Today is Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
It is the 318th day of the year.
48 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Investigators unveil an international art crime ring and the National Toy Hall of Fame gets new entries. Details in HIT LIST.
DIDDY’s new digs offer an unsightly view and JESSICA SIMPSON may or may not be getting divorced. More in SHOWBIZ.
CHRIS WALLACE is leaving CNN and DENZEL WASHINGTON is ready to retire. Details in CASTING CALL.
RAY J gets shot at and it may be connected to KIM. More on that in KARDASH.
QUEEN CAMILLA is back to work. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
After two flights between the United States and Haiti were hit with gunfire in recent days, the Federal Aviation Administration has paused all air travel to the island country embroiled in civil war.
A SPIRIT Airlines flight diverted to the Dominican Republic after incurring what appeared to be gunfire to the fuselage on Monday. One flight attendant has reported an unspecified minor injury.
Then, JETBLUE reported a similar incident on the same day.
The airlines independently suspended flights and American Airlines followed suit. Now, flights originating from the US are prohibited from landing in Haiti for the next 30 days. [via WSJ]
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KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN has sued competitor CHURCH’S TEXAS CHICKEN for trademark infringement, after Church’s started using “Original Recipe” to describe its products at the end of September.
KFC has had a trademark on “ORIGINAL RECIPE” since 1984. Church’s marketing copy included the line, “our original recipe is back.”
In a comically sanctimonious statement, a rep for KFC says, “On behalf of all fried chicken lovers out there, we take it personally when another company tries to claim our iconic taste and branding as their own …. We remain committed to protecting our brand’s intellectual property and safeguarding the experience of our customers.” [via CNN]
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Italian investigators say they’ve broken up an international art forgery ring that has sold millions worth of knockoffs attributed to prolific names like Banksy, Picasso, Warhol, and Van Gogh, among about thirty others.
Across Italy, Spain, France, and Belgium, 38 suspects were monitored over the course of months, leading to the seizure of more than 2100 pieces that sold for more than $215 MILLION.
The suspects went so far as organizing entire galleries of Banksy knockoffs to make them appear more legitimate.
Details of the investigation, including any names, arrests, or charges, have not yet been announced. [via Reuters]
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The Australian Navy has discovered the wreckage of an American destroyer lost during World War II.
The USS Edsall was commissioned in 1920. It sank in 1942 in a day of fierce battle, surviving volleys from Japanese ships until it succumbed to an aerial attack. Almost all of the 200 crew were reported dead.
A rep for the Aussie Navy says their ships used "advanced robotic and autonomous systems, normally used for hydrographic survey capabilities, to locate USS Edsall on the seabed" but did not provide any specifics about the condition of the wreckage or any preservation efforts. [via CBS News]
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My Little Pony, Transformers action figures, and the Phase 10 card game were all enshrined in the National Toy Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Other finalists that didn’t make the cut this time include Apples to Apples, balloons, “Choose Your Own Adventure” gamebooks, Hess Toy Trucks, Pokémon Trading Card Game, remote-controlled vehicles, Sequence, the stick horse and trampoline. A panel of experts determined the honorees in conjunction with public surveys.
FOR THE RECORD: The pastel-colored plastic pony was a finalist seven times before finally being selected.
IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING: The “experts” are a national advisory committee of historians, educators, and others with toy industry experience. [via AP News]
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BREAKUPS
LAURA PREPON and BEN FOSTER are calling it quits.
According to divorce docs, Foster says they separated on September 9 and cited irreconcilable differences for the cause.
Friends tell TMZ that Prepon has moved out of Los Angeles to Tennessee and has stopped wearing her ring.
The couple married in 2018 and share two kids.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 382 points (0.86%) to close at 43,910 on Tuesday. The S&P lost 17 points (0.29%) to close at 5,983 and the NASDAQ lost 17 points (0.09%) to close at 19,281.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $67; BRENT CRUDE at $71.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.07 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN cracked another all-time high past $89,000 on Tuesday before ticking back down in the mid $88,000s.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $113 million jackpot or a $53.4 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
SEAN COMBS’ current digs in the 4 North Unit of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn offers him a direct view of the female inmates living directly underneath him.
“If you lay down, you can look through the holes and talk to the women,” a former inmate, familiar with the housing unit, told The Sun, while another added that the females often “engage in provocative behavior.”
Elsewhere, Diddy’s living situation is less controlled than most of the prison, with dorm style beds, games, tablets, and a loosely structured routine.
Unless one of his bail requests gets approved, Combs will remain behind bars through his trial that begins next May. [via The Sun]
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LIAM PAYNE may have had a secret Instagram account that he used to communicate with suspected drug dealer Braian Nahuel Paiz.
While Paiz denied giving the singer drugs or accepting any sort of payment from him, he did reveal to investigators that Payne got in contact with him via a “private Instagram account.”
As previously reported, Paiz is one of three people who were arrested in connection to Payne’s death. [via The Mirror]
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Actor WILL FORTE says he only has about 19 years left on Earth, if he chooses to believe a Oujia board he played with as a teen.
According to the “spirits” of the board, which Forte says he intentionally tried to make angry, he will be fatally stabbed at the age of 73.
He shared the spooky story on RACHEL DRATCH’s “Woo Woo” podcast. [via EW]
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MIKE TYSON returned to his old stomping ground of Brownsville, Brooklyn, where he ran into a fan he used to rob as a preteen.
“You robbed me when I was 8 years old,” the guy told Tyson, before laughing it off and hugging the boxing champ.
“I’m sorry bro,” Tyson replied.
The exchange appeared in Netflix’s “Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson,” a series premiering ahead of Friday night’s bout between Tyson and YouTuber-turned-boxer JAKE PAUL. [via NY Post]
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ASHLEE SIMPSON ROSS says her sister’s marriage is just fine, amid reports that JESSICA SIMPSON and ERIC JOHNSON are having issues.
BUT WAIT: Two people close to Jess have reportedly spoken with two different divorce lawyers in the past couple of months. No word on whether or not the meetings were held at Jess’ request.
Jess and Eric have been married since 2014, and share three kids. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
CHRIS WALLACE is leaving CNN after three years hosting “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallce?”
The 77-year-old told the Daily Beast that his plan is to exit at the end of the year and explore a career in streaming and podcasting, where he says “the action seems to be.”
No word on where or when he plans to launch a podcast. [via Daily Beast]
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DENZEL WASHINGTON is ready to retire…after he finishes filming a slew of new projects.
“I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. Probably not that many,” he told Australia’s “Today.”
As for his upcoming films, Washington will star in movie adaptations of “Othello” and “King Lear.” He is also in talks to appear in a STEVE MCQUINN-backed flick and take on a role in the next “Black Panther” movie.
Washington, who has been acting since 1977, is currently promoting “Gladiator II,” in which he plays Macrinus. [via Today]
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Sunday night’s Season 5, Part 2 premiere episode of “Yellowstone” set a record for the series.
According to The Wrap, more than 16.4 million viewers tuned in to see just how John Dutton (KEVIN COSTNER) would be booted from the show. [via The Wrap]
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“X-Files” co-stars DAVID DUCHOVNY and GILLIAN ANDERSON are as close in real life as their characters special agent Mulder and Scully were, though it hasn’t always been that way.
“There was a lot of tension. Which didn’t matter, apparently for the work cause we’re both [effing] crazy, I guess. We could just go out there and do what we needed to do,” Duchovny recalled on his “Fail Better” podcast.
“There was a long time, working on the show, where we were just not even dealing with one another off-camera,” he added.
Now, however, the two consider each other “family.”
“X-Files” ran from 1993 to 2002. [via NY Post]
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JOHN MAYER and filmmaker McG are teaming up to purchase Hollywood’s historic Jim Henson Company lot for around $60 million.
Initially it was believed that father-son duo Steven and Shaun Fabos, who have ties to Scientology, had plans to buy the lot. No word on what happened there.
Originally known as Charlie Chaplin Studios, the lot sits in the heart of Hollywood at 1416 N. La Brea Ave. It was purchased by Henson for $12.5 million in 1999. [via TMZ]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN’s ex-boyfriend, RAY J, took to Instagram Tuesday after allegedly being targeted in a recent shooting.
“[People] just tried to shoot me,” he screamed in the video, before alleging that the incident could be tied to an unspecified feud with Kim’s ex-husband, YE.
Or perhaps it stems from the recent face-off Ray found himself in with SEAN COMBS’ sons over comments he made about the music mogul’s legal woes.
Ray did also publicly support President-elect DONALD TRUMP, so that could be another guess. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
QUEEN CAMILLA is on the mend after missing a series of official events for a chest infection.
The 77-year-old Queen attended an event at Clarence House on Tuesday, though for shorter than was originally planned. She’s expected today at a Buckingham Palace event with KING CHARLES to celebrate Britain’s TV and Film industry. [via New York Post]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Roast Dinner Day
Sadie Hawkins Day
National Hug a Musician Day
World Kindness day
National Indian Pudding Day
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ON THIS DATE
1789 - George Washington finishes his first tour of the new American states as President.
He traveled around New England, where he was greeted enthusiastically.
Washington wouldn't visit the southern states for another two years.
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1892 - Pudge Huffelfinger signs a deal to play football for the Allegheny Athletic Association for $500, making him the first pro football player.
It had previously been common for athletes to trade their playing time for services or swag. This was before organized teams and leagues, when athletic associations were formed and played informal match ups and seasons.
Pudge was later an insurance executive and Congressman for Minnesota.
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1940 - “Fantasia” is released.
The animated film by Walt Disney starred Leopold Stokowski and Deems Taylor.
It is Disney’s third animated film.
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1982 - The Vietnam War Memorial is dedicated.
The walls featured 57,939 names of those who died. They were commemorated chronologically, not in order of rank.
It is commonplace to make a sketching over the names of family members and loved ones who lost their lives.
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2001 - President George Bush signs an executive order allowing military tribunals against foreigners suspected of connections to terrorist acts or planned acts against the United States.
It is the first such act since World War II.
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2018 - The trial of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman begins in New York.
Known as “the most ruthless, dangerous and feared man on the planet,” El Chapo was extradited to the United States to stand trial for his role in crimes committed by the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel.
After 200 hours of testimony, he would be found guilty in February 2019 of all 10 counts against him. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years and was shipped off to ADX Florence in Colorado.
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2022 - Four University of Idaho students are fatally stabbed in an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho after a night out with friends.
Suspect Bryan Kohberger would be arrested seven weeks later and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. His trial is expected to get underway next summer.
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BIRTHDAYS
24kGoldn - rapper - 24
Stella Hudgens - actress, “The Memory Thief” & “Players” - 29
Julia Michaels - pop singer - 31
Matt Bennett - actor, “Victorious” - 33
Paulie Calafiore - reality star, “Big Brother” & “The Challenge” - 36
Monique Colman - actress, “High School Musical” - 44
Metta World Peace - basketball player - 45
Nikolai Fraiture - bassist, The Strokes - 46
Aisha Hinds - actress, “9-1-1-” - 49
Gerard Butler - actor, “300” & “Olympus Has Fallen” - 55
Steven Zahn - actor, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” - 57
Jimmy Kimmel - TV show host, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” & “The Man Show” - 57
Neil Flynn - actor, “Modern Family” - 64
Whoopi Goldberg - TV show host & actress, “The View” & “Ghost” - 69
Merrick Garland - US Attorney General - 72
Gilbert Perreault - hockey player - 74
Joe Mantegna - actor, “Criminal Minds” - 77
Born On This Date
Buck O’Neil - HOF baseball coach - 1911 (d. 2006)
Robert Louis Stevenson - novelist, “Treasure Island” - 1850 (d. 1894)
John Dickinson - Governor of Delaware and Pennsylvania - 1732 (d. 1808)
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