2/9/2024: America’s New Favorite Pastime
PLUS: Marketing for Drug Dealers; Guitar Heroes; and Back to Work
Today is Friday, February 9, 2024.
It is the 40th day of the year.
326 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
More credit crunch for Americans and another eruption in Iceland. Details in HIT LIST.
USHER confirms he will be joined by surprise guests and CHRISTIAN BALE breaks ground for a good cause. More in SHOWBIZ.
TAYLOR SWIFT’s “Eras Tour” is heading to streaming and “Moana 2” is in the works. Details in CASTING CALL.
Is KIM ready to go public with her new man? Find out in KARDASH.
The King gets back to work. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
A new survey found that football has replaced baseball as “America’s pastime.”
For the Pew Research Center survey, 12,000 adults were asked, “If you had to choose one sport as being ‘America’s sport,’ even if you don’t personally follow it, which sport would it be?”
53% said football, while only 27% said baseball. The rest of the list included basketball (8%), soccer (3%), auto racing (1%) and “something else” (2%). [via NY Post]
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The average American credit card balance has hit a record high, at $6,360, marking a 10% year-over-year jump.
Credit reporting agency TransUnion, which published the data, noted that consumers are spending more to afford everyday goods.
IT GETS WORSE: Credit card balances 90 days or more past due have hit the highest levels since 2009. [via CNBC]
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Tracking down drug dealers sometimes takes police years of investigations and interviews. Or, they just call the number the dealer leaves on his business card.
Cops in Calgary, Canada, busted a 30-year-old dealer named Seyyed Razavi after a tipster told officials he was handing out “sample” baggies of cocaine with his business card stapled to them outside a casino.
It took minimal police work to then bust Razavi, who had 50 bags of blow, a drug scale, and wad of cash in his home – along with a box of business cards matching those that were distributed at the casino. He’ll appear in court on February 26. [via TSG]
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LAST MONTH: A small radio station in Oklahoma reported that vandals had cut down their broadcast tower to steal the copper wiring.
ANOTHER ONE: Now, a station in Alabama says its 200-foot radio station straight-up disappeared late last week. The station’s manager found out when a landscape crew showed up for some seasonal maintenance and called him.
IT GETS WORSE: The vandals also stole equipment from inside the building, including its transmitter.
LOOKING OUT FOR THE LITTLE GUY: The Federal Communications Commission denied the station’s request to broadcast on its FM frequency while it gets its AM signal back up and running. [via NBC News]
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Renewed volcanic activity in Iceland has triggered another state of emergency.
An eruption early Thursday damaged hot water pipes, leaving authorities to encourage thousands of people on the Reykjanes Peninsula to conserve water and energy use as officials work to fix the pipes.
The latest eruption revealed a nearly 2-mile-long fissure generating a smoke plume visible for more than 25 miles. It is the third significant volcanic event in Iceland since December. [via BBC]
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DEATHS
Musician HENRY FAMBROUGH has died.
He passed away Wednesday of natural causes at his home in northern Virginia.
Fambrough is best known as one of the original vocalists for R&B group THE SPINNERS.
He was 85.
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WEDDINGS
Actor JOHNNY GALECKI quietly tied the knot with MORGAN GALECKI.
No word on when the nuptials took place.
What’s more, the couple also secretly welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Oona Evelena.
Johnny is also dad to 4-year-old son, Avery, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend ALAINA MEYER.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 48 points (0.13%) to close at 38,726 on Thursday. The S&P increased just 2 points (0.05%) to close at 4,997 and the NASDAQ increased 37 points (0.24%) to close at 15,793.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $76; BRENT CRUDE at $81.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.15.
₿ BITCOIN climbed again on the day, up over 2% and trading over $45,300.
🛩 There were more than 2,540 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States and more than 55 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $394 million jackpot or a $188.5 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $248 million jackpot or a $122.5 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music Friday
Astral Bakers, “The Whole Story”
Haystack, “Doomsday Goes Away”
Jessica Mauboy, “Yours Forever”
Joel Ross, “nublues”
Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign, “Vultures”
Katelyn Tarver, “Quitter”
Madi Diaz, “Weird Faith”
My Life Story, “Loving You Is Killing Me”
Pouty, “Forget About Me”
Tyler Ramsey, “New Lost Ages”
Usher, “Coming Home”
Zara Larsson, “Venus”
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DRAKE facetiously addressed a video of him (allegedly) that went viral on X this week during his concert at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
“I know y’all probably waiting on me to address this, so -- the rumors are true,” he told the crowd as he took the stage. Before adding, “My dad is here! That’s what y’all were waiting for?”
As previously reported, Drake started trending on X after a video of him (allegedly) lying naked from the waist down leaked online. When it all initially broke, Drake simply laughed it off.
Still no confirmation on whether or not it is him, but remember, fans seem to think the headboard in the background is the same one from his $185 million private jet. [via HNHH]
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USHER told Billboard that there will be “special guests” who will join him during this weekend’s Super Bowl Halftime show.
Sunday’s performance will be an ode to Usher’s 30-year musical career. [via Billboard]
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PAUL GIAMATTI once played a years-long game of phone tag with CHER.
During a recent appearance on HOWARD STERN’s radio show, the actor said that he would randomly get messages from people saying that Cher “needs” to talk to him. To which he would say, “What the [eff]? Why does Cher want to talk to me?”
After years of receiving these messages, Giamatti says he finally got in touch with Cher, who left him a voicemail saying, “I hear you want to talk to me.” His followup call to her went unanswered, and that was where they left things.
To this day, Giamatti says he has “no [effing] idea” what Cher wanted to talk to him about. [via NY Post]
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CHRISTIAN BALE was on hand this week to break ground on a village community 16 years in the making.
The project, whose goal is to keep siblings in the foster care system together, will feature 12 homes, two studio apartments and a 7,000 square-foot community center in Palamade, located about an hour north of Los Angeles.
As the co-founder of Together California, the organization behind the massive development, Bale has reportedly been super hands on with the project.
It is expected to be completed by 2025. [via THR]
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Fifty-four rock guitarists have united for a good cause.
DIRE STRAITS guitarist and singer, MARK KNOPFLER, has formed the group of rockers, called Guitar Heroes, who have recorded a new version of his song, “Going Home (Theme of the Local Hero).”
Among those featured include STING, RINGO STARR, BRIAN MAY, ERIC CLAPTON, and SHERYL CROW.
Proceeds from the single will benefit the TeenageCenter Trust and Teen Cancer America. [via Independent]
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Reports surfaced Thursday that PETE DAVIDSON pulled out of fellow comedian MATT RIFE’s comedy show at the last minute, but insiders say that isn’t what happened.
Sources told TMZ that Davidson was invited to be an opener for Rife, who performed at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall last weekend, but he couldn’t make it due to having his own gigs. Something those insiders said he relayed to Rife himself.
Clearly there was some miscommunication somewhere down the line, but at the end of the day Davidson and Rife are all good.
Gotta love Hollywood gossip. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
TAYLOR SWIFT’s “Eras Tour” film will soon be streamable on Disney+.
The forthcoming version will feature even more footage from her tour than what was shown in theaters and is currently available to rent.
It will be available starting March 15. [via Instagram]
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“Moana 2” is heading to theaters this November.
The sequel follows Moana, Maui and a slew of new characters on a “journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.”
The news comes almost a year after Disney announced a live-action version of “Moana” was in the works. [via People]
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A new documentary about the murder of SELENA QUINTANILLA PEREZ has come under fire from the late singer’s family because it is told from the perspective of her killer, Yolanda Saldivar.
The two-part series, “Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them,” “examines Saldivar’s interpretation of events that ended in Selena’s death,” according Oxygen, which will air the doc as part of its True Crime series.
Selena’s dad made it abundantly clear that the family had no part in the marking of the series and wants nothing to do with Saldivar.
Saldivar fatally shot Selena on March 31, 1995. She was convicted of first degree murder later that year and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in March 2025.
The series premieres on February 17. [via The Wrap]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
RUMOR IS…KIM KARDASHIAN is ready to take her romance with ODELL BECKHAM JR. public.
Rumors regarding the two being together have been swirling for months, despite those close to Kim denying them.
Now, however, insiders claim the two are “getting serious” and are “trying to figure out the next steps.”
Kim was last (officially) linked to PETE DAVIDSON, while Odell split from the mother of his child in early 2022. [via PopCulture]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING CHARLES is back to work as promised as he receives cancer treatment and scales back his public schedule.
The monarch sent a message celebrating Grenada’s 50 years of independence from the United Kingdom.
The congratulatory message comes as the Caribbean nation considers formally demanding reparations to be paid by the British government, which centuries ago used slave labor to establish its colonies there. [via DailyMail]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Pizza Day
Chocolate Day
National Read In The Bathtub Day
National Toothache Day
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ON THIS DATE
1825 - The U.S. House of Representatives decides the sixth president of the United States.
In 1824, no candidate received a majority of electoral votes, though Andrew Jackson received more popular votes than John Quincy Adams. William Crawford and Henry Clay split the remaining electoral votes.
According to the 12th Amendment, when a presidential candidate does not receive a majority of electoral votes, the three top popular-vote candidates proceed to an election in the House.
The House ended up electing John Quincy Adams.
Just like his father, he would only serve one term.
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1950 - In a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy declares there are 200 known communists working in the state department.
While most accounts will lambast McCarthy for publicly changing the number of commies operating in the government, history has proven otherwise.
Alger Hiss, Harry Dexter White, Lauchlin Currie, Duncan Lee, Harry Hopkins, Henry Wallace, Owen Lattimore, Joseph Davies, and Harold Ickes -- all influential members of the government, had known ties to communists in their professional and personal lives.
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1960 - Adolph Coors is kidnapped while on his way to work in Colorado.
He was the grandson of the founder of the Coors brewing company, and apparent heir to the company.
He was held for ransom, and later shot.
Joe Corbett was eventually convicted for the kidnap and murder.
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1971 - "Satchel" Paige is nominated to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He's the first Negro League player to make the cut.
Paige joined the Majors one year after Jackie Robinson, who was the first African American to break the race barrier in the MLB.
Joe DiMaggio once called him the best pitcher he had ever faced.
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1992 - Magic Johnson returns from retirement to play in the NBA All Star Game.
He had stepped away from basketball the year previous having contracted HIV.
That summer, Magic would play on the Olympic Dream Team in Barcelona -- and take home gold.
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2006 - Al Michaels joins NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcast alongside John Madden.
Michaels spent the previous 20 years announcing “Monday Night Football” on ABC.
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2020 - Deaths from COVID surpass those of Sars (2003) with 813 worldwide and more than 34,800 infections.
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BIRTHDAYS
Jalen Green - basketball player - 22
Isabella Gomez - actress, “One Day at a Time” - 26
Jaire Alexander - football player - 27
Saquon Barkley - football player - 27
Kelly Berglund - actress, “Lab Rats” & “Going for Gold” - 28
Avan Jogia - actor, “Victorious” - 32
Michael B. Jordan - actor, “Black Panther” & “Creed” - 37
Rose Leslie - actress, “Game of Thrones” & “The Good Fight” - 37
Tom Hiddleston - actor, “The Avengers” - 43
Charlie Day - actor, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” - 48
Mia Farrow - actress, “Rosemary’s Baby” & “The Omen” - 79
Alice Walker - poet, “The Color Purple” - 80
Joe Pesci - actor, “Goodfellas” & “Home Alone” - 81
Carole King - songwriter - 82
Born On This Date
James Owen Sullivan - drummer, Avenged Sevenfold - 1981 (d. 2009)
William Henry Harrison - 9th POTUS - 1773 (d. 1841)
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