Today is Thursday, November 14, 2024.
It is the 319th day of the year.
47 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A food delivery company gets a new owner and officials arrest a suspect connected to an October intelligence leak. Details in HIT LIST.
HUGH JACKMAN’s affair and RAY J’s DIDDY connection are discussed in today’s SHOWBIZ.
Fans of “The View” were left irate on Wednesday and one actress shares her thoughts on women in Hollywood. Details in CASTING CALL.
YE’s non-traditional route to home buying is examined in KARDASH.
PRINCESS ANNE experiences an all-too-familiar travel fiasco. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
On October 18, a man who identified himself as Brandon Andrade called 911, saying he was on a hike, had fallen off a cliff, and was evading a bear. By the time officials arrived at the scene, they found a body with identification belonging to Andrade.
A brief investigation concluded the body was actually not that of Andrade after all, and that other identification belonging to him had been used elsewhere. The body turned out to be that of 34-year-old Stephen Douglas Lloyd.
Now, police have arrested 45-year-old Nicholas Wayne Hamlett in connection with what is believed to have been a murder that was setup to look like a bear attack. Investigators believe Hamlett killed Lloyd in an attempt to steal his identity. Fingerprints found at the scene ultimately led authorities to the suspect.
Hamlett faces first-degree murder charges in Monroe County, Tennessee, and an unrelated parole violation out of Alabama. No word who Andrade is, or if he’s a real person or just a fake identity. [via NBC News]
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For political dorks who spent the weeks and months before the election looking for any polling data and information, online betting market POLYMARKET emerged as an interesting way to gauge sentiment over who might win.
While Americans were unable to legally participate, the rest of the world put their chips on Trump for most of the closing weeks.
NOW: Polymarket’s CEO, 26-year-old SHAYNE COPLAN, was raided by federal law enforcement early Wednesday morning at his home in New York City. Investigators demanded Coplan turn over his phone and computers.
Coplan was not told why he was being raided. One source tells the New York Post, “This is obvious political retribution by the outgoing administration against Polymarket for providing a market that correctly called the 2024 presidential election,” but no other details have yet been announced. [via New York Post]
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Food delivery app GRUBHUB once again has an American owner.
In 2020, an Amsterdam-based company bought Grubhub for $7.3 BILLION. Now, food-delivery startup Wonder will acquire Grubhub for just $650 MILLION.
The deal is expected to close early 2025. [via CNN]
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In mid-October, news broke that American intelligence leaked Israel’s plans to attack Iran in retaliation for its drone strikes.
Now, the FBI has arrested a CIA official in Cambodia for disclosing the documents.
Asif William Rahman was arrested and brought to a federal court in Guam, charged with willful retention and transmission of national defense information. The documents included American spy satellite reconnaissance.
Rahman reportedly has top-secret security clearance, which he used to share the intel on chat app Telegram. [via Jerusalem Post]
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A 71-year-old Oregon man is suing an ambulance provider after he says he was struck by an ambulance, taken to the hospital in said ambulance and then billed for the ride.
William Hoesch told The Oregonian that he was riding his bike when a Columbia River Fire & Rescue ambulance struck him, leaving him with a fractured nose and scrapes. After being driven to the hospital in the ambulance, Hoesch says he was then billed nearly $2,000 for the ride.
He is now seeking $997,000 for the cost of the ambulance ride, medical expenses and additional pain and suffering. [via The Oregonian]
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SICK BAY
Actor DAVE COULIER has been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
He’s 65.
Two weeks after being diagnosed, Coulier says he started chemotherapy, and also shaved his head as a “preemptive strike.” As of this week, he has completed six rounds.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma occurs when white blood cells grow abnormally, causing tumors to grow throughout the body. The type Coulier has -- B cell lymphoma -- is “rare,” according to Mayo Clinic.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW ticked up 47 points (0.11%) to close at 43,958 on Wednesday. The S&P added 1 point (0.023%) to close at 5,985 and the NASDAQ lost 50 points (0.26%) to close at 19,230.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $68; BRENT CRUDE at $72.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.08 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN exploded past $93,000 on Wednesday before ticking back down around $89,400 Wednesday evening.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $387 million jackpot or a $181.4 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Actor JOHN KRASINSKI is this People’s 2024 Sexiest Man Alive.
Upon hearing the news, he thought it was a prank, while his wife of 14 years, actress EMILY BLUNT joked that she plans to wallpaper their house with the magazine cover.
Krasinski is best known for his roles in “The Office,” “13 Hours,” and the “A Quiet Place” franchise. [via People]
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HUGH JACKMAN’s relationship with co-star SUTTON FOSTER allegedly started while he was still married to DEBORRA-LEE FURNESS.
“Sutton and Hugh’s relationship is the reason Hugh and Deb got divorced,” an insider told Us Weekly.
Jackman and Furness split in September 2023 after 27 years of marriage, while Foster filed for divorce last month from her husband of 10 years, screenwriter TED GRIFFIN. [via Us Weekly]
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RAY J says a slew of celebrities who are afraid of their connection to SEAN COMBS getting out are paying accusers to stay quiet, in what he calls a “catch-and-kill scheme.”
He made the revelation in “TMZ Presents The Downfall of Diddy: Inside the Freak-Offs,” while discussing how certain celebs have been reaching out to him because of his friendship with Combs.
When asked to share names, however, Ray refused, simply stating that he’d already “said too much.” [via NY Post]
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PATRICK MAHOMES briefly addressed the robbery that occurred at his Missouri home last month, telling reporters the situation is “frustrating” and “disappointing.”
The burglary happened on October 6. It is unknown if Mahomes and his family were home at the time.
ALSO: The neighboring home, belonging to TRAVIS KELCE, was also broken into just 48 hours later. Kelce has not commented on the incident, though the police report says $20,000 in cash was taken. [via Page Six]
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JASON KELCE’s single “Maybe This Christmas” is beating MARIAH CAREY’s holiday hit, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on the iTunes 100 Holiday chart.
“You know I fought my whole life to be the queen of Christmas,” Jason joked to his brother TRAVIS KELCE on their “New Heights” podcast this week.
Jason’s single dropped last week, while Carey’s song has been a top holiday hit since November 1994. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
Fans of “The View” were left irate when Wednesday’s episode was interrupted by an ABC News special report about President JOE BIDEN welcoming President-elect DONALD TRUMP to the White House.
Making matters even worse, the episode was centered on WHOOPI GOLDBERG’s birthday.
Several viewers felt the report could have waited until after the show, while others deemed it wasn’t actually “breaking news.” [via The Mirror]
MEANWHILE: ABC News bigwigs are reportedly in “panic mode” as they scramble to find conservative voices to add to shows, such as “The View,” to help balance the constant anti-Trump rhetoric. [via NY Post]
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Actress SYDNEY SWEENEY says Hollywood’s reputation of “women empowering other women” is fake.
“None of it’s happening,” she told Vanity Fair. “All of it is fake and a front for all the other [stuff] that they say behind everyone’s back.”
Sweeney has felt the backstabbing first hand, after a former producer publicly criticized her acting skills and physical appearance earlier this year. [via Vanity Fair]
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No, GLEN POWELL is not stepping into the “Mission Impossible” franchise.
“My mom would never let me do that,” he stated on “The Pat McAfee Show,” after being asked if he was set to replace TOM CRUISE.
“That’s a death trap,” Powell added, referring to the death-defying stunts Cruise does in the action flicks. [via Deadline]
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In partnership with Paramount Pictures, in honor of the new “Gladiator II” film, Airbnb is offering up to 16 people an unforgettable experience inside Rome’s Colosseum.
While guests won’t get to sleep at the famous site, they will experience a deep dive inside the Colosseum, including wearing armor and preparing for battle.
The offer marks the first time the site will be open to the public after dark. And it costs $0. Guests will just have to cover travel expenses. [via Variety]
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LADY GAGA has joined the cast of “Wednesday” Season 2.
No word on character details.
WORTH NOTING: Gaga’s song “Bloody Mary” appeared in Season 1, during Wednesday’s (JENNA ORTEGA) dance scene. [via The Wrap]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE took a nontraditional route to get funds to purchase his $35 million Beverly Hills mansion.
While the majority came from the sale of his gutted Malibu mansion, the rest of the cost was covered by a mix of investors, including fitness entrepreneurs RICHARD and LUCY GLASSMAN. They reportedly gave Ye nearly $3 million toward the pad through their broker Private Money Solutions.
An additional $12.5 million was loaned out from Lone Oak Fund.
FOR THE RECORD: The place is going to be used as a rental, not a home for Ye and BIANCA CENSORI to settle down in. [via The Mirror]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
ROYALS, THEY’RE JUST LIKE US: PRINCESS ANNE spent 40 extra minutes on a commercial flight up to Scotland on Tuesday, as heavy fog delayed its landing at Glasgow Airport.
Eventually, the flight was diverted to a nearby, smaller airport.
The Princess Royal still made it to her engagement in Britain’s great north despite the delay. [via DailyMail]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Seat Belt Day
World Quality Day
World Diabetes Day
National Family PJ Day
Operating Room Nurse Day
Loosen Up Lighten Up Day
National Spicy Guacamole Day
National Pickle Day
Children’s Day
National American Teddy Bear Day
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ON THIS DATE
1851 - Herman Melville's novel “Moby Dick” is published.
It follows the whaling ship Pequod, and its captain, Ahab, in pursuit of a giant white whale.
The first words are among the most famous in American literature: "Call me Ishamel."
At first the book didn't sell very well, which disappointed Melville, who had written several successful novels. After his death, in the early 1920s, “Moby Dick” resurfaced, and became the must-read it is today.
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1896 - Britain amends its speed limit for horseless carriages.
Parliament had recently repealed the "Red Flag Act”; a bizarre law that required cars to be accompanied by someone walking alongside it, holding a red flag to alert pedestrians and horses to its presence. The “Red Flag Act” limited speeds to 4 miles per hour.
The new law increased the speed limit to 14 miles per hour.
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1910 - Eugene Ely becomes the first pilot to get a plane airborne from a naval vessel.
With 83 feet of runway sloped at five degrees, Ely managed to get his plane airborne off the bow of the scout cruiser Birmingham.
He was also the first man to land a plane on a ship, a feat he would achieve the following year.
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1922 - The British Broadcasting Company begins its daily radio news updates.
It featured a 6pm nightly newscast, originating in London.
A broadcast license fee cost 10 shillings at the time -- that's about $30 today. The BBC was looking to cheaply spread its programming and build an extensive network.
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1969 - The second manned mission to the moon blasts off from Cape Canaveral.
On board are Charles Conrad Jr., Richard F Gordon Jr. and Alan Bean. President Nixon was on hand to witness the launch.
On liftoff, a bolt of lightning shocked the rocket, killing the power. Miraculously, the ascent continued and power was eventually restored.
The third and fourth men on the moon conducted more tests and looked into the crash site of the Surveyor 3 probe, which impacted the moon in 1967.
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1970 - A plane carrying the Marshall University football team crashes over West Virginia, killing more than 60 players, doctors, and coaches.
The team had lost their game earlier that day.
Huntington, North Carolina was the home of the University and it uncharacteristically shut down in the days after the crash.
The next season, a new coach would build a team from scratch -- and would go on to win the first home game since the crash.
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2013 - Whitey Bulger is sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus five years for his crimes.
The Boston crime boss was arrested earlier this year after hiding from the FBI for more than 16 years.
He was tried and found guilty in August on 31 of 32 counts against him and was found to have been involved in 11 murders.
Bulger was killed by fellow inmates in prison in 2018.
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2020 - The World Health Organization reports a record global daily total of more than 660,905 COVID-19 cases.
The health organization also reveals a total of 54 million cases globally, since the start of the pandemic.
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BIRTHDAYS
Mia Allan - actress, “Parenthood” - 14
Ella Allan - actress, “Parenthood” - 14
DeVonta Smith - football player - 26
Mason Gooding - actor & son of Cuba, “Love, Victor” - 28
Francisco Lindor - baseball player - 32
Stella Maeve - actress, “Golden Boy” & “Chicago P.D.” - 35
Lil Boosie - rapper - 42
Travis Barker - drummer - 49
Chip Gaines - reality star, “Fixer Upper” - 50
Josh Duhamel - actor, “All My Children” - 52
Patrick Warburton - actor, “Big Trouble” & “Ted” - 60
Yanni - composer - 70
King Charles III - UK royal - 76
Born On This Date
Joseph McCarthy - politician who hunted Communists- 1908 (d. 1957)
Astrid Lindgren - author, “Pippi Longstocking” series - 1907 (d. 2002)
Vlad the Impaler - Romanian prince & inspiration for Dracula - 1431 (d. 1476)
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