Today is Wednesday, June 12, 2024.
It is the 164th day of the year.
202 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A jury convicted HUNTER BIDEN on gun crimes Tuesday. Details in HIT LIST.
KEVIN SPACEY will soon be homeless and TOM BRADY’s pants sell for big bucks. More in SHOWBIZ.
JOHNNY DEPP almost wasn’t Edward Scissorhands. Details in CASTING CALL.
KIM channels her inner JANET JACKSON in KARDASH.
Animal rights kooks deface THE KING’s first official portrait. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
The son of the president of the US has been convicted of a felony for the first time in American history.
A jury in Delaware convicted HUNTER BIDEN on three counts of illegal gun possession: two counts for lying about his drug use at the time of purchase and a third for illegal possession by a drug user or addict.
One Juror, Number 10, who has not identified himself, did the rounds on cable news Tuesday afternoon. He said that the jurors were split before ending for the day on Monday evening, with half the jurors wanting to deliberate before reaching their decision. They then made quick work of things the following morning, spending just over three hours deciding the case.
President JOE BIDEN has publicly said he will not pardon his son. Biden went to Delaware to be with Hunter and the rest of the Biden Clan Tuesday evening.
Sentencing is expected within 120 days. While Hunter faces potential prison time and fines, for a first time conviction he likely faces at worst a few months in lockup and likely will avoid that entirely. [via Morning Martini]
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SPEED 2024: Police in Atlanta pursued a rogue commuter bus on Tuesday, culminating with at least one arrest.
Shortly before evening rush hour, the driver of the bus veered into oncoming traffic on a busy thoroughfare, hitting multiple vehicles, before coming to a stop on a side street, with officers in pursuit.
One man was spotted being led away in handcuffs and five others exited the bus.
Local media reports that the bus was spotted displaying a sign reading “EMERGENCY / CALL POLICE 911.”
Expect this to be a developing story … [via CNN]
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The crew that traveled to the International Space Station in the BOEING Starliner crew capsule will spend a few more days in orbit than originally planned.
The original flight plan called for about a week on board, but the duration has been extended to no earlier than Tuesday, June 18. The added time allows the crew to perform a spacewalk scheduled for this Thursday, June 13.
If all goes well, Boeing will have clearance to fly to and from the ISS for missions up to six months long. [via Space.com]
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Tensions continue to escalate between North and South Korea.
After trading balloons with garbage and propaganda material, then blasting messages into their respective countries from loudspeakers, South Korean soldiers fired warning shots near their northern counterparts after they crossed past a line separating their countries. The North Korean soldiers were reportedly doing construction work and carrying tools.
For their part, the South is treating this as an honest mistake and not looking to escalate tensions further. [via NBC News]
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JOEY CHESTNUT may miss out on this year’s July 4th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition over a brand deal he has with Impossible Foods.
Being a direct rival of Nathan’s, the organization cannot in good faith allow Chestnut to compete while promoting the brand -- even if said brand recently launched a vegan dog made from plants. Ick!
Chestnut has won the competition 16 times, including every year since 2016. Last year he gobbled down 62 dogs.
If he doesn’t compete, oddsmakers have Geoffrey Esper as this year’s favorite. [via NY Post]
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DEATHS
Rapper ENCHANTING has died.
She passed away suddenly this week, according to a post from GUCCI MANE, who signed her to his 1017 Records in 2020. No cause of death has been shared, but some sources report that she was taken off of life support.
She was only 26.
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BREAKUPS
BILLY RAY CYRUS wants an annulment from his wife of seven months, singer FIREROSE.
He lists their date of separation as May 22, 2024, and cites irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital conduct as the reasons for the filing.
The divorce will be Cyrus’ third. He was married to Cindy Smith from 1986-1991, followed by Tish Cyrus from 1992 to 2022.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW dipped 120 points (0.31%) to close at 38,747 on Tuesday. The S&P added 14 points (0.27%) to close at 5,375 and the NASDAQ increased 151 points (0.88%) to close at 17,343.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $78; BRENT CRUDE at $79.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.44 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN tumbled on Tuesday, down over 3% and trading under $67,400.
🛩 There were more than 4,935 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 140 such cancellations.
💰A winning POWERBALL ticket was sold in New Jersey. The winner has the option of the $223 million jackpot or $104.7 million in cash. Tonight’s drawing will be for a $20 million jackpot or a $9.4 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS doesn’t agree with her former “Seinfeld” co-star’s thoughts on today’s PC culture
In an interview with the New York Times, she called JERRY SEINFELD’s comments about there being less “funny stuff” on TV because of the “PC crap” a “red flag.”
“I believe being aware of certain sensitivities is not a bad thing. I don’t know how else to say it,” she explained.
Seinfeld and Louis-Dreyfus have a long history together, as they starred opposite one another on “Seinfeld” for nine seasons, which wasn’t always “PC” itself. [via NY Times]
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KEVIN SPACEY’s Baltimore home is being foreclosed on and sold at auction this week due to his massive debts.
“I’m not quite sure where I’m going to live now,” he told PIERS MORGAN on his “Uncensored” podcast.
Spacey went on to explain that he has been able to avoid filing for bankruptcy, but only barely, as he owes “many millions” of dollars.
Of course, this is all happening as he has been blacklisted from Hollywood over several sexual assault allegations. [via Independent]
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ALEC BALDWIN doesn’t want “Rust” armorer HANNAH GUTIERREZ-REED getting immunity for testifying against him.
Remember, she was sentenced to 18 months behind bars after a jury found her guilty of manslaughter for the death of cinematographer HALYNA HUTCHINS -- the same charge Baldwin faces.
MEANWHILE: Gutierrez-Reed plans to keep her mouth shut when called to the stand, invoking her Fifth Amendment right in order to avoid incriminating herself as she awaits her appeal. [via The Blast]
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TAYLOR SWIFT is continuing her charitable ways across the pond.
The Edinburgh Food Project revealed that ahead of Friday’s concert Swift will make “a donation to support food banks across the city” and while the amount was not disclosed, the org said it will “make a big difference.”
FOR THE RECORD: Friday’s show will be her 100th show of the “Eras Tour.” [via Daily Mail]
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The football pants TOM BRADY wore in his final NFL game sold at Grey Flannel Auctions for nearly $90,000.
Worn during the Buccaneers loss to the Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card game in January 2023, the pants include the date, a Bucs #12 tag, and perhaps some sweat from the G.O.A.T. himself.
No word on who the buyer is. [via TMZ]
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Pro golfer RORY MCILORY has had a change of heart, and no longer wishes to divorce his wife of seven years, ERICA STOLL.
After dismissing the filing yesterday, McIlory told The Guardian that he and Erica have “realized [their] best future was a family together.” [via The Guardian]
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JENNIFER HUDSON’s vocals can be heard on her boyfriend, COMMON’s album.
“The Auditorium Vol. 1” drops today, and features an impressive line up of collaborations, in addition to Hudson’s
The two musicians have been dating since late 2022. [via ET]
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Fans are concerned about NICKI MINAJ’s marriage to KENNETH PETTY after a recent social media video posted by the rapper about the struggles of motherhood.
The clip comes a day after Minaj tweeted “Yes Single…”
She is currently on her “Pink Friday 2” world tour. [via Page Six]
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CASTING CALL
JOHNNY DEPP says he beat out TOM HANKS, TOM CRUISE and MICHAEL JACKSON for the titular role in 1990’s “Edward Scissorhands.”
He almost didn’t even audition for the role, assuming his “teen idol” reputation would hurt him. Director TIM BURTON disagreed with his permission and gave him the job.
The part earned Depp his first Golden Globe nomination. [via Deadline]
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Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer” made it into the streamer’s Top 10 most-watched TV series in the first two months of its release.
Taking the 10th spot as the most-watched English TV series to date, it has logged over 84.5 million viewers since debuting on April 11.
The spot was previously held by Season 1 of “The Witcher” with 83 million views as of last week. [via The Wrap]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN may have been the ultimate JANET JACKSON fan at a recent concert, wearing an outfit she bought for $25,000 at auction.
The black crop top with white bonning and lace-up black pants were worn by Jackson in her “If” music video.
Kim also owns the hat MICHAEL JACKSON wore in “Smooth Criminal” and some jewelry worn by the late PRINCESS DIANA and First Lady JACKIE KENNEDY. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Animal rights group activists vandalized KING CHARLES’ first official portrait on Tuesday.
The vandals used paint rollers to glue on a cartoon cutout over Charles’ face, using the head of Wallace from “Wallace and Gromit.” Then they pasted on a speech bubble that whined, “No cheese Gromit, look at all of this cruelty on RSPCA farms.”
The RSPCA — or Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — promotes animal welfare practices in farming and agriculture in the United Kingdom, but the activist kooks say their recent report found “severe animal cruelty” on farms using the RSPCA’s standards.
Charles is the official royal patron of the group, and is reportedly a big fan of “Wallace and Gromit.”
In a statement, the activist group said in part, “Even though we hope this is amusing to His Majesty, we also call on him to seriously reconsider if he wants to be associated with the awful suffering across farms being endorsed by the RSPCA.” [via CNN]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Raggedy Ann and Andy Day
National Jerky Day
National Loving Day
National Red Rose Day
National Peanut Butter Cookie Day
Superman Day
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ON THIS DATE
1665 - New Amsterdam legally becomes an English colony.
It was renamed New York after the Duke of York, who had been granted the lands by his brother King Charles II.
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1776 - Virginia adopts the Declaration of Rights.
The declaration detailed specific liberties that could not be legitimately taken away by the government.
It was a precursor to the Bill of Rights.
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1942 - Anne Frank is given a blank diary for her birthday.
She was living with her family quietly in Amsterdam to hide from Nazi oppression.
She dutifully kept her diary, until her family's ultimate and tragic capture.
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1987 - President Reagan speaks directly to Russian Premier Mikhail Gorbachev at the Berlin Wall.
It was near the end of Reagan's second term in office and the culmination of years of work to bring down the communist regime in Asia. The Berlin Wall was a very tangible reminder of the backward, oppressive society operated by the Soviets.
Reagan's legendary speech remains iconic today:
"Secretary General Gorbachev, if you seek peace -- if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe -- if you seek liberalization: come here, to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."
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1982 - “E.T.” premieres.
The film was one of Steven Spielberg's early major successes. It was a hit both commercially and critically and even earned Best Picture and Best Director nominations at the Academy Awards, among others.
It would win in the other four categories it was nominated: Sound Effects Editing, Visual Effects, Original Score and Sound.
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1994 - Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman are murdered in Brentwood California.
Nicole's ex-husband OJ Simpson quickly became the suspect. After the historic White Bronco chase and OJ's subsequent arrest, the most-watched trial in history commenced.
Simpson assembled a Dream Team of lawyers, including Johnny Cochran and F. Lee Bailey. The centerpiece of the defense was that Simpson was the victim of racism.
In his criminal trial he was found not guilty. In a civil case brought in 1996, he was found guilty of committing battery against Brown and found responsible for Goldman's death.
He was to pay millions in damages, which he failed to do.
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2016 - Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first soccer player to top Forbes’ Highest-Paid Athletes List, earning $88 million.
It was the first time since 2000 that someone besides Floyd Mayweather or Tiger Woods held the top spot.
Rounding out the Top Five that year were:
2. Lionel Messi (soccer): $81.4 million
3. LeBron James (basketball): $77.2 million
4. Roger Federer (tennis): $67.8 million
5. Kevin Durant (basketball): $56.2 million
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BIRTHDAYS
Ashley Cooke - country singer - 27
Jrue Holiday - basketball player - 34
Cody Horn - actress, “Magic Mike” & “Demonic” - 36
Dave Franco - actor, “Scrubs” & “Neighbors” - 39
Kendra Wilkinson - reality star, “Girls Next Door” - 39
Chris Young - country singer - 39
Artem Chigvintsev - dancer, “DWTS” - 42
Adriana Lima - model - 43
Lil Duval - comedian - 47
Mark Henry - wrestler - 53
Tim DeKay - actor, “White Collar” - 61
Born On This Date
Anne Frank - Holocaust victim who documented her evasion in “The Diary of Anne Frank” - 1929 (d. 1945)
George H.W. Bush - 41st POTUS - 1924 (d. 2018)
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