12/11/2024: Drone Target Practice
PLUS: Debt Spiral; Defending Rock; and Royal Bath Time
Today is Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
It is the 346th day of the year.
20 days remain.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
UPGRADE TO TOP SHELF TODAY!
Beginning Monday, December 16, the full newsletter will only be available to Top Shelf subscribers.
Free subscribers will still get a scaled-back version, with about a half-dozen pieces from the Hit List, Showbiz News, and Casting Call sections.
CHRISTMAS SEASON PUBLISHING SCHEDULE:
There will be no regular newsletter from Monday, December 23 - Wednesday, January 1.
We will publish our Year in Review series December 26, 27, 30, and 31. Top Shelf subscribers get full access.
We will return to regular production for Thursday, January 2, 2025.
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WHAT’S ON TAP
A lottery winner goes to court and a global survey shows Americans in learning crisis. Details in HIT LIST.
JAMIE FOXX details last year’s health scare and a classic children’s book series gets a new vibe. More in SHOWBIZ.
Movie critics are raving about the new “Lion King” movie and JEREMY ALLEN WHITE voices a character in the new “Star Wars” movie. Details in CASTING CALL.
YE has turned BIANCA CENSORI into a gamer. More on that in KARDASH.
KING CHARLES fondly remembers his mother in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
It’s not just you, people really are getting dumber.
The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies tested 160,000 adults around the world in 31 industrialized countries. It’s the fourth time they’ve conducted the program, previously completing it in 2012, 2014, and 2017.
The results show 34% of American test-takers don’t have the basic math skills expected of a primary school student, up from 29% in 2017. Similarly, the number of Americans unable to demonstrate basic literacy rose from 19% to 28%. [via NCES]
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Move over, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Gen Z is ushering in “Klarna Week” this week – named for the ubiquitous Buy Now, Pay Later service that’s saddling the youngest Americans with even more consumer debt – to finance their Christmas-season gift-giving and other purchases.
Financial literacy app Frich, which caters specifically to the young demographic, shows Gen Z’s Buy Now, Pay Later purchases are up 31% year over year. Separately, their credit card debt is up nearly 50% over the same period. (Unlike a credit card, Buy Now, Pay Later applies to individual purchases and online shopping carts. The finance plan incurs no debt when paid off over a period of a few weeks, but carries heavy interest and penalties for late payments.)
IT GETS WORSE: Late fees on credit card payments for Gen Z have climbed 14%.
GO FIGURE: More than 52% of Gen Zers say they’re more anxious about their end-of-year finances than they were last December.
SHAME: Only 12% of respondents said they would actually admit to using a Buy-Now-Pay-Later option. Fake it ‘til you make it – then go bankrupt. [via YourTango]
MEANWHILE: A survey by financial firm Empower shows that, on average, Gen Z believes they need to earn an annual salary of $587,797 and a net worth of $9.47 MILLION to achieve “financial success.” So there’s that.
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Last summer, Dennis Winn, a 72-year old retired New Jersey fire captain living in Florida, fired a 9mm round at an aerial drone buzzing over his home.
The drone itself was harmless. A small team from DroneUp Delivery, a company partnering with Walmart to deliver packages, was nearby testing a mechanism that would lower packages to ground level from a height of 75 feet. They heard the gunshot, got in their van, and split, while the drone automatically returned to a nearby Walmart.
When cops arrived, Winn admitted to shooting the drone, and asked the officers, “How much trouble am I in?” He was charged on a misdemeanor count of discharging a firearm in public and a felony count of property damage.
NOW: Winn is entering a pretrial intervention program that will drop the criminal charges, thanks to his clean record. He’ll also pay $5,000 in restitution to DroneUp. [via The Smoking Gun]
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A year ago, Faramarz Lahijani’s life changed when he won the Mega Millions jackpot prize worth $394 MILLION. A year later, he’s only gotten half the prize money.
TURNS OUT: Lahijani says he bought two tickets with the same numbers. Since there were technically two winning tickets, Mega Millions only owes him half the amount, because he’s failed to produce the second ticket.
Now, Lahijani is filing a lawsuit to try to get the other $197.5 MILLION he says he’s owed. He reportedly hasn’t had a reason for not turning in the second ticket, but records apparently show both were sold at the same gas station.
BY THE WAY: He says for three decades, he’s played the same six numbers: 21, 26, 53, 66, 70, and 13. [via KRDO]
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to add monarch butterflies to the threatened species list by the end of next year.
While most threatened species are protected from being killed and transported, in this case, people will still be allowed to move fewer than 250 monarchs and continue to use them for educational purposes.
The decision is 10 years in the making, having been petitioned by the Center for Biological Diversity in 2014. [via AP News]
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BREAKUPS
MEGAN FOX and MACHINE GUN KELLY have called it quits, just a month after announcing they are expecting their first child together.
She’s 38 and he’s 34.
Insiders reported that the relationship ended over Thanksgiving break while the two were in Vail.
WORTH REMEMBERING: It was just a week ago that sources credited KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN’s husband, TRAVIS BARKER with helping MGK win Fox back. No word on whether or not he will help again.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 154 points (0.35%) to close at 44,247 on Tuesday. The S&P lost 17 points (0.3%) to close at 6,034 and the NASDAQ lost 49 points (0.25%) to close at 19,687.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $68; BRENT CRUDE at $72.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.01 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN was mostly flat, trading around $97,000.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL will be for a $30 million jackpot or a $14.5 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
JAMIE FOXX finally opens up about his health scare in the new Netflix comedy “What Had Happened Was.”
Of the medical emergency that had him fighting for his life last year, Foxx said it started with a headache and then turned serious when he blacked out and was unconscious for weeks.
“I saw the tunnel. I didn’t see the light. It was hot in that tunnel,” he joked before questioning if he was headed to the right place.
After being told by doctors that he could make a full recovery, but it would be “the worst year of [his] life,” Foxx says his daughter CORRINE FOXX and sister “cut it all off,” and shielded him from the outside world.
Before concluding the special, Foxx sent sincere thanks to everybody who prayed for his recovery, the nurses and doctors, his family, and God. [via Variety]
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CHRIS ROCK’s brother, fellow comedian TONY ROCK, is defending his abrupt exit from a private event over the weekend, telling TMZ that fans who film comedian’s routines are “[effing a-holes].”
“If you record it and put it up before the joke is perfected, it’s like a chef giving you a plate of food before it’s finished,” he continued.
As previously reported, Chris stormed out of a private event over the weekend without explanation. Speculation is that someone in the audience was taping his routine, which set him off. [via TMZ]
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The Queen of Christmas is living up to her name.
MARIAH CAREY’s holiday hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is once again on top of the Billboard Hot 100.
The song, which debuted in 1994, first topped the chart in December 2019. [via Billboard]
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While attending the Red Sea Festival, actor JEREMY RENNER was asked about any limitations he faces after his near-fatal 2023 New Year’s Day snow plow accident.
“I don’t think of it as limitations -- even though I’m 25% titanium, so [f-word] Iron Man,” he quipped.
He then revealed he is currently writing a book about the accident, in which he suffered blunt chest trauma and 38 broken bones.
After a year of recovery, healing and rehab, Renner returned to the set of “Mayor of Kingstown” in January to film the third season. Also, he recently filmed the forthcoming “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” [via Variety]
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JASON KELCE is off the hook in the now infamous phone smashing incident, after Penn State police closed the case.
A spokesperson for the department explained the decision, saying the individual whose phone was smashed “has not been identified” and “no one has come forward … with a related complaint.”
Kelce was at the college for a football game, when a fan called his brother, TRAVIS KELCE a gay slur for dating TAYLOR SWIFT. Based on footage of the incident, Kelce then grabbed the guy’s phone and smashed it on the ground. He later apologized during an ESPN broadcast. [via TMZ]
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Thieves raided JOE BURROW’s home while he led the Bengals to a win over the Cowboys on Monday night.
According to WLWT, multiple people called police reporting the break-in. Upon arrival, officers found a bedroom window shattered and the room ransacked.
No word on what, if anything, was taken. [via WLWT]
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CASTING CALL
In 2018, NETFLIX shelled out a reported $250 MILLION to acquire the rights to adapt all seven books in the “Chronicles of Narnia” series for the screen. The purchase marked the first time a single production company held the rights to the entire series.
NOW: Producer AMY PASCAL says filming on the first project will begin next summer. With GRETA GERWIG in the director’s chair, Pascal tells Deadline the forthcoming movie will be a “very new” and “rock and roll” take on the classic, Christian series. [via ScreenRant]
MEANWHILE: Just a few days ago, actor JASON ISAACS, who’s not even attached to the project, implied in an interview for “The Week” that the movie won’t be an adaptation of the first book, “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe,” but the sixth book, “The Magician’s Nephew,” which – spoiler alert – is chronologically the first story in the series. [via The Week]
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Critics are raving about the new “Lion King” prequel, “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
“So beautifully crafted,” Variety’s senior artisans editor writes, while a Film Independent journalist says it’s a “story that deserves to be told that makes you question what is destiny.”
Comicbook.com’s Chris Killian calls it “better than the 2019 version of ‘Lion King.’”
Directed by BARRY JENKINS, “Mufasa” explores the early years of the eventual ruler of Pride Rock, including how he and Scar (whose real name is Taka) transition from friends to enemies.
It hits theaters December 20. [via Variety]
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JEREMY ALLEN WHITE will voice Jabba the Hutt’s son, Rotta the Hutt, in “The Mandalorian & Grogu.”
PEDRO PASCAL is reprising his titular role from the Disney+ series and SIGOURNEY WEAVER is attached in an unspecified part.
MEANWHILE: White, who is known for his roles in “Shameless” and “The Bear,” is currently filming the BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN biopic, “Deliver Me From Nowhere.” [via BangPremier]
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CHRIS EVANS is returning to the Marvel Universe for the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday.”
It is not known if he will be reprising his role as Steve “Captain America” Rogers, his pre-MCU role as Johnny Storm from “The Fantastic Four,” or taking on a new character.
“Avengers: Doomsday” is set to be released on May 1, 2026.
WORTH REMEMBERING: ROBERT DOWNEY JR. will also be back in the “Avengers” follow-up, but as Dr. Doom, not Iron Man, so good luck keeping all that straight. [via The Wrap]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE is addicted to his games.
Insiders tell The Mirror that he “prefers to play video games … way more than doing something romantic,” and because of that BIANCA CENSORI has given up fighting him and now chooses to play alongside him.
“He can sit for hours,” the source continued. “Anyone living with Ye has to be up for it.”
In addition to Censori, Ye also likes to play with his four kids, NORTH, SAINT, CHICAGO, and PSALM when they visit.
FOR THE RECORD: KIM KARDASHIAN was never much of a gamer. [via The Mirror]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING CHARLES shares some endearing details about his late mother, QUEEN ELIZABETH, in a new documentary.
The film, “Coronation Girls,” tells the story of 50 Canadian teenage women who traveled to London for Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. Many returned to London for a tour of Buckingham Palace last December and got a surprise visit with the King himself.
In preview footage, Charles recalls watching a young Queen Elizabeth wear the crown around the palace: “My mama used to come up at bath time wearing the crown to practice.” He adds, “I remember it all so well then, because I remember my sister” – that’s PRINCESS ANNE – “and I had bath time in the evening.”
Charles says both he and his mother were anxious over the literal weight of the St. Edward’s Crown, which weighs in at nearly five pounds. "It is much heavier and taller, so there's always that feeling of feeling slightly anxious, in case it wobbles. You have to carry it, you have to look straight ahead,” the King says.
The documentary premieres on PBS in Canada on December 26. [via BBC]
WATCH A PREVIEW OF THE DOCUMENTARY:
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Tango Day
National Have a Bagel Day
International Mountain Day
National App Day
Holiday Food Drive for Needy Animals 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 complete coincidence, not strategic: Cornwallis' men had been foraging for berries.
Washington ordered a swift retreat, 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, and Empire finally acknowledged America's status as an independent, free, and powerful nation.
The agreement was largely ceremonial, but asserted and established America as a legitimate military and commercial power on the High Seas.
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1816 - Indiana becomes the 19th state.
The organized territory had already drafted and approved a Constitution, with a capital and governor in Corydon.
In 1825, the capital moved to Indianapolis.
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1941 - Nazi Germany declares war on the United States.
Congress declared war on Japan the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, pulling the United States into the Pacific conflict. Germany’s declaration of war would bring America to the European front as well.
Hitler had a standing agreement with Japan to begin fighting America eventually, 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.
Thirty-three Vertol H-21C Shawnee helicopters arrived in Saigon aboard the Core.
A total crew of 400 would man and operate the choppers. At first, the mission was to only assist South Vietnamese troops in getting into North Vietnamese territory.
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2008 - FBI agents arrest Bernie Madoff.
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.
Madoff died in April 2021.
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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 - singer & actress, “Pitch Perfect” - 28
Shane Gillis - comedian - 37
Alex Russell - actor, “Chronicle” & “Carrie” - 37
Rider Strong - actor, “Boy Meets World” - 45
Colleen Hoover - novelist, “It Ends With Us” & “Verity” - 45
Courtney Henggeler - actress, “Mom” & “Cobra Kai” - 46
Rey Mysterio - wrestler - 50
Mos Def - rapper - 51
Mo’Nique - actress, “ - 57
DJ Yella - music producer - 63
Nikki Sixx - bassist, Motley Crue - 66
Jermaine Jackson - pop singer - 70
Brenda Lee - country singer - 80
Rita Moreno - actress, “West Side Story” - 93
Born On This Date
Terri Garr - movie actress, “Tootsie” & “Friends” - 1944 (d. 2024)
George Mason - Founding Father - 1725 (d. 1792)
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