6/20/2023: 91,500 Pennies for Your Thoughts
PLUS: Meta Takes on Twitter; De Niro Family Values; and Meg’s Grift?
Today is Tuesday, June 20, 2023.
It is the 171st day of the year.
194 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Some clarity on a competitive fishing controversy, and a new definition of the “good old days.” More in HIT LIST.
The Spears matriarch tries to broker peace between her daughters and GAL GADOT looks to the future. More in SHOWBIZ.
A sci-fi project long in the works gets axed amid the writers’ strike. More in CASTING CALL.
More on the latest addition to the KARDASHIAN clan. More in KARDASH.
Just what exactly does MEGHAN MARKLE do to earn her keep? We ask in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
META appears to be in the final stages before launching its platform to rival TWITTER.
Employees at the company got a preview of the platform, which is expected to be called Threads. The layout mimics Twitter’s feed of text posts and similar like and retweet functionality, and limits posts to 500 characters.
They’re also working to integrate it closely with Instagram accounts, so users don’t have to setup anything new.
In a bid to generate some FOMO, Meta has reportedly tried to negotiate deals to get big names like OPRAH and even the Dalai Lama to join the site when it launches – possibly within weeks. [via The Telegraph]
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There’s been plenty of controversy over judges for the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament disqualifying what would have been a $3.5 MILLION catch over the weekend.
The fishing crew of Sensation reeled in a 619.4-pound blue marlin during competition, only to be told that it had to be disqualified on account of signs of mutilation – meaning some other sea-critter, likely a shark, got a bite out of it.
The crew would have taken home a $2.7 million first place prize and another $700,000 for reeling in a marlin over 500 pounds.
HERE’S THE THING: The International Game and Fish Association argues that a fish that’s been injured isn’t fighting to its full potential, giving the crew that brings it in a distinct advantage. [via IGFA]
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If your idea of “the good old days” is as simple as a time before social media obsession, you’re not alone.
A Harris Poll published by Fast Company reflects that 77% of 35-to-54-year-old Americans want to return to a time before there was widespread internet and phone usage.
Even 63% of those 18-34 years old agreed.
GET THIS: Only 60% of those 55 and older shared the same sentiment. [via FastCompany]
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In 2021, the disgruntled owner of a Georgia auto repair shop paid a former employee’s final, $915 paycheck in pennies left on his driveway.
TURNS OUT: That owner isn’t just a d-bag, he violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and played games with eight other employees.
NOW: The owner has been ordered to pay more than $39,000 to nine of his former employees, half of which is for back wages and the other half in damages. [via People]
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DEATHS
BELLA MONTOYA has died.
The retired nurse from Ecuador made headlines last week when she awoke in a coffin during what was supposed to be her funeral. Montoya was immediately hospitalized, where she remained for the last week. Officials confirmed she passed away on Friday.
She was 76.
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PAXTON WHITEHEAD has died. The Broadway and occasional movie actor best known for playing a professor opposite Rodney Dangerfield in “Back to School” died on Friday in Virginia.
He was 85.
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BABY NEWS
“Dancing With the Stars” lead MAKS CHMERKOVSKIY and wife PETA MURGATROYD welcomed their second child together on Sunday.
The baby boy joins older brother Shai, who’s 6.
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Actor and art broker WILL KOPELMAN has welcomed his firsts child with wife ALEXANDRA MICHLER.
Their baby boy, named John Keats Kopelman, was born Thursday morning, according to an Instagram post.
Kopelman shares two kids with ex-wife DREW BARRYMORE.
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Actress BRIANNE HOWEY from “Ginny and Georgia” announced the birth of her first child with attorney husband Matt Ziering.
Howey announced the news on Instagram with the caption, “My world just got a whole lot sweeter. And smaller.” No word yet on the baby’s gender.
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SICK BAY
BEBE REXHA was briefly hospitalized to get stitches after a fan threw a cell phone at her while she performed in Manhatta on Sunday night.
The 27-year-old culprit has been charged with assault.
Rexha captioned photos of the lacerations on Instagram simply, “I’m good.”
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 108 points (0.32%) to close at 34,299 on Monday. The S&P lost 16 points (0.37%) to close at 4,409 and the NASDAQ lost 93 points (0.68%) to close at 13,689.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $71; BRENT CRUDE at $76.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.57 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN’s rally continued, adding more than 1.5% on Monday and trading over $26,700.
🛩 There were more than 4,288 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 318 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $300 million jackpot or $156 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
LYNNE SPEARS desperately wants her daughter, BRITNEY SPEARS, to reconcile with her sister, JAMIE LYNN.
Insiders tell DailyMail that Lynne has begged Brit to make amends with Jamie Lynn and is making it her new mission in life to fix the bad blood between them.
Britney is apparently waiting for Jamie Lynn to apologize first, though, which could complicate things.
WORTH REMEMBERING: Lynne and Britney reunited in May, when Lynne flew out to California to visit her daughter. They’ve reportedly been in regular communication ever since. [via DailyMail]
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REMEMBER WHEN “SNL” stars COLIN JOST and PETE DAVIDSON bought the famous Staten Island Ferry, and a few months later, when asked what was happening with it, Davidson said he had no idea and that he and Jost were stoned out of their minds when they made the purchase?
Jost now wants to settle the record. He says he was, in fact, stone cold sober when he agreed to make the purchase.
On Instagram, he suggested he does actually have big plans for the investment, writing, "We’re excited to prove the non-believers wrong. You’re going to be BEGGING to get on this ferry in two years. Mark my words." [via Fox Business]
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You, too, can enjoy the same luxuries as BEYONCE and JAY-Z.
A collection of items from a home the power couple once rented is headed to the auction block, including lighting fixtures and even door frames. They rented the house in Holmby Hills for a year in 2015, and then the owner had the whole place redone. That’s when the auctioneer snapped up what he could, and he’s been holding onto them since.
Check out the collection > [via TMZ]
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GAL GADOT isn’t wasting any energy to lament that “Wonder Woman” wasn’t picked up for a third movie installment.
She tells Total Film she’s using her time to work on other stories important to her. “The fact that I don't have to sit still at home and just wait for the next offer is something that makes me feel empowered. I enjoy doing it, it keeps me alive,” she said. [via Total Film]
WORTH REMEMBERING: The third installment was axed after DC Studios handed over leadership to JAMES GUNN and PETER SAFRAN, as it seeks to rival Marvel’s cultural and box office influence.
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ROBERT DE NIRO says his older six kids haven’t met newborn daughter yet.
The actor tells ET Canada that his whole brood hasn’t been together since he welcomed the baby girl with girlfriend TIFFANY CHEN in April – but that the other kids will meet their half sister soon.
De Niro’s oldest is 51, all the way down to the 11-year-old daughter he shares with ex-wife Grace Hightower. [via Us Weekly]
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ADELE is ready for her happily ever after with fiancee RICH PAUL.
A video making the rounds on Twitter shows the British crooner eagerly anticipating her second marriage: “I intend to be married for the rest of my life to my man,” she says.
The couple haven’t publicly announced any wedding plans, but they could tie the knot this summer. [via Hollywood Life]
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SARAH JESSICA PARKER says she got nostalgic filming her “And Just Like That…” character’s scene with KIM CATTRALL – even though the two never had to be in the same room together with cameras rolling.
Cattrall and the rest of the original “Sex and the City” stars have had public beef for years now, but writers wanted to work Cattrall’s iconic character Samantha Jones into the reboot. Parker tells DailyMail that bringing back the character was “really fun and exciting and certainly nostalgic, but I think more than that, it’s been a lot of joy.”
The scene is expected to show Parker and Cattrall’s characters talking on the phone when the second season arrives this weekend.
WORTH NOTING: Co-star KRISTEN DAVIS has poured cold water on any hint of a full-on reunion, though. “‘We just thought that, you know, it would be fun for the fans to have a little bit of Samantha because we know that they miss her and she's a great character,” and later added, “I think maybe hopes have been lifted, possibly higher than that. And that was not our intention. So I hope people aren't disappointed.” [via DailyMail]
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CASTING CALL
APPLE TV+ is bailing on “Metropolis” amid the ongoing writers’ strike.
The tv adaptation of the 1927 sci-fi flick of the same name has been in development and production hell for years now. It had been slated to begin production this summer.
A rep for the studio cited “push costs” and “uncertainty related to the ongoing strike” to the decision. [via Deadline]
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SONY PICTURES has announced two major release dates for Marvel movies – but not the specific titles. They’ll likely be Spider-Man flicks, though.
Industry watchers are eyeing November 8, 2024 for “Venom 3” and June 27, 2025 for Spider-Man 4 – which would likely see the return of TOM HOLLAND as the lycra-suited webslinger. [via Screenrant]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN’s whole brood is excited about the new addition to the blended family.
One insider tells People that, “Kourtney can’t wait to be a mom again. Her older kids are excited about the baby, too.”
At 44 years old, Kourtney has reportedly been trying to get pregnant since she and Travis got serious over two years ago. “It’s been grueling,” the insider says.
She shares three kids with former partner SCOTT DISICK, aged 8 to 13. TRAVIS BARKER has three with his ex-wife, between the ages of 17 and 24. [via People]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
GET A LOAD OF THIS: An industry blog for podcasters reports that MEGHAN MARKLE didn’t even interview some the guests on her “Archetypes” podcast – and instead a producer talked to the guest and Meg’s “lines” were edited in later.
“Podnews has heard from multiple sources that some interviews on the show were done by other staffers, with her questions edited-in afterwards,” the site reports.
The development comes just days after SPOTIFY announced they were parting ways with the Sussexes after they failed to meet productivity quotas to earn their whole $20 million contract. [via Podnews]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Cherry Tart Day
World Refugee Day
National Ice Cream Soda Day
National Vanilla Milkshake Day
National Kouign Amann Day
World Productivity Day
National American Eagle Day
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ON THIS DATE
1782 - Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States of America.
The front of the seal depicts a bald eagle clutching an olive branch in its right talon and arrows in its left. On top of the eagle is a shield marked with 13 vertical red and white stripes underneath a bar of blue.
In the eagle’s beak is a banner inscribed with E pluribus unum, which is Latin for “Out of Many One.”
The back features the Masonic motif of a pyramid, which is used as a symbol of “Strength and Duration.” Beneath the pyramid is 1776 in Roman numerals — an ode to the year of independence.
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1837 - Queen Victoria ascends the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV.
She was only 18 at the time.
She would rule for 63 years.
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1863 - West Virginia becomes the 35th US State.
When it entered it was State Number 24, since 11 Southern states had seceded from the Union.
Arthur Boreman also became governor that same day.
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1893 - Lizzie Borden is acquitted for the 1892 murders of her father and step-mother in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Everyone knows the famous rhyme: Lizzie Borden took an ax….
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1941 - Henry Ford and his motor company agree to a sweeping contract with the United Automobile Workers of America and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
It followed the passage of the Wagner Act in Congress six years earlier, which permitted collective bargaining and regulation of working conditions by labor unions.
Ford had a reputation for physically beating up those who tried to organize into unions -- and the Wagner Act gave whistleblowers more power to enact change.
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1963 - The infamous "red phone" hotline is agreed on between the Soviets and Americans.
It was a move to calm escalating tensions in the Cold War, especially following the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. It was a technological feat before the widespread use of satellites and even fax machines.
The 24/7 link between Moscow and Washington was intended to allow direct communication between top diplomats for each country in the hope of stalling war, should a situation like the Cuban Missile Crisis occur again.
It went live a few months later. By public record, it was never used.
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1975 - Steven Spielberg bursts onto the movie scene with the release of "Jaws."
The shark-centric horror story quickly became one of the highest-grossing films ever during its tremendous run in theaters. The buzz and hype eventually led to it winning a smattering of Academy Awards that year.
Since then, Spielberg has of course become one of the most prolific directors in American history.
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1979 - Jimmy Carter has a short-lived solar energy panel system installed on the White House.
Carter was a hippie-dippie green and vocal advocate for alternative energy sources. He also had a wood burning stove installed in his White House residence.
President Reagan had the panels removed in 1986 -- the panels weren't delivering the energy efficiency that they promised.
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1994 - OJ Simpson is arraigned for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
The former NFL running back pleaded not guilty to both murders. He would repeat the same plea at his second arraignment two days later.
The trial would begin in January of the following year.
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2017 - Mattel releases 15 new body types for their Ken doll.
One of them included a man bun.
The new designs were part of the toymaker’s new agenda of “diversifying” their toys.
Barbie underwent a similar makeover the previous year, with new body types, skin tones, eye colors, hairstyles and on-trend fashions.
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BIRTHDAYS
Capri Bryant - daughter of Kobe & Vanessa - 4
Kayla Maisonet - actress, “Stuck in the Middle” - 24
Omeretta the Great - rapper - 27
Christopher Mintz-Plasse - actor, “Superbad” - 34
Adam Hann - guitarist, The 1975 - 35
Tika Sumpter - actress, “One Life to Live” & “Ride Along” - 43
Frank Lampard - soccer player - 45
Chino Moreno - metal singer, Deftones - 50
Tom Wlaschiha - actor, “Game of Thrones” - 50
Nicole Kidman - actress, “Big Little Lies” & “The Hours” - 56
John Goodman - actor, “Roseanne” & “The Big Lebowski” - 71
Lionel Richie - R&B singer - 74
Brian Wilson - singer, Beach Boys - 81
Born On This Date
Len Dawson - Hall of Fame QB - 1935 (d. 2022)
Doria Hart - tennis player, six Grand Slam singles titles - 1925 (d. 2015)
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