2/27/2024: Pistachio King
PLUS: Eclipse Flights; Celebrity Swifties; and New Coins
Today is Tuesday, February 27, 2024.
It is the 58th day of the year.
308 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A Chinese EV manufacturer takes on its high-end, gas-guzzling competitors and the President of Ecuador braces for a long fight. Details in HIT LIST.
JERRY SEINFELD got heckled in the Big Apple and MARTHA STEWART has a special preference when it comes to undergarments. More in SHOWBIZ.
“Mary Poppins” gets a new rating in the UK. Details in CASTING CALL.
YE and NORTH performed together in Paris. More on that in KARDASH.
The Royal Mint introduces a new slate of coins. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
What had been promoted as a battle of the Joeys at the Wonderful Pistachios Get Crackin’ Eating Championship in Santa Monica on Monday, ended with a different J-name being crowned the victor.
Ahead of the contest it was assumed competitive eating legend Joey Chestnut would win, or even NFL player Joey Bosa, but when all was said and done, James Webb was crowned the pistachio-eating king.
Not only did Webb win, but he also set a new record of 338 pistachios consumed in eight minutes.
Don’t worry about Bosa, he was just thrilled not to choke on any nuts! [via Bleacher Report]
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TESLA’s chief rival in the global EV market is Chinese manufacturer BYD – which announced this week an electric “supercar” that goes toe to toe with high-end sports cars like Ferraris.
The U9 model can reach speeds over 192 miles per hour and reach 60 miles per hour in under 2.5 seconds – but the performance comes at a cost. The initial price tag runs north of $230,000. Deliveries are scheduled for this summer. [via CNBC]
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DELTA is offering two special flights on April 8 that will allow passengers to get an optimal view of the solar eclipse from 30,000 feet in the air.
The rare event promises an exciting viewing opportunity over some heavily populated areas of the United States.
Last week, the company sold a flight from Austin to Detroit following the eclipse’s path that sold out in 24 hours. On Monday, they added a route from Dallas to Detroit. Both flights will take about three hours. [via NBC News]
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The company that put the first-ever private American moon lander on the lunar surface announced on Monday they would cease all communications with the Odysseus unit some time later today.
Intuitive Machines says the disappointing turn of events will cut the mission short after just five days. Though Odysseus successfully soft-landed on the moon, it tipped on its side, preventing full communication with Earth. The news sent the company’s stock sliding 35% on Monday. [via Reuters]
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President of Ecuador DANIEL NABOA said in an interview on Monday that drug kingpin ADOLFO “FITO” MACIAS is almost certainly now out of the country, nearly two months after he disappeared from his prison cell.
The ensuing gang violence that erupted amid the manhunt triggered a nationwide public emergency, currently set to sunset on March 8. Naboa said he expects to extend the emergency for at least another 30 days. He also encouraged regulators to finalize and approve plans to construct two new prisons each capable of holding up to 4,000 inmates as the country continues to rein in gang violence and drug activity. [via MetroEcuador]
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DEATHS
Actor CHRIS GAUTHER has died.
He passed away Friday after suddenly falling ill with an undisclosed illness. No other details have been shared.
Gauther is known for his roles in “Once Upon A Time” and “Smallville.”
He was only 48.
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Baseball player JOSE DELEON has died.
He passed away Sunday after a battle with cancer.
DeLeon spent 13 seasons in the major leagues as a pitcher for the Pirates, White Sox, Cardinals, Phillies and Expos.
He was 63.
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Financier JACOB ROTHSCHILD has died.
His passing was announced by his family on Monday, though no details were shared.
Rothschild was a senior member of one of Europe’s best-known banking dynasties.
He was 87,
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BREAKUPS
PRINCESS LOVE has filed for divorce from RAY J…again.
The reality star filed on Monday, though what she cited as the reason is unknown as well as what she is seeking financially. She also announced their split on Instagram, writing that the two are focused on co-parenting their two young children.
This is the fourth time they’ve been down this road.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 62 points (0.16%) to close at 39,069 on Monday. The S&P lost 19 points (0.38%) to close at 5,069 and the NASDAQ lost 20 points (0.13%) to close at 15,976.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $77; BRENT CRUDE at $81.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.26 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN surged on Monday, up more than 5.5% and trading over $54,500.
🛩 There were more than 2,640 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 65 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $563 million jackpot or a $265.4 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
FOLLOW UP: Former football player RICHARD SHERMAN was released from jail on Monday afternoon following his weekend DUI arrest.
Prosecutors asked for a $5,000 bond and also established a list of conditions for Sherman’s release, including no driving and no consuming alcohol or drugs before his next hearing on Wednesday.
Sherman was held til Monday because he is already under court supervision for past infractions, including negligent driving, criminal trespass and speeding in a construction zone. [via Seattle Times]
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TAYLOR SWIFT’s “Eras Tour” shows are always jam-packed with fans, many of whom are ultra-famous.
Celebs that have showed off their inner Swiftie include, actress REBEL WILSON, BLINK-182 drummer MARK HOPPUS, actress RITA ORA, former anti-Swiftie KATY PERRY, actress DANIELLE FISHEL, actor JEFF GOLDBLUM, actress KERRY WASHINGTON, reality star KYLE RICHARDS, actress SYDNEY SWEENEY, singer HALSEY, actress SOFIA VERGARA, comedian TIFFANY HADDISH, actor CHANNING TATUM, actress MINDY KALING, football player AARON RODGERS, rapper FLAVOR FLAV, and Meta founder MARK ZUCKERBERG.
The most notable attendee has to be TRAVIS KELCE, however, who is often spotted off to the side of the stage, ready and wanting to smooch Swift after each set. [via US Weekly]
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JERRY SEINFELD didn’t feel the love in the Big Apple over the weekend after a group of hecklers accused him of supporting genocide.
The chanting of “Genocide supporter, you support genocide” began as Seinfeld left the annual State of the World Jewry, where New York Times columnist BARI WEISS, a strong supporter of Israel, was featured.
Seinfeld smiled at the crowd but kept quiet, as he got into an awaiting car. [via NY Post]
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SELENA GOMEZ recently opened up about an embarrassing interaction she had at the Emmys with actor JASON SEGEL.
Gomez told Entertainment Weekly that she saw Segel waving and waved back, only to realize too late that he was saying hello to someone behind her. Trying to salvage the situation, Gomez said Segel approached her to actually say hello, at which point, her boyfriend, BENNY BLANCO stated, “Oh, she falls asleep to you every night.”
Mortified, Gomez explained that lately she has been watching “How I Met Your Mother” before bed. Segel starred in the sitcom as Marshall. [via EW]
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MARTHA STEWART has an aversion to wearing underwear.
The 82-year-old shared the intimate detail during an appearance at the Old Bags Luncheon in Florida last week, explaining that she prefers to wear bathing suits under her clothes, instead of a bra and panties.
As for why, Stewart simply stated, “I like wearing bathing suits under my clothes just in case I want to go swimming.” [via Page Six]
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Celebs. They’re just like us.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE loves being a dad and said as much during a recent appearance on “The Graham Norton Show,” before adding that his beloved sons will also likely “be the death of [him].”
JT shares two boys with wife JESSICA BIEL, 8-year-old Silas and 3-year-old Phineas. [via Us Weekly]
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CHUCK LIDDEL took an unintentional swim over the weekend after losing his balance and falling into the San Diego Bay.
His buddies quickly came to the rescue, with one jumping into the water to help hoist Liddel over the side of the boat, while another tried to pull him up.
The slipup didn’t appear to ruin Liddel’s night, however. He was later spotted waving at fans and enjoying some food. [via TMZ]
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ALEC BALDWIN’s involuntary manslaughter trial will begin in July.
Judge Mary Marlowe Summer announced Monday that jury selection is scheduled to start on July 9, and the trial is expected to run from July 10 through July 19 -- with Baldwin present in the courtroom.
If convicted, the actor faces 18 months to three years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
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CASTING CALL
In a newly released two-part Lifetime documentary, WENDY WILLIAMS’ son, Kevin Hunter Jr., says her frontotemporal dementia is alcohol-induced.
He told the camera that while his mom was at a rehab facility in Florida, her doctors said she had “alcohol-induced dementia.” Williams wasn’t diagnosed with dementia and aphasia until last year, and is now under guardianship in New York.
Elsewhere in the doc, titled “Where Is Wendy Williams?,” her former attorney LaShawn Thomas wonders what is actually going on with Williams, going so far as to question the diagnosis and the court-ordered guardianship. [via Page Six]
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The British Board of Film Classification has raised the age rating on “Mary Poppins” from U (equivalent to a G-rating here) to PG because of the phrase “Hottentots.”
According to the announcement, the word was used way back in the day by European colonizers in Africa and has been deemed too racially offensive for today’s use.
In the movie, the phrase is used during DICK VAN DYKE’s musical number “Step in Time.”
No word on whether or not other countries plan to follow suit. [via NBC]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE was joined on stage by 10-year-old NORTH WEST to perform their song “Talking / Once Again” at the Accor Arena in Paris over the weekend.
The performance was part of Ye’s latest “Vultures 1” album release party.
Prior to the event, Ye and his wife BIANCA CENSORI attended Milan Fashion Week, where she wore a risque black leather bodysuit and pink leather boots.
BY THE WAY: North was recently named one of the youngest Billboard Hot 100 stars ever after landing on the charts with “Talking / Once Again.” [via Daily Mail]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING CHARLES has approved a set of new coins to be produced by the Royal Mint depicting various British characters and celebrities – including GEORGE MICHAEL, a friend of the late PRINCESS DIANA.
The commemorative coins will come in various denominations, all the way up to 200 Great British Pounds. Other coins will include famous scenes from “Star Wars,” which was filmed at studios in Britain; a tribute to James Bond, and “mythical legend” Maid Marian.
The King personally attended the meeting of the Privy Council to give his stamp of approval despite scaling back in-person meetings amid his cancer treatment. [via People, Privy Council]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Pokemon Day
National Kahlua Day
The Big Breakfast Day
International Polar Bear Day
National Strawberry Day
No Brainer 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
Callum Wilson - soccer player - 32
Jenny Boyd - actress, “THe Originals” - 33
Sean Strickland - MMA fighter - 33
Brittnay Ashton Holmes - actress, “Little Rascals” - 35
Daniel Gibson - basketball player - 38
Jenni “JWoww” Farley - reality star, “Jersey Shore” - 39
Kate Mara - actress, “House of Cards” & “Pose” - 41
Josh Groban - pop singer - 43
Bobby V - R&B singer - 44
Chelsea Clinton - daughter of Bill & Hillary - 44
Tony Gonzalez - football player - 48
Rozonda Thomas - R&B singer, Chilli of TLC - 53
Timothy Spall - actor, “Harry Potter” franchise - 67
Born On This Date
Elizabeth Taylor - actress, “Cleopatra” & “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” - 1932 (d. 2011)
John Steinbeck - novelist, “The Grapes of Wrath” & “Of Mice and Men” - 1902 (d. 1968)
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