12/11/2023: “Discouragement Bias”
PLUS: Santa Sunday; Taylor’s Ticket Sales; and “Endgame” Re-Release
Today is Monday, December 11, 2023.
It is the 345th day of the year.
20 days remain.
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WHAT’S ON TAP
A very unintentionally California-focused HIT LIST.
BRITNEY SPEARS reflects on being single and MARTHA STEWART is an early riser. More in SHOWBIZ.
“Stranger Things” will resume filming in January and AMANDA BYNES launches her new podcast. Details in CASTING CALL.
YE is briefly spotted attending Art Basel in Miami. Find out more in KARDASH.
OMID SCOBIE’s book gets a swift re-release. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
A Fresno, California-based moving company called “Meathead Movers” promises a unique moving experience: the crews include college-aged athletes who are required to jog from the truck back into the house between trips and maintain a level of energy and intensity throughout the move to make it as efficient as possible.
NOW: The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued the company for violating age discrimination laws.
Company owner Aaron Steed tells the Wall Street Journal, “We are 100% open to hiring anyone at any age if they can do the job.”
The EEOC cites Steed’s hiring practices as a form of “discouragement bias,” arguing that he recruits from local gyms and colleges, which are typically filled with the young, buff bros who thrive on his team. [via WSJ]
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Peter Park has passed California’s state bar exam – and he just turned 18.
The prodigy enrolled at Northwestern California University School of Law when he was 13. He took advantage of a state law that allowed enrollment in law school after completion of College Level Proficiency Exams.
OUT OF ORDER: In the meantime, he also earned his high school diploma then finished his law studies from 2021 through last spring. Over the summer he took the bar exam and started work for his local district attorney. [via The Guardian]
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San Diego beachgoers spotted the remains of a 52-foot fin whale that washed ashore Sunday morning.
Lifeguards on hand first tried to tow the carcass back out to sea by its tail connected to a boat, with no luck. Staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration arrived on the scene shortly after, but have not yet determined how the whale died. The NOAA will get a bigger boat to toe the remains out by some time today. [via NBC News]
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Three hundred Santas took to the slopes at the Sunday River ski resort in Maine over the weekend for a good cause.
The annual event, called Santa Sunday, raises money for The River Fund Maine, an education charity.
This year’s event raised $8,000, according to a statement from the resort. [via AP News]
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SHOHEI OHTANI has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the biggest contract in baseball history.
At $700 MILLION over the next decade, Ohtani’s deal demolishes the one signed by Mike Trout in 2019 for $426.5 MILLION over 12 years with the Los Angeles Angels. [via ESPN]
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DEATHS
Actor RYAN O’NEAL has died.
He passed away Friday, according to a social media post from his son. No cause of death was shared.
O’Neal is best known for his role as Rodney Harrington in “Peyton Place” and for his role as heartthrob in “Love Story.”
He was 82.
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Football player FRANK WYCHECK has died.
He passed away Saturday at his home in Tennessee. No further details were shared.
Wycheck was a three-time Pro Bowl tight end and a key figure in the Titans’ famed “Music City Miracle” victory.
He was 52.
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ANNA “Chickadee” CARDWELL, the eldest daughter of reality star MAMA JUNE SHANNON, has died.
She passed away on Saturday after a battle with stage four adrenal carcinoma.
Cardwell was only 29.
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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
10. The Shift: $2 million (down from 8)
9. Animal: $2.2 million (down from 7)
8. Waitress: The Musical: $2.5 million (new)
7. Napoleon: $4.2 million (down from 6)
6. Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce: $5 million (down from 1)
5. Wish: $5.3 million (stayed at 5)
4. Trolls Band Together: $6.2 million (stayed at 4)
3. Godzilla Minus One: $8.3 million (stayed at 3)
2. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: $9.4 million (stayed at 2)
1. The Boy and the Heron: $10.4 million (new)
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW increased 130 points (0.36%) to close at 36,427 on Friday. The S&P increased 18 points (0.41%) to close at 4,604 and the NASDAQ increased 63 points (0.45%) to close at 14,403.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $71; BRENT CRUDE at $75.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.15 on Sunday.
₿ BITCOIN was mostly stable over the weekend, trading around $43,700 on Sunday.
🛩 There were more than 5,130 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday and more than 800 such cancellations.
💰Two MEGA MILLIONS jackpot tickets were sold in Southern California. The winners will split the $395 million jackpot. Tuesday night’s drawing will be for a $20 million jackpot or a $9.6 million cash payout. Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $477 million jackpot or a $229.7 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
As of mid-November, TAYLOR SWIFT’s “Eras Tour” has brought in an estimated $1.04 BILLION in gross ticket sales -- making it the first-ever tour to pass the BILLION-dollar mark.
Her tour has sold about 4.35 MILLION tickets across 60 shows and around $200 MILLION in merchandise sales from November 2022 through November 2023.
Pollstar predicts that through the end of next year ticket sales will likely hit another $1 BILLION.
MOVIE MILLIONS: Don’t forget! Her “Eras Tour” film made over $250 MILLION at the global box office. [via AP News]
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We now know the name of PARIS HILTON and CARTER REUM’s daughter.
According to a birth certificate obtained by The Blast, the newborn’s full name is London Marilyn Hilton Reum.
The document also says she was born on November 11, which is Hilton and Reum’s anniversary. [via The Blast]
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JADA PINKETT SMITH says WILL SMITH slapping CHRIS ROCK at the Oscars saved their marriage.
“It took that slap for me to see I will never leave him,” she told the Daily Mail in a recent interview.
Remember, while Jada and Will have been married since 1997, they have reportedly been separated for the past seven years.
“Who knows where our relationship would be if that hadn’t happened?” she concluded. [via Daily Mail]
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Thieves broke into KEANU REEVES Hollywood Hills home last week and stole a firearm.
According to Radar Online, the breakin occurred in the early hours of December 7, when a home security camera captured a group of masked intruders smashing a window and entering the home.
Reeves was not home at the time of the incident. [via Radar Online]
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In her latest Instagram post, BRITNEY SPEARS reflects on her past three months of being single.
“It’s so weird being single,” she starts out, before explaining that she has also realized that “it’s ok to be selfish” and enjoy her life now.
Remember, SAM ASGHARI filed for divorce from Spears in August after a year of marriage. [via ET]
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A Grammy given to JOHN LENNON in 1972 is up for auction through Gotta Have Rock and Roll.
The Grammy Trustee award, given to those who made significant contributions to the field of recording, is expected to fetch up to $500,000, according to the music memorabilia-based auction house. [via TMZ]
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MARTHA STEWART likes to start her days early and not having curtains on her windows helps her do just that.
She explained as much during a recent Q&A with Masterclass CEO David Rogier at NYC’s Whitby Hotel, saying that she needs to be up early to care for the many animals on her farm and tend to her gardens.
“I’ve always gotten up at daybreak [...] It helps tremendously. Your state of mind,” she said. [via People]
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While playing a round of “Plead the Fifth” on ANDY COHEN’s “Watch What Happens Live,” actress JULIA ROBERTS revealed that the “hardest drug” she has ever taken is mushrooms.
Cohen asked how that experience was for her, to which she said “it was nice,” before adding, “Kids, don’t try it at home!” [via Page Six]
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CASTING CALL
Filming on the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” is set to begin in January.
Returning for the final season are original cast members DAVID HARBOUR, MILLIE BOBBY BROWN, WINONA RYDER, FINN WOLFHARD, GATEN MATARAZZO, CALEB MCLAUGHLIN, SADIE SINK, NOAH SCHNAPP, NATALIA DYER and CHARLIE HEATON.
Filming was originally scheduled to begin earlier this year but those plans were swiftly halted by the dual Hollywood strikes. [via Deadline]
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AMANDA BYNES launched her new podcast with her friend PAUL SIEMINSKI.
The aptly titled “Amanda Bynes & Paul Sieminski: The Podcast” dropped its first episode over the weekend, with the two interviewing Los Angeles-based tattoo artist DAHLIA MOTH.
As for future episodes, insiders told TMZ that Bynes wants to start with some of her friends before bringing on big-named celebs. [via TMZ]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE attended Art Basel Miami Beach over the weekend.
He was spotted by photogs entering a VIP section of E11even early Sunday morning, with no shoes on. He sat there for about an hour before leaving.
Insiders overheard Ye telling others that his wife BIANCA CENSORI gave him an “allotted amount of time he was allowed to stay out.”
No word on if Ye is in Miami for something other than Art Basel. [via Page Six]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
OMID SCOBIE’s “Endgame” book is getting a re-release in its Dutch translation, just days after it was swiftly yanked from shelves when readers realized it “named names” in the “royal racists” drama.
The new version deletes these names and tones down some rhetoric that painted PRINCE WILLIAM as a villain who is emotionally torturing his brother PRINCE HARRY. [via The Sun]
WORTH NOTING: This re-release might be a desperate attempt to boost book sales, after it moved fewer than 7,000 copies in Britain in its first week.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
UNICEF Day for Change
National Have a Bagel Day
Green Monday
International Mountain Day
National Noodle Ring Day
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ON THIS DATE
1777 - General George Washington and more than 12,000 troops start their cold slog to Valley Forge.
Across the Schuylkill River, they encountered British soldiers and battled with General George Cornwallis and his men. The fight was completely coincidence, not strategic: Cornwallis' men had been foraging for berries.
Washington ordered a swift retreat, being unprepared to fight. They destroyed the bridge that linked both sides of the river, keeping the Brits at bay.
They would finally make it to Valley Forge on December 19.
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1815 - President Madison presents a treaty to Congress to manage trade with Great Britain.
Following the end of the War of 1812, trade with Great Britain restarted, with the Empire finally completely giving in to America's status as an independent, free, and powerful nation.
The agreement was largely ceremonial, but asserted and established America as a legitimate power on the High Seas in regard to both military and commerce.
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1816 - Indiana becomes the 19th state.
The organized territory had already drafted and approved a Constitution and had a functional capitol and governor.
It quickly went from frontier territory to organized, industrial powerhouse.
But the aggressive expansion bankrupted the state. Meanwhile, the value of goods it produced increased and land value skyrocketed.
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1941 - The Nazis declare war on the United States.
Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor, America swiftly entered into the Pacific conflict, at least politically.
This declaration of war would bring America to the European front as well.
Hitler had a standing agreement with Japan to begin fighting America at some point, and the attack on Pearl Harbor was his entry point. He also believed that Japan would force the Americans to surrender quickly and would aid him in fighting Russia.
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1961 - American helicopters begin staging in South Vietnam.
33 Vertol H-21C Shawnee helicopters arrived in Saigon aboard the Core.
A total crew of 400 would man and operate the helicopters. At first, the mission was to only assist South Vietnamese troops in getting into North Vietnamese territory.
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2008 - Bernie Madoff is arrested.
Madoff engineered one of the biggest cons in history, deftly maneuvering more than $65 billion in assets from various clients, for his own financial gain.
When the economy began to tank in 2008, he couldn't keep it up.
He confessed to his sons, who turned him in.
Madoff pled guilty to 11 felony counts and was quickly convicted. Though he was sentenced to 150 years behind bars, the path of destruction continued. His own son killed himself the following year, and his other son was implicated in assisting with the scheme, though he claims innocence.
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2015 - “Playboy” magazine publishes its last nude issue.
Pamela Anderson was featured on the cover.
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2019 - The earliest figurative artwork is discovered in a cave in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
The 43,900 year old piece featured figures that were part human and part animal.
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BIRTHDAYS
Hailee Steinfeld - actress, “Pitch Perfect 2” & “The Edge of Seventeen” - 27
Jack Griffo - actor, “The Thundermans” & “Alexa & Katie” - 27
Alexa Demie - actress, “Euphoria” & “Ray Donovan” - 33
Shane Gillis - comedian - 36
Alex Russell - actor, “Chronicle” & “Carrie” - 36
Colleen Hoover - novelist, “Verity” & “It Ends With Us” - 44
Rider Strong - actor, “Boy Meets World” - 44
Rey Mysterio - wrestler - 49
Mos Def - rapper - 50
Mo’Nique - actress, “The Parkers” & “Precious” - 56
Nikki Sixx - bassist, Motley Crue - 65
Jermaine Jackson - pop singer - 69
Brenda Lee - country singer - 79
John Kerry - US Secretary of State & presidential nominee - 80
Rita Moreno - actress, “West Side Story” & “One Day at a Time” - 92
Born On This Date
Jim Harrison - novelist, “Legends of the Fall” - 1937 (d. 2016)
Walter Knott - farmer, Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park - 1889 (d. 1981)
George Mason - statesman, Bill of Rights - 1725 (d. 1792)
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