3/8/2024: Thar She Blows 🐳
PLUS: DC Does LEGO; Tyson VS Paul; and Harry’s Drawers on Display
Today is Friday, March 8, 2024.
It is the 68th day of the year.
298 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
An energy company takes blame for Texas wildfires and a pig gets loose in Wisconsin. Details in HIT LIST.
BARBIE is adding to their Role Models collection in honor of International Women’s Day. More in SHOWBIZ.
ANDY COHEN fires back at LEAH MCSWEENEY’s cocaine claims and CHRIS HARRISON is returning to TV. Details in CASTING CALL.
KIM KARDASHIAN shows off her riches. More in KARDASH.
PRINCE HARRY’s panties will soon be on display for all to see. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
A 450-pound pig named Kevin Bacon went in search of some company last week while his owner was out of town.
Jake Molgaard, of Brighton, Wisconsin, said he was alerted to the animal by his wife, who spotted the pig on their driveway camera.
After making a few phone calls, Molgaard tracked down the owner, who explained that the pig was “a little lonely, so he’s probably just looking for some company.”
From there, Molgaard contacted the Kenosha Sheriff’s Department, who, along with his wife and daughter, were able to walk Kevin Bacon back home. The mile-long walk took over two-and-a-half hours and several bribes of Oreos and other tasty treats. [via WTMJ]
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LAST MONTH: The City of Denver announced job cuts to free up room in its budget to accommodate foreign asylum-seekers and non-citizens.
NOW: The city’s Human Services Department is actively reaching out to landlords who would be interested in renting out their homes for the cause. In part from savings from reducing staff hours, the city would pay up to $2,000 a month for the program. [via KDVR]
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Researchers spotted an elusive grey whale off the coast of Massachusetts for the first time in three decades last week.
An aerial survey team spotted the whale 30 miles from Nantucket, marking the first confirmed sighting off New England since the 1700s. Based on its markers, the team believes it’s the same one spotted off of Florida last year. In the last 15 years, research teams have spotted only a handful of these whales outside of the Pacific. [via Washington Post]
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XCEL ENERGY reports that sparks from one of its power facilities may have ignited the Texas wildfires that have torched over a million acres and killed thousands of farm animals.
In a statement, the company said its own investigation puts the blame at their feet, without explaining how, adding that it “disputes claims that it acted negligently in maintaining and operating its infrastructure.” In a proactive step, Xcel encourages anyone who suffered loss or damage as part of the fire to begin the claims process, especially those who lost their home.
While the blazes continue, Texas’ forest service says the fire is 74% contained. [via NBC News]
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LEGO has unveiled a 4,200-piece set in partnership with DC Comics to celebrate 85 years since the original debut of Batman, which premiered as a comic on March 30, 1939.
The “Batman Gotham City Skyline” set pays tribute to the animated series from the ‘90s. Buildings include the Gotham City Court, Arkham Asylum and, of course, the Bat Signal.
The set goes on sale next month for $299. [via USA Today]
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DEATHS
Singer STEVE LAWRENCE has died.
He passed away Thursday as a result of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
Lawrence was one half of the iconic duo Steve and Eydie.
He was 88.
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BABY NEWS
MIKE “The Situation” SORRENTINO and his wife LAUREN SORRENTINO are now the parents of three under three.
The couple welcomed daughter Luna Lucia Sorrentino on Wednesday.
They are already parents to two-year-old Romeo Reign and 14-month-old Mia Bella.
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RELATIONSHIPS
COLDPLAY frontman CHRIS MARTIN and actress DAKOTA JOHNSON are engaged!
According to several outlets, he popped the question a “while ago” and has the approval of ex-wife GWYNETH PALTROW, who thinks Johnson is “adorable” and “wonderful.”
Martin and Johnson have been together since 2017.
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Conservative media mogul RUPERT MURDOCH is engaged for the sixth time.
He’s 92 -- by the way.
Murdoch and 66-year-old retired scientist ELENA ZHUKOVA are set to tie the knot this June at his California estate and vineyard, Moraga.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 130 points (0.34%) to close at 38,791 on Thursday. The S&P increased 52 points (1.03%) to close at 5,157 and the NASDAQ increased 241 points (1.51%) to close at 16,273.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $79; BRENT CRUDE at $83.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.39 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN climbed Thursday more than 1.5% to trade just over $67,000.
🛩 There were more than 4,110 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 225 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $687 million jackpot or a $332.3 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $521 million jackpot or a $249.6 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music Friday
Ariana Grande, “Eternal Sunshine”
Bananarama, “Glorious -- The Ultimate Collection”
Dion, “Girl Friends”
Haux, “Blue Angeles”
Judas Priest, “Invincible Shield”
Luke Grimes, “Luke Grimes”
Norah Jones, “Visions”
Too Close To Touch, “For Keeps”
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In honor of International Women’s Day (today) and Barbie’s 65th birthday (tomorrow), Mattel is adding a slew of celebrities to its Role Models collection.
Included are actress VIOLA DAVIS, country singer SHANIA TWAIN, actress HELEN MIRRAN, singer KYLIE MINOGUE, Mexican director LILA AVILES, Brazilian content creator MAIRA GOMEZ, Japanese model NICOLE FUJITA, and Iranian-German comedian ENISSA AMANI.
WORTH NOTING: The dolls are not for sale. There was only one made for each of the honored women. [via TMZ]
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MARTHA STEWART, MAYE MUSK, and CHRISTIE BRINKLEY are three of the 29 models returning for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s 60th Anniversary Legends edition.
82-year-old Stewart became the oldest cover star last year, taking the record from 75-year-old Musk. As for 70-year-old Brinkley, she has graced the SI Swimsuit issue three separate times.
Others include TYRA BANKS, 50, MOLLY SIMS, also 50, BROOKLYN DECKER, 36, KATE UPTON, 31, and more. [via People]
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JAKE PAUL is set to take on MIKE TYSON in the boxing ring this summer.
The 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-fighter says his match against the 57-year-old former heavyweight champion will be the “biggest fight in history.”
The fight is scheduled for July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It will air live on Netflix.
FOR THE RECORD: Paul is 9-1 and Tyson is 50-6.
ALSO: Tyson will turn 58 ahead of the match. [via ESPN]
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Celebs…they’re just like us!
ALEX RODRIGUEZ took his 15-year-old daughter Ella to an OLIVIA RODRIGO concert, despite not having a clue who the singer is.
Documenting his daddy-daughter time, A-Rod shared how exhausted he was from filming all-day, but said that “Rodrigo” was “pretty good.”
Ella was quick to correct him, saying, “OLIVIA Rodrigo!” [via Instagram]
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CASTING CALL
ANDY COHEN’s lawyers want former “Real Housewife” LEAH MCSWEENEY to take back her cocaine claims against him or face their wrath.
Insiders say McSweeney is “flabbergasted” by the reaction, saying she assumed he would rather have it play out in the courts and not in the press.
Remember, McSweeney filed her own suit last week against Cohen and Bravo, claiming he would do cocaine with some of his favorite “Housewives.” Cohen immediately denied the allegation, as did many of the “Housewives.” [via TMZ]
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CHRIS HARRISON is returning to TV with two new shows on DR. PHIL’s Merit Street Media network.
Nearly two years after his big “Bachelor” exit, Harrison will now host a morning show -- alongside his wife LAUREN ZIMA -- and a new dating series.
The shows are expected to premiere later this year. [via ET]
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OPRAH is ready to set the record straight on her weight loss.
She will address the medications she took to lose the weight and how it relates to the huge impact weight loss drugs have on society in the new ABC primetime special, “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution.”
Remember, O dropped over 40 pounds last year with the help of medication prescribed by her doctor. She has never shared which medication it was, however.
The special airs on March 18. [via TMZ]
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Lionsgate is working on turning “Twilight” and “John Wick” into TV series.
The former will be an animated series, while the latter will be live action.
The five “Twilight” movies grossed more than $3.2 BILLION globally, while the four “John Wick” films (to date) have made over $1 BILLION at the global box office.
No word on when or where the series will land. [via Deadline]
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The ice cream parlor booth where the final scene of “The Sopranos” was shot sold for over $82,000.
The owners of Holstein’s in Broomfield, New Jersey put the booth up for auction last week as their shop is being remodeled. After four days, the winning bid was $82,600.
Not only does the winner get the booth bench, they also get the table and divider wall that features a plaque that reads, “This booth reserved for the Soprano family.” [via THR]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN is facing serious backlash after sharing a photo of her Tesla Cybertruck parked next to her private jet.
“There’s people dying, Kim,” one follower commented on the post, quoting Kim’s sister KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN. Another user commented, “& we think paper straws will save the world 😂.”
One fan did come to Kim’s defense, writing, “You earned it. Go live your life.” [via Glamour]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
The same stripper who says she has naked photos of PRINCE HARRY says she’s sold a pair of his underwear for more than $250,000 to a San Diego strip club.
Carrie Royale says she picked up the skivvies after Harry knocked them off while partying with strippers during a debauched 2012 romp in Sin City.
The club’s owner says they plan to display the drawers and make them a tourist attraction. “I estimate there are around a million Brits, or people with British ancestry, here in California and they would love to see them,” he said, adding, “Harry is always welcome at the club, too, and so is Meghan.” [via The Sun]
TWIST: Royale had said she would post her pervy pics of Harry on her OnlyFans account – but the adult site announced it banned her after news of her plans were published.
'The creator's account has been deactivated and they have been banned from the platform for threatening to share non-consensual intimate images,” a rep for OnlyFans said. [via DailyMail]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
International Women’s Day
National Oregon Day
National Freelancers Day
International Grant Professionals Day
National Middle Name Pride Day
National Peanut Cluster Day
National Proofreading Day
Be Nasty Day
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ON THIS DATE
1884 - Susan B. Anthony addresses the US House Judiciary Committee.
She was there to argue for an amendment to the Constitution granting women the right to vote.
That amendment took more than three decades to finally pass through Congress.
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1917 - Riots and protests erupt in Petrograd, marking the start of the February Revolution in Russia.
A week later Czar Nicholas II abdicated.
His brother was put in charge, but refused the title of Czar. (Czar comes from the name Caesar).
The fall of the monarchy and the rise of the people eventually led to communist rule across Russia and its territories.
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1942 - Dutch troops fighting in Japan surrender to Japanese troops on the island of Java.
The Dutch had occupied the south-Pacific island since the late 1500s. It was a base for the Dutch East India Company, known for establishing trade routes throughout the region by sea.
As an Allied force, the Dutch agreed to invade the islands of Borneo and Celebes. This ticked off the Japanese, who later stormed Java.
The Dutch agreed to pull out, and surrendered Java. It then became a part of the Republic of Indonesia.
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1950 - Volkswagen begins production of its microbus.
The official model name was the Volkswagen Type 2.
The Type 1 designation went to the Beetle. Within a matter of years, hippies in the US adopted the bus as their favorite mode of communal transportation.
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1971 - Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier square off in the "Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Ali had been suspended from the sport for three-and-a-half years because the boxing commissions took away his license for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War.
At the time of the fight, both Ali and Frazier were undefeated. Both also had Olympic gold medals to their credit.
Celebrities poured in to see the fight firsthand. Frank Sinatra even sat ringside, posing in photos for a Life magazine article.
Frazier would win the fight with a left hook to Ali's chin, knocking him down for the first time in his career.
In their subsequent fights in 1974 and '75, Ali won.
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2004 - Iraq agrees to a new constitution.
Its interim Governing Council hammered out the document.
It went into effect that summer when Coalition Forces transferred power to the Iraqis.
Iraqis knew it would only be temporary, as a full-fledged government was slated to take power in 2006.
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2014 - Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 loses contact and disappears 39 minutes after takeoff.
Radar showed the plane making a series of odd turns before its final turn south, into the Indian Ocean.
The search for the 239 people on board was the most expensive search effort in history. Bits of wreckage believed to be from the plane have since washed onto beaches around the globe. There’s still no definitive explanation for the plane’s disappearance, but theories include terrorism and a suicidal pilot.
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BIRTHDAYS
Montana Jordan - actor, “Young Sheldon” - 21
Tae Riley - rapper - 23
Annie Marie - model - 26
Devon Werkheiser - actor, “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” - 33
Benny Blanco - music producer - 36
Chad Gable - wrestler - 38
Kat Von D - tattoo artist, “Miami Ink” & “LA Ink” - 42
James Van Der Beek - actor, “Dawson’s Creek” & “Varsity Blues” - 47
Freddie Prinze Jr. - actor, “She’s All That” & “Summer Catch” - 48
Boris Kodjoe - actor, “Station 19” - 51
Kenny Smith - basketball player - 59
Camryn Manheim - actress, “The Practice” - 63
Lester Holt - journalist - 65
Micky Dolenz - singer, The Monkees - 79
Born On This Date
Alan Hale Jr - actor, “Gilligan’s Island” - 1921 (d. 1990)
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. - 59th US Supreme Court justice - 1841 (d. 1935)
Karl Ferdinand von Graefe - surgeon who helped create modern day plastic surgery - 1787 (d. 1840)
Anne Bonny - Irish Caribbean pirate - 1702 (d. 1782)
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