11/15/2023: Eruption Watch 🌋
Discover more from Morning Martini
11/15/2023: Eruption Watch 🌋
PLUS: Strike Fallout; Menopause 101; and The King’s Call
Today is Wednesday, November 15, 2023.
It is the 319th day of the year.
46 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A massive pencil collection breaks a world record and new spectacles in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Details in HIT LIST.
Swifties blast BRITTANY MAHOMES and MATT LEBLANC opens up about the loss of MATTHEW PERRY. More in SHOWBIZ.
STEVE CARELL will soon make his Broadway debut. Find out more in CASTING CALL.
BIANCA CENSORI’s friends hold an intervention regarding her marriage to YE. More in KARDASH.
Did the King get a special birthday phone call? Maybe in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Officials in Finland have evacuated a town of 4,000 ahead of a likely volcanic eruption any day now.
After fissures developed on asphalt roads and in buildings in Grindavik, locals were quickly rushed out of their homes. On Monday, they had just five minutes to gather their belongings – which for some included farm animals.
Eruptions can include molten material bubbling up from these massive fissures – one that runs 15 kilometers long. While the area has endured multiple eruptions in recent years, the last three have been far away from heavily populated areas. [via EuroNews]
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After striking a deal with UAW to end the weeks-long strikes, STELLANTIS has announced it is laying off about half of its salaried, non-union staff. More than 6,000 employees are now on the chopping block.
In a statement, the automaker said the job cuts are part of “necessary structural actions to protect our operations and the company.” [via CNN]
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An Iowa man has been certified to own the world’s largest collection of pencils.
Aaron Bartholmey brought in experts from the American Pencil Collectors Society – which is apparently a thing – over the summer to certify the number in his collection. In July, the Society certified 69,255 in total.
Guinness made the collection size official late last month, obliterating the previous record of about 24,000 pencils. [via KETV]
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An Oxford study suggests artificial intelligence could analyze CT scans to predict a patient’s likelihood of a heart attack up to ten years out.
Current technology clearly shows blockages that need surgical intervention but easily miss other, tiny indicators of future problems.
The A.I. tool analyzed scans from nearly 3,400 patients and accurately predicted whether they would or would not have a heart attack, some up to eight years prior. [via The Guardian]
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This year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will include some new floats, including one inspired by the upcoming Warner Bros. film “Wonka.” The float features Wonka’s chocolate shop, a cherry blossom tree, jars of candy, and almost 600,000 pieces of prop candy.
Other newbies include a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-inspired creation, the Good Burgermobile from “Good Burger,” a Camp Snoopy float, and Brach’s Palace of Sweets which will have a candy Christmas tree and a three-story tall gingerbread house.
The 97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off at 8:30am ET on Thanksgiving Day on NBC and Peacock. [via NY Post]
FUN FACT: The floats are created and built at Macy’s Parade Studio in Moonachie, New Jersey. The process begins the day after the parade for the following year.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW was up 489 points (1.43%) to close at 34,827 on Tuesday. The S&P increased 84 points (1.9%) to close at 4,495 and the NASDAQ climbed 326 points (2.37%) to close at 14,094.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $78; BRENT CRUDE at $82.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.53 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN fell on Tuesday over 2.5% to trade around $35,500.
🛩 There were more than 1,755 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 50 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $255 million jackpot or a $117.1 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
KIM ZOLCIAK is back to Biermann.
Just days after she and estranged husband KROY BIERMANN were spotted out celebrating their 12th anniversary, despite being in the middle of a bitter divorce, she has decided to once again bring back “Biermann” on social media.
The question remains if the divorce is off the table (again) or not. [via Instagram]
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Kansas City Chiefs QB PATRICK MAHOMES wears the same pair of underwear for every NFL game. What’s more, it’s the same pair that he has worn for games since his rookie year -- in 2017.
“I only wear ‘em for games, though. [So] they’re not too worn down,” he told ELI and PEYTON MANNING on their “ManningCast.”
Mahomes said he does wash them, except if the team is on a hot streak then he’s “gotta just keep it rolling.” [via People]
MEANWHILE: Patrick’s wife BRITTANY MAHOMES is being called out by Swifties for deleting old tweets where she reportedly bashed her new bestie TAYLOR SWIFT’s music.
In one tweet from 2012 Brittany Mahomes calls Swift -- and her music -- “overrated,” while another asks when Swift will write about something other than “boys and relationships.”
Mahomes has not responded to the backlash. [via The Blast]
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MATT LEBLANC has opened up about the loss of “Friends” co-star MATTHEW PERRY.
On Instagram, LeBlanc wrote that his time with Perry was “the best of his entire life.”
“I will always smile when I think of you and I'll never forget you. Never,” he wrote before jokingly adding, “I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.”
LeBlanc and Perry played best friends and roommates Joey Tribianni and Chandler Bing, respectively, on “Friends” for 10 years. [via Instagram]
WORTH NOTING: He is the first of the “Friends” stars to share a solo tribute. Following Perry’s death, the five shared a joint statement.
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Former OUTKAST band member ANDRE 3000 is releasing his first solo album, called “New Blue Sun,” this Friday.
There is no singing on the record at all, also “no bars, no beats, no sub-bass,” according to Andre, who instead plays a number of flutes and digital wind instruments.
The album comes twenty years after OutKast’s 2003 double LP, “Speakerboxxxx/The Love Below.” [via Billboard]
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Money troubles have gotten so bad for BILL COSBY and his wife, CAMILLE, that they are “liquidating” assets, “taking out second mortgages” and “selling off their artwork.”
Sources told Radar Online that the financial turmoil is from all of the lawsuits that 86-year-old Cosby has been hit with from women accusing him of sexual assault.
The couple has also been hit with two tax liens, one for nearly $89,000 and another for more than $559,000, according to The Blast. They also owe about $650,000 for the 2019 and 2020 tax years.
Cosby had hoped to return to stand-up comedy after his conviction was overturned in 2022, but it seems clubs are not wanting to work with the sexual deviant. [via RadarOnline, The Blast]
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CHICAGO is teaming up with EARTH, WIND & FIRE to bring back their Heart & Soul Tour for 2024.
The bands will make 30 stops from July 10 through September 7 across North America.
The two previously teamed up for a tour in 2004, followed by one in 2015. [via People]
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THE BEATLES have landed in the top 10 on this week’s Billboard’s singles chart with their song “Now and Then.”
The track, which features all four members, including the late JOHN LENNON and GEORGE HARRISON, landed at No. 7.
It is the band’s first time on the Hot 100 chart in almost 30 years.
Since its release on November 2, “Now and Then” has garnered over 11 million streams and 73,000 physical and digital sales. [via Variety]
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CASTING CALL
“The Office” star STEVE CARELL will make his Broadway debut in a revival of ANTON CHEKHOV’s “Uncle Vanya.”
Carell will star as the titular character, opposite actor WILLIAM JACKSON HARPER as Astrov and ALFRED MOLINA as Alexander Seravryakov.
“Uncle Vanya” follows a girl named Sonya and her uncle, as they manage the family farm in isolation. The pair are soon joined by her sick father and his wife, who upend their lives.
The production is set to open in April 2024. [via NY Times]
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“White Lotus” producers are wasting no time getting back to filming now that the actors’ strike is over. Just hours after a tentative agreement was announced the series started casting for its upcoming third installment.
Filming is tentatively set to begin in early February in Thailand.
So far only NATASHA ROTHWELL, who starred in Season 1, has been confirmed for the upcoming season. She will reprise her role as Belinda.
Season 3 of the hit HBO show is expected to debut in 2025, per creator MIKE WHITE. [via Deadline]
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A father and son were schooled on how to deal with their menopausal wife and mom during a recent episode of “The Drew Barrymore Show.”
On the show, which was dedicated to menopause, a family of three -- John, Dianne, and their teenage son, Luke -- were on hand to ask questions about the topic to OB/GYN Dr. Kameelah Phillips.
John kicked things off asking Dr. Phillips if she had any advice for how to “deal with Dianne’s unpredictable and irrational mood swings.”
Without missing a beat, she told John -- and Luke -- that she had three suggestions. First, when Dianne comes home from work the two men should give her some space. Next, she said they should establish a codeword, so John and Luke know when Dianne needs a moment and they are on their own. Lastly, Dr. Phillips said the two need to “offload some of [Dianne’s] responsibilities” in the home.
In response to her suggestions the mostly female crowd erupted in applause. [via Decider]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
BIANCA CENSORI’s friends have staged an intervention to help her “wake the [eff] up” when it comes to her relationship with YE.
According to the Daily Mail, those close to her believe she is “starting to see through the smoky mirrors of her marriage” and is “aware of [Ye’s] controlling ways.
The rumored intervention took place during Censori’s recent trip home to Australia while Ye was in Dubai with his eldest child, NORTH WEST. [via Daily Mail]
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KIM KARDASHIAN has been named GQ magazine’s “Tycoon of the Year.”
For the cover Kim wore an oversized suit jacket, pinstripe button-down shirt and a tie as she licked Cheetos dust from her thumb.
The honor is part of the magazine’s 2023 Men of the Year covers, which also features actor JACOB ELORDI and rapper TRAVIS SCOTT.
The reason Kim landed a cover is for her SKIMS men’s line. [via NY Post]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
In an Instagram tribute for his father’s birthday, PRINCE WILLIAM included a series of photos of him and the king – and carefully excluded his brother PRINCE HARRY from any images.
The move comes amid reports last week that KING CHARLES’ inner circle has been warned not to even mention “H and M” around the monarch during his birthday festivities. [via Instagram]
BUT WAIT: The BBC reports that Harry and Charles had a call scheduled for the King’s birthday – no word yet if it actually happened. [via BBC]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Raisin Bran Cereal Day
National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
World COPD Day
I Love to Write Day
National Philanthropy Day
National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day
National Educational Support Professionals day
GIS Day
National Recycling Day
National Drummer Day
National Bundt Day
Steve Irwin 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 would die in exile in Europe two 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 two.
The bomb was sent to Dr. James McConnell's house, disguised as a pile of papers. McConnell's research assistant opened the package, and 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” - 22
Karl-Anthony Towns - basketball player - 28
Paulo Dybala - soccer player - 30
Shailene Woodley - actress, “The Descendants” & “The Fault in Our Stars” - 32
B.o.B - rapper - 35
Winston Duke - actor, “Black Panther” & “Person of Interest” - 37
Lily Aldridge - model - 38
Sophia Di Martino - actress, “Loki” - 40
Sean Murray - actor, “NCIS” - 46
Chad Kroeger - rock singer, Nickelback - 49
Jonny Lee Miller - actor, “Hackers” & “Elementary” - 51
E-40 - rapper - 56
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)
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