1/25/2024: To the Skies! 🏢
PLUS: Going Godless; Swift’s Stalker Returns; and Sussex Family Values
Today is Thursday, January 25, 2024.
It is the 25th day of the year.
341 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Oregon gives up on giving up on drug crime and a whistleblower exposes flaws that almost led to disaster in the air. Details in HIT LIST.
OZZY OSBOURNE wants to give his fans a proper goodbye and TRAVIS KELCE’s heart hands were not for TAYLOR SWIFT. More in SHOWBIZ.
JON STEWART is heading back to “The Daily Show” and “Sex and the City” is heading to Netflix. Details in CASTING CALL.
KHLOE KARDASHIAN shows off her Mob Wife Aesthetic. Check it out in KARDASH.
The Sussexes appear to go out of their way to stick a finger in the eye of their family. More in ROYALS.
###
HIT LIST
A plurality of Americans claim to have no religion for the first time since Pew Research started tracking the data in 2007.
In the most recent survey, 28% of respondents said they’re atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular” when it comes to their faith. By contrast, 47% were either Catholic or Protestant.
The “none” group has risen 12 points since 2007. [via NPR]
###
A real estate development has its eyes on building the tallest skyscraper in the United States – in Oklahoma City.
Last year, the city council there approved plans for the “Boardwalk at Bricktown” complex, including three 345-foot tall towers and a massive skyscraper about 1,750 feet high.
NOW: A variance filed by the developers would increase the height of the larger tower to 1,907 feet, making it the tallest in the country, surpassing One World Trade Center’s symbolic 1,776 feet. If approved, the Bricktown skyscraper would be the sixth-tallest in the world. [via DailyMail]
###
Legislators in Oregon introduced a bill this week re-criminalizing possession of small quantities of drugs, less than three years after a 2020 referendum that virtually legalized widespread drug use in the state went into effect.
As an example, if someone were caught with less than a gram of heroin, they are currently ticketed and subject to a fine not to exceed $100. Meanwhile, revenue from the state’s legalization of cannabis products has funded a 24-hour hotline that drug-users ticketed for possession could call for an addiction screening and have the ticket dismissed.
TURNS OUT: Only 1% of those who were cited even called the hotline. As the Associated Press points out, the hotline received an average of ten calls per month related to these citations.
The proposed language of the corrective law would make possessing drugs a misdemeanor and give police renewed authority to confiscate them and discourage public use. [via Associated Press]
###
A whistleblower tells the Seattle Times that mechanics working for BOEING misinstalled the door plug that fell off an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this month and that the airline is not to blame for the error.
The allegation would likely leave Boeing, not the airline, on the hook for future claims and damages.
According to the Times, “The self-described Boeing insider said company records show four bolts that prevent the door plug from sliding up off the door frame stop pads that take the pressurization loads in flight, ‘were not installed when Boeing delivered the airplane.’”
IT GETS WORSE: The insider calls Boeing’s inspection process “a rambling, shambling, disaster waiting to happen.” [via Seattle Times]
###
In-N-Out Burger is closing its first location in its 75-year history due to heightened crime near the restaurant.
Located in Oakland, California, the company blames a wave of car break-ins, property damage, theft and robberies for why they must shutter the location
Since 2019, there have been a reported 1,335 incidents near the restaurant - more than any other location in Oakland, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. [via SFC]
BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 99 points (0.26%) to close at 37,806 on Wednesday. The S&P ticked up 3 points (0.08%) to close at 4,868 and the NASDAQ gained 55 points (0.36%) to close at 15,481.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $75; BRENT CRUDE at $79.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.09 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN continued to fall on Wednesday, down half a point and trading around $39,600.
🛩 There were more than 4,415 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 725 such cancellations.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $285 million jackpot or a $135.1 million cash payout.
###
SHOWBIZ NEWS
Less than two hours after DAVID CROWE was in court for attempting to get into TAYLOR SWIFT’s Tribeca home (twice!), he returned to the scene of the crime.
A neighbor spotted Crowe in the area and alerted police. When officers arrived they arrested him on a criminal contempt charge, as an order of protection had been issued during his arraignment just hours earlier for harassment and stalking.
This is the third time that Crowe has been arrested trying to get close to Swift in the past five days. [via Radar Online]
###
Video footage of the alleged altercation between country singer CHRIS YOUNG and agents from the Alcohol Beverage Commission appears to show he didn’t actually do anything.
Young was arrested Monday night at a Nashville bar for allegedly getting mouthy and handsy with an agent who was checking patrons’ IDs. He was booked on disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assault on an officer.
Based on the newly released footage of the incident, Young’s attorney is pushing to have the charges dropped. [via TMZ]
###
OZZY OSBOURNE wants to give his fans a proper goodbye.
While the 75-year-old won’t be going on tour, his wife, SHARON OSBOURNE told Rolling Stone UK that he is “planning on doing two more shows” for fans.
She said the shows will take place in Aston Villa, in Ozzy’s native England. No word on when they will happen. [via Rolling Stone UK]
###
Actor ERIC ROBERTS is writing a memoir.
“Runaway Train: Or, the Story of My Life So Far,” will share juicy insights into several of Roberts famous co-stars over the years and even spill some secrets of his own.
The book will hit shelves on September 17. [via People]
###
TRAVIS KELCE says the heart hands he threw up to the crowd after scoring a touchdown in Sunday’s game between his Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills was not in fact a sign for his girlfriend TAYLOR SWIFT.
After landing in the endzone, Kelce made the heart hands, which are a signature of Swift’s. But this week, he told his brother JASON KELCE on their “New Heights” podcast that he actually made the gesture toward Bills fans as a sign of love. [via ET]
###
MADONNA’s camp responded to a lawsuit filed against her by two fans who attended a concert that was delayed for over two hours.
In the suit, Michael Fellows and Jonathen Hadden claim they are owed damages after having to endure the delay and then struggle to find proper transportation after the show due to the late hour.
Now, Madonna’s team says technical issues are to blame for the night in question, and they plan to “defend [the] case vigorously.” [via TMZ]
###
Just days after her drunken performance at DOLLY PARTON’s 78th birthday celebration, ELLE KING abruptly canceled her upcoming concert in Fort Worth, Texas.
The show, originally scheduled for this Friday, has been moved to September 21, according to an announcement on the venue’s Instagram page.
The venue said that King’s camp didn’t give any sort of reason as to why the last minute postponement. Nor did King address the decision on any of her social media accounts. [via Page Six]
###
CASTING CALL
JON STEWART is returning as host of “The Daily Show.”
Starting on February 12, Stewart will be back as both anchor and executive producer of the show. He will be limiting his hosting duties to one show a week, with other news teams filling in the other nights -- and will only do so through the 2024 Presidential election.
After the election, his time on the show will be served behind-the-scenes only.
Remember, he first hosted the show from 1999 to 2015. [via People]
###
JOHN CENA says his retirement from the WWE will likely happen in the next three years.
He made the revelation while speaking to ET about his new film, “Argylle.”
Cena made his debut in the ring in 2002.
Meanwhile, “Argylle” hits theaters on February 2. [via ET]
###
“Sex and the City” is heading to Netflix.
The streamer finalized a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery for the HBO series, which will start streaming as early as April.
Its spinoff series, “And Just Like That…” will remain exclusively on Max. [via Deadline]
###
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KHLOE KARDASHIAN is joining the latest TikTok craze: Mob Wife Aesthetic.
The 39-year-old shared some snaps of her wearing an $820 GG Stretch Jersey Bikini by Gucci under a faux fur coat, which she paired with black snow boots.
Khloe showed off the latest fashion trend while standing in front of some snow-covered rocks.
Her followers gushed over the look, with many commenting that they would join her mob. [via Instagram]
###
WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
A new film about BOB MARLEY premiered in Jamaica this week, and PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE jetted down to Kingston for the red carpet event.
There, they hobnobbed with Prime Minister of Jamaica ANDREW HOLNESS and took photos with him at the premiere.
BUT WAIT: Holness is a vocal advocate for independence from the British Commonwealth. He also supports the movement in Jamaica demanding reparations for slavery to be paid by the United Kingdom. A referendum of independence is currently scheduled for later this year in Jamaica.
When PRINCE WILLIAM and PRINCESS KATE visited Jamaica in 2022, Holness publicly told them his intentions to push for independence.
WORTH NOTING: Merits of the independence arguments aside, for Harry and Meghan to go out of their way to attend the event and support someone antagonistic to the Crown should be counted as yet another betrayal.
DAY OF THE YEAR
National Irish Coffee Day
Observe the Weather Day
A Room of One’s Own Day
National Florida Day
Burns Night
Clashing Clothes Day
National Fish Taco Day
National IV Nurse Day
National Opposite Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1905 - A 3,106-carat diamond is discovered during a routine inspection at the Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa by the mine's superintendent.
It was lodged 18 feet underground.
Weighing in at 1.33 pounds, the diamond is the largest ever found. It was given to the mine’s owner -- Sir Thomas Cullinan -- and nicknamed the “Cullinan.”
###
1924 - The first unofficial Winter Olympics begin in the French Alps.
The French Olympic committee organized the International Winter Sports Week, which was held the same year as the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Only a few events took place at this Olympics, including: bobsled, curling, ice hockey and various versions of Nordic skiing. Despite its small nature, it was considered a big success, prompting the International Olympic Committee to designate it as the first Winter Olympics.
###
1956 - Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agrees that President Eisenhower is leading the charge for peace between the two superpowers.
He would later that year give a historic speech calling for "peaceful coexistence" between the US and USSR.
Khurshchev's dictatorship was certainly the most benign at that point in the 20th century. But even the optimism for peace fell apart when the Soviets violently squashed a freedom uprising in Hungary later that year.
###
1961 - JFK becomes the first president to hold a live televised news conference.
He gave it from the State Department, reading a prepared statement regarding famine in the Congo, the release of two American pilots who had been held by Russians, and updates on negotiations regarding the atomic test ban treaty.
###
1971 - Charles Manson and three of his followers are convicted for murdering five victims at the home of actress Sharon Tate in 1969.
They all received the death penalty. But the next year the California supreme court eliminated capital punishment.
Manson would pass in 2017 of cardiac arrest.
###
1993 - Sears announces it is closing its catalog sales department after 97 years.
###
1998 - Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) and soccer player David Beckham get engaged.
They would tie the knot the following year and go on to have a brood of aesthetically pleasing looking kids.
###
2019 - The longest-ever US government shutdown ends.
After 35 days, President Donald Trump agrees to three weeks of negotiations on border security by a House-Senate conference committee.
Over 800,000 federal employees were furloughed during the shutdown.
###
BIRTHDAYS
Lil Mosey - rapper - 22
Calum Hood - bassist, 5 Seconds of Summer - 28
Pauline Chalamet - actress, “Royal Pains” & “The King of Staten Island” - 32
Ariana DeBose - actress, “Hamilton” & “West Side Story” - 33
Michael Trevino - actor, “The Vampire Diaries” - 39
Alicia Keys - R&B singer - 43
Xavi - soccer player - 44
Michelle McCool - wrestler - 44
Volodymyr Zelensky - President of Ukraine - 46
Jenifer Lewis - actress, “Dreamgirls” & “Beaches” - 67
Born On This Date
Jay Briscoe - wrestler - 1984 (d. 2023)
Etta James - blues singer - 1938 (d. 2012)
Virginia Woolf - novelist - 1882 (d. 1941)
Robert Burns - poet - 1759 (d. 1796)
###