1/12/2024: Bulldog Bandits!
PLUS: Chaos in Ecuador; Gomez Returns to the ‘Gram; and Prince Harry, “Legend” of Aviation
Today is Friday, January 12, 2024.
It is the 12th day of the year.
354 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A rental company downsizes its EV fleet and an inexplicably popular gum brand closes its doors. Details in HIT LIST.
LISA MARIE PRESLEY’s posthumous memoir will hit shelves this fall and PETE DAVIDSON pays his “R-E-S-P-E-C-Ts” in a new Netflix special. Find out more in SHOWBIZ.
JOY BEHAR turned down a role in “Ted Lasso” and a highly-anticipated film gets delayed. More in CASTING CALL.
More legal trouble for YE. Details in KARDASH.
PRINCE HARRY to receive an odd award. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Ecuador remains in chaos days into the government’s war with gangs, sparked as kingpin JOSÉ “FITO” VILLAMAR disappeared from prison over the weekend.
As the manhunt to find Fito continues, President of Ecuador DANIEL NABOA announced new high-security prison facilities for gang leaders. In a recorded message sent to media outlets, Naboa said that the current prisons were run by “mafias” and new facilities would help ebb their influence.
MEANWHILE: In the country’s capital, officers are investigating a nightclub arson that killed two people and officials cleared a crowded public gathering spot following a bomb threat. Fortunately, the suspicious backpack alleged to contain a bomb was empty – but followed a day on Wednesday with five legitimate bombs that caused minor damage but no injuries, the AP reports. [via Associated Press]
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Americans aren’t buying electric vehicles at the pace some had hoped; they’re not renting them, either.
Rental company HERTZ is selling 20,000 EVs this quarter – and using the revenue to buy cars that run on gas.
The company noted in a regulatory filing that high depreciation costs and damage to the EV fleet incurred $245 MILLION in costs.
BUT WAIT: If you are in the market for a snazzy new-to-you EV, you can shop for one of Hertz’s old fleet here > [via The Verge]
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Candy company HARIBO earned a Guinness World Record for the largest gummy candy mosaic on Wednesday.
Staff and volunteers laid out an estimated 150,000 gummy bears to create an image of Haribo’s mascot “Goldbear.” By the end of the project, the design measured 350 square feet, laid out on the gym floor of UW-Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The feat bested the previous record, around 269 square feet. [via CBS58, UPI]
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A Las Vegas-area couple who bought a pair of French bulldogs for $2,500 each, say a group of bandits stole their pooches at gunpoint.
Local media is keeping the owners’ identities secret for privacy’s sake. One of the owners says their brother was walking the dogs when two men jumped out of a pickup truck and demanded he hand them over. Three other accomplices then got out of the vehicle, and at least one held a gun. The owner’s brother was knocked to the ground and the bandits fled.
No word yet on leads or suspects – just a warning for other dog owners. [via Fox 5 Vegas]
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END OF AN ERA: Get your Fruit Stripe Gum while it lasts. Ferrara Candy, the manufacturer behind the quick-to-lose-flavor gum, announced this week the “difficult decision” to “sunset Fruit Stripe Gum.”
The gum came in five flavors -- Wet n’ Wild Melon, Cherry, Lemon, Orange, and Peach Smash. Each stick also contained a temporary tattoo of Yipes, the zebra mascot.
Millennials shared their despair over the news on social media, with one user writing, “Fruit Stripe has Fallen,” while another asked for “A moment of silence for the moment of flavor,” mocking the gum’s short-lived flavor.
James Parker invented Fruit Stripe in 1969. Various companies including Nabisco and Hershey owned the brand over the years, before landing at Ferrara. Yipes, the zebra mascot, first appeared in the 1980s. [via Food&Wine]
BABY NEWS
“Bachelor” host JESSE PALMER has welcomed his first baby, a daughter named Ella Reine Palmer, with wife EMELY FARDO.
The pair shared the news of the arrival on Instagram.
No details about the birth were shared.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 15 points (0.04%) to close at 37,711 on Thursday. The S&P lost 3 points (0.06%) to close at 4,780 and the NASDAQ was flat, closing at 14,970.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $72; BRENT CRUDE at $78.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.07 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN dipped about 0.9% to trade around $46,230 by Thursday evening.
🛩 There were more than 3,470 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 500 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $187 million jackpot or a $91 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $77 million jackpot or a $38.2 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music Friday
21 Savage, “American Dream”
The Clamps, “Megamouth”
Hannah Wicklund, “The Prize”
Magnum, “Here Comes the Rain”
Russell / Guns, “Medusa”
RYUJIN, “RYUJIN”
Vacations, “No Place Like Home”
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One day after PAT MCAFEE said AARON RODGERS will no longer appear on his show, he did just that.
Rodgers had been booted from the show after comments he made -- in a joking manner -- about JIMMY KIMMEL’s name being on the now infamous “Epstein List.” Taking offense, Kimmel shared his thoughts in a seven-minute monologue on his late night show, and demanded an apology from the Jets QB.
While no apology came from Rodgers, McAfee had apologized for his show being the platform on which the comments were made and in an effort to make things right, booted Rodgers from his weekly appearances for the remainder of the NFL season.
Then on Thursday, Rodgers was back to discuss BILL BELICHICK and the New England Patriots parting ways.
When questioned, McAfee said that he never said Rodgers would “never be on the show again,” and that he will “make random surprise welcomed pop ins during big events or offseason adventures.” [via NY Post]
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SELENA GOMEZ’s social media hiatus was short-lived.
Less than 20 hours after telling followers that she was taking a break, she returned to the app, posting a photo of her standing next to celebrity chef GORDON RAMSAY.
The caption read, “@gordongram stepped into my kitchen and showed me how to make an amazing Breakfast Burger.”
Sometimes it’s just too hard to stay away from the ‘gram. [via Instagram]
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Random House will publish LISA MARIE PRESLEY’s posthumous memoir this fall.
Her eldest daughter, actress RILEY KEOUGH, will help complete the book, telling Page Six that she is “excited” to tell her mom’s story, adding that “few people had the opportunity to know who [she] really was, other than being Elvis’s daughter.”
An audio version will be read by Keough, and will feature excerpts from Lisa Marie’s taped recollections.
The memoir is due out October 15. [via Page Six]
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ELTON JOHN is auctioning off some personal items from his Georgia condo, including a diamond necklace that says “The Bitch Is Back,” performance-worn personalized silver platform boots, a grand piano, clothing, an 18K gold watch and several pieces of artwork.
The exhibit, dubbed “The Collection of Sir Elton John: Goodbye Peachtree Road,” will kick off next month at Christie’s in New York.
John sold the Georgia pad last fall for more than $7 million. [via TMZ]
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BRITNEY SPEARS’ memoir, “The Woman in Me,” has sold over two million copies nationally.
That figure includes hardcover, audiobook, and ebook formats.
Spears acknowledged the milestone, thanking fans for supporting her story.
The book hit 1 million copies sold in its first week of release last October. [via People]
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In his new Netflix special, PETE DAVIDSON admits to taking ketamine before attending a memorial service for ARETHA FRANKLIN, alongside his then-fiance ARIANA GRANDE.
“That’s not cool, you know? I have to live with that. [Aretha] will never know, but still, that’s not the point. You know what I mean?” Davidson shared.
Making things even more cringy, Davidson said he went up to Aretha’s family and said, “Hey, I’m just here to pay my R-E-S-P-E-C-Ts.”
For more revelations, check out “Pete Davidson: Turbo Fonzarelli” on Netflix. [via Billboard]
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CASTING CALL
JEREMY RENNER returned to the set of “Mayor of Kingstown” for the first time since his near-fatal snow plow accident.
“Day one on set … nervous today,” Renner captioned a snapshot of him on set this week.
Paramount+ also posted about production resuming on the third season of the series, which follows “the McLusky family, power brokers in Kingstown, Michigan, where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry.”
No word on a premiere date. [via People]
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The long-awaited release of the film adaptation of COLLEEN HOOVER’s best-selling novel “It Ends With Us” is being pushed back from February to June.
The movie, starring BLAKE LIVELY and JUSTIN BALDONI has been on CoHo fans’ radar since last year when photos from set first leaked.
The story follows a girl named Lily Bloom (Lively), who moves to Boston with dreams of opening up a flower shop. Baldoni plays Lily’s love interest, neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid. [via The Wrap]
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JOY BEHAR turned down the role of playing JASON SUDEIKIS’ mom on Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” because the weather in London -- where filming took place -- is too warm.
“There was a heat wave going on at the time, like, 100-degree weather, and I’d have to get on a plane and go in the middle of the heat? No,” she told Brian Teta, producer of “The View” on the show’s “Behind the Table” podcast.
Teta shared his disappointment over the revelation, calling “Ted Lasso” the “hottest show on TV,” to which Behar quickly shutdown, saying, “it was not the hottest show on TV.”
WORTH NOTING: Actress BECKY ANN BAKER ended up playing Dottie Lasso and received an Emmy nomination for the role. [via NY Post]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE is being sued by a fan who claims he was assaulted by the rapper after asking for a photo.
According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Justin Poplawski filed a lawsuit this week accusing Ye of assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and loss of consortium.
The incident reportedly took place on January 13, 2023, near the Soho Warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. Poplaski, a self-described “well-respected autograph dealer,” claims after he approached Ye, the rapper started shouting, “I’m going to make a [effing] example of you” and said something about his “[effing] divorce” from KIM KARDASHIAN before throwing the two punches.
An investigation into the assault was opened, though the L.A. City Attorney’s Office later decided against charging Ye with any crime, saying there was not sufficient evidence.
It is unclear how much Poplaski is seeking in damages. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
The Living Legends of Aviation Hall of Fame inducts people from around the world who have contributed to advancements in aerospace science and technology. This year's Hall of Fame inductees include BUZZ ALDRIN and NEIL ARMSTRONG – and PRINCE HARRY.
WORTH ASKING: Huh?
As British journalist ANGELA LEVIN points out on X: “Harry flew for 20 weeks in Afghanistan. Surely not enough to have a Living Legends of Aviation award.”
No kidding – and certainly not next to the first men to walk on the moon. [via Express]
DAY OF THE YEAR
Work Harder Day
National Pharmacist Day
National Marzipan Day
National Youth Day
National Hot Tea Day
National Curried Chicken Day
Kiss a Ginger Day
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ON THIS DATE
1879 - The British-Zulu war begins, after British troops attack the African republic of Natal.
The war was part of Britain's ongoing land conquests, even well into the 19th century.
During the fighting, thousands of British soldiers died, but the Crown ultimately took over and annexed Zululand. The land later became part of South Africa.
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1904 - Henry Ford sets a land-speed record of 91.37 mph on the frozen surface of Michigan's Lake St. Clair.
He was driving a four-wheel vehicle, dubbed the "999," which was made out of wood and lacked a body and hood.
The stunt helped drive sales of the automobiles churned out of Ford's newly-founded factories. In time, Ford would become an iconic American carmaker.
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1926 - The predecessor to "Amos 'n' Andy" debuts on WGN radio in Chicago. It was first called “Sam n Henry,” but after the rebranding, it was one of the more common radio programs in the country.
Freeman Gosden and Charles Carrell voiced the titular characters. They were white men imitating black men on the air -- in fact, they were discovered after doing a blackface routine on stage in Chicago.
In 1951, the show would head to TV, but blackface performing had become wildly taboo, so black men portrayed the characters. The NAACP rightly criticized the show for wrongly portraying unfair racial stereotypes.
The show would be canceled in 1953.
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1943 - Soviet soldiers break the German lines holding Leningrad, which the Nazis had held for more than a year.
Opening up the line allowed for more supplies and resources for the beleaguered troops.
By January 27, the Germans were pushed west, out of Leningrad.
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1981 - TV show "Dynasty" appears on ABC.
The first episode was actually a three hour movie, which was spun off into a TV show.
By the end of the '80s, the show’s ratings would tank, and it would be canceled, even with complicated storylines left wide open.
Ten years later, ABC would produce and air a two-part “Dynasty” movie to give its fans some closure.
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1995 - OJ Simpson’s murder trial begins in Los Angeles.
The former NFL all-star was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.
His good friend, attorney Robert Kardashian, served on his defense team.
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2004 - The world’s largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.
Queen Elizabeth II named the ship after the first RMS Queen Mary of 1936.
At the time of her construction, Queen Mary 2 was the longest (1 million feet) and the largest (148k GT) passenger ship ever built.
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2017 - President Barack Obama surprises VP Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Obama called the former longtime Delaware senator “the best Vice President America’s ever had.”
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2019 - Missy Eliott is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
She is the first female rapper to land the honor.
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BIRTHDAYS
Nathan Gamble - actor, “Dolphin Tale” - 26
Zayn Malik - pop singer - 31
Raquel Rodriguez - wrestler - 33
Jana Duggar - reality star, “19 Kids & Counting” - 34
Deena Nicole Cortese - reality star, “Jersey Shore” - 37
Issa Rae - actress, “Insecure” & “Little” - 39
Jeremy Camp - rock singer - 46
Melania Chisholm - pop singer, Spice Girls - 50
Toto Wolff - race car driver - 52
Rachael Harris - actress, “New Girl” - 56
Rob Zombie - metal singer, White Zombie - 59
Jeff Bezos - entrepreneur, Amazon & Blue Origin - 60
Howard Stern - radio host - 70
Born On This Date
Nata Rivera - actress, “Glee” - 1987 (d. 2020)
Kirstie Alley - actress, “Cheers” - 1951 (d. 2022)
Joe Frazier - boxer - 1944 (d. 2011)
Tim Horton - hockey player - 1930 (d. 1974)
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