2/28/2024: Tree-Tossin’ Fraudster
PLUS: Magic Book Find; Bey Notches Another No.1; and Wills Backs Out
Today is Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
It is the 59th day of the year.
307 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A retail giant slims down its portfolio and a lucky pooch returns home. Details in HIT LIST.
SCOTT SWIFT is accused of assault and PINK gets an interesting offer from a fan. More in SHOWBIZ.
RYAN GOSLING will channel his inner Ken at the Oscars. Details in CASTING CALL.
TRISTAN THOMPSON takes over caring for his younger brother. More on that in KARDASH.
PRINCE WILLIAM’s last minute cancellation sparks concern and rumors. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
An Ohio woman was recently reunited with her beloved pup, who had gone missing five years earlier.
While checking out the Clear the Clermont County Animal Shelter page, Hannah spotted a senior dog named Rome, who she believed could be her missing dog, Will.
After contacting the shelter, Hannah was told to attend the upcoming pet adoption event. When she arrived and the two reunited, it was “clear that Rome was Hannah’s missing Will,” the nonprofit told WXIX.
It is unknown where Will spent the past five years, but according to Hannah, he is still full of youthful energy. [via WXIX]
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Another once-great retail giant has announced a massive slate of store closures, with MACY’S announcing they’ll shutter 150 stores over the next three years.
While the namesake stores will wind down, Macy’s will expand the storefronts for its subsidiaries Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury, and leave 350 Macy’s locations open.
Macy’s CEO says the closures are based on overall store performance and profitability. The company will also get some cash from the sales of the physical stores and make its warehouses more efficient. [via New York Times]
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An early run of the first “Harry Potter” novel misspelled the author’s name as “JA Rowling” on the inside of the dust cover. Her name, of course, billions of dollars later, is JK Rowling. Fortunately, only about 200 of these “uncorrected proof copies” circulated around small, local British bookstores before the book exploded internationally.
One of these 200 copies recently resurfaced, though, and took home big money at auction – selling for nearly $18,000.
The seller says he picked it up in a discount bin for just 40 pence and held onto it through the years, until reading an article about the rare, limited run of uncorrected proofs. The seller got in touch with a book dealer who confirmed its authenticity, leading to the remarkable sale. [via The Mirror]
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Just a day after MERCEDES announced it is scaling back its electric vehicle expansion plans, APPLE announced it is bailing on its own autonomous, electric car project that’s been in the works for north of a decade.
A team of 2,000 employees had been assigned to develop the car, most of whom will be reassigned internally to artificial intelligence development projects, though some will also be laid off. [via MacRumors]
When news of the scrapped project surfaced, ELON MUSK chimed in on X, posting a salute emoji and cigarette emoji – read into that what you will. [via @ElonMusk]
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In 2017, a 36-year-old Irish woman named Gramila Grabska suffered back and neck injuries in a car crash, leading to years of pain and lost income from being unable to work. She sought more than $800,000 in compensation from her insurance company in a recent lawsuit. The suit even claimed her injuries made her unable to play with her kids.
BUT WAIT: Some evidence introduced poured the coldest of water of Grabska’s claims.
TURNS OUT: In 2018, Grabska participated in a competition where participants tried to throw five-foot-tall spruce trees the furthest distance.
IT GETS WORSE: Not only did Grabska participate in this competition, she won it.
AND THE CHERRY ON TOP: Photos of Grabska hurling the trees were published in a local newspaper.
REMEMBER KIDS: If you’re gonna commit insurance fraud, keep the evidence out of the news. [via The Guardian]
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DEATHS
Actor EDDIE DRISCOLL has died.
He passed away on December 15 in Los Angeles after a months-long battle with stomach cancer.
Driscoll is best known for his roles in “Mad Men,” “Entourage” and “This Is Us.”
He was 60.
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Wrestler OLE ANDERSON has died.
His passing was announced late Monday by the WWE. No further details were shared.
Anderson was part of the tag team, The Four Horseman, from the 1980s.
He was 81.
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CHERRY STARR, the widow of legendary Packers QB BART STARR, has died.
She passed away peacefully in Birmingham with friends and family at her side, according to a statement from her son.
Cherry and Bart were high school sweethearts.
She was 89.
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BABY NEWS
Actress GABOUREY SIDIBE is expecting twins with her husband BRANDON FRANKEL.
The 40-year-old shared the news on Instagram, sharing photos of herself in a pink dress with Brandon cradling her bump.
Sidibe and Frankel have been married since March 2021.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 96 points (0.25%) to close at 38,972 on Tuesday. The S&P gained 8 points (0.17%) to close at 5,078 and the NASDAQ added 59 points (0.37%) to close at 16,035.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $78; BRENT CRUDE at $82.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.27 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN continued to climb on Tuesday, up over 4% and trading just under $57,000.
🛩 There were more than 3,110 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 160 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $412 million jackpot or a $195.5 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
TAYLOR SWIFT’s camp spoke out Tuesday about reports that her dad, SCOTT SWIFT, assaulted a photographer in Sydney.
According to the spokesperson, Scott was involved in an altercation with “two individuals who were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water.”
Sky News reported on the incident, saying “a 71-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man,” noting the younger male reported the scuffle to the authorities and did not require medical treatment.
At least Tay’s time down under is over now. She wrapped her fourth and final show there on Monday night. Next up…Singapore. [via People, Sky News]
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BEYONCE’s new single “Texas Hold ‘Em” is her ninth solo No. 1 hit.
The track is her first No. 1 since “Break My Soul” topped the charts in 2022.
Remember, just last week Bey became the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. [via Variety]
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A bold fan left PINK speechless at her recent concert in Melbourne, with a sign that read, “You, me and Carey Threesome?” referring to the singer’s husband, CAREY HART.
“I don’t know what to say! I’m not often speechless,” she said, after spotting the sign in the crowd of 120,000.
No word on Carey’s thoughts on the offer. [via NY Post]
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SEAN “Diddy” COMBS is being sued by a former producer and videographer, who claims he was sexually assaulted by the music mogul.
Rodney Jones says he was not only repeatedly assaulted by Diddy, but was also subjected to unwanted advances by other associates. In the suit, he also alleges there were several parties at which attendees -- including underage girls -- were served drinks laced with drugs and then sexually assaulted.
Jones is seeking $30 million in damages.
DIDDY SAYS: Shawn Holley, Diddy’s attorney, responded to the suit, telling TMZ that Jones is “nothing more than a liar [...] looking for an undeserved payday.” [via TMZ]
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MONICA LEWINSKY is using her new partnership with fashion line Reformation and vote.org to encourage women to “use their voice” at the polls.
The 50-year-old political activist posed for the brand in a new spread that aims to get women to the polls…but in style.
“A Ref woman is an empowered woman -- and an empowered woman uses her voice,” Lewinsky said in a recent press release about the collab.
Here’s the thing…the clothing she is suggesting women wear to cast their votes will cost them $198 for a simple black dress, $298 for a top and skirt set and $448 for the “Monica” crossbody bag. Chances are, the women wearing these types of items will not be voting for the same person as Monica. [via Page Six]
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JODIE TURNER-SMITH addressed her divorce from actor JOSHUA JACKSON, telling The Times of London that “sometimes things we really want to work just don’t end up working. And that’s OK.”
Moving forward, she plans to focus on the couple’s daughter, while looking at their four-year marriage in a positive way.
Turner-Smith filed for divorce in October 2023. Both she and Jackson have appeared to move on -- her with a mystery man and him with actress LUPITA NYONG’O. [via Times of London]
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RICKY MARTIN has a foot fetish.
He opened up about the kink with GQ after fans questioned the high number of foot pics on his social media pages.
Speaking candidly, Martin said he “loves foot massages” and wants to “open the conversation” about the fetish.
He later added that people’s toes can be a “dealbreaker” if they are not “pretty.” [via GQ]
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ADELE is taking a break from her Las Vegas shows for the next five weekends because of an illness.
She announced the pause on Tuesday, telling fans that her doctors have advised her to take a break from singing and allow both her body and voice time to heal.
Adele’s Vegas run was scheduled to end in June, but with shows through April being postponed ,no word on when things will wrap up. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
RYAN GOSLING will perform the Oscar-nominated song “I’m Just Ken” at the 96th Academy Awards next month.
The “Barbie” track is up for Best Original Song, alongside “The Fire Inside” (“Flamin’ Hot”), “It Never Went Away” (“American Symphony”), “Wahzhazhe” (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), and “What What I Made For?” (“Barbie”).
While Gosling isn’t up for Best Original Song, he did land a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
The Oscars will air on March 10. [via People]
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DON LEMON and CNN have (finally) agreed on terms of a separation deal for a whopping $24.5 million.
The amount is what Lemon would have been paid from his final contract, which would have gone on for another 3.5 years beyond his exit.
Remember, Lemon was ousted from the network after comments about presidential candidate NIKKI HALEY being past “her prime,” sparking an age discussion among his female co-anchors.
Moving forward, Lemon is set to launch a new, self-titled show on X, which will allow him to be “bigger, bolder, freer.” [via The Wrap]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
TRISTAN THOMPSON is officially the legal guardian of his younger brother, Amari Thompson.
The NBA player filed a petition to become his brother’s caregiver five months ago, following the passing of their mom, Andrea, who died suddenly last year.
Amari is unable to care for himself as he has epilepsy.
Tristan’s ex, KHLOE KARDASHIAN, has been a big help in caring for Amari and supporting Tristan through the legal process. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE WILLIAM backed out of a memorial service for King Constatine of Greece at the last minute on Tuesday, leading to speculation there were issues with his wife, PRINCESS KATE, or father, KING CHARLES.
An official statement for Wills cited personal reasons and The Firm declined to comment on the King.
Instead, QUEEN CAMILLA was the most prominent royal on hand for the service on the grounds of Windsor, followed closely by PRINCE ANDREW, who has otherwise taken a public backseat in the wake of his sexual assault scandals. He was joined by ex-wife SARAH FERGUSON and their daughters. [via DailyMail]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Pink Day
National Chocolate Souffle Day
National Tooth Fairy Day
Inconvenience Yourself Day
National Floral Design Day
Global Scouse Day
National Public Sleeping Day
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ON THIS DATE
1521 - Hernando Cortes and his forces execute Aztec King Cuauhtemoc.
Cuauhtemoc succeeded Moctezuma, who was also killed by the invading Spaniards.
Before killing him, the Spaniards tortured Cuauhtemoc, trying to squeeze out where to find all the Aztec gold. While there was plenty of gold to go around the Aztec kingdom, it was not used as a currency; instead, it was used to plate wood and rocks.
The tales of Aztec gold and stockpiles of coins continue to be considered a myth.
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1854 - The Republican Party formally organizes in Ripon, Wisconsin.
The first of two meetings regarding naming the party occurred on this day. Women were allowed to attend this meeting.
Also at the initial gathering, a committee was formed, consisting of Alvan Bovay, Amos Loper, Abram Thomas, Jehdeiah Bowen and Jacob Woodruff.
At the second meeting, which would take place a month later, the party would officially be named.
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1940 - The population in the United States is: 131,669,275.
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1953 - Cambridge researchers James Watson and Frances Crick discover DNA's double-helix structure.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid was first discovered in 1869, but it wasn't until 1943 that scientists understood its importance as the foundation for genetic inheritance.
It wasn't until April that they would formally announce and explain the findings, as described in an article in Nature magazine.
Since then, DNA research has helped in countless fields of research science and medicine.
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1959 - The U.S. military launches Discoverer 1, a prototype for the Corona spy satellite program.
It was hoped the satellite would achieve polar orbit, but the mission failed.
It is believed to have crashed near the South Pole.
The KH-1 satellites would eventually adopt similar structures and technology as Discoverer 1.
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1983 - “M*A*S*H” airs its finale episode; ending an 11 season run.
The two-and-a-half hour episode was the most-watched in history, bringing in 77% of the viewing audience and 60% of households -- that's more than 100 million people.
In its run, Alan Alda won a series of Emmys. He was the first to win awards for acting, directing, and writing on the same show.
It also became one of the most successful syndication franchises in the world.
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1987 - Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev announces his desire for a nuclear weapons treaty with the United States. His proposal called for removing all American and Soviet medium-range nuclear weapons from Europe.
Talks between Reagan and Gorbachev had begun two years earlier, and the leaders had discussed a similar treaty, but on the grounds that Reagan abandon the Strategic Defense Initiative.
When Gorbachev came back to the table in February 1987, SDI was not included in negotiations. By the end of that year they agreed to the treaty. The Soviets dismantled 1500 missiles; the U.S. about 700.
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2021 - Chadwick Boseman posthumously wins Best Actor at the 78th Golden Globes.
The award was for his role in the film, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
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BIRTHDAYS
Jonathan Daviss - actor, “Outer Banks” - 24
Luka Doncic - basketball player - 25
Abby Champion - model - 27
Bobb’e J. Thompson - actor, “Role Models” - 28
Alex Caruso - basketball player - 30
Sarah Bolger - actress, “The Tudors” - 33
Kingsley Ben-Adir - actor, “The OA” & “Peaky Blinders” - 38
Jason Aldean - country singer - 47
Ali Larter - actress, “Heroes” - 48
Daniel Handler - novelist, better known as Lemony Snicket - 54
Patrick Monahan - rock singer, Train - 55
Ainsley Harriott - chef - 67
Bernadette Peters - actress, “Song and Dance” & “Gypsy” - 76
Kelly Bishop - actress, “Gilmore Girls” - 80
Born On This Date
Gilbert Gottfried - comedian - 1955 (d. 2022)
Audrey Williams - country singer - 1923 (d. 1975)
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