1/16/2024: Iceland on Fire 🌋
PLUS: What’s Not to Love?; Brady Played Baseball?; and The Queen’s Name
Today is Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
It is the 16th day of the year.
350 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Farmers take to the streets in Germany and a classic comic sells for big bucks. Details in HIT LIST.
The ROLLING STONES are working on a new album and SHANNEN DOHERTY doesn’t want you at her funeral. More in SHOWBIZ.
“Wonka” hits $500 million and a GIANNIS doc heads to Amazon Prime. Find out more in CASTING CALL.
YE files a new trademark. Details in KARDASH.
Another scheming lie from the House of Sussex exposed in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
After some close calls a few weeks ago, lava from the active volcano near Grindavik, Iceland has inflicted damage on homes and property.
Two fissures opened Sunday, causing lava flows that overcame previously erected barriers in some spots, though protective measures are working elsewhere.
NPR reports that locals in Grindavik have again fled their homes and this time lava flows have damaged several buildings. Some meteorologists call this eruption the most significant in half a century. [via NPR]
WATCH: Drone video shows the scope of the damage as of Sunday evening >
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WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE: Fresh off his big upset win in Dallas over the weekend, Green Bay Packers quarterback JORDAN LOVE looks like even more of a hometown hero.
A 20-year-old Green Bay local posted a selfie with Love late last week, after he tried to help her get her car unstuck from a mound of snow. Lucy Kurowski said Love saw her struggling to get out of the parking lot from her hair appointment, when he pulled over and offered assistance.
Ultimately, even an NFL pro couldn’t free the car, but Kurowski says she was in a “state of shock” during the whole encounter anyway. [via Fox 11]
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As the German government considers a plan to end tax subsidies on diesel fuel, farmers have brought their tractors into the capital city of Berlin in protest of the measure.
The farmers have shut down traffic and restricted freeway access to force the government into backing down. The German Farmers’ Association rejected a January 4 measure that would have more slowly phased out the diesel tax breaks.
Germany’s finance minister has acknowledged publicly that the original plan was “too much and it was too fast,” and signaled he understood the need to scale back the provisions. [via ABC News]
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Officials in Albuquerque arrested a man on Friday after he pulled a gun on another customer in a Popeye’s parking lot. He’s been charged with aggravated assault and, for some unclear reason, tampering with evidence.
TWIST: The suspect, Aaron Jones, owns a national security company called International Protective Services.
BUT WAIT: The initial criminal complaint says Jones pulled the gun out after the other guy made vulgar comments toward his daughter – so who’s really the bad guy? [via KOAT]
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A copy of “The Amazing Spider-Man #1” sold for more than $1.3 MILLION at auction; setting a new record for the highest-price the issue has ever gone for.
The near-perfect copy was part of a larger sale through Dallas-based Heritage Auctions that included a copy of “Superman #1,” which sold for $2.3 MILLION.
“The Amazing Spider-Man #1,” which tells the story of how Peter Parker got his powers, was released in 1963, and sold for just 12 cents. [via NY Post]
DEATHS
Former football player NORM SNEAD has died.
He passed away Sunday in Naples, according to multiple reports. No cause of death was reported.
Snead played in four Pro Bowls throughout his 16-season career, while playing for the Giants, Eagles and Vikings.
He was 84.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 Markets were closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $72; BRENT CRUDE at $78.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.07 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN gained more than 2% on Monday, trading around $42,700 in the evening.
🛩 There were more than 7,410 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 2,760 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $208 million jackpot or a $101.5 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
ANTHONY ANDERSON hosted the Primetime Emmys at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles last night.
The show typically airs in the fall, but moved to January amid the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes.
In a stylistic innovation, a graphic on screen occasionally listed the people the winner wanted to thank, allowing him or her, in theory, to give a less formulaic acceptance speech. But the graphic didn’t appear for every winner.
With his win for “Live Variety Special” for the show he performed at Dodger Stadium, ELTON JOHN earned his EGOT title, collecting at least one each of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award over the course of his career.
“The Bear” racked up six wins, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
“Succession” took home the Outstanding Drama Series award and five other wins in the Drama category.
Here are the winners:
COMEDY
Outstanding Series: “The Bear”
Lead Actress: QUINTA BRUNSON, “Abbott Elementary”
Lead Actor: JEREMY ALLEN WHITE, “The Bear”
Supporting Actor: EBON MOSS-BACHRACH, “The Bear”
Supporting Actress: AYO EDIBIRI, “The Bear”
Guest Actress: JUDITH LIGHT, “Poker Face”
Guest Actor: SAM RICHARDSON, “Ted Lasso”
Directing: “The Bear”
Writing: “The Bear”
DRAMA
Outstanding Series: “Succession”
Lead Actor: KIERAN CULKIN, “Succession”
Lead Actress: SARAH SNOOK, “Succession”
Supporting Actress: JENNIFER COOLIDGE, “The White Lotus”
Supporting Actor: MATTHEW MACFADYEN, “Succession”
Guest Actor: NICK OFFERMAN, “The Last of Us”
Guest Actress: STORM REID, “The Last of Us”
Writing: “Succession”
Directing: “Succession”
OTHER
Reality Competition: “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
Reality Host: RUPAUL, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
Scripted Variety Series: “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
Writing for a Variety Series: “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
Live Variety Special: “Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium”
Talk Series: “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah”
Lead Actor in a Limited Series: STEVEN YEUN, “Beef”
Lead Actress in a Limited Series: ALI WONG, “Beef”
Outstanding Limited Series: “Beef”
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series: PAUL WALTER HAUSER, “Black Bird”
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series: NIECY NASH-BETTS, “Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”
Directing for a Limited Series: “Beef”
Writing for a Limited Series: “Beef”
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Fans may now know the identity of the “cupid” who is responsible for setting up TAYLOR SWIFT and TRAVIS KELCE.
Swift’s second cousin Danny Frye III told FloRacing that he “made a love connection” between the two, though didn’t go into detail on how he was able to do that.
Remember, Kelce told WSJ magazine at the end of last year that an unnamed person set the two up, adding that “somebody [was] playing Cupid.” [via Page Six]
WORTH NOTING: Perhaps Frye III should have waited until after the Super Bowl to out himself as matchmaker, as he -- and Swift -- could be the scapegoats if the Chiefs don’t make it to the big game.
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JENNIFER ANISTON wants fans to continue to honor her “Friends” co-star MATTHEW PERRY.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight about her friend, Aniston said the best thing people can do to honor his legacy is to “celebrate him” and all the laughter he brought to people’s lives.
She also encouraged fans to donate to the Matthew Perry Foundation, which aims to help those struggling with addiction issues.
After his untimely passing, Aniston said she hopes he now knows “that he was loved in a way he never thought he was.” [via ET]
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ROLLING STONES frontman MICK JAGGER says the band is already three-quarters of the way done with their next album.
Their latest album, “Hackney Diamonds,” which took 18 years to create, dropped in October. [via Daily Mail]
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SHANNEN DOHERTY says there are a “lot of people” she doesn’t want at her funeral, but that they will show up anyway because “they don’t want to look bad.”
The actress, who is battling Stage 4 cancer, opened up on her “Let’s Be Clear” podcast, saying that she knows there are a lot of people who “don’t actually really like [her] enough to show up to [her] funeral,” but will because “it’s the politically correct thing to do.”
Doherty hopes that her sharing that sentiment will “take the pressure off” those people.
MEDICAL HISTORY: Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, but went into remission in 2017. Then in 2019 the cancer returned as Stage 4. Last year she revealed that the cancer had metastasized, spreading to her brain and bones. [via Page Six]
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A TOM BRADY professional baseball (yes, baseball!) card sold for $158,600 over the weekend.
The bidding war over the Topps Montreal Expos Superfractor card went down Saturday through Goldin auctions.
For those unfamiliar, Brady played catcher in high school and was good enough to be drafted by the Montreal Expos (now Washington Nationals). After landing a spot on the team -- and never playing even one out -- Brady decided to take a different route and accepted his full-ride football scholarship to the University of Michigan.
And the rest is history. [via TMZ]
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KIERAN CULKIN’s Golden Globe is being kept in a really special place -- in between all of his kids’ stuffed animals.
“My kids have these two little stuffies of Bert and Ernie, so the Globe is currently between [them],” he told Variety.
Culkin took home the trophy for Best Actor in a Drama TV Series, for his role in “Succession.” [via X]
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CASTING CALL
Five weeks after making its theatrical debut, TIMOTHEE CHALAMET’s “Wonka” has passed $500 million globally.
Broken down, that’s $176.2 million domestically and over $329 million internationally.
The film cost Warner Bros. $125 million to make. [via Variety]
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The role of Harry Lyme in “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” was almost played by ROBERT DE NIRO.
Director Chris Columbus previously spoke about the casting, saying the role was offered to De Niro first, though no one believed he ever “seriously” considered taking it.
The job would ultimately go to JOE PESCI, who starred opposite DANIEL STERN as Marv Murchins in the holiday classics.
FUN FACT: Two months before “Home Alone” premiered, Pesci and De Niro starred together in “Goodfellas.” [via Daily Mail]
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A 48-minute documentary about the life of Milwaukee Bucks star GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO is heading to Amazon Prime.
“Giannis: The Marvelous Journey,” tells the story of the basketball star and his family’s journey. It was produced by Improbable Media, which was co-founded by Anteokounmpo and ESPN analyst Jay Williams.
It premieres on February 19. [via X]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE has filed to trademark a quote he used in a birthday post for his wife BIANCA CENSORI that reads, “I miss you when I wake up before you.”
No word on what he plans to use the trademark for, or whether Censori will get a cut for being his inspiration. [via Shade Room]
MEANWHILE: Still no word on when Ye’s album “Vultures” will actually drop.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
A new book examining QUEEN ELIZABETH’s final days and the start of KING CHARLES’ reign drops the bomb that the late Queen was furious that PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE chose her private family name for their own daughter.
When the Sussexes announced they named their daughter Lilibet, Meghan said they never would have picked the name unless the Queen had been supportive of the idea. At the time, she even sicced her lawyers on the BBC to demand they stop reporting anything different.
NOW: A former aide to the Queen tells author Robert Hardman that the late monarch was “as angry as I’d ever seen her” when the news broke about the baby’s name. When the Sussexes approached The Firm for backup, palace insiders told them to pound sand. [via DailyMail]
DAY OF THE YEAR
National Without a Scalpel Day
International Rooibos Day
National Fig Newton Day
National Quinoa Day
National Religious Freedom Day
International Hot and Spicy Food Day
National Appreciate a Dragon Day
National Good Teen Day
National Nothing Day
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ON THIS DATE
1547 - Ivan the Terrible crowns himself the first Tsar of Moscow.
He was only 17 at the time.
During his reign, Russia would transition from a medieval nation-state to an empire, growing at a rate of about 130 square kilometers a day.
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1861 - A legislative attempt to keep the North and South together falls apart in Congress.
It was called the Crittenden Compromise, named for Senator John Crittenden from Kentucky.
The compromise would have legalized permanent slavery in the southern states, and also permanently protected northern states from ever legalizing slavery. The language of the bill said it could never be repealed or amended.
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1919 - Prohibition is ratified.
The manufacture, sale, and transportation of booze is outlawed across the country.
A special department of the Treasury Department was created to enforce the law, as part of the Volstead Act. Nonetheless, organized crime ended up doing very well during this time.
Fourteen years later prohibition was finally repealed, with the passage of the 21st amendment.
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1945 - It's the beginning of the end for Adolf Hitler, as he spends the first of 105 days in his secure bunker in Berlin.
The bunker had its own water and electric supply. Most of the Nazi brass came in to see him, and he rarely left.
As the Allies push closer into Germany, hope would soon be lost for the Nazis. der Fuhrer would commit suicide on April 30.
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1970 - St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood sues the MLB over the reserve clause.
The rule prevented baseball players from switching teams unless they were traded. Flood argued the policy violated antitrust laws.
No active players agreed to testify on Flood's behalf, leading to his case's demise.
Eventually the players would benefit from the publicity of the case, however. In 1973, MLB would allow federal arbitration of players' salary demands. This would eventually lead to free agency, first in baseball, then in all pro sports.
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1979 - The Shah of Iran flees in the wake of violent uprisings in the country.
He had been in power since 1941. In that time, he took steps to westernize and modernize the Arab state.
Ayatollah Khomeini then took over, having been exiled for 15 years.
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1991 - The United Nations deadline for Iraq to remove invading forces from Kuwait comes and goes.
Saddam Hussein had until midnight on January 16th, 1991 to retreat from Kuwait. Just after midnight, President Bush authorized Operation Desert Storm, led by General Norman Schwarzkopf.
Major fighting would end by March 3, when Iraqi generals formally surrender.
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2019 - Stephen Curry is the first player in NBA history to hit 8+ three pointers in three consecutive games.
The Golden State Warriors guard then went on to drain 9-of-17 three pointers in the team’s 147-140 win over New Orleans.
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BIRTHDAYS
Eddie Benjamin - pop singer - 22
Curran Walters - actor, “Titans” - 26
FKA Twigs - pop singer - 36
Katie Maloney - reality star, “Vanderpump Rules” - And 37
Joe Flacco - football player - 39
Albert Pujols - baseball player - 44
Lin-Manuel Miranda - actor, “Hamilton” - 44
Kate Moss - model - 50
Greg Page - musician, The Wiggles - 52
Debbie Allen - actress, “Grey’s Anatomy” - 74
John Carpenter - director, “Halloween” - 76
Born On This Date
Aaliyah - R&B singer - 1979 (d. 2001)
Per Ohlin - metal singer, Mayhem - 1969 (d. 1991)
Edith Frank - mother of Anne Frank - 1900 (d. 1945)
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