11/10/2023: All Out of Olives 🫒
PLUS: Tax Breaks; “Kelly Clarkson Connection”; and They Who Must Not Be Named
Today is Friday, November 10, 2023.
It is the 314th day of the year.
51 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A record-breaking diamond moves off the auction block and another billionaire takes to the skies. Details in HIT LIST.
KEL MITCHELL is out of the hospital and JARED LETO scales the Empire State building. More in SHOWBIZ.
ZAC EFRON would be open to playing a young MATTHEW PERRY. More in CASTING CALL.
KIM KARDASHIAN lands another famous family for her holiday collection. Find out who it is in KARDASH.
Take a guess at which names not to bring up in front of His Majesty. More in ROYALS.
###
HIT LIST
The “Bleu Royal” diamond -- one of the rarest in the world -- sold at Christie’s auction for over $43 million this week, making it one of the most expensive diamonds ever.
The pear-shaped blue diamond is 17.61 carats and weighs 14.2 grams. It is flanked by two round-shaped diamonds and is set on a platinum 18k rose gold band.
The ring was expected to go for about $35 million. [via Reuters]
###
Despite adding new streaming customers to a roster of more than 150 million subscribers globally, Disney+ still isn’t turning a profit.
The platform lost $387 MILLION in the last quarter.
BUT WAIT: That’s quite an improvement year over year, when it lost $1.4 BILLION in the same reporting period in 2022. [via Variety]
###
As much as inflation has hammered the budgets of everyday Americans, there might be a bit of relief come tax time.
The IRS announced on Thursday that income limits for each tax bracket will be shifted 5.4% higher in 2023. While tax rates in each bracket are determined by Congress, the income thresholds for each bracket are determined by the IRS. This method is specifically designed to keep up with inflation.
The standard deduction has also increased, and will rise to $29,200 for the 2024 tax year. [via IRS]
###
Another billionaire is taking to the skies, but Google’s SERGEY BRIN isn’t headed to space. Instead, a cargo blimp project funded by the tech founder called PATHFINDER 1 has been cleared by the FAA to take flight.
The 400-foot-long airship with a dozen electric motors and four rudders uses helium to ascend – not the dangerous hydrogen that contributed to the notorious explosion of the Hindenburg in 1937 over New Jersey.
For now, Pathfinder will not exceed altitudes of 1,500 feet and will be limited geographically to the San Francisco Bay area, near its headquarters. Brin says he hopes the blimp’s technology can be used to aid humanitarian relief efforts in the future, especially in areas hit by natural disasters where air landings by plane would be more difficult. He hopes such a blimp could carry 200 tons of cargo, about ten times the capacity of a 737 jet. [via The Sun]
###
GUESS WHAT’S EXPENSIVE: Olives – and by extension, olive oil.
Just shy of half the world’s olives are grown in Spain, which endured water shortages and a super hot summer last year leading to half the typical crop yields.
MEANWHILE, IN GREECE: Owners of olive groves are reporting an increase in vandalism that includes thieves cutting down entire olive trees to pilfer the crop.
MEANWHILE, IN AMERICA: Beef prices have hit $8 a pound, topping a pandemic-high of $7.90.
Analysts blame recent drought conditions in western states for diminishing herd sizes. [via WSJ, Euronews, Business Insider]
###
DEATHS
Astronaut FRANK BOREMAN has died.
He passed away on November 7 in Billings, Montana, according to a statement from NASA.
Boreman commanded Apollo 8’s Christmas 1986 flight that circled the moon 10 times.
He was 95.
###
SICK BAY
Apple co-founder STEVE WOZNIAK was hospitalized this week in Mexico City after suffering a minor stroke.
The 73-year-old was attending the World Business Forum when it occurred.
He is now back at home in San Jose.
###
BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 220 points (0.65%) to close at 33,891 on Thursday. The S&P lost 35 points (0.81%) to close at 4,347 and the NASDAQ lost 128 points (0.94%) to close at 13,521.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $75; BRENT CRUDE at $79.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.40 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN continued its gains this week, up 2.5% and trading around $36,500 on Thursday.
🛩 There were more than 2,500 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 50 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $223 million jackpot or a $100 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $220 million jackpot or a $101.2 million cash payout.
###
SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music Friday:
AJR, “The Maybe Men”
Brandy, “Christmas with Brandy”
Calling Hours, “Say Less”
Chris Stapleton, “Higher”
The Kid LAROI, “The First Time”
PinkPantheress, “Heaven Knows”
Rick Ross and Meek Mill, “Too Good To Be True”
Vincent Neil Emerson, “The Golden Crystal Kingdom”
###
KEL MITCHELL updated fans on his recent hospitalization, which he called “genuinely frightening.”
Now at home and recovering, Mitchell thanked everyone for the “flood of prayers and positive vibes,” but did not share what landed him in the ER this week. [via TMZ]
###
TRAVIS KELCE plans to visit TAYLOR SWIFT in Argentina next week, as she prepares to kick off the international part of her tour, and he is on a bye week.
“He has to be back Sunday for practice on Monday,” an insider told Page Six, but beyond that he is free and clear to stay in South America with her. [via Page Six]
WE DON’T TALK ABOUT TAYLOR: The news of Travis traveling with Taylor for the week won’t be discussed in the home of Maryland woman Dana Rice, however, unless she wants to put a quarter in her husband’s tip jar.
Rice shared a clip of her husband’s new tip jar that requires anyone in their home to pay a quarter any time Taylor or Travis’ names get said. [via TMZ]
###
JARED LETO scaled the Empire State Building on Thursday to promote his band, 30 SECONDS TO MARS’ upcoming tour.
Afterwards, he spoke about his climb on the “Today” show, saying it was “a lot harder” than he thought it would be.
As for the tour, that kicks off in March.
FOR THE RECORD: Leto didn’t climb from the ground up, he scaled floors 86 to 104, which took him about 20 minutes and had him standing about 1,300 feet in the air. [via Today]
###
LYNNE SPEARS is calling BS on daughter BRITNEY SPEARS’ claim that all her journals and antique dolls were thrown out; something she noted in her memoir.
In an Instagram post, Lynne not only posted pictures of said journals and dolls, but also sent a message to Brit, writing that she would never get rid of such treasured keepsakes. Lynne also offered to send them to her daughter, before signing off with how much love she has for Brit. [via Instagram]
###
Cops were called once again to KIM ZOLCIAK and KROY BIERMANN’s home, but this time the drama had nothing to do with their estrangement.
According to multiple outlets, a neighbor called animal control because one of Kim and Kroy’s dogs chased her son down the street and tried to tackle him. And she claims this wasn’t the first time such an incident has occurred.
The neighbor also posted about the dog on a local Facebook page, where others chimed in about their negative interactions with the pooch.
It is unclear what happened after the visit or what will happen to the family’s many pets when Kim and Kroy officially divorce. [via Daily Mail]
###
KEVIN COSTNER and REESE WITHERSPOON are not dating, according to her rep.
Rumors swirling online that the two might be romantically linked are “completely fabricated and not true,” the rep told Page Six this week.
As for whether or not a potential relationship would be supported by the masses, according to comments on an X post, it likely would be.
Both Costner and Witherspoon split from their respective spouses this year. [via Page Six]
###
KELLY CLARKSON is getting her own channel on SiriusXM.
The “Kelly Clarkson Connection” will feature a curated selection of music by her favorite artists, as well as some of her own songs.
Speaking of her own music, Clarkson told People Magazine that she would like to re-record some of her earlier hits in order to make them “better-with-age” versions, explaining that vocally she feels she’s gotten “better with age.” [via People]
###
CASTING CALL
ZAC EFRON is “honored” to hear that his “17 Again” co-star MATTHEW PERRY wanted him to portray him in a biopic.
“He was a mentor to me, and we made a really cool film together. I looked up to him, I learned comedic timing from that guy,” Efron said of the late “Friends” star.
There are currently no plans for a biopic, but should it happen, it sounds like Efron would be in. [via Deadline]
###
FOX announced this week that its new trivia quiz game show, “The Floor,” will premiere in early January.
Hosted by ROB LOWE, the show sees 81 contestants face off in quiz duels on a giant LED floor that is divided into 100 equal squares, each representing a field of knowledge. The first person, selected at random, chooses another contestant to go head-to-head in a quiz duel. The winner takes over the loser’s square and decides if they want to continue or let another challenger be selected.
The last person standing takes home a $250,000 cash prize. [via The Wrap]
###
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN enlisted the help of QB PATRICK MAHOMES, his wife BRITTANY MAHOMES and their two kids to launch her SKIMS holiday collection.
The famous family-of-four took holiday photos wearing some cozy looking flannel and fleece sets from the new SKIMS collection.
Last year Kim asked SNOOP DOGG and his crew to unveil her holiday line, with three generations appearing in the ad. [via TMZ]
###
KIM KARDASHIAN shocked fans when she revealed that she in fact “put a bumper sticker on a Bentley” and got a tattoo.
After saying she could never put something permanent on her body -- hence the Bentley comment -- Kim apparently decided to go for it and got an infinity symbol on the inside of her lower lip.
She reportedly got the tattoo in 2021 with some friends when she hosted “SNL.” [via Daily Beast]
WORTH NOTING: It appears that KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN is the only KarJenner to not have a tattoo…though her husband, TRAVIS BARKER, has enough for the two of them.
###
WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING CHARLES turns 75 next week – and his aides and attendants are actively telling anyone joining the various festivities to not bring up PRINCE HARRY or MEGHAN MARKLE.
Inside the Palace bubble, the Sussexes are quietly referred to as “H and M.” One insider tells Express, “It has been made very clear that Sussex discussions are firmly off the table” when the King attends celebrations at Highgrove Gardens and Dumfries House. [via Express]
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
US Marine Corps Birthday
World Top Up Day
National Vanilla Cupcake Day
Area Code Day
National Forget-Me-Not Day
World Science Day for Peace and Development
Sesame Street Day
International Accounting Day
*Tomorrow (11/11) is Veterans Day*
###
ON THIS DATE
1775 - The Continental Congress approves the regimentation of "two Battalions of Marines" in order to defend the newly-founded Continental Navy.
John Adams drafted the resolution. Today the anniversary is celebrated as the birthday of the USMC.
In July 1789, John Adams would do the honor of signing legislation that made the Marine Corps a permanent fixture in the US Armed Services.
###
1871 - After spending nearly eight months wandering Zanzibar, Henry Morton Stanley comes across missing explorer and missionary David Livingstone in a hut, living happily with the Ujiji tribe.
Upon finding the single white man surrounded by Africans, Stanley uttered his famous words: "Dr Livingstone …. I presume?"
While some researchers dispute the date of the encounter, Stanley's written story of the adventure marks it as November 10.
###
1903 - A patent for the modern windshield wiper goes to Mary Anderson, a woman from Alabama.
It was designed as a "window cleaning device for electric cars and other vehicles to remove snow, ice, or sleet from the window."
Anderson tried selling the invention to a company in California, but she was refused. The factory said it had no practical value -- and was worthless!
By 1913, however, the windshield wiper would be a mainstay in most of the cars on the road, but Anderson never got a cent.
###
1928 - Erich Maria Remarque's novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” is first published in a German magazine.
The story follows Paul Baumer, a German foot soldier literally fighting in the trenches.
The German title -- Im Westen nichts Neues -- literally translates "In The West Nothing New."
The serial novel was published over the course of a month in various installments. It was heralded for its realistic portrayal of real fighting in Europe during World War II.
###
1964 - Defense Secretary Robert McNamara publicly says the U.S. has no plan to send troops to Vietnam.
At the time, this may have been true -- and certainly politically expedient to say so.
Of course, this was not the case. By 1969, more than half a million Americans were fighting across the Pacific Ocean.
###
2001 - More than a month after the attacks of September 11, President George W. Bush goes to the United Nations to implore international assistance in the War on Terror.
It was there he pledged to take the fight to the enemy, before they could do harm again to Americans -- this would include nations like Iraq.
Bush asserted that the war being waged was against freedom and the civilized world itself.
Meanwhile, fighting had already started in Afghanistan.
###
2014 - Ethel Kennedy is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama.
She received the honor for her work as a human rights advocate through the nonprofit she founded, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The organization continues RFK’s dream of world peace.
###
2020 - Collins English Dictionary reveals the word of the year is “Lockdown.”
###
BIRTHDAYS
Dream Kardashian - daughter of Rob Kardashian - 7
Scotty Pippen Jr. - basketball player - 23
Mackenzie Foy - actress, “The Conjuring” & “Interstellar” - 23
Kiernan Shipka - actress, “Mad Men” & “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” - 24
Zoey Deutch - actress, “The Suite Life on Deck” - 29
Taron Egerton - actor, “Rocketman” & “Eddie the Eagle” - 34
Josh Peck - actor, “Drake & Josh” - 37
Miranda Lambert - country singer - 40
Heather Matarazzo - actress, “The Princess Diaries” - 41
Ryback - wrestler - 42
Corey Gamble - boyfriend of Kris Jenner - 43
Diplo - DJ - 45
Warren G - rapper - 53
Ellen Pompeo - actress, “Grey’s Anatomy” - 54
Tracey Morgan - actor, “SNL & “30 Rock” - 55
Michael Jai White - actor, “Spawn” - 56
Neil Gaiman - author, “The Sandman” & “Coraline” - 63
Born On This Date
Brittany Murphy - actress, “Clueless” & “Uptown Girls” - 1977 (d. 2009)
Martin Luther - religious leader - 1483 (d. 1546)
###