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5/31/2022: “Top Gun” Tops the Box Office
PLUS: Attack on the Mona Lisa, A Handmaid’s Exit and Royal Soldiers Arrested
Today is Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
It is the 151st day of the year.
214 days remain.
TRENDING
Saturday was National Hamburger Day.
Tales of the Jedi was trending Saturday after Disney+ announced the Star Wars animated series will debut this fall. More on the series in Casting Call.
Sunday was National Paperclip Day.
#Indy500 was trending Sunday. Driver Marcus Ericcson won the race; his first ever Indy500 win.
#WellManneredMoviesandShows landed in Twitter’s Top 10 Trends on Sunday. Tweets included, “Respectful Metal Jacket,” “Behaving Private Ryan,” “Doctor…Whom?!” “Breaking Bread” and “Buzz Politeyear.”
Monday was National Mint Julep Day.
Memorial Day was Monday. A day to honor and remember all those who sacrificed their own lives so Americans can live freely.
Mona Lisa was trending Monday after a visitor to the Louvre vandalized the iconic artwork. More on the story in Hit List.
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HIT LIST
An independent cybersecurity company called CHEQ did an analysis of Twitter accounts that shows more than 10% of accounts are made up of bot accounts and fake users.
The company’s CEO said in a statement, “Ultimately, we're living in the era of the Fake Web, where bots, malicious users and automation tools make up a large portion of all web traffic, and this data supports what we're seeing out there.”
IN OTHER WORDS: The platform notorious for censoring “disinformation” from real humans is bursting at the seams with it from computer programs anyway.
The development throws another wrench in Elon Musk’s ongoing acquisition of Twitter, which he said has been paused while his team analyzes Twitter’s assertion that less than 5% of accounts are bots.
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A 36-year-old man dressed up like an old woman in a wheelchair over the weekend to get close to the Mona Lisa at the Louvre museum in France, then threw cake at the painting.
Fortunately, the masterpiece was protected behind glass. The perp was arrested and sent to a psychiatric unit.
During the attack on the artwork, he reportedly shouted, “Think of the Earth! There are people who are destroying the Earth! Think about it. Artists tell you: think of the Earth. That’s why I did this.”
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Are you cutting back on your grocery budget after picking up supplies for the Memorial Day weekend? You wouldn’t be alone: The USDA reports that the prices of ground beef and chicken breasts rose 20% between March and April.
Hot dogs were up 14.5% and hot dog and hamburger buns were up 11.2% over the same period.
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The Population Reference Bureau has issued a study estimating the total number of humans to have ever lived, suggesting that 117 billion humans have walked the Earth.
Between now and 2050, the PRB estimates another 4 billion births.
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Stocks had another strong day Friday, with the Dow picking up 575 points while the S&P picked up more than 100 points, adding nearly 2.5% to its value.
Oil prices surged heading into Memorial Day weekend. The national average cost of gas is a record $4.61 a gallon.
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CHARTS
Top 5 Songs on iTunes:
Chase McDaniel, “Project”
Harry Styles, “As It Was”
Lizzo, “About Damn Time”
Jack Harlow, “First Class”
Morgan Wallen, “You Proof”
Top 5 Songs on Spotify:
Lizzo, “About Damn Time”
Harry Styles, “As It Was”
Jack Harlow, “First Class”
Bad Bunny & Bomba Estereo, “Ojitos Lindos”
Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa & Young Thug, “Potion”
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DEATHS
JEFF GLADNEY has died.
The cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals was killed in a car accident early Monday in Dallas, according to a statement from his agent.
He was 25.
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BO HOPKINS has died.
The actor, known for his roles in “The Wild Bunch” and “American Graffiti,” passed away at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys after suffering a heart attack.
He was 80.
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GEORGE SHAPIRO has died.
The talent manager and TV producer passed away last Thursday at his home in Beverly Hills. Deadline reports that he died of natural causes.
He was 91
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RONNIE HAWKINS has died.
The “Father of Canadian Rock ‘N Roll” passed away Sunday following an unspecified illness, according to his wife, Wanda.
He was 87.
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TYTYANA MILLER, the daughter of MASTER P, has died.
The rapper shared his “overwhelming grief” on Instagram Sunday while announcing her death.
According to the 52-year-old, his daughter passed away after a battle with mental illness and substance abuse.
She was 29.
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BABY NEWS
Baby #2 is on the way for actor JESSE TYLER FERGUSON, 46, and his partner, lawyer JUSTIN MIKITA, 36.
The “Modern Family” alum revealed the exciting news in an Instagram video over the weekend.
The two are already parents to son Beckett, 1.
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RELATIONSHIPS
Former “Bachelorette” star BECCA KUFRIN, 32, is engaged to THOMAS JACOB, 29.
According to an Instagram post, Kufrin is the one who did the asking.
The pair has been dating less than a year, after meeting on “Bachelor in Paradise.”
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WEDDINGS
SHAUNIE O’NEAL, the ex-wife of SHAQUILLE O’NEAL, tied the knot with KEION HENDERSON, 41, in Anguilla on Saturday.
Shaunie, 47, and Henderson got engaged in November 2021 after two years of dating.
She was married to Shaq from 2002 to 2011.
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Talent manager ARI EMANUEL, 61, tied the knot with fashion designer SARAH STAUDINGER, 32, in St. Tropez on Saturday.
In attendance for the ceremony were ELON MUSK, EMILY RATAJKOWSKI, SEAN “Diddy” COMBS, LARRY DAVID and more.
The pair got engaged in April 2021.
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THE SWAMP
PAUL PELOSI – that’s Speaker NANCY PELOSI’s husband – crashed his brand new, gas-guzzling 2021 Porsche over the weekend and was subsequently arrested for drunk driving. The 82-year-old was booked in Napa County and likely posted his $5,000 bail to get out.
The Speaker was on the East Coast over the weekend to give the commencement at Brown University in Rhode Island. One of her reps said she wouldn’t be commenting.
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President JOE BIDEN is getting really, really, really serious about inflation.
He’s so serious about inflation that today he’s holding what Bloomberg calls a “rare” Oval Office meeting with JEROME POWELL, the chair of the Federal Reserve, where they’ll discuss the American and global economies.
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LOTTERY
No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $170 million jackpot or a $100.8 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
Holiday Weekend Box Office (Friday, May 27 - Monday, May 30)
10. F3: Fun and Frustration: $1.2 million (new)
9. Men: $1.5 million (down from 5)
8. The Lost City: $2.3 million (up from 9)
7. Sonic the Hedgehog 2: $3.1 million (down from 4)
6. Everything Everywhere All at Once: $3.2. million (stayed at 6)
5. The Bad Guys: $6.2 million (down from 3)
4. Downton Abbey: A New Era: $7.5 million (down from 2)
3. The Bob’s Burgers Movie: $15 million (new)
2. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: $21.1 million (down from 1)
1. Top Gun Maverick: $156 million (new)
SPEAKING OF THE BOX OFFICE: “Top Gun: Maverick” is now the highest-grossing Memorial Day release at the domestic box office. The TOM CRUISE-fronted flick stole the crown from Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” which grossed $153 million in 2007.
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An autobiography titled “Harvey Weinstein: My Story” popped up for sale on Amazon earlier this month.
The thing is, it was not actually written by the disgraced movie mogul, but rather two inmates who are serving time alongside Weinstein.
A forward in the memoir states that the autobiography was mailed to the publisher, the Prisons Foundation, from the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, but was not mailed by Weinstein.
According to insiders from the prison, the “authors” befriended Weinstein and wrote his story because he “can’t publish a book himself amid his ongoing legal battles. But, reps for Weinstein say that is not true and his lawyer has filed a cease-and-desist demanding the book be removed from the site.
Amazon has since taken the book down.
WORTH NOTING: New Yorker writer KEN AULETTA is publishing a Weinstein biography set to come out July 12.
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ANDY DICK will not be charged in connection to his arrest for felony sexual assault.
According to the Orange County Sheriff, the case has been dropped as the alleged victim has stopped cooperating with investigators.
As previously reported, the comedian was arrested earlier this month after police recieved a phone call from an adult male, who is believed to be the victim of the sexual assault. The caller claims Dick molested him in his sleep.
Dick spent two days behind bars following the incident.
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HBO and actor MARK RUFFALO are being sued over a May 2019 fire that destroyed an upstate New York car dealership that was being used as a filming location at the time.
According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, a handful of residents who live near the destroyed car lot claim the fire exposed them to harmful toxins and damaged their homes.
The suit also states that HBO has done nothing to clean up the mess, which residents claim “remains an uncovered and unabated debris pile, toxin spill and wind-driven dust and gaseous dispersion.”
The blaze occurred during the filming of the miniseries, “I Know This Much Is True,” which Ruffalo starred in and served as a producer.
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JOHNNY DEPP surprised a crowd of concert goers in the English city of Sheffield when he performed on stage alongside JEFF BECK on Sunday.
Depp and Beck played their 2020 collaboration “Isolation,” which is a remake of the JOHN LENNON song from 1970.
The performance comes during a holiday weekend break in Depp’s high-profile court case against his ex-wife AMBER HEARD.
WORTH NOTING: Prior to his acting career, Depp formed the supergroup Hollywood Vampires with ALICE COOPER and JOE PERRY.
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CASTING CALL
ALEXIS BLEDEL is leaving her role as Emily Malek aka Ofglen in Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
She made the shocking announcement to Variety, saying she “felt she had to step away [from the show] at this time.”
Bledel has been with the show since it premiered in 2017.
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MATTHEW MORRISON has been booted as a judge from “So You Think You Can Dance” due to a “failure to follow competition production protocols.”
The infraction committed was a minor one, according to US Weekly. No other details were shared.
Season 17 of the competition show debuted on May 18. Episodes featuring Morrison will air through mid-June.
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AMIR ARISON is leaving NBC’s “The Blacklist.”
He is exiting the show to make his Broadway debut in “The Kite Runner.”
Arison portrayed Aram Mojtabi for the past nine seasons.
Also leaving the show is LAURA SOHN, who played FBI agent Alina Park for the past three seasons.
The news comes shortly after Season 9 wrapped.
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“Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” is an anthology of original animated shorts that will tell the stories of Ahsoka and Count Dooku.
The series will consist of six episodes -- three focusing on Ahsoka and three on Dooku.
LIAM NEESON will voice his “Star Wars” character, Qui-Gon Jinn.
The series debuts this fall on Disney+.
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***SPOILER ALERT***
ALYCIA DEBNAM-CAREY is leaving her role as Alicia Clark on AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead.”
She has played the character since the show’s inception in August 2015.
The news comes amid her casting in the upcoming Hulu series “Saint X.”
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COURT CASES
The fate of the JOHNNY DEPP vs. AMBER HEARD trial was handed over to the jury Friday.
The jurors left for the holiday weekend with no verdict.
They resume deliberations today.
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CRIB NOTES
The home that inspired the film “The Conjuring” recently sold for $1.52 million.
The new owner is Boston real-estate developer Jacqueline Nunez. She was one of more than 10 buyers who made offers on the property. As per a unique demand of the sellers, Nunez will not live in the house. The sellers say it's “for her own good,” according to Deadline.
The 3,109-square-foot house has a history of murder, rape, sucide, and is rumored to be haunted by the spirit of Bathsheba Sheramn, who lived there in the 19th century.
When asked about the unique purchase by The Wall Street Journal, Nunez replied, “I’m not afraid of the house.” Then added, “But ask me again in a year.”
The house is located in Burrillville, Rhode Island.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KANYE WEST took another shot at his ex in his new single, “True Love.”
In the song, Ye raps that he feels like his kids are “borrowed” when he picks them up from KIM.
This is not the first time, and surely won’t be the last time, Ye has rapped about his ongoing divorce from the reality star.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Just days before the start of QUEEN ELIZABETH’s Platinum Jubilee, six soldiers and a veteran were arrested on suspicion of cocaine and money laundering.
The UK’s Ministry of Defense told The Post that the seven suspects were detained during a raid carried out by the Royal Military Police at their barracks in England.
The six soldiers are members of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, who are set to lead the Trooping the Color military parade this week.
Obviously, they will be six men short this year.
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SPORTS
Twelve-year-old golf phenom XAVIER PEREZ has landed a major deal with Cobra Puma.
The pre-teen, who has won more than 250 tournaments since he started golfing competitively nine years ago, will wear Puma apparel, footwear and accessories and play with a bag of Cobra clubs, per his new deal.
He also has endorsement deals with Easypost, JumboMax and OnCore, according to his rep.
No financial details were shared.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Tulsa Race Massacre
National Autonomous Vehicle Day
National Macaroon Day
National Save Your Hearing Day
National Speak In Sentences Day
World No Tobacco Day
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ON THIS DATE
1859 - The Big Ben Clocktower begins chiming.
The idea for the clock tower came after a fire destroyed the previous clock in 1834. There were initiatives that would ensure that Big Ben would always be exactly on time.
At 13 tons, it took 16 horses to carry the clock to the structure.
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1929 - Ford Motor Company agrees to produce automobiles for the Soviet Union.
The agreement signed with the communist government stipulated for the construction of Model A cars en masse for the Soviet populace.
After the success of the ford automobile in the Soviet Union, Stalin would herald Ford as one of the greatest industrialists in the world, contradicting the communist mantra literally on parade in his own country.
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1988 - The meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev to end the Cold War formally finishes.
Reagan was a star among Soviet audiences, speaking eloquently and succinctly about freedom.
The president stuck to broad issues, proselytizing freedom and free societies, much to the Soviets' dismay, on their own turf in Moscow.
Though Reagan showed up as the communist premier, there was little progress in negotiating a brighter future for the two nations.
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2005 - The infamous informant of the Watergate scandal comes clean.
W. Mark Felt explained to Vanity Fair that he was the informant who broke the story to Woodward and Berstein.
His disclosure closed the book on forty years of mystery, over who instigated the relentless investigation into Richard Nixon.
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2014 - Psy’s “Gangnam Style” becomes the first video to reach 2 billion views on YouTube.
The milestone comes just over 500 days after the song hit 1 billion views on the platform.
The South Korean pop star earned about $2 million for the feat, from ads featured on YouTube.
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2021 - Tulsa, Oklahoma marks the 100 year anniversary of the massacre of black residents by a white mob.
The horrific event took place in the Greenwood neighborhood after a 19-year-old Black man was accused of assaulting a white woman in her teens.
In addition to the physical assault of residents, a 35 square block area of the neighborhood was burned and destroyed.
The event is considered one of the single worst incidents of racial violence in American history.
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BIRTHDAYS
Normani - pop singer - 26
Anna Maria Sieklucka - actress, “365 Days” - 30
Farrah Abraham - reality star, “Teen Mom” - 31
Azealia Banks - rapper - 31
Waka Flocka Flame - rapper - 36
Jordy Nelson - football player - 37
Nate Robinson - basketball player - 38
Yael Grobglas - actress, “Jane the Virgin” - 38
Andy Hurley - drummer, Fall Out Boy - 42
Colin Farrell - actor, “Phone Booth” & “The Recruit” - 46
Brooke Shields - actress, “Blue Lagoon” & “Lipstick Jungle” - 57
Lea Thompson - actress, “Back to the Future” & “Switched at Birth” - 61
Joe Namath - HOF football player - 79
Clint Eastwood - actor, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” & “Dirty Harry” - 92
Born On This Date
John Bonham - drummer, Led Zeppelin - 1948 (d. 1980)
Jim Hutton - actor, “Ellery Queen” - 1934 (d. 1979)
Walt Whitman - poet, “Leaves of Grass” - 1819 (d. 1892)
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