4/21/2023: Is It Hotter In Here?
PLUS: Stoner Shoes; Dems Call Biden to the Table; and Royal Sex Dolls
Today is Friday, April 21, 2023.
It is the 111th day of the year.
254 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A successful failure for SpaceX and El Nino returns. More in HIT LIST.
House Democrats are calling on President JOE BIDEN to start negotiating with Republicans to raise the debt limit. More in THE SWAMP.
Charges have been dropped against ALEC BALDWIN in connection to the fatal “Rust” shooting and POST MALONE goes triple diamond. More in SHOWBIZ.
DENISE RICHARDS is returning to the “Real Housewives” universe. More in CASTING CALL.
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HIT LIST
The first test flight of SpaceX’s Starship – the most powerful rocket ever built – but ended about four minutes after liftoff in a massive explosion after reaching altitudes more than 24 miles above the ground.
SpaceX engineers say that all of the engines did not fire as expected, causing the rocket to lose altitude, triggering a “flight termination system.”
WORTH NOTING: This was the first liftoff attempt for this rocket, which boasts 33 engines. ELON MUSK previously tempered expectations, and said, “Success is not what should be expected… That would be insane.” For their part, just getting it off the launchpad with some altitude was considered a success.
WHAT GOES UP, MUST COME DOWN: An old NASA satellite fell to Earth this week. While most of it burned up upon return, some bits and pieces landed in the Sahara Desert early Thursday. There have been no reports of damage or injuries, per NASA. The 660-pound satellite, named Rhessi, launched in 2002 to study solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun.
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2023 could be one for the record books in terms of temperature.
After three years of cooler weather, thanks to La Nina, the world may see the return of El Nino, and increased temperatures, later this year, according to a report from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
During El Nino, winds blowing west along the equator slow down, causing warmer temperatures to be pushed east, thus creating warmer surface ocean temperature.
Climate change is also a factor in the increase in temperature, per the report.
The world’s hottest year on record was 2016, per the report, but forecasts predict this year could top that. [via Reuters]
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In honor of yesterday’s date - 4/20 - 8000kicks revealed their latest stoner-friendly creation.
CEO Bernardo Carreira and his grandmother, Otilia Santarem, developed a limited-edition shoe featuring real cannabis. The kicks, called WEEDO, are handcrafted with up to 500 grams of smokable green.
The company is only selling 100 pairs of the shoes, which are priced between $1,096.03 and $1,644.05. [via NY Post]
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An adoption post about a 40.3 pound cat from Richmond Animal Care and Control has gone viral, with thousands of comments from interested adoptees from across the country.
The post also caught the eye of Virginia resident Kay Ford, who reached out about the fat cat. Hours later she showed up at the shelter, fell in love, and took Patches home.
Ford has her hands full with the feline though, as he is on a very regulated diet to drop some pounds. According to vets, the normal weight for Patches’ breed is somewhere between 8 and 10 pounds. [via People]
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A new study suggests that graying hair with age results from an inability of stem cells to move properly, resulting in the gray color.
For researchers, this means that if they can find a way to keep these stem cells moving, they’ll have a shot at preventing, or even reversing, gray hair biologically, instead of through hair dyes. [via The Guardian]
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DEATHS
Football star DAVE WILCOX has died.
He passed away Wednesday. No other details were shared.
Nicknamed “The Intimidator,” Wilcox spent his entire 11-year career with the 49ers.
He was 80.
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WEDDINGS
“Summer House” alum EVERETT WESTON, 28, has tied the knot with actress COURTNEY CAVANAGH, 25.
The pair said “I Do” at the Dromoland Castle Hotel in Ireland on Thursday.
Weston popped the question to Cavanagh in 2021 during a romantic Italian getaway.
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THE SWAMP
House Democrats are calling on President JOE BIDEN to end the standoff with Speaker KEVIN MCCARTHY over raising the debt limit.
After McCarthy announced on Monday that spending cuts would be required for Republicans to get behind an increase, the White House said they expected a clean bill.
Politico reports that “a growing contingent of Democrats are acknowledging that Biden’s blanket refusal to engage with McCarthy may need to change.” [via Politico]
WORTH NOTING: With Democrats holding a slim majority in the Senate, the showdown will focus on the House, where Republicans have little incentive to budge. Any economic downturn triggered by a debt default would be bad news for an incumbent President heading into an election year.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 110 points (0.33%) to close at 33,786 on Thursday. The S&P lost 24 points (0.6%) to close at 4,129 and the NASDAQ lost 97 points (0.8%) to close at 12,059.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $77; BRENT CRUDE at $80.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.68 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN slid further Thursday, down nearly 2% and trading just over $28,200.
🛩 There were more than 4,480 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 570 such cancellations.
💰For the second drawing in a row, a winning MEGA MILLIONS ticket was sold in New York. The winner has the option of a $20 million jackpot or $10.6 million cash payout. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $20 million jackpot or a $10.5 million cash payout. A winning POWERBALL ticket was sold in Ohio. The winner has the option of a $252.6 million jackpot or $134.7 million cash payout. Saturday night’s drawing will be for a $20 million jackpot or a $10.7 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
These albums drop today:
Alma, “Time Machine”
Bella White, “Among Other Things”
Cinder Well, “Cadence”
Esther Rose, “Safe to Run”
Holiday Ghosts, “Absolute Reality”
Hunter Hayes, “Red Sky”
Lael Neale, “Star Eaters Delight”
The National Honor Society, “To All the Distance Between Us”
Rose City Band, “Garden Party”
Silver Moth, “Black Bay”
The Smashing Pumpkins, “ATUM - Act 3”
Stars, “Capelton Hill Deluxe”
Triple Fast Action, “Triple Fast Action”
Zombie Juice, “Love Without Consequences.”
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New Mexico prosecutors have dropped the involuntary manslaughter charge against ALEC BALDWIN in connection to the death of “Rust” cinematographer HALYNA HUTCHINS.
The case will be dismissed against him without prejudice, meaning it could be refilled again in the future.
Armorer HANNAH GUTIERREZ-REED still faces the involuntary manslaughter charge, however, as she is the one who handed Baldwin the gun, claiming it was not loaded. [via Deadline]
COINCIDENCE?: “Rust” resumed filming this week.
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TIGER WOODS had another surgery on his right leg, which he injured in his 2021 car crash.
Insiders told TMZ that he had a subtalar fusion procedure to treat post-traumatic arthritis; something Woods has dealt with since the accident.
No word on when he will get back to golfing. [via TMZ]
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Three more of POST MALONE’s singles have hit diamond status, making him the most RIAA diamond-certified artist.
Post now has eight diamond-certified hits, meaning he jumps ahead of BRUNO MARS, who has six.
In honor of the milestone, Republic Records is releasing “The Diamond Collection,” which features all of Post’s diamond-certified singles. It drops today. [via Forbes]
WORTH NOTING: A song is certified diamond after moving 10 million certified units in the U.S., based on sales and streaming consumption data.
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Sunday, April 23, 2023 has been declared “Little Richard Day” in Connecticut.
In honor of the late performer’s “incomparable contributions to the history of music in America” Gov. NED LAMONT issued the proclamation.
As for the musician’s connection to Connecticut, there really isn’t one other than the upcoming documentary, “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” which was produced by a member of the Greenwich International Film Festival and Yale alumni Lisa Cortes. [via Variety]
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LADY GAGA, KIM KARDASHIAN, BEYONCE and K-pop group BLACKPINK were some of the celebs who had their Twitter verifications striped on Thursday, meaning their blue check marks disappeared.
ELON MUSK previously stated that April 20 would be the day that he removed so-called legacy checkmarks in favor of charging people -- yes, anyone -- $8 a month for the mark. [via TMZ]
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After three days of complaints about MARK CONSUELOS and KELLY RIPA’s on-air personalities, interactions and conversations, critics were at it again Thursday.
This time though, they were complaining about the fact that Thursday’s episode wasn’t live.
For what it’s worth, today’s episode won’t be live either. [via Page Six]
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While filming the new music video for her song “Satellite,” BEBE REXHA says she was higher than, well…a satellite, thanks to SNOOP DOGG.
In the video, the two are transported to an animated-version of outer space for an adventure in spaceships shaped like joints and marijuana leaves.
While most were excited about the collaboration, BeBe says her dad responded to a social media post of her smoking, asking “What are you doing? Why are you smoking on the internet? Are you crazy?” To which she replied, “Dad, it’s Snoop Dogg. If you smoke with anybody, it has to be Snoop Dogg.” [via People]
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NICK CANNON says he is dad of a dozen due to his “super sperm.”
He made the comment during a recent appearance on HOWIE MANDEL’s “Does Stuff” podcast. “I got some super sperm or something ‘cause I’ve practiced birth control, and people still got pregnant.” [via NY Post]
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CASTING CALL
DENISE RICHARDS is returning to the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
According to Variety, she has already “filmed some episodes,” though her status on the upcoming season has not yet been defined.
Many may recall that Richards left the Bravo show three years ago. [via Variety]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KRIS, KOURTNEY, KIM, KHLOE, KENDALL and KYLIE are heading back to E!.
The network will air a two-part series, titled “The Kardashians: A Billion Dollar Dynasty” next month. It will focus on how the family became one of the world’s most recognized brands, while changing the face of social media and amassing extreme wealth along the way. [via Variety]
WORTH REMEMBERING: The famous family spent more than 20 years on the network with their show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” before switching to Hulu.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
The CEO of a sex doll company in England says they’ve been inundated with requests for silicone, take-home versions of PRINCESS DIANA, KATE MIDDLETON, and MEGHAN MARKLE – but that as a “royalist” he’s not indulging these dark desires.
“We get requests for Princess Diana regularly, especially after the latest series of ‘The Crown,’” CEO Ben Stroud tells South West News Service.
MEANWHILE: For the ladies and homosexuals, Stroud says they get all kinds of requests for a sex doll that looks like actor TOM HARDY. [via New York Post]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Yellow Bat Day
World Creativity & Innovation Day
National Tea Day
National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day
National Kindergarten Day
American Red Cross Giving Day
National Bulldogs Are Beautiful 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 would be 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 would be 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.
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
Madi Filipowicz - actress, “How Clause Ruined Christmas” - 18
Xavi Simons - soccer play - 20
Thomas Doherty - actor, “Descendants 2” & “The Lodge” - 28
Isco - soccer player - 31
Nikki Cross - wrestler - 34
Robbie Amell - actor, “True Jackson” & “The Duff” - 35
Zack Merrick - bassist, All Time Low - 35
Christian Coma - drummer, Black Veil Brides - 38
Tony Romo - football player - 43
James McAvoy - actor, “Atonement” & “Split” & “Glass” - 44
Rob Riggle - actor & comedian - 53
Robert Smith - rock singer, The Cure - 64
Tony Danza - actor, “Who’s The Boss?” & “Taxi” - 72
Iggy Pop - punk singer, The Stooges - 76
Born On This Date
Barbara Park - children’s author, “Junie B. Jones” series - 1947 (d. 2013)
Queen Elizabeth II - Queen - 1926 (d. 2022)
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