11/4/2022: Netflix Dominates Streamers
PLUS: Battle of the Billionaires, Media Bias Case Study, and Italian Coke Bust
Today is Friday, November 4, 2022.
It is the 308th day of the year.
57 days remain.
TRENDING
#NewNameForElonMusksTwitter landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends on Thursday. Tweets included, “The S— Post,” “Muckstake,” “Twaddler” & “Social platform formerly known as Twitter.”
Nick Cannon was trending after it was confirmed that Baby #11 is on the way. More in Baby News.
Sunny Hostin was trending Thursday after calling Republican women “cockroaches.” More on her name-calling in Showbiz.
Johnny Depp was trending yesterday after the actor was announced as a model for Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show. More in Showbiz.
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HIT LIST
Bloomberg reports that ELON MUSK could begin widespread Twitter layoffs as soon as today, with a target of cutting the workforce there in half – a slight improvement from the 75% of layoffs previously reported.
Along with the layoffs, he’ll also end the work-from-home policy that’s been in place since March 2020.
GET A LOAD OF THIS: Since the start of the pandemic, Twitter also instituted a monthly “day of rest,” in addition to paid vacation.
WHAT’S A DAY LIKE AT TWITTER? Watch this video to see a day in the life of a Twitter employee. Note that the food and drinks she mentions are all free. She plays foosball and goes to a “meditation room” during the workday before finishing things off with a glass of red wine “on tap.” So yes, Twitter can afford to trim some fat. These people, who DO NOT LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD, think they’re heroes for shaping the national and global political discussions. They work in absolute luxury – when they even decide to go into the office – and still whine about capitalist oppression.
Go jump up your own buttholes.
MEANWHILE: The Wall Street Journal reports that multiple major brands are pausing their advertising buys on Twitter: Mondelez International (they make Oreos), Audi (they make cars), and Pfizer (they make shots that kill people) are concerned about Musk’s plans for content moderation and don’t want to be associated with what some people find objectionable.
MEANWHILE, AT A PRIVATE AIRFIELD: Musk has also purchased another private Gulfstream jet, marking the fourth private plane in his fleet. The base price tag is $78 million, but it likely costs more after customization. Just 400 hours of flight time costs north of $3 million in operating costs.
MEANWHILE, AT AMAZON: The eCommerce giant says they’re putting a pause on any new corporate hires, signaling even more uncertainty about the future of the economy for the world’s fifth-biggest company.
MEANWHILE, AT JEFF BEZOS’ HOUSE: One of JEFF BEZOS’ former housekeepers has filed a discrimination lawsuit against him in Seattle, alleging unsafe working conditions and discrimination. The suit says the housekeeper had to climb through windows in order to not come in contact with the Bezos family and that she was not given clearly-assigned break and rest times.
Reps for Bezos call the suit frivolous and note she was paid six figures for her house cleaning and maintenance duties.
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A new study has some grim predictions for how humans will evolve to accommodate hours-long daily use of technology.
Hands will stay default to a claw-like grip from holding smartphones and arms will naturally stick out at 90 degree angles from the elbow due to constantly keeping a device at a readable distance. The endorphin hits from short online content will make skulls thicker and brains smaller, and necks will hunch forward.
Some even think the constant eye strain will trigger humans to develop a second, more transparent eyelid to filter out some of the light from screens.
WORTH NOTING: The study says these changes are still centuries away, but do provide a grim view of the future.
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NASA is taking yet another crack at launching its Artemis I rocket, this time on November 14. They’re keeping an eye on a storm headed for the Kennedy Space Center next week, however.
MEANWHILE: The spent hull of a 21-ton Chinese rocket is expected to enter Earth’s atmosphere some time this weekend – but analysts aren’t sure where it’s expected to impact, according to The Sun.
China’s space agency is keeping mum on details and isn’t sharing data, either. While the uncertainty gives pause, the odds of space junk harming anyone on Earth is still between 6-and-10 trillion.
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The parents of GABBY PETITO have filed a wrongful death suit against police in Utah, alleging they should’ve taken more actions after they investigated a domestic dispute between Petito and BRIAN LAUNDRIE, who is believed to have killed her.
Laundrie is believed to have taken his own life afterward.
The parents are seeking $50 million in damages in a suit that accuses the Utah police of not following the law and procedure regarding domestic violence, and if they had, Petito would still be alive.
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Peloton is still struggling to turn around its fledgling business.
After enjoying a live-and-work-from-home sales boom during the pandemic, it failed to reign in sales and production forecasts, and has run deep red deficits. On Thursday, the company announced its revenue is already below estimates for the last quarter of the year.
Its shares fell nearly 20% on the news.
Executives note that, still, their goal is to at best break-even some time next year.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The Dow lost 146 points (0.46%) Thursday to close at 32,001. The S&P lost 39 points (1.06%) to close at 3,719 and the Nasdaq lost 181 points (1.73%) to close at 10,342.
🛢 West Texas Intermediate sold for $88 Thursday; Brent Crude at $94.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.77 on Thursday.
₿ Bitcoin added over $100 on Thursday, trading north of $20,250.
🛩 There were 2,791 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and 156 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
New to Amazon Prime:
My Policeman (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%)
New to Hulu:
All I Want For Christmas (No Score)
Christmas Child (No Score)
Christmas on Repeat (No Score)
Funny Thing About Love (No Score)
Noelle (Score: 55%)
The Passion of the Christ (Score: 49%)
Santa Games (No Score)
Saving Christmas (No Score)
New to Netflix:
Enola Holmes 2 (Score: 93%)
Captain Phllips (Score: 93%)
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DEATHS
PATRICK HAGGERTY has died.
The country singer, who was widely regarded as the first openly gay country singer, passed away Monday. His death comes several weeks after he suffered a stroke, according to a statement on his band’s Instagram page.
He was 78.
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BABY NEWS
Model ALYSSA SCOTT confirmed Thursday that she is pregnant with NICK CANNON’s 11th child.
The 29-year-old posted two photos to Instagram yesterday, showing herself and Cannon, 42, sharing a bathtub. She captioned the shots, “a MIRACLE & a BLESSING.”
The pair welcomed their first child together, son Zen, in June 2021, but he passed away five months later after losing his battle with brain cancer.
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THE SWAMP
Four unidentified “prominent Republicans” tell Vanity Fair that Florida Governor RON DESANTIS is going to sit out the 2024 presidential race. He’s only 44 years old and could walk into the nomination in 2028, and not risk aggravating his constituents in Florida for leaving – and could be a powerful surrogate for President DONALD TRUMP, or whoever ends up being the GOP nominee.
BUT WAIT: The same Vanity Fair report has one source saying the opposite, that DeSantis will get in the 2024 fray sooner rather than later.
MEANWHILE: Multiple outlets report that Team Trump insiders are gearing up for a formal 2024 announcement shortly after midterms.
ALSO MEANWHILE: Trump filed a lawsuit in Florida on Thursday against New York Attorney General LETITIA JAMES. The suit accuses James of violating his right to privacy in an attempt to stop her civil suit against his company.
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A Media Research Center study of the nightly news broadcasts shows that ABC, NBC, and CBS cover the Republican Party negatively 87% of the time.
WORTH NOTING: Republicans hold no power in the federal government, with a tied Senate favoring the Democrat administration and a clear majority in the House of Representatives.
WORTH ASKING: When did the media abandon its job of “speaking truth to power” – or did it ever?
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FiveThirtyEight has given the GOP another boost with just days to go until midterms. They now have a 55-in-100 chance of taking the Senate and an 85-in-100 chance of winning the House.
They predict the most likely Republican Senate pickups will be in Nevada and Georgia. When the dust settles, Republicans could hold 54 seats, according to their model.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $119 million jackpot or a $59.1 million cash payout.
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No winner for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing. Saturday night’s drawing will be for a $1.5 BILLION jackpot or a $745.9 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
These albums drop today:
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, “Me Vs Myself”
Alicia Keys, “Santa Baby”
Anna Of The North, “Crazy Life”
Barbra Streisand, “Live At The Bon Soir”
BRKN LOVE, ‘Black Box”
Cavetown, “Worm Good”
Connie Constance, “Miss Power”
Daniel Avery, “Ultra Truth”
Dayseeker, “Dark Sun”
Drake and 21 Savage, “Her Loss”
Frank Bello, “Then I’m Gone”
Jason Collett, “Head Full Of Water”
Joji, “Smithereens”
Last Dinosaurs, “From Mexico With Love”
Leslie Odom Jr., “Merry Merry”
Luke Evans, “A Song For You”
The Offering, “Seeing The Elephant”
Spice Girls, “SPICEWORLD 25”
Switchfoot, “This Is Our Christmas Album”
Tobias, “Two Birds”
Tom Skinner, “Voices Of Bishara”
The Welcome Wagon, “Esther”
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On Thursday’s episode of “The View,” SUNNY HOSTIN compared White suburban women voting Republican to “roaches voting for Raid.”
The comparison was made while discussing upcoming midterm elections and major issues -- one of which being abortion.
Co-host ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN called the comparison “insulting to the voter,” while Hostin continued to blast Republican women for “going against their own self-interest.”
Of course JOY BEHAR had to interject with her own nonsense, saying that voting for Republicans is like voting for a “cult.”
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Two caterers working on the set of DENZEL WASHINGTON’s new movie in Italy were arrested for cocaine possession yesterday.
Italian paramilitary police say they seized 120 grams of cocaine during a raid at a hotel where crew working on “The Equalizer 3” were staying.
Insiders told TMZ the bust was in response to the death of the movie production’s head of catering who reportedly collapsed outside of a bar and died of a heart attack. Several bags of cocaine were found in his pockets, leading to suspicion of more drugs on the set.
A local port, currently serving as a staging area for the film, was also searched, though no drugs were found.
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SIENNA MILLER says she was once told to “[eff] off” after asking a Broadway producer why she was “offered less than half” the salary of a male co-star.
The actress dropped the bombshell -- without naming names -- in a recent interview with British Vogue.
“It’s not about money -- it’s about fairness and respect,” she told the producer who then rudely blew her off.
WORTH NOTING: Miller has starred in two Broadway productions: “Cabaret in 2015 and “After Miss Julie” in 2009.
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JOHNNY DEPP is set to be the first male model for RIHANNA’s Savage X Fenty fashion show.
The actor will wear items from the new men’s collection for RiRi’s Savage X Fenty Vol. 4 fashion show, which is set to air on November 9 on Amazon Prime Video.
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DWAYNE WADE is speaking out against his ex-wife SIOHVAUGHN FUNCHES-WADE’s claims that he is using their trans daughter’s journey for financial gain.
The former NBA player addressed the accusations on Instagram Thursday, saying he is “not surprised” by her “attempt to fight Zaya’s identity” and “drag [his] name through the mud.” He continued on, calling her an “absent parent” who has not attended a “single recital, graduation, school dance, play date, practice, parent teacher conference, etc.”
Wade concluded his post writing, “The high road has run out of real estate. My lawyer will be in contact.”
As reported yesterday, Zaya’s biological mom filed an objection to Wade’s petition to legally change Zaya’s name and gender.
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Celebs are teaming up with Homes For Our Troops donating items and their time for an online auction in honor of Veterans Day.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, BRYAN CRANSTON and JAKE GYLLENHAAL are just some of the big names offering up a chance for an online chat, while JAKE TAPPER and ANDY RODDICK are offering in-person meet and greets.
Items hitting the auction block include GEORGE CLOONEY’s Omega luxury watch in an autographed case, JENNIFER ANISTON’s designer Louis Vuitton bag and an autographed guitar from KENNY CHESNEY.
100% of the proceeds from the online auction go to Home For Our Troops, which builds and donates custom homes for severely wounded post-9/11 veterans.
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CASTING CALL
CNN anchor JAKE TAPPER is heading back to his daytime slot after poor ratings for his primetime show.
Tapper’s time in the primetime spot was only set to run through midterms anyway.
WORTH NOTING: Per Nielsen, “CNN Tonight with Jake Tapper” averaged only 854,000 viewers, a far cry from Fox News’ “Hannity” which averaged over 2.6 million.
ALSO: Never-Trumper SHEPARD SMITH’s nightly newscast has been axed by CNBC after two years. Many may remember that Smith landed at CNBC after leaving Fox News Channel in 2019.
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KELSEA BALLERINI will return to co-host the 2023 CMT Music Awards for a third consecutive year.
The fan-voted show will air live from Texas’ Moody Center on Sunday, April 2.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD was revealed as the first performer for the awards show.
No word on who will co-host alongside Ballerini.
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Netflix is dominating Nielsen’s most-watched list.
Here is the full Top 10 list with title, minutes of viewing and streaming service:
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: 2.34B (Netflix)
Hocus Pocus 2: 1.1B (Disney+)
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: 988B (Prime Video)
House of the Dragon: 921B (HBO Max)
Cocomelon: 773B (Netflix)
Last Seen Alive: 747B (Netflix)
NCIS: 339B (Netflix)
Gilmore Girls: 703B (Netflix)
Luckiest Girl Alive: 647B (Netflix)
In the Dark: 603B (Netflix)
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COURT CASES
JOHNNY DEPP is appealing the jury’s verdict in the defamation trial with his ex-wife AMBER HEARD, seeking total victory over her.
While Depp was ultimately the winner in the he-said, she-said battle, with Heard being ordered to pay him over $10 million, the jury also awarded her $2 million claiming she was in fact defamed.
This week, Depp’s lawyers filed docs stating the jury “erroneously” ruled in favor of Heard, blaming the actor for defamation when in fact one of his attorneys was the one who defamed her, when he told reporters that she lied about the fight that ended their marriage.
The legal filing points out that Depp should not be held responsible for his attorney’s remarks.
Many may recall that Heard also appealed the ruling so…for now his $10 million and her $2 million remain in limbo.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
A bombshell new report claims KANYE WEST has used anti-Semitic rhetoric in the workplace for years and allegedly paid off an employee to silence them about the alleged rants.
The former employee told NBC News that Ye praised Adolf Hitler and Nazis in business meetings multiple times over the years.
Ye has denied the claims, but NBC says they spoke with six other former employees who claim to have either heard the rapper “mention conspiracy theories about Jewish people or praise Hitler” in a professional setting over the past five years.
RYDER RIPPS, an artist who worked on designs with Ye off and one for years, told the news outlet that he never considered Ye’s comments “dangerous.” He added that being Jewish himself, he would push back on the comments and the two were able to have a discussion.
MEANWHILE ON TWITTER: Ye is back, thanks to Elon Musk reactivating his account this week. After posting several tweets again defending his previous anti-Semitic posts, Ye told his followers that he is going on a “30 Day Cleanse,” meaning “no alcohol, no adult films, no intercourse.” He ended the post with “In God We Praise. Amen. But My Twitter Still Lit.”
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE will not be spending the holidays with his family again this year.
A royal insider told the Mirror this week that the relationship between the Sussexes and the Royal Family is still “tense,” while adding “they’re actually near rock bottom.”
One major reason the two may be choosing to remain in California for the holidays is the sure-to-be awkwardness and tension over Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” which is set to be released in January.
WORTH NOTING: The Royal Family are reportedly not getting to read it before it hits shelves, according to the insider.
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SPORTS
A partnership between rapper JAY-Z and Amazon founder JEFF BEZOS to buy the Washington Commanders football team is reportedly on the table.
News of the partnership comes one day after current owner DAN SNYDER hired a major bank to investigate a possible opportunity to sell the team.
The team was valued at $5.6 billion this summer.
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LIST OF THE WEEK
There are 39 major retailers closed on Thanksgiving this year. Here are 10 of the biggest names:
Walmart
Target
Kohl’s
Macy’s
Costco
Best Buy
Lowe’s
Sam’s Club
Home Depot
JCPenny
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Candy Day
Love Your Lawyer Day
Fountain Pen Day
Use Your Common Sense Day
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ON THIS DATE
1873 – Anthony Iske patents the first meat-slicing machine.
A knife was guided by a frame and the width of the cut was adjusted using wooden slats.
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1922 – The entrance to King Tutankhamen’s tomb is found in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.
British archeologist Howard Carter was behind the discovery. The entrance was found near the tomb of King Ramses VI. They waited another 22 days before walking down the passage; but when they did, the tomb was very well-preserved.
Over the following few years, archeologists excavated the four rooms of the tomb. King Tut’s sarcophagus consisted of three coffins, each within the other. Today, they are on display at the Cairo Museum.
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1924 – Nellie Tayloe Ross becomes the first female governor in the United States, when she wins election to lead Wyoming. She filled the seat vacated by her late husband William Ross.
She largely extended her husband’s policies, one of which included strengthening prohibition laws.
She lost re-election in 1926, which she blamed on a weak campaign and her support for prohibition. In 1928, she received considerable support to be the Vice-Presidential nominee, but eventually lost; later in her career, she became the first female director of the US Mint under FDR.
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1928 – Prolific New York gambler Arnold Rothstein is fatally shot while playing poker at the Park Central Hotel in Manhattan.
Rothstein owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in debts after a streak of bad luck, which he reportedly refused to pay, claiming his losing hands were caused by rigged games. Police found him in the lobby of his hotel, bleeding, and followed the trail of blood to George “Hump” McManus’ suite.
McManus was tried for the murder, but acquitted for lack of evidence. Though Rothstein was still cognizant on his deathbed, he refused to give up his killer --- keeping to the Gangsters’ Code.
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1939 – Packard Motor Company exhibits the first air-conditioned car at the Auto Show in Chicago.
The air in the car was cooled through a system similar to those found today. Cadillac launched its competing model in 1941.
Due to the size of the air conditioning units, the cars’ trunk sizes were significantly smaller.
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2008 – Barack Obama becomes the first African-American man elected to the nation’s highest office.
In his “landslide” “mandate” victory, he won a staggering, overwhelming 52.9 percent of the vote. He did, however, bag 365 electoral votes to challenger John McCain’s 173.
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2016 - “The Crown” premieres.
The British drama centers around the Royal Family. Actress Claire Foy appears as Queen Elizabeth II and Matt Smith as Prince Philip.
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2019 - The largest mass commutation in US history occurs.
Over 460 non-violent inmates are freed from Oklahoma prisons as part of state prison reforms.
The release comes after the passage of a bill that limits prison time for many low-level and non-violent drug and property offenses.
At the time, Oklahoma had the highest incarceration rate in the country.
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BIRTHDAYS
Tyrese Maxey - basketball player - 22
Jessa Duggar - reality star, one of the 19 - 30
Dez Bryant - football player - 34
Steven Ogg - actor, “The Walking Dead” - 49
Jeff Kaplan - game designer, Overwatch & World of Warcraft - 50
Luis Figo - soccer player - 50
Bethenny Frankel - reality star, “Housewives of NY” - 52
Diddy - rapper - 53
Matthew McConaughey - actor, “Interstellar” & “Dallas Buyers Club” - 53
Samantha Smith - actress, “Supernatural” & “Transformers” - 53
Ralph Macchio - actor, “Karate Kid” - 61
Jeff Probst - TV show host, “Survivor” - 61
Kathy Griffin - comedian - 62
Tony Abbott - Australian PM - 65
Born On This Date
Doris Roberts - actress, “Everybody Loves Raymond” - 1925 (d. 2016)
Walter Cronkite - broadcast journalist - 1916 (d. 2009)
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