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2/23/2022: Scarlett on The Outset
PLUS: Scarlett's skin care; Aaron and Shailene; US Women's Soccer Settlement
TODAY’S REPORT
Today is Wednesday, February 23, 2022
It is the 54th day of the year.
311 days remain.
TRENDING
#Twosday and #22222Day were trending yesterday. Many tweeted about the mind-boggling numerical sequence and coincidence of it falling on the second day of the week. The next time a "2/22/22" will occur on a Tuesday won't be until the year 2422.
US Soccer announced it reached a settlement with the Women’s National Team. Head to Sports to find out more.
Yesterday was #NationalMargaritaDay and Taco Tuesday. What a happy coincidence!
Paul O’Neill was trending yesterday after the New York Yankees announced they will retire the right-fielder’s number (21) on August 21, 2022.
Kyle Rittenhouse landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends after revealing that he plans to sue Whoopi Goldberg for calling him a murderer following his acquittal. He also said he plans to sue several media outlets.
Jimmy Fallon started #AddAWordRuinABook. Tweets using the hashtag included, “For Whom the Taco Bell Tolls,” “White Pride and Prejudice,” “The Lord of the Onion Rings” and “Curious George Clooney.”
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HIT LIST
The New York Times reports that the CDC has been actively withholding demographic data about covid illnesses and vaccines because – as the Times writes – that information “might be misinterpreted as the vaccines being ineffective.”
WORTH ASKING: Why not explain the honest data? Why not present the relevant data and their best guesses for what it could mean?
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The origin of the piece of space junk set to crash into the moon in the next couple of days remains in doubt.
It was originally thought to be part of a SpaceX rocket launched in 2015, but later it was thought to be part of a Chinese rocket launched in 2014. But China’s space agency says that debris ultimately burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
WORTH NOTING: Maybe the same Chi-Com bureaucrat reporting space data is reporting covid deaths and infections.
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Facebook has gotten so old it’s not cool with The Kids anymore, but it’s trying desperately to maintain relevance. It’s expanded its Reels feature, which is designed to take on TikTok with short-form videos and tools to edit them and create mashups.
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A well-preserved fossil of a flying dinosaur has been discovered in Scotland. The pterodactyl has a wingspan nearing nine feet wide. An analysis of the discovery suggests it lived 25 million years earlier than previously thought.
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CHARTS
Top 5 Fiction & Nonfiction Books Currently on the New York Times Best Sellers List:
FICTION:
“Abandoned In Death,” J.D. Robb
"It Ends With Us," Colleen Hoover
“City of the Dead,” Jonathan Kellerman
“Verity,” Colleen Hoover
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” Taylor Jenkins Reid
NONFICTION:
“Red-Handed,” Peter Schweizer
“The Nineties,” Chuck Klosterman
“The Body Keeps The Score,” Bessel van der Kolk
“The 1619 Project,” edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones, Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman & Jake Silverstein
“Educated,” Tara Westover
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DEATHS
GARY BROOKER has died.
The “A Whiter Shade of Pale” singer passed away Saturday after a battle with cancer, according to his bandmates.
He was 76.
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MARK LANEGAN has died.
The lead singer of the rock band Screaming Trees passed away at his home in Killarney, Ireland Tuesday morning, according to a post on his Twitter account. No further information was made available.
He was 57.
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BABY NEWS
Actress BECCA TOBIN is a mom!
The “Glee” star welcomed a baby boy via a surrogate this week after struggling to conceive for more than five years.
“Welcome to the world, Ford,” the 36-year-old captioned a photo of her husband, entrepreneur ZACH MARTIN leaving the hospital with their son.
The baby’s full name is RUTHERFORD ‘FORD’ THOMAS MARTIN.
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A woman named ABERLI SPEAR gave birth to her daughter JUDAH GRACE SPEAR on 2/22/22 at 2:22 am.
WHAT’S EVEN CRAZIER: They were in Delivery Room #2!
The Twosday baby was born in North Carolina. According to KCRG, mom Aberli is a cancer survivor, whose diagnosis made pregnancy very unlikely — adding another wonderful layer to this miraculous birth!
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THE SWAMP
GET A LOAD OF THIS: The New York Post is reporting that a grand jury assembled in Delaware is reviewing evidence related to HUNTER BIDEN’s “overseas business dealings.” (So not related to Hunter’s drug use or committing a felony by lying on a gun permit application).
The Post reports that last week, jurors heard testimony from 28-year-old ZOE KESTAN, who used to date Hunter and goes by the handle @weed_slut_420 on Twitter. She reportedly testified about following Hunter to high-end hotels and receiving thousands in cash from him to buy clothing and meals, but having no idea how he was paying for all of it.
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The White House and State Department have scrapped talks between Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN and his Russian counterpart later this week. President JOE BIDEN won’t sit with VLADIMIR PUTIN either, which had been an option on the table late last week.
Russia has also begun to withdraw its diplomats from Ukraine, after the United States did the same.
Biden has authorized economic sanctions against Russian banks. Tomorrow more sanctions are expected against Russian businessmen in Putin’s sphere of influence.
MEANWHILE: JUSTIN TRUDEAU said Tuesday he was throwing in with the sanctions “to stand against authoritarianism” and that the people of Ukraine, “like all people, must be free to determine their own future.”
BUT WAIT: The woman who organized the first GoFundMe for Canada’s Trucker Convoy has been denied bail after getting arrested last week for the minor charge of counseling to commit mischief. The judge on the case said he doesn’t believe she’ll go home and not continue to commit such mischief.
WORTH ASKING: What more is there to do? All the trucks are gone! Is she going to do cartwheels in the street to impede traffic?
MEANWHILE: Her next hearing is March 2. The judge says she could face a “lengthy” jail sentence.
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A couple polls that don’t look good for Democrats:
Axios reports that Democrats have stopped watching the news regularly. Regular engagement has fallen from 70% at the start of the year to 34% by December. It’s the first time since the study started tracking the data that Democrats are less engaged with the news than Republicans. It’s like when a dog tears up the couch cushions then refuses to look at it, hoping his owner won’t notice everything is terrible.
A DailyWire poll of likely voters shows 65% of Democrats approve of Canadian Prime Minister and aspiring tyrant JUSTIN TRUDEAU’s crackdown on protestors – the same people who have been wetting their pants for six years about former PRESIDENT TRUMP ending “our democracy” as we know it. Overall, 55% of likely voters disapprove of Trudeau’s management of the protests.
An Emerson College poll puts President JOE BIDEN’s approval rating at 42%, while 50% disapprove.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Monday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $45 million jackpot or a $30.1 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
ARTEM CHIGVINTSEV is heading back to the “Dancing With the Stars: Live!” tour after a month-long battle with pneumonia.
A rep for the tour confirmed to Page Six that the 39-year-old pro dancer is set to return this week.
Tonight’s show is in Knoxville.
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Actress JAIDA BENJAMIN, 27, has been found safe, after being reported missing over the weekend.
According to the LAPD, the “Family Reunion” star was last seen Saturday in Studio City. She was found early Tuesday morning, also in Studio City, and has been reunited with her family.
Details of her disappearance and how she was found have not been shared.
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SCARLETT JOHANSSON is launching a skincare line.
The 37-year-old actress first announced her plan last year, and now fans are getting their first look at the products.
Johansson’s new brand, The Outset, now has its website and Instagram account up and running. Both of which have announced a launch date of March 1, 2022.
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AARON RODGERS and SHAILENE WOODLEY may not be broken up after all.
During an interview on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers credited his “amazing partner” with much of his success in the NFL in recent years.
He continued on, saying that he recently told Woodley that he has been with her for two years and in that time has won two MVPs, which he says is not “a coincidence.”
The interview comes after Rodgers posted a photo Monday of the two cuddling. In the caption, he thanked Woodley for “always having [his] back.”
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CASTING CALL
The Critics Choice nominations were announced Tuesday.
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” lead the film nominations with five apiece, including Best Superhero Movie.
“Evil” and “Midnight Mass” tied for the most TV nominations, earning six each including Best Horror Series.
Winners will be revealed on Thursday, March 17.
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“Hamilton” stars LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, LESLIE ODOM JR and DAVEED DIGGS will open this year’s SAG Awards ceremony.
The 28th annual SAG Awards will take place Sunday at The Barker Hanger in Santa Monica.
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JASON ALDEAN, ERIC CHURCH, BRITTNEY SPENCER, CARRIE UNDERWOOD, JORDAN DAVIS, KANE BROWN and LUKE BRYAN have been added to the list of performers for the 2022 ACM Awards.
The ceremony will take place in Las Vegas on March 7.
DOLLY PARTON will host the show, along with co-hosts JIMMIE ALLEN and GABBY BARRETT.
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After 12 seasons “The Wendy Williams Show” is coming to an end.
Taking over the time slot will be a show hosted by SHERRI SHEPHERD, who was recently announced as the semi-permanent guest host for Wendy’s show.
The new show, called “Sherri,” will debut this fall.
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AZIZ ANSARI will direct and star in an untitled dramedy for Searchlight, based on the non-fiction book “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End.”
BILL MURRAY will co-star in the flick.
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EMMY ROSSUM will star opposite TOM HOLLAND and AMANDA SEYFRIED in “The Crowded Room,” an anthology series at Apple.
The series explores inspirational stories of those who have struggled with mental illness and learned to live successfully with it.
Rossum will play Candy, mom of Danny Sullivan (Holland).
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CHRISTINE BROWN, 49, has a new cooking show.
The former “Sister Wives” star, who recently left her plural family and husband KODY BROWN, 53, is working on a digital cooking show, titled “Cooking with Just Christine.”
Some of Christine’s six kids will make an appearance on the show as well.
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FRED HECHINGER has joined the cast of Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter.”
The film, which stars AARON TAYLOR JOHNSON in the titular role, follows the notorious antihero, who is best known as one of Spider-Man’s most-formidable enemies.
Hechinger will play Chameleon, the brother of Kraven.
The film will debut in theaters on January 13, 2023.
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COURT CASES
A federal jury found GREG MCMICHAEL, TRAVIS MCMICHAEL and WILLIAM “RODDIE” BRYAN guilty of hate crimes in the death of AHMAUD ARBERY on Tuesday.
The three men were convicted in Arbery’s murder last year and are currently serving life sentences.
Today marks the two-year anniversary of Arbery’s death.
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CRIB NOTES
AARON SPELLING’s former home has been listed for $165 million.
The 56,500 square foot property sits on 4.7 acres and has 123 rooms.
The house is currently the third most expensive home on the market in L.A. County, according to The L.A. Times.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KYLIE JENNER and TRAVIS SCOTT’s son WOLF WEBSTER’s middle name is a family name.
According to his birth certificate, the infant’s middle name is Jacques, which is Travis’ birth name — Jacques Webster.
WORTH NOTING: Fans are still champing at the bit to see a photo of the newest KarJenner.
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LAMAR ODOM is still pining for KHLOE KARDASHIAN.
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SPOILER ALERT
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Following his exit from “Celebrity Big Brother,” the former Lakers star had a message for his ex-wife, saying “I miss you and I hope to get to see you soon.”
Odom was eliminated from the house alongside TODD BRIDGES.
WORTH NOTING: Based on social media reaction to the comment, many Kardashian fans would support a reconciliation between the two. Or at least a dinner date.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
QUEEN ELIZABETH canceled her virtual meetings on Tuesday as she continues to deal with COVID-19 symptoms.
Buckingham Palace released a statement on the matter, saying Her Majesty is still experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms.”
While the 95-year-old continues to isolate, it has been revealed that other Royal Household members at Windsor Castle have also tested positive for the virus, per The Sun.
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KATE MIDDLETON has babies on the brain.
On the first day of her solo royal tour in Denmark, Kate met with parents and babies during a visit at the University of Copenhagen. She told attendees that being around young children makes her feel “very broody.”
“William always worries about me meeting under-one-year-olds. I come home saying, ‘Let’s have another one,’” she quipped.
Kate and William are parents to three kids, PRINCE GEORGE, 8, PRINCESS CHARLOTTE, 6, and PRINCE LOUIS, 3.
WORTH ASKING: Would PRINCE HARRY’s head explode if his brother and sister-in-law had a fourth child?
WORTH REMEMBERING: In an interview with JANE GOODALL after welcoming son ARCHIE, Harry said that he was so concerned about Earth’s depleting resources that he and MEGHAN MARKLE decided to only bring two children “max!” into the world.
WORTH NOTING: While studies show families these days have fewer children, it is not because of not wanting more. Many women are waiting longer to have their first, thus running out of time for more and some struggle with infertility, according to the CDC.
WORTH ADDING: Why is family planning anyone else’s business?
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SPORTS
The US Women’s National Team has reached a settlement with the US Soccer Federation.
After six years of fighting for equal pay, the two organizations confirmed in a statement Tuesday that they reached an agreement in the class action gender discrimination lawsuit.
Under the agreement, US Soccer will pay $22 million to the USWNT players. Additionally, US Soccer will pay $2 million to the USWNT players for post-career goals and charitable efforts.
US Soccer also announced they have committed to an equal pay rate between Women’s and Men’s National Teams going forward.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Banana Bread Day
National Dog Biscuit Day
National Tile Day
Tennis Day
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ON THIS DATE
1885 - A young man marches to the gallows, to be executed for the murder of one of Queen Victoria’s handmaidens.
But when John Lee stood on the platform, with the noose around his neck, the lever would not release the floor. He stepped aside, and it was tried 2 more times, without Lee on the platform and it worked. When he stood there again, the lever malfunctioned again.
Lee was taken back to prison. He maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal.
He was released 22 years later after his sentence was commuted from Death Row.
British authorities maintained it was an act of God that saved him.
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1861 - President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives in Washington.
His visit was highly in secret to protect him, since 7 states had already ceded from the Union.
A plot to assassinate Lincoln while he passed through Baltimore had recently been exposed. The secrecy frustrated Lincoln, who did not want to seem a coward.
He managed to slip in unnoticed by train.
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1945 - An American flag is raised atop Mt. Suribachi, an inactive volcano, on the island of Iwo Jima, marking the capture by US Marines of the island’s highest point and a strategic position on the island. The victory came after five days of fighting, following the invasion on February 19.
Marine photographer Louis Lowery captured the famous moment. He took 3 iconic shots: The first showed six Marines struggling to get the flagpole upright. By some accounts, this has become the most reproduced picture in history.
A motion picture of the raising affirms that the shot indeed was not staged, but instead was a special, iconic moment in World War II history.
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1954 - The first children receive preemptive polio vaccinations.
The vaccine was developed by Dr. Jonas Salk.
Polio was a contagious and dangerous disease that was very difficult to stop — if not impossible with medical capabilities at the time.
Some survived, but were left disabled. Most famously, FDR fell victim to Polio in 1921 — but he would go on to become president.
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1997 - “Schindler’s List” appears uncut on NBC, drawing criticisms from the government and decency groups.
NBC chose not to sell traditional advertisements, but rather sold sponsorships on brief intermissions on the film.
Republican Senator Tom Coburn famously blasted NBC for airing the movie on Sunday night, a time when families often gathered to watch TV.
65 million viewers tuned in to watch.
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2005 - Slovakia Summit 2005 begins.
The summit marks the first occasion where a sitting US President visits Slovakia.
George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin attended.
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2020 - The first major COVID-19 outbreak in Europe occurs in Italy.
After 152 cases were identified — and three deaths — emergency measures were put into place, locking down 10 towns.
Surrounding countries began blocking travel to and from the country.
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2020 - China’s Supreme Leader Xi Jinping describes the country’s COVID-19 outbreak as China’s “fastest spreading, most extensive and most challenging public health emergency” since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949.
At this point, the virus had killed over 2,400 people and infected more than 77,000.
Hundreds of millions were under restrictions on movement.
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BIRTHDAYS
Emilia Jones - actress, “Shrek the Musical” - 20
D’Angelo Russell - basketball player - 26
Andrew Wiggins - basketball player - 27
Dakota Fanning - actress, “Man on Fire” & “War of the Worlds” - 28
Samara Weaving - actress, “Home Away” - 30
Skylar Grey - pop singer - 36
Aziz Ansari - actor, “Parks & Recreation” - 39
Emily Blunt - actress, “Into the Woods” & “Mary Poppins Returns” - 39
Josh Gad - actor, “The Book of Mormon” & “Frozen” - 41
Alvaro Morte - actor, “Money Heist” - 47
Jhonny Rivera - world music singer - 48
Niecy Nash - actress, “Reno 911!” & “Scream Queens” - 52
Steve Stricker - golfer - 55
Brad Whitford - guitarist, Aerosmith - 70
Born On This Date
Victor Fleming - director, “The Wizard of Oz” & “Gone With The Wind” - 1889 (d. 1949)
W. E. B. Du Bois - American civil rights activist & founder of the NAACP - 1868 (d. 1963)
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