Today is Tuesday, November 19, 2024.
It is the 324th day of the year.
42 days remain.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
There will be no newsletter on Thursday, November 28 or Friday, November 29 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
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WHAT’S ON TAP
A survey sheds light on American media habits and a budget airline files bankruptcy. Details in HIT LIST.
DIDDY gets raided again and LIAM PAYNE will be laid to rest this week. More in SHOWBIZ.
BEYONCE will perform at one of the NFL’s Christmas Day games and TIMOTHEE CHALAMET didn’t hold back when playing BOB DYLAN. Details in CASTING CALL.
KIM pushes back taking The Bar exam..again. More in KARDASH.
Investigators pursue crooks in a major robbery at Windsor. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
An undersea communications cable linking Germany and Finland went offline this week, leaving both countries, and the rest of Europe, wondering what happened.
Officials believe the cable was physically severed but have not publicly announced how it happened, though they’ve implicated Russia. In a joint statement, the nations’ foreign ministers said, "Our European security is not only under threat from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors."
The company that manages the cable, which runs for 730 miles between Helsinki and Rostock, Germany, said all fiber connections were cut. In a statement, the data company said, “These kinds of breaks don’t happen in these waters without outside impact.”
In the meantime, other cable routes have kept internet traffic in Finland and Germany running. [via BBC]
MEANWHILE: The Johan Sverdrup Oil Field, managed by Norway, went offline Monday after a power outage on shore. [via Reuters]
AND: BRITISH AIRWAYS experienced a massive IT failure Monday, stranding tens of thousands of passengers across Europe. The company’s website and app also reportedly experienced outages. [via The Independent]
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A recent study of 2,000 adults living in the U.S. found that only one in five plan to host friends and family for the first time ever this holiday season.
Commissioned by The Honey Baked Ham Company, the survey also found that 59% of respondents consider hosting a tradition of theirs, while an additional 41% prefer creating new traditions.
When it comes to food, most said they plan to serve a traditional Thanksgiving meal with turkey as the main course, while 49% said they prefer to eat ham.
As for being a perfect host, seven in 10 think keeping things informal is key, 73% think the “perfect” menu is important, and 60% want alternative food options to accommodate all guests. [via NY Post]
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In January, a federal judge blocked a proposed merger between SPIRIT AIRLINES and JETBLUE AIRWAYS, noting in his ruling that the consolidation would lessen competition in an already tight air travel market.
Now, Spirit has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The airline intends to continue operations and restructure its debt during the proceedings. As part of the process, Spirit says it will restructure $1.64 BILLION in debt and cut $800 MILLION.
Company reps say they expect to move through the bankruptcy process quickly. [via Axios]
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A Pew Research survey sheds light on how Americans consume news as traditional mainstream media outlets lose their influence.
About 20% say they get news from social media influencers. These influencers, who specifically promote news to their audiences, are concentrated on X, where 85% have profiles. About half are on Instagram and another 44% on Youtube.
Of these news influencers, 27% identify as right-leaning; 21% are left-leaning; the rest let you figure out where their bent is. Nearly two-thirds of all news influencers are men, and more than three-fourths have no affiliation with a formal news agency or organization. [via Pew Research]
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A piece of memorabilia connected to the Titanic disaster has sold for a record $2 MILLION.
Captain Arthur Rostron directed the RMS Carpathia to the site of the Titanic’s survivors, where it scooped up some-700 people shivering in lifeboats. As a token of gratitude, three widows of wealthy men who died in the disaster, including the late wife of business tycoon John Jacob Astor, gifted Rostron an 18-carat gold Tiffany & Co. watch.
The auction house facilitating the sale of Rostron’s watch says an anonymous American buyer now owns it. The watch includes an inscription that reads, “with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors.”
In April, a pocket watch belonging to Astor, who was the wealthiest passenger on the Titanic, and one of the richest men in the world, sold for a then-record $1.5 MILLION.
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DEATHS
Actor PAUL TEAL has died.
He passed away on November 15 after a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, according to a statement from his partner.
Teal most notably appeared on the WB drama series “One Tree Hill.”
He was only 35.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 55 points (0.13%) to close at 43,389 on Monday. The S&P increased 23 points (0.39%) to close at 5,893 and the NASDAQ increased 111 points (0.6%) to close at 18,791.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $69; BRENT CRUDE at $73.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.07 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN rebounded Monday, up over 2% and trading around $92,000.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $420 million jackpot or a $191.7 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
SEAN COMBS’ jail cell was raided by federal agents, who seized, what his lawyers are calling, privileged materials, including notes about his forthcoming trial.
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilio, said Monday that the search and seizure violates his client’s Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights, and is demanding a hearing to get to the bottom of the whole ordeal. [via TMZ]
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LIAM PAYNE will be laid to rest this week in his hometown of Wolverhampton.
The Mirror reports that contrary to initial reporting, the funeral will be private and limited to those in his personal life -- except for his manager Rogelio Roger Nores.
According to insiders, Nores is not welcome as he is currently under investigation for his role in Payne’s passing last month. [via The Mirror]
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STEPHEN KING is releasing a new thriller, titled “Never Flinch,” next year.
The novel features intertwining storylines -- one about a killer on a revenge mission and another about a vigilante stalking a feminist celebrity speaker.
Several characters from previous works appear in the book, as well as a slew of new faces.
“Never Flinch” hits shelves on May 27. [via Bloody Disgusting]
SPEAKING OF KING: The author announced in November he was abandoning his X account and his 7 MILLION-plus followers, saying in a post that “the atmosphere has just become too toxic.” He’ll be posting on competing platform Threads in the meantime.
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On Monday’s “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, married co-hosts JOE SCARBOROUGH and MIKA BRZEZINSKI said they paid a visit to President-elect DONALD TRUMP at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend.
Before Trump won the 2016 election, the pair were frequent guests at the resort and friends with Trump. In the ensuing years, they became vocal critics. In the closing weeks of this year’s election, they openly compared Trump and his supporters to Nazis. Multiple White House insiders have said their morning show is essential watching for President JOE BIDEN.
Now, they say they want to communicate with Trump again. “Joe and I realized it’s time to do something different and that starts with not only talking about Donald Trump, but talking to him,” Brzezinski said. [via Morning Joe]
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TAYLOR STRECKER, host of the “Taste of Taylor” podcast, doesn’t think BRITTANY MAHOMES is “worthy” of being friends with TAYLOR SWIFT.
While Strecker doesn’t exactly say what her issue with Mahomes is, she does go off about her fashion choices, telling listeners, “Everything she wears, it’s like she’s trying to infuriate me specifically.”
To be fair, Strecker, a self-proclaimed Swiftie, says she’s also “not worthy of a friendship with” the singer. [via Page Six]
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BOBBY PORTIS is the latest athlete to be the victim of a home invasion.
The Milwaukee Bucks player posted a video on his social media, telling followers that his home was burglarized earlier this month while he was “at work” playing a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also offered $40,000 cash for any information or tips that lead to the return of his “prized possessions.”.
Portis has lived in the Milwaukee-area and played for the Bucks organization for four-and-a-half seasons. [via Instagram]
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LYLE and ERIK MENENDEZ have big plans should they be released from prison.
Radar Online reports that the brothers plan to launch a counseling business, as they have been working with victims of sexual trauma behind bars.
Remember, Lyle and Erik’s main defense was that they had been sexually abused by their father.
While behind bars, both have also earned multiple college degrees, been mentors in college programs, and even worked as hospice care for elderly prisoners.
A resentencing hearing for the brothers is scheduled for next month. [via Radar Online]
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CASTING CALL
BEYONCE will perform at halftime of the Houston Texans-Baltimore Ravens game on Christmas Day.
The performance will be the first time fans get to hear songs live from her “Cowboy Carter” album.
Netflix, which is airing the game, hinted that the Houston native could bring along some “special guests” who are featured on the album. [via NY Post]
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The lineup for this year’s Rockefeller Center’s Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony includes THE BACKSTREET BOYS, DAN + SHAY, JENNIFER HUDSON, LITTLE BIG TOWN, and more.
KELLY CLARKSON will host for the second year in a row.
“Christmas in Rockefeller Center” premieres on December 4 on NBC. [via People]
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TIMOTHEE CHALAMET went all in for his role as BOB DYLAN in the forthcoming biopic, “A Complete Unknown.”
He opened up to Rolling Stone about his dedication to the role, saying the only way to do it right was to do all the singing and guitar playing himself.
The biopic hits theaters this Christmas. [via Rolling Stone]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN is pushing back her plans to take the Bar Exam to 2026 after insiders say she has not been hitting the books the past few months.
“She’s barely gotten through 20% of the coursework,” one source revealed.
In the meantime, Kim will play a lawyer in RYAN MURPHY’s new Hulu drama, “All’s Fair.” [via The Sun]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Two masked men scaled a six foot fence to steal two vehicles from the Windsor Estate last week.
The criminals entered a barn on the property, hijacked the vehicles, then smashed through a security gate in the stolen Isuzu pickup truck with a quad bike close behind. The Royal Family commonly use that same gate to enter and leave the property.
While KING CHARLES and QUEEN CAMILLA were not on site, it’s believed PRINCE WILLIAM and his family were sleeping inside Adelaide Cottage on the property when it happened.
While no suspects have been named, officials believe the crooks extensively cased the area to determine when was the best time to strike. [via The Sun]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
World Toilet Day
Entrepreneurs’ Day
International Men’s Day
Have a Bad Day Day
National Kentucky Day
National Working Daughters Day
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day
National Play Monopoly Day
National Camp Day
National Carbonated Beverage With Caffeine Day
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ON THIS DATE
1863 - President Lincoln dedicates the military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Just shy of 300 words, the famous address memorialized those who had died in battle and why the Union must fight to preserve itself.
Four months earlier, more than 45,000 were killed, injured, captured or missing following three days of bloody fighting. With the subsequent Union victory, Lee was forced to retreat, and never again made a significant punch into Union territory.
On the day of the speech, the crowd that gathered first heard a two-hour speech from Edward Everett, a politician and diplomat.
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1985 - President Reagan meets with Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva, Switzerland.
The encounter marked their first summit as leaders, and the first between the American and Soviet leaders in more than eight years.
While no significant policy emerged from the discussion, the men quickly struck up a personal friendship that endured as the Soviet Union eventually collapsed.
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1996 - The longest bridge to span ice-covered water in the world is completed in Canada.
The Confederation Bridge spans just over eight miles, supported by piers 250 meters apart. It would open to the public the following May, after extensive testing and maintenance.
The bridge is not a straight shot across water. Instead it is curved, helping drivers to see traffic ahead of them.
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1998 - Kenneth Starr first presents his case against Bill Clinton to the House Judiciary Committee.
The presentation was the beginning of the end of a $45 million investigation into accusations that the President lied about real estate investments, then expanded into his affair in the White House.
Bill Clinton would eventually be acquitted by the Senate.
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2003 - Santa Barbara County police issue an arrest warrant for Michael Jackson.
It followed an accusation of child molestation against the pop icon, who was increasingly becoming a public freakshow in the tabloids. His image wasn't helped by an interview feature conducted by Martin Bashir, whose crew had unprecedented and tremendous access to Jackson and his family. Jackson's admission on camera to sleeping in bed with other children triggered the investigation into his illicit behavior.
In early 2005 his case would go to trial, and Jackson would be acquitted. Following the trial, Jackson and his family would relocate to Bahrain, only to return in 2006.
Jackson would later die in 2009 of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication at his home in Los Angeles.
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2018 - The LA Rams beat the Kansas City Chiefs 54-51 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
It was the first time two teams scored more than 50 points in the same game and the third highest scoring game in NFL history.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw six touchdown passes, which is the most in “Monday Night Football” history.”
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BIRTHDAYS
Carson Beck - football player - 22
Larsen Thompson - actress, “The Midnight Club” - 24
Fred Warner - football player - 28
Tyga - rapper - 35
Patrick Kane - hockey player - 36
Adam Driver - actor, “Girls” & “BlacKkKlasman” - 41
Jack Dorsey - co-founder of Twitter - 48
Buckshot - rapper - 50
Jodie Foster - actress, “Taxi Driver” & “Silence of the Lambs” - 62
Meg Ryan - actress, “Sleepless in Seattle” & “You’ve Got Mail” - 63
Allison Janney - actress, “I, Tonya” & “Mom” - 65
Calvin Klein - fashion designer - 82
Born On This Date
Larry King - TV show host, “Larry King Live” - 1933 (d. 2021)
James A. Garfield - 20th POTUS - 1831 (d. 1881)
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