2/5/2024: Dognapper Justice
PLUS: Elections in El Salvador; Grammy’s Recap; and Duchess of Windsor
Today is Monday, February 5, 2024.
It is the 36th day of the year.
330 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
More details on ELON MUSK’s compensation scandal and a sailor goes missing somewhere in the Pacific. Details in HIT LIST.
CATHERINE O’HARA got busted snooping at the Vatican and MARTHA STEWART used to smuggle food in prison. More in SHOWBIZ.
BRAD PITT and QUENTIN TARANTINO are reuniting for one last film. Details in CASTING CALL.
JOE EXOTIC wants KIM’s help. Find out why in KARDASH.
PRINCE PHILIP’s snotty nickname for MEGHAN MARKLE revealed in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
LAST WEEK: A judge in Delaware rescinded ELON MUSK’s $55 BILLION-plus compensation package that had been approved by TESLA’s board as a reward for meeting outlandishly aggressive sales targets.
GET A LOAD OF THIS: The Financial Times reports that the suit resulting in the judgment was a pretty elaborate con to punch Musk in the mouth and enrich lawyers. The “shareholder” who brought the suit purchased just a handful of shares of Tesla stock – after the board had approved the deal.
IT GETS WORSE: Attorneys that won the suit can ask the court for up to one-third of the value returned to stockholders. Some back-of-the-napkin math puts their fees up to over $18 BILLION. But attorneys say just for the sake of optics they wouldn’t ask for anywhere near that amount and still net BILLIONS in fees. [via Financial Times]
WORTH ASKING: How is it better that an outside law firm that ensnared the chief executive of a company in a lawsuit makes billions while that very same executive, who hit objective sales and financial targets set by the Board of Directors, loses out?
TOTALLY UNRELATED: Multiple headlines announced a “recall” of 2.2 MILLION TESLA vehicles over the weekend that amounts to little more than a routine software update to adjust a font size on the cars’ internal screen display.
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President of El Salvador NAYIB BUKELE appears poised to win re-election with more than 80% of the vote – despite the country’s constitutional ban on the Head of State serving consecutive terms.
As Bukele’s “Nuevas Ideas” party rose to power, the legislature approved sympathetic judges, who ruled that as long as Bukele served a leave of absence while in office he could legally be re-elected. Bukele did just that in December.
Bukele’s strong anti-gang policies have virtually eradicated violent crime in El Salvador, which just a few years ago was a hotspot for drug-gang-driven murder. [via Morning Martini]
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An adventurer has gone missing while sailing from California to Hawaii.
60-year-old Noel Rubio took off from Long Beach on December 28 and was expected to arrive at Oahu three weeks later. He never showed up.
His last cell phone ping came on the day he left, near Catalina Island. The US Coast Guard is asking commercial ships and hobby boaters to keep a particular eye out, and for anyone near civilization to let them know if they’ve seen Rubio. [via AP News]
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FOLLOW UP: Two weeks after a thief stole a woman’s dog outside a Los Angeles-area restaurant, prompting her to hold onto the hood of the car as it sped away until she tumbled off, police have arrested the culprit.
Police say they’re holding 21-year-old Sadie Slater on $70,000 bail.
No word yet on the status of French bulldog Onyx. [via New York Post]
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Notre Dame will have its grand reopening next December.
After being heavily damaged by a fire in April 2019, a group of French and American carpenters have been working to reconstruct the iconic Paris cathedral using centuries-old techniques.
From December 8, 2024 through June 8, 2025 multiple celebrations will be held, with French and foreign members of the clergy. There will also be a procession in the streets of Paris to accompany the return of the statue of Notre Dame. [via ABC]
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DEATHS
Former NFL linebacker and actor CARL WEATHERS has died.
He passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 1, according to a statement from his manager.
Weathers was best known for his roles as Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” films, as Chubbs in “Happy Gilmore” and more recently in Disney’s “The Mandalorian.”
He was 76.
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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
10. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: $2 million (down from 7)
9. Poor Things: $2.1 million (down from 6)
8. American Fiction: $2.3 million (up from 9)
7. Anyone But You: $3.5 million (down from 5)
6. Mean Girls: $4 million (down from 1)
5. Migration: $4.1 million (down from 4)
4. Wonka: $4.7 million (down from 3)
3. The Beekeeper: $5.2 million (down from 2)
2. The Chosen: S4 Episodes 1-3: $6 million (new)
1. Argyle: $18 million (new)
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 134 points (0.35%) to close at 38,654 on Friday. The S&P climbed 52 points (1.07%) to close at 4,958 and the NASDAQ increased 267 points (1.74%) to close at 15,628.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $72 on Friday; BRENT CRUDE at $77.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.14 on Sunday.
₿ BITCOIN was down slightly on the weekend, trading around $42,750 on Sunday evening.
🛩 There were more than 4,420 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday and more than 330 such cancellations.
💰Tuesday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $358 million jackpot or a $174.2 million cash payout. Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $214 million jackpot or a $105.7 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
TREVOR NOAH hosted the 66th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday night.
ANNUAL REMINDER: The Record of the Year celebrates achievement in the overall production of a recorded track and can include the producers, engineers, and performers. The Song of the Year recognizes the lyrics and composition of a track.
Before the primetime broadcast, rapper KILLER MIKE was reportedly arrested after winning three Grammys of his own.
For her speech accepting the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album, TAYLOR SWIFT noted it was her 13th Grammy — and every Swiftie knows 13 is her lucky number. She took the opportunity to announce her next album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” out April 19.
Swift also took home Album of the Year for “Midnights,” making her the only artist in history to win the award four times.
And the winners are:
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: “Midnights,” Taylor Swift
RECORD OF THE YEAR: “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus
SONG OF THE YEAR: “What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish
NEW ARTIST: Victoria Monét
R&B SONG: “Snooze,” SZA
POP VOCAL ALBUM: “Midnights,” Taylor Swift
POP SOLO PERFORMANCE: “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus
COUNTRY ALBUM: “Bell Bottom Country,” Lainey Wilson
MÚSICA URBANA ALBUM: “Mañana Será Bonito,” Karol G
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PATRICK MAHOMES SR. was arrested in Tyler, Texas on Saturday for DWI. His bond was set at $10,000. No word on when or if he was released.
It is at least the sixth time Mahomes has been arrested for driving while intoxicated, according to several sources.
The arrest comes just eight days before his son, Chiefs QB PATRICK MAHOMES is set to play in the Super Bowl. [via Us Weekly]
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Six pairs of Air Jordans worn by MICHAEL JORDAN during six NBA championships sold at auction for a record-breaking $8 million.
“The Dynasty Collection,” which included one pair each of Air Jordan VI (1991), Air Jordan VII (1992), Air Jordan VIII (1993), Air Jordan XI (1996), Air Jordan XII (1997) and Air Jordan XIV (1998), set a new global auction record for game-worn sneakers, according to Sothby’s auction house.
WORTH NOTING: The three-year gap in championships was when Jordan took a break from basketball to try his hand as a professional baseball player. [via Daily Mail]
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USHER says he, JAY-Z, DIDDY, and PHARRELL WILLIAMS were once on track to form a music supergroup.
He dropped the bombshell during a recent appearance on SHANNON SHARPE’s podcast “Club Shay Shay.”
When asked why it never came to fruition, Usher explained that after having several “secret meetings” about forming a group, they all got “distracted” with other things.
“That’s the one that I actually wish would have happened,” he later added. [via YouTube]
WORTH ASKING: Does this mean there is a chance that Usher could be joined by Jay, Diddy and Pharrell during next weekend’s Super Bowl performance?
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CATHERINE O’HARA was once yelled at by a priest for snooping through the pope’s closet at the Vatican.
Detailing the incident on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” O’Hara said she and her husband, production designer BO WELCH were given a private tour of the Vatican from director TIM BURTON after tying the knot in 1992.
Despite the faux pas, O’Hara says they were allowed to continue the tour and even able to get their hands on items gifted to the church from several world leaders.
BY THE WAY: Burton is the one responsible for O’Hara and Welch being together, playing matchmaker while filming “Beetlejuice.” [via People]
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A prison pal says MARTHA STEWART may have “smuggled food” into her room from the prison kitchen to keep up with her love of baking.
“What are you going to make? Unless it’s smuggled food,” the friend explained in a clip from CNN’s documentary “The Many Lives of Martha Stewart.”
Remember, Stewart served five months in West Virginia’s Alderson Federal Prison Camp 20 years ago after being found guilty of lying to federal investigators about a stock sale. [via Page Six]
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JOE ROGAN has signed a multiyear deal with Spotify worth an estimated $250 million.
A spokesperson for the audio giant told the New York Post that part of the deal allows them to “distribute ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ across several podcast platforms, including Apple and Amazon, as well as in video format on YouTube.”
Rogan’s podcast has been the most-listened-to podcast globally and has also topped Spotify Wrapped every year since 2020. [via NY Post]
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CASTING CALL
Five years after getting the boot, comedian SHANE GILLIS is returning to “Saturday Night Live.”
The 36-year-old will host the show on Saturday, February 24, along with musical guest 21 SAVAGE.
He was fired in 2019 after a video of him using a racial slur resurfaced. Since his exit, Gillis’ comedic talents have surged in popularity, with a tour and two comedy specials on YouTube and Netflix. [via NY Post]
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SAM WATERSTON is leaving “Law & Order” after appearing in more than 400 episodes as District Attorney Jack McCoy.
Taking over as district attorney in the NBC series is “Scandal” star TONY GOLDWYN.
The last episode with Waterston will air on February 22. [via THR]
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BRAD PITT will star in QUENTIN TARANTINO’s final film, “The Movie Critic.”
The movie will mark the actor and director’s third time working together. Pitt also starred in Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Inglourious Basterds.”
“The Movie Critic” is scheduled for release next year. [via Deadline]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
JOE EXOTIC wants KIM KARDASHIAN’s help getting out of prison.
The “Tiger King” star shared his wishes on a recent Instagram photo of KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN’s son Rocky, writing, “Awwww cute, also please have your sister help me get out of this hell hole.”
The comment earned over 7,200 “likes.”
Exotic is serving 22 years for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against his arch-nemesis CAROLE BASKIN.
KEEPING UP: Exotic previously reached out to Kim in 2020, hoping to use her connection to then-President DONALD TRUMP to get a pardon. [via Page Six]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
A new book pulling back the curtain on the relationship between QUEEN ELIZABETH and KING CHARLES reveals the snide nickname the late PRINCE PHILIP had for granddaughter-in-law MEGHAN MARKLE.
Philip reportedly saw uncanny connections between WALLIS SIMPSON – the woman for whom KING EDWARD VIII abdicated the monarch to marry – and Meg.
After stepping down from the throne, Edward and Simpson held the titles Duke and Duchess of Windsor. In a nod to family history, Philip called Meg the “Duchess of Windsor,” and not just because, as the author writes, both women were “pencil-slim, dark-haired and glamorous American divorcées.”
The forthcoming book from royal biographer Ingrid Seward, “My Mother and I: The Inside Story of The King and Our Late Queen,” hits shelves February 15. [via New York Post]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
World Nutella Day
National Primrose Day
National Fart Day
National Sickie Day
National Chocolate Fondue Day
National Weatherperson’s Day
Western Monarch Day
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ON THIS DATE
1631 - Puritan minister Roger Williams travels from England to Boston.
Upon landing he was offered the job of reverend for the church of Boston, but declined due to his belief in the separation of church and state and this was an “unseparated church.”
He would go on to find the First Baptist Church in America and the State of Rhode Island.
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1883 - The Sunset Route of the Southern Pacific Railroad is completed, linking New Orleans and California.
With the completion of the project, the Southern Pacific Railroad had an almost complete monopoly on railroad logistics for westward transport.
Linking California and the rest of the country helped turn it into an economic powerhouse in the early-1900s and throughout the 20th century.
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1917 - Mexico establishes a constitution after seven years of civil war.
The regulations included an established separation of church and state and returning land to native tribes. The document was weak, though.
The reforms wouldn’t actually take hold after World War II, when industrial needs worldwide jump started Mexico's flagging economy.
Also that year…
Congress passes the Immigration Act, which required literacy tests for anyone entering the country and outlawed immigrants from Asia.
Jingoism was at an all-time high in the months leading up to World War I. Progressive President Wilson vetoed the bill, but Congress managed to override it.
After becoming law, immigration into the US plummeted.
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1919 - Four actors come together to form the United Artists Corporation.
Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and DW Griffith wanted expanded financial and artistic control over their films. So, they founded their own studio to produce and distribute their own works.
It would be bought by MGM in 1981 then acquired again in 1992 by a French credit bank.
For a while Tom Cruise was put in charge of running it, until it was acquired again by MGM.
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1971 - Apollo 14 lands on the Moon.
It was the third successful moon landing.
Commander Alan Shepard famously took up his 6-iron and hit two golf balls during the mission.
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1988 - In the first prime-time WWF match in 30 years, fans watched Andre The Giant defeat Hulk Hogan for the World Heavyweight Championship.
33 million tuned in to watch the match on NBC.
The two would have a rematch five months later in Milwaukee where both would be disqualified.
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1997 - O.J. Simpson is found liable in the deaths of Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson in a civil court action.
The jury deliberated for five days; four days and 19 hours longer than the jury in his criminal case.
Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million to the families of the two victims.
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1998 - Author Tom Clancy purchases the Minnesota Vikings.
He spent slightly more than $200 million, an NFL franchise record (at the time).
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2011 - Ed Sabol is elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He was selected as a contributor for his works with NFL Films.
His company, Blair Motion Pictures became NFL Films in 1964 and earned exclusive rights to preserve NFL games on film.
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2018 - The Dow has the largest intraday point drop.
The intraday point drop is the difference between the opening price and the intraday low.
In this case that was 25,337 (opening) and 23,923 (intraday low), leading to a 1,413 point drop.
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BIRTHDAYS
Luke Newton - actor, “Bridgerton” - 31
Neymar - soccer player - 32
Jeremy Sumpter - actor, “Soul Surfer” - 35
Darren Criss - actor, “Glee” - 37
Henry Golding - actor, “Crazy Rich Asians” - 37
Kevin Gates - rapper - 38
Cristiano Ronaldo - soccer player - 39
Queen Mary of Denmark - royal - 52
Sara Evans - country singer - 53
Michael Sheen - actor, “The Queen” & “Frost/Nixon” - 55
Bobby Brown - R&B singer - 55
Duff McKagan - bassist, Guns N’ Roses - 60
Tim Meadows - actor, “Mean Girls” - 63
Born On This Date
Tom Wilkinson - actor, “The Patriot” & “Shakespeare in Love” - 1948 (d. 2023)
Hank Aaron - baseball player - 1934 (d. 2021)
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