5/2/2023: Lost In An Uber
PLUS: Mummy Head for Sale; Hunter Does Arkansas; and Perks of Being King
Today is Tuesday, May 2, 2023.
It is the 122nd day of the year.
243 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Uber has shared their list of items forgotten by passengers and a hungry college student eats some expensive banana art. More in HIT LIST.
DONALD TRUMP will appear on CNN for the first time since 2016 in a town hall event and some new developments in HUNTER BIDEN’s child support lawsuit. More in THE SWAMP.
Celebs gathered at the annual Met Gala last night and AEROSMITH announced a farewell tour. More in SHOWBIZ.
CLINT EASTWOOD is working on his 40th film and RIHANNA is playing a major role in the forthcoming “Smurfs” movie. More in CASTING CALL.
KIM KARDASHIAN’s elaborate surprise from daughter NORTH WEST is leaving some fans skeptical. More in KARDASH.
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HIT LIST
The dust is settling on JPMORGAN CHASE’s acquisition of First Republic Bank – which much like SILICON VALLEY BANK earlier this year, had a generally high-net-worth clientele.
Chase will acquire nearly all of First Republic’s customer deposits, worth an estimated $92 billion, and loan and securities assets worth more than $200 billion. The FDIC will also insure 80% of First Republic’s single-family residential mortgages for the next seven years and 80% of commercial loans for the next five years.
WORTH REMEMBERING: In March, First Republic faced failure, but was bailed out by $30 billion in transfers from other major banks, as coordinated by the Treasury Department. Most of those deposits will be returned, financed for Chase by the FDIC.
WORTH NOTING: The FDIC’s fund comes from fees paid by banks; it’s largely not funded by taxpayer dollars. [via CNN Business, JPMorgan Chase]
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Uber has released its annual list of items left behind in vehicles.
The most commonly forgotten items include phones, wallets, keys, jewelry and headphones. The more bizarre items left behind include a Danny DeVito Christmas ornament, fire sword, remote-controlled vibrator, chicken wings, six cheesecakes, fingernails, painted rat traps, dentures, a lightsaber, weed and one Gucci loafer.
As for where the most forgetful people are located, Uber says Jacksonville, Florida topped the list, while San Antonio, Texas and Palm Springs, California rounded out the top three.
WORTH NOTING: The 2023 Uber Lost & Found Index was released as Mercury enters retrograde, which can “influence forgetfulness” according to astrologers. [via CBS News]
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Mattel is releasing an Anna May Wong Barbie doll in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The doll is part of the Barbie “Inspiring Women” series, which also features aviator Amelia Earhart and artist Frida Kahlo.
For those who are unfamiliar, Wong is considered to be the first major Asian-American movie star. She started acting during the silent movie era of the 1920s, gaining international fame for her roles in films such as, “The Thief of Bagdad” and “Shanghai Express.” In 1951, she hosted her own mystery series, called “The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong.”
Lastly, Wong was the first Asian-American to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. [via AP News]
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A mummified head that has sat in a cupboard for decades is now for sale.
The 2,800-year-old Egyptian head was reportedly brought to the UK by a soldier during World War I where it was ultimately hidden from view because “it is not everyone’s cup of tea,” a descendant of the soldier told Swan Fine Arts auctions.
The head, which has been carbon dated to between 800 BC and 750 BC, has a price tag of 20,000 euros (about $22,000). [via Daily Mail]
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A hungry college student chowed down on a ripe banana taped to a wall that was part of an exhibit at a Seoul art museum.
The piece, titled “Comedian” by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was on display as part of an exhibition called “WE” at the Leeum Museum of Art. While checking out the piece -- worth $120,000 -- college student Noh Huyn-soo realized he was starving, so he unpeeled the banana and ate it. When he was finished, he reattached the peel to the wall using the artist’s duct tape.
The entire thing was caught on video by his friend.
When asked by museum officials why he ate the artwork, Noh said he had missed breakfast. As for Cattelan’s thoughts on his artwork being eaten, he said he had “no problem at all.”
By the way -- the banana was later replaced with a new one. [via BBC]
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DEATHS
Rock singer TIM BACHMAN has died.
He passed away Friday from complications with cancer, according to a statement from his son.
Bachman was one of the founders of Canadian rock band BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE.
He was 71.
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Former MLB player MIKE SHANNON has died.
He passed away Saturday from complications of long-haul Covid-19, according to his family.
Shannon was a two-time World Series champion for the St. Louis Cardinals, and later spent 50 years broadcasting games.
He was 83.
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“MasterChef Australia” judge JOCK ZONFRILLO has died.
He passed away unexpectedly Saturday, his family confirmed in a statement. No further details were shared.
Zonfrillo was 46.
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BABY NEWS
WWE superstar CARMELLA is expecting her first child with husband, fellow WWE personality COREY GRAVES.
The couple announced the news with a photo on social media, telling followers that after suffering two miscarriages last year, a rainbow baby is on the way.
While it is the first child for the couple, Graves is already dad to three children whom he shares with his ex-wife.
By the way -- she is 35 and he is 39.
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BREAKUPS
CHER and music executive ALEXANDER “AE” EDWARDS have called it quits.
Sources close to the former couple say things ended a couple of weeks ago and they were never engaged. No word on what caused the split or who called things off.
Perhaps their almost 40 year age difference was a factor? She is 76 and he is 37.
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THE SWAMP
Former President DONALD TRUMP will hold a town hall hosted by CNN next week, May 10, at 8:00 pm Central.
Don’t expect too much fire-breathing and invective from the crowd – it’ll mostly include Republicans and undecided voters.
WORTH NOTING: Even CNN itself points out that this will be Trump’s first appearance on the network since 2016. During Trump’s tenure in the White House, CNN’s correspondent JIM ACOSTA was one of the first reporters to earn Trump’s “fake news” label before the term became a national and global sensation.
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HUNTER BIDEN showed up for his child support court hearing in Arkansas on Monday, where a judge told lawyers for both sides she expected things to move quickly, and encouraged neither team to slow things down with legal theatrics.
During the proceedings, Biden’s team revealed that he pays $20,000 a month to the mother of his child, who the Biden family does not publicly acknowledge.
THE PLOT THICKENS: The judge also ordered Biden’s attorneys to disclose how much his artwork sold for – something that has been shrouded in secrecy.
GET A LOAD OF THIS: According to his own tax return, as recently as 2020, Biden received $9 MILLION from a Chinese-based company – in a single year.
No word yet what, exactly, he did to earn that money.
Everyone is due back in court May 23, with all the documents required by the court to be in-hand and complete. [via ArkansasOnline.com]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 46 points (0.14%) to close at 34,051 on Monday. The S&P lost just 1 point (0.039%) to close at 4,167 and the NASDAQ lost 14 points (0.11%) to close at 12,212.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $75; BRENT CRUDE at $79.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.61 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN tumbled more than 4% Monday, trading just over $28,000.
🛩 There were more than 4,137 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 330 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $52 million jackpot or a $27.7 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
Celebrities gathered last night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual celebration aka the Met Gala. This year’s theme was “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” The late fashion designer created looks for Chanel, Fendi, Balmain and Chloe, in addition to his own brand, which were all clear outfit choices for the evening.
The co-chairs for the event were actress/screenwriter MICHAELA COEL, actress PENELOPE CRUZ, tennis star ROGER FEDERER, singer DUA LIPA and, of course, Vogue editor in chief ANNA WINTOUR.
Here are some highlights from the night.
Model KARLIE KLOSS and tennis superstar SERENA WILLIAMS both revealed baby bumps at the event. It is the second pregnancy for both women.
GISELE BUNDCHEN attended the event solo for the first time since 2006.
First timers PARIS HILTON and rapper ICE SPICE were spotted walking the red carpet.
DOJA CAT paid homage to Lagerfeld’s beloved cat Choupette by transforming into the fluffy feline in a backless silver Oscar de la Renta gown, with a sparkling hood that had cat ears. On her face she wore a fake cat nose and lined her eyes to give a cat eye appearance. Despite many pleas, Choupette himself was not in attendance at the event.
JARED LETO also paid homage to Choupette by dressing in a complete cat suit.
After rumors that none of the KarJenners scored an invite, KIM KARDASHIAN, KYLIE JENNER and KENDALL JENNER all made their way down the red carpet last night.
Notable absences include, BLAKE LIVELY, TAYLOR SWIFT, BEYONCE and the remainder of the KarJenner clan.
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AEROSMITH is heading out on a farewell tour.
The band made the announcement Monday, saying they want to celebrate their 50-plus years together while everyone is still “healthy to do [it].” The five founding members are all over the age of 70, with frontman STEVEN TYLER leading the pack at 75.
The 40-date tour kicks off this fall in Philadelphia. [via TMZ]
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NICK CANNON and MARIAH CAREY celebrated their twins’ 12th birthday over the weekend at Six Flags.
According to a social media post from Cannon, he rented out the entire park for the preteens to celebrate.
Carey and Cannon were married for eight years, during which they welcomed fraternal twins Monroe and Moroccan. The twins are the oldest of Cannon’s 12 kids. [via CNN]
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JERRY SPRINGER was laid to rest Sunday in a private ceremony in a Chicago suburb. Only family and close friends were in attendance.
Insiders told TMZ that a public celebration of life is being planned for May 16 in Cincinnati.
As previously reported, Springer passed away last week after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 79. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
Season 2 of RYAN MURPHY’s “Monster” anthology series will focus on the infamous lives and trial of Lyle and Eric Menendez.
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” centers on the two brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents, according to Netflix. It is expected to hit the streamer in 2024.
Murphy’s first season, “Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” is Netflix’s second most popular English-language TV show of all time. [via Deadline]
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CLINT EASTWOOD is working on his 40th film.
The 92-year-old, who has been a Hollywood staple for over 70 years, is creating a thriller called “Juror #2” that will star ZOEY DEUTCH, NICHOLAS HOULT and TONI COLLETTE.
The movie centers on a juror who thinks he may have played a part in the victim’s death and must decide whether he will save himself by swaying his fellow jurors or turn himself in. [via Daily Mail]
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RIHANNA is voicing Smurfette in the new “Smurfs” animated film.
She will also write original music for the movie and serve as a producer.
“Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me. I got to imagine, I got to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester, and be a blue badass,” RiRi said at CinemaCon last week. [via CNN]
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A TV series based on author STEPHANIE MEYER’s “Twilight” books is in the works at Lionsgate.
Insiders told The Hollywood Reporter that writer Sinead Daly is working on a script that will either be specific to the books or take a different route. Meyer is expected to be part of the creative process.
The film franchise, which follows a vampire (ROBERT PATTINSON) and a werewolf (TAYLOR LAUTNER) who are both in love with a human girl (KRISTEN STEWART), grossed more than $3.4 BILLION worldwide. [via Hollywood Reporter]
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“The Morning Show,” starring JENNIFER ANISTON and REESE WITHERSPOON, has been renewed for a fourth season at Apple TV+.
Steeped in #MeToo and pandemic-hysteria culture, the show follows the inner workings of fictional news network UBA as the co-anchors attempt to change the workplace.
Season 3, which does not yet have an official premiere date, will see the addition of JON HAMM and NICOLE BEHARIE.
Seasons 1 and 2 are currently available to stream on Apple TV+. [via People]
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The final episode of “The Late Late Show with James Corden” drew in 1.43 million viewers last Thursday.
The primetime special “THE Last Last Late Late Show with James Corden Carpool Karaoke,” which featured ADELE, brought in 3.65 million viewers. It also has more than 13 million views on YouTube. [via Variety]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN says her eldest daughter NORTH WEST planned a pre-Met Gala surprise for her.
In her Instagram Story, Kim showed off her lavish room, complete with three massage beds surrounded with white rose petals, tons of bouquets of flowers, dozens of candles and balloons that spelled out “Karl Lagerfeld Met Gala.”
“How sweet is North for surprising me tonight with this for us to relax before the Met?” Kim captioned the clip.
Fans were quick to question how the 9-year-old was able to pull off such an extravagant surprise. [via Page Six]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS: CORONATION WEEK
The Heritage Foundation has sued the Department of Homeland Security to unseal PRINCE HARRY’s US visa application, after he revealed publicly his use of illegal drugs, which typically immediately disqualifies someone from getting a visa to enter the country.
The filing also challenges whether, in light of such developments, Harry’s visa should be “reconsidered.” [via Express]
WORTH REMEMBERING: Harry discussed his drug use in his best-selling memoir, “Spare.”
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It’s good to be King – here’s all the legal things KING CHARLES doesn’t have to worry about now that he’s monarch, thanks to the “sovereign immunity” legal doctrine:
He doesn’t need a passport. British law requires one to leave the country, but not for Charles – in whose name all other passports are issued. It would be like signing his own permission slip.
If he decides to drive himself, he doesn’t need a license.
He doesn’t have to pay income tax, capital gain tax, or inheritance tax – but since 1993, QUEEN ELIZABETH and then-Prince-now-King Charles have paid taxes on income and gains not connected to official duties.
He’s immune from discrimination lawsuits based on race, sex, or pay disparity – which would apply to people who work for him. [via TIME]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
International Harry Potter Day
National Teacher Day
Baby Day
National Brothers and Sisters Day
World Asthma Day
National School Nurse Day
Poem on Your Pillow Day
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ON THIS DATE
1536 - Anne Boleyn is arrested and taken to the Tower of London
False charges of adultery and incest were made against the highly unpopular Queen leading to her imprisonment. Her marriage to King Henry VIII was also declared null and void.
Two weeks later, and after a four day show trial, she would be beheaded over the trumped up charges.
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1611 - The King James Version of the Bible is first put into mass print.
Robert Barker was the designated printer, being the official typesetter of the King. English was yet to be standardized, so there was widespread variation in how the text was presented, once multiple printers got their hands on reproducing it.
This was the third try by the Church of England to standardize its theology and to get along with fringe groups, like the Puritans.
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1863 - General Stonewall Jackson is fatally wounded during the Battle of Chancellorsville.
He was allegedly shot on accident by his own Confederate troops. He survived the initial bullet and ensuing amputation, but died from pneumonia eight days later. The death destroyed morale among Confederate ranks.
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1945 - Berlin falls to the Soviets during World War II.
The bloody Battle of Berlin injured or wounded hundreds of thousands of Nazi and Russian troops over several weeks. An aggressive shelling campaign by the Soviets killed thousands of German civilians.
It was during this battle that Adolf Hitler lost hope and killed himself.
Even after the formal surrender, German troops marched and fought westward, hoping to surrender to American or British forces, not the Soviets.
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1952 - The world’s first commercial jet airliner takes off, en route to Johannesburg from London.
The British Overseas Airways Corporation Comet 1 was the first of 12 of its kind. It spanned 115 feet and was 93 feet long, and could hold 40 passengers.
The Comet line of jets were in service until 1974.
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1969 - Ocean liner Queen Elizabeth II makes its maiden voyage.
The trip from Southampton, England to New York took nearly five days.
In 1982 she would function as a troop transport during the Falklands War, and was retrofitted for helicopter pads and dormitories.
Her last voyage designated as a ship of the British Crown would be on November 11, 2008, with arrival in Southampton, but not before getting stuck in the harbor, and needing the assistance of five tugboats.
It is now a floating hotel in Dubai.
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2011 - Terrorist Osama bin Laden is shot to death in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where he is presumed to have been hiding for years.
During the raid, an American helicopter crashed, though its crew survived.
Special forces took scores of intelligence data, as well as bin Laden’s bullet-ridden corpse, which was disposed of somewhere in the Indian Ocean.
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2020 - Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, the Icelandic actor who played Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane in “Game of Thrones,” sets a world deadlift record by lifting 501 kg (1,104 lbs).
He is the first and only person to have won the Arnold Strongman Classic, the Europe’s Strongest Man and the World’s Strongest Man in the same calendar year.
Analysts and strongmen experts consider Hafþór to be the strongest man to have ever lived.
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BIRTHDAYS
Princess Charlotte - daughter of Will & Kate - 8
Shaylee Gonzales - basketball player - 23
Paul George - basketball player - 33
Thomas McDonell - actor, “Prom” & “The 100” - 37
Lily Allen - pop singer - 38
Kyle Busch - race car driver - 38
Ellie Kemper - actress, “The Office” & “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” - 43
David Beckham - soccer player - 48
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson - wrestler & actor, “San Andreas” - 51
Christine Baranski - actress, “The Good Wife” & “The Big Bang Theory” - 71
Donatella Versace - fashion designer - 68
Lou Gramm - rock singer, Foreigner - 73
Larry Gatlin - country singer, Gatlin Brothers - 75
Born On This Date
Lesley Gore - pop singer - 1946 (d. 2015)
The Red Baron - WWI fighter ace - 1892 (d. 1918)
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