1/17/2024: Oldest Dog Ever (?) 🐕
PLUS: Bear Spray vs Burglars; Shaq’s Super Bowl Fun House; and The King’s Court
Today is Wednesday, January 17, 2024.
It is the 17th day of the year.
349 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Ecuador regains control of prisons and a major merger hits the breaks. Details in HIT LIST.
MICHAEL BUBLE was almost polar bear lunch and MADONNA forgets where she is. More in SHOWBIZ.
Are fans already over AMY ROBACH and T.J. HOLMES’ new podcast? Find out more in CASTING CALL.
CHICAGO WEST turns six. More on that in KARDASH.
More details from the new insider book on the Court of KING CHARLES in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Ecuador’s government announced it has regained control of prisons where inmates had taken hostages and run gang activities from behind bars.
Soldiers and police officers reported finding explosives, guns, electrical appliances, and liquor from various cells and stashes across multiple prison facilities.
Since designating gang organizations as domestic terrorist groups, Ecuador has arrested more than 1,100 people.
It is estimated that 450 prisoners have been killed by gang violence inside the country’s detention facilities since 2021. [via Euro News]
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Sometimes a headline speaks for itself: “Bear spray wielding store owner stops marijuana thief.”
The owner of a business next to a weed dispensary in Washington State stopped a pair of burglars by spraying them with bear repellent in the early hours Monday. Security footage shows the crooks pulling up in three different cars, and at least two getting out. One driver tried to ram into the side of the dispensary building.
The crooks fled before officers arrived and remain at large. [via New York Post]
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The record for the world’s “oldest dog ever” has been paused as Guinness World Records investigates some discrepancies.
As previously reported, Bobi, a 31-year-old pup from Portugal, was named the world’s “oldest dog ever” last year by GWR, but following his passing in October, questions began to arise about his actual age.
While owner Leonel Costa claims Bobi was born in 1992, and lived a long life thanks to roaming free, and enjoying a “calm, peaceful” environment, those at GWR are now questioning the story, and have reportedly opened a formal review into the title.
According to the American Kennel Club, Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, would have a life expectancy of about 12-14 years.
The previous (and possibly current) record holder is Australian cattle-dog Bluey, who lived to be 29 years and five months old. [via CNN]
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JETBLUE’s plan to purchase SPIRIT AIRLINES remains on hold, after a federal judge ruled the $3.8 BILLION acquisition would tighten competition in an already shrinking and imperiled industry.
Spirit has built a reputation on just barely getting passengers where they need to go with bottom-rate fares, then charging add-on fees for just about everything else.
The judge ruled that eliminating this low cost carrier would impede access to air travel for too many Americans. On the announcement, Spirit’s shares tanked. [via ABC News]
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A South Carolina judge overseeing ALEX MURDAUGH’s appeal to overturn his murder conviction set guidelines for the case, indicating a nearly impossible path ahead.
Murdaugh’s lawyers argue that the Clerk of Court improperly influenced the jury by telling them not to believe his testimony when he took the stand in his own defense last year.
Now, the judge says the lawyers have to both prove this assertion and that the clerk made the statements specifically to damage Murdaugh’s case.
That clerk has since faced accusations she plagiarized parts of her memoir about the trial and embezzled public money – but these charges will not be allowed as evidence in any appeal trial. [via Associated Press]
DEATHS
Former football player RONALD POWELL has died.
His passing was announced Tuesday by the NFL Players Association, though no further details were shared.
Powell was a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints.
He was only 32.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 231 points (0.62%) to close at 37,361 on Tuesday. The S&P lost 17 points (0.37%) to close at 4,765 and the NASDAQ lost 28 points (0.19%) to close at 14,944.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $71; BRENT CRUDE at $77.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.07 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN gained about 2% on Tuesday, trading around $43,300.
🛩 There were more than 6,800 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 2,240 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $102 million jackpot or a $50.5 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
A NO DOUBT reunion is happening.
GWEN STEFANI and the rest of the band are reportedly headlining Coachella this April.
While the other headliners have been given specific dates for their shows, No Doubt is just listed on the bottom of the poster with no further details.
The two weekends of Coachella -- April 12-14 and 19-21 -- will see LANA DEL REY, TYLER, THE CREATOR, and DOJA CAT, who will be joined by several other big-named acts.
WORTH NOTING: No Doubt has not performed together since 2015. [via TMZ]
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MICHAEL BUBLE says he was almost eaten by a polar bear.
The 48-year-old recounted the event on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” saying that after a party, he and actor BERRY PEPPER, decided to race down a local beach in Canada.
While running, Buble said a man who lived along the beach started yelling at them, though they couldn’t figure out why, until they stumbled upon a group of lounging polar bears.
“Sometimes I wonder about that, how close I was to being like a little polar bear lunch,” he quipped. [via People]
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SHARON OSBOURNE has no regrets about turning to Ozempic to help her lose weight.
The 71-year-old said as much on the daytime talk show “Loose Women,” explaining how she lost 42 pounds after using the drug.
That being said, Osbourne did caution others about going that route, explaining how she suffered numerous side effects in the months after stopping Ozempic. [via NY Post]
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SHAQUILLE O’NEAL is gearing up for his sixth consecutive Shaq’s Fun House pre-Super Bowl event.
The annual bash will take place at Wynn Las Vegas’ XS nightclub on February 9 -- two days before the big game.
Shaq’s party has become one of the hottest places to be before the big game for fans and celebs. This year’s event will include games, giveaways and performances by LIL WAYNE, DIPLO and O’Neal as DJ DIESEL. [via Newswire]
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During the latest stop on her “Celebration” tour, MADONNA asked the crowd, “Are you ready Boston?” before realizing that she was actually in Toronto.
Madge quickly corrected herself and apologized to her fans, adding “What kind of [effed] up shit is that?”
In her defense, she had performed in Boston the two nights prior. [via Page Six]
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BRAD PITT’s former roommate, fellow actor JASON PRIESTLEY, says the A-lister used to go days without showering in his pre-fame days.
Priestley shared the tidbit during a recent appearance on “Live with Kelly & Mark,” saying the roommates used to have a friendly competition to see who could go the longest without bathing, and it sounds like Pitt was more often than not the winner. [via TMZ]
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SUM 41 will head out on their final tour before going their separate ways this April.
The “Tour of the Setting Sum” will run for most of 2024, with the band’s last show set for Toronto on January 30, 2025.
Sum will kick things off in Asia, then the US, before heading to Europe, and then wrapping things up back in North America. They will be joined by L.A-based band The Interrupters.
ALSO: Sum’s final album “Heaven :x: Hell” drops on March 29. [via People]
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CASTING CALL
Only 4.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the 75th Emmy Awards on Sunday night, according to early Nielsen data.
That is a significant drop from last year’s all-time low of just under 6 million viewers, which was down from a then-historic low of 6.9 million viewers in 2019.
Nielsen did note that final numbers will likely be a little higher, but still not enough to make a huge difference. [via Deadline]
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POTENTIAL SPOILER
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For her surprise cameo in the new “Mean Girls” movie, LINDSAY LOHAN, who starred in the original film, reportedly made about $500,000 for a half-day of work.
Her scene “offers a clever bridge between the past and present,” a source told Variety.
The musical version which hit theaters over the weekend, stars RENEE RAPP and ANGOURIE RICE. It pulled in $33.2 million domestically over the MLK Jr. holiday weekend. [via Variety]
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Ousted “GMA3” co-hosts AMY ROBACH and T.J. HOLMES are tanking when it comes to their new podcast, “Amy & T.J.”
Chartable reports that one month into their new venture, the podcast has slid down the charts, falling to the 243rd spot.
Debuting in the top five in early December, sources think the show was initially a hit because fans wanted to know what the pair would say about their affair and exit from “GMA.”
Now that they have discussed the juicy stuff, listeners have been quick to move on. [via Chartable, The Sun]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
In her birthday tribute to six-year-old granddaughter CHICAGO WEST, Kardashian matriarch KRIS JENNER chose to leave out photos containing her former son-in-law, and Chi’s dad, YE.
Posting a series of snapshots of Chicago through the years, Jenner chose to focus on those featuring her daughter, Chi’s mom, KIM KARDASHIAN. Whether this was on purpose or not is up for debate, as the KarJenner clan is famous for being cordial with each other's exes, especially when it comes to the kids.
In other news, Kim posted a series of photos from Chicago’s Bratz-themed birthday party, which featured its very own fashion show and ice cream float bar. [via The Sun]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
More revelations from British author Robert Hardman’s book about KING CHARLES’ new reign: the monarch finds himself with a “sense of exasperation” at PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE’s ongoing tabloid drama.
The King wants to keep his family together and happy but as monarch has much greater and larger responsibilities to consider.
IT GETS WORSE: Following the news that QUEEN ELIZABETH was infuriated by the Sussexes using her private family name “Lilibet” for her granddaughter, another revelation on the topic: the late monarch reportedly despaired to an aide: “I don’t own the palaces, I don’t own the paintings, the only thing I own is my name. And now they’ve taken that.” [via New York Post]
DAY OF THE YEAR
Art’s Birthday
National Classy Day
National Hot Buttered Rum Day
National Bootlegger’s Day
Cable Car Day
National Kid Inventors Day
Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day
Popeye Day
Benjamin Franklin Day
Museum Selfie Day
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ON THIS DATE
1781 - In the historic Battle of Cowpens, American regulars and patriot militiamen demolish a Red Coat army, led by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton.
Brigadier General Daniel Morgan was the mastermind behind the operation. He ordered the militia to fight with the British, but to flee the front lines after firing two rounds. Tarleton took the initial retreat for defeat, and pursued the militia further, only to find a well-armored and well-defended American Army waiting for him.
Tarleton escaped, but many of his troops did not.
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1916 - Some golf pros and amateurs get together at the Taplow Club in New York City, to form a group that would become the Professional Golfers Association.
Rodman Wanamaker, the son of the founder of Macy’s Department Stores, organized the meeting. He believed that golf should be recognized as an official sport, in order to bolster interest across the country.
The PGA would officially be established on April 10 that year.
In September, James Barnes would take home the first national golf championship, including a trophy and gift of $2,580.
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1961 - President Eisenhower addresses the country for the last time as Commander-In-Chief.
In the address, he coined the phrase “military-industrial complex” to describe the iron triangle of power and influence that accompanies the politics and bureaucracy behind building a strong national defense.
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1966 - A B-52 bomber carrying 4 hydrogen bombs collides with a jet tanker over the Mediterranean.
Three hydrogen bombs land in a small town, and the one crashes into the sea.
None of the bombs were armed, but some of the radioactive material in two of them leaked into crops and fields.
More than 1400 tons of radioactive soil was shipped back to the U.S. for proper disposal.
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1984 - The Supreme Court rules it's legal for owners of a VCR to record a TV show or movie and watch it later in the privacy of their own home.
Universal Studios alleged it was copyright infringement, and had sued Sony, who was the leading seller of VCRs at the time.
Universal said such an advanced device would wreak havoc on the entertainment industry, allowing people to enjoy programming, but on their own schedule.
Good thing that problem was resolved.
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1994 - An Arkansas state clerk alleges that President Clinton sexually harassed her while he was Governor.
Her name was Paula Jones, the precursor to Monica Lewinsky. It was the first of several major scandals to rock the Clinton White House, including the Whitewater scandal and accusations of cronyism in who got fired in the White House travel agency.
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2012 - LeBron James becomes the youngest player in NBA history to record 20,000 career points.
James’ 28 years, 17 days surpassed the previous record holder, Kobe Bryant’s 29 years, 122 days.
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2017 - President Obama commutes WikiLeaks disclosure Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence from 35 to 7 years.
The U.S. Army private, born Bradley Manning, was charged with leaking diplomatic cables to the anti-secrecy group.
FYI - Obama granted more commutations than any other President in the nation’s history.
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BIRTHDAYS
Jake Paul - YouTube star, actor & boxer - 27
Calvin Harris - DJ - 40
Dwayne Wade - basketball player - 42
Ray J - R&B singer - 43
Zooey Deschanel - actress, “New Girl” & “Elf” - 44
Lil Jon - rapper - 53
Kid Rock - rock singer - 53
Michelle Obama - former First Lady - 60
Jim Carrey - actor, “The Mask” & “The Truman Show” - 62
Steve Harvey - comedian & TV show host - 67
James Earl Jones - actor, voice of Darth Vader - 93
Born On This Date
Muhammad Ali - boxer - 1942 (d. 2016)
Eartha Kitt - pop singer - 1927 (d. 2008)
Betty White - actress, “Golden Girls” - 1922 (d. 2021)
Benjamin Franklin - Founding Father & inventor - 1706 (d. 1790)
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