12/5/2024: Christmas Pie Heist!
PLUS: Assassin on the Loose; Epstein>Maxwell>Diddy; and From Texas With Love
Today is Thursday, December 5, 2024.
It is the 340th day of the year.
26 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
ELON MUSK gets the wax figure treatment and domestic trouble for major American allies. Details in HIT LIST.
TAYLOR SWIFT is Spotify’s most-streamed artist (again!) and JOSH DUGGAR enjoys luxury behind bars. More in SHOWBIZ.
A Stars Hollow reunion takes place in a new holiday ad and BILL MAHER doesn’t think he can handle another Trump presidency. Details in CASTING CALL.
KOURTNEY’s husband helped reunite this Hollywood couple. Find out who in KARDASH.
THE KING meets some yankees during a rainy day in Notting Hill. Details in ROYALS.
###
HIT LIST
An unidentified gunman remains on the loose in New York City after shooting the CEO of United Healthcare point blank as he exited a hotel Wednesday morning.
According to some reports, the shooter arrived just minutes before the attack, wore a mask, and used a silencer on his gun, suggesting the hit could have been a professional assassination.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said Wednesday that after getting off his first shots, the assassin’s gun jammed, but he quickly cleared it and continued firing, suggesting his proficiency with guns.
BRIAN THOMPSON was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital about a half hour after the incident. He was in New York for the company’s investor conference. [via New York Post]
###
Two major American allies remain in chaos during a tumultuous week:
IN SOUTH KOREA: Opposition parties began the impeachment process against President Yoon Suk Yeol following his shock martial law declaration late Tuesday night. Two-thirds of both the parliament and the country’s nine-member Supreme Court would need to approve the drastic measure. A vote could happen as soon as tomorrow. [via Associated Press]
IN FRANCE: Parliament passed a vote of no confidence in the government of Prime Minister MICHEL BARNIER in protest of his proposed drastic budget cuts. Both far-left and right-wing factions united to oust Barnier. President EMANUEL MACRON will appoint a new PM, subject to parliament’s approval. With international focus on Paris this weekend for the reopening of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, it’s likely Macron will move quickly to put someone in place. [via BBC]
###
ELON MUSK has a new wax figure at Madam Tussauds New York.
The figure depicts the eccentric billionaire in a blazer and blue jeans, arms folded over his chest, with a really bizarre bucktoothed smirk. Following its unveiling at the the Upper East Side Explorers Club, its permanent home will be at the museum’s new exhibit, “The Space Gallery.” [via New York Post]
ALSO IN ELONWORLD, SORT OF: President-elect DONALD TRUMP has tapped JARED ISAACMAN to lead NASA. Isaacman is a tech mogul in his own right who’s plowed billions into space technology research. In April, he piloted a crew into orbit to conduct the first civilian spacewalk, using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule.
In a statement, Isaacman said in part, “Space holds unparalleled potential for breakthroughs in manufacturing, biotechnology, mining, and perhaps even pathways to new sources of energy. There will inevitably be a thriving space economy—one that will create opportunities for countless people to live and work in space. At NASA, we will passionately pursue these possibilities and usher in an era where humanity becomes a true spacefaring civilization.”
###
Thieves in York, England, made off with a delivery van full of 2500 pies made by Michelin-starred chef TOMMY BANKS’ bake shop.
“Nearly a ton of pies with my name written all over them is somewhere in the north of England,” Banks wrote in an Instagram post. Banks believes the crooks likely just wanted to steal the vehicle. He’s implored them to at least donate the haul to a community center who can distribute them to struggling people unable to afford food during the holidays.
BY THE WAY: At about $12 a pie, the haul is worth about $30,000.
###
A firearm believed to be the oldest ever found in the United States was discovered in Arizona.
The bronze cannon, or wall gun, was unearthed along the Santa Cruz River. Measuring 42 inches long and weighing 40 pounds, the firearm was used during the 1539-1542 expedition led by Francisco Vazquez de Coronado. It was designed to be mounted on a wooden tripod and used to protect fortifications, according to research published in the International Journal of Historical Archaeology.
The firearm, which could shoot lead balls over 700 yards, is the first ever to be found in connection to the expedition. [via Newsweek]
###
BREAKUPS
Singer SABRINA CARPENTER and actor BARRY KEOGHAN have called it quits after about a year of dating.
She’s 25 and she’s 32.
The pair first sparked romance rumors after being spotted grabbing dinner together last December.
###
BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gains 308 points (0.69%) to close at 45,014. The S&P increased 36 points (0.61%) to close at 6,086 and the NASDAQ increased 254 points (1.3%) to close at 19,735.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $68; BRENT CRUDE at $72.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.03 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN surpassed $100,000 for the first time ever Wednesday evening.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $579 million jackpot or a $276.6 million cash payout.
###
SHOWBIZ NEWS
TAYLOR SWIFT is the most-streamed artist on Spotify for the second year in a row, with more than 26.6 BILLION streams.
In honor of her achievement, Spotify added a special “Wrapped badge” icon to her profile -- a first for the streamer.
Rounding out the top five are: THE WEEKND, BAD BUNNY, DRAKE, and BILLIE EILISH.
ALSO: Swift’s “The Tortured Poet’s Department” was the most-streamed album of 2024. The most-streamed song, however, was SABRINA CARPENTER’s “Espresso.” [via People]
###
The degrees of separation between SEAN COMBS and JEFFERY EPSTEIN significantly decreased this week as Maurene Comey, the prosecutor who secured a conviction for GHISLAINE MAXWELL, is now working on charges for the music mogul.
Remember, Maxwell was Epstein’s wing woman. She helped him traffic and sexually abuse minors.
Comey’s addition to the prosecution comes just days after Combs was denied bail for a third time. [via The Mirror]
###
Welcome to America.
British rock band SPORTS TEAM wasn’t given the warmest welcome upon arriving in The States this week ahead of the U.S. leg of their tour.
During a quick pit stop at a Starbucks in Vallejo, California, the band’s van was ransacked by a group of armed individuals. In addition to busted out windows on the van, band members' say their laptops, in-ear monitors, cameras, and other personal items were stolen.
Enough of their equipment remained that they were able to still perform their show in Sacramento. [via Sky News]
###
TV judge GREG MATHIS is being sued by a city employee who he allegedly threatened to shoot for blocking his driveway.
According to the lawsuit, L.A. Department of Water and Power employee Ricardo Acosta was working outside of Mathis’ home when the TV judge came outside and started swearing at him about his truck blocking his driveway.
As Acosta tried to move the truck, Mathis allegedly stood in the way, and when asked to move he ran back into the house and returned with a gun yelling, “I will bust a cap.”
Acosta is suing for assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages. [via TMZ]
###
JOSH DUGGAR has a target on his back behind the walls of FCI Seagoville in Dallas, Texas.
The 36-year-old, who is serving a 151-month sentence for child pornography crimes, was recently spotted walking the outside track wearing Under Armour sneakers and “luxury” sunglasses -- neither of which can be purchased through the commissary.
Owning the name brand gear puts a target on Duggar as “other prisoners will want it,” according to attorney Adam Micahel Sacks.
Remember though, Duggar lives in a newly renovated area of the prison, so perhaps the items are a privilege he is afforded and is a common occurrence amongst his dorm-mates. [via The Sun]
###
The ROLLING STONES launched their first-ever fine fragrance.
RS No. 9 is described by the band as “a scent that evokes London’s Soho in 1962: a throbbing metropolis bustling with excitement as a new cultural era emerged; a time of discovery and freedom, when anything could -- and did -- happen.”
The press release, meanwhile, promises “Bourbon-infused notes of velvet [that] swagger onto centre stage, as warm leather brawls under electric musk while sultry oud seductively lingers.”
A 100ml bottle retails for $99.99. [via Page Six]
###
CASTING CALL
“Gilmore Girls” stars LAUREN GRAHAM, SCOTT PATTERSON, and SEAN GUNN return to Stars Hollow in a new Walmart holiday ad.
It is the first time fans have seen the trio -- Lorelai Gilmore, Luke Danes, and Kirk Gleason -- on screen together since 2016’s “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.” [via THR]
###
In the forthcoming three-part Netflix documentary, Jets QB AARON RODGERS says his controversial views have cost him relationships with friends and family members.
“It was heartbreaking,” he says in the newly released trailer.
The documentary focuses on Rodgers’ journey healing from a torn Achilles and also touches on whether it's time for him to hang it up.
“Aaron Rodgers: Enigma” premieres December 17. [via People]
###
BILL MAHER doesn’t think he can handle another MAGA presidency.
Speaking to JANE FONDA on his “Club Random” podcast, Maher revealed he “may quit” hosting his HBO show, “Real Time with Bill Maher,” following President-elect DONALD TRUMP’s inauguration.
“I may quit because I don't want to do another. I did Trump. I did all the Trump stuff before anybody,” he explained.
The Trump-Maher feud goes back years, with the former suing the latter in 2013 for a remark he made on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Maher said that Trump is “the spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan.”
BY THE WAY: HBO has already renewed Maher’s show through 2026. [via Daily Beast]
###
DEAD & COMPANY is heading back to Vegas.
The band announced their second residency, “Dead & Company: Dead Forever,” on Wednesday. Performances will take place at The Sphere, starting next March.
The 18-show schedule is the successor to the band’s 30-show residency from earlier this year. [via Billboard]
video via Dead & Company >
###
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN’s husband, TRAVIS BARKER, helped MACHINE GUN KELLY win back MEGAN FOX.
“It was all tough love,” an insider tells InTouch regarding a conversation the two had after Fox broke up with MGK. “[Barker] read [him] the riot act” for messing things up, and “pushed him to stop all the nonsense and get sober.”
The BLINK-182 rocker also urged the couple to go to therapy, which seemed to help as they are now expecting a child together. [via InTouch]
###
WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING CHARLES pressed the flesh with onlookers who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the monarch as he left an event in Notting Hill on Wednesday.
Among the crowd were a couple from Texas, who Charles seemed genuinely surprised to see. WATCH:
video via Rebecca English >
The event followed a reception the night before for the Qatari royal family at Buckingham Palace, whose guest list included DAVID and VICTORIA BECKHAM. The event marks the last state dinner to be held there for a few years as more renovations continue. In the meantime, formal events and receptions for foreign heads of state will be held at Windsor.
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
Krampusnacht
National Blue Jeans Day
International Ninja Day
Bathtub Party Day
National Communicate with Your Kids Day
World Soil Day
International Volunteer Day
National Repeal Day
Sacher-Torte Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1492 - Christopher Columbus reaches the coast of Hispaniola.
The culmination of his first adventure across the Atlantic made him the first recorded European to set foot in the Caribbean.
The locals received him and his men well, at least at first.
Later, inhabitants of the present-day Dominican Republic attacked the crew with arrows. He managed to kidnap a handful of the attackers, though, and brought them back to Europe.
###
1717 - English pirate Edward Teach (aka Edward Thatch) ransacks the merchant sloop “Margaret” off the coast of Crab Island, near Anguilla. He takes Captain Henry Bostock and his crew prisoner while his crew cleared the ship.
Teach held them for eight hours before releasing them all, unharmed. Afterward, Bostock returned to his base of operations on Saint Christopher Island, where he reported the encounter to Governor Walter Hamilton.
In the retelling, Bostock describes Teach as a “tall spare man with a very black beard which he wore very long.” It is the first recorded account of the pirate’s appearance and the source of the infamous moniker: Blackbeard.
###
1872 - A small British boat discovers an American vessel at full sail near the Azores islands.
The American boat was called the Mary Celeste. It was completely stocked and in tip-top condition -- but no one was on board.
The British crew boarded the Mary Celeste to find water in the hold and the lifeboat missing.
The captain, his family, and the eight passengers were never found.
###
1933 - Prohibition ends in America.
With ratification of the 21st amendment, the sale and transportation of alcohol was again legal in the United States.
For the previous 14 years, gangsters like Al Capone thrived on the bootlegging business.
Several states would remain dry for a couple decades. Mississippi’s alcohol ban remained until 1966, though there were workarounds and loopholes.
###
1945 - Five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers disappear while flying over the Bermuda Triangle.
None of the pilots or their crews were ever found. A Mariner flying boat took flight to search for the missing planes -- it too disappeared, and is suspected to have exploded in mid-air.
A Navy investigation concluded that the planes ran out of fuel and the pilots ditched in the ocean.
###
1969 - The prototype of the Internet grows, with the expansion of the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency computer network, or ARPANET for short.
The project linked what were called “network nodes” in Los Angeles, Menlo Park, Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah.
At first the computers only shared test messages to ensure that information could be shared between networks. From there, it expanded exponentially as more researchers connected to this network of networks.
The same principles and technology now power the Internet.
###
2001 - “Ocean’s Eleven” premieres in Westwood, California.
The flick, directed by Steven Soderbergh, stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts.
The film grossed $450 million on its opening weekend, worldwide.
Two sequels would follow, making up the “Ocean’s Trilogy,” as well as an “Ocean’s 8,” with an all-female lead cast, released in 2018.
###
2018 - Americans observe a day of mourning for former President George H.W. Bush as he lies in state at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington.
Bush passed away on November 30th from vascular Parkinson’s disease at his home in Houston, Texas.
He was 94.
###
BIRTHDAYS
Saint West - son of Kim and Ye - 9
Ava Kolker - actress, “Scary Movie 5” - 18
Conan Gray - pop singer - 26
Maddie Poppe - pop singer - 27
Alexandra Beaton - actress, “The Next Step” - 30
Frankie Muniz - actor, “Malcolm in the Middle” - 39
Lauren London - actress, “The Game” - 40
Keri Hilson - R&B singer - 42
Shalom Harlow - model - 51
Catherine Tate - actress, “Doctor Who” - 55
Lisa Marie - actress, “Mars Attacks!” - 56
Margaret Cho - comedian - 56
Born On This Date
Little Richard - rock singer - 1932 (d. 2020)
Walt Disney - animator & co-founder of Walt Disney Co. - 1901 (d. 1966)
Martin Van Buren - 8th POTUS - 1782 (d. 1862)
###