11/15/2022: How’d That Get In There?!
PLUS: New Rubik’s Record; Matthew McConaughey’s Pickle; and North West’s Favorite Flick
Today is Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
It is the 319th day of the year.
46 days remain.
TRENDING
University of Virginia landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends on Monday as a manhunt for a gunman accused of fatally shooting three UVA football players was underway. The gunman was identified as former UVA football player Christopher Darnell James. Twitterverse used the senseless shooting to call for stricter gun laws.
Pence was trending after former VP Mike Pence told ABC’s David Muir that former president Donald Trump’s words on January 6 “endangered me and my family and everyone at the Capitol building.”
I GOT THE EMAIL was trending Monday as Taylor Swift fans shared their excitement over being selected to take part in ticket presales for her upcoming tour.
Days of Our Lives was trending after the news of former star John Aniston broke. More in Deaths.
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HIT LIST
SpaceX’s Starlink division has purchased a hefty advertising buy on Twitter.
Of course, ELON MUSK owns both companies. Starlink is the direct-to-consumer satellite internet service Musk pioneered to decentralize control of the internet around the globe and has played a crucial role in the Ukrainian military’s communications infrastructure.
WORTH NOTING: Since it’s all Elon’s money anyway, the buy is a signal to other advertisers that he believes in what he’s doing at Twitter – as if the $44 billion purchase weren’t enough.
MEANWHILE: After one Twitter engineer mouthed off at Musk on – where else? – Twitter, Musk fired that engineer.
It started when Musk tweeted an apology for Twitter being slow to load in some countries and blamed some of the technological infrastructure. Employee Eric Frohnhoefer took exception to that, and replied to Musk’s comment, “I have spent [nearly six years] working on Twitter for Android and can say this is wrong.”
Someone else brought the tweet to Musk’s attention, to which the boss replied, “He’s fired.”
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For nearly two and a half years the Space Force’s X-37B plane has orbited Earth, conducting a top secret mission.
It landed over the weekend, marking the longest endurance record for the plane model so far.
While details on the project have been mum, the military has said the plane’s been used to put satellites in orbit.
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A young Briton has set a new record for the most Rubik’s cubes solved in 24 hours.
George Scholey is only 20 years old. He isolated in a London hotel room for 24 straight hours late last week, while he completed 6,931 cubes. The whole feat was live-streamed to keep him honest and for fans to tune in.
Ultimately he averaged 12 seconds per cube. The previous record was set in 2013 by a Canadian man, who knocked out 5,800 cubes.
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Electric vehicles are taking “going green” to even higher levels.
Electric motorcycle company Tarform has announced a new model they describe as “made from an innovative plant-based composite material consisting of flaxseed biofibres and bio-resin.”
The frame will be made from recyclable aluminum and other finishes will be made from plant leather.
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The next time you lose your headphones, check your ear canal.
A 66-year-old man from the UK reported hearing loss in recent years that he blamed on his time in the Navy working near helicopters. When he finally visited a specialist, the doctor used a tiny pair of tweezers to reach inside and pulled out the noise-canceling tip from a set of bluetooth headphones.
The man says he heard a small pop and instantly his hearing was restored.
IN OTHER HORRIFYING “THAT DOESN’T BELONG THERE” NEWS: Medical journal “Urology Case Reports” reveals that a 79-year-old Japanese man has been treated for trouble urinating – by removing the 90-inch jump rope he had pushed through his urethra into his bladder.
The rope didn’t come out the way it went in, so a surgery was performed to get it out.
No word on what compelled the man to try it in the first place.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow lost 211 points (0.63%) to close at 33,536. The S&P lost 35 points (0.89%) to close at 3,956 and the Nasdaq lost 127 points (1.12%) to close at 11,196.
🛢 West Texas Intermediate traded at $85 Monday; Brent Crude at $92.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.77 on Monday.
₿ Bitcoin added nearly $240 Monday, trading north of $16,500.
🛩 There were 3,102 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States Monday and 52 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
Top 5 Songs on iTunes:
Sam Smith & Kim Petras, “Unholy”
HARDY & Lainey Wilson, “Wait in the Truck”
Rihanna, “Lift Me Up”
Meghan Trainor, “Made You Look”
Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”
Top 5 Songs on Spotify:
Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras, “Unholy”
Drake & 21 Savage, “Rick Flex”
David Guetta & Bebe Rexa, “I’m Good (Blue)”
Rihanna, “Born Again”
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DEATHS
JOHN ANISTON has died.
The former “Days of Our Lives” star passed away Friday, according to a statement from his daughter, actress JENNIFER ANISTON. No cause of death was shared.
He was 89.
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MMA fighter ANTHONY “Rumble” JOHNSON has died.
He passed away over the weekend after battling an undisclosed disease, according to the UFC. No further details have been shared.
He was 38.
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Former MLB outfielder CHUCK CARR has died.
He passed away after battling undisclosed health issues, according to family social media posts. No other information was shared.
He was 55.
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Improv theater founder BUDD FRIEDMAN has died.
He passed away Saturday due to heart failure, according to a statement from Hollywood improv.
He was 90.
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SICK BAY
JAY LENO was hospitalized Sunday after a freak car fire left him with “serious” facial burns.
TMZ reported yesterday that the 72-year-old was in his Los Angeles garage where he stores several of his prized vehicles when one burst into flames, severely burning the left side of his face.
Leno confirmed the news himself later in the day, telling Variety “I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire. I am ok. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet.”
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WEDDINGS
BOB SAGET’s eldest daughter AUBREY SAGET, 35, married creative director ANDY KABEL over the weekend in Tulum, Mexico.
The couple got engaged in December 2020 according to an Instagram post, which Bob commented on, writing “With my blessings!!!!”
The ceremony comes 10 months after Bob unexpectedly died from head trauma at 65-years-old. His widow, KELLY RIZZO shared photos from the nuptials.
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THE SWAMP
Multiple outlets called the Arizona governor race for Democrat KATIE HOBBS, who led Republican KARI LAKE by about 20,000 votes with 98% of votes reporting.
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President JOE BIDEN and Chinese President XI JINPING met at an international summit in Bali Monday.
The official report says the men agreed to continue cooperation and tackle transnational issues like global food security and climate change together – blah, blah, blah.
A formal follow-up by Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN is in the works.
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In October, a Yahoo News survey of Republican voters showed 45% preferred former President DONALD TRUMP as the nominee in 2024, followed by 35% for America’s Governor RON DESANTIS.
Now those numbers have virtually flipped: The same poll shows 42% of Republican voters prefer DeSantis while 35% say Trump should run.
WORTH NOTING: The new numbers were conducted in the days after last week’s midterms.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $207 million jackpot or a $102.8 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
NICK CANNON says he pays “a lot more” than the $3 million a year in child support The Sun recently reported.
During his appearance on The Neighborhood Talk last week, Cannon said “I definitely spend a lot more than that on my children annually.” Though he did not share a specific amount.
Cannon is currently dad to 11 kids, and baby #12 is due to arrive next year.
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GISELE BUNDCHEN may have already moved on following her divorce from TOM BRADY.
The model was spotted with her MMA instructor JOAQUIM VALENTE in Costa Rica over the weekend, a location often visited by Bundchen and Brady.
Her camp says the two were there with other adults and all their children, while adamantly stating they are not dating.
Sources close to Brady aren’t buying it. They want to know why Valente traveled from Miami with Bundchen and the kids and if he has anything to do with her decision to end the marriage.
Stay tuned…
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Foreigner is kicking off their Historic Farewell Tour next summer in Georgia.
The rockers announced Monday they will perform 32 shows in North America from July 6 through September 3, ending in New Jersey. More dates will be added, extending their tour through 2024, according to Billboard.
IN OTHER MUSIC NEWS: Country legend GARTH BROOKS announced yesterday that he will headline a Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, starting in May 2023. GarthBooks/Plus ONE, a series of shows that will feature a bevy of band members and special guests has 27 dates set from May through December.
AND: Grammy-winning singer-songwriter PINK announced her biggest North American tour ever on Monday. She will be joined by BRANDI CARLILE, PAT BENATAR and NEIL GIRALDO, GROUPLOVE and DJ KIDCUTUP. Her Summer Carnival 2023 tour will kick off in July at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
SPEAKING OF PINK: She will perform an emotional tribute to the late OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN at the 2022 American Music Awards on November 20.
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KATE WINSLET made a donation to the family of a 12-year-old girl from Scotland, who suffers from a severe form of cerebral palsy, to help them cope with rising energy prices this winter.
The actress gave $20,000 to Carolynne Hunter after learning she was struggling to pay the “essential electricity costs” for her daughter, Freya, according to the BBC.
Hunter told the outlet that her monthly payments went from $265 in March to $593 a month in October.
MEANWHILE: Experts have predicted that costs of electricity this winter in Europe will reach record highs due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY celebrated National Pickle Day with a throwback snap of himself standing in front of an open fridge holding a jar of pickles, wearing absolutely nothing. He captioned the picture, “Pickled,” adding the hashtag #nationalpickleday.
The post had nearly 7 million likes by Monday afternoon.
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CASTING CALL
ELTON JOHN will be joined by DUA LIPA, BRANDI CARLILE and KIKI DEE as he performs for the final time at Dodger Stadium next weekend.
Part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, the concert will also stream live on Disney+.
John’s manager and husband DAVID FURNISH told Variety that following this tour, the legendary rocker will “truly be done on the road.”
The concert will begin with a “Countdown to Elton Live,” featuring famous friends from around the world wishing him well, according to the streamer.
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A spinoff of “Pirates of the Caribbean” is no longer in the works, according to actress MARGOT ROBBIE, who was set to star in the project.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Robbie implied that Disney canned the idea after she -- and other creators -- pushed for a mostly female ensemble to lead the installment.
“We thought [it] would’ve been really cool, but I guess they [Disney] don’t want to do it,” she explained.
News of the spinoff was first reported in June 2020.
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The Season 5 premiere of “Yellowstone” drew in 8.8 million viewers on Paramount Network Sunday night -- a 10% increase from from the Season 4 premiere.
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SPOILER
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In the new season, John Dutton, played by KEVIN COSTNER, has been elected governor of Montana, prompting a new wave of power struggles within the Dutton family.
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The first two episodes of the “Star Wars” prequel series “Andor,” will air on multiple networks -- ABC, FX, Freeform and Hulu -- over the Thanksgiving holiday, following the Season 1 finale on Disney+.
The first ten episodes of “Andor” are currently available on Disney+, with the season finale set to air on Wednesday, November 23.
“Andor” is set five years before the events of “Rogue One,” and focuses on Cassian Ander, played by DIEGO LUNA, and his journey to becoming a revel hero, according to the official synopsis.
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Disney’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has earned $330 million globally. Broken down, that’s $180M domestically and $150M internationally.
Those figures make the film the third highest start for any Hollywood title during the pandemic era, as well as the second biggest global opening of 2022 to date.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Kardashian fans were confused and concerned after KIM KARDASHIAN’s daughter, NORTH WEST, 9, revealed in a TikTok video that her favorite movie is “The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It.” The film is rated R for the “terror, violence and disturbing images” it contains.
While the video has since been deleted, fans were still discussing it, with one user writing, “North West’s favorite movie being The Conjuring 3 was something I simply never would have guessed in my entire life.”
Are fans actually surprised though? North has always been a fan of horror, from her makeup choices to playing pranks on her mom -- like the time she covered a bathroom in their home with fake blood and a maid thought it was an actual murder scene.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
The Royal Family removed several tweets from their official Twitter page on Sunday after the team behind the posts made a series of mistakes regarding the Remembrance Day service.
According to Hello magazine, the first mistake was adding PRINCESS ALEXANDRA’s name to a list of attendees, despite her canceling at the last minute. That same official tweet also failed to include SOPHIE WESSEX, who was actually at the event.
Things appeared to be all cleared up by Monday as several members of the Royal Family wished KING CHARLES a Happy 74th Birthday.
Palace insiders told Cosmo that Charles will celebrate his first birthday as King privately with his wife QUEEN CONSORT CAMILLA.
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SPORTS
A baseball mitt worn by BABE RUTH during his time with the New York Yankees sold for $1.5 million at auction over the weekend.
Hunt Auctions says the price of $1,527,500 is the highest ever paid for a glove.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Entrepreneurs’ Day
National Recycling Day
National Drummer Day
I Love To Write Day
National Philanthropy Day
National Bundt Day
National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day
Raisin Bran Cereal Day
Steve Irwin Day
National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
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ON THIS DATE
1867 – The world's first stock ticker debuts in New York City.
The machine printed stock quotes on streams of paper, configured through a telegraph machine.
The same paper would be used for ticker-tape parades. The term "ticker" got its name from the sound of the paper going through the machine's wheel.
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1889 – Brazilians depose their last emperor, Pedro II.
67 years after establishing the monarchy, the people of the South American country never took to liking imperial rule, though the last leader was generally successful and benevolent.
Pedro II oversaw a stable country, but alienated military officials and middle-class city dwellers.
Pedro survived the military coup—he died in exile in Europe 2 years later.
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1957 – Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev belligerently challenges the US to a "shooting match" with missiles.
Khrushchev made the claim to an American reporter, making the point that the USSR's missile capabilities were far superior to the United States'.
He also boasted about the recent success of Sputnik, fueling fears that America was falling behind in both the arms and the space races.
The "missile gap" would become a key debate point in the 1960 presidential campaign.
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TWO Unabomber attacks, 6 years apart
1979 – A bomb makes its way onto the cargo hold of a passenger flight from Chicago to Washington DC.
It began smoking halfway through the flight, causing the pilot to land early. Some passengers had to be treated for smoke inhalation and were it not for a faulty timing mechanism, it would have destroyed the whole plane.
1985 – An attack on a University of Michigan professor almost kills 2.
The bomb was sent to Dr. James McConnell's house, disguised as a pile of papers. McConnell's research assistant opened the package, when it exploded. McConnell suffered hearing loss and the assistant received shrapnel wounds.
Ted Kaczynski is presently serving life in prison with no chance of parole.
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1990 – The National Assembly of Bulgaria reestablishes the country as a free state.
The body changed the name from the People's Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Bulgaria.
It also voted to undo the Bulgarian Communist Party's logo from the country's flag.
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2017 – Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “Salvator Mundi” sells for $450.3 million at an auction in New York; setting a new record for most expensive painting ever sold at public auction.
The “Salvator Mundi” depicts Jesus in Renaissance dress, making the sign of the cross with his right hand, while holding a transparent, non-refracting crystal orb in his left.
It is one of fewer than 20 known works by Leonardo.
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2020 - SpaceX Falcon 9 blasts off for the International Space Station.
Four astronauts are on board — three from NASA and one from Japan.
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BIRTHDAYS
Sadie Stanley - actress, “Kim Possible” & “The Sleepover” - 21
Karl-Anthony Towns - basketball player - 27
Paulo Dybala - soccer player - 29
Shailene Woodley - actress, “The Descendants” & “The Fault in Our Stars” - 31
B.o.B - rapper - 34
Winston Duke - actor, “Black Panther” - 36
Peter Phillips - son of Princess Anne - 45
Sean Murray - actor, “NCIS” - 45
Chad Kroeger - rock singer, Nickelback - 48
Jonny Lee Miller - actor, “Hackers” & “Elementary” - 50
E-40 - rapper - 55
Andrew Castle - tennis player - 59
Born On This Date
Russell Tyrone Jones - rapper - 1968 (d. 2004)
Randy Savage - wrestler - 1952 (d. 2011)
Ed Asner - actor, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” - 1929 (d. 2021)
Georgia O’Keeffe - painter - 1887 (d. 1986)
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