4/29/2022: The Science Did It
Discover more from Morning Martini
4/29/2022: The Science Did It
PLUS: James Cordon Quits, The Draft, and Royal Wealth
Today is Friday, April 29, 2022.
It is the 119th day of the year.
246 days remain.
TRENDING
Draft Day and #NFLDraft were trending on Thursday -- Day 1 of the NFL Draft. Head to Sports for more.
In honor of #NationalSuperheroDay yesterday, some social media users shared their favorite superheroes and/or actors who have played them. Others shared photos of people in their own lives who they consider to be superheroes.
Colin Kaepernick was trending Thursday after the owner of the Las Vegas Raiders said he would “welcome” the controversial QB “with open arms” to his team.
James Cordon landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends yesterday. Head to Casting Call to see why!
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HIT LIST
At least 200 children worldwide have experienced sudden liver disease in recent months, in some cases requiring hospitalization and liver transplants.
Bloomberg reports that lockdown and isolation likely weakened their immune responses to sickness and viruses that they normally would be able to fend off easily.
MEANWHILE: Measles cases are up 79% globally because of delayed vaccinations, because The Science told us not to.
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A Texas farmer and rancher has offered Elon Musk 100 acres of land – for free – north of Austin to move Twitter’s headquarters onto.
Musk moved Tesla’s production HQ to Austin from Palo Alto, California, last year.
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The American economy contracted in its first quarter, a shocking development amid rising prices across the board and a bad sign about the damaging effects of unchecked inflation.
But just one quarter isn’t enough to call it a recession – it would take another quarter to make that designation official.
MEANWHILE: The Russian rouble has not only recovered, but has doubled its value against the Euro since March. So obviously the sanctions are totally working and everything is fine, as most of Europe continues to buy their energy products.
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After ten years, Mexican police are able to close the book on what already appeared to be a very cold case.
In 2012, authorities discovered dozens of human skulls in a cave near its southern border. But a decade later, DNA tests confirm the skulls are hundreds of years old, dating back between the years 900 and 1200. Analysis suggests the remains were part of a mass human sacrifice at the time.
According to reporting, “experts said on Wednesday the victims in the cave had probably been ritually decapitated and the skulls put on display on a kind of trophy rack.”
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“The Science” now says that taking a low-dose aspirin a day isn’t a healthy way to ward off heart attacks.
A report by the U.S. Preventative Studies Task Force says there’s no net benefit to daily use, and actually increases the likelihood of internal bleeding, at least for those 60 and older. For those between 40 and 59, there is a marginal health benefit to daily aspirin use.
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CHARTS
New to Amazon Prime:
I Love America — Rotten Tomatoes Score: Not Rated
New to HBO Max:
House of 1,000 Corpses — Rotten Tomatoes Score: 20%
The Blair Witch Project — Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
The Devil’s Rejects — Rotten Tomatoes Score: 55%
New to Hulu:
Crush — Rotten Tomatoes Score: Not Rated
Permanent — Rotten Tomatoes Score: 44%
New to Netflix:
Rumspringa — Rotten Tomatoes Score: Not Rated
Honeymoon with My Mother — Rotten Tomatoes Score: Not Rated
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DEATHS
KENNETH TSANG has died.
The actor, known for his role in “Rush Hour 2” and “Die Another Day,” was found dead while quarantined at a hotel in China.
Local media outlets reported that Tsang was undergoing the required seven days of quarantining after returning from Singapore. Hotel staff found him lying on the floor in his hotel room on Wednesday.
No cause of death has been released, though it was noted that he tested negative for covid and had no underlying health conditions.
The South China Morning Post said Tsang was 87, but other outlets reported his age at 86.
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SICK BAY
OZZY OSBOURNE, 73, has covid.
His wife, SHARON, announced the diagnosis in a tearful interview on Talk TV.
Just three days into her new talk show, Sharon shared that she will fly back to the US to care for Ozzy, which means putting her show on hold for a bit.
No word on his symptoms.
WORTH NOTING: Ozzy also has Parkinson’s Disease.
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THE SWAMP
Shortly after his inauguration, President JOE BIDEN said he made the same deal with V.P. KAMALA HARRIS as BARACK OBAMA had made with him: drop-in privileges to the Oval Office and executive meetings and, more importantly, a weekly lunch meeting.
So far this year, Harris and Biden have had lunch together twice, RealClearPolitics reports.
In a forthcoming book, two New York Times reporters lament, “their weekly lunches lacked a real depth of personal and political intimacy.”
WORTH NOTING: This is what happens when a dementia patient sits at one end of the table, and an incompetent and unqualified careerist who slept her way into power sits at the other.
MEANWHILE: Watch the leader of the free world try to explain his policy on sanctioning Russian oligarchs:
Twenty-fifth amendment NOW.
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A Morning Consult poll ranks the nation’s most popular governors.
All of the top ten are Republicans, with approvals ranging from 57% to 74%.
BY THE WAY: Wisconsin Governor TONY EVERS, who faces a tough reelection bid, is 46th most popular, or 4th most unpopular, depending on how you want to skin that cat.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $43 million jackpot or a $25.9 million cash payout.
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A winning Powerball ticket was sold in Arizona. The winner can choose between the $473.1 million jackpot or the $283.3 million cash option.
Saturday night’s drawing will be for a $20 million jackpot or a $12 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
These albums drop today:
Action Bronson, “Cocodrillo Turbo”
Bloc Party, “Alpha Games”
Corb Lund, “Songs My Friends Wrote”
Frog Eyes, “The Bees”
Future, “I Never Liked You”
Kahlani, “ Blue Water Road”
Miranda Lambert, “Palomino”
NoCap, “Mr. Crawford”
PJ Morton, “Watch The Sun”
Pooh Shiesty, “Shiesty Season: Certified”
Rammstein, “Zeit”
The Head and the Heart, “Every Shade of Blue”
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KATE HUDSON is working on her first album.
The actress shared two photos of herself on Instagram this week in which she is singing with a band in a rehearsal space. She captioned the pics “Finally realized it’s time to say f#%! it and saaaannngg!!!!”
She did not reveal any other details about her forthcoming music.
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY: Kate’s dad is WILLIAM LOUIS HUDSON JR, who performed in the ’60s, ‘70s and ‘80s alongside his brothers as The Hudson Brothers.
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Actor ALAN CUMMING is offering $10,000 to anyone who has info on his missing chimpanzee pal, Tonka.
The chimp was last seen at a breeding facility in Missouri. After the place abruptly closed, the animals were sold to private owners or rented out for movies and parties, an investigative source told TMZ.
Cumming and Tonka go way back. They starred together in the 1997 comedy, “Buddy.”
PETA also offered up $10,000 for any info leading to Tonka’s whereabouts.
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Investigators who searched A$AP ROCKY’s home found multiple guns -- one of which may or may not have been the gun used in the November shooting he is accused of.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that they will run a ballistics test on all of the weapons to determine if any are hot.
As previously reported, the rapper was arrested last week at LAX after returning from Barbados with a very pregnant RIHANNA.
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HALYNA HUTCHINS’ husband is upset over the release of a video showing the cinematographer shortly after she had been shot.
MATTHEW HUTCHINS’ lawyer sent an email to the Santa Fe County Sheriff who allowed the footage to be released, writing that the family has “been re-victimized” by the video.”
WHAT MAKES IT EVEN MORE DISTURBING: The footage didn’t even have to be released as it is still considered discretionary.
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OLIVIA WILDE was served legal docs in the middle of screening the trailer of her new movie at CinemaCon this week.
The actress was on stage speaking to the crowd when someone came up and placed a manila envelope at her feet. She was photographed picking it up, taking a look inside and then carrying on with her talk.
Deadline reports that the folder contained court papers from Wilde’s ex, JASON SUDEIKIS, regarding custody of their two young kids.
WORTH NOTING: A source close to Sudeikis told TMZ that he had no knowledge of when or where Wilde would be served the papers.
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Director MATT REEVES will give the 2022 commencement address at USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Reeves, who most recently worked on “The Batman” starring ROBERT PATTINSON, graduated from the school in 1988.
SPEAKING OF THE CAPED CRUSADER: Reeves revealed this week that he is directing an untitled sequel to “The Batman.” He is also working on two spinoff series for HBO MAX — “The Penguin” and “Batman: Caped Crusader.”
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CASTING CALL
JAMES CORDON will leave his role as host of “The Late Late Show” at the end of next season, multiple outlets reported yesterday.
The 43-year-old made the decision despite CBS executives who “desperately tried to keep him,” DailyMail.com reported.
The show first premiered in 1995 with host TOM SNYDER. Cordon took over in 2015 following CRAIG KILBORN and CRAIG FERGUSON.
“The Late Late Show” is currently in Season 7.
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TOMMY MOTTOLA is bringing the life of JOHNNY CASH to Broadway.
The working title of the project is “Johnny & June,” referring to the late country singer and his wife, JUNE CARTER CASH.
No word on who will take the roles of Johnny or June.
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BRANDI CARLILE will not be performing at this weekend’s Stagecoach Festival after testing positive for covid.
She was scheduled to perform tonight. Her slot will be filled by TANYA TUCKER.
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GAIUS CHARLES has joined the cast of “The Walking Dead” spinoff series “Isle of the Dead.”
He will play Izaak, a family man devoted to building a safe world for his family.
Charles joins previously announced LAUREN COHAN and JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN, who starred in the original series, and are the focal point of the spinoff.
“Isle of the Dead” follows Maggie (Cohan) and Negan (Morgan) as they travel through a post-apocalyptic Manhattan. The crumbling city is filled with the dead, who have made NYC their own world full of anarchy and terror, per the official description.
The six-episode series will launch on AMC in 2023.
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HARRY CONNICK JR., MIRA SORVINO and ALI FUMIKO WHITNEY are set to star in “The Islander.”
The rom-com follows has-been musician (Connick Jr.) who moves to a remote cliffside home on an island, only to discover his new home has unfortunate notoriety, Deadline reports.
Filming begins next month. A premiere date has not been announced.
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COURT CASES
AMBER HEARD was called out in court on Thursday for not following through on a charity donation.
When Heard and JOHNNY DEPP finalized their divorce in 2016, the actress received a $7 million payout — which she promised to donate evenly between the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and ACLU over 10 years.
Her pledge was brought up in court this week, with ACLU’s COO Terence Dougherty saying the non-profit received four donations in Heard’s name totaling only $1.3 million before they stopped in 2019.
Dougherty says Heard gave them $350,000 directly, while Depp wrote them a check for $100,000. The other payments included $500,000 from a donor-advised fund through Vanguard and a $350,000 fund from Fidelity.
The COO explained that he believes the $500,000 payment was actually from a fund set up by ELON MUSK, whom Heard dated after splitting from Depp.
IT GETS WEIRDER: The doorman who worked at the building Depp and Heard lived at during their marriage appeared in court Thursday via a pre-recorded video. In the clip he was not only driving, but also vaping as he talked. The judge, who admitted to never seeing something like it before, shook her head in bewilderment.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
ROB KARDASHIAN dropped a bombshell when he took the stand this week in the case between his family and ex-fiance BLAC CHYNA.
Rob testified that he “never loved” Chyna, even during their short engagement.
He also revealed that she beat him at least five times over the course of their relationship and held a gun to his head several times.
All of the KarJenners have taken the stand, except for KOURTNEY and KENDALL, who are not expected to appear at the hearing.
As previously reported, Chyna is suing the family for $100 million, alleging they canceled her show “Rob & Chyna,” causing her to lose out on a ton of money.
Closing arguments took place Thursday afternoon.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING FELIPE VI of Spain revealed this week that he has an individual net worth of $2.8 million.
Broken down, that is $2.4 million in securities and bank savings, and another $325,000 tied up in art, antiques and jewelry.
Felipe made the financial disclosure hours before the Spanish government announced a new law ordering the Royal Family to publish quarterly financial statements.
WORTH REMEMBERING: Felipe’s father, KING EMERITUS JUAN CARLOS I, has been living in self-imposed exile in the United Arab Emirates since August 2020 following multiple allegations of tax fraud and money laundering. That situation likely played a major role in the new law.
WORTH NOTING: The amount is just a fraction of QUEEN ELIZABETH’s net worth, which is estimated at around $461 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
ROYAL WEALTH: Head to List of The Week to see how other Royal Families (as a whole) compare when it comes to wealth
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SPORTS
With the first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected TRAVON WALKER from Georgia.
He is the first Georgia Bulldog to be selected first since MATTHEW STAFFORD in 2009.
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LIST OF THE WEEK
Top 10 Wealthiest Royal Families:
(Courtesy of BuyShares)
10. Liechtenstein — $4.4 billion
9. Morocco — $8.2 billion
8. Dubai — $18 billion
7. Brunei — $28 billion
6. Thailand — $60 billion
5. British — $88 billion
4. Abu Dhabi — $150 billion
3. Qatar — $335 billion
2. Kuwait — $360 billion
1. Saudi Arabia — $1.4 trillion
WORTH NOTING: These 10 control an estimated $2.4 trillion between them.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Historic Marker Day
National Peace Rose Day
National Shrimp Scampi Day
National Zipper Day
National Arbor Day
National Hairball Awareness Day
National Poem In Your Pocket Day
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ON THIS DATE
1974 – President Nixon announces that audio tapes relevant to the Watergate investigation would be released to the public.
The administration redacted discussions not relevant to the hearings or investigations, claiming executive privilege.
Nixon maintained his ignorance of the Watergate hotel break-ins throughout calls for his impeachment. But a "smoking gun" tape was later released that recorded Nixon ordering the FBI to stop its investigation.
On August 8 that year he would resign, but would later be pardoned by President Ford. Nixon is the first and only president to resign from office.
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1986 – Roger Clemens records 20 strikeouts in a single 9-inning game.
Pitching for the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Clemens broke the 19-strikeout record set by Steve Carlton in 1969. He would duplicate the feat in 1996.
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1992 – Four police officers accused of using excessive force to subdue Rodney King following a high-speed car chase one year earlier are acquitted.
The outcome of the racially-fueled trial immediately sparked riots throughout Los Angeles. A white truck driver was pulled from his semi cab and beaten within inches of his life by angry protesters.
The riots continued overnight and throughout the next day. Helicopter footage captured much of the chaos -- and the police standing by while it happened.
The four cops would stand trial again in August, charged with violating King's civil rights.
Two were acquitted again, and two others were sent to prison. King would receive a $3.8 million payout, then sue his lawyer for the attorney fees that had been awarded -- which was dismissed.
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2004 – The World War II monument is opened to the public in Washington D.C.
The memorial sits between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial along the National Mall. A massive fountain and pool lies in the center, surrounded by granite arches dedicated to the different theaters of war.
The entire project cost nearly $180 million. Bob Dole and Tom Hanks were two of the principal lobbyists who raised money for it.
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2011 – Prince William marries commoner Kate Middleton.
More than 1,900 gathered for the ceremony, and an estimated 2 billion people watched around the world.
The couple dated for eight years before finally getting engaged in 2010.
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2018 - “The Simpsons” surpasses “Gunsmoke” to become the longest running primetime scripted series.
“Gunsmoke” held the record with 635 episodes.
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BIRTHDAYS
Mallory Pugh - soccer player - 24
Katherine Langford - actress, “13 Reasons Why” - 26
Candace Owens - conservative commentator - 33
Jonathan Toews - hockey player - 34
Jay Cutler - football player - 39
Titus O’Neil - wrestler - 45
Erica Campbell - gospel singer - 50
Uma Thurman - actress, “Pulp Fiction” & “Chambers” - 52
Master P - rapper - 52
Michelle Pfeiffer - actress, “Batman Returns” & “Hairspray” - 64
Daniel Day-Lewis - actor, “Lincoln” & “Gangs of New York” - 65
Leslie Jordan - actor, “Will & Grace” & “The Cool Kids” - 67
Jerry Seinfeld - comedian - 68
Willie Nelson - country singer - 89
Born On This Date
Dale Earnhardt - race car driver - 1951 (d. 2001)
Duke Ellington - pianist - 1889 (d. 1974)
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