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4/21/2022: A$AP Rocky Arrested

PLUS: 4/20, Depp Testimony Continues, and Harry Loves California

Apr 21, 2022

Today is Thursday, April 21, 2022.

It is the 111th day of the year.

254 days remain.

HIT LIST

Don’t get used to flying mask free, for now. The Center for Disease Control announced Wednesday afternoon they are asking the Department of Justice to appeal the ruling that overturned the federal mask mandate earlier this week.

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As Elon Musk plans his hostile tender takeover of Twitter, there’s good news for his overall wealth: Tesla’s first quarter earnings report exceeded expectations, boasting more than $18 billion in revenue and increased margins.

The company credits both an increase in total deliveries and an increase in costs for the boom.

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Two cousins will try to be the first to pull off an insane feat on Sunday: After taking off in separate airplanes, they will attempt to skydive out of their respective cockpits and into the other’s.

They’ll be piloting Cessna 198s, and jump out after climbing to 14,000 feet, and setting their planes into a nosedive.

Red Bull is sponsoring the insanity.

You can watch it unfold live Sunday evening on Hulu.

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After tanking in after-hours trading Tuesday evening, Netflix’s stocks further imploded Wednesday. The company lost 35% of its value, on news it expects to lose 2 million subscribers by the end of June.

Other pandemic lockdown darlings, like Zoom, Peloton, and DoorDash, also lost value, but only in the single-digit percentages.

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A bus driver for a district in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is out of a job after admitting to drinking beers while waiting for kids to finish a field trip.

A student reportedly discovered an empty can leaking its remains during the return trip, but wasn’t noticed until they were just a few minutes back to school. But that was enough time to get the police to the school. When they arrived, the driver hit a .04 on the breathalyzer.

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CHARTS

In honor of 4/20 Cheech and Chong celebrated the best way they know how…with some fat blunts.

Check out the video, which dropped yesterday, of the stoners smoking with Doggface -- the skateboarder who went viral for skating to a Fleetwood Mac song while drinking Cranberry juice -- and some police officers.

WATCH:

https://www.tmz.com/watch/2022-04-20-042022-klypso-lowrider-1401583/

BABY NEWS

MARIA SHARAPOVA, 35, is expecting her first child with fiancé, businessman ALEXANDER GILKES, 42.

The retired tennis star revealed the news on Instagram, sharing a photo of her on the beach cradling her baby bump.

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JENNIFER LAWRENCE, 31, has welcomed her first child with husband art gallery director COOKE MARONEY, 35.

No other details about the birth or baby were shared.

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BREAKUPS

Reality star ASHLEY DARBY, 33, and her husband, real estate developer MICHAEL DARBY, 62, have split.

The “Real Housewives of Potomac” star told Bravo’s “The Daily Dish” that after eight years of marriage the two made the decision to separate.

The couple are parents to two young sons.

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RELATIONSHIPS

Model SOPHIA RICHIE, 23, and music executive ELLIOT GRAINGE, 28, are engaged.

The pair started dating in April 2021.

Richie, the daughter of LIONEL RICHIE, previously dated SCOTT DISICK.

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THE SWAMP

The Cook Political Report says Democrats are facing a tough numbers game for November’s midterms. In this case, in any Congressional District that President JOE BIDEN carried in 2020 by a single-digit margin, no Democrat is safe.

This spells doom for Democrat control of the House of Representatives.

SPEAKING OF ASTONISHING DISAPPOINTMENTS: Spotify is not renewing its multi-million dollar deal with the Obama’s.

Bloomberg reports that Barack and Michelle want “limited episodes, wide distribution” — meaning no more than eight show appearances apiece.

WORTH NOTING: Maybe when you’re asking for millions of dollars for 8 podcasts, at a certain point, you’ve made enough money, Bar.

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Socialist Senator BERNIE SANDERS, who owns three homes, and is 80 years old, has told insiders he hasn’t ruled out another run for the presidency in 2024.

But they’re saying he’ll only seriously consider it if Biden decides against running.

WORTH ASKING: What if the powers that be forcefully edge him out by finally talking about son HUNTER BIDEN’s various international misdeeds?

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The New York Post reports that there are no records of visitors to either of President JOE BIDEN’s homes in Delaware, after submitting a Freedom of Information Act request for the details.

The Secret Service answered the request with a big shrug: “[t]he Secret Service FOIA Office searched all Program Offices that were likely to contain potentially responsive records, and no records were located.”

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LOTTERY

No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Friday night’s drawing will be for a $22 million jackpot or a $12.9 million cash payout.

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SHOWBIZ NEWS

JACK HARLOW topped the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with his new single “First Class.”

The milestone, which should be celebrated, has instead sparked a racial debate.

Top Dawg Entertainment President TERRENCE “Punch” HENDERSON took to Twitter claiming that for Black artists to reach the top they need to be “more exceptional” compared to White counterparts.

Harlow, who is White, has not commented on the claim.

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To prepare for his return to the “Star Wars” universe, actor HAYDEN CHRISTIANSEN revealed that he binged all of the movies and animated shows.

After playing Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader in the prequel trilogy, Christensen will once again play Lord Vader for Disney’s new “Kenobi” series.

“Kenobi” will launch this May on Disney+.

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Warner Bros Discovery has ended all external marketing for its recently launched CNN+ and has laid off CNN’s finance chief BRAD FERRER.

The decisions come as the network decides what to do with the streaming service that has been unsuccessfully launched, with only about 150,000 subscribers so far.

FOR COMPARISON: The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have 2.9 million and 2.7 million digital subscribers, respectively.

MEANWHILE: CNN execs think it has been smooth sailing and are “frustrated” by the changes to leadership, several sources told Reuters this week.

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TOM PARKER’s funeral was held on Wednesday, with his Wanted bandmates serving as pallbearers.

His wife, Kelsey, broke down during the eulogy, telling the crowd that she will raise their two kids with “values that were important to Tom.”

As previously reported, Tom passed away last month after a battle with brain cancer.

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New Mexico’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau issued a fine of $136,793 this week after finding that the production company for the movie “Rust” messed up in terms of gun safety.

HANNAH GUTIERREZ-REED, the armorer on set, issued a statement via her lawyer, saying that the investigation found that she “was not provided adequate time or resources to conduct her job effectively.”

The attorney for HALYNA HUTCHINS family also issued a statement saying the family is “pleased” with what the investigation has uncovered.

A criminal investigation is still underway, as well as the lawsuits filed against the production company, ALEC BALDWIN and others.

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Steelers QB DWAYNE HASKINS was reportedly walking along a Florida highway looking for gas when he was fatally struck by a dump truck.

His wife KALABRYA HASKINS, who was in Pittsburgh at the time, called dispatch after she couldn’t get in touch with her husband.

She told the officer that Dwayne had called her from the side of the road near 1-95 in Broward County, saying he was stranded and going to find some gas and would call her back. When she didn’t hear from him, she says she became concerned.

A short time later, Kalabrya was reportedly informed of the incident that occurred on the highway.

Dwayne was only 24.

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CASTING CALL

ROSEANNE BARR is back!

The comedic actress discusses her departure from her ABC sitcom, “Roseanne,” over controversial remarks she made in a new Reelz documentary, titled “Roseanne: Kicked Out of Hollywood.”

In the doc, Barr alleges that the network always had issues with her tweets and comments and engaged in “intellectual witch-burning” to silence her.

The show will air on April 24.

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PIERS MORGAN is returning to the small screen.

The former “Good Morning Britain” host is set to launch his new TV show next week, titled “Piers Morgan Uncensored.”

As many will remember, Morgan left his job at “GMB” last year for refusing to issue an apology to MEGHAN MARKLE for controversial statements he made about her on air.

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BEN AFFLECK and MATT DAMON are joining forces on a new film about Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro.

Affleck is set to direct, write, producer and co-star in the biopic, while Damon will star, co-write and produce, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The story will revolve around Nike attempting to sign MICHEAL JORDAN in the mid-eighties to an endorsement deal — marking one of the most significant deals in sports history.

Damon will play Vaccaro and Affleck will play Nike co-founder Phil Knight.

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KERRY CONDON is joining LIAM NEESON and CIARAN HINDS in the thriller flick, titled “In The Land Of Saints And Sinners.”

Set in a remote Irish village, the movie follows Neeson, who plays a newly retired assassin who finds himself drawn into a lethal game of cat and mouse with a trio of vengeful terrorists, per the official description.

No word on Hinds’ or Condon’s roles in the movie.

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JADA PINKETT SMITH’s “Red Table Talk” returned this week.

Season 5 of the digital talk series kicked off with guest, LGBTQ+ advocate JANELLE MONAE.

As for how the Smith family is doing since the Oscar incident, Jada said they are “focusing on deep healing.”

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F. MURRAY ABRAHAM is leaving Apple TV+ series “Mythic Quest.”

Abraham appeared in the show as C.W. Longbottom, a seasoned writer who works at the game studio at the center of the series.

News of his exit was announced by producers, who told Deadline they would not comment further on “matters concerning personnel.”

The series was recently renewed for a third and fourth season by the platform.

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COURT CASES

During Day 2 of JOHNNY DEPP’s testimony, he told the courtroom that any time he tried to escape the fighting, his ex-wife, actress AMBER HEARD would threaten to kill herself.

“She would make comments like ‘I can’t live without you’,” he stated, before adding that she would also call security to have them try to stop him from leaving.

PARTY POOPER: After one night of fighting on Heard’s 30th birthday, Depp said he left their home to get a break. He had planned to return to grab some items while his wife was gone, but security advised him not to. When asked why, they showed him a photo of what appeared to be “human fecal matter” in the couple’s bed.

Depp accused Heard -- or one of her friends -- of defecating in the bed, but Heard claimed it was their teacup Yorkies.

BLOODY FINGER: During another one of their intense spats, Heard allegedly threw a bottle of vodka at Depp that hit his hand, cutting off his fingertip. Bleeding profusely, Depp ended up in the ER where he said his finger got jammed in a door, in an effort to protect his wife.

It wasn’t long after the incident that Depp said he decided to end the relationship.

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CELEBRITY CELLBLOCK

A$AP ROCKY was arrested as he landed at LAX on Wednesday morning.

TMZ reports that the rapper was met by cops at the terminal and taken away in handcuffs following his getaway to Barbados with RIHANNA, who is pregnant with their first child.

LAPD sources told the outlet that the arrest stems from a November 2021 incident, in which a victim claims Rocky shot at them 3 or 4 times, during an altercation.

Officers were later seen by TMZ photogs breaking into Rocky’s home to execute a search warrant.

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

BLAC CHYNA’s mom TOKYO TONI has been banned from the courtroom as her daughter takes on the KarJenners.

The ban came after Toni “aimed veiled physical threats” at KRIS, KIM, KHLOE and KYLIE during an Instagram Live this week, according to the family’s lawyer Micheal Rhodes.

In her rant, Toni said the women “looked scary” in real life before taking specific aim at Kris calling her “old and decrepit.”

As previously reported, Chyna is suing the famous family for $100 million over allegations that they defamed her in an effort to get her reality show with ROB KARDASHIAN canceled.

The KarJenners have denied all accusations, and claim Chyna was violent toward Rob.

MEANWHILE: Chyna took the stand Wednesday and addressed the abuse allegations.

She testified that the night that she put an iPhone cord around Rob’s neck was just a “joke” to get him to “pay attention” to her and the time she put a gun to his head was also “just a joke,” while adding the gun wasn’t even loaded.

She also referred to Kris as “Miss Kris” multiple times and said she considered her “like a second mom.”

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The first episode of “The Kardashians” on Hulu had the biggest US premiere in the streaming service’s history.

In response, the famous family thanked their longtime fans for continuing to “Keep Up” with them.

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE have hired a former secret service agent who previously worked for presidents BARACK OBAMA and GEORGE W. BUSH.

CHRISTOPHER SANCHEZ, who was photographed alongside the Sussexes at the Invictus Games last week, left the Secret Service in 2013 to work at the private security firm TorchStone Global.

SPEAKING OF SECURITY: Harry recently told “Today” show’s HODA KOTB that he feels “massively at peace” with his new life in the US. He called their life in California his “light,” while touching on all the opportunities his kids will be afforded.

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SPORTS

Russian athletes will not be allowed to compete at Wimbledon in June, per a new order from the All England Club in London, where the event is annually held.

The decision prevents current No. 2 ranked Russian player DANIIL MEDVEDEV from partaking in the season’s third Grand Slam.

The ban also includes Belarusian athletes.

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The Big Ten Championship Football Game will remain in Indianapolis for at least the next three seasons.

The game has been held at Lucas Oil Stadium every year since its inception in 2011.

Other locations that have been discussed include Chicago’s Soldier Field, Detroit’s Ford Field, Green Bay’s Lambeau Field, Minneapolis’ US Bank Stadium and New Jersey’s MetLIfe Stadium.

This year’s game is set for December 3, while the 2023 and 2024 games will take place on December 2 and December 7, respectively.

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DAY OF THE YEAR

National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day

National Kindergarten Day

National Yellow Bat Day

Get to Know Your Customers Day

National High Five Day

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ON THIS DATE

753 BC - According to legend, this is the day celebrated as the founding of Rome.

The myth says that twin brothers Romulus and Remus decided to build a city. They got into an argument over where to build the new city, got into a fight, and Romulus killed his brother.

In reality, the eventual empire came about when various settlements along the Tiber River united into a small kingdom. Eventually, the Roman Empire would be home to an estimated 90 million people — about a fifth of the world’s population.

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1509 – Henry VIII becomes King of England.

His most notable legacy is moving the monarchy outside the influence of the Catholic Church and creating the Church of England. Under his rule, England absorbed Wales, another step toward forming the United Kingdom.

He would reign for 38 years, and was succeeded by his son, Edward VI.

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1918 – Baron Manfred von Richthofen is shot over the Somme in France while in pursuit of a Sopwith Camel — you know him as the Red Baron. His injury was fatal, but he managed to land his plane on a hill.

He had recorded 80 dogfight victories, one of the most prolific and successful pilots of early aviation. At the time, shooting down 20 enemies would give a pilot Ace status.

Allied officers gave him a full military funeral, laying him to rest the next day in France.

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1934 – London’s Daily Mail publishes photographic evidence of The Loch Ness Monster.

Dr. Robert Wilson was a gynecologist who said he took five photos of the monster, but only one was clear enough to make out its head.

It was revealed in 1999 that the photo was staged and a hoax — but conspiracies persist.

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2013 – Actress Reese Witherspoon and her husband are arrested following a DUI stop in Atlanta.

The couple had been partying, and husband Jim Toth was pulled over. When the officer proceeded with an arrest, the pint-size actress implored, “Do you know my name?”

After footage of the incident leaked, she publicly and humbly apologized for her behavior.

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2020 - An additional 25,000 people across 11 countries are added to the COVID-19 death toll.

The New York Times recorded the number noting that the deaths were people who “have likely died due to the pandemic” but not necessarily from the virus itself.

Or more specifically these people “may have died anyway” so they are being lumped into the virus death toll.

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BIRTHDAYS

Princeton Perez - pop singer - 26

Thomas Doherty - actor, “Descendants” - 27

Nikki Cross - wrestler - 33

Zack Merrick - bassist, All Time Low - 34

Robbie Amell - actor, “True Jackson” & “The Duff” - 34

Christian Coma - drummer, Black Veil Brides - 37

Rachel Lindsay - former Bachelorette - 37

Tony Romo - football player - 42

James McAvoy - actor, “Split” & “Glass” - 43

Rob Riggle - actor & comedian - 52

Robert Smith - rock singer, The Cure - 63

Andie MacDowell - actress, “Groundhog Day” & “Magic Mike XXL” - 64

Lisa Frank - CEO of Lisa Frank Inc. (bright animal-themed school supplies) - 67

Iggy Pop - punk singer - 75

Queen Elizabeth - Royal - 96

Born On This Date

Don Tyson - founder of Tyson Foods - 1930 (d. 2011)

Charlotte Bronte - novelist - 1816 (d. 1855)

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