4/8/2022: Elon Musk Invokes Fear in Twitter-ers
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4/8/2022: Elon Musk Invokes Fear in Twitter-ers
PLUS: Old Bird, Rihanna’s Billions, and Royal Popularity Poll
Today is Friday, April 8, 2022.
It is the 98th day of the year.
267 days remain.
TRENDING
#OpeningDay2022 was trending Thursday as fans celebrated the return of baseball. It was also #NationalBeerDay.
In honor of World Health Day yesterday, Twitter users suggested ways to get and stay healthy.
Golf legend Tiger Woods was trending as he returned to the green for the first time yesterday — 13 months after his devastating car accident.
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HIT LIST
The New York Times reports that Russian forces have been using a terrifying new landmine.
Rather than triggering when it’s stepped on, it detects footsteps from a small distance, then triggers a projectile into the air that explodes with shrapnel to increase the casualties.
MEANWHILE: The United Nations has voted to temporarily suspend Russia from its Human Rights Commission.
ALSO: Despite multinational sanctions imposed on Russia, the ruble appears to be thriving. Bloomberg notes that the ruble has returned to its pre-invasion level, and adds that the sanctions “are largely toothless if foreigners keep guzzling Russian oil and natural gas -- supporting the ruble by stocking Putin’s coffers.”
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Twitter employees drunk on power silencing political opponents are filling their drawers over fears Elon Musk’s newfound influence will change how they do business.
Reuters reports there are four employees who “were concerned about Musk's ability to influence the company's policies on abusive users and harmful content.”
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Never let your parents tell you that you can’t make money playing video games.
Video game producer Blizzard says it’s hiring more than one thousand game testers full-time, who will make at least $20 an hour plus benefits.
But it’s not all beneficence: The company is likely making the switch as California laws tighten contracted labor laws, which have had a huge impact on rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft.
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Researchers believe they’ve found the fossil of a dinosaur that was killed directly as a result of the meteor that ultimately wiped out the species entirely.
One natural history professor from the University of Manchester described the find in highly scientific terms, saying, “It’s absolutely bonkers.”
That the fossil of the dinosaur’s femur was in such perfect condition and that it was surrounded by debris related to the meteor impact make the researchers so confident in their find. It was found in North Dakota and is believed to be 66 million years old.
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A turkey in Pennsylvania is baffling wildlife officials: It’s believed to be 12 years old – a remarkable accomplishment for an animal that typically only lives three years.
The turkey was first tagged as part of a research program over a decade ago.
BY THE WAY: The world record for oldest turkey is 15 years.
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CHARTS
New to Amazon Prime:
All The Old Knives (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%)
New to Disney+:
Chasing Mavericks (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 33%)
New to HBO Max:
The Night House (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%)
New to Hulu:
Let the Right One In (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%)
American Sicario (Rotten Tomatoes Score: Not Rated)
New to Netflix:
Dancing On Glass (Rotten Tomatoes Score: Not Rated)
Metal Lords (Rotten Tomatoes Score: Not Rated)
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DEATHS
RAE ALLEN has died.
The actress, known for her roles in “A League Of Their Own” and “The Sopranos,” passed away Tuesday in her sleep. Her talent manager confirmed the news of her death to PEOPLE, saying it is believed she passed of natural causes.
She was 95.
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BREAKUPS
Comedian KENAN THOMPSON, 43, and his wife CHRISTINA EVANGELINE, 33, are calling it quits after 11 years of marriage.
Insiders told TMZ the couple have been separated for over a year with him working and living in Los Angeles and Christina in NYC. They have been successfully co-parenting their two daughters.
For now, neither have officially filed for divorce.
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RELATIONSHIPS
AVRIL LAVIGNE, 37, is engaged to her boyfriend MOD SUN, 35.
The singer confirmed that her musician beau popped the question last month in front of the Eiffel Tower.
The pair have been dating since January 2021.
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SICK BAY
SARAH JESSICA PARKER has covid.
Her diagnosis forced Thursday night’s performance of “Plaza,” the Broadway play she stars in opposite her husband MATTHEW BRODERICK, to be canceled.
Broderick tested positive for the virus earlier this week.
No word on their symptoms.
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NANCY PELOSI has covid.
She is asymptomatic, which she credits to being fully vaccinated and boosted.
WORTH NOTING: She was in close contact with PRESIDENT BIDEN on Wednesday.
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THE SWAMP
Judge KETANJI BROWN JACKSON has been confirmed by the Senate to join the Supreme Court – but it’ll be a while before she sits on the bench.
Justice STEPHEN BREYER, whose retirement triggered this whole process, won’t formally step down until later this year.
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And now, a well-crafted argument that proves President JOE BIDEN is a liar.
Here’s Biden during a debate with former PRESIDENT TRUMP in 2020 concretely declaring, “My son has not made money in terms of – this thing about, what are you talking about? – China.”
Biden has also said, and White House Media Commissar JEN PSAKI said as recently as Tuesday, that Biden and his son have never discussed business deals.
BUT WAIT: Emails from Hunter’s laptop show him asking a landlord for copies of keys to be assigned specifically to JOE BIDEN, JILL BIDEN, and JAMES BIDEN, the president’s brother.
IT GETS WORSE: Other emails show separate business agreements between Chinese firms and Hunter and James. James received $780,000 through 2018 from a Chinese firm directly connected to the Chinese Communist Party. From that same company, Hunter received $1.7 million through 2018.
IT GETS EVEN WORSE: The contracts for these payments don’t even specify what services Hunter or Jim were to provide.
Q.E.D.: Maybe Joe Biden didn’t talk about business with his son. But it’s a lie to say his son has never had business dealings with China. And playing ignorance would be a literally unbelievable stretch.
WORTH ASKING: Why would Hunter get keys for his dad, stepmom, and uncle, if they never discussed, and did not intend to discuss, business dealings?
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LOTTERY
No winner for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $94 million jackpot or a $59.7 million cash payout.
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No winner for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing. Saturday night’s drawing will be for a $268 million jackpot or a $171.1 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
RIHANNA made her debut on Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List for 2022.
She ranks No. 1,729 on the list with a net worth of $1.7 billion.
WORTH NOTING: She is the highest ranked female musician.
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NFL superstar and Wisconsin native JJ WATT has given one A-list actress some extra motivation.
This week, Watt tweeted “Julia Louis-Dreyfus won 6 consecutive Emmys for Veep and I still think her performance might be underrated.”
In response, Louis-Dreyfus tweeted, “Yeah, but I don’t have 102 sacks. Yet,” referencing Watt’s sack record.
WORTH NOTING: Maybe these two need to collaborate on something.
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Personal items belonging to the late BETTY WHITE are set to go up for auction this fall.
Awards, paintings, scripts, jewelry and red carpet outfits have been put on display at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills.
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LYNNE SPEARS wants her daughter to cover her attorney’s fees.
In court documents obtained by Page Six, Lynne claims she is owed $600,000 from her daughter BRITNEY SPEARS because she aided in ending the conservatorship.
Lynne’s lawyers argue that the only reason she even has the fees is because Britney begged her to “save her from the incredibly abusive actor of her father” JAMIE SPEARS.
Brit’s lawyer filed papers saying his client has “objected” to giving any money to Lynne.
A hearing on the matter is set for July 20.
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Presale tickets for Marvel flick “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” set a new Fandango record.
The ticket purchasing site reports that the movie’s initial 24-hour period of sales topped Warner Bros. “The Batman.” Exact figures were not revealed.
The movie hits theaters on May 6.
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CASTING CALL
British actress TALISA GARCIA is the first known openly trans actor that has been cast by Disney in a Lucasfilm production.
She will play a Queen in the anticipated Disney+ series “Willow.”
The series is a spinoff of the 1980s fantasy classic.
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More performers have been added to the 2022 CMT Music Awards lineup.
JASON ALDEAN will hit the stage alongside BRYAN ADAMS, while JIMMIE ALLEN and MONICA perform with LITTLE BIG TOWN.
WALKER HAYES and THOMAS RHETT will sing with RILEY GREEN.
The awards show, hosted by KELSEA BALLERINI and ANTHONY MACKIE, will air live on April 11.
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KELLY RIPA will host “Generation Gap” for ABC.
The game show — created by JIMMY KIMMEL and MARK BURNETT — is a comedy quiz show that groups family members of different generations who must work together to answer questions about each other’s generations.
The show is set to premiere on July 7.
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FOX has renewed “The Cleaning Lady.”
The series stars ELODIE YUNG as Thony, a doctor who comes to the US for medical treatment for her son. When the system fails her, she becomes a cleaning lady for the mob.
The first season of the show was the network’s highest-rated drama premiere in two years and Hulu’s most-streamed FOX debut in the network’s history.
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“Judge Steve Harvey” and “Bachelor In Paradise” have been renewed at ABC.
The former will get a second season, while the latter will move forward with its eighth season.
A host has not yet been announced for “BIP.”
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CHRISTINA HALL’s HGTV show “Christina on the Coast” is getting a spinoff series based in Tennessee.
“Christina in the Country” has been given a six-episode order by the network, following the end of her other home renovation show “Flip or Flop.”
The spinoff show will follow Christina as she expands her design business across the country and puts down roots in her second home on a Tennessee farm.
It is slated to air later this year.
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Bravo has put the kibosh on reality series “Shahs of Sunset” after nine seasons.
Sources close to the show told Page Six that the decision was made because “production has become too expensive.”
However, Bravo is in the early stages of a new project featuring some of the OG cast, according to the sources.
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COURT CASES
Still no verdict in the case involving three men who plotted to kidnap Michigan governor GRETCHEN WHITMER.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KANYE WEST’s decision to bail on his headlining performance at Coachella cost him big bucks.
Insiders told Page Six that Ye was set to earn $8 million for his 2-weekend-long gig. The festival was also pitching in $500,000 in production costs.
As previously reported, THE WEEKND and SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA have filled the vacant spot.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE HARRY’s popularity in the UK has dropped by 35 points since marrying MEGHAN MARKLE, according to a new survey by IPSOS.
Reasons for the decline are likely due to several factors, a royal insider told Newsweek, starting with him leaving the UK in 2020. Then the bombshell interview with OPRAH WINFREY, followed by Harry not returning for PRINCE PHILIP’s memorial service.
The survey, which was taken at the end of March, also found that only 30% of respondents view the Royal Family favorably, while 43% find them unfavorable.
MEANWHILE: PRINCE WILLIAM and KATE MIDDLETON have increased in favorability. They stand at 64% and 60%, respectively. QUEEN ELIZABETH remains the favorite with 69%.
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SPORTS
FLOYD MAYWEATHER is heading back to the boxing ring.
The 45-year-old undefeated fighter will take on “Dangerous” DON MOORE in an eight-round exhibition fight on May 14.
The event, dubbed The Global Titans Fight Series, will take place on a helicopter landing pad in Dubai.
It will be Mayweather’s first time back in the ring since boxing YouTuber LOGAN PAUL last spring.
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LIST OF THE WEEK
2022 Top 10 US Billionaires:
(Courtesy of Forbes)
Elon Musk — $282.6 billion
Jeff Bezos — $184 billion
Bill Gates — $134.4 billion
Warren Buffett — $125.4 billion
Larry Page — $116 billion
6. Larry Ellison — $114.3 billion
Sergey Brin — $111.4 billion
Steve Ballmer — $97.4 billion
Michael Bloomberg — $82 billion
Mark Zuckerberg — $79.8 billion
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National All Is Ours Day
National Empanada Day
National Zoo Lovers Day
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ON THIS DATE
563 BC – Buddhists celebrate this date as Buddha's birthday.
Gautama Buddha is believed to have been born a prince of the Sakya people, situated near Nepal and India. But after a trip into the real world, where he found pain, death, and hardship among the people, he took to a more religious life.
In the years that followed he sought complete enlightenment -- or nirvana -- and established the religious tenets of modern Buddhism.
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1935 – Congress green-lights the Works Progress Administration as part of FDR's New Deal.
For 8 years the organization coordinated 8.5 million workers across 1.4 million public projects.
These "workers" also included students and artists who won federal grants to study -- which had little immediate impact on unemployment.
That same day the president was authorized to allocate $5 million at his discretion for additional work relief programs. That money was used in part to also create the Public Works Administration.
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1974 – Hank Aaron beats Babe Ruth's career home run record with his 715th.
He accomplished the feat in his last year with the Atlanta Braves, before he returned to Milwaukee as a Brewer for the final season of his career.
He would become an MLB Hall of Famer in 1982.
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1994 – Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain is found dead in his Seattle home.
He is believed to have committed suicide three days earlier. The day prior, Courtney Love had filed a Missing Person Report, and told police she thought Cobain might be dangerous.
An electrical inspector stumbled on the body while inspecting the property.
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2005 – Pope John Paull II's funeral draws thousands of mourners and dignitaries from around the world.
It is believed to have been the largest gathering of world leaders in one spot ever, surpassing the state funeral for Winston Churchill in 1965.
The leaders were arranged in alphabetical order, based on the French spelling of the country's name. This put the Israeli president two seats down from the President of Iran. The funeral also drew in the President of Taiwan -- but the Chi-coms never got an invitation.
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2019 - Actress Allison Mack pleads guilty to sex-trafficking charges for her involvement in the alleged sex cult NXIVM (pronounced NEX-ee-um).
Mack, known best for her role in “Smallville,” wept as she admitted her crimes and apologized to the women she manipulated into becoming sex slaves for Keith Raniere, the group’s spiritual leader.
NXIVM, a purported self-help group, was actually a cover to lure women who were then branded with Raniere’s initials and coerced into having sex with him.
At one point there were reportedly over 18,000 members of the group.
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BIRTHDAYS
Busby Quintuplets - reality stars, “Outdaughtered” - 7
Skai Jackson - actress, “Jessie” & “The Smurfs” - 20
CeeDee Lamb - football player - 23
Tyler Shaw - pop singer - 29
Shelby Young - actress, “Days of Our Lives” - 30
Dej Loaf - rapper - 31
Matt Healy - rock singer, The 1975 - 33
JR Bourne - actor, “Stargate SG-1” & “Teen Wolf” - 52
Patricia Arquette - actress, “Medium” & “Boyhood” - 54
Robin Wright - actress, “Forrest Gump” & “The Princess Bride” - 56
Vivienne Westwood - fashion designer - 81
Born On This Date
Chris Kyle - Navy SEAL sniper & author - 1974 (d. 2013)
Biz Markie - rapper - 1964 (d. 2021)
Joan Sebastian - world music singer - 1951 (d. 2015)
Betty Ford - former First Lady - 1918 (d. 2011)
Juan Ponce de Leon - Spanish explorer - 1460 (d. 1521)
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