2/14/2024: History in Sin City 🏈

PLUS: JLo’s Last Album; Props For Sale; and “Suits” Casting

Today is Wednesday, February 14, 2024.

It is the 45th day of the year.

321 days remain.

Photo by Zalman Grossbaum on Unsplash

PROGRAMMING NOTE

For February 14-16 and 19-20, the daily newsletter content will be scaled back slightly as half our two-man team takes a couple of days off. 

We will be back at full force starting February 21. 

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WHAT’S ON TAP

The CDC plans to update its COVID-19 guidelines. Details in HIT LIST.

TOBY KEITH’s family makes plans to say goodbye. More in SHOWBIZ.

An “American Idol” judge announces their exit. Find out who in CASTING CALL.

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HIT LIST

Sunday night’s Super Bowl had the biggest audience in the history of the game with over 123.4 MILLION viewers. 

It beat out last year’s match up between the Chiefs and Eagles, which saw 115.1 million fans tuned in. [via ESPN]

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The CDC will soon recommend that those with COVID-19 determine how long they should isolate based on their symptoms. 

A new report from the health agency will recommend dropping the five-day isolation period, and will instead suggest people resume living their lives once they are fever-free for 24 hours. The update will not, however, apply to hospitals or other health-care settings where there are more vulnerable populations. 

CDC guidelines regarding the virus have not been updated since December 2021, when the isolation time was shortened from 10 days to five. [via Washington Post]

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9021-OPE!: A drone caught 36-year-old David Verdun falling off a ladder and into the pool of a Beverly Hills home he had just finished robbing. 

Footage of his bumbling escape, which took place at a home located in the famous California zip code 90210, was shared on the Beverly Hills Police Department's Instagram page. The now-viral clip was set to Rockwell’s 1983 hit song, “Somebody’s Watching You.” 

After recovering from his splashdown, Verdun tried to hide, but officers were able to track him by his puddles. [via ABC 7]

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DEATHS

Football player TONY HUTSON has died. 

He passed away earlier this month, according to an online obituary. No word on a cause. 

Hutson played guard for the Dallas Cowboys in the late ‘90s. 

He was 49. 

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The DOW lost 524 points (1.35%) to close at 38,272 on Tuesday. The S&P lost 68 points (1.37%) to close at 4,953 and the NASDAQ dropped 286 points (1.80%) to close at 15,655. 

🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $77; BRENT CRUDE at $82.

⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.22 on Tuesday.

₿ BITCOIN dropped on Tuesday, down just under a percentage point and trading just over $49,500.

🛩 There were more than 2,205 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 1,195 such cancellations.

💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $285 million jackpot or a $137.7 million cash payout. 

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

JENNIFER LOPEZ’s forthcoming album “This Is Me…Now” may be her last. 

JLO spoke to ET about the album, which drops on Friday, calling it the “quintessential” project, while adding that she feels “very fulfilled,” after completing it. 

“This Is Me…Now” is her ninth studio album, and a sequel to her 2002 album, “This Is Me…Then.” [via ET]

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TOBY KEITH’s family will lay the country singer to rest this month in a private ceremony for those closest to him. 

A memorial service will be planned for others who wish to say their goodbyes. Details on that will be announced at a later date. 

The family also asked that in lieu of flowers, they would appreciate donations to OK Kids Koral, a haven for family members of children receiving cancer treatments that is part of the Toby Keith Foundation. [via People]

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CASTING CALL

KATY PERRY is leaving “American Idol.” 

She made the surprise announcement on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” telling Kimmel that the upcoming 22nd season will be her last as a judge. 

Perry has been a judge on the singing competition show -- alongside LIONEL RICHIE and LUKE BRYAN -- since 2018. [via USA Today]

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Prop auction site Propstore is gearing up for the largest film and TV memorabilia auction ever. 

Next month, over 1,700 rare and iconic pieces from well-known films and TV shows will hit the auction block. Items include a light-up C-3PO head from 1983’s “Return of the Jedi,” Captain Picard’s command chair from “Star Trek,” Sandy’s drive-in costume from “Grease,” and Harry Potter’s wand from “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” 

When all is said and down, Propstore expects to have raked in over $8 million for the items. [via TMZ]

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“CBS Mornings” is gaining on “Good Morning America” in the ratings department and execs are freaking out. 

According to recent ratings, CBS’ morning show is beating “GMA” among men and women ages 25-54.

As for why the network is rising the ranks, some speculate that it may be due to the fact that CBS aired the Golden Globes, Grammys and last Sunday’s Super Bowl. This is big because it gives the morning show first dibs on exclusive behind-the-scenes access. 

BUT WAIT: An insider at “GMA” says “there is no panic” because the morning show has been No. 1 for 12 years in a row. [via X]

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The forthcoming “Suits” spinoff -- “Suits: L.A.” -- has found one of its leading men: “Arrow” star STEPHEN AMELL. 

According to ET, Amell will play Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York who has reinvented himself and now represents some of the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. 

No other casting details have been shared, though production is expected to begin next month. [via ET]

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DAY OF THE YEAR

Valentine’s Day

National Library Lover’s Day

International Book Giving Day

National Ferris Wheel Day

National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day

National Organ Donor Day

Pet Theft Awareness Day

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ON THIS DATE

278 - A Roman Priest named Valentine is executed.

As legend has it, Emperor Claudius banned marriage between young lovers so that men could focus on fighting in wars. Valentine performed the secret marriages anyway. When Claudius discovered Valentine's defiance, he ordered him arrested and to be killed.

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1779 - Captain James Cook is killed and eaten by Hawaiian natives.

It was Cook's third expedition to the island chain.

In his previous two visits, he was hailed as a god. But when one of his crewmen died, they were exposed as mortals, and the Hawaiians felt cheated and deceived.

The British fled hastily, but within a week had to return when the foremast of one of their ships was damaged in rough seas.

The Hawaiians responded by throwing rocks and killing the landing party.

The rest of the crew escaped and returned to England.

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1884 - Teddy Roosevelt's wife and mother die just hours apart. 

His mother died from typhoid; his wife from a kidney ailment only two days after giving birth to their daughter. 

Stricken with grief, Roosevelt left his daughter with his sister, and left for the Dakotas to ranch and serve as a sheriff. 

He entered politics two years later.

He would later serve as governor of New York and as William McKinley's vice president. When McKinley was killed in 1901, Roosevelt assumed the presidency.

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1929 - The gang war between Al Capone and Bugs Moran reaches its apex when four men dressed as police officers enter Moran's headquarters and shoot seven men to death in what has been dubbed the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. 

The fake cops were working for Capone. 

When real cops arrived on the scene, Frank Gusenberg had not yet died -- he was one of Moran's top killers.

When cops asked him who was responsible, he gasped, "No one, nobody shot me."

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1989 - The Sandinistas controlling Nicaragua agree to hold free elections.

The announcement came after years of pressure from the Reagan administration and nearby Central American countries.

The elections were ultimately held -- and resulted in an overthrow of the communists.

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2013 - Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius is arrested for allegedly shooting his model girlfriend to death.

Pistorius made headlines at the 2012 Summer Olympics for making it to the 400-meter semifinals, despite being a double-amputee.

Pistorius was found guilty of the murder in December 2015. He would be released on parole in January 2024.

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2018 - Former student Nikolas Cruz shoots and kills 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. 

He is arrested about an hour after the shooting in a nearby town. 

Cruz would later be charged with 17 counts of premeditated first-degree murder. 

The killing spree is the deadliest high school shooting in the US — surpassing the Columbine High School massacre that claimed 15 lives in April 1999. 

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2022 - Protestors in Canada defy covid mitigation efforts.

Truckers had shut down multiple border crossings between the United States and Canada over the previous weekend. 

The Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit and Canada was entirely blockaded, as well as another nearby route in the area. Crossings in Montana and North Dakota were also blockaded. 

A fifth group gridlocked the border crossing in the Pacific Northwest, near Vancouver and northwest Washington state.

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BIRTHDAYS

Eric Cowell - son of Simon Cowell - 10

Harry Holland - actor, “Diana” - 25

RMC Mike - rapper - 30

Paul Butcher - actor, “Zoey 101” - 30

Becky Hill - pop singer - 30

Shane Harper - actor, “Good Luck Charlie” - 31

Freddie Highmore - actor, “Bates Motel” & “The Good Doctor” - 32

Karol G - reggaeton singer - 33

Justina Valentine - rapper - 37

Josh Shipp - basketball player - 38

Danai Gurira - actress, “The Walking Dead” - 46

Rob Thomas - singer, Matchbox Twenty - 52

Simon Pegg - actor, “Shaun of the Dead” & “Hot Fuzz” - 54

Phill Lewis - actor, “Scrubs” & “Total Drama” - 56

Teller - one half of magic duo Penn & Teller - 76

Michael Bloomberg - businessman, Mayor of NYC, philanthropist - 82

Born On This Date

Jimmy Hoffa - Union leader who disappeared mysteriously in 1975 - 1913 (d. 1975)

George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. - engineer & inventor of the Ferris Wheel - 1859 (d. 1896)

Frederick Douglass - former slave, abolitionist author & speaker - 1818 (d. 1895)

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