Today is Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
It is the 142nd day of the year.
224 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A swimmer, a tightrope walker, and a very expensive pineapple in an unintentionally California-centric HIT LIST.
ADELE has baby on the brain and JOHNNY KNOXVILLE gets sued over a past prank. More in SHOWBIZ.
Production on the final episodes of “Yellowstone” is underway. Details in CASTING CALL.
KYLIE enjoys a mother-son day date. More in KARDASH.
A detour to the Danish and Greek ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
55-year-old grandmother Amy Appelhans Gubser is the first person to complete the 29.6-mile swim from the coast of San Francisco to the Farallon Islands.
The 17-hour swim included freezing waters, jellyfish stings, sea lion swimming buddies and the threat of great white sharks. She was monitored the entire time by her seven-person support team, who fed her and did their best to keep any apex predators at bay.
Gubser is one of six people to complete at least three of the “Toughest 13” swims in the world, according to the Marathon Swimmers Federation.
WORTH NOTING: Five others have also completed the swim, though those routes were from the Farallon Islands to the shore. [via NY Post]
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Another American has been detained in Turks and Caicos for traveling to the country with ammunition.
Sharitta Grier has been charged with one count of ammunition possession by immigration authorities, after they discovered two rounds in her luggage last week.
Since the Caribbean nation enacted the law criminalizing possession of ammunition for travelers, five Americans have been arrested. The maximum sentence is 12 years. [via CBS News]
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GUESS WHAT’S EXPENSIVE: Orange juice prices have hit an all-time high -- but inflation alone is not to blame.
Florida farmers are grappling with their smallest orange crop in nine decades. They blame last year’s hurricane season and a citrus greening disease for killing off their trees. [via @Barchart, Taste of Home]
MEANWHILE: A niche, California-based specialty seller of fruits and vegetables, called Melissa’s Produce, is selling a unique pineapple for the unbelievable price of $395.99.
The Rubyglow pineapple was developed by Del Monte, which might sound familiar for its canned fruit and vegetable offerings. This specific crop was grown in Costa Rica. Del Monte’s website says the pineapple is named for its “rich red color, scarce supply, and association with luxury.”
But unless you have $400 to straight-up immolate, no word yet just how delicious this pineapple is. [via CNN, DelMonte]
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Ahead of the Paris Olympics in July, French President EMANUEL MACRON suggested to the leaders of Ukraine and Russia that they call a truce during the international competition.
President of Ukraine VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY says he rejected even entertaining the idea, fearing Russia would exploit the truce for their strategic advantage: “Who can guarantee that Russia will not use this time to bring its forces to our territory?” Zelensky said.
The International Olympic Committee has barred Russian athletes from formally competing for their country or have the national anthem played. In recent public comments, VLADIMIR PUTIN has said these sanctions “violate the core nature of the Olympic Charter.” [via ZeroHedge]
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A Los Angeles-area daredevil is on the lam after walking a tightrope strung between two skyscrapers that are under construction.
28-year-old Ben Schneider posted video of the feat to his YouTube channel and says local media authorities are “after” him; police tell the outlet they’re investigating the stunt.
Schneider says he wants the stunt to inspire people to live their best lives -- which apparently includes needlessly endangering your life and breaking laws to feel alive. Maybe try yoga. [via ABC7]
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DEATHS
Musician JON WYSOCKI has died.
He passed away Saturday. No cause of death was shared, though insiders say he had been having issues with his liver.
Wysocki was a founding member and drummer for STAIND.
He was only 53.
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Football player JIM OTTO has died.
He passed away Sunday, though no cause was shared.
Otto played center for the Oakland Raiders from 1960-1974, starting in 210 consecutive games.
He was 86.
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BABY NEWS
Actress TORREY DEVITTO is expecting her first child with her fiance, director JARED LAPINE.
The actress announced the news on Instagram, showing off her baby bump and sharing in the caption, “Baby girl arriving this November.
She’s 39, it’s unknown how old he is.
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WEDDINGS
EMINEM’s daughter HAILIE JADE SCOTT married EVAN MCCLINTOCK on Saturday in Battle Creek, Michigan.
The ceremony was attended by close friends and family, and also 50 CENT, DR. DRE and JIMMY IOVINE.
Hailie and Evan started dating in 2016 and got engaged last year. She’s 28 and he’s around the same age as the two met while attending Michigan State University.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 196 points (0.49%) to close at 39,806 on Monday. The S&P increased 4 points (0.092%) to close at 5,308 and the NASDAQ increased 108 points (0.65%) to close at 16,794, an all-time high.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $79; BRENT CRUDE at $83.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.59 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN surged on Monday, up over 5% and breaking over $70,000 in the afternoon, but trading around $69,600 in the evening.
🛩 There were more than 4,010 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 90 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $421 million jackpot or a $195.9 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Those close to BRITNEY SPEARS think she should be under another conservatorship.
Speaking to TMZ, multiple insiders noted that Spears is not taking her mood-stabilizing meds, is drinking heavily, and using various drugs.
While they say it was a mistake for her conservatorship to end, the sources do agree that her dad, JAMIE SPEARS, was not the right person to be in charge.
As for where to go from here, insiders hope the same people who fought so hard in the #FreeBritney movement will once again urge her to get help. [via TMZ]
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BEN AFFLECK might be ready to call it quits on his marriage with JENNIFER LOPEZ.
Sources told Page Six that the actor has “come to his senses” and “if there was a way to divorce on grounds of temporary insanity, he would.”
The bold statement comes amid reports from last week that the couple had not been spotted together publicly in over a month, but have been spotted leaving different residences -- and Affleck sans wedding ring.
The two were, however, seen over the weekend -- wedding rings on -- heading into Soho House. [via Page Six]
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TAYLOR SWIFT’s “The Tortured Poets Department” is spending its fourth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
It is also her 73rd career week on top of the charts, tying with JAY-Z for the most No. 1s among soloists. [via Billboard]
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I’LL BE THERE FOR YOU: Seven months after his untimely death, COURTENEY COX says her “Friends” co-star MATTHEW PERRY still visits her.
Cox was speaking about the 20th anniversary of the show’s series finale when she said that Perry “visits” a lot and “guides” her.
Perry died last October, at age 54 after being found unresponsive in a hot tub at his home in Pacific Palisades, California. [via NY Post]
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KELLY YAZDI isn’t letting her estranged husband, country singer ZAC BROWN, get the final say in what she shares on social media.
After he filed a motion to get a temporary emergency restraining order against her in response to an Instagram post he claims violates an NDA she signed, she shared her thoughts on the matter.
Yazdi says the things she posts online, which she called “poems,” don’t contain any confidential info or give Brown or the court the right to “enjoin [her] from speaking about matters in [her] personal life.”
She also claims that it's Brown -- not her -- who is dragging out the “divorce negotiations into the public eye” and “portray himself as a victim.”
“I will not be silenced by him no matter how ridiculous his tactics,” she concluded.
As previously reported, the couple split after only four months of marriage. [via TMZ]
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ADELE wants another baby.
Opening up about her post-Vegas residency plans, the singer told the crowd at a recent show that she and boyfriend RICH PAUL will soon prioritize adding to the family.
“I want a girl because I’ve already got a boy. I feel like she might be the person I love the most in the world, but also probably hate the most in the world,” she quipped.
Adele shares 11-year-old son Angelo with her ex-husband Simon Konecki. [via Daily Mail]
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BBMAK is bringing back their 1999 hit “Back Here” for a Bumble Bee tuna jingle.
Instead of “back here, baby,” the guys sing, “Snack, Meal, Baby!”
The collaboration comes as the group -- made up of MARK BERRY, CHRISTIAN BURNS, and STEPHEN MCNALLY -- tour the U.S. as part of the Pop 2000 Tour. [via People]
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JOHNNY KNOXVILLE is being sued by a former “Prank Panel” producer who claims he was tased by the “Jackass” alum in 2022.
Daniel Curry says Knoxville allegedly “chased [him] down and tased [him] without provocation” while filming the show, causing him to break his fibula and tear and ligament in his ankle. The injuries required the use of crutches and a scooter, as well as six months of physical therapy.
Curry is seeking $1.75 million for loss of earnings, $950,000 for compensatory and general damages, and $300,000 for special and incidental damages. [via EW]
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CASTING CALL
After being on hiatus for a little over a year, production on Part 2 of the fifth and final season of “Yellowstone” is now underway.
The final six episodes are slated to return in November on Paramount Network.
FOR THE RECORD: It is still the impression that KEVIN COSTNER will not return as John Dutton for the final episodes. [via Deadline]
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JEREMY RENNER opened up about returning to the set of “Mayor of Kingstown” after his near-fatal snow plow accident.
Speaking to the L.A. Times, that actor detailed how during his first week back he would sometimes fall asleep while filming a scene. “We realized they worked me too hard, too many hours, too many days in a row,” he explained.
Renner returned to work a year after being run over by his 14,000-pound snowcat on New Year’s Day 2023. He suffered significant chest trauma, including a collapsed lung and 38 broken bones.
Season 3 lands on Paramount+ on June 2. [via L.A. Times]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KYLIE JENNER enjoyed a mother-son date over the weekend at the Monster Jam World Finals XXIII.
The reality star was spotted hanging out with son, Aire, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, along with a fellow unidentified mother-son duo. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
To the House of Glücksburg we go!
PRINCESS TATIANA of Greece and Denmark married into royalty when she got hitched to PRINCE NIKOLAOS in 2010. He’s the son of CONSTANTINE II, who was King of Greece until the country abolished its monarchy in the ‘70s.
NOW: Tatiana’s stepbrother -- ATTILIO BRILLEMBOURG -- has gone missing in Malibu, last seen early Saturday morning in a ritzy community. Sources tell authorities he was spotted in a blue shirt and gray pants but without any shoes.
So far there are no details surrounding the circumstances of his disappearance, though LAPD ominously note, “There is concern for [his] well-being.” [via KTLA]
UNRELATED BUT WORTH NOTING: Tatiana and Nikolaos separated earlier this year.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Day
World Meditation Day
World Day for Cultural Diversity
International Tea Day
End of the World
National Strawberries and Cream Day
National Talk Like Yoda Day
I Need A Patch For That Day
National Memo Day
Rapture Party Day
National Waitstaff Day
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ON THIS DATE
1881 - The American Red Cross is established.
Its mission paralleled the International Red Cross — bringing assistance to victims of war and natural disasters.
Clara Barton was the principal founder, in partnership with Adolphus Solomons.
Barton had worked under orders of President Lincoln to identify the remains of soldiers at the Andersonville prisoner of war camp, based on the records she kept while attending to the health of injured soldiers during the Civil War.
While in Europe during the Franco-Prussian war, she worked for the International Red Cross — and brought the idea stateside when she returned to the U.S. in 1873.
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1901 - Connecticut passes the first speed limit law in the US.
Vehicles were limited to 12 miles per hour in cities and 15 miles per hour on country roads.
New York City would follow suit with a full-on traffic code in 1903.
As of 1930, 12 states had no speed limit and 28 did not require a driver's license. In 1974, the National Speed Limit of 55 miles per hour would come into effect, not in the interest of safety, but rather to save on fuel consumption.
In 1987, the National Speed Limit ceiling would be increased to 65.
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1988 - Mikhail Gorbachev gets rid of Communist Party Leaders in Armenia and Azerbaijan. The move made him the leader of those two Soviet bloc nations.
But the fix would not last long as the Iron Curtain was beginning to crumble. Ethnic tensions remained in the postage-stamp satellite countries of the USSR.
Gorbachev would be the last Soviet dictator. After his resignation, the Union quickly ended.
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1999 - Susan Lucci wins her first Daytime Emmy, after having been nominated for 19 straight years.
The “All My Children Star” was one of the highest-paid Soap actresses in the business --- with a relatively paltry $1 million a year.
The crowd gave Lucci a standing ovation that lasted several minutes.
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2017 - The Barnum and Bailey Circus performs for the last time at the Nassau Coliseum in NYC.
The battle over animal rights dealt a seemingly fatal blow to the circus.
While the company had won a $15.75 million judgment in 2015, against the likes of PETA and other activists, they lost the larger fight with public opinion.
The show ran for 146 years.
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BIRTHDAYS
Josh Allen - football player - 28
Hannah Einbinder - comedian & actress, “Hacks” - 29
Tom Daley - Olympic diver - 30
Briana DeJesus - reality star, “Teen Mom” - 30
Cody Johnson - country singer - 37
Da’Vine Joy Randolph - actress, “The Holdovers” - 38
Kano - rapper - 39
Gotye - rock singer - 44
Tim Lever - keyboardist, Dead or Alive - 63
Loretta Lynch - 83rd US Attorney General - 65
Mr. T - actor, “The A-Team” & “Rocky III” - 72
Al Franken - politician - 73
Carol Potter - actress, “Beverly Hill, 90210” - 76
Born On This Date
Notorious B.I.G. - rapper - 1972 (d. 1997)
Chris Benoit - wrestler - 1967 (d. 2007)
Jeffrey Dahmer - serial killer, Milwaukee, WI - 1960 (d. 1994)
Mary Anning - paleontologist who discovered the first Ichthyosaur & Plesiosaurus bones - 1799 (d. 1847)
Aurelia Cotta - mom of Julius Caesar - 120 (d. 54 BC)
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