5/18/2022: Chris Rock to Host the Next Oscars?
5/18/2022: Chris Rock to Host the Next Oscars?
PLUS: More Free Covid Tests, Amber Heard Cross-Examined, and Markle vs. Markle
Today is Wednesday, May 18, 2022.
It is the 138th day of the year.
227 days remain.
TRENDING
#ElectionDay was trending as several states held primary elections yesterday.
Twitter users were tweeting about UFOs on Tuesday following the release of a US intelligence report on the unidentified flying objects.
Once again #JohnnyDeppVsAmberHeard was trending as the defamation trial continued. More details on the trial in Court Cases.
#MyWorstCar landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends yesterday. Tweets included, “1978 Monte Carlo,” “1966 Corvair,” “’64 Nash Rambler,” “hand-me-down Geo Storm,” “1980 Volvo 242” and a “05 Pontiac Grand Am.”
#StupidSurveyQuestions was trending. Tweets were: “Do you really think we value your opinion?,” “Do you enjoy being placed on hold for 20 minutes?,” “Have you been through the desert on a horse with no name?,” and “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?”
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HIT LIST
Elon Musk is doubling down on his efforts to force Twitter to prove less than 5% of its user accounts are bots and spammers.
In a lengthy twitter thread, Twitter CEO Parag Argawal explained the company’s process for identifying such accounts, and said they shut down half a million such accounts every day.
BY THE WAY: In response to the thread, Musk replied simply with a poop emoji.
Musk remains unconvinced. He says the valuation he offered was based on Twitter’s less-than-five-percent estimate – which they’ve also reported in official SEC documents.
The situation puts Twitter in an interesting situation. If they show they have data that more than 5% of accounts are bots, that also means they may have committed fraud in their official government reporting.
Musk remains interested in the purchase – but only at the price he offered if Twitter can prove how many users are actual real humans.
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A Wisconsin man and his dog have been reunited after five years.
Ginger (the dog) disappeared from her owner’s home in 2017 without a trace.
But at the start of May, the City of Beloit police department stumbled on the pooch, and posted a picture to their facebook page in hopes of finding the owner. By luck, the post reached the owner, who was able to pick her up at the local humane society.
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A Texas mother racked up quite the DoorDash bill, after her toddler son got ahold of her phone and ordered 31 cheeseburgers from McDonald’s.
She only found out about the order when the driver pulled up with a few bags of the burgers.
The ordeal, which included a generous $16 tip, ultimately set her back nearly $100.
The kid only ate half of one.
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Guinness World Records has announced the current oldest living man.
Juan Vincente Mora is 112 years old, with a birthday just around the corner on May 27.
He currently lives in Venezuela.
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The Dow picked up 431 points Tuesday.
Both West Texas Intermediate and Brent Crude remain over $110 a barrel. AAA’s average national gas price is $4.52 a gallon.
MEANWHILE: Bloomberg reports that the average gallon of gas is now more than $4 in every state. Kansas, Oklahoma, and Georgia were the states managing to keep their prices under that mark.
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CHARTS
Top 5 Fiction & Nonfiction Books Currently on the New York Times Best Sellers List:
FICTION:
“Book Lovers,” Emily Henry
“22 Seconds,” James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
"It Ends With Us," Colleen Hoover
“Where The Crawdads Sing,” Delia Owens
“Verity,” Colleen Hoover
NONFICTION:
“Killing The Killers,” Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
“Finding Me,” Viola Davis
“This Will Not Pass,” Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns
“The Palace Papers,” Tina Brown
“Out Of The Corner,” Jennifer Grey
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DEATHS
RICKY GARDINER has died.
The musician, known best for playing with DAVID BOWIE and IGGY POP, passed away after a long battle with Parkinson’s.
He was 73.
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ROSMARIE TRAPP has died.
The eldest child of the famed von Trapp family, who inspired the movie “The Sound of Music,” passed away on May 13 at a nursing home in Morrisville, Vermont. A cause of death was not shared.
She was 93.
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BREAKUPS
Food Network host VALERIE BERTINELLI has ended her 10-year marriage with husband, entrepreneur TOM VITALE.
Bertinelli, 62, filed for divorce last week, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason.
According to the papers, obtained by PEOPLE, the couple has been separated since December 2019.
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“Real Housewives of Orange County” star Dr. JEN ARMSTONG has filed for legal separation from her husband, travel agent RYNE HOLLIDAY.
The couple have been married for eight years and have three kids together.
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THE SWAMP
Still need covid tests? The feds have you covered. The Biden administration announced Tuesday you can now get eight free covid tests at CovidTests.gov.
In two previous rounds, in March and January, households were limited to four tests apiece. The program is still using funds allocated during last year’s multi-trillion covid relief spending bonanza that is largely the reason for sustained inflation today.
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President JOE BIDEN visited Buffalo yesterday, where he called the weekend’s shooting a result of white supremacy, which he called a poison running through today’s politics.
Biden also said on Tuesday he’s going to try to work with Congress to get a gun control law passed, which remains unlikely in this partisan climate.
WORTH NOTING: In the Buffalo suspect’s online manifesto, the alleged shooter says he picked the grocery store he did because it was in an area with strict gun control laws and he therefore was less likely to be stopped by someone else with a gun.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Monday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $101 million jackpot or a $59 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
DAN RATHER has been given the Peabody Career Achievement Award for his decades-long career as an anchor of “CBS Evening News.”
The honor is reserved for “individuals whose work and commitment to broadcasting and digital media have left an indelible mark on the field and in American culture,” per the Peabody organization.
DOLLY PARTON presented the award virtually on Tuesday.
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ABC is considering having CHRIS ROCK host the Oscars next year.
Craig Erwich, President of Entertainment at the network, told Deadline that he is “open to the idea” of Rock hosting.
The 95th Annual Academy Awards will air live on March 12, 2023.
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SARAH PAULSON wants everyone to be on the lookout for her friend’s missing pooch.
The actress told her Instagram followers that her friend, Clementine Ford, is her missing dog Winnie, who was allegedly kidnapped by its sitter.
BY THE WAY: Clementine is CYBILL SHEPHERD's daughter.
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BAM MARGERA has completed 12-months in a treatment program for drug and alcohol abuse.
The “Jackass” star told TMZ that he has finished the inpatient program and will now attend outpatient treatments for the next few months.
He also shared that his wife Nikki and son Phoenix recently moved in with him as he is now able to live outside of the treatment center.
As for his future plans Bam says he wants to move back to Southern California and collaborate on projects with sober skaters.
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STEVE AOKI launched the first pitch into the stands at Monday night’s Red Sox game.
The DJ took the mound at Fenway Park where he warmed up his left arm before chucking the ball about 20 feet over the catcher’s head.
Many compared his horrific throw to 50 CENT’s, whose sideways pitch is known as the worst first pitch ever.
Check out both pitches and decide for yourself which is worse!
AOKI’s Pitch:
50’s Pitch:
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NEIL PATRICK HARRIS is apologizing again for his 2011 Halloween meat platter that was designed to look like the corpse of AMY WINEHOUSE.
A photo of the charcuterie board resurfaced this week, prompting Harris to address it.
“It was regrettable then, and it remains regrettable now,” he said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.
WORTH NOTING: Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning in July 2011 — just months before Harris’ party.
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The cast of “The Office” was almost poisoned to death while filming an episode for the ninth and final season of the show.
According to an excerpt from a book written by co-stars JENNA FISCHER, who starred as Pam, and ANGELA KINSEY, who played Angela, the cast was eating lunch in a bus they were using for filming when they noticed a “funny smell.”
Next thing they knew, one of the camera operators said she wasn’t feeling well and “stumbled and set down her camera.”
Fischer explains in the book that a recent portable A/C unit had been installed on the bus and the “INTAKE hose was right next to the EXHAUST pipe on the bus. So the hose was sucking in exhaust and blowing it straight into the sunroof of the bus.”
The cast and crew survived the near-poisoning and finished out the final season.
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CASTING CALL
TOM BRADY is going to get roasted.
The all-star QB will be the center of all the jokes on the first episode of Netflix’s newly announced series “Greatest Roasts of All Time: GROAT.”
Brady’s roast will be filmed next year, after his upcoming season with the Buccaneers.
WORTH NOTING: Brady is also producing the show, so there's a chance the jokes won't be too mean.
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HARRISON FORD and HELEN MIRREN have been cast in the “Yellowstone” prequel series, tentatively titled “1932.”
According to The Wrap, the Paramount+ series will introduce a new generation of Duttons living through the historic drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression.
No further information about Ford and Mirren’s roles were revealed. The show is set to premiere in December.
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PETE DAVIDSON and NAOMI SCOTT are set to star in “Wizards!”
The film follows two hapless pothead beach-bar owners, who run into trouble when they discover stolen loot.
No other details were shared.
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ISLA FISHER and GREG KINNEAR will star in the upcoming family comedy flick “The Present.”
According to Deadline, the movie centers on a boy who discovers he can manipulate time using an enchanted family heirloom. After teaming up with his siblings, the kids go back in time to the eve of their parents’ separation in hopes they can change the outcome.
Fisher and Kinnear will play the parents.
No word on a premiere date.
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JESSE PALMER is heading to paradise.
After taking over CHRIS HARRISON’s hosting job on the “Bachelor,” Palmer will now also helm the spinoff series “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Fan-favorite WELLS ADAMS will return to bartend at the Mexico resort.
The upcoming season will air this fall.
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COURT CASES
AMBER HEARD was questioned by JOHNNY DEPP’s lawyers on Tuesday.
During the inquisition:
Depp’s lawyer CAMILLE VASQUEZ shared some of the many negative headlines that have been printed about Heard. In response, Heard claimed that Depp’s team “planted” the unflattering stories.
Vasquez accused Heard of manipulating photos showing the alleged bruises she claims Depp gave her. Heard denied altering the photos.
Vasquez also asked Heard about allegations that she abused her ex-partner, photographer TASYA VAN REE. Heard responded that she has “never assaulted any partner.” An interesting response considering the fact that she was arrested in 2009 and charged with domestic violence against her then-girlfriend van Ree. The charges were later dropped by van Ree, who claimed it was a “misunderstanding.”
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Legendary designer BOB MACKIE is not a fan of KIM wearing MARILYN MONROE’s iconic dress to the Met Gala.
He told Entertainment Weekly that he worked as a fashion assistant to JEAN LOUIS — the designer of Monroe’s gown — and believes allowing the reality star to wear it “was a big mistake.”
“It was done for [Monroe}. It was designed for her. Nobody else should be seen in that dress,” he said.
WORTH NOTING: Mackie, now 82, drew the sketch for the design of the dress when he was 23.
ALSO: Mackie spoke out about the famous family last year, telling Page Six “they’re just famous for being famous.”
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
MEGHAN MARKLE has filed a motion to dismiss the defamation lawsuit brought against her by her half-sister SAMANTHA MARKLE.
In her filing, Meg claims the case is “without merit” and says the allegations are “demonstrably false.”
She also asked a Florida federal court to order Sam to cover all legal fees.
Sam filed the lawsuit in March, alleging that Meg “published and disseminated false and malicious lies designed to destroy her reputation” and to expose her to “humiliation, shame and hatred on a worldwide scale.”
FUN FACT: Sam’s legal firm, the Ticktin Law Group, is also currently representing former president DONALD TRUMP in a lawsuit against HILLARY CLINTON and the Democratic National Committee.
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SPORTS
The Bucks-Celtics Game 7 on Sunday afternoon was the most-watched semifinal game in 10 years.
According to Nielsen, the game drew in 7.5 million viewers.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Cheese Soufflé Day
National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
National No Dirty Dishes Day
National Visit Your Relatives Day
International Museum Day
Notebook Day
Hot Wheels Day
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ON THIS DATE
1756 – Great Britain declares war on France, beginning the Seven Years' War.
Fighting had actually started between the empires two years earlier, in North America, largely over territorial disputes.
Thanks to alliances and treaties spanning the globe, one conflict exacerbated another. Soon, Great Britain, Prussia, and Portugal were at war with France, Spain, Austria, Russia, and Sweden.
In America, the squabble was mainly over the Ohio Country. Both France and Britain claimed it … as did the Iroquois Indians . . . as well as the Ohio tribes.
Seven years later the countries agreed to the Treaty of Paris to end the conflict. Thousands of Native Americans were killed and the villages destroyed.
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1832 – Edwin Beard Budding receives a patent for the first lawnmower.
The British inventor observed textile workers using shaving machines with rotating blades to trim extra threads off of fabric.
Budding took the concept and applied it to lawnmowers.
Invented in 1830, his first model was built of cast iron and required two workers: one to push and one to pull. Gears transferred the human power to three spinning blades.
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1860 – At the Republican Party Convention in Chicago, delegates elect Abraham Lincoln as their candidate for President of the United States. Lincoln had only previously served one term as a representative and had lost two bids for the Senate.
Hannibal Hamlin, a former governor, representative, and senator from Maine, would be his running mate.
Lincoln would win the general election later that year, beating out Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, to whom he lost the bid for senator two years prior.
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1896 – The Supreme Court rules in favor of the Separate-but-Equal Doctrine to enforce racial segregation.
In the majority ruling, Justice Henry Billings Brown declares that blacks have erroneously concluded that being forced into segregated facilities somehow means they're inferior and that segregation is a simple matter of public policy.
It wasn't until Brown v. Board of education that the separate-but-equal doctrine was deemed unconstitutional.
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1897 – Archibald Constable and Company publish the novel “Dracula.”
The horror novel, penned by Bram Stoker, was actually part of a fad. Notable authors like Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, and H.G. Wells were turning out stories about fantastical creatures terrorizing the British Empire in a genre called Invasion Literature.
Though Stoker certainly did not invent the vampire, his story thrust the vampire into pop culture.
From that point on, vampires were off into hundreds of incarnations around the globe, including film and stage adaptations, Count Chocula cereal, and eventually even the “Twilight” saga.
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1974 – India becomes the first country outside the five UN Security Council nations to successfully detonate a nuclear explosion.
The weapon's codename was Smiling Buddha.
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1980 – A giant earthquake triggers the eruption of Mount Saint Helens in Washington state. The volcano had been dormant for more than a hundred years. A series of smaller earthquakes had caused smaller, shorter emissions, but it had become clear that gasses and magma were building inside the north face.
After the initial rupture, pressurized magma blasted rock debris, gasses, and molten rock at speeds up to 670 miles an hour. Some reports suggest the flying boulders broke the sound barrier.
The blast lasted little more than thirty seconds, but destroyed 230 square miles. 57 died. 200 houses, 27 bridges, 17 miles of railroad and 185 of highway were destroyed. Cleanup cost nearly $3 billion.
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2004 – Arizona Diamondbacks’ Randy Johnson becomes the 17th pitcher to throw a perfect game.
He became the oldest pitcher—at 40—in MLB history to throw a perfect game; surpassing Cy Young who was 37 when he threw his perfect game in 1904
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2018 - K-Pop band BTS release their album “Love Yourself: Tear.”
It would sell over 135,000 in the first week.
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BIRTHDAYS
Kyle Harvey - rapper - 29
Spencer Breslin - actor, “The Kid” & “Zoom” - 30
Francesca Battistelli - gospel singer - 37
Vince Young - football player - 39
Marcus Giles - baseball player - 44
Jack Johnson - rock singer - 47
Teresa Giudice - reality star, “RHONJ” - 50
Karyn Bye-Dietz - Olympic hockey player - 51
Tina Fey - actress, “30 Rock” & “Sisters” - 52
Jari Kurri - hockey player - 62
George Strait - country singer - 70
Jenna Yeager - aviator, flew the first non-stop, non-fueled flight around the world - 70
Reggie Jackson - HOF baseball player - 76
Brooks Robinson - HOF baseball player - 85
Priscilla Pointer - actress, “Carrie” & “Mommie Dearest” - 98
Born On This Date
Robert Morse - actor, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” - 1931 (d. 2022)
Pope John Paul II - second longest-serving pope - 1920 (d. 2005)
Frank Capra - director, “It’s A Wonderful Life” - 1897 (d. 1991)
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