2/22/2023: Phony Photography?
PLUS: Dueling Speeches; Prankster SWATs Madison Beer; and Kim TikToks With Mariah
Today is Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
It is the 53rd day of the year.
312 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
SBF slums it on commercial and an original iPhone sells big at auction. More in HIT LIST.
Presidents JOE BIDEN and VLADIMIR PUTIN gave dueling speeches as the war in Ukraine reaches its first year. More in THE SWAMP.
HARRY STYLES does a “shoey” down under and ED SHEERAN reveals his new hot sauce. More in SHOWBIZ.
Judge GREG MATHIS announced a new courtroom TV show and STEVEN SPIELBERG has nothing on the to-do list. More in CASTING CALL.
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HIT LIST
SAM BANKMAN-FRIED was spotted slumming it on an Alaska Air flight between San Francisco and New York City to appear in court hearings.
A photo of SBF posted to Twitter shows him snoozing in his seat at the front of the plane during the six-plus hour flight.
WORTH NOTING: While he was flying commercial, he was in a first class seat. [via @matthewliu]
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The winter storm pounding much of the country could bring record snowfall in some parts. The weather system is expected to simultaneously dump snow from coast to coast then bring in a frigid cold front from Canada over the next two days.
States along the border with Canada are expected to get up to two feet of snow in northern parts. On Tuesday, Minnesota’s governor preemptively alerted the national guard. A band of icy weather threatens major cities including Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, and Boston. [via Accuweather]
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Home Depot says it’s going to increase compensation across the board for its in-store workforce by $1 billion this year.
The home improvement company already starts employees with at least $15 an hour across the country. CEO Edward Decker told investors he hopes this is an investment to retain workers and improve customer service.
Last year, the company had nearly half-a-million employees, and still hired 200,000 over the course of the year, representing significant turnover. [via CNN Business]
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An original, unopened, first-generation iPhone has sold at auction for more than $63,000.
The seller of the relic from 2007 says she received it as a gift, but at the time, iPhones only worked on AT&T, and she was a Verizon customer. So she never even opened the plastic wrap and left it on a shelf.
She only got the idea to sell it when she heard of another similar iPhone selling for $10,000, and wanted in on the riches. [via USAToday, BusinessInsider]
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Artist Jos Avery has gained quite the following on Instagram for his moody, black-and-white photo portraits of people, gaining thousands of followers in recent months.
But here’s the thing: the people aren’t real; they’re generated by AI software.
BUT WAIT: Avery never meant to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes, but as his account took off, he wanted to come clean. So he approached science and technology blog ArsTechnica to come clean.
WORTH NOTING: Avery does say that while he used the AI program Midjourney to generate photos, he still does a good bit of manipulation and retouching in Photoshop to create his signature look – as all serious photographers do. [via ArsTechnica]
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CHARTS
Top 5 Fiction & Nonfiction Books Currently on the New York Times Best Sellers List:
FICTION:
“Encore In Death,” J.D. Robb
“It Ends With Us,” Colleen Hoover
“It Starts With Us,” Colleen Hoover
“Heart Bones,” Colleen Hoover
“Lessons in Chemistry,” Bonnie Garmus
NON-FICTION
“Spare,” Prince Harry
“The Body Keeps the Score,” Bessel van der Kolk
“I’m Glad My Mom Died,” Jennette McCurdy
“Love, Pamela,” Pamela Anderson
“The Light We Carry,” Michelle Obama
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DEATHS
College football player RYAN KEELER has died.
He was found unresponsive by a fellow member of the UNLV football team on Monday afternoon. No foul play is suspected. It is unclear what caused his death.
He was only 20.
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BABY NEWS
Rapper DA BRAT and her wife JESSICA “Judy” HARRIS-DUPART are expecting a child.
Brat, 48, revealed the news to People Magazine, saying “it’s been quite a journey.”
While this is the first child for the couple, Judy has three children of her own.
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BREAKUPS
Musicians AVRIL LAVIGNE, 38, and MOD SUN, 35, have reportedly called off their engagement.
Her reps confirmed the split to Page Six, which apparently came as a surprise to her fiance. His rep told the outlet that they were engaged as of three days ago when he left on tour, so any reports of a breakup would be news to him.
Neither Lavigne nor Mod Sun have addressed the story themselves.
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THE SWAMP
Following a day of photo ops in Ukraine, President JOE BIDEN gave a speech in Poland promising ongoing support for the country as it fights off Russia’s invasion.
Biden added that the war would end if Russia ended the invasion.
MEANWHILE: Russia’s President VLADIMIR PUTIN gave a national address just hours before Biden. He accused Western powers led by the United States of forcing a global military confrontation and painted them as threats to Russia’s Eastern Orthodox values.
“Look what they are doing to their own people,” Putin said. “It is all about the destruction of the family, of cultural and national identity, perversion and abuse of children, including pedophilia, all of which are declared normal in their life.” [via The Kremlin]
Putin also said he was suspending provisions of the START Treaty which originally limited the extent to which the United States and the Soviet Union – and later Russia – would test nuclear weapons. The announcement comes amid a planned meeting between Putin and Chinese leader XI XINPING and fears China will supply weapons to Russia.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 697 points (2.06%) to close at 33,129 on Tuesday. The S&P lost 81 points (2.0%) to close at 3,997 and the NASDAQ lost 294 points (2.5%) to close at 11,492.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $76; BRENT CRUDE at $82.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.40 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN slid on Tuesday, losing 1.66% and trading just under $24,400.
🛩 There were more than 3,100 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 300 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $100 million jackpot or a $51.3 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
BRITNEY SPEARS has fans concerned after her latest bizarre Instagram post.
In the minute-long clip, Spears speaks in a British accent about a dress she claims to have made, but then says it was shipped to her.
She also tells her fans not to call the cops if she deletes her Instagram again.
At the end, Spears tells the camera, “Don’t ever be a roller coaster!” and then darts off screen, before running back across the screen and disappearing. Off camera she once again yells, “Never be a roller coaster!!!”
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ED SHEERAN has created his own line of hot sauces with Kraft Heinz called Tingly Ted’s.
The singer announced his new venture on Tuesday, explaining that he is a “lifelong ketchup and hot sauce obsessive.” As for what makes his stuff stand out, Sheeran said that he wanted a sauce that wasn’t “watery” and wouldn’t get put “on the same shelf of other random hot sauces.” [via People]
WORTH NOTING: The name comes from Sheeran’s childhood nickname, Ted.
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“Harry Potter” author J.K. ROWLING kicked off her new limited series podcast, “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling,” discussing her legacy.
“I do not walk around thinking about my legacy. Whatever, I’ll be dead. I care about now. I care about the living,” she shared, while speaking about the criticism she received over her statements regarding the transgender community.
The first two episodes of her podcast debuted Tuesday. The remaining five will be released in weekly installments. [via Deadline]
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The ROLLING STONES are rumored to have joined forces with PAUL MCCARTNEY and RINGO STARR for a new album.
Variety reports that multiple sources have hinted at the collaboration, revealing that recording sessions took place in Los Angeles over the past few weeks. It is unknown if McCartney and Starr will appear on the same song.
The Stones have not released an album featuring original songs since 2005’s “A Bigger Bang.” [via Variety]
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JEWEL has co-founded a new virtual reality-based wellness center, called Innerworld, where people can use an anonymous avatar to access free mental health tools.
Speaking to People Magazine about her new non-profit, the singer described Innerworld as a “scalable solution that’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, offering real, peer-to-peer support.”
The platform offers an alternative to traditional talk therapy through evidence-based mental health support with the immersive power of social virtual worlds. [via People]
WORTH NOTING: Jewel has long advocated for mental health. Nearly two decades ago she co-founded the Inspiring Children’s Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on transforming the lives of at-risk youth in Las Vegas.
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Singer MADISON BEER has been a victim of swatting, a form of prank calling emergency services to get a large police presence to raid a person’s home.
An LAPD source told TMZ that they have received more than 15 calls since the beginning of the year with a man stating that Beer is going to harm herself.
While the authorities do not know who is making the calls, they have traced them to Germany.
There is currently an ongoing investigation into the calls. [via TMZ]
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HARRY STYLES took part in an old tradition, known as a “shoey,” to kick off the Australian and New Zealand leg of his Love On Tour this week.
A “shoey” is where one takes off their shoe, pours a drink into it and then chugs it. Also, the person must then wear the wet shoe for the rest of the night.
“This is one of the most disgusting traditions,” Styles told the crowd.
Others who have done a “shoey” while down under include MACHINE GUN KELLY, GERARD BUTLER and LUKE BRYAN. [via People]
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CASTING CALL
Former White House Media Commissar JEN PSAKI’s new MSNBC show, “Inside with Jen Psaki,” will debut on March 19.
The Sunday show, which sees Psaki apply her knowledge of public policy, has been in the works since she left her White House gig.
She will also contribute a regular column for the MSNBC Daily morning newsletter. [via Variety]
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Judge GREG MATHIS isn’t going anywhere.
Just days after it was announced that his show “Judge Mathis” would end after 24 seasons, the good judge revealed that he will front a new courtroom show, called “Mathis Court with Judge Mathis.”
The one-hour show premieres this fall. [via Variety]
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STEVEN SPIELBERG says he currently has no plans for his next movie.
After back-to-back productions “West Side Story” and “The Fabelmans,” the director revealed that he has “no idea” what project he will helm next.
In the meantime, he is serving as producer on a limited series for HBO about Napoleon Bonaparte. [via Deadline]
WORTH NOTING: Throughout his 63-year career, Speilberg has 59 director credits and 180 producer credits to his name.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN teamed up with MARIAH CAREY and their daughters NORTH WEST and MONROE for a TikTok video.
The foursome sang and danced to Carey’s 2009 hit “It’s A Wrap.”
At one point in the clip the younger girls push their moms out of the way and show off their own moves. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE ANDREW may one day decide to follow in PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE’s footsteps and move to the States.
Royal expert Angela Levin told GB News this week that the disgraced royal is “thinking about” leaving the UK, but no one in The Firm is convinced that he will actually make the move.
As for his relationship with his brother, KING CHARLES, Levin told the outlet “the two don’t get on.” This also applies to Andrew’s relationship with his nephew, PRINCE WILLIAM, which Levin says has “deteriorated” since the sexual abuse allegations came to light.
If Andrew did pack it all up and jump the pond, Levin says she believes he would focus his time and resources on charity work and not Netflix specials. [via Express]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
World Yoga Day
National Pink Day
World Thinking Day
National Margarita Day
National Walking the Dog Day
National Cook a Sweet Potato Day
Be Humble Day
Single Tasking Day
Inconvenience Day
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ON THIS DATE
1819 - Secretary of State John Quincy Adams approves the purchase of Florida territory from the Spanish.
The Spanish had been colonizing the New World since 1565.
In the 1700s, Florida flipped between Spanish and British rule, but following the American Revolution, it fell back into the hands of the Spanish.
The US didn’t pay Spain for Florida, but instead agreed to pay the legal claims of American citizens against Spain — a maximum of $5 million.
Andrew Jackson became the first governor of the territory in 1822. Florida became a state in 1845.
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1922 - Wisconsin gets hit with a Great Ice Storm.
Most of the state is covered in up to four inches of ice. Trees toppled and power lines snapped.
Parts of the state went without the relatively new invention of home electricity for a month.
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1946 - An American diplomat in Moscow sends a lengthy memo back to Washington, outlining his views on the relationship between America and the Soviets.
George Kennan had been observing and analyzing the effectiveness of America's containment policy in the Cold War.
He famously wrote that peaceful coexistence between the Soviets and the West would not last. The Reds were very suspicious of all other nations, and Kennan foresaw the strategy that would win the Cold War, which was to be very aggressive and resistant to Soviet policies.
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1959 - Lee Petty barely beats Johnny Beauchamp in the first Daytona 500.
The photo finish was so close, that at first Beauchamp was named the winner by William France, the owner of NASCAR. But after 3 days of review and analysis of news photographs, Petty was named the winner.
Lee Petty is the father of legendary racer Richard Petty.
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1980 - The American hockey team beats the Soviets at the 13th Olympic Winter Games.
More than 10,000 were on hand to watch the victory in Lake Placid, New York.
For all the legend and fanfare behind the win, it was not even for the Gold medal, but the victory did come in the midst of the Cold War, and saluted the work of America's amateur team whose average player age was 22.
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1990 - Milli Vanilli wins a Best New Artist Grammy, which would become the only Grammy to be rescinded.
Misters Milli and Vanilli were good-looking guys who lip-synced over the electric pop singles performed by others.
The two frontmen would spiral into drugs and oblivion, never mounting a successful comeback.
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1997 - Dolly the Sheep is introduced to the world as the first successfully cloned mammal by researchers at the Roslin Institute in Scotland.
Legendary singer Dolly Parton inspired the sheep’s name. One of the lead researchers explained, “Dolly is derived from a mammary gland cell and we couldn't think of a more impressive pair of glands than Dolly Parton's."
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2017 - Jay-Z is the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside Max Martin, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
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2019 - Robert Kraft is charged with soliciting prostitution.
The New England Patriots owner was caught in a human-trafficking sting operation at massage parlors in Jupiter, Florida.
A spokesperson for Kraft did not deny that he participated in a sex act at the parlor, only that he did not engage “in illegal activity.”
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2019 - Jussie Smollett is suspended from the TV show “Empire.”
The move came after the actor lied about being attacked in the middle of the night in downtown Chicago.
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BIRTHDAYS
Michael Johnston - actor, “Teen Wolf” - 28
Rajon Rondo - basketball player - 37
Zach Roerig - actor, “As the World Turns” & “The Vampire Diaries” - 38
Drew Barrymore - actress, “Charlie’s Angels” & “Santa Clarita Diet” - 48
James Blunt - pop singer - 49
Pat LaFontaine - hockey player - 58
Amy Alcott - golfer - 67
Julie Walters - actress, “Mamma Mia!” - 73
Julius Erving - basketball player - 73
Born On This Date
Steve Irwin - Crocodile Hunter - 1962 (d. 2006)
Niki Lauda - race car driver - 1949 (d. 2019)
Robert Kardashian - Dad of the Kardashians & OJ’s lawyer - 1944 (d. 2003)
Robert Wadlow - tallest man in the world at 8’ 11”, nicknamed Giant of Illinois - 1918 (d. 1940)
George Washington - 1st POTUS - 1732 (d. 1799)
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