Discover more from Morning Martini
3/18/2022: Casualties Mount in Ukraine
PLUS: Kanye Gets Banned, Sister Jean Is Back and Top Dog Breeds
*EDITOR’S NOTE: There will be no Hit List or Swamp next week (3/21 -3/25).
Today is Friday, March 18, 2022
It is the 77th day of the year.
288 days remain.
TRENDING
#ATerribleThingILike was trending on Thursday. Tweets included, “the smell of moth balls,” “loud music,” “celebrity gossip blogs,” “being indoors,” “matching tattoos,” and “orange slices candy.”
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, these words & phrases were trending on Thursday: St. Patrick; #luckoftheirish; Top O and Ireland.
#MarchMadness landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends Thursday as fans watched NCAA teams battle it out.
###
HIT LIST
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Germany’s legislature by video chat Thursday, after making the rounds virtually in Canada and the United States earlier in the week. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz remained committed to avoiding escalation with NATO involvement in the ongoing conflict.
The address comes as civilian casualties continue to mount in Ukraine.
Multiple reports suggest that Russian military morale is low and their own casualties have been catastrophic. Some estimates put them at over 7,000 deaths since the invasion began less than a month ago.
BY COMPARISON: That’s more deaths than the US military suffered at Iwo Jima in World War II.
###
Another cargo ship carrying vehicles has sunk – this time off the coast of Iran.
The ship reportedly capsized amid turbulent seas. There were 30 crew members on board. Iranian rescue efforts rescued 16 of them, while another 11 boarded rafts.
###
Average mortgage rates have ticked above 4% for the first time since 2019.
That means the mortgage on a median-priced home will cost a buyer $340 more every month – and more than $4,000 a year.
###
A University of Northern Iowa sophomore has broken the time record for running across the state.
He began his trek at 5:00 am Sunday morning in Muscatine, and ended at the South Omaha Veterans Memorial Bridge at 3:40 am yesterday morning.
His pace shattered the previous record by 15 hours.
He did take breaks to sleep and eat.
###
The Dow finished up more than 417 points Thursday. The S&P added 53.
Oil is back up over $100 a barrel, after a week of price decreases.
###
CHARTS
New to Amazon Prime:
Master (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%)
The Invisible Man (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%)
New to Disney+:
Cheaper by the Dozen (Not Rated)
More than Robots (Not Rated)
Step (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%)
New to HBO Max:
Halloween Kills (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%)
Pseudo (Not Rated)
New to Hulu:
Deep Water (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 33%)
New to Netflix:
Black Crab (Not Rated)
Windfall (Not Rated)
Without Saying Goodbye (Not Rated)###
DEATHS
PETER BOWLES has died.
The British actor, who starred in “To The Manor Born,” passed away Thursday from cancer, his agent told BBC.
He was 85.
###
FRANCESCA ELIZABETH has died.
The adult film star, known as Angelina Please, was found dead in her home earlier this week after having been reported missing.
Authorities told The Sun that there was no sign of foul play or violence.
She was 24.
###
RELATIONSHIPS
Actor TOM HIDDLESTON, 41, and actress ZAWE ASHTON, 37, are engaged.
Rumors of an engagement began swirling when Ashton was spotted at the BAFTAs with a large rock on her ring finger.
The couple have been together for three years.
###
SICK BAY
HEATHER RAE YOUNG, 34, is recovering after undergoing vocal cord surgery.
The “Selling Sunset” star posted a photo of herself laying in a hospital bed on Thursday, telling fans that she has battled “vocal stress for years.”
Her husband, HGTV star TAREK EL MOUSSA commented on the post writing, “Always so cute!”
###
WEDDINGS
Actor JACK HUSTON, 39, and his longtime girlfriend, model SHANNAN CLICK, 40, tied the knot in Las Vegas last weekend — Elvis impersonator and all!
The pair have been together for 10 years and have two children together.
###
THE SWAMP
The New York Times has confirmed a broad federal tax investigation into HUNTER BIDEN and his various business dealings (which dad President JOE BIDEN has publicly said he’s never discussed with his son).
For the first time, the Times has confirmed that the laptop belonging to Hunter Biden left at a Delaware repair shop appearing to contain numerous emails about his nefarious business dealings is authentic.
MEANWHILE: The investigation is also looking into Foreign Agents Registration Act violations by businesses connected to Hunter Biden.
IN OTHER WORDS: The son of the President of the United States is implicated in trafficking on his family name to wield influence and shape foreign policy – the exact thing the media and leftists spent years accusing President Trump and his family is doing. Now there’s an abundance of evidence, and the Times publishes a report months after the first whispers of wrongdoing.
When asked about the report, White House Media Commissar JEN PSAKI deferred to the Department of Justice and lawyers for Hunter Biden, noting, “He doesn’t work in the government.”
ONCE AGAIN: No, but he’s accused of leveraging government connections – namely via his father – to shape policy that would affect foreign businesses and governments.
WORTH REMEMBERING: Pointing any of this out before the November 2020 election was grounds to be kicked off of social media and unpersoned.
###
The Republican National Committee has announced Milwaukee and Nashville as finalists for their 2024 convention.
Milwaukee was set to host their Democrat counterparts in 2020, but most of those plans were scrapped amid covid lockdowns.
###
LOTTERY
No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $29 million jackpot or a $18.9 million cash payout.
###
No winner for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing. Saturday night’s drawing will be for a $147 million jackpot or a $97.1 million cash payout.
###
SHOWBIZ NEWS
These albums drop today:
Babeheaven, “Sink Into Me”
Berthold City, “When Words Are Not Enough”
Blue States, “World Contract Day”
Charli XCX, “Crash”
Colin Hay, “Now And The Evermore”
Cypress Hill, “Back In Black”
Final Cry, “The Ever-Rest”
Gayle, “A Studio Of The Human Experience”
Hailey Whitters, “Raised”
J.B.O., “Planet Pink”
Little Boots, “Tomorrow’s Yesterdays”
Mackenzie Grant, “Wonder World”
Maggie Gently, “Peppermint”
Pinch Points, “Process”
Son House, “Forever On My Mind”
Sonic Youth, “In/Out/In”
Steve Dawson, “Gone, Long Gone
###
ELLEN DEGENERES is reportedly giving out “millions of dollars” in bonuses to her staffers as her daytime talk show comes to an end.
Insiders told The Post that “it was very important to [Ellen] to cover bonuses.”
The exact amount was not disclosed.
WORTH NOTING: The final episode of her daytime talk show will air on May 26.
###
CHRIS CUOMO is seeking a $125 million arbitration award as part of his claim that he was wrongly terminated from CNN.
As many will remember, Cuomo was suspended in December for defending his brother, disgraced former New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO, amid multiple sexual harassment allegations.
Days later, he was fired by the network.
Now he claims his firing was “without merit” and “it constituted a breach” of his employment agreement.
###
SIR-MIX-A-LOT is marking the 30th anniversary of his hit “Baby Got Back” with a NFT (non-fungible token) project, titled “Bit Butts.”
In partnership with META-X Studios, the rapper will launch a collection of 6,666 unique, hand-drawn NFTs — all of them featuring butts.
A portion of each sale will go to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to ending the disease.
WHAT THE HECK IS AN NFT? It is a non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain, a form of digital ledger, that can be sold and traded, per the official definition. An NFT can be an art piece, domain name, a tweet, music piece, a trading card or just about any digital good that has a value attached to it.
###
Comedy Central will celebrate 25 years of “South Park” with a concert at the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater in Colorado.
On hand to mark the milestone will be the show’s creators MATT STONE and TREY PARKER.
The event is set for August 10.
###
Some members of the cast and crew of “NCIS” have come down with a mystery illness.
According to a production source, more than a dozen people who work on the show fell ill Thursday morning.
The unaffected crew members scrambled yesterday to try and figure out the source.
Many assumed the cause was food poisoning, but at the time of reporting, nothing had been officially confirmed.
###
Sorry Dolly!
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame responded to DOLLY PARTON’s gracious request to “bow out” as a nominee, saying it cannot be done.
According to the foundation, Dolly’s name was already included on ballots that were sent out before her humble withdrawal — also, she is currently fourth in the official fan vote.
Still, RRHOF applauded the country singer for making such a “magnanimous move.”
WORTH NOTING: Currently ahead of Dolly in fan voting is DURAN DURAN, EMINEM and PAT BENATAR.
###
CASTING CALL
A PRINCE album that was scrapped by the legendary singer over 30 years ago will soon be released.
Rocker JACK WHITE’s record label — Third Man Records — told Mojo this week that their indie label has obtained the rights to the album and will soon release it with permission from Prince’s estate.
The album, titled “Camille,” was recorded in 1986. Prince scrapped it just weeks before it was set to be released.
No word on when it will be released by the label.
###
LISA KUDROW told “ET” that she would be on board with a “Romy and Michele High School Reunion” sequel.
“Tell Disney you want a sequel!” Kudrow told “ET” host MATT COHEN.
Kudrow starred in the original alongside MIRA SORVINO.
###
SONYA CURRY — the mother of NBA stars STEPH and SETH CURRY — has penned a memoir.
The book explores Sonya’s time raising her family, her passion for education and the ways in which her faith has steadied her during life’s most difficult moments,” an insider told PEOPLE.
“Fierce Love,” will hit shelves on May 3.
###
Netflix announced this week that its “Resident Evil” live-action series will debut on July 14.
The show takes place in the year 2036 — 14 years after a deadly virus caused a global apocalypse.
LANCE REDDICK stars as Albert Wesker, alongside ELLA BALINSKA, ADELINE RUDOLPH and PAOLA NUNEZ.
###
The premiere date for “The Batman” on HBO Max was accidentally revealed this week.
According to an HBO insider, a tech glitch caused the reveal.
While it has since been corrected, multiple outlets have reported that the blockbuster hit will debut on the platform on April 19.
###
SHARON OSBOURNE has landed a new TV gig.
The former co-host of “The Talk” has joined a new network in the UK, called TalkTV.
It is the same network that her pal PIERS MORGAN works for.
GET THIS: The show that Sharon will be on is called “The Talk.”
###
COURT CASES
BRITTNEY GRINER pleaded not guilty in a Russian court on Thursday.
She will remain behind bars for at least another two months after the court decided to extend her arrest while the investigation continues.
The 31-year-old WNBA player was taken into custody weeks ago after being accused of bringing drugs into the country.
###
JUSSIE SMOLLETT walked out of the Cook County jail on Wednesday night after a court ordered his release while his appeal plays out.
The actor had nothing to say to the gaggle of reporters who met him outside, but his team of lawyers did not hold back. They slammed the judge who sentenced Smollett, calling the punishment “unconstitutional and draconian.”
###
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Instagram suspended KANYE WEST’s account for 24 hours this week for going against community guidelines.
The ban comes after a racist response he made to “Daily Show” host TREVOR NOAH.
MEANWHILE: His ex, JULIA FOX says that Ye poses no threat to anyone and his social media posts are just a “form of artistic expression.”
ALSO: FRENCH MONTANA joked that Ye will just create a new social media app in response to being banned.
###
WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Three of QUEEN ELIZABETH’s antique swords have been removed from a display in Moscow.
The 17th century weapons were to be featured in an exhibit called “The Duel: From Trial by Combat to a Nobel Crime” at the Kremlin Museum this spring.
The Royal Collection Trust confirmed to PEOPLE that the exhibition will go on, but without European participation.
###
A new biography about the Royal Family states that QUEEN ELIZABETH is “deeply” upset that three out of four of her children’s marriages ended in divorce.
Author Robert Hardman wrote that Her Majesty found “divorce talks deeply upsetting,” though “remained stoic” through it all.
As many know, PRINCE CHARLES, PRINCE ANDREW and PRINCESS ANNE all went through divorces in the early-to-mid ‘90s.
PRINCE EDWARD as the only child to stay happily married.
###
MEGHAN MARKLE’s Spotify podcast is set to premiere this summer.
An Archewell Audio spokesperson confirmed the news to Page Six.
No word on a name or exactly what content it will focus on.
###
SPORTS
MIKAELA SHIFFRIN won skiing’s overall World Cup title on Thursday for the fourth time.
She won three overall titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
LINDSEY VONN also won four overall titles in her career.
WORTH NOTING: Austrian skier ANNEMARIE MOSER-PROLL holds the record with six titles, which she earned in the ‘70s.
###
SISTER JEAN — who is now 102-years-old — will be back to cheer on the Loyola Ramblers as they take on Ohio State today.
The nun became an internet sensation in 2018 during March Madness when the Ramblers reached the Final Four after upsetting several teams.
She has served as the team’s chaplain since 1994.
WORTH NOTING: Loyola is seeded 10th and Ohio State is 7th.
###
LIST OF THE WEEK
Top Ten Most Popular Dog Breeds of 2021 (Courtesy of American Kennel Club)
Retrievers (Labrador)
French Bulldogs
Retrievers (Golden)
German Shepards
Poodles
Bulldogs
Beagles
Rottweilers
Pointers (German Shorthaired)
Dachshunds
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
National Awkward Moments Day
National Biodiesel Day
National Lacy Oatmeal Cookie Day
National Sloppy Joe Day
National Supreme Sacrifice Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1766 – The Stamp Act is repealed by Parliament.
The law required Americans to purchase an official government stamp for any official documents — almost like a notary. The revenue from the stamps were to fund the military.
The stamp itself was propaganda: it included the phrase “Shame to him who thinks evil of it” in French.
Following uproar by Americans and formal discussions with Benjamin Franklin in Europe, it was obvious the Act made for terrible public policy, and was repealed.
But they didn’t leave it there — the same day they passed the Declaratory Acts, a formal statement designed to remind colonists that the British Parliament had absolute power to govern the colonies.
###
1852 – In response to the movement of Americans westward in search of gold, Henry Wells and William Fargo form a cross-country shipping company.
Settlements and mining camps needed supplies and resources of the industrialized East Coast. The first Wells Fargo shipment arrived in northern California in July that year. They contracted stagecoaches for the fastest possible routes and would ship anything from gold dust to valuables to documents.
After merging with Pony Express routes in the 1860s, the company became the biggest domestic shipper in the United States.
###
1965 – Soviet Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov exits the Voskhod 2 in orbit around the Earth, becoming the first human to conduct a spacewalk.
The feat lasted only 12 minutes, but was a huge leap forward in space exploration and science.
Formal reports from the Soviets indicated that their technology made for easy work and movements in space. Americans would find this not to be the case after conducting their own missions.
Leonov also reported years later that he almost suffered heat exhaustion, dumping so much sweat his suit filled up to his knees.
###
1974 – A six-month oil crisis ends, following an embargo by OPEC.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries stopped shipment to Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, the UK and the United States in response to the free world’s support of Israel.
The embargo instigated defensive foreign policy by the Nixon Administration. Henry Kissinger would negotiate Israeli troop pullbacks in different areas in the region.
The oil started flowing again following a negotiated peace between Israel and Syria in January 1974.
The spike in the price of oil shook the American economy, driving price increases and inflation.
###
1990 - The largest art robbery in US history occurs. Thieves stole over 13 works of art worth over $500 million from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
The most expensive piece taken was Johannes Vermeer’s “The Concert,” one of only 36 known paintings by the Dutch master.
Suspects thrown around were Latin American drug cartels, Irish Republican Army militants and even Vatican operatives. Suspicion also fell on notorious Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger.
A reward of $5 million was offered for information regarding the robbery. It remains unsolved.
###
2020 - President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agree to close the US-Canada border to non-essential travel to curb the spread of COVID.
Under the deal, the flow of goods between the two nations would not be affected.
###
2022 - President Joe Biden calls Russian President Vladimir Putin a "killer" in an ABC News interview.
Putin responds "It takes one to know one" a day later.
###
BIRTHDAYS
Jaci Butler - rock singer - 26
Lily Collins - actress, “The Blind Side” & “Emily in Paris” - 33
Adam Levine - pop singer - 43
Danneel Harris - actress, “One Tree Hill” - 43
Sutton Foster - actress, “Bunheads” & “Younger” - 47
Dane Cook - comedian - 50
Queen Latifah - actress, “The Equalizer” - 52
Connor Byrne - actor, “The Dumping Ground” - 59
Vanessa Williams - actress, “Ugly Betty” & “Desperate Housewives” - 59
Mike Rowe - TV host, “Dirty Jobs” - 60
Ben Cohen - co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream - 71
Brad Dourif - actor, “Deadwood” & “Child’s Play” - 72
Born On This Date
Cluny MacPherson - inventor of the gas mask - 1879 (d. 1966)
Grover Cleveland - 22nd & 24th US President - 1837 (d. 1908)
John C. Calhoun - Jackson’s VP - 1782 (d. 1850)
###