4/23/2024: Bulldog Bandit Strikes Again!
PLUS: Haiti Burns; R&R Hall of Fame Inductees; and The Queen’s Statue
Today is Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
It is the 114th day of the year.
252 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Police intervene as college campus protests grow out of control and a rubber duck travels 400 miles. HIT LIST
LUKE BRYAN falls on stage and NICKI MINAJ returns an unwanted item from a fan. More in SHOWBIZ.
JON BON JOVI will appear on the season finale of “American Idol.” Details in CASTING CALL.
KIM K has lost a lot of followers. Find out more in KARDASH.
The first permanent tribute to the late Queen is unveiled. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Police officers rolled onto two prominent university campuses over the weekend and into Monday, as anti-Israel protests led by radical activist students grew increasingly unruly.
AT YALE: Officers arrested 45 students on 1st Degree Criminal Trespass charges. All those rounded up were processed and released.
Shortly after, hundreds of protestors took to the streets and jammed up traffic into the afternoon. [via CNN]
AT COLUMBIA: All classes were virtual on Monday following a tense weekend of similar protests, where more than 100 people were arrested for trespassing last week. [via The Guardian]
WORTH NOTING: These protests coincide with the Passover season, an important Jewish holiday. At Columbia, Jewish students were urged to stay home by campus officials — instead of promising them safety and taking every action to shut down the lunatics calling for the destruction of their homeland.
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It sure seems to be open season on French bulldogs lately, with another one disappearing in a kidnap plot.
A Pasadena, California woman says her pooch was taken as part of a specific mission. Dee DeLara tells local media, “Someone came into the house and stole our fluffy Frenchie in his crate...and left. They wanted nothing else. There was money on the counter. They didn't take any money, nothing. It was the dog. They came for the dog.”
Investigators are pursuing leads from neighborhood doorbell cameras. Depending on who you ask and who has the cash to burn, French bulldogs can sell for low-five figures from reputable breeders. [via ABC 7]
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Just days after an interim leadership council for Haiti was announced, the gang leader at the center of recent tumult has called on his followers to burn down houses of those who have remained in Port-au-Prince.
The call to arms comes from JIMMY “BARBECUE” CHERIZIER in two audio recordings making the rounds on the internet.
Cherizier reportedly intends to eventually take control of the National Palace and install himself as leader — and burn down every neighborhood standing in the way. [via The Sun]
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An 18-year-old pilot is setting out to become the youngest person to fly around the world solo — and is raising money for charity in the process.
Ethan Guo last year set the record to become the youngest pilot to fly over the Lower 48 states. Next month, he hopes to begin a journey that would begin in Alaska and end in Japan more than 90 days later. His route includes stops at 59 landing points in 32 countries. Check out the route map >
In the process, Guo hopes to raise $1 million for St. Judes. [via Boston25]
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THAT’S QUACKTASTIC: One of the 150,000 yellow rubber ducks that were launched into the River Liffey in Dublin as part of the charity World Duck Race Ireland in 2006, recently washed up 423 miles away on the island of Stronsay in Scotland.
The duck, stamped with “World Duck Race, Ireland 2006,” also featured a number, which corresponded with a sponsor for the race. The winner of the race was declared by whichever duck floated under five bridges along the River Liffey first. That winner was awarded with a trip to the US.
After the race in 2006, organizers did their best to collect all of the ducks that were released, but several were able to float away, ending up in England, the Isle of Wight, Sweden and now Scotland. [via NY Post]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 253 points (0.67%) to close at 38,239 on Monday. The S&P added 43 points (0.87%) to close at 5,010 and the NASDAQ lost 169 points (1.11%) to close at 15,451.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $83; BRENT CRUDE at $87.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.67 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN gained more than 2.5% on Monday, trading over $66,600.
🛩 There were more than 2,320 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 50 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $202 million jackpot or a $91.3 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees are:
Mary J. Blige
Cher
Dave Matthews Band
Foreigner
Peter Frampton
Kool & The Gang
Ozzy Osbourne
A Tribe Called Quest
The ceremony will take place on October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. It will live stream on Disney+. [via USA Today]
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On its first day of release (April 19), TAYLOR SWIFT’s “The Tortured Poets Department” sold 1.4 million traditional albums.
The album’s first single “Fortnight,” featuring POST MALONE, was streamed 18.4 million times in its first 24 hours.
Swift’s previous largest sales week was for her re-recorded “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” album, which sold 1.359 million copies. [via Billboard]
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During a recent appearance on JIMMY KIMMEL’s late-night talk show, actor NICK OFFERMAN discussed the time he spent a “whole night” in jail as a teen after being mistaken for a burglar.
Offerman said he was hanging out with friends, smoking some marijuana, when they noticed police officers walking around, so they took off running. There had reportedly been some robberies in the area around that time, so the officers assumed that is what the teens were up to and gave chase, tackling them and booking them. The teens were not released until the following morning, after explaining they were simply hanging out and smoking.
“I experimented with misdemeanors when I was young,” he said, before calling himself “the douchebag” in a family of “exemplary citizens.” [via Decider]
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LUKE BRYAN slipped and fell while performing in Vancouver over the weekend, after stepping on a cell phone that had been tossed on stage.
Bouncing back up, Bryan told the crowd, “It’s OK. My lawyer will be calling.”
A fan who filmed the fall gave their phone to Bryan who played it on the big screen for all in attendance to watch. [via Page Six]
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Celebrity chef BOBBY FLAY is teaming up with Pepsi to announce the launch of two new limited-edition flavors -- Pepsi Lime and Pepsi Peach -- in time for Memorial Day.
"When it comes to barbecue, the right beverage can truly elevate the experience. Pepsi, with its complex flavor profile, is the perfect counterpoint to the smoky, rich barbecue dishes that have been such a staple of my culinary journey," Flay said in a statement.
No word on when exactly the new flavors will be available. [via People]
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NICKI MINAJ was almost hit by something thrown at her during her weekend performance in Detroit.
After swatting the item away, Nicki picked it up and hurled it back into the crowd.
While many defended her actions, others were concerned about a potential lawsuit from anyone injured by her throwing the item back.
REMEMBER: Last summer there was an increase of fans throwing items at performers, including JOE JONAS, BEBE REXHA, HARRY STYLES and CARDI B. [via TMZ]
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KEVIN HART is setting the record straight on just how tall he is.
Sitting down with ANDERSON COOPER on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” the comedian addressed the ongoing speculation, saying he is 5’5”, not 5’4” or 5’2”, as some outlets have reported.
Cooper also asked Hart if he is a billionaire, to which he responded, “None of your business. Man, are you trying to get me robbed?” [via THR]
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JELLY ROLL recently helped open a music studio inside the Nashville Juvenile Detention Center.
Having served time behind those same bars, the country singer really wanted to help fund the project.
Music has been a huge part of JR’s life, telling ET, “When I had nothing else, I had a boombox. When I was incarcerated, I had a set of headphones and a little radio.” [via ET]
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CASTING CALL
JON BON JOVI will serve as a guest mentor on the Season 22 finale of “American Idol.”
He will be on hand to help guide the Top 3 finalists before one of them gets crowned the winner on May 19.
IN THE MEANTIME: Fans can watch Bon Jovi in the Hulu docuseries “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,” which premieres this Friday. [via Deadline]
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A 15-minute sequence in the forthcoming “Mad Max” prequel film, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” took 78 days to shoot, with about 200 stunt people on set.
The sequence -- known as “Stairway to Nowhere” -- shows off “an accumulation of skills over the course of a battle” for the titular character, played by ANYA TAYLOR-JOY.
In the film, Furiosa is a war captain serving the Immortan Joe, eventually turning against him to free his female breeders. The role of Furiosa was played by CHARLIZE THERON in 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
The movie hits theaters this May. [via People]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN lost over 120,000 followers across her X and Instagram accounts over the weekend, which many suspect is fallout from TAYLOR SWIFT’s diss track, “thanK you aIMee.”
In addition to the drop in followers, Kim has also had to deal with swift backlash from Swifties who spent all weekend calling her out with lyrics from the song.
WORTH NOTING: With all of the hate directed at Kim, not much was left for Swift’s exes, who were also dissed on her new album. [via Us Weekly]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
A bronze statue of QUEEN ELIZABETH was unveiled at a library in Oakham, a small town in central England. The seven-foot monument, including a lifelike bronze statue of the late monarch, is the first permanent memorial celebrating her.
Hundreds of visitors gathered for a ceremony in the small town. One local tells the BBC, “Nothing really happens much in [this area] so it's quite nice to have a big celebration.”
The Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, Dr. Sarah Furness, commissioned the monument, which cost an estimated 125,000 British Pounds, or about $155,000 USD.
In Britain, the monarch appoints Lord-Lieutenants as a personal representative to various municipalities across the country. [via BBC]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National English Muffin Day
Spanish Language Day
World Book Day
National Email Day
World Table Tennis Day
National Picnic Day
National Cherry Cheesecake Day
National Lover’s Day
National Take a Chance Day
German Beer Day
National Talk Like Shakespeare Day
National Asparagus Day
English Language Day
National Lost Dog Awareness Day
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ON THIS DATE
1014 - A battery of Norse warriors assassinate the King of Ireland, named Brian Boru.
The small contingent of Norseman had narrowly escaped the wrath of Brian Boru's troops, who were pushing back against Viking invasions.
Following the king's death, Ireland fell into chaos. He was responsible for uniting the disparate tribes and fiefdoms. But the political structure devolved with his passing.
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1945 - Harry Truman sets a new tone for diplomacy with the Soviets, when he berates diplomat Vyacheslav Molotov at the White House.
Truman inherited FDR's foreign policy when he assumed the presidency just a few days earlier. Having been mostly in the dark as the Veep, Truman was eager to catch up, and build his own legacy.
The meeting was very one-sided. Truman excoriated Molotov and his government for breaking promises.
Truman was very proud of himself, and maintained a hard line on communism for the rest of his presidency.
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1954 - Hank Aaron hits his first career home run, playing for the Milwaukee Braves.
He would eventually break Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs. At one point in 1974, Aaron would also become the best-paid MLBer, with a three-year, $600,000 contract.
His career home run record of 755 stood until Barry Bonds Broke it in 2007.
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1967 - A Soviet cosmonaut dies on re-entry to Earth.
Vladimir Komarov was piloting Soyuz I. After a 24-hour mission, he re-entered Earth's atmosphere. A parachute that was supposed to deploy failed, and the capsule crashed into the Earth. The impact was so intense the capsule was flattened, like a pancake.
All that was recovered from Komarov was a heel bone. American intelligence reportedly picked up Kamorov's transmissions as he realized his death was imminent: He used his last breaths and words to curse the government and country that sent him on the doomed flight.
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1969 - Robert F. Kennedy's assassin is sentenced to death.
Sirhan Sirhan shot RFK while he was running for president in June of the previous year.
While Sirhan Sirhan was waiting to be executed, California abolished the death penalty, and his sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972.
He claims to have no memory of the murder, and that his mind was systematically programmed and wiped by members of a larger conspiracy.
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2013 - Hackers gain access to the Associated Press Twitter account, and send a message that the president was injured in explosions at the White House.
Within moments, the Dow Jones started to collapse as the AP scrambled to fix the mess. But the chaos quickly subsided, and the stock market recovered.
In the same week, the Twitter accounts for “60 Minutes” and “48 Hours” were also hacked. The perpetrators were not caught.
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2020 - Ecuador’s COVID-19 death toll is one of the world’s highest per capita.
By this date, more than 500 people had succumbed to the virus — a number 15 times higher than the official count.
The country’s death rate was three times what it normally is.
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BIRTHDAYS
Prince Louis - son of Will & Kate - 6
Teagan Croft - actress, “Titans” - 20
Chloe Kim - snowboarder - 24
Gigi Hadid - model - 29
Dev Patel - actor, “Slumdog Millionaire” - 34
Taio Cruz - pop singer - 39
Jesse Lee Soffer - actor, “Chicago P.D.” - 40
John Cena - wrestler & actor - 47
Aaron Dessner - songwriter, co-wrote Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” - 48
George Lopez - comedian & actor - 63
Valerie Bertinelli - actress, “Hot in Cleveland” - 64
Michael Moore - director - 70
Born On This Date
Roy Orbison - rock singer - 1936 (d. 1988)
Shirley Temple - actress, “Curly Top” & “Heidi” - 1928 (d. 2014)
William Shakespeare - playwright - 1564 (d. 1616)
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