Today is Thursday, May 4, 2023.
It is the 124th day of the year.
241 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
You, too, can own an extensive jewelry collection that once belonged to a billionaire – if you have hundreds of millions to shell out. More in HIT LIST.
A new whistleblower says the FBI has testimony that President JOE BIDEN is connected to a pay-to-play scheme dating back to his vice presidency. More in THE SWAMP.
The writers’ strike continues and NICOLAS CAGE says he remembers being in the womb. More in SHOWBIZ.
KEVIN COSTNER is (maybe) officially leaving “Yellowstone” and NICK CANNON is stepping in for JAMIE FOXX while he remains in the hospital. More in CASTING CALL.
KIM KARDASHIAN wants to prove the critics wrong. More in KARDASH.
KING CHARLES and QUEEN CAMILLA host their first official garden party. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
A spooky new development for the ALEX MURDAUGH file: The attorney convicted of murdering his wife and son is still under investigation for the 2018 incident in which his housekeeper fell down some stairs and later died.
At the time, Murdaugh said she had tripped over the family dogs – a terrible tragedy he leveraged to get a payout from the insurance company for her children. Instead, Murdaugh pocketed the funds, and the housekeeper’s family is suing him.
NOW: The insurance company is suing Murdaugh for fraud. In a new court filing, Murdaugh admits he lied when he said the housekeeper tripped – leaving the glaring question unanswered: If she didn’t trip on the dogs, how did she fall down the stairs? [via DailyMail]
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The Russian government announced on Wednesday that two drones were shot down near the Kremlin. The remote controlled aircraft were believed to have explosives designed to try to kill VLADIMIR PUTIN.
Moscow’s mayor ended all drone activity over the city as a result.
The Ukrainian government has denied any connection to the plot. While the Kremlin is the official residence for the leader of Russia – among serving other government functions – Putin is rarely believed to spend time there anyway.
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The FDA announced Wednesday that they have approved the world’s first respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine.
According to pharmaceutical company GSK, a single-dose shot of Arexvy can help prevent lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD), which is caused by RSV in people 60 years and older. It is believed to offer protection for at least six months.
Each year RSV leads to more than 60,000 hospitalizations and kills up to 10,000 people aged 65 or older, and up to 300 children under the age of 5, per the CDC.
Pfizer’s RSV vaccine is up for FDA approval later this month. [via NBC News]
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An upcoming auction featuring jewelry from the late Austrian billionaire Heidi Horton is expected to set a new record, beating the one set by sales of Elizabeth Taylor’s jewels, which went for $116 million in 2011.
According to auction house Christie’s, 700 jewels owned by Horton -- including a 90-carat “Briolette of India” diamond necklace by Harry Winston, a ruby and diamond Cartier ring, a series of modern and decades-old Bulgari creations -- are expected to fetch more than $150 million in total.
Proceeds from the auction will go to The Heidi Horton Foundation, which supports the museum she established in Vienna, and medical research, child welfare and other causes. [via CNN]
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Did you know adding salt to your cup of coffee may help tone down the bitterness?
The latest trend is actually a real thing, according to food scientist Alton Brown, who first shared the idea on his Food Network show, “Good Eats.”
Acupuncturist Dr. Anis Khalaf says he tells his clients that drinking “excess amounts of coffee may also cause the body to lose sodium,” so supplementing with salt may not be a bad idea.
TikTok user @heritagehousehomestead said adding salt to coffee helped relieve “coffee heartburn.” [via NY Post]
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DEATHS
Olympic track star TORI BOWIE has died.
Her death was announced Wednesday, one day after she was reportedly found in her Florida home. No cause of death was shared.
Bowie was a 3x Olympic medalist for Team USA.
She was only 32.
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BREAKUPS
KEVIN COSTNER’s wife CHRISTINE BAUMGARTNER has filed for divorce after nearly 18 years of marriage.
According to the filing, irreconcilable differences were cited as the reason for the split.
In response, Costner’s team issued a statement that read: “It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action.”
Costner and Baumgartner have three children together. He also has four kids from previous relationships.
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THE SWAMP
An unidentified whistleblower says the FBI is in possession of testimony that connects President JOE BIDEN to a pay-to-play scheme that influenced policy decisions while he was VP.
The testimony was recorded on an FD-1023 form, which the FBI uses to officially record information from a source. The existence of the form itself does not necessarily imply wrongdoing on its own.
A Congressional subpoena demands this document by May 10. The document in question was created or modified the summer before the 2020 election.
MEANWHILE: The Washington Post reports that prosecutors are close to a decision on whether to indict HUNTER BIDEN on charges related to illegal firearm possession and tax cheat charges – but no timeline has yet been disclosed. [via Washington Post]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 270 points (0.8%) to close at 33,414 on Wednesday. The S&P lost 28 points (0.7%) to close at 4,090 and the NASDAQ lost 55 points (0.46%) to close at 12,025.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $67; BRENT CRUDE at $71.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.58 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN was up 1.5% on Wednesday, trading just over $29,000.
🛩 There were more than 2,480 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 84 such cancellations.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $68 million jackpot or a $35.8 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
Those working for JIMMY FALLON and SETH MEYERS’ late night talk shows won’t be completely abandoned during the writers’ strike.
According to one insider, NBC will pay staffers through the end of the week, one week longer than originally expected, and both Fallon and Meyers will pay for a week beyond that.
Employees will also have their healthcare benefits extended through September, which is similar to what happened during the pandemic. [via Variety]
MEANWHILE: Former late night host JAY LENO supplied those picketing with donuts, something he also did during the 2007 writers’ strike. [via Deadline]
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MARIA MENOUNOS revealed she faced another cancer battle earlier this year.
The 44-year-old, who had a brain tumor removed six years ago, told People Magazine that she was diagnosed with stage 2 pancreatic cancer in January. She underwent a successful surgery to remove a 3.9-centimeter tumor in February.
Menounos said she does not require chemotherapy or any sort of other treatment other than annual scans for the next five years.
The TV star and her husband, 55-year-old screenwriter KEVEN UNDERGARO are expecting their first child this summer via surrogate. [via Daily Mail]
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The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees are: KATE BUSH, WILLIE NELSON, SHERYL CROW, MISSY ELLIOTT, GEORGE MICHAEL, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and THE SPINNERS.
The group will officially be added this November at the Induction Ceremony in New York. [via Deadline]
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GWYNETH PALTROW is spilling the dirty details about the intimate time she spent with former boyfriends BRAD PITT and BEN AFFLECK.
Appearing on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, the actress said both men were “good kissers,” before adding that Pitt was “major chemistry love-of-your life,” while Affleck was “technically excellent.”
Paltrow and Pitt met in 1994 on the set of “Seven.” They got engaged, but later called things off. She dated Affleck from 1997 to 2000. [via HuffPost]
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NICOLAS CAGE claims his earliest childhood memory is being in his mother’s womb.
The actor made the revelation during a recent appearance on STEPHEN COLBERT’s late night talk show, explaining that he can remember back to “in-utero and feeling like [he] could see faces in the dark.”
He also spoke about what he thinks happens in death, telling Colbert “I like to think whatever spark is animating our bodies, once the body passes on, that spark continues to go.” [via Variety]
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ED SHEERAN is devastated that he had to miss his grandmother’s funeral because of his ongoing copyright trial.
Sheeran’s dad told mourners that it was “very sad” he had to miss the funeral as he “has to be thousands miles away in a court in America defending his integrity.”
As previously reported, Sheeran is currently in a court battle for allegedly ripping off parts of MARVIN GAYE’s hit “Let’s Get It On” for his song “Thinking Out Loud.”
He was able to catch the funeral service online, a source told the Daily Mail. [via Daily Mail]
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EMILIO ESTEVEZ revealed that when he was 14-years-old actor LAURENCE FISHBURNE saved him from drowning in quicksand.
Sharing the story with JENNIFER HUDSON on her daytime talk show, Estevez said he was in the Philippines watching his dad, MARTIN SHEEN, film “Apocalypse Now” when Fishburne asked if he wanted to go out on this little boat nearby.
“So we were out on this boat together, and we started getting too close to the shore and I said, ‘Well, let me jump out, I’ll push us offshore.’ I jumped out, and it was like quicksand mud.”
Fishburne, who was also only 14 at the time, yelled “Grab my hand!” and pulled Estevez back in the boat.
Sheen, not hearing about the story until decades later, told Hudson that he “called Mr. Fishburne to thank him for saving [his] son’s life.” [via Entertainment Weekly]
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CASTING CALL
Is John Dutton heading to the train station?
Production sources told Entertainment Tonight that KEVIN COSTNER will not be returning to “Yellowstone” after Season 5.
The insider also said there is still no word on when the cast will resume filming the second half of Season 5.
As previously reported, there have been rumblings that Costner and series creator TAYLOR SHERIDAN have had disagreements regarding shooting schedules, with the former wanting significantly less days on set. [via ET]
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NICK CANNON will guest host new episodes of the game show “Beat Shazam” as JAMIE FOXX remains in the hospital.
Foxx, who has hosted the show since its debut in 2017, has now been hospitalized for over three weeks.
An unnamed source asked fans to “pray for Jamie” this week, while his rep did not respond to questions regarding his current health status.
As previously reported Foxx’s daughter CORINNE FOXX announced he had been hospitalized for an unidentified medical emergency early last month. No details have been shared beyond that. [via Variety]
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The US Sun reports that “Live with Kelly and Mark” is taping shows months in advance, something fans will likely add to their criticism of the married co-hosts.
As previously reported, viewers have threatened to boycott the daytime talk show after it was revealed that only three episodes a week would be new, with the remaining two to be repeats.
An insider told the outlet that “the opening monologue for the pre-recorded episodes is very general” with the two “discussing relationships and Mark and Kelly’s marriage and life with their kids.”
Another source explained that the “hosts have other obligations” so pre-recording shows is “normal.” Not so sure fans will agree. [via The Sun]
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CELEBRITY CELLBLOCK
JACKSON MAHOMES, the younger brother of NFL superstar PATRICK MAHOMES, was arrested on Wednesday. He faces three felony counts of aggravated sexual battery and one misdemeanor count of battery.
The incident that prompted his arrest occurred earlier this year, when Mahomes was accused of assaulting a waiter and the owner of Aspen’s Restaurant and Lounge, located in Overland Park, Kansas.
After a hearing on Wednesday afternoon, Mahomes entered a plea and bonded out. It is not known how he pleaded. His next hearing has been set for May 11. [via The Kansas City Star]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN is taking acting lessons ahead of her appearance in “American Horror Story.”
The reality star hit back at critics this week, saying she is excited about the new “challenge” and will do all that she can to be prepared for the new role.
She also told Variety that they will be “shooting [her] stuff at the end of the month.” [via Variety]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS: CORONATION WEEK
KING CHARLES and QUEEN CAMILLA hosted their first garden party at Buckingham Palace as monarchs on Wednesday. The DUKE AND DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH – that’s now Charles’ brother PRINCE EDWARD and his wife – were also on hand for the festivities.
Guests primarily included members of the Royal Voluntary Service who have done an exceptional bit of charity work in recent months. The palace provided refreshments, too, but it’s supposed to be a chance for the peasants to get a glimpse of life behind the palace gates, and for the royals to mingle with normal folks.
MEANWHILE: Journalist OMID SCOBIE – who is well connected to PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE – told The Daily Beast on Wednesday that a line of communication has reopened between Harry and Charles, though PRINCE WILLIAM still wants nothing to do with his brother.
Scobie also dismissed again the idea that Markle was sitting out the coronation for her child’s birthday. He says she truly believes her presence would bring unwanted attention – both toward her and away from the King and Queen. [via DailyBeast]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Star Wars Day
National Orange Juice Day
K.I.N.D. Day
International Firefighters’ Day
World Password Day
Petite and Proud Day
45 Day
National Candied Orange Peel Day
National Renewal Day
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ON THIS DATE
1776 – Rhode Island renounces its allegiance to King George. It's the first colony to do so. It was also the colony founded by the first Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Ironically, Rhode Island was the last state to ratify the American Constitution just 14 short years later.
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1886 – Police fire on protestors in Chicago, killing 12 and injuring dozens more.
The protestors were rallying for workers’ rights, when the riot got out of hand. An unidentified man threw a bomb at police who were gathering to keep the peace. Following its explosion, the police started firing into the crowd.
The incident would become known as the Haymarket Square Riot.
Four men were eventually executed for their roles in trying to kill the policemen.
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1970 – College campus peacekeepers at Kent State in Ohio fire on unruly hippies, killing four and wounding eight.
The unwashed, long-haired dope addicts had it coming. They were protesting the Vietnam War, and throwing rocks and taunting the troops who were dispatched when the crowd grew to an unmanageable size.
None of the eight Ohio National Guardsmen were convicted of any wrongdoing.
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1980 – Yugoslav dictator Josip Broz Tito dies.
He ruled for 35 years over a Marxist regime, but managed to keep frosty relations with the neighboring Soviet Union.
He was used by American diplomats to aggregate the Soviets. Some foreign policy experts hoped to convert the staunch communist to a freer country, marking a change in the political landscape in Eastern Europe.
But Tito held on to his far-left ideology for his whole life.
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1998 – A federal judge in Sacramento, California sentences “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski to four life sentences plus 30 years.
The sentence was part of a plea deal Kaczynski made, sparring him from the death penalty.
Kaczynski is known for his 17-year series of attacks, using mail-bombs to target academics, business execs and others. He was arrested in April 1996.
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2019 – In the 145th Kentucky Derby, first-across-the-line Maximum Security is disqualified for interference. Country Horse is declared the winner.
The move marks the first DQ in race history for race infraction.
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BIRTHDAYS
X AE A-Xii Musk - son of Elon - 3
Nicholas Hamilton - actor, “The Dark Tower” & “Captain Fantastic” - 23
RaeLynn - country singer - 29
Victor Oladipo - basketball player - 31
Gracie Gillam - actress, “The Vampire Diaries” - 31
Denis Shaforostov - metal singer, Asking Alexandria - 31
Rory McIlroy - golfer - 34
JME - rapper - 38
Dallon Weekes - bassist, Panic! at the Disco - 42
Lance Bass - pop singer, ‘NSYNC - 44
Kimora Lee Simmons - model - 48
Mike Dirnt - bassist, Green Day - 51
Chris Tomlin - rock singer - 51
Will Arnett - actor, “Arrested Development” - 53
Randy Travis - country singer - 64
Jackie Jackson - pop singer, Jackson 5 - 72
Mick Mars - guitarist, Motley Crue - 72
Katherine Jackson - Jackson family matriarch - 93
Betsy Rawls - golfer - 95
Born On This Date
Audrey Hepburn - actress, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” - 1929 (d. 1993)
Elmer Layden - college football player & first NFL Commissioner -1903 (d. 1973)
Horace Mann - educator, author & politician who pioneered public schools - 1796 (d. 1859)
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