Today is Wednesday, December 6, 2023.
It is the 340th day of the year.
25 days remain.
###
WHAT’S ON TAP
TESLA grapples with European labor movements and historic artwork returns. Details in HIT LIST.
A “Soprano” alum has opened up his own speakeasy and more lawsuits for KROY BIERMANN. Find out all about it in SHOWBIZ.
HBO has extended JOHN OLIVER’s weekly show and “Barbie” is heading to streaming. More in CASTING CALL.
KIM KARDASHIAN shows off her “happy place.” Head to KARDASH for more.
PRINCE HARRY takes another crack at getting security in the UK. Details in ROYALS.
###
HIT LIST
If you have an account with genealogy testing company 23andMe, you should probably change your password.
Reps say hackers used email and password combinations that had been previously leaked online elsewhere to crack into around 14,000 accounts, which represent only one-tenth of one percent of users.
Fortunately, no DNA information was obtained by hackers, but they were able to steal personal information like location data, addresses, and relationships to other users and their family trees. [via BBC]
###
For six weeks, about 130 TESLA mechanics in Sweden have been on strike to demand their right to collective bargaining.
ELON MUSK has publicly denounced unions on multiple occasions over the years and hires employees on an individual basis.
NOW: A transport union in Denmark has announced plans for a “sympathy strike” scheduled to begin in two weeks, just days after other unions in Norway and Sweden teamed up with similar strikes to try to force Tesla’s hand.
The walk-offs have stopped Tesla imports to Sweden for the time being, but so far the company has been able to maintain sufficient inventory to meet demand.
Analysts note that there’s limited demand for Tesla vehicles in Sweden now – but the company could face larger problems if the strikes expand into Germany, where Tesla recently opened an enormous manufacturing facility. [via Barron’s]
MEANWHILE: Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday announcing its intent to raise $1 BILLION in investment money. [via The Verge]
###
WHAT COULD GO WRONG?: A robotics company has announced plans to begin mass production of two-legged humanoid robots designed specifically to assist with heavy lifting and hauling tasks.
Agility Robotics has already tested its “Digit” model with Amazon and expects to open a production plant in Oregon early next year. The company’s CEO calls it “the world’s first purpose-built humanoid robot factory.”
The facility will eventually have the capacity for 10,000 of these robots every year. [via Axios]
###
The head of the NCAA sent a letter to hundreds of Division I schools on Tuesday calling for a new program that would pay select student athletes at least $30,000 per year.
He also proposed a policy change to empower top colleges with the opportunity to create licensing deals with star players. The rules would apply to schools in the “Power Five” conferences and cover all sports, and give them the option whether or not to participate. [via NBC News]
###
Missing artwork from 15th-century painter Sandro Botticelli has been found.
The piece, a depiction of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ, was discovered at a home in southern Italy after having been passed down through generations of a local parish family.
Commissioned for the Roman Catholic Church in 1470, the painting is estimated to be worth at least $109 million.
WORTH NOTING: Apparently the whole thing boils down to some miscommunication within the family charged with keeping it safe. They do not face any criminal charges. [via CNN]
###
RELATIONSHIPS
Actor and former BET host TERRENCE JENKINS aka Terrence J is engaged to model MIKALAH SULTAN.
According to multiple outlets, he popped the question over the weekend in Miami. Friends and family were on hand for the proposal.
By the way -- he’s 41 and she’s 25.
###
BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 79 points (0.22%) to close at 36,124 on Tuesday. The S&P lost 2 points (0.05%) to close at 4,567 and the NASDAQ added 44 points (0.31%) to close at 14,229.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $72; BRENT CRUDE at $77.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.22 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN’s surge continues, up more than 4.5% Tuesday and edging past $44,000.
🛩 There were more than 1,690 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 55 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $435 million jackpot or a $204.8 million cash payout.
###
SHOWBIZ NEWS
It turns out BRITNEY SPEARS may in fact be open to reconciling with her dad, JAMIE SPEARS.
Insiders said as much this week after reports surfaced that Jamie had his leg amputated last month due to a massive infection.
As previously reported, Brit has been hanging out with her mom, LYNNE SPEARS and even reached out to her sister JAMIE LYNN SPEARS, to mend things. [via TMZ]
###
Former “GMA3” co-anchors-turned-lovers AMY ROBACH and T.J. HOLMES launched their new, self-titled podcast on Tuesday; and their first agenda was to address their rumored affair.
Each took their turn stating the fact that they were both in the process of divorcing their respective spouses when their relationship began, but only a select few knew about it.
“Everyone else thought we were being outed as adulterous, being outed as cheating on our spouses and it wasn’t the case,” Holmes explained.
Romance rumors started last fall when the two were spotted together on a trip in Upstate New York. At the time, she was still legally married to “Melrose Place” alum ANDREW SHUE, and he was with attorney MARILEE FIEBIG.
Now, both divorced, the couple say they feel better about showing off their relationship. [via E!]
SPOUSE SWAP: In a strange twist, Robach and Holmes’ exes are now dating each other. That’s right! Shue and Fiebig have reportedly been together for about six months. [via Page Six]
###
LISA MARIE PRESLEY’s half-brother NAVARONE GARIBALDI claimed he doesn’t miss her on social media.
Garibaldi, who is the son of PRISCILLA PRESLEY, made the comments during an Instagram Live, telling fans that he thinks she “was good to some,” but they were estranged prior to her passing and he will not say he misses her.
This is a stark difference from a post he shared last month, in which he wrote: “Big sister…i hope you are now at peace and happy with your Dad and your son by your side [...] I still can’t believe this, I’m lost for words. Love you sis.” [via The Mirror]
###
“Soprano” alum MICHAEL IMPERIOLI has opened up his own speakeasy in NYC.
Best known for playing Tony Soprano’s nephew Christopher Moltisanti, Imperioli debuted “Scarlet,” a 500 square-foot space, inspired by the 1920s, that can hold about 40 people.
FAMILY BUSINESS: While speaking about his new venture with the NY Post, Imperioli revealed that he recently found out his great-grandfather ran a speakeasy in Mount Vernon in the 1920s after immigrating to the US from Naples. [via NY Post]
###
The Cartier necklace TAYLOR SWIFT wore to watch boyfriend TRAVIS KELCE lose to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night is worth over $27,000 -- over half as much as the average Wisconsinite’s annual salary of about $50,000. [via Daily Mail, ZipReruiter]
JUST FOR FUN: Her STYLE definitely doesn’t scream ALL AMERICAN GIRL in the eyes of Packers fans, and as for Chiefs fans, Swift is probably thinking I hope they DON’T BLAME ME for the loss. Is it KARMA?
###
Another day…another lawsuit for KROY BIERMANN.
This time the former football player is being sued by his attorney, who claims he has not been paid as he tries to navigate the on-again, off-again divorce with Kroy’s estranged wife KIM ZOLCIAK.
According to the suit, Kroy owes Stearns-Montgomery & Proctor over $800 in unpaid fees. [via The Blast]
###
CASTING CALL
MARK DAVID CHAPMAN’s confession of murdering JOHN LENNON will be heard for the first time in a new documentary for Apple TV+, called “John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial.”
The doc will also detail Lennon’s final moments by two people who saw the shooting happen, and takes a deeper dive into Chapman’s claim that he shot the Beatle because he was a “phony.”
“John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial” debuts today. [via NY Post]
BY THE WAY: This Friday will mark the 43rd anniversary of Lennon’s murder. Chapman has been denied parole twelve times since 2000 and will face the parole board again in February.
###
TikToker Geoffrey Lyons has broken down what Kevin McCallister’s shopping spree in the 1990 holiday film “Home Alone” would cost today.
In the clip, which has been viewed more than 4.4 million times, Lyons first shows the scene from the movie, with 8-year-old Kevin, played by MACAULAY CULKIN, perusing the aisles in a bid to feed himself after his family forgot him at home.
In the scene, Kevin buys orange juice, saran wrap, a TV dinner, Tide detergent, Wonder bread, frozen mac & cheese, milk, dryer sheets, toilet paper and toy soldiers for $19.83 -- thanks to a $1 coupon he had.
With 2023 prices that shopping trip would have cost him $68.99, according to Lyons -- almost 3.5 times more! [via TikTok]
###
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” has been renewed for three more seasons by HBO.
The new deal locks in the weekly show through 2026.
Season 10 is set to wrap later this month. [via Deadline]
###
“Barbie” is heading to Max.
The pink comedy will hit the streamer on December 15 -- just a few months after its July 21 theatrical release date.
Earning over $1.4 BILLION at the global box office, “Barbie” is the highest-grossing film of the year and the highest-grossing movie for Warner Bros, ever. [via Variety]
###
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN isn’t holding back when it comes to decorating for Christmas this year.
In addition to an impressive outdoor setup, she has also gone above and beyond inside her home.
In a recent Instagram Story, Kim showed off what appears to be a dozen twinkling Christmas trees lined up along a wall in her bathroom. She captioned the photo, “My happy place.” [via Yahoo]
###
WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Lawyers for PRINCE HARRY filed papers in court on Tuesday arguing that he should still be entitled to the same publicly funded security that the rest of the Royal Family’s senior members enjoy.
After moving out of the UK in 2020 and quitting royal duties, a committee within the United Kingdom’s interior ministry told him he would no longer have the protection services to which he had been accustomed.
Formal arguments and hearings on the matter are expected to conclude by tomorrow. [via AFP]
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: Officials denied Harry’s request to pay for security services through UK police out of his own pocket back in May. He could still pay for private security services, though likely at a much higher cost.
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
St. Nicholas Day
National Pawnbrokers Day
Put On Your Own Shoes Day
National Miners’ Day
National Gazpacho Day
Mitten Tree Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1865 - Georgia ratifies the 13th Amendment, thus ending slavery.
The law was passed only eight months after the end of the Civil War, and signaled the end of people being treated as property. Though of course it would be years before Civil Rights legislation was properly enacted.
###
1868 - The Reno Gang pulls off its last train robbery.
Reno brothers Frank, William and Simeon held a short but active robbing career. In this train robbery, they killed a guard who was on board. They were caught shortly thereafter.
The public was in uproar over the guard's death -- so much so that the masses busted out the three brothers from their jail cells to have them promptly hanged.
###
1884 - Construction on the Washington Monument is completed. The final piece was the nine-inch pyramid at the top of the obelisk.
It was named, obviously, for the nation's first commander-in-chief.
The Washington Monument stands between the Lincoln Monument and the Capitol Building, near the banks of the Potomac River, just a block from the White House. Its location was decided by city architect Pierre L’Enfant.
###
1917 - The Mont Blanc munitions freighter sails full speed to rendezvous with a small convoy it would lead across the Atlantic to Europe.
On board were 2300 tons of picric acid, 200 tons of TNT, 35 tons of gasoline and 10 tons of gun cotton.
The Mont Blanc collided with the Norwegian boat in the North Atlantic at approximately 8:45 a.m., as it was exiting the harbor. The collision propelled the Mont Blanc back toward shore. It burned safely for about 20 minutes.
The nearby fire department came to shore to try and put out the small blaze. But it was for naught.
When the blaze erupted, almost 1800 people were killed instantly and another 9000 injured. More than 200 were blinded by the bright white explosion.
It's the largest explosion known to man before the detonation of the atomic bomb.
###
1969 - The Rolling Stones headline the Altamont Free Concert in northern California.
Also performing were Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
There were 300,000 in attendance, hoping to make this the Woodstock of the west coast. A bunch of hippies in California did not behave as well as some would have hoped: there was one homicide and three accidental deaths reported.
Meanwhile, four women gave birth to children, and among the brawling, stampeding, and mosh pit of humanity, hundreds were injured. Also, dozens reported stolen cars and other property.
As a result of the mayhem, the Grateful Dead pulled out of performing.
###
1992 - 49ers Wide Receiver Jerry Rice catches a ball in the end zone, making him the record-holder for most career touchdown receptions, with 101. It was previously held by Steve Largent.
Rice would play for another eight years, ultimately scoring 208 TDs, leaving the old record in his dust.
###
2006 - NASA releases photos taken by the Mars Global Surveyor that suggests there could be flowing water on the Red Planet.
The images show deep gullies and canyons that scientists believe could only have been formed from water erosion. (Or an evil Martian race polluting their planet with a highly-toxic and corrosive industrial goop for the sake of profit).
The release comes a month after the last contact had been made with the probe.
Human error was to blame for losing the spacecraft, but that's okay -- the mission lasted three times longer than NASA expected.
###
2017 - Starbucks opens its largest cafe in the world in Shanghai.
The coffee joint is 30,000 square-feet -- about half the size of a football field.
###
2018 - Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry lands a franchise-record 238 yards and four touchdowns in a 30-9 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Henry’s 99-yard touchdown run ties with Dallas Cowboys HOF RB Tony Dorsett’s for longest run in NFL history.
###
BIRTHDAYS
Sabrina Ionescu - basketball player - 26
Stefanie Scott - actress, “A.N.T. Farm” - 27
A Boogie wit da Hoodie - rapper - 28
Giannis Antetokounmpo - basketball player - 29
Wesley Stromberg - pop singer, Emblem3 - 30
Johnny Manziel - football player - 31
Rachel Daly - soccer player - 32
Sarah Rafferty - actress, “Suits” & “Chicago Med” - 51
Jose Contreras - baseball player - 52
Andrew Cuomo - politician - 66
Born On This Date
Ryan White - AIDS activist - 1971 (d. 1990)
Randy Rhoads - guitarist, Quiet Riot - 1956 (d. 1982)
Baby Face Nelson - bank robber & gangster - 1908 (d. 19340
Agnes Moorehead - actress, “Bewitched” - 1900 (d. 1974)
Henry VI of England - King of England - 1421 (d. 1471)
###