6/6/2024: A Ladies’ Top, 2 Snakes & Lots of Drugs
PLUS: Genius!; Gaga & Taylor; and Remember D-Day
Today is Thursday, June 6, 2024.
It is the 158th day of the year.
208 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
The FTX saga’s bankruptcy case clears a major hurdle and BOEING finally has a horse in the private space race. Details in HIT LIST.
BRITNEY SPEARS appears to reignite an old flame and FLAVOR FLAV comes to the rescue in SHOWBIZ.
KATE HUDSON has the perfect role in mind and “Peaky Blinders” returns to NETFLIX. Details in CASTING CALL.
KIM KARDASHIAN hasn’t given up on her JD quite yet. Details in KARDASH.
KING CHARLES and PRINCE WILLIAM commemorate D-Day in ROYALS.
ATTENTION LOSTIES! With some alums from the iconic show of the aughts popping up in today’s edition, we took a look at how the ensemble cast has fared since the show’s finale in 2010 — only for TOP SHELF subscribers!
###
HIT LIST
FIRST AT THE TROUGH: As the FTX bankruptcy case approaches the beginning of the end, the IRS will be the first creditor to be paid back, not the thousands of customers who in some cases lost everything.
Before anyone else gets a cent, the IRS will take in $200 MILLION. Once others are paid, the IRS is entitled to another tranche of funds worth $685 MILLION as part of a lower priority bankruptcy claim.
With the feds signing on to the proposed restructuring plan, a judge must approve it before anyone get any money back. [via BSC News]
###
NVIDIA soared more than 5% during trading on Wednesday to earn a market cap over $3 TRILLION, making it only the third company in American history to achieve the feat. It joins tech companies MICROSOFT and APPLE.
By the close of trading, NVIDIA ticked past Apple to become the second-most valuable company in the United States.
Analysts credit the one-day boom to the announcement that a major supplier for Nvidia in Taiwan is expanding its output, which will in turn allow Nvidia to expand its hold on the market. [via The Motley Fool]
###
After more than a year of false starts and reschedules, BOEING entered the private-company space race, with the successful launch of its Starliner crew capsule.
Two astronauts will spend about ten days on the International Space Station before returning to Earth. The Starliner capsule can accommodate a crew of up to seven.
The successful launch marks a positive turn of events for the beleaguered project, which has incurred $1.5 BILLION in cost overruns and months of delays. Boeing hopes to eventually compete with SPACEX, which has successfully been supplying NASA with reusable rockets and crew capsules for about four years. [via Reuters, Morning Martini]
###
LOTS TO UNPACK HERE: A Florida man is in custody after he crashed his car into a building in Martin County late Monday night.
That building was the Martin County jail.
AND: When he was busted he was wearing what officers described as a “ladies’ top” — and nothing else.
THEN: He threw two rubber snakes out the window and “multiple” cell phones.
AND THEN: He doused the car in motor oil and threatened to light himself and the vehicle on fire.
IT GETS WORSE: Paramedics on site tried to subdue the suspect with “multiple doses of ketamine” but even that didn’t slow him down.
40-year-old Joseph Leeds has been charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, criminal mischief, and resisting arrest without violence. No word yet exactly what drug Leeds was hopped up on, but officials believe his resistance to the sedative means he has quite the tolerance — if crashing his car, wearing the ladies’ blouse, the rubber snake and cell phone attack, and the arson threat didn’t paint a clear enough picture. [via WPTV]
###
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: Over the weekend, 18-year-old Dallas Burns from the Cleveland area earned her associate’s degree in business administration — three days before earning her high school diploma on Wednesday.
Burns quips to local media, “I kind of have practice for my high school graduation.”
Burns’ mother achieved a similar feat when she was in high school, taking advantage of an Ohio program that pays for high school students to begin earning college credits.
Burns says she’s now considering pursuing a degree in real estate or architecture. [via News 5 Cleveland]
###
BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW increased 96 points (0.25%) to close at 38,807 on Wednesday. The S&P ticked up 62 points (1.18%) to close at 5,354 and the NASDAQ roared to an all-time high close, up 330 points (1.96%) to close at 17,187, driven by NVIDIA’s insane rally Wednesday afternoon.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $74; BRENT CRUDE at $76.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.50 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN remains well over $70,000, trading around $71,100 on Wednesday.
🛩 There were more than 5,700 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 670 such cancellations.
💰A winning ticket in Tuesday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing was drawn in Illinois. The winner gets the choice of the $560 million jackpot or the one-time cash payout option of $264 million. Friday night’s drawing will be for a $20 million jackpot or a $9.4 million cash payout.
###
SHOWBIZ NEWS
BRITNEY SPEARS spent some time in Vegas to hang out with her ex-fiancé JASON TRAWICK last week, with her brother BRYAN SPEARS along as well.
Brit and Trawick have remained cordial since calling off their marriage in 2013. He has since relocated to Sin City full time so it was a no-brainer to hang out with his former flame. Insiders say it was all very friendly with nothing romantic going on behind closed doors.
BUT WAIT: Friends say they’re rooting for the couple to get back together, even if the couple isn’t planning on it. [via TMZ]
###
SYDNEY SWEENEY’s rolling her Hollywood paychecks into some elite real estate, dropping $20 MILLION for a massive oceanfront pad in South Florida.
Though she hasn’t gotten the keys to the mansion yet she’s been spotted driving around the unnamed coastal town in her tiny, custom blue Fiat 500 car. The new digs are an expansion of her real estate portfolio and she plans to keep her Los Angeles home.
The Florida home spans 7,000 square feet, with an infinity pool, chef’s kitchen, home gym, wine cellar, and oceanfront views. [via Express]
###
FLAVOR FLAV wants to save Red Lobster from bankruptcy.
Flav posted this week that he visited a local restaurant that’s still open and ordered one of everything on the menu for his family. “Ya boy meant it when I said I was gonna do anything and everything to help @redlobster and save the cheddar bay biscuits,” he wrote. [via @flavorflav]
WORTH REMEMBERING: The ‘Lob is in the process of a bankruptcy reorganization that could include an outright sale of all its assets and intellectual property or a white night rescue from an outside firm to come in and save the brand.
###
EVANGELINE LILLY says she’s done with acting — for now.
In an Instagram post, the actress says that stepping away from wealth and fame “can feel scary at times” but says she’s “so filled with joy and contentment today as I live out my vision.” Lilly did leave the door open to return to Hollywood “one day.” [via EW]
MEANWHILE IN LOST-LAND: HAROLD PERRINEAU and JOSH HOLLOWAY, who played Michael and Sawyer on “Lost,” recently visited with Second Gentleman DOUG EMHOFF for a discussion about abortion rights. Perrineau shared pics from the visit to his Instagram and noted in the caption that he was in “a room full of extremely smart, compassionate, and passionate men to discuss abortion rights and reproductive responsibility.” [via EW]
So there’s that.
TOP SHELF: We’ve got a roundup of how other members of the show’s ensemble cast have fared since the finale!
###
After photographers snapped pics of LADY GAGA attending her sister’s wedding over the weekend, rumors swirled that the eccentric songstress was pregnant. But in a TikTok video, Gaga shut down the rumors — by cribbing TAYLOR SWIFT lyrics.
“Not pregnant — just down bad crying at the gym,” she wrote, pulling words from Swift’s track “Down Bad” from her recent “The Tortured Poets Department” album.
Swift herself entered the fray, commenting on Gaga’s post, “Can we all agree that it’s invasive & irresponsible to comment aon a woman’s body. Gaga doesn’t owe anyone an explanation & neither does any woman,” punctuated with a kiss-emoji. [via @ladygaga]
###
JEFF BEZOS tagged along to the college graduation and party for fiancée LAUREN SÁNCHEZ’s son Nikko over the weekend. Sánchez posted a highlight reel of photos and videos to her Instagram that included the Amazon billionaire, who joined Nikko’s father and his wife for the festivities.
One part of the video included Sánchez toasting her son, gushing, “I am so proud of you. You have no idea how proud I am.”
Sánchez and Bezos have not publicly announced a wedding date. [via @laurenwsanchez]
###
In her forthcoming role in “A Quiet Place: Day One,” LUPITA NYONG’O’s character owns a cat — but the actress herself had a debilitating fear of felines.
She tells Glamour that she begged the director to substitute a different animal — in particular, an armadillo — but ultimately had to learn how to get over it. At the time, she was also healing from a breakup that sent her into a depression. When she arrived at the animal shelter, determined to take one home and figure out how to live with the thing, a poster read, “Not over your ex? Foster a cat.” “It was spot on,” she says.
N’yongo credits her new kitty, Yoyo, for helping her get over the breakup and climb out of depression. [via Glamour]
###
CASTING CALL
Fresh off her debut studio album, KATE HUDSON says her dream role would be to play STEVIE NICKS in a biopic. Hudson tells Rolling Stone, “There’s so much there. To me, that’s like the ultimate rock ‘n roll story.”
Hudson quipped that she would definitely lean into the role, which could draw some frustration from her family as she would pursue a method-acting delve into Nicks’ psyche. “I would probably go way too far into that character,” she says.
WORTH NOTING: Publicly, there’s currently no such project in the works — for now. [via US Magazine]
###
NETFLIX has officially ordered a feature film installment of “Peaky Blinders.”
The show concluded a six-season run in 2022. CILLIAN MURPHY will be back to star. “This is one for the fans,” he says in a statement.
So far no word on the plot for the movie, which is slated to begin production later this year. [via @Netflix]
###
Sorry, kids: JACK BLACK won’t be making a stop Down Under to see a high school production of “School of Rock,” the 2003 movie he starred in.
Students at Ringwood Secondary College in Melbourne took to TikTok last week to ask the actor to come see their show. The ask wasn’t particularly far-fetched, as Black will be in-country on tour with his band TENACIOUS D.
But Black responded in a video of his own that the tour schedule was just too busy for him to make a special trip. “I wish I could come see it, but unfortunately I’ll be rocking!” He said. Black did say that he loves they’re doing a theater-version of his movie and is “touched” by the invitation. [via USA Today]
####
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN continues her pursuit of a law degree — if she can wrap her head around one specific area of the justice system.
Kim posted a photo of her study materials to Instagram with the caption, “I can’t deal [with] all these [effing] hearsay exceptions! My least favorite subject in law school.”
Kim passed the “baby bar” exam in California in 2021 on her fourth attempt. The test is taken by students who have completed their first year of study when taking classes from an unaccredited institution. [via E!]
###
WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING CHARLES and PRINCE WILLIAM spent time commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day this week.
The BBC released a video of the monarch meeting with veterans of the invasion, where he even read excerpts from KING GEORGE VI’s diary from the time. A photographer who took a photo of George VI and General Montgomery at the time was on hand for the intimate event as well.
Charles said that his grandfather was frustrated that he was not allowed to be in Normandy in-person over security concerns. [via Express]
MEANWHILE: William was joined by his father and stepmother, QUEEN CAMILLA, at an event in Portsmouth commemorating an event. William delivered a speech that said in part, “we remember the bravery of those who crossed this sea to liberate Europe, those who ensured that Operation Overlord was a success and those who waited for their safe return.”
The Prince of Wales and the King and Queen will attend more anniversary events today. [via People]
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
D-Day 80th Anniversary
National Fish and Chip Day
Old-Time Player Piano Day
National Applesauce Cake Day
Infant Feeding Day
National Higher Education Day
National Yo-Yo Day
Russian Language Day
National Gardening Exercise Day
World Green Roof Day
National Drive-In Movie Day
National Caves and Karst Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1644 - The Manchu forces of the Qing dynasty capture Beijing, edging the Ming Dynasty out of power. Shunzhi, the emperor and leader of the Manchu, takes control.
The Manchus would rule China until 1912 when the Republic of China was established.
###
1813 - American and British forces clash at the Battle of Stoney Creek in Ontario.
The invaders were outnumbered by Patriot forces 3-to-1, but their years of training and discipline allowed them to win the fight. They even captured both of the American leaders at the battle, John Chandler and William Winder.
###
1833 - Andrew Jackson becomes the first sitting president to ride on a train.
The trip went from Ellicott's Mill to Baltimore, a journey of about 15 miles.
John Quincy Adams had also ridden on a train, but he was not president when he did.
###
1844 - The Young Men’s Christian Association – the YMCA – is founded in London.
As young men moved to cities for work on the heels of the Industrial Revolution, founder George Williams and his colleagues had concerns about young people finding beneficial and worthwhile activities, on account of the only choices were bars and whorehouses.
The organization's initial mission was to offer activities that improve "the spiritual condition of young men engaged in the drapery, embroidery, and other trades."
So, it was for a bunch of dandies, apparently, with hopeful futures in textiles.
Similar organizations continued to sprout up around Europe, and eventually moved to the United States.
###
1925 - The Chrysler Corporation is founded by Walter Percy Chrysler, who began his automotive career as a works manager at Buick in 1911.
A shake-up in the executive board in 1916 made Chrysler resign as some of his close friends lost their stake in the company. Thanks to an extremely-high salary offer, Chrysler rescinded his resignation and remained with Buick.
After three years, when his time at Buick was up, Chrysler worked for Willys-Overland Motor Company for two-years, and during this time he acquired control of Maxwell Motor Company which became the Chrysler Corporation.
Chrysler Motor Company would go on to acquire Dodge in 1928.
###
1944 - The Battle of Normandy begins. D-DAY commenced when 155,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France against a force of approximately 10,000.
The soldiers quickly broke through the Axis forces and continued inland. Nazi casualties have been estimated as much as 9,000. This was the largest amphibious military operation in all of history.
It would mark the beginning of the end for Hitler's European takeover.
###
1968 - Senator Robert F. Kennedy dies at 42-years-old.
He succumbed to the gunshot wounds he received the previous night.
The shooter was Palestinian native Sirhan Sirhan.
###
1984 - Popular video game Tetris is released.
It was designed by Soviet game designer Alexey Pajitnov.
The game spread like wildfire when programmed for Gameboy and Gameboy Color -- a platform on which it sold 35 million copies.
###
2012 - The Solar Impulse completes the world’s first intercontinental flight.
The solar-powered plane landed in Morocco’s capital after a 20-hour trip from Madrid.
The single-seat aircraft contains 12,000 solar cells along its immense wings, yet only weighs as much as your average sedan.
Construction on the plane took 10 years and cost nearly $100 million.
The one drawback to the aircraft is that it can only fly in perfect weather conditions.
###
2018 - A special pedestrian lane for those who like to walk and talk on their phones opened in Xi’an, China.
The slow-walking smartphone users are referred to as “phubbers.”
###
BIRTHDAYS
Alexander & Ella Clooney - George & Amal’s twins - 7
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons - actress, “Modern Family” - 17
Kenny Pickett - football player - 26
DeAndre Hopkins - football player - 32
Ashley Park - actress, “Emily in Paris” - 33
Daniel Logan - actor, “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones” - 37
Drew McIntyre - wrestler - 39
Uncle Kracker - rock singer - 50
Max Casella - actor, “The Sopranos” - 57
Paul Giamatti - actor, “Cinderella Man” & “The Holdovers” - 57
Cam Neely - hockey player - 59
Jason Issacs - actor, “Awake” & “The OA” - 61
Carole Baskin - activist & Joe Exotic’s nemesis - 63
Robert Englund - actor, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” - 77
Tommie Smith - Olympic sprinter - 80
Born On This Date
Robert Falcon Scott - leader of the ill-fated south pole expedition - 1868 (d. 1912)
Nathan Hale - Revolutionary War patriot - 1755 (d. 1776)
###