5/11/2023: You’re Pulling My Leg!
PLUS: Border Support, Sorta; Beyonce Takes “Renaissance” to Sweden; and Working Royals Roster
Today is Thursday, May 11, 2023.
It is the 131st day of the year.
234 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
BURGER KING has entered the “Spider-verse” and a Utah mom is accused of murdering her husband after writing a book about missing him. More in HIT LIST.
SHAKIRA fans don’t want her to date TOM CRUISE and IMAGINE DRAGONS performed for striking writers. More in SHOWBIZ.
“Beetlejuice 2” gets a premiere date and familiar faces will appear in Season 2 of “And Just Like That…”. More in CASTING CALL.
A Royal hires KIM KARDASHIAN’s former body guard. More in KARDASH.
Get the current official “Working Royals” lineup in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
DISNEY reported that despite losing 4 million customers on its streaming service, they closed their operating deficit thanks to increased subscription prices.
Overall the company was buoyed by increased revenue at its theme parks.
Disney is also in the midst of massive layoffs, which has helped bolster its bottom line. By the end of a major restructuring effort, a total of 7,000 people are expected to be reduced from the employee headcount. [via CNBC]
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The 550 Army soldiers deployed to the southern border amid the expiration of Title 42 will perform “data entry and warehouse support,” CNN reports.
The Pentagon makes clear, “They will not be conducting any type of law enforcement activities.
On Monday and Tuesday this week, more than 10,000 migrants crossed the border each day and were processed by customs and border officials. [via CNN]
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A Utah mom who wrote a children’s book about grief after her husband died last year is now accused of murdering him.
Thirty-three-year-old Kouri Richins was arrested this week on charges of aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Prosecutors believe Kouri poisoned her husband Eric Richins with a lethal dose of fentanyl, which she put in his Moscow Mule. She claims to have found her husband unresponsive in their bedroom.
An autopsy revealed that he had “five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl in his system.” It was noted that the fentanyl was “illicit” and “not medical-grade.”
Her book, titled “Are You With Me?,” which she dedicated to her “amazing husband,” has been removed from shelves. [via NBC News]
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BURGER KING is releasing a new red bun Whopper topped with black sesame seeds in honor of the upcoming Marvel flick “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
According to the fast food chain, the “Spider-Verse” Whopper is “flame grilled, and topped with melted Swiss cheese” along with all the traditional toppings, including tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, pickles, and onions. There is an option to add bacon too.
For dessert, BK is offering a “Spider-Verse” sundae, which is ice cream topped with black and red chocolate candies.
The movie-themed meal will be available from May 15 through June 21. The new movie hits theaters on June 2. [via USA Today]
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A Missouri man says AMERICAN AIRLINES lost his specially tailored prosthetic limb and is now refusing to cover the cost of a new one.
Michael Williams says he handed an airline worker a suitcase marked “FRAGILE” that contained his leg before boarding his flight, but when he ultimately arrived home in St. Louis it was missing.
Williams says he followed the airline’s reimbursement protocol for lost items, but all he got was a $600 check for his lost clothing. After continuing to ask for an update about the leg, Williams says he was told by American Airlines that he “didn’t have enough proof or evidence for the leg.”
He has since hired a lawyer to fight the airline. [via Fox2Now]
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BREAKUPS
Musician LIAM PAYNE has split from girlfriend, model KATE CASSIDY.
The couple, who dated for about 10 months, had been living together at his London home, but Kate has since moved back to the states, according to an insider.
Another source said the breakup was “mutual” and “there is no bad blood” between the two.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 73 points (0.22%) to close at 33,487 on Wednesday. The S&P ticked up 10 (0.24%) to close at 4,129 and the NASDAQ lost 77 points (0.63%) to close at 12,179.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $72; BRENT CRUDE at $76.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.53 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN was up a bit Wednesday, trading over $27,700.
🛩 There were more than 2,450 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 176 such cancellations.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $99 million jackpot or a $52.1 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
SHAKIRA fans are warning her about TOM CRUISE’s newfound interest in courting her.
After the two were spotted together Sunday at Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix, Cruise reportedly told friends that he is “extremely interested in pursuing her,” so much so that he even sent her flowers.
Despite the kind gesture, fans are not having it. One Twitter user wrote, “SHAKIRA! LISTEN TO ME! HE’S TRYING TO RECRUIT YOU INTO SCIENTOLOGY! DON’T GO OUT WITH HIM! LISTEN TO ME! SHAKIRA!”
No word on how Shakira feels about the attention. [via TMZ]
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Actress LILY COLLINS is without her wedding rings after thieves stole them while she was at a spa in West Hollywood, California over the weekend.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the jewels are worth about $10,000. An investigation is underway.
Collins is married to director CHARLIE MCDOWELL. [via Page Six]
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DAN REYNOLDS and DANIEL WAYNE SERMON of IMAGINE DRAGONS gave an impromptu performance at Netflix’s headquarters in Los Angeles this week to show their solidarity with the writers’ strike.
The pair sang “Radioactive” and “Whatever It Takes.”
Reynolds and Sermon are the latest celebrities to show their support for the strike, joining JAY LENO and PETE DAVIDSON, who brought picketers donuts and pizza last week. [via Deadline]
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BEYONCE kicked off her “Renaissance World Tour” in Sweden this week, performing at Stolkholm’s Friends Arena.
This is her first tour in nearly five years.
BY THE WAY: “Renaissance” is Bey’s seventh No. 1 album. It also earned a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album. [via TMZ]
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PATRICK RENA, better known as Hamilton “Ham” Porter from “The Sandlot,” told People Magazine this week that he is in a group chat with his former castmates -- 30 years since their movie debuted.
“A couple of guys have Andriod. So it’s real painful because [the texts show up in] the green bubble. I can’t take it,” he joked.
The cast was last together in 2020 during a virtual reunion for charity. [via People]
For those unfamiliar, “The Sandlot” is a sports comedy film centering on a group of young ball players during the summer of 1962. In addition to Rena, the movie stars JAMES EARL JONES, TOM GUIRY, MIKE VITAR, KAREN ALLEN and DENIS LEARY.
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Former Green Bay Packers tight end JIMMY GRAHAM was struck while riding his bike in Miami earlier this week.
His former teammate A.J. HAWK talked about the accident on “The Pat McAfee Show” this week, saying Graham suffered a large gash on his leg.
“He has a nice slice on his calf that looked like he had worms growing out of it. It was so deep and all the stuff in there you could see. Now he has a ton of stitches and all of that,” Hawk said.
Graham updated fans on Wednesday, saying he felt like he “had just played in a Sunday NFL game.” [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
“Beetlejuice 2” is coming to a theater near you!
The sequel to TIM BURTON’s 1988 flick will be released on September 6, 2024. The movie will feature original cast members MICHEAL KEATON as Beetlejuice and WINONA RYDER as Lydia Deetz. “Wednesday” star JENNA ORTEGA will play their daughter. JUSTIN THEROUX is also said to have a role in the film, though no details have been shared.
WORTH NOTING: The date is subject to change pending the ongoing writers’ strike. [via Glamour]
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Following the news that ousted Fox News journalist TUCKER CARLSON will be bringing his wisecracks to Twitter, ELON MUSK is pushing hard to also get former CNN anchor DON LEMON on board.
“Have you considered doing your show on this platform? Maybe worth a try. Audience is much bigger” Musk tweeted Wednesday, making a clear dig at CNN’s low ratings.
As previously reported Lemon was fired from CNN and Tucker from Fox News on the same day last month. [via TMZ]
MEANWHILE: Musk made clear that Twitter isn’t paying Carlson anything to put his show on Twitter; instead Carlson will generate and keep whatever revenue he gets from producing his show.
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Actress CANDICE BERGEN and GLORIA STEINEM will appear in Season 2 of HBO Max’s “And Just Like That…”
Bergen will reprise her “Sex and the City” role of Enid Frick, Carrie’s (SARAH JESSICA PARKER) Vogue editor. Steinem will appear as herself.
As previously reported, JOHN CORBETT will also be returning to his role of Aidan, Carrie’s former fiance.
The sophomore season of the show will debut next month. [via Deadline]
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“Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” has topped Netflix’s Top 10 chart.
After debuting on May 4, the “Bridgerton” prequel series racked up over 148 million hours viewed in its first week.
Created by SHONDA RHIMES, the series focuses on young Queen Charlotte’s rise to prominence and power.
“Sweet Tooth” came in at No. 2 with 60.47 million hours viewed and Season 2 of “Firefly Lane” took the No. 3 spot with 54.32 million hours viewed. [via Variety]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
One of the men previously charged with protecting KIM KARDASHIAN has been hired by MEGHAN MARKLE.
According to The Mirror, the man spotted in the photos of Meg hiking while PRINCE HARRY was in the UK for his dad’s big day is the same one who used to watch Kim’s back. [via The Mirror]
MEANWHILE: One of Kim’s other former bodyguards told The Sun that the guy was hired “not only for protection but also clout.” Adding “It looks good.” [via The Sun]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
The PRINCESS OF WALES and the DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH – that’s PRINCESS KATE and SOPHIE, the wife of Charles’ brother PRINCE EDWARD – are expected to take on higher-profile engagements in KING CHARLES’ reformed monarchy.
The pair even wore color-coordinated blue dresses to a Buckingham Palace garden party on Tuesday.
MEANWHILE: Royal observer Angela Mollard writes in the Daily Mail that Charles’ slimmed-down monarchy model might score points now but spell trouble in the future. When you exclude Kate, Sophie, and their husbands, the average age of the eight remaining working royals is 77 years old. If anyone gets sick or sidelined, that leaves more events for fewer people. [via DailyMail]
Here’s the current working royals roster:
The King and the Queen
PRINCE WILLIAM and Kate
PRINCESS ANNE and her husband Vice Admiral Sir TIM LAURENCE
Edward and Sophie
Duke of Kent (Queen Elizabeth’s cousin) and his wife
Duke of Gloucester (another QE cousin) and his wife
Of course, assuming PRINCE GEORGE and his siblings have families of their own, that creates more working royals – but that’s a few decades off yet.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Technology Day
National Eat What You Want Day
National Twilight Zone Day
World Ego Awareness Day
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ON THIS DATE
1812 – Britain's Prime Minister is assassinated.
The culprit was a businessman named John Bellingham. He was angry over the government's failure to pay him back debts borrowed to fight war in Russia.
A court swiftly declared Bellingham insane. Still, he was executed a week later.
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1858 – Minnesota becomes the 32nd state.
Following the introduction of rail infrastructure to the territory in 1850, its population exploded from 6,000 to 150,000 in just seven years.
One of the first major settlements was Fort Snelling. That would become the Twin Cities.
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1934 – A freak dust storm ravages the Great Plains, and reaches as far East as New York and Boston.
The whirling cloud pulled up the dry topsoil, as the middle of the country suffered through drought.
Crops were dying across hundreds of American farms, and the wind storm only added to the despair of Plains farmers.
In all, it is estimated 350 million tons of silt and dust were carried in the storm. Ships 300 miles off shore claimed the dust and dirt blanketed their decks.
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1947 – The BF Goodrich company reveals it has developed the tubeless tire. The innovation would make cars safer and run smoother.
Previously, tires were composed of rubber rings that sat along a tube of compressed air. These tires often blew out, causing drivers to lose control of their vehicles.
Goodrich's invention allowed the air to sit within the ring of rubber itself, creating the infrastructure for the modern-day tire.
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1997 – A supercomputer designed to play chess beats world champion Gary Kasparov.
He is regarded by some as the greatest chess player ever. He was also the first world champion to lose to a machine in tournament play. It was also the first time Kasparov lost a professional match.
Deep Blue could analyze 200 million chess moves in a second.
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2015 - Picasso’s “The Women of Algiers” sells for $179.3 million at Christies in New York.
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2019 - Actress Alyssa Milano urges women to go on a “sex strike” after Georgia passes a new abortion law.
Critics were quick to call her out saying the strike assumes that men are the only ones who enjoy sex.
Milano did have some supporters of her movement, though not the ones she intended. Those opposed to abortion commended the strike, though for very different reasons.
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BIRTHDAYS
India Rose Hemsworth - daughter of Chris Hemsworth - 11
Sabrina Carpenter - pop singer - 24
Coi Leray - rapper - 26
Lana Condor - actress, “X-Men: Apocalypse” - 26
Thibaut Courtois - soccer player - 31
Prince Royce - pop singer - 34
Cam Newton - football player - 34
Blac Chyna - model & mom of Rob Kardashian’s daughter - 35
Ace Hood - rapper - 35
Brad Marchand - hockey player - 35
Andres Iniesta - soccer player - 39
Bobby Roode - wrestler - 46
Pam Ferris - actress, “Matilda” - 75
Born On This Date
Cory Monteith - actor, “Glee” - 1982 (d. 2013)
Natasha Richardson - actress, “The Parent Trap” - 1963 (d. 2009)
Salvador Dali - painter - 1904 (d. 1989)
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