Today is Monday, January 2, 2023.
It is the 2nd day of the year.
363 days remain.
TRENDING
Saturday was National Champagne Day.
Pope Benedict was trending Saturday after news of his passing broke. More in Deaths.
Sunday was National Hangover Day.
Anita Pointer was trending Sunday after news of her passing broke. More in Deaths.
Happy New Year landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends over the weekend as users shared their hopes, dreams, wishes and resolutions for 2023. WORTH NOTING: Most resolutions don’t make it past March.
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HIT LIST
In 2021, ELON MUSK became the second person ever to build a net worth over $200 billion, following in the footsteps of JEFF BEZOS. He went on to become the richest man in the world as Tesla stock soared, peaking at $340 billion in November 2021.
Now, Musk holds the title for the only person to lose more than $200 billion in net worth, as Tesla stock continues to slide. It lost 65% of its value last year, and Musk’s net worth slid with it.
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After weeks of seemingly no progress or leads in finding a suspect for the murder of four Idaho college students in November, authorities announced an arrest on Friday.
Bryan Kohberger has been charged with four counts of murder. He owns a white Hyundai Elantra that had been spotted in the area the night of the slayings and his DNA was found at the scene. The 28-year-old suspect was arrested in Pennsylvania, where he was believed to be staying with family.
GET THIS: Kohberger recently completed his first semester of his PhD program – in criminal justice.
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An English medical practice had the best of intentions when it tried to send a simple “Merry Christmas” message to some of its patients the week before last – but instead mistakenly spammed its list with a message telling recipients they had aggressive lung cancer.
No word yet on what went wrong to cause the terrifying glitch. The clinic did follow up shortly after with a message clarifying that the first one had been sent in error.
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North Korean despot KIM JONG JUNIOR started 2023 with a bang, firing a short-range missile off its east coast and releasing a statement calling for an “exponential” expansion of the country’s nuclear weapons arsenal. He’s also expecting his military to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile.
State media reports that Kim also has plans to deploy the country’s first spy satellite.
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Three NYPD officers were attacked by a machete-wielding maniac on New Year’s Eve.
Investigators say the 19-year-old suspect may have ties to Islamic terrorism. Their first task is determining whether the suspect showed up at the Ball Drop events specifically to conduct the attack.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 For the year 2022: The Dow finished down 9.4% (3,437 points). The S&P was down nearly 20% (957 points) and the Nasdaq was down more than one-third (5,366 points).
🛢 West Texas Intermediate closed just over $80 on Friday; Brent Crude just shy of $86.
⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $3.19 over the weekend.
₿ Bitcoin was mostly flat over the weekend, trading around $16,600.
🛩 There were more than 4,000 flights delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday amid another winter storm moving across the country, and 290 such cancellations.
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CHARTS
Weekend Box Office
10. Strange World: $538k (stayed at 10)
9. The Menu: $1 million (stayed at 9)
8. The Fabelmans: $1.1 million (stayed at 8)
7. The Whale: $1.3 million (stayed at 7)
6. Violent Night: $2.1 million (down from 5)
5. Babylon: $2.7 million (down from 4)
4. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody: $4.2 million (down from 3)
3. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: $4.8 million (up from 6)
2. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: $16.3 million (stayed at 2)
1. Avatar: The Way of Water: $63.4 million (stayed at 1)
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DEATHS
Broadcasting legend BARBARA WALTERS has died.
She passed away Friday in her home surrounded by loved ones, according to a statement from her rep. No other details were shared.
Walter’s impressive career spanned five decades, during which she won 12 Emmy awards. She was also the first female anchor on an evening news program, joining ABC News in 1976, and would go on to launch “The View” in 1997.
She was 93.
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Pope Emeritus BENEDICT XVI has died.
He passed away on Saturday after a battle with issues due to old age at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City.
Benedict was elected Pope in 2005, holding the position until he decided to step away in 2013, citing old age and fragility. He is the first pope in 600 years to resign from office.
He was 95.
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Brazilian soccer legend PELE has died.
He passed away Thursday at a hospital in Sao Paulo after a lengthy battle with cancer.
He was 82.
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Designer VIVIENNE WESTWOOD has died.
Her team announced that she passed away “peacefully and surrounded by loved ones” on Thursday in South London. No further details were shared.
She was 81.
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ANITA POINTER, of the iconic group The Pointer Sisters, has died.
She passed away at her home Saturday, surrounded by her family, after a “lengthy and heroic battle with cancer,” according to her rep.
She was 74.
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JEREMIAH GREEN, the founding drummer for the rock band Modest Mouse, has died.
He passed away Saturday, just four days after his bandmates revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer.
He was 45.
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BABY NEWS
NICK CANNON is officially a dad of a dozen.
The “Masked Singer” host revealed on Thursday that he recently welcomed his 12th child -- his second with model ALYSSA SCOTT.
Their daughter, Halo, arrived on December 14, according to Cannon’s social media post.
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IRELAND BALDWIN, 27, the daughter of ALEC BALDWIN and KIM BASINGER, is expecting her first child with musician RAC, 37, (real name, Andre Allen Anjos).
Both of the soon-to-be parents revealed the news on their respective Instagram accounts on Sunday, while sending out New Years wishes.
This will be the couple’s first child together.
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Reality star and DJ BRODY JENNER, 39, and his girlfriend, pro surfer TIA BLANCO, 25, are expecting their first child.
The couple, who started dating last June, announced the news on Instagram in a joint post.
Neither of them have any other children.
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THE SWAMP
The mother of the daughter HUNTER BIDEN has never publicly acknowledged – save for the DNA test proving his paternity – is asking an Arkansas court to have the child’s last name legally changed to Biden.
RadarOnline reports that mom LUNDEN ROBERTS wants their four-year-old to have the advantages of being connected to the world’s most powerful family.
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Former President DONALD TRUMP’s tax returns from the years he spent running for office and working in the White House have been released.
One of the biggest highlights is the $4.3 million loss he claimed in 2020, likely a result of pandemic restrictions clobbering the hospitality industry where the Trump brands generate so much of their revenue.
In other previous years, he carried forward massive losses to offset future income taxes, which are perfectly above-board and legal.
WORTH ASKING: Weren’t Trump’s tax returns supposed to be the final missing puzzle piece that would at last prove the corruption his detractors are so desperate to find?
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TOMORROW: Just as the new Congress is sworn in, their own internal leadership will get elected, too. This is usually a ceremonial formality, as back-room power-brokering makes clear who will lead each party shortly after November elections.
BUT WAIT: This time, the Republican leader, KEVIN MCCARTHY, might not have the votes to walk into the Speakership, even from within his own party. The GOP will have a ten-seat majority in the House of Representatives to begin with, and conservative stalwarts are challenging McCarthy’s bid for Speaker after he indicated he would not pursue an impeachment of President JOE BIDEN. McCarthy needs a simple majority of votes from House members to earn the job.
WHAT’S NEXT: The election of House Speaker is held by floor vote. If no one achieves a majority of quorum, the process starts over, until a Speaker is elected. There aren’t many rules governing the process, so if the situation turns contentious, the balloting process would become a game of wills as the back-room wheeling and dealing happens.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tuesday night’s drawing will be for a $785 million jackpot or a $395 million cash payout.
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No winner for Saturday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $265 million jackpot or a $134.7 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
BRITNEY SPEARS is in charge of her own life, so says her husband SAM ASGHARI.
Amid concern over her often bizarre Instagram posts, TMZ photogs caught up with Sam over the weekend, quizzing him about who actually wears the pants in their relationship.
According to Mr. Britney Spears, she does.
Sam even went as far to say that he doesn’t even decide what they eat for dinner on a nightly basis.
As previously reported, some fans have been concerned about Brit, to the point where they are convinced that she is missing, or even dead. Sources close to her told TMZ that she is “safe and sound.”
Sam appears to be saying the same.
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ANTHONY HOPKINS marked 47 years of sobriety last week with a post on Instagram.
In a brief clip, Hopkins wished his followers a happy new year, before adding an inspirational message about being kind and living your life.
He captioned the post, “Wishing everyone a healthy 2023.”
The post came just days ahead of his 85th birthday on December 31.
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AEROSMITH frontman STEVEN TYLER is being sued by a woman who claims she had a sexual relationship with him when she was 16 and he was 25.
Julia Holcomb filed the suit last week, under the California Victims Act, accusing Tyler of sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of of emotional distress.
Tyler has previously addressed their relationship, writing in his memoir that her parents “fell in love with [him], signed a paper for [him] to have custody, so [he] wouldn’t get arrested if [he] took her out of state.”
Holcomb says she became pregnant with Tyler’s child at 17 and he convinced her to have an abortion.
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Controversial comedian BILL COSBY wants to make a comeback.
“WGH Talk” host Scott Spears asked Cosby if he plans to get back on the road, to which he replied, “Yes,” before adding, “there is so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do.”
The 85-year-old last appeared on stage in May 2015.
WORTH NOTING: In 2018 he was convicted of aggravated assault and served three years in prison before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 2021.
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ANDY COHEN claims JAMES CORDEN ripped off his “Watch What Happens Live” set for his own set of “The Late Late Show with James Corden.”
Speaking on the “Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi” podcast, Cohen said that his set has “redefined what the late-night talk show is,” specifically pointing out that he was the first to feature a bar.
“[WWHL] was the first bar on late-night [then] James Corden got a bar. James Corden kind of wound up [copying our set]. It is what it is,” he said.
ON THE TOPIC: Cohen previously stated that he doesn’t feel included in the late-night TV gang, saying there was a Vanity Fair shoot years ago that he was left out of. Graydon Carter, editor at Vanity Fair, has since apologized for excluding him.
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The FOO FIGHTERS announced over the weekend that they will move forward with performing, after the death of drummer TAYLOR HAWKINS last March.
Sharing their plans on social media, the band wrote that after “the most difficult and tragic year” they want to utilize the “healing power of music and a continuation of life” by getting back to their fans.
The announcement comes nine months after the group canceled their world tour to mourn the loss of Hawkins.
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Actor HENRY WINKLER and football stud PATRICK MAHOMES have formed a budding bromance.
It all started when Winkler called Mahomes one of his “heroes,” while gushing over his talent on “The Rich Eisen Show.” The two then met in-person after one of Mahomes’ games.
Next up, Winkler told TMZ that he has invited Mahomes and his wife and kids to dinner at his home.
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Rolling Stone updated their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Topping the list is none other than ARETHA FRANKLIN.
Rounding out the Top Five are:
2. Whitney Houston
3. Sam Cooke
4. Billie Holiday
5. Mariah Carey
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CASTING CALL
Four years after his death, Marvel Entertainment has announced they are working on an original documentary about creator STAN LEE.
The doc will debut on Disney+ sometime this year, according to a tweet from Marvel.
The news was announced on what would have been Lee’s 100th birthday, December 28.
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“Top Gun: Maverick” was a hit for Paramount+.
According to the streamer, from December 22 to 25, the film became the most-watched movie premiere, passing the previous record holder “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.”
The movie also increased viewership of the 1986 original and “Mission Impossible” franchise titles by over 140% on the streamer.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Several media outlets reported that Kanye West -- who now goes by YE -- was missing last week.
Turns out he was MIA on purpose to avoid being served papers regarding a $4.5 million lawsuit filed by his former business management firm. They claim he stopped paying them only three months into an 18-month agreement.
According to Insider, even Ye’s own lawyers can’t find him, though they are only looking for him to tell him that they are quitting.
Ye was last spotted publicly on December 18 when he took two of his kids to church, per The Sun.
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PETA is keeping a close eye on KIM KARDASHIAN after she posted aTikTok video of her dogs appearing to live in her garage.
“We are hoping that she does not relegate her dogs to life in a garage,” the animal rights organization told Page Six.
Followers were also upset about the video, becoming more so after the clip was removed.
While many are asking why the dogs are living in the garage instead of the house, one user pointed out that Kim’s garage is likely nicer than most people’s homes.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
The Royal Family has still not issued a statement about PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE’s Netflix docuseries.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl told “ET” that the family is planning to “ride this out without being drawn into it.”
“It’s a case of keep calm and carry on,” she added.
ROYAL WATCHPARTY: As for who is planning to watch the series, Nicholl says KING CHARLES and QUEEN CONSORT CAMILLA will “not be watching.” As for PRINCE WILLIAM and KATE MIDDLETON, she said “they just want to keep their distance from it.”
SPEAKING OF HARRY: Insiders told The Sun that he will likely travel to the UK solo to promote his new book “Spare.” It is unknown if he will make time to see his family. “Spare” hits shelves on January 10.
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SPORTS
TOM BRADY’s backup QB BLAINE GABBERT helped rescue four people after the helicopter they were riding in crashed into a body of water in Tampa, Florida last week.
The 33-year-old NFL star arrived by jetski, along with one other person, and helped bring the three passengers and pilot safely to land. None of the crash victims sustained any injuries.
The Tampa Police Department is working with federal agencies to investigate what happened.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Swiss Cheese Day
Run Up the Flagpole and See if Anyone Salutes Day
National Pet Travel Safety Day
National Science Fiction Day
National Cream Puff Day
National Personal Trainer Awareness Day
World Introvert Day
55 mph Speed Limit Day
Weigh-In Day
Happy Mew Year for Cats Day
Motivation and Inspiration Day
National Buffet Day
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ON THIS DATE
1492 – The Moors are forcibly expelled from Spain.
The kingdom of Granada had been a safe haven for Muslims during the Christian Reconquest. That ended with the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, who commanded the invasion of the Moorish territory in Southern Spain.
Muslims would stick around in Spain for another 100 years, but faced persecution. In 1609, they would be forcibly deported, and Spain would largely remain a Catholic state.
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1776 – The Continental Congress commits to aggressively indoctrinate colonists who remained loyal to the British Throne.
The Tory Act was passed, and diminished the influence of anyone who remained loyal to British rule. Anyone who remained loyal to the monarchy would be registered and monitored by the government.
In the run-up to and during the Revolutionary War, between 60,000 and 70,000 loyalists to the Crown ended up leaving the colonies for British territories around the world, along with some 20,000 slaves. Many of them ended up in Canada.
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1788 – Georgia ratifies the US Constitution, making it the fourth state.
The territory was first named for King George II, when it was formally settled in 1733.
Its first permanent settlement was Savannah. It was a prosperous city, and had many loyalists who opposed revolution. But enough discord was eventually fomented, and Georgia sent delegates to the Continental Congress.
When the British occupied Georgia, the people swiftly became more supportive of the Patriot cause.
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1956 – The Sooners football team wins the Orange Bowl, marking Oklahoma University's 30th consecutive win. The team would go on to win 47 games in a row.
They still hold the record for most consecutive wins in Division I football.
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1980 – President Carter once again freezes the thawing relations between the U.S. and Soviet Union.
The Soviets had invaded Afghanistan the month prior. He feared the communist presence in the Middle East would destabilize Iran and Pakistan and would allow Soviets control of the world's major oil resources.
Meanwhile, exports to the Soviet Union were stopped, and Carter called for a boycott of the Olympics in Moscow.
This was the foundation for President Reagan's much more aggressive anti-Communist stance that would eventually cripple the Soviet Union.
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2019 – Apple CEO Tim Cook blames below expectation Chinese iPhone sales for the downturn in the company's outlook, rocking international stock markets.
Trading in the company’s shares was temporarily halted as Cook issued a letter to shareholders explaining the slowdown. When selling started again, Apple shares fell by 7.45%, wiping $55 billion off its value.
Cook cited falling sales of iPhones, Mac computers and iPads.
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BIRTHDAYS
Fernando Tatis Jr - baseball player - 24
Bryson Tiller - R&B singer - 30
Ben Hardy - actor, “EastEnders” & “Bohemian Rhapsody” - 32
Shelley Henning - actress, “Days of Our Lives” & “Ouija” - 36
Kate Bosworth - actress, “Blue Crush” & “Wonderland” - 40
Paz Vega - actress, “Spanglish” - 47
Dax Shepard - actor, “Parenthood” & “Employee of the Month” - 48
Taye Diggs - actor, “Rent” & “Private Practice” - 52
Renee Elise Goldsberry - actress, “One Life to Live” & “Hamilton” - 52
Cuba Gooding Jr - actor, “Jerry Maguire” & “Men of Honor” - 55
Gabrielle Carteris - actress, “Beverly Hills 90210” - 62
Born On This Date
Tommy Morrison - boxer & actor, “Rocky V” - 1969 (d. 2013)
Issac Asimov - sci-fi writer, “I Robot” - 1920 (d. 1992)
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