6/24/2022: Adele Annoys Fans
Discover more from Morning Martini
6/24/2022: Adele Annoys Fans
PLUS: New music from T-Swift, Khloe does Hot Ones, and the Pandemic Reckoning begins
Today is Friday, June 24, 2022.
It is the 175th day of the year.
190 days remain.
TRENDING
Second Amendment trended as the Supreme Court ruled that states and cities can’t impose a needs-test in order to allow citizens to carry handguns.
Arch Manning trended as the third-generation football phenom announced he’d play college ball for the Texas Longhorns.
Title IX trended as the Biden Administration announced that “sex” cannot be defined by a person’s biological makeup.
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HIT LIST
Thus begins the reckoning over vaccine mandates and lies about their efficacy:
A pre-print study reveals that anyone who took the Pfizer or Moderna covid vaccine faces “an increased risk of serious adverse events of special interest” compared to a placebo group. This is science-talk for “people who got jabbed were more likely to have something go wrong than people who didn’t.” Worse, “the excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest surpassed the risk reduction for COVID-19 hospitalization relative to the placebo group in both Pfizer and Moderna trials.”
WORTH NOTING: Everything comes with risks. The covid hysteria failed to consider cost/benefit analysis, exacerbated by the demented demands that people be required to get the shot in order to participate in society. This was wrong.
A published study in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that overall protection from covid was higher among those with natural immunity than those who received two vaccine doses. The study used data from August and September 2021, amid the Delta variant’s spread and included information from more than 5.7 million people.
Austria has formally ended its vaccine mandate, which was suspended earlier this year. Austrians were to be slapped with fines of $3,780 for not getting the jab, but the draconian measure did little to boost the number of people who got the shots.
Publix supermarkets, which are prevalent in Florida and across the south, has announced they will NOT offer covid vaccinations to children under 5, despite the recent FDA approval to do just that.
A Harvard Medical School study shows that the most recent Omicron subvariants are no match for antibody responses among either the fully-boosted or naturally immune. The good news is most people who contract these variants fare just fine (which technically has always been the case that an overwhelming majority of people sick with covid do just fine).
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Mortgage rates increased more than half a percentage point over the last week to 5.78%, the biggest single-week jump in 35 years. That’s nearly double the 2.93% a year ago.
The increase follows aggressive interest rate increases from the Federal Reserve, which has plans to continue to do so as inflation continues unabated.
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Netflix head TED SARANDOS has clarified some rumors about the streaming service’s forthcoming ad-supported plan.
He said at the Cannes Lions advertising festival that Netflix wants to cater to people who say, “Hey, I want a lower price and I’ll watch ads.”
The move comes as Netflix has hemorrhaged subscribers in recent months and lost 65% of its stock value in the last year.
MEANWHILE: Variety reports that Netflix has begun a brutal round of layoffs, with 300 staff getting the pink slip on Thursday. The company’s global workforce is around 11,000 staffers.
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A new study suggests that Jupiter got to be so giant because it fully consumed smaller planets over the eons.
The theory comes courtesy of the Juno space probe, whose data allowed researchers for the first time to map the rocky makeup of the planet’s core. The analysis shows an abundance of heavy elements and a chemical makeup that implies multiple, smaller planets collided with Jupiter.
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The Dow rallied following an afternoon slump, closing up 194 points (.64%). The S&P 500 added 35 points (.95%) and the Nasdaq picked up 179 (1.62%).
West Texas Intermediate continued to edge down, closing at 104.42. Brent Crude closed at 106.12.
Gas prices continue their slow recovery; the average price of a gallon of gas is $4.94.
Bitcoin shot back up above $20,000, closing at $20,771.40 (up 4.01%).
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CHARTS
New to Hulu:
Big Gold Brick (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 20%)
Gasoline Alley (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 6%)
New to Netflix:
The Man from Toronto (No Score)
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DEATHS
NIECE WAIDHOFER has died.
The model and social media influencer took her own life some time last month, confirmed after law enforcement conducted a wellness check at her home in Houston.
She was 31.
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RELATIONSHIPS
BEANIE FELDSTEIN is engaged to girlfriend BONNIE CHANCE ROBERT.
She’s 29, she’s 31.
The pair announced the news on Instagram, when Feldstein posted pics of the proposal.
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THE SWAMP
There’s been plenty of speculation on the right, and more recently from Democrats too, about who’s really running the country, if President JOE BIDEN is mentally unfit to do so.
On Thursday, Journalist and commentator KATE HYDE originally noticed the note card that Biden brought with him to a White House meeting. Here’s what it said, verbatim [note the weird capitalization and bolding of YOU]:
YOU enter the Roosevelt Room and say hello to participants.
YOU take YOUR seat.
Press enters.
YOU give brief comments (2 minutes)
Press departs (t)
YOU ask Liz Shuler, President, AFL-CIO, a question Note: Liz is joining virtually.
YOU thank participants.
YOU depart.
WORTH ASKING: How can a man who needs instructions about entering a room, taking a seat, and giving comments possibly lead the world’s largest economy and the world’s greatest military force?
ALSO WORTH ASKING: Where is JIM ACOSTA and his hyperbolic screeching about the 25th Amendment, like he did every day while former President DONALD TRUMP was in office?
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President JOE BIDEN’s approval rating has hit an all-time low, at 36%, in a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
It’s down three points in just a week, and down six since the start of June.
IT GETS WORSE: In a Quinnipiac poll, Biden has hemorrhaged the support of Black voters and young people, two groups who are reliably Democrat at the ballot box.
Among voters 18-34, his approval is just 25%. Among Black voters, it’s just 31%.
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The Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday that explicitly protects Americans’ rights to own and carry handguns.
In a 6-3 decision, the ruling shuts down New York’s requirement that handgun permit applicants demonstrate a need to carry a weapon. Justice CLARENCE THOMAS wrote that no other guaranteed rights are based on necessity.
WORTH NOTING: The ruling doesn’t mean anyone can buy a gun wherever, whenever. States and municipalities can still require permits, but the process must be objective.
In response to the news, former TV host and eternal blowhard KEITH OLBERMANN tweeted, “It has become necessary to dissolve the Supreme Court of the United States. The first step is for a state the “court” has now forced guns upon, to ignore this ruling. Great. You’re a court? Why and how do [sic] think you can enforce your rulings?”
IN OTHER WORDS: He’s calling for open defiance of a Constitutionally-appointed body. Insurrect much, Keith?
MEANWHILE: The aptly-named gun activist DAVID HOGG spookily warns that the ruling “endangers the lives of the justices themselves” – suggesting that people are ready and eager to shoot them. What does he know?
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LOTTERY
The MegaMillions jackpot is $312 million or a $173.6 million cash payout. The next drawing is tonight.
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Saturday night’s Powerball is for $335 million or a $188 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
These albums drop today:
Caamp, “Lavender Days”
Candy, “Heaven is Here”
Conan Gray, “Superache”
Dune Rats, “Real Rare Whale
Emery, “Rub Some Dirt On It”
Goose, “Dripfield”
Hackensaw Boys, “Hackensaw Boys”
Hollie Cook, “Happy Hour”
Jack Johnson, “Meet the Moonlight”
Jimmie Allen, “Tulip Drive”
Katie Alice Greer, “Barbarism
Lindsay Clark, “Carpe Noctem”
Luke Combs, “Growin’ Up”
Lupe Fiasco, “Drill Music in Zion”
Motherhood, “Winded”
Petrol Girls, “Baby”
Tim Heidecker, “High School”
Wire, “Not About to Die”
Young Guv, “GUV IV”
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In a bizarre report, Rolling Stone claims that EZRA MILLER is holed up on a 96-acre compound in Stamford, Vermont, where he’s spending time with a 25-year-old mother and three young children aged one to five.
Rolling Stone’s source is the father of the children, who says Miller flew the kids and their mother out in April after they met in Hawaii. He also reportedly has video footage that shows “at least eight assault weapons, rifles and handguns scattered around the home’s living room, noting some weapons were even propped up next to stuffed animals,” as Page Six reports.
There’s also reportedly an abundance of weed plants on land, which Miller openly uses in front of the kids.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, the unnamed woman said Miller helped her escape an abusive situation, which the father denies.
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20-year-old singer BILLIE EILISH wants babies.
She tells “The Sunday Times” she’d “rather die” that not be a mother, adding that she’s reached a point where she feels “more solid” in who she is and is better equipped to tackle the challenges of motherhood.
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TAYLOR SWIFT dropped new music late last night.
“Carolina” is a theme for the forthcoming movie, “Where the Crawdads Sing,” which is set to premiere July 15.
It’s the first new music from Swift since here 2020 album, “Evermore.”
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Composer JOHN WILLIAMS is eyeing retirement.
He tells the Associated Press that he’s currently working on the music for “Indiana Jones 5,” which might be his last. Williams said that HARRISON FORD, who’s starring in the flick, has said it’ll be his last, and Williams appears to be taking the cue from him. “If Harrison can do it, then perhaps I can, also,” he said.
Williams is 90, and is the brains behind iconic themes from “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” and “E.T.”
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JENNIFER LOPEZ was spotted smooching fiancé BEN AFFLECK between takes on the set of his latest flick, an untitled sports drama about Nike trying to secure its deal with MICHAEL JORDAN.
Affleck is directing the film and starring alongside MATT DAMON, who he co-wrote it with.
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ADELE took to Instagram Thursday to promote her show next week in London’s Hyde Park. She touted the all-female bill of openers, including KACEY MUSGRAVES and GABRIELLE (who’s a big deal across the pond).
But the self promotion didn’t sit well with fans still waiting for details on her postponed Vegas residency. Her comments were full of American fans asking where they stand with her, especially after news earlier this week that Caesar’s Palace has laid off some of its event staff for the summer.
No official word yet on when she’ll make good on those performances.
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DENISE RICHARDS is now on OnlyFans, too.
A week after her daughter controversially joined the paid-content site, Richards announced on Instagram she created her own account, which costs $25 a month for access.
That’s a $5 premium over her daughter’s account, which runs $19.99 a month.”
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CASTING CALL
The upcoming GUY RITCHIE-directed spy flick “Operation Fortune” has been pulled from its scheduled release, as the editing team scrambles to take out references to the Ukrainian nationality of the movie’s bad guys.
The movie was shot in 2020 and stars HUGH GRANT, JASON STATHAM, and AUBREY PLAZA.
It was supposed to premiere earlier this year, but its release was scrapped amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, the production team is reworking it so the bad guys are generic former Soviet block baddies, and not necessarily Ukrainian.
SPEAKING OF HUGH GRANT: He was spotted this week on the set of JERRY SEINFELD’s new movie “Unfrosted,” which is a fictional retelling of the creation of the Pop-Tart. Hugh was wearing a Tony the Tiger costume and appeared to be filming a funeral scene in a graveyard. Also on hand were the Kellogg’s Corn Flakes rooster; the Quaker Oats man; and Rice Krispies’ Snap, Crackle, and Pop.
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Netflix has renewed “Selling Sunset” for two more seasons.
Star CHRISTINE QUINN has been noticeably silent about the news, though, and hasn’t mentioned the show’s renewal on social media while her other co-stars have celebrated the news. Her silence has fueled speculation she’s out amid tensions between her and her on-screen colleagues and rivals.
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KHLOE KARDASHIAN is the guest on the most recent edition of Hot Ones, where host SEAN EVANS interviews celebs while they try chicken wings that get increasingly spicy.
At one point, the heat made Khloe tear up, as she answered questions about reality TV and her home organization techniques.
WATCH:
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KENDALL JENNER and DEVIN BOOKER have reportedly called it quits.
One insider tells E! News the pair had fun together in Italy for KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN’s wedding to TRAVIS BARKER. “But once they got back, they started to feel like they weren't aligned and realized they have very different lifestyles. Kendall told Devin she wanted space and time apart,” the insider said.
They’ve since been apart for about a week but remain on friendly terms.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
The Cambridges have unveiled their first joint official portrait.
The painting of PRINCE WILLIAM and KATE MIDDLETON is on display at the University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum, and was painted by JAMIE CORETH.
Coreth said, “I wanted to show Their Royal Highnesses in a manner where they appeared both relaxed and approachable, as well as elegant and dignified."
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Pralines Day
Swim A Lap Day
International Fairy Day
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ON THIS DATE
1509 - Henry VIII is crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey, London.
He is remembered for beheading multiple wives.
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1901 – Pablo Picasso shares his first exhibit in Paris at only 19-years-old.
There were 75 works on display.
By the time of his death, he had accumulated over 50,000 paintings, drawings and sculptures.
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1966 – The US Senate unanimously approves a bill that standardizes federal highway regulations.
The chief lobbyist who created momentum for the bill was Ralph Nader. Alongside the regulations was of course spending, to the tune of a paltry $465 million.
Standards that went into place following the bill included uniform bumper heights, rearview mirrors, seat belts, windshield wipers and more.
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1975 – Wind gusts bring down Eastern Airlines Flight 66 en route to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City.
A wind shear lifted the plane, then violently pushed it toward the ground. On its collision course, it took down several rows of runway lights and shattered the left wing.
Only 9 on board survived -- 7 passengers and 2 flight attendants.
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2005 – Actor Tom Cruise is interrogated by Matt Lauer on the “Today” show, following Cruise's negative comments about actress Brooke Shields using antidepressants to combat postpartum depression.
They pair grew increasingly testy with each other throughout the interview.
This came just weeks after his couch-jumping incident on Oprah, marking a severe downward spiral during which he fell out of grace with America.
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2010 – The longest professional tennis match in history concludes, clocking in at 11 hours, 5 minutes.
The match paired John Isner against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon.
After playing nearly three hours the first night, the match was suspended for insufficient sunlight. The following day, play was suspended again after nearly 7 hours.
On the third day, Isner would win after just over an hour of play.
The match set several pro tennis records, with each player serving over 100 aces.
2020 - Johns Hopkins reports that more than 9.2 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide.
The WHO predicts the world will reach 10 million cases within the next week.
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BIRTHDAYS
Lil Drip - rapper - 26
Beanie Feldstein - actress, “Lady Bird” & “Booksmart” - 29
6lack - R&B singer - 30
Raven Goodwin - actress, “Just Jordan” & “Good Luck Charlie” - 30
Max Ehrich - actor, “iCarly” & “Parenthood” - 31
Candice Patton - actress, “The Game” & “The Flash” - 34
Stassi Schroeder - reality star, “Vanderpump Rules” - 34
Lionel Messi - soccer player - 35
Solange Knowles - R&B singer - 36
JJ Redick - basketball player - 38
Vanessa Ray - actress, “Pretty Little Liars” & “Blue Bloods” - 41
Minka Kelly - actress, “Friday Night Lights” & “Titans” - 42
Mindy Kaling - actress, “The Office” & “The Mindy Project” - 43
Mick Fleetwood - drummer, Fleetwood Mac - 75
Born On This Date
Sean Kennedy - bassist, Deez Nuts - 1985 (d. 2021)
Tommy Lister - actor, Deebo in the “Friday” movies - 1958 (d. 2020)
Albert “Al” Molinaro - actor, “The Odd Couple” & “Happy Days” - 1919 (d. 2015)
Roy O. Disney - co-founder of Walt Disney Company; brother of Walt - 1893 (d. 1971)
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