
George Washington Carver - agricultural scientist, studied peanuts - 1864 (d. 1943)
Frank James - outlaw, member of the James-Younger gang - 1843 (d. 1915)
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