Today is Friday, April 12, 2024.
It is the 103rd day of the year.
263 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A tight economy has led to record consumer credit defaults and an Idaho woman lays down the law. Details in HIT LIST.
SHOHEI OHTANI has been cleared of any wrongdoing and “Hot Felon” JEREMY WEEKS is releasing a memoir. More in SHOWBIZ.
A reboot of a horror classic is in the works and the highly-anticipated “Harry Potter” series is getting closer to production. Details in CASTING CALL.
A former Kardashian nanny speaks out. Find out what they said in KARDASH.
PRINCE HARRY pays the bills at a mental health panel. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
The Federal Reserve reports that credit card delinquencies have reached the highest level since it began studying the metric.
At the end of last year, 3.5% of credit card borrowers had past due balances. One in ten credit card holders keep a balance over $5,200 while one-in-four have carried balances over $2,000 – an all-time high.
On the flip side, a third still pay their full balance every month. [via Bloomberg]
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Three marooned fishermen used one of the oldest tricks in the book to get rescued off a tiny, uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean: they laid out palm fronds to spell HELP on the white sand beach.
The three men, believed to be brothers and whose identities have not been released, left on Easter Sunday from Micronesia for a fishing expedition. When they didn’t return as scheduled, a family member reported them missing.
The US Coast Guard in Guam and the Navy dispatched search missions. Eventually, a recon plane flew over Pikelot Atoll and spotted the distress signal. While rescue teams assembled, teams dropped food and shelter supplies to the men. On Tuesday, a Coast Guard crew successfully rescued the men, who say their boat motor was damaged in ocean swells, forcing them onto the small coral island.
GET THIS: Just four years ago, another group of boaters was rescued from the same beach after spelling out SOS on the white sand beach. [via USA Today]
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Locals near Panguitch Lake Dam in Utah are keeping their eyes on a crack in the 60-foot structure. Officials fear the dam could break open at any moment and have alerted 1,800 nearby residents they may need to evacuate on short notice.
Concerned citizens gathered at a town hall Wednesday night to receive instructions and information on the procedures to get them out of dodge. In the meantime, crews are working to drain parts of the reservoir on the other side of the dam to alleviate the pressure.
Investigators believe a massive ice sheet pressing up against the dam created the pressure that forced water through the crack. [via Associated Press]
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Another bulldog bandit has struck – though perhaps inadvertently – this time in a suburb of Seattle, where one dog owner says three French bulldogs were in his van when the thief stole it.
John Whitney says he was on the way back from the vet’s office, of all places, when he stopped to fill up. While he was inside at the register, someone made off with the vehicle.
Police say they have since recovered the van, but no sign of the dogs or the “hundreds of dollars” worth of dog food Whitney had purchased. There was also evidence of drug use in the van.
Whitney’s wife, Else, says the dogs are on specialized medication and two are recovering from surgeries, adding that the dogs are microchipped, and she is hopeful they will be reunited if they’re left at a shelter. [via KIRO 7]
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An 85-year-old woman fatally shot a masked intruder in her Idaho home in what many are calling “one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation.”
Christine Jenneiahn and her son, who is disabled, were asleep on March 13, when Derek Condon broke in around 2 a.m. After hitting her in the head, Condon handcuffed Jenneiahn to a wooden chair in the living room, all while holding her at gunpoint.
While Condon searched the home for valuables, Jenneiahn dragged herself -- still cuffed to the chair -- back to her bedroom to grab her .357 Magnum revolver.
In his search of the home, Condon discovered Jenneiahn’s sleeping son and became enraged, threatening to kill them both. It was at that moment Jenneiahn said she knew she had to shoot him. Condon returned fire, hitting her multiple times in the stomach, leg, arm and chest.
Condon died at the scene, while Jenneiahn was taken to a local hospital. She has since been released and is recovering at home.
With Idaho’s self-defense law, the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office and prosecutor are calling the shooting a clear-cut example of “self-defense and justifiable homicide.” [via NY Post]
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DEATHS
OJ SIMPSON has died.
He passed away Wednesday in Las Vegas after a battle with prostate cancer.
Simpson, a former NFL great, stood trial for the double-murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman, in the ‘90s.
He was 76.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW was mostly flat on the day, closing at 38,459. The S&P gained 38 (0.74%) to close at 5,199 and the NASDAQ increased 271 points (1.68%) to close at 16,442.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $85; BRENT CRUDE at $90.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.63 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN ticked down slightly on the day Thursday, trading just under $70,500 in the evening.
🛩 There were more than 5,055 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 344 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $120 million jackpot or a $55.8 millions cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $46 million jackpot or a $21.5 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music Friday
Aaron Lee Tasjan, “Stellar Evolution”
Blue Bendy, “So Medieval”
Girl In Red, “I’m Doing It Again Baby!”
Humbird, “Right On”
Maggie Rogers, “Don’t Forget Me”
METZ, “Up on Gravity Hill”
Torn Boy, “1983”
Tyler Hubbard, “Strong”
Work Wife, “Waste Management”
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Investigators have concluded that baseball player SHOHEI OHTANI was not involved in his translator’s gambling activity.
According to law enforcement sources, Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s longtime translator and close friend, gambled away around $4.5 million and claimed the ball player helped cover the debt.
An investigation launched last month found that Ohtani was completely in the dark over the gambling debt and that Mizuhara embezzled millions from him.
Mizuhara was charged with federal bank fraud on Thursday. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.[via NY Times, AP News]
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FRENCH MONTANA says TAYLOR SWIFT turned down a $9 million offer to perform in the United Arab Emirates.
The rapper shared a screenshot of text messages from someone who offered him $1 million to perform and another person -- whose name he censored -- to perform for $9 million.
No word on why Swift turned down the offer -- though it's not like she needs the extra cash. [via VladTV]
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The photos KATE BECKINSALE posted to Instagram from her hospital stay have been deleted.
The actress never shared why she was in the hospital nor updated fans on when or if she was being released.
Comments -- including those from fellow celebs -- on her recent posts have also been limited. No word on why. [via Page Six]
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Forty-year-old felon JEREMY WEEKS is ready to tell his story.
Meeks, who rose to fame after his 2014 mugshot went viral, is set to release his memoir, “Model Citizen: The Autobiography of Jeremy Meeks” this September
Speaking about the process of putting his story on paper, Meeks said he feels “beyond blessed” to be able to share it. [via People]
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Rumor is…TODD CHRISLEY won’t be able to pay the $755,000 judgment made against him.
His attorney, Jay Surgent, tells TMZ that the former reality star doesn’t have the funds right now to make the hefty payment, which was handed down after Chrisley was convicted of defamation against a Georgia Department of Revenue investigator.
More importantly, Chrisley owes the government around $17 million from his bank fraud case. That won’t be paid anytime soon either as Chrisley is currently serving a 12-year sentence for those fraud charges. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
A reboot of “The Blair Witch Project” is reportedly in the works; 25 years after the original film debuted.
No plot details are known, though producer Jason Blum tells Variety that he wants to “reintroduce [the] horror classic for a new generation.”
“The Blair Witch Project” follows the disappearance of three student filmmakers who are shooting a documentary on the local legend known as the Blair Witch in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland.
It raked in over $248.6 million at the box office. [via Variety]
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Rapper ICE SPICE will make her acting debut in SPIKE LEE’s crime thriller “High and Low.”
She will star opposite actor DENZEL WASHINGTON, who is marking his fifth collaboration with Lee with the project.
BY THE WAY: Ice Spice’s first studio album, “Y2K,” is due out this year. [via Daily Mail]
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The highly-anticipated “Harry Potter” series is expected to debut in 2026 on Max.
First discussed last year, the series will follow the books, though there is uncertainty over how each story will be broken down in the series. As for casting, none of the original stars of the movies will appear in the series.
“HP” author J.K. ROWLING is involved as an executive producer, and will have final say on the creative content. [via Deadline]
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HILARIA BALDWIN wants to join the cast of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
While she currently lives in New York with husband ALEC BALDWIN and their seven kids, her friend -- and current “Housewife” -- KYLE RICHARDS says “maybe she would move.”
Last year it was rumored that Hilaria and Alec were working on a reality series centering on their large family, but with the latter’s manslaughter charges that project has been tabled. [via Radar Online]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
A KarJenner nanny is spilling some inside details of the famous family.
The unidentified source says eldest sister, KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN, has a hard time keeping nannies because they either get fired or become fed up with her kids misbehaving. This all stems from Kourt’s lack of rules and “insane demands.”
For KIM KARDASHIAN, the insider says she spoils her four kids, explaining, “If one of them is into space, she’ll look into taking them to NASA headquarters. She has the means to provide really cool things, and they’re good kids.”
KHLOE KARDASHIAN, meanwhile, treats all her staff “like family,” according to the source, saying everyone who works for her are all “super close.” Also, despite having hired help, the insider says Khloe is probably the most “hands-on” with her two kids, True and Tatum. [via Life & Style]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE HARRY earned part of his keep as the Chief Impact Officer of life coaching app BetterUp this week, when he appeared on a panel hosted by actress MINDY KALING to discuss mental health in the workplace.
The panel itself was called “Beyond Burnout: Transforming C-Level Stress Into Strength.” A summary of the discussion posted on Harry’s Sussex.com website said the talk focused on “forward-thinking policies aimed at helping leaders thrive amidst the pressures of today’s world and modern corporate life.” [via New York Post]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Day of Silence
International Day of Human Space Flight
National For Twelves Day
National Only Child Day
World Hamster Day
National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
National Big Wind Day
National Licorice Day
Deskfast Day
Walk On Your Wild Side Day
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ON THIS DATE
1770 - After dangerous uprisings in the American colonies, the British Parliament repeals the Townshend Act.
Beginning in 1767, the legislation put tariffs on British products purchased in America, and spurred the colonial catchphrase "No Taxation Without Representation." The anger peaked when shots were fired in the Boston Massacre in March 1770.
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1861- Almost exactly four years before it ends -- the Civil War formally begins.
The army of the Confederate States of America fires the first shots against Union troops in South Carolina.
After a day and a half of fighting, the Union troops would surrender, and soon after, Abraham Lincoln began assembling an army to put down what he called the Southern insurrection.
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1945 - During his historic fourth term as President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt dies.
FDR suffered a stroke while vacationing at his home in Warm Springs, Georgia. He had grown sick while at Yalta, to discuss terms of peace with his counterparts Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill, and went to his vacation home to recuperate.
Harry Truman would succeed him, and make the ultimate decision to use nuclear weapons against the Japanese to end World War II.
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1970 - Two days into its mission to the Moon, Apollo 13 suffers its crippling setback.
Jack Swigert was ordered by Mission Control to turn on the hydrogen and oxygen tank stirring fans, which were designed to more accurately display pressure readings on the crew's oxygen supply. Ninety-three seconds later, an explosion rattled the cockpit. The astronauts inside first believed a meteorite had hit the craft.
Over the next three days, the crew would slingshot around the Moon, but never land.
Meanwhile, they famously improvised a device that would convert their carbon dioxide to oxygen using materials on board the ship as rudimentary as plastic bags and duct tape.
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1999 - President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving “intentionally false statements” in a sexual harassment civil lawsuit.
The suit, brought against him by Paula Jones, had previously been thrown out, but was reinstated after Clinton admitted to having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinski.
The lie referenced is a famous one: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”
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2022 - Global Covid-19 cases pass 500 million.
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BIRTHDAYS
True Thompson - daughter of Khloe Kardashian - 6
Saoirse Ronan - actress, “Lady Bird” & “Mary Queen of Scots” - 30
Jenna Johnson - dancer, “DWTS” - 30
Jessie James Decker - country singer - 36
Brendon Urie - rock singer, Panic! At the Disco - 37
Brooklyn Decker - model - 37
Claire Danes - actress, “Romeo + Juliet” & “Homeland” - 45
Jennifer Morrison - actress, “Once Upon A Time” - 45
Christina Moore - actress, “MADtv” - 51
Shannen Doherty - actress, “Charmed” & “Beverly Hills, 90210” - 53
Andy Garcia - actor, “Ocean’s Eleven” & “The Godfather Part III” - 68
David Letterman - TV show host, “Late Night” & “The Late Show” - 77
Ed O’Neill - actor, “Modern Family” - 78
Born On This Date
David Cassidy - actor, “The Partridge Family” - 1950 (d. 2017)
Tom Clancy - novelist - 1947 (d. 2013)
Tiny Tim - folk singer - 1932 (d. 1996)
Beverly Cleary - children’s author - 1916 (d. 2021)
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