4/24/2024: Sir, Have You Been Drinking?
PLUS: SBF Strikes Back; Diamond for “Diamonds”; and Podcast on Ice
Today is Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
It is the 115th day of the year.
251 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A local government burns cash and the people of Ecuador vote for safety. Details in HIT LIST.
ALEC BALDWIN gets harassed by another anti-Israel protester and MORGAN FREEMAN praises ELON MUSK. More in SHOWBIZ.
MADONNA has a “Deadpool” connection. Details in CASTING CALL.
Find out what YE wants to do with MICHELLE OBAMA in KARDASH.
Being a multimedia mogul sure is hard work for MEGHAN MARKLE. Details in ROYALS
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HIT LIST
As SAM BANKMAN-FRIED settles into his 25-year prison sentence and prepares an appeal of his guilty verdict, he still has other lawsuits to contend with connected to the collapse of FTX.
In particular, SBF and a slate of celebrities who endorsed the crypto exchange face a class action lawsuit blaming them for a collective $11 BILLION in customer losses. The roster of defendants include STEPH CURRY, SHAQ, NAOMI OSAKA, LARRY DAVID, TOM BRADY, and GISELLE BUNCHDEN.
But on Friday, SBF filed paperwork indicating he would cooperate with those bringing the lawsuit in exchange for dropping civil liability claims against him.
SBF has publicly committed to do what he can to help customers get their money back. The ongoing bankruptcy has clawed back billions of dollars that were misspent – but lawyers and the federal government will need to get paid first. Fortunately, the value of Bitcoin has practically doubled, depending on the day, since FTX’s initial collapse. [via The Independent]
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TELL ME THIS ISN’T A GOVERNMENT OPERATION: The city of Santa Monica, California, is tackling homelessness in the community by throwing money at it.
The city has approved funds for a 122-unit apartment complex to provide housing for those without a place to live – to the tune of $123 MILLION. Some quick math shows that’s just over $1 MILLION PER APARTMENT.
IT GETS WORSE: Construction isn’t scheduled to begin until 2028 and it won’t be ready until 2030. [via City of Santa Monica]
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In January, drug kingpin ADOLFO “FITO” MACIAS mysteriously escaped from a prison in Ecuador, triggering a nationwide gang revolt and weeks of dangerous violence. Since then, President DANIEL NABOA has invoked emergency powers to deploy the military to aid police in cracking down on the chaos.
On Sunday, voters in Ecuador codified the measures that Naboa instituted by decree, quelling concerns he would use the crisis as a power grab. By overwhelming margins, voters approved measures to involve the military in police enforcement, make sentences for terrorism and drug trafficking more severe, and to allow law enforcement to use weapons seized from gangs for themselves. [via WSJ]
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While Buy Now, Pay Later checkout options have grown in popularity, the finance companies sponsoring the scheme do not report customer data to credit rating bureaus like other financial institutions typically do.
The New York Times reports that these BNPL firms are considering establishing their own credit bureau between themselves to consider how to handle loans to customers.
Typical credit reporting dings a customer for every open account. So while a credit card balance is one revolving loan, each BNPL purchase counts as its own loan and would more negatively impact the typical customer’s credit.
APPLE’s own “Pay Later” product agreed in February to report its loans to major bureaus, but its financing is typically for more expensive products like laptops, not the smaller-dollar purchases financed by BNPL offers. [via NYT]
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A 40-year-old Belgian man had his drunk driving charges dropped after proving that he suffers from auto-brewery syndrome.
According to Medical News Today, the syndrome, also called gut fermentation syndrome, is a rare condition in which an overgrowth of fungi in the gut turns carbs and sugars into alcohol. Only 20 people in the world have been diagnosed with the condition, though medical professionals believe it is underdiagnosed.
A Florida man named Mark Mongiardo also suffers from the syndrome, which he was diagnosed with after getting fired from his teaching job for reeking of alcohol. [via The Guardian, Medical News Today]
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BREAKUPS
Football player DARREN WALLER and basketball player KELSEY PLUM have jointly filed for divorce after only a year of marriage.
He’s 31 and she’s 29.
On Instagram, Plum told followers that she is “devastated,” writing that she has “walked through fire for [Waller], but now [sees] it’s time to go.”
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 263 points (0.69%) to close at 38,503 on Tuesday. The S&P added 59 points (1.2%) to close at 5,070 and the NASDAQ increased 245 points (1.59%) to close at 15,696.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $83; BRENT CRUDE at $87.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.66 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN slid on the day, trading around $66,400.
🛩 There were more than 1,770 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 60 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $129 million jackpot or a $59.6 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
RIHANNA’s 2012 hit “Diamonds” is now diamond certified by the Recording Industry Association of America after hitting 10 million equivalent song units.
According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams.
The track is RiRi’s third song to achieve diamond status, following 2010’s “Love the Way You Lie” and 2011’s “We Found Love.” [via Billboard]
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ALEC BALDWIN got harassed by another anti-Israel protester in NYC, but this time the person also threw in shots about his upcoming manslaughter trial.
A woman approached the actor at a coffee shop and started recording him on her cell phone, calling him a “[effing] criminal” and asking why he hasn’t served any jail time for killing “Rust” cinematographer HALYNA HUTCHINS. Baldwin did his best to ignore the woman, until she started yelling at him to say, “Free Palestine” and “[eff] Israel,” at which point he showed her the door.
Refusing to leave, Baldwin asked an employee to call the cops and then slapped the woman’s phone out of her hands.
It is unclear if anything happened after that or if there will be any fallout for the woman or Baldwin. [via TMZ]
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Julien’s Auctions is selling the Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar that JOHN LENNON used while recording the BEATLES’ 1965 album, “Help!”
The guitar, described as “one of the most historically important Beatles guitars in rock history,” is expected to fetch up to $800,000 in next month’s auction. [via Daily Mail]
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In her memoir, “Rebel Rising,” REBEL WILSON writes about the time she was invited to an event by an unnamed British royal in 2014.
After enjoying herself for a while at the shindig, Wilson notes that things took a turn when a tray of molly was being offered to partygoers. When she asked about the drug, a fellow guest told her it was “for the orgy.” All of a sudden the fact that there were significantly more women than men in attendance made sense to Wilson.
“Needless to say, I hike up my damsel dress and run out of there as fast as I can,” she wrote. [via People]
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CHRIS PRATT and KATHERINE SCHWARZENEGGER tore down what many are calling an architectural masterpiece in L.A.’s Brentwood neighborhood in order to build their 15,000-square-foot mansion.
Critics shared their disappointment over the demolition, asking why the couple couldn’t have settled on a different property.
Designed by renowned architect Craig Ellwood, with landscaping completed by Garrett Eckbo, the Zimmerman home was featured in Progressive Architecture magazine. Also, despite being identified as a potentially historic home by the city’s SurveyLA program, there were not enough safeguards in place to stop it from being torn down.
The home sits across the street from Schwarzenegger’s mom, MARIA SHRIVER’s property, which was likely a huge draw for the couple. [via NY Post]
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KYLIE KELCE says she had husband JASON KELCE’s retirement gift in the works for over two years.
When speculation first arose that the Eagles center was contemplating retiring, Kylie got in touch with artist Dana Theobald to create a wooden model of Lincoln Financial Stadium, with a plaque featuring Jason’s No. 62, his six First Team All-Pro honors, seven Pro Bowl honors and 2018’s Super Bowl LII victory.
As many know, Jason made the decision to retire after this past season, but will remain a fixture in the league as he cheers on younger brother TRAVIS KELCE. [via ET]
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MORGAN FREEMAN is a “huge fan” of ELON MUSK.
In a recent CNBC interview, the actor spoke about how impressed he is with Musk and his “forward-thinking ideas about where we can go technologically,” specifically in relation to space.
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JELLY ROLL is taking a break from social media after being bullied about his weight.
His wife, BUNNIE XO, addressed his absence on her “Dumb Blonde” podcast, saying he is “so tired of being bullied about his [effing] weight.” She then segwayed into discussing how cyberbullying can affect people, urging her listeners to think twice before leaving hateful comments online.
When (or if) JR decides to return to social media he may do so with a new svelte figure as he has been spending his free time training for an upcoming 5k by running two to three miles a day. He is also eating a lot more healthy. [via Page Six]
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CASTING CALL
A NSFW trailer of Marvel’s forthcoming film “Deadpool & Wolverine” features MADONNA’s 1989 hit “Like a Virgin.”
The track plays in the background as fight scenes, drug references, Deadpool crashing through the fourth wall and a serenade of f-bombs plays across the screen.
The movie, starring RYAN RENOYLDS and HUGH JACKMAN as the titular characters, respectively, hits theaters this July. It is the third in the “Deadpool” series.” [via Billboard]
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MILA KINIS and ASHTON KUTCHER will not appear in Season 2 of “That ‘90s Show.”
When asked by ET if she and her husband would return to the Netflix series, Kunis simply replied, “No.”
The real-life married couple play the parents of Jay Kelso, played by MACE CORONEL, reprising their roles from “That ‘70s Show.” [via ET]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE wants to have a threesome with his wife BIANCA CENSORI and former First Lady MICHELLE OBAMA.
He dropped the bomb during a recent interview on JUSTIN LABOY’s podcast.
It’s unclear if Ye said it as a dig to former president BARACK OBAMA, with whom he has had an icy relationship with over the years. Regardless, the question and answer is simply TMI. [via TMZ]
ON THAT NOTE: Ye says he wants to get into the porn business and has been “kicking around the idea of launching his own pornography studio and brand.” [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
For those who can’t get enough of MEGHAN MARKLE’s cultural takes and observations, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer for the return of her podcast.
After SPOTIFY pulled the plug on the production deal for her “Archetypes” show, which delivered 12 hour-long episodes, Markle teamed up with a small podcast production team at Lemonada Media to give it a new life.
That new life is on hold, with the reps for Lemonada saying the relaunch won’t happen until some time next year over “scheduling conflict” concerns as Markle and PRINCE HARRY ramp up video production on new programs for NETFLIX. [via The Sun]
WORTH ASKING: She doesn’t have three hours a week to prepare and conduct an interview with someone? It’s not like she’s personally sitting down and researching her guests. Plus, she sits and talks about herself anyway! Is being perpetually outraged, affronted, and victimized really so taxing?
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Scream Day
World Day for Animals in Laboratories
National Skipping Day
National Administrative Professionals Day
Denim Day
Help Animals Day
International Guide Dog Day
National Pig in a Blanket Day
Stop Food Waste Day
Firefly Day
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ON THIS DATE
1800 - President John Adams signs off on spending $5,000 on what would become the Library of Congress.
It was intended to house reference materials for legislators while writing laws.
At first, the collection resided in the Capitol. The first catalog was from April 1802, and lists 964 volumes and 9 maps.
When the British invaded again in 1814, they torched the Capitol, taking the books with it.
Thomas Jefferson later substituted the books with works from his own collection.
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1863 - Union soldiers are first required to adhere to a strict code of conduct.
It applied to how officers and soldiers should treat Confederate prisoners and civilians.
Union army leaders drew from European nations for inspiration.
They were called the General Orders Number 100. The guidelines outlined procedures for dealing with surrenders, prisoner exchanges, and flags of truce.
Many of the guidelines were later applied to the Geneva Convention.
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1916 - The Irish Republican Brotherhood launched what became known as the "Easter Rebellion," a backlash against the British who were occupying Ireland.
Patrick Pearse was the group's fearless leader.
The revolt was successful, after capturing a smattering of British headquarters across the Irish island. Afterward, they proclaimed Ireland free from British rule.
It didn't last long. The Brits regained control a week later.
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1922 - The first man in Australia is executed for a crime prosecuted using forensic evidence.
Detective work led investigators to a man named Colin Ross, based on eyewitness accounts of area prostitutes.
While rudimentary blood work was useful at the time for investigating crimes, there was no blood on the murdered girl's body. When cops arrived at Ross's home, they took hair samples from a blanket, and matched them against those from the victim.
At the trial, the defense insisted a scientist swear under oath that the samples matched. The plan backfired, and the witness said the hairs found in Ross' apartment indeed belonged to the girl.
By today's scientific standards, Ross would most definitely be found not guilty, however.
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1967 - General William Westmoreland publicly blames anti-war hippies for the communists' successes in the Vietnam War.
He said that 95 percent of Americans supported the effort, but a vocal 5 percent made the most noise.
This caused even more rioting and protesting by those seeking to discredit the American war effort in Vietnam, proving Westmoreland's point about people rioting and protesting to discredit the American war effort in Vietnam.
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2018 - The Golden State Serial Killer is identified after 40 years.
James DeAngelo, 72, a former police officer, is arrested for 12 killings and 50 rapes in California during the 1970s and ‘80s. The break in the case came after authorities were able to get a sample of DNA from an item discarded by DeAngelo, which matched several samples that had been taken from his victims.
The following year he would plead guilty to 13 counts of first degree murder, as well as 13 counts of kidnapping and be sentenced to multiple consecutive life sentences.
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BIRTHDAYS
Ryan Whitney Newman - actress, “See Dad Run” & “The Thundermans” - 26
Kehlani - R&B singer - 29
Jordan Fisher - actor, “Live and Maddie” - 30
Ashe - pop singer - 31
Jack Quaid - son of Dennis & actor, “The Hunger Games” - 32
Joe Kerry - actor, “Stranger Things” - 32
Leah Messer - reality star, “Teen Mom” - 32
Carly Pearce - country singer - 34
Kellin Quinn - rock singer, Sleeping with Sirens - 38
Travis Clark - rock singer, We The Kings - 39
Kelly Clarkson - pop singer & talk show host - 42
Danny Gokey - country singer - 44
Austin Nichols - actor, “One Tree Hill” & “The Day After Tomorrow” - 44
Rebecca Mader - actress, “Lost” - 47
Chipper Jones - baseball player - 52
Cedric the Entertainer - actor, “The Neighborhood” - 60
Jean Paul Gaultier - fashion designer - 72
Phil Robertson - reality star, “Duck Dynasty” - 78
Barbra Streisand - pop singer - 82
Shirley MacLaine - actress, “The Last Word” & “Noelle” - 90
Born On This Date
Lou Thesz - wrestler - 1916 (d. 2002)
Mike Michalske - football player - 1903 (d. 1983)
John Russell Pope - architect, designed the Jefferson Memorial - 1874 (d. 1937)
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