11/23/2022: “Top Gun: Maverick” Heads to Streamer
PLUS: Americans Are Packing Heat; House Dems to Get Trump Taxes; and World Cup Upset
Today is Wednesday, November 23, 2022.
It is the 327th day of the year.
38 days remain.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
There will be no newsletter on Thursday or Friday this week during the Thanksgiving holiday.
TRENDING
Argentina landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends Tuesday as the country’s soccer team took on Saudi Arabia in the World Cup. More on the match in Sports.
#JFKAssassination was trending as Twitter users remembered the late President Kennedy on the 59th anniversary of his assassination.
Dr. Fauci was trending as he made his final appearance in the White House on Tuesday. Twitter was a mix of those praising the doctor and those mocking him. Several retweeted Daily Caller reporter Diana Glebova’s tweet asking why she was called “disrespectful” and ignored after asking Fauci about the origin of COVID-19.
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HIT LIST
Amid SAM BANKMAN-FRIED’s luxury real estate buying spree, he also had an eye on buying Twitter for himself earlier this year, news startup “Semafor” reports – while also disclosing that SBF is an investor in that very news site.
The disgraced Democrat megadonor already had roughly $100 million worth of Twitter stock, and with buzz about ELON MUSK wanting to take the site, was interested in joining Musk’s bid – with an offer through intermediaries to contribute up to $10 billion worth of investment.
WORTH ASKING, AS AN ASIDE: Would that $10 billion have been backed by SBF’s own now-worthless cryptocurrency? Seems like a dodged bullet.
ANYWAY: SBF’s $100 million stake rolled over and he’s a small stakeholder in Elon’s new Twitter.
MEANWHILE: The new executive team brought in to manage the bankruptcy reports they’ve discovered another $400 million in cash holdings in subsidiary Alameda Research. That such giant sums of money continue to be uncovered speaks to the catastrophic absence of adequate accounting done by the horny, drug-addled twentysomethings running the operation. Lawyers say there’s still a lot more assets to eventually be uncovered.
WORTH NOTING: With the company in bankruptcy, the more cash that an audit finds, the more creditors will be made whole, at least in part.
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The man who crashed his SUV into an Apple store in Massachusetts on Monday morning has pleaded not guilty to homicide and reckless endangerment charges.
BRADLEY REIN said it was all a tragic accident: his right foot got stuck on the accelerator and the brakes suddenly malfunctioned, causing him to crash into the storefront.
One person is dead and another 19 injured.
Rein had no alcohol or drugs in his system and no reported medical issues; he was also wearing tennis shoes at the time of the accident.
He’s held on bail and awaiting a follow-up hearing on December 22.
MEANWHILE: A man in South Carolina drove his car into a Wendy’s killing one woman Tuesday afternoon.
The victim’s husband was apparently only spared because he got up for a soda refill at the moment of the crash.
Local news reports indicate the driver was elderly and the incident remains under investigation.
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A 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook off the coast of Baja California Tuesday morning.
People on land nearby reported feeling the ground shake, but no significant wave or tsunami warning was issued.
No one was injured.
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Thieves in Germany managed to get away with “a huge horde” of gold coins that are more than 2,000 years old, the Associated Press reports.
The ancient coins were held at the Celtic and Roman Museum in Manching, about 37 miles north of Munich.
Curators say the 483 coins are worth several million dollars. Altogether, they weigh just shy of nine pounds.
Police have not yet announced whether they’re pursuing any leads.
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More Americans have been packing heat in recent years.
A University of Washington study shows that by 2019, 16 million adults were legally carrying a loaded handgun at some point during the year – up from nine million in 2015.
Of those 16 million, six million say they carried daily.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow added 397 points (1.18%) on Tuesday to close at 34,098. The S&P added 53 points (1.36%) to close at 4,003 and the Nasdaq added 149 points (1.36%) to close at 11,174.
🛢 West Texas Intermediate closed at $81 on Tuesday; Brent Crude at $88.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.63 on Tuesday.
₿ Bitcoin had an afternoon surge Tuesday, picking up $350 in value and trading over $16,100.
🛩 There were 2,155 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and 43 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
Top 5 Fiction & Nonfiction Books Currently on the New York Times Best Sellers List:
FICTION:
“It Starts With Us,” Colleen Hoover
“Desert Star, “Michael Connelly
“It Ends With Us,” Colleen Hoover
“The Boys From Biloxi,” John Grisham
“Verity,” Colleen Hoover
NON-FICTION
“Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing,” Matthew Perry
“I’m Glad My Mom Died,” Jennette McCurdy
“Surrender,” Bono
“The Body Keeps The Score,” Bessel van der Kolk
“And There Was Light,” Jon Meacham
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DEATHS
Business titan MICHAEL ARMAND HAMMER has died.
He passed away Sunday, according to sources close to the family, who told TMZ that he had been battling cancer.
Hammer, the father of disgraced actor ARMIE HAMMER, was 67.
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MICKEY KUHN, the last surviving cast member from 1939’s “Gone With The Wind,” has died.
He passed away Sunday at a hospice facility in Naples, Florida, according to a Facebook post.
He was 90.
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THE SWAMP
The Supreme Court will not stop the House Ways and Means Committee from getting its hands on former President DONALD TRUMP’s tax returns – which they’ve been after since 2019.
The Court’s declaration was unsigned and did not note any dissent or legal rationale behind the decision.
Now, the Treasury Department will be compelled to provide them to the investigative committee.
WORTH NOTING: The Treasury Department is actively withholding documents that connect HUNTER BIDEN and JAMES BIDEN, the son and brother of the President of the United States, to international pay-for-play crimes, tax crimes, and human trafficking crimes.
BUT WAIT: With just over 40 days until House Republicans take control, expect these returns to leak like a sieve before any Democrat investigators can publish anything meaningful.
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The Biden White House announced yet another pause to federal student loan debt payments. This time they say it’ll extend until no later than the end of June next year.
The move comes as his blanket forgiveness initiative awaits a hearing and decision by the Supreme Court.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Monday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $30 million jackpot or a $15.3 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
SAVANNAH CHRISLEY will have custody of her 16-year-old brother Grayson and 10-year-old niece Chloe as her parents serve their prison sentences.
As reported yesterday, reality stars TODD and JULIE CHRISLEY were sentenced to a combined total of 19 years plus 16 months of probation each for bank fraud and tax evasion.
Savannah discussed the arrangement on the latest episode of the “Unlocked” podcast.
MEANWHILE: The future of the family’s show “Chrisley Knows Best” is up in the air following their sentencing.
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JAY LENO was spotted yesterday driving to his garage in Burbank -- the same one where he suffered severe burns less than two weeks ago.
When asked by photogs how he is doing, he replied “Hangin’ in! Everything’s fine -- everything’s good.”
He also revealed that he plans to perform at the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, California on Sunday evening.
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NATALIA BRYANT, the 19-year-old daughter of the late KOBE BRYANT, filed documents for a restraining order against her stalker, 32-year-old DWAYNE KEMP.
In court documents, obtained by TMZ, Natalia says Kemp is under a delusion that they have a romantic relationship, despite never meeting. She says he has done everything he can to find her and she is living in constant fear.
Insiders told TMZ that Kemp has shown up to her USC sorority house and even attended one of her classes.
IT GETS WORSE: Kemp has reportedly been arrested and/or convicted of at least four crimes, one of which involved firearms.
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In a recent interview on the “Ivan Paychecks” podcast, CHET HANKS recalled his parents -- TOM HANKS and RITA WILSON -- sending him to a wilderness program for troubled teens.
Chet opened about his past addiction issues, which led to his parents sending him to the “middle of nowhere Utah” where he lived “without a roof over” his head and spent the days doing manual labor.
He said the whole experience made him “find God and peace in solitude.”
Now, one year sober, Chet is a fitness influencer.
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ICE CUBE confirmed that his exit from Sony’s “Oh Hell No” was due to his refusal to comply with a requirement that he get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I turned down the movie because I didn’t want to get the [mother-effing] jab. I turned down $9 million because I didn’t want to get the jab,” he told the hosts of the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast.
He later clarified that he didn’t turn down the job, but was “forced out” when he declined to get vaccinated.
WORTH NOTING: The film’s status at this time is currently unknown.
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A group of kidney specialists in Spain have a new theory about what may have killed martial arts icon and actor BRUCE LEE nearly 50 years ago.
The team of researchers think that he may have died from his “kidney’s inability to excrete excess water” and not cerebral oedema (swelling of the brain), which was the ruling at the time.
Their idea is based on Lee having “multiple risk factors for hyponatremia” aka abnormally low sodium concentration in one’s blood. In their research, they cited his “chronic fluid intake, use of marijuana” and other factors that may have interfered with his kidney’s function, such as “prescription drugs, alcohol intake and a history of injuries to major organs.”
The study has been published in the December 2022 edition of the Clinical Kidney Journal.
The abruptness of Lee’s death has been a matter of speculation for decades, with some fans believing he was assassinated.
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A fan hoping to get on stage with the Black Crowes got more than he bargained for.
During their concert in Melbourne, Australia over the weekend, a man jumped up from the front row and sprinted toward lead singer CHRIS ROBINSON.
As security guards reached him, he tried fighting them off, prompting guitarist RICH ROBINSON to use his instrument to smash the guy in the neck. Chris also jumped in, using his mic stand to help push the guy back.
The jumper fell back into the crowd where he was grabbed by security guards and thrown out of the venue.
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CASTING CALL
“Top Gun: Maverick” -- the top grossing film of 2022 -- is heading to Paramount+.
The film, starring TOM CRUISE, will be available to stream on Thursday, December 22.
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Season three of “Dead to Me” grossed 30.3 million hours of viewing in its first four days on Netflix, coming in at No. 4 on the streamer’s Top 10 for the week.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s royal drama, “The Crown,” holds onto its reign at the top with another 84.3 million hours viewed in its second week. Add that to the 107.4 million hours from the first week and the show has over 191.7 million hours viewed since its release on November 9.
No. 2 - “1899” (79.3 million hours)
No. 3 - “Manifest” Season 4 (35.7 million hours)
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Hallmark Channel’s “Three Wise Men and a Baby” has become the most-watched movie of the year (so far) on ad-supported cable in key demographics.
According to Nielsen, the film, which premiered on November 19 as part of the network’s Countdown to Christmas, averaged 3.6 million viewers.
The movie stars ANDREW WALKER, TYLER HYNES and PAUL CAMPBELL as three brothers who find themselves caring for a baby that was left at a firehouse. The movie also features MARGARET COLIN, who starred in the 1987 flick “Three Men and a Baby.”
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KANYE WEST skipped a scheduled deposition in his divorce from KIM KARDASHIAN last week.
According to court documents, Ye “did not appear” for the initial meeting, but has been given another opportunity by Kim’s attorney LAURA WASSER for next week. If he fails to show up for that one, he may not be allowed to offer any testimony which will be heard by the judge before their trial begins.
The exes are still in settlement negotiations, but are hoping to have it all figured out before their trial on December 14, according to Page Six.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
On this week’s episode of MEGHAN MARKLE’s “Archetypes” podcast, she discusses the idea that women are “vilified” for exploring their sexuality, while men get praised for it.
“A man, if he is a player, out having fun or what he’s doing, it’s often celebrated. Even heralded,” she explained. “But for a woman [...] no matter how successful [...] someone will still go, ‘But she was such a slut in college.’”
Her husband PRINCE HARRY may be a prime example of this. Many may recall he was quite the “player” in his younger years, and now appears to be a happily married, wholesome individual.
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SPORTS
CRISTIANO RONALDO and Manchester United have parted ways.
The soccer club made the announcement Tuesday, thanking Ronaldo for his “immense contribution” to the team.
The move comes a week after the star player told PIERS MORGAN he felt “betrayed” by coach ERIK TEN HAG and the Man U organization.
Later in the day Ronaldo addressed the news calling the decision “mutual” and wishing his team “every success for the remainder of the season.”
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Saudi Arabia beat Argentina 2-1 Tuesday in a major World Cup upset.
Argentina is considered one of the top three teams in the tournament, with many selecting them to win the whole shebang. Saudi Arabia has been regarded as one of the worst teams.
Argentina will play Mexico on Saturday and Saudi Arabia will take on Poland on Sunday.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Espresso Day
Fibonacci Day
National Jukebox Day
National Eat A Cranberry Day
National Cashew Day
National Tie One On Day
DrinksGiving
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ON THIS DATE
1876 - Boss Tweed is surrendered to authorities in New York, after being captured in Spain.
The corrupt power broker was known for buying votes and bribing judges for the gain of the New York City Democratic Party. Much of his power was undone by Thomas Nast, the famous Harper's Weekly cartoonist who constantly mocked Tweed.
As Tweed's cronies were swept out of office and sent to prison, Tweed himself escaped to Spain.
Spanish police arrested him -- based on the depictions in Thomas Nast's cartoons.
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1936 - Iconic American magazine “Life” is first published.
Its cover features a photo of the Fort Peck Dam, taken by Margaret Bourke-White.
Though it had started in an earlier incarnation as a humor and satire magazine, “Life” was bought by Henry Luce and rebooted. Issues featured large pictorial spreads and scenery and pictures of celebrities.
Luce was also the publisher of Time.
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1940 - Romania throws in with the bad guys of World War II.
With the signing of the Tripartite Pact, it became an ally of Germany, Italy, and Japan.
With fascist influence spreading throughout Europe, throwing in with the axis powers seemed a method of survival.
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1948 - The first patent is granted for a zooming lens for television cameras.
F.G. Back received the patent for his "varifocal lens for cameras." It could be adjusted to make close-ups or distance shots without having to physically reposition the camera.
The first zoom transitions weren't smooth -- but as with all technology, this was eventually refined.
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1976 - Jacques Mayol descends 101 meters beneath the sea near Elba, Italy.
He was assisted only by a weighted sled to get to that depth. He later broke that record in 1983 -- reaching a depth of 105 meters.
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1981 - Ronald Reagan signs a secret document that would allow the CIA authority to amass an army of Nicaraguan rebels to take down the Sandinista government.
National Security Decision Directive 17 allocated $19 million to the project.
The mission would eventually gain public scrutiny when it was discovered that the US was able to support the overthrow of the Sandinistas by selling weapons to Iran, and secretly funneling the money to South America.
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1991 - Freddie Mercury confirms he has AIDS, just one day before his death.
He was 45-years-old.
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2018 – Phil Mickelson claims the $9 million winner-takes-all prize in a golf match with Tiger Woods.
The pair ended up finishing the dramatic duel under floodlights in Las Vegas.
On the 22nd hole, Mickelson sinks a 4-foot putt for the victory.
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2020 - Charli D’Amelio becomes the first person to hit 100 million followers on TikTok.
She went from 10 years of competitive dancing to lip syncing her way to fame on the video-sharing platform.
She would hold the title as most-followed TikToker until July 2022.
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BIRTHDAYS
Lonnie Chavis - actor, “This Is Us” - 15
Bradley Steven Perry - actor, “Good Luck Charlie” - 24
Lia Marie Johnson - actress, “The Unit” & “Expelled” - 26
Tyler Wade - baseball player - 28
Miley Cyrus - pop singer - 30
Damien Haas - actor, “So Random!” - 32
Snooki - reality star, Jersey Shore - 35
Lucas Grabeel - actor, “High School Musical” films - 38
Justin Turner - baseball player - 38
Page Kennedy - actor, “Blue Mountain State” - 46
Chris Hardwick - comedian - 51
Michelle Gomez - actress, “Doctor Who” - 56
Jerry Kelly - golfer - 56
Lauren Tarshis - novelist, “I Survived…” books - 59
Robin Roberts - TV show host, “Good Morning America” - 62
Chuck Schumer - politician - 72
Born On This Date
Boris Karloff - actor, “The Mummy” & “Frankenstein” - 1887 (d. 1969)
Billy the Kid - outlaw of the Wild West - 1859 (d. 1881)
Franklin Pierce - 14th POTUS - 1804 (d. 1869)
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