Today is Monday, February 27, 2023.
It is the 58th day of the year.
307 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A busy week at the International Space Station and new development to identify covid’s origins. More in HIT LIST.
The RNC demands a loyalty pledge from Trump ahead of 2024. More in THE SWAMP.
SELENA GOMEZ becomes Instagram’s most-followed woman and PETA wants RIHANNA to ditch her fur. More in SHOWBIZ.
HUGH JACKMAN says his voice is messed up from playing Wolverine and ERIC STONESTREET joins the cast of “The Santa Clauses.” More in CASTING CALL.
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HIT LIST
An investigation by the US Department of Energy has concluded that covid first emerged from a Chinese laboratory – but that investigation has not been made public. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the development over the weekend. The Energy Department’s findings corroborate a similar conclusion drawn by the FBI in 2021.
A competing investigation by the National Intelligence Council suggests the alternative theory that covid sprung up naturally after an animal transmitted the infection to a human – but that conclusion was also assessed with “low confidence,” per the Journal. [via WSJ]
WORTH ASKING: Shouldn’t there be a global – if not at least an American-led – inquiry into how all this happened, to know definitively?
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Dish Network had some wild internal problems starting late last week that continued into the weekend. Internally, systems were so shot that employees couldn’t work; but even externally, the customer-facing Dish.com was down and replaced with a message asking for customer patience.
The Verge reports that the company has not yet communicated to employees about what’s caused the outage.
Service outages for subscribers appeared to be minimal, though the website Downdetector showed an uptick in subscriber complaints over the weekend. [via The Verge]
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A replacement Soyuz spacecraft has arrived at the International Space Station to return two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut to Earth.
The previous Soyuz lost its coolant after springing a leak in December.
MEANWHILE: A NASA-launched SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule is expected to arrive this week. [via Space.com]
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Guinness World Records has identified the man with the most consecutive trips to Disneyland – nearly three years after he established the record.
Jeff Reitz began taking daily trips to Disneyland in 2012, and showed up each day over the course of more than eight years until the pandemic shut down the park’s operations in March 2020. Over that time, he logged 2,995 consecutive admissions.
Reitz made social media posts about his daily journeys, which took a while to get the attention of Guinness. He’s now been certified. [via People]
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The St. Louis Zoo can’t seem to keep its 4-year-old, 300-pound Andean bear named Ben in its habitat.
Twice this month it’s escaped from the enclosure. On February 7, the bear managed to rip off clips that secured the wire mesh enclosure before prowling around for about an hour and a half. Then on Thursday, Ben the Bear was able to snap off even stronger clips.
The zoo says it’s consulting with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Bear Taxon Advisory Group for the best way to proceed. [via Associated Press]
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CHARTS
Weekend Box Office
10. A Man Called Otto: $850k (stayed at 10)
9. Missing: $1 million (stayed at 9)
8. 80 for Brady: $1.8 million (down from 6)
7. Knock at the Cabin: $1.83 million (down from 5)
6. Magic Mike’s Last Dance: $1.9 million (down from 3)
5. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: $4.1 million (down from 4)
4. Avatar: The Way of Water: $4.7 million (down from 2)
3. Jesus Revolution: $15.5 million (new)
2. Cocaine Bear: $23 million (new)
1. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: $32 million (stayed at 1)
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DEATHS
GORDON PINSENT has died.
The Canadian actor, known for his role in “Away From Her,” passed away on Saturday. No cause of death was shared.
He was 92.
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Former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, WALTER MIRISCH, has died.
He passed away Friday in Los Angeles of natural causes, according to a statement from the Motion Picture Academy.
Mirisch was also an Oscar-winning producer for “In the Heat of the Night.”
He was 101.
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MADONNA’s oldest brother ANTHONY CICCONE has died.
He passed away Friday night, according to an Instagram post from a family member. No other details were shared.
Ciccone was estranged from his famous sister, and several other family members, once telling the Daily Mail that in their eyes he is a “non-person” and “an embarrassment.”
He was 66.
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BABY NEWS
Philadelphia Eagles center JASON KELCE, 35, and his wife, KYLIE KELCE, 30, have welcomed their third daughter.
Bennett Llewellyn Kelce arrived on Thursday, February 23, joining big sisters Elliotte Ray, 23 months and Wyatt, 3.
WORTH REMEMBERING: Kylie brought along two OB/GYNs to to Super Bowl to watch her husband take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
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THE SWAMP
Republican National Committee Chair RONNA MCDANIEL says that former President DONALD TRUMP will have to sign a pledge to support the party’s 2024 nominee in order to participate in officially-sanctioned primary debates.
Last month, Trump said any support pledge would be contingent on who the nominee is. [via Fox News]
WORTH REMEMBERING: Ahead of Trump’s 2016 win, many mainstream Republicans fretted about pledging to support Trump, and his one-time rival TED CRUZ notoriously did not directly endorse Trump during the party’s 2016 convention.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 336 points (1.02%) to close at 32,816 on Friday. The S&P lost 42 points (1.05%) to close at 3,970 while the NASDAQ lost 195 points (1.69%) to close at 11,394.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $76 on Friday; BRENT CRUDE at $82.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.36 on Sunday.
₿ BITCOIN ticked up over the weekend 1.5% and trading over $23,500.
🛩 There were more than 2,680 FLIGHTS delayed within, into or out of the United States on Sunday and more than 215 such cancellations.
💰Tuesday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $145 million jackpot or a $74.3 million cash payout. Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $131 million jackpot or a $66.9 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
The 29th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards took place last night, live from the Fairmount Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
And the winners are…
Film
Overall
Ensemble - “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Actor - Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”
Actress - Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Supporting Actor - Key Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Supporting Actress - Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
TV
Drama
Ensemble - “The White Lotus”
Actor - Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
Actress - Jennifer Coolidge, “The White Lotus”
Comedy
Ensemble - “Abbott Elementary”
Actor - Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”
Actress - Jean Smart, “Hacks”
TV/Limited Movie
Actor - Sam Elliott, “1883”
Actress - Jessica Chastain, “George & Tammy”
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SELENA GOMEZ is now the most-followed woman on Instagram; taking the crown from KYLIE JENNER.
Gomez previously held the title, but lost it to Jenner after taking a social media break. Upon her return to the app, she quickly took back the crown.
After hitting the milestone, Gomez announced that she is planning to take another social media hiatus. She will still do TikTok, however, as she feels the app is “less hostile” than others. [via CNN]
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PETA wants RIHANNA to ditch her fur.
After the singer was photographed wearing a real fur-length coat, the animal rights organization sent her team a letter begging her to switch to faux fur.
They really drove their argument home by bringing up RiRi’s growing family, writing, “As a mother, you know what it’s like to feel protective [...] please understand this desire -- this instinct even -- is shared by the minks, foxes and rabbits who are torn away from their families and killed for their fur.”
What’s more, PETA also said they would take Rihanna’s fur off her hands and replace it with faux fur. Her items would be donated to the survivors of the recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey. [via TMZ]
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Former NFL player CHAD “Ochocinco” JOHNSON says he lived inside the Cincinnati Bengals stadium for the first two years that he was with the team.
The 45-year-old made the surprising declaration during his recent appearance on “Club Shay Shay,” telling SHANNON SHARPE that the stadium had everything he needed and at the time, saving money was important to him.
He only vacated the stadium after then-head coach MARVIN LEWIS told him it was time to get his own place. [via People]
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BRTINEY SPEARS got a warning from animal control after her Doberman allegedly got loose and bit an elderly gentleman.
Sources told TMZ the pup was roaming the neighborhood when it bit a 70-year-old man who was riding his bike.
A Spears-insider told the outlet that it was more of a “nip” than an actual bite.
The pup was gifted to Spears by her husband SAM ASGHARI in 2021. [via TMZ]
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DIPLO has sold his music publishing rights to Iconoclast for $110 million.
He called the move a “win-win” because he was able to “cash out now” rather than waiting decades for his music streams to generate a ton of money.
As for what he plans to do with his payout, Diplo told TMZ that he is going to “invest some and spend some.” [via TMZ]
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The JONAS BROTHERS are heading to Broadway.
From March 14 through March 18, JOE, NICK and KEVIN JONAS will headline “Jonas Brothers On Broadway = 5 Albums 5 Nights.” The trio will perform a different one of their albums each night.
The performances come ahead of the release of their new record, “The Album,” which drops on May 5, and a new tour, which kicks off in August. [via Deadline]
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Thieves ransacked MILES TELLER’s home last week while he was on vacation.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that someone broke into the actor’s L.A. home by smashing through the glass of a back door. The intruders then destroyed the home as they searched for loot. It is unknown what was taken.
While officers were called to the home by an alarm system, the burglars were able to get away. It is unknown if Teller’s home was targeted or chosen at random. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
HUGH JACKMAN says all his time spent growling and yelling while playing X-Men mutant Wolverine, has affected his vocal chords.
He told BBC Radio 4’s “Front Row” that his “falsetto is not as strong as it used to be.”
Despite the damage, Jackman will return as Wolverine in “Deadpool 3,” which is set to hit theaters in November 2024. [via Deadline]
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“Modern Family” alum ERIC STONESTREET has joined the cast of Season 2 of Disney’s “The Santa Clauses.”
He will play Magnus Antas aka the Mad Santa, who reigned during the 14th century and is now returning to take down TIM ALLEN’s character, Scott Calvin and reclaim the North Pole.
A premiere date has not yet been announced. [via Variety]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
PETE DAVIDSON appears to be questioning why he dated KIM KARDASHIAN.
Insiders told Radaronline.com that while he was “once smitten” with the reality star, he feels she “doesn’t hold a candle” to some of his other exes, such as actress KATE BECKINSALE, model KAIA GERBER and singer ARIANA GRANDE.
“His swagger was gone and he seriously worried he’d become a long-term victim of the Kardashian curse,” the source explained.
Davidson has since moved on with actress CHASE SUI WONDERS. [via RadarOnline]
THE KARDASHIAN CURSE: A belief that all men who date a member of the famous family end up not only heartbroken, but also losing their career (and mental stability) in the process.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
QUEEN CONSORT CAMILLA may be getting a slightly altered name change following KING CHARLES’ Coronation in May.
According to the Daily Mail, Camilla, who was known as the Duchess of Cornwall until QUEEN ELIZABETH’s death, may simply go by the title Queen Camilla.
Despite it being Queen Elizabeth’s wish for Camilla to become Queen Consort, a source revealed that the “view in the Palace is that Queen Consort is cumbersome” so she will “be known just as the Queen when the time is right.” [via Daily Mail]
SPEAKING OF CAMILLA: She has selected British fashion designer BRUCE OLDFIEND, the late PRINCESS DIANA’s favorite designer, to create her coronation gown. An insider told The Sun that Camilla and Oldfield have a “very close friendship” so he was the “natural and obvious choice.” [via The Sun]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
No Brainer Day
National Pokemon Day
International Polar Bear Day
National Kahlua Day
National Strawberry Day
Play More Cards Day
World NGO Day
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ON THIS DATE
1864 – The first prisoners arrive at the Confederate's prisoner-of-war camp called Andersonville.
The prison swiftly developed a nasty reputation for brutality and mistreatment -- one in four inmates died in captivity.
The warden was Henry Wirz, who was actually born in Zurich and emigrated to the U.S. in 1849. Before the war, he practiced as a doctor.
After the war, he was executed for his crimes against Union prisoners.
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1922 – The Supreme Court affirms women's suffrage.
The 19th Amendment, which granted voting rights to both genders, was challenged on three grounds:
First, that the Constitution's character did not permit such an amendment -- in other words, the "It's not what the founders would have wanted" argument.
Second, that several state constitutions prohibited the female vote, creating a federalist conflict
Third, that the last two states to ratify did so without following the proper procedures.
The Court obviously upheld the Amendment.
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1936 – Shirley Temple inks a deal with 20th Century Fox that would pay her $50,000 per film.
She was 7 years old.
The production studio went so far as to publicly say she was a year younger, in order to make her last longer as a precocious child star.
She later ran as a Republican for a congressional seat in California, but lost. Nixon appointed her ambassador to the United Nations.
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1942 – Japanese planes bomb the U.S.S. Langley and sink it. 32 planes went down with it.
The Langley was America's first aircraft carrier and first electrically-propelled ship. It was christened in 1912 as a coal transport ship under the name Jupiter. After the First World War, it was converted to carry and launch airplanes.
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1972 – The Shanghai Communique is released. It outlined how the U.S. and China would move forward to thaw tense relations.
It came at the end of President Nixon's historic trip to communist China. He was the first chief executive to make the trip.
Making nice with the Chi-Coms would help end the cold war.
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1991 – George Bush declares Kuwait liberated from an Iraqi invasion.
That day, Saddam Hussein ordered his troops out of the small country.
The surrender came after only four days of major combat operations.
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2019 – Actor Luke Perry suffers a stroke.
He would suffer another stroke in the following weeks, leaving his family to make the difficult decision to remove him from life support on March 4. He was 52.
Perry was famous for his role as Dylan McKay on “Beverly Hills 90210” and as Fred Andrews on “Riverdale.”
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BIRTHDAYS
Steven Fernandez - skateboarder - 23
Callum Wilson - soccer player - 31
Jenny Boyd - actress, “Legacies” & “The Originals” - 32
James Perry - comedian - 36
Daniel Gibson - basketball player - 37
Jenny “JWoww” Farly - reality star, “Jersey Shore” - 38
Kate Mara - actress, “House of Cards” & “Pose” - 40
Josh Groban - pop singer - 42
Chelsea Clinton - daughter of Bill & Hillary - 43
Tony Gonzalez - football player - 47
Peter Andre - pop singer - 50
Rozonda Thomas - R&B singer known as Chilli, TLC - 52
James Worthy - basketball player - 62
Ralph Nader - lawyer, consumer advocate & four-time presidential candidate - 89
Joanne Woodward - actress, “3 Faces of Eve” - 93
Born On This Date
John Steinbeck - novelist, “The Grapes of Wrath” & “Of Mice and Men” - 1902 (d. 1968)
Elizabeth Taylor - actress, “Cleopatra” & “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” - 1932 (d. 2011)
Mildred Bailey - jazz singer known as “The Queen of Swing” - 1907 (d. 1951)
Marian Anderson - opera singer - 1897 (d. 1993)
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