6/22/2022: Amber Heard Tell-All?
Discover more from Morning Martini
6/22/2022: Amber Heard Tell-All?
PLUS: Wills turns 40, Obama’s find a new podcast home, and 6,000 bees!
Today is Wednesday, June 22, 2022.
It is the 173rd day of the year.
192 days remain.
TRENDING
Church of Satan was trending after the Supreme Court ruled that Maine’s school choice program must allow families to use their funds to attend private religious schools. The ruling’s godless detractors were arguing for the Church of Satan to start a school for kids to attend, too, just to tick off Christian school choice families.
Kellogg was trending amid news the food manufacturer was spinning itself off into three separate entities. One will just make cereal, one will make snacks, and one will make plant-based foods.
#UvaldeCoverUp was trending on news that police on site did far too little to stop the slaughter at last month’s massacre. More in Hit List.
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HIT LIST
Uvalde police were geared up and well-equipped to stop the the shooter at last month’s massacre in three minutes, according to devastating testimony by the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Steve McCraw.
McCraw told a Texas Senate committee the shooting was an “abject failure” of law enforcement, and said the decision to wait to confront the shooter instead of charging in immediately was the absolute wrong decision.
He did praise the work the teachers inside the building took to safeguard their classrooms and the building where possible, once the knew the attack was unfolding.
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Twitter’s board has formally filed paperwork with the SEC to approve ELON MUSK’s purchase of the social media platform.
IN LIMBO: In recent weeks, Musk suggested the whole deal was on hold, as he and his team investigated Twitter’s claim that only 5% of accounts were bots or spam accounts, but he hasn’t revisited that issue yet. Musk would have to pay a $1 billion breakup fee if he scrapped the deal at this point.
Twitter stock is trading around $38 a share, and the sale price remains at $54.20 a share.
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Thomas and Marylu Gouttierre of Omaha thought they would beautify their yard and help the bee population by planting bee-friendly flowers around their house.
Soon, they noticed the flowers were certainly attracting bees, which were even making their way by the dozens into their house.
That’s when things got really weird. Thomas Gouttierre told the Associated Press, “If you put your ears to the wall you could hear the buzzing.” As spooky as the thought of hundreds of bees inside his walls were, he didn’t want them exterminated, as he recently learned how important bees are to the ecological community.
Instead, he shelled out $600 for a bee removal company to safely transplant the colonies.
All in all, about 6,000 bees were removed from inside the walls of the home.
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Researchers believe they’ve caught the world’s largest recorded freshwater fish – a giant stingray from the Mekong River in Cambodia.
The group, called Wonders of the Mekong, which includes scientists from both Cambodia and the U.S., announced the find on Tuesday. The sting ray weighs 660 pounds and measures 13 feet from snout to tail, besting the previous record of a 646-pound giant catfish caught in Thailand in 2005.
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The Dow picked up 641 points (2.15%) on Tuesday, while the S&P 500 added 89 (2.45%) and the Nasdaq added 270 (2.51%).
West Texas Intermediate fell to $110.58 a barrel while Brent Crude is at $114.92.
The national average price of a gallon of gas slid two more cents Tuesday, to $4.96 a gallon.
Bitcoin continues its rally, adding $330.20 (1.61%).
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CHARTS
Top 5 Fiction & Nonfiction Books Currently on the New York Times Best Sellers List:
FICTION:
“It Ends With Us,” Colleen Hoover
“Sparring Partners,” John Grisham
“Where the Crawdads Sing,” Delia Owens
“Verity,” Colleen Hoover
“Book Lovers,” Emily Henry
NONFICTION:
“James Patterson,” James Patterson
“Killing the Killers,” Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard
“Happy-Go-Lucky,” David Sedaris
“The Body Keeps the Score,” Bessel van der Kolk
“Finding Me,” Viola Davis
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DEATHS
CALEB SWANIGAN has died.
The Purdue basketball star and NBA pro reportedly died of “natural causes,” according to a coroner’s report.
He was 25.
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BABY NEWS
Actress STANA KATIC (“Castle,” “Absentia”) welcomed a baby with her husband last winter, a rep has finally confirmed.
The rep says they have been “cocooning as a family” since then.
No confirmation on the child’s name or birthday or whatever gender the parents think he, she, or they might be.
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American Idol alum SCOTTY MCCREERY is expecting his first baby with wife GABI DUGAL in November.
The couple announced the news in an interview with PEOPLE magazine.
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BREAKUPS
KATIE THURSTON and JOHN HERSEY from “The Bachelorette” Season 17 have split.
She’s 31, he’s 28.
They released their respective announcements on Instagram on Tuesday.
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RELATIONSHIPS
OLIVIA RODRIGO and ZACK BIA are dating. She’s 19, he’s 26.
PEOPLE reports that the couple first got together at Super Bowl.
While Rodrigo is one of the hottest things in music, Bia is a lesser-known record executive, who oversees the label Field Trip Recordings.
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SICK BAY
MAYIM BIALIK has tested positive for covid.
She announced the news on her Instagram.
"I'm feeling a whole bunch of regret that I ever took my mask off ever in the world, like even outside," she said. "I'm feeling a lot of fear. Why did I ever go out? Why did I think that anything was fine ever?"
Bialik is currently sharing Jeopardy hosting duties with KEN JENNINGS.
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THE SWAMP
President JOE BIDEN said unambiguously Tuesday there would be a “second pandemic.”
WATCH:
“We have to think ahead. That’s not something the last outfit did very well,” Biden said about the Trump administration.
Biden made the comments in response to questions about even more government funding of vaccine research.
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MSNBC host JOY REID says people don’t like KAMALA HARRIS because the media is mostly white men who don’t understand her.
In an interview to “The Root,” Reid said about Harris, “She’s just a regular sister in the same way people would always say that Michelle Obama is like if your cousin became first lady. Kamala Harris is like if your cousin became VP of the United States.”’
WORTH NOTING: Harris’ last major network interview was with LESTER HOLT, a Black man. That’s the sit-down where she notoriously said, “I haven’t been to Europe, either,” after Holt pressed her on why she hadn’t yet visited the border, despite being tapped to head up handling the illegal immigration crisis.
WORTH ASKING: Do people not like exactly because her personality has come through?
MEANWHILE: Journalist TARA PALMERI reports that the Democrat National Committee has had to slash the cost of a photo op with the Veep. Now it only costs $5,000 to get in the door with Harris; previous fundraisers capped out at $15,000.
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LOTTERY
Tonight’s Powerball jackpot is $312 million, or a $175 million cash payout.
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Last night’s Mega Millions drawing was for $290 million or a $162.3 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
DAVE CHAPELLE was set to have his name put on a performing arts theater attached to his high school. After his latest Netflix special dropped, students at the school protested the decision, in light of Chapelle’s jokes about the LGBTQ+ community.
Chapelle instead has changed the name to the Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression.
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AMBER HEARD has a book in the works, “OK! Magazine” reports.
Heard needs cash but feels like her career in Hollywood is over. The tell-all book would cover her side of the story of her relationship with JOHNNY DEPP.
But insiders say telling too much could land her right back in court over another defamation suit.
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Apparently SYLVESTER STALLONE is a polo aficionado – and it helped him land his most recent role.
Stallone says he used to ride old, slow horses when he first started. But the love of horses eventually got him into the rodeo sport of barrel racing, and that’s how he met TYLER SHERIDAN.
SHERIDAN is the brains behind “Yellowstone” and also the upcoming “Tulsa King,” which stars Stallone. Sheridan bought a horse from Stallone’s daughter years ago, before he made it big.
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NEIL DIAMOND himself was on hand at Saturday’s Boston Red Sox game to sing the traditional eight inning rendition of “Sweet Caroline.”
It was a rare public appearance for the 81-year-old crooner, who stopped touring in 2018 following a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
Diamond last showed up to sing the song in 2013 after the Boston Marathon bombings.
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A new biography says GEORGE MICHAEL was stoned during virtually all of his waking moments and addicted to date rape drug GHB.
Author James Gavin says Michael would sleep until mid-afternoon, then play video games and arrange for hookups with other men at popular pickup spots in Europe.
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ELON MUSK’s 18-year-old child Xavier appears to not only want to transition, but ditch the family name out of embarrassment.
In a name-change petition, Xavier requested a name change to Vivian Jenna Wilson, taking the maiden name of his mother, Justine. In the reason listed, the teenager explains, “gender identity and the fact that I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.”
There’s a hearing on the matter scheduled for Friday, according to TMZ.
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CASTING CALL
There’s a sequel to 1995 crime thriller “Heat” coming out in August – in the form of a novel, written by the original movie’s writer and director MICHAEL MANN.
AL PACINO says he has one actor in mind to play his character, if the novel ever gets adapted for the Big Screen: TIMOTHEE CHALAMET. “I mean, he’s a wonderful actor,” Pacino said. “Great looks.”
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BARACK and MICHELLE OBAMA’s “Higher Ground” productions has found a new home for its podcasts.
After ditching Spotify after two years, they’ve inked a first-look deal with Audible. The deal is structured so they’re not exclusively tied to one platform, like they were with Spotify. Ostensibly, the deal allow the Obamas to make more money.
WORTH REMEMBERING: On April 28, 2010, in a speech as president about Wall Street profits, Obama scolded, “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money.”
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Netflix has bought a project that will adapt John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden” into a limited series. ZOE KAZAN is writing and showrunning. FLORENCE PUGH will star and co-produce.
GET THIS: Kazan’s grandfather directed the 1955 adaptation of the same novel for Warner Bros., with JAMES DEAN starring in his first major movie role.
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LEA SEYDOUX has signed on to star as Lady Margot in “Dune: Part 2.”
Filming is slated to start in Budapest later this summer.
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COURT CASES
A jury in a civil trial against BILL COSBY has found him guilty of sexual assaulting JUDY HUTH in 1975. At the time, she was only 16 years old, and accepted his invitation to the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.
Huth will receive $500,000 in damages.
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CRIB NOTES
EMMA STONE has sold her Malibu pad for $4.4 million, earning $200,000 over the asking price.
She bought the spot four years ago for $3.25 million. It includes 1,800 square feet on 3.2 acres, with views of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina island.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN says she’s lost 21 pounds since she started slimming down ahead of the Met Gala in order to fit into MARILYN MONROE’s dress.
After initially shedding 16 pounds, she’s kept up the diet to slim down further.
Now, the Mirror speculates that she was assisted by having her butt implants removed – if she even got them years ago in the first place.
WORTH NOTING: A decade ago, Kim got an x-ray of her rear end to prove it was all natural, and the results shown on the show were conclusive that it was.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
The official Instagram account of the Royal Family shared some photos of PRINCE WILLIAM over the years, in celebration of his 40th birthday. The pics included his first public appearance as a baby, his wedding to KATE MIDDLETON, and walking alongside QUEEN ELIZABETH after his graduation from St. Andrew’s in 2005.
MEANWHILE: The Clarence House account for PRINCE CHARLES shared photos of William and his father skiing and hunting.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Hvac Tech Day
National Chocolate Eclair Day
National Onion Rings Day
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ON THIS DATE
1611 – The crew of the Discovery sets captain Henry Hudson adrift.
The mutineers were trapped by ice in present-day Hudson Bay and desired new leadership.
Hudson, his son and 7 of the captain's allies were pushed out in a small boat.
The 9 men were never seen again.
It culminated a 2-year quest to find the "Northwest Passage" -- a quick water-route from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Of course, it was a fruitless adventure -- such a natural waterway does not exist.
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1941 – The Nazis launch Operation Barbarossa. The plan was to invade Russia.
Three parallel offensives swept into Russian territory, including 19 Panzer divisions, 2500 airplanes, and 7,000 artillery units.
The 1,000-mile front was a formidable offense against the relatively unprepared Russian Army.
Late in 1940, Hitler had even tried to hammer out an alliance with the Soviets, but to no avail. Six short months later, the empires were at war.
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1944 – President Roosevelt signs the GI Bill into Law.
The new legislation provided generous compensation to returning war vets from World War II.
The sweeping social reform was designed to stave off another depression, with high unemployment for soldiers who may not find work. The bill essentially covered all higher education expenses, in turn giving another incentive to enlist.
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1945 – The Battle of Okinawa ends.
The US 10th Army had been entrenched in bloody fighting since the beginning of April on the island.
The Japanese lost more than 100,000 soldiers. The Allied death toll was in the tens of thousands. More than 2,000 Kamikazes wreaked havoc on the American naval fleet, destroying 36 ships.
Okinawa was a strategic point for the invasion of Japan. That never happened, following Japan's surrender after the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in August.
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1950 – An anti-communist newsletter names several prominent members of the music industry as card-carrying communists.
The accused included Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Burl Ives, Larry Adler, Lena Horne, Pete Seeger, and Artie Shaw. It followed in the footsteps of Joe McCarthy's pursuit of communists working in government and elsewhere in the United States.
Some of the names were blacklisted, while others fought to prove their loyalty to the United States.
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1981 - Mark David Chapman pleads guilty to killing John Lennon.
His legal defense wanted to argue insanity, but Chapman pleaded guilty, saying God told him to do so.
Chapman shot Lennon outside his Manhattan apartment the year prior. He was reportedly upset with the singer over his extreme wealth.
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2009 – The Eastman Kodak Company discontinues Kodachrome—its signature camera film. And the theme of a Paul Simon song.
Kodak received nearly 20,000 patents in the 20th century for its innovations in photography. Nearly a quarter of those patents came between 1995 and 1999.
In World War I, it helped develop aerial cameras for spy missions, and in 1969, provided the film used on the Apollo 11 moon landing mission.
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2011 - After hiding out for 16 years, Boston gangster Whitey Bulger is arrested outside an apartment in Santa Monica, California.
He had a long list of charges, including murder.
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2020 - New York, once the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, begins stage 2 of re-opening.
The state allows outdoor dining and some in-store shopping.
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BIRTHDAYS
Jake Clark - pop singer - 22
Danny Green - basketball player - 35
Joe Dempsie - actor, “Game of Thrones” - 35
Johnny Bananas - reality star, “MTV’s The Challenge” - 40
Porsha Williams - reality star, “Real Housewives of Atlanta” - 41
Donald Faison - actor, “Scrubs” - 48
Carson Daly - TV show host, “TRL” - 49
Kurt Warner - football player - 51
Dan Brown - author, “The Da Vinci Code” - 58
Tracy Pollan - actress, “Family Ties” - 62
Bruce Campbell - actor, “Maniac Cop” & “Evil Dead” - 64
Cindy Lauper - pop singer - 69
Elizabeth Warren - politician - 73
Meryl Streep - actress, “Sophie’s Choice” & “Mamma Mia!” - 73
Born On This Date
Cicely Saunders - nurse & founder of modern day hospice - 1918 (d. 2005)
Anne Morrow Lindbergh - author & aviator - 1906 (d. 2001)
John Dillinger - notorious bank robber - 1903 (d. 1934)
Frank Damrosch - founder of NY Musical Institute of Musical Art (Julliard) - 1859 (d. 1914)
Paul Morphy - chess player; considered the greatest of his time - 1837 (d. 1884)
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