Discover more from Morning Martini

A weekday morning newsletter of cultural tidbits, celebrity gossip, and stuff that's good to know to get you through the day.

7/14/2022: Record Inflation

PLUS: Rowdy Returns, Biden Does Jerusalem, and Meg Gets a New Nickname

Jul 14, 2022

Today is Thursday, July 14, 2022.

It is the 195th day of the year.

170 days remain.

HIT LIST

Inflation was up at least 9.1% in June year-over-year, marking the second month in a row of the fastest growth of inflation since 1981.

Amid rising fuel prices and a wobbly labor market, airline fares actually decreased nearly 2% – but are still up more than a third since last year.

Some more highlights:

Groceries up 12% (biggest increase since ‘79)
Chicken up 19% (biggest increase ever)
Gas up 60% (biggest jump since ‘81)
Electricity bills up 14% (biggest jump since ‘06)
Rent up 5.8% (biggest jump since ‘86)

(h/t @byHeatherLong)

MEANWHILE: As CNBC points out, “corporate profits” – whatever that means – are up just 1.3% year over year, and certainly do not explain the massive price increases across the board, as some would lead you to believe.

JUST FOR FUN: On June 16, 2021, White House Chief of Staff RON KLAIN tweeted, “There are going to be transitory impacts of restarting an economy that was shut down. But a key point in the Fed forecast today: inflation projected down to 2.1% in 2022.”

IN OTHER WORDS: The Federal Reserve was either lying or so grossly incompetent as to never be believed again. Government institutions large and small are actively working against the American people in ways obvious and subtle.

MEANWHILE, IN THE EUROZONE: The Euro and Dollar are about equal in value now.

###

As protestors in Sri Lanka stormed the presidential palace over the weekend, the country’s Prime Minister and President promised to formally step down from their positions on Wednesday.

That doesn’t appear to have happened, and the President, GOTABAYA RAJAPAKSA, reportedly fled for the Maldives without resigning but made the prime minister acting president.

The protests started amid food shortages triggered by Sri Lanka’s absurd emissions reductions standards that strangled its agricultural output and pushed hundreds of thousands of people into poverty.

Now, the prime minister and acting president has called on his country’s military to do whatever it takes to quell the uprising.

###

Netflix is formally partnering with Microsoft to manage the technology that will deliver ads on its lowest-tier, ad-supported plan, set to roll out by year’s end.

Still no word on how much the discount tier will cost. Current plans range from $9.99 to $19.99.

###

Rowdy the cat is back home, safe and sound.

The feline escaped its animal carrier at Boston’s Logan International airport last month, and has since evaded attempts by its family and airport personnel to get him back. Rowdy’s owners were returning to the United States after a 15-year (!!!) deployment to Germany for the US Army when Rowdy first went missing.

Not a whole lot of specifics on what techniques were used to eventually find the cat, if any – but the owner says Rowdy probably got hungry and let herself get caught.

###

A bottle of Chateau Avenue Foch champagne from 2017 has set a record price after selling at auction for $2.5 million.

BUT WAIT: The buyer didn’t just get the bubbly; he also got an NFT of a drawing of an ape that also appears on the bottle.

WORTH REMEMBERING: NFTs give the owner the intellectual property rights to digital art but no exclusivity. Its value very much remains in the eyes of the beholder.

###

BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The Dow lost 208.54 points (0.67%) on Wednesday, closing at 30,772. The S&P 500 lost 17.02 points (0.45%) to close at 3,801, and the Nasdaq lost 17.15 points (0.15%) to close at 11,247.

🛢 Both Brent Crude and West Texas Intermediate remain below $100 a barrel as of Wednesday.

⛽ The national average price of a gallon of gas was $4.63 on Wednesday.

₿ After an afternoon selloff, Bitcoin rallied, picking up more than $550 in value Wednesday, and trading around $19,900 in the evening.

🛩 There were 3,914 flight delays for routes within, into, or out of the United States, and 207 such cancellations on Wednesday.

###

CHARTS

Introducing Rob Zombie’s, “The Munsters.”

FANGORIA @FANGORIA

The greatest love story ever told. Check out the full trailer for Rob Zombie's THE MUNSTERS. Coming September 2022

###

BABY NEWS

KHLOE KARDASHIAN and TRISTAN THOMPSON are expecting baby #2.

Multiple sources, including Khloe’s rep, confirmed the news to E!.

The baby will be born via surrogate.

Khloe and Tristan are already parents to daughter, True, 4.

WORTH NOTING: The baby news does not mean the two are back together. Khloe’s rep says they plan to coparent the new child just like they have been doing with True.

ALSO: The child was conceived in November prior to the news that Tristan had fathered a child with another woman.

###

“Selling Sunset” star HEATHER RAE YOUNG, 34, and HGTV star TAREK EL MOUSSA are expecting their first child.

The couple confirmed the news to PEOPLE magazine on Wednesday.

The baby will be Young’s first, and El Moussa’s third. He is dad to daughter Taylor, 11, and son Brayden, 6, who he shares with his ex-wife CHRISTINA HAACK.

###

BREAKUPS

GRIMES, 34, and CHELSEA MANNING, also 34, have called it quits on their brief romance.

The singer and the Wikileaks whistle-blower started dating in March, after Grimes split from the father of her two children, ELON MUSK.

No word on what led to the split.

###

THE SWAMP

President JOE BIDEN landed in Jerusalem, Israel Wednesday morning, to kickoff his first Middle East trip.

WORTH NOTING (AND THIS ISN’T A JOKE): The trip was postponed because he needed rest after spending a few days in Europe in June.

Biden and his foreign policy are reportedly leaning into the warming ties between Israel and its hostile Arab nation neighbors, all of which were made possible by the Abraham Accords brokered by former President DONALD TRUMP and his advisers.

###

The January 6th show trial was set to wrap things up on Thursday, but now insiders say they’re contemplating another round of hearings later next month – much closer to midterms.

###

LOTTERY

No winner for Monday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Friday night’s drawing will be for a $480 million jackpot or a $276 million cash payout.

###

SHOWBIZ NEWS

“Top Gun: Maverick” has surpassed “Titanic’s” first-run release, earning $601.9 million to the latter’s $600.7 million.

It is the 12th movie in domestic box office history to cross the $600 million mark, which It did in 47 days.

“Avengers: Endgame” is the fastest growing movie to hit $600 million, which it reached in only 10 days.

###

BRITNEY SPEARS ran out of gas in the middle of one of Los Angeles’ busiest freeways this week and had to call the cops to help her out.

According to Law enforcement sources, they received a call about a white Mercedes blocking a lane of traffic on the 101. When they arrived, Brit was seated in the backseat of another person’s vehicle.

Officers pushed her car to the side of the road, where Brit waited for her husband SAM ASGHARI to come pick her up.

###

MARTIN SCORSESE will be honored with this year’s Location Managers Guild International’s Eva Monley Award.

The award goes to filmmakers who have demonstrated extraordinary support for the work of location professionals.

It is named for the late Eva Monley, who scouted locations for several big name directors.

The 9th annual awards ceremony is set for August 27 at the Los Angeles Center Studios.

###

CASTING CALL

JEFF GOLDBLUM has joined the cast of Netflix’s dark comedy, “Kaos.”

He will take over the role of Zeus from HUGH GRANT who had to pull out over scheduling conflicts.

The series has been described as a “contemporary take on Greek mythology, exploring love, power, and life in the underworld.”

###

DAVID BECKHAM will be the focus of a new multi-part series for Netflix.

The currently unnamed project will feature archive and never-before-seen footage from the past four decades of Beckham’s life, along with interviews from his former teammates, friends and family, according to the streamer.

No word on when it will premiere.

###

FINN WOLFHARD is set to co-direct and star in a new movie, titled “Hell of a Summer.”

The “Stranger Things” star shared his excitement over the new project in an official press release.

“I get the chance to work with an incredible cast and crew, and to work with a company like 30WEST…is a real dream,” he said.

Plot details have not been disclosed.

Wolfhard will also co-star alongside JULIANNE MOORE in the upcoming film “When You Finish Saving the World.”

###

JOEL GRETSCH and GUSTAF SKARSGARD have joined the cast of BEN AFFLECK’s Nike film for Amazon.

The yet-to-be-titled flick follows MATT DAMON as sneaker salesman and former Nike exec Sonny Vaccaro, with Affleck playing Nike co-founder Phil Knight.

Gretsch will play former Converse CEO John O’Neil and Skarsgard will take on the role of Adidas founder Horst Dassler.

Also in the movie are JASON BATEMAN, VIOLA DAVIS, CHRIS TUCKER, MARLOY WAYANS, MATTHEW MAHER, CHRIS MESSINA, TOM PAPA and JULIUS TENNON.

###

DANIEL KALUUYA will not reprise his role in Marvel sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

Deadline reports that the actor exited the film due to scheduling conflicts with another project he is working on.

In the original film, Kaluuya plays W’Kabi, the best friend of CHADWICK BOSEMAN’s Wakanda heir T’Challa.

###

DIANE LANE is set to star opposite JEFF DANIELS in Netflix’s limited-series “A Man in Full.”

The six-episode series is based on Tom Wolfe’s 1998 novel of the same name.

The story follows Atlanta real estate agent Charlie Croker (Daniels) who faces sudden bankruptcy. He must defend his name, and empire, from those attempting to capitalize on his fall from grace.

Lane will play Martha Crokcer, Charlie’s ex-wife.

###

Filming for MTV’s new show “Jersey Shore 2.0” has stopped less than a week after it began.

Several people connected to the show told TMZ they are unsure why the sudden halt, while adding that the only explanation for pulling the plug would be an “issue with the cast.”

When asked about the situation, MTV would only confirm that production has “paused.”

###

COURT CASES

Judge Penny Azcarte denied AMBER HEARD’s request to get the more than $10 million verdict in favor of her ex-husband JOHNNY DEPP tossed.

Last month, Heard’s attorneys filed paperwork calling the damages awarded to Depp “excessive” and questioned the legitimacy of the trial as a juror was not the same one listed on the jury panel.

In response, Judge Azcarte said “the juror was vetted, sat for the entire jury, deliberated, and reached a verdict.”

Neither reps for Heard or Depp responded to the ruling.

###

THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

PETE DAVIDSON wants to be a dad.

While chatting with KEVIN HART on his show, “Hart to Hart,” Davidson said his ultimate goal is to “have a kid.”

The comment is on par with what he told CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD in 2020, saying it would be an “awesome” experience to have kids.

This also seems to be on his girlfriend KIM KARDASHIAN’s mind as she has said she is open to having more kids in the future.

She is already a mom to four, whom she shares with her ex, KANYE WEST.

Kardashian-sources told Harper’s Bazaar that Davidson is “great” with Kim’s kids, so there’s that.

###

WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

MEGHAN MARKLE has been dubbed the “Princess of Montecito” by her fellow residents.

The moniker was given “due to her antics” while moving about town, a source told UK’s Closer magazine.

These “antics” include calling ahead to restaurants to “request a table that is completely secluded,” the insider added.

As for PRINCE HARRY, the source told the outlet that he is most content being home with the couple’s two kids: Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1.

###

SPORTS

LAMAR ODOM is set to face DRAKE impersonator IZZY DRAKE aka the “Fake Drake” in the Celebrity Boxing Arena.

In a video revealing the news, the former NBA all-star promised his pal, the real Drake, that he will lay out the impersonator once and for all.

The fight is set for October 15 in either Atlantic City or Miami.

No word on whether Drake himself will be onhand to watch his lookalike in the ring.

###

DAY OF THE YEAR

National Grand Marnier Day

National Tape Measure Day

National Nude Day

National Mac And Cheese Day

Shark Awareness Day

Pandemonium Day

###

ON THIS DATE

1789 – A French mob raids the prison fortress Bastille.

There were only 7 prisoners interned at the time, but its destruction symbolizes the downfall and tipping point of the French Revolution.

This was an early, public embarrassment for King Louis and the French Royals, who were eventually overthrown and executed.

###

1798 – The young American Congress approves the Sedition Act.

Any written or spoken malicious statements against the U.S. Government were punishable with jail time.

One of the first notable arrests made under this new law was Benjamin Franklin's grandson, who had written that John Adams was "blind, bald, toothless, [and] querulous." However, Adams had Franklin’s grandson arrested on libel charges two weeks before the Act was signed into law.

He died of yellow fever while awaiting trial.

###

1881 – Sheriff Pat Garrett shoots and kills Old West bandit and murderer Billy the Kid.

His given name was William Henry McCarty, and according to legend, he is responsible for killing 21 people. He had been arrested three months earlier, but slyly escaped.

By a happy accident for Sheriff Garrett, Billy the Kid happened to stumble into the home of a Fort Sumner resident where Garrett happened to be conducting an interrogation.

Kid asked, "Quien es? Quien es," Spanish for "Who is it?"

Though the room was dark, Garrett recognized the killer's voice, and fired twice, straight in the chest.

###

1911 – One of the first trained airplane pilots ceremoniously lands a Wright Flier on the South Lawn of the White House.

Harry Nelson Atwood learned to fly only three months after his first lesson. To showcase the new invention, he flew the Wright Model B from Boston, landing in front of a crowd that included William Howard Taft.

The plane weighed 800 pounds and was powered by a 4-cylinder, 35 horsepower engine, and two propellers that were 8-and-a-half feet in diameter.

###

1933 – The Nazis solidify their totalitarian rule over Germany, outlawing any other political parties in a policy called Gleichscaltung, which translates roughly as "coordination" or "making all the same."

Trade unions were also banned, and anyone critical of Adolf Hitler's policies were swiftly marginalized through intimidation or murder.

Churches were shut down or given strict orders. All educational systems were consolidated under the banner of Nazism.

###

1969 – The Federal Reserve discontinues large denominations of currency, like the $500, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, $100,000 bills.

The only man never to serve as president but appear on a discontinued bill was Salmon Chase.

He was a US Senator and Governor of Ohio. He later served as Abe Lincoln's Treasury Secretary, and finally as Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.

###

1987 – The Rookie of the Year Award is renamed to honor Jackie Robinson.

It was originally known as the J. Louis Comiskey Memorial Award, named after the Chicago White Sox owner of the 1930s.

###

2015 - Harper Lee’s 2nd novel “Go Set A Watchman” goes on sale in 70 countries.

The book is an early 1957 version of her novel “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

###

2021 - The CDC reports that drug overdose deaths rose 30% in the US to a record 93,000 in 2020.

Experts said that lockdowns and other pandemic restrictions isolated those with addictions and made treatment harder to get.

The organization also noted that overdoses increased in all but two states: New Hampshire and South Dakota.

###

BIRTHDAYS

Alisha Wainwright - actress, “Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments” - 33

Corbin Maxey - podcast host, “Animals To the MAX” - 33

Conor McGregor - MMA fighter - 34

Dan Reynolds - rock singer, Imagine Dragons - 35

Adam Johnson - soccer player - 35

Elena Gant - reality star, “Little Women: LA” - 35

Sarah Canning - actress, “The Vampire Diaries” & “Black Field” - 35

Dan Smith - rock singer, Bastille - 36

Peta Murgatroyd - dancer, “DWTS” - 36

Phoebe Waller-Bridge - actress, “Fleabag” - 37

Scott Porter - actor, “Friday Night Lights” & “Hart of Dixie” - 43

Roger Clark - actor, “Red Dead Redemption II” - 44

Tameka Harris - R&B singer - 47

Loni Love - comedian - 51

Patrick J. Kennedy - politician - 55

Matthew Fox - actor, “Party of 5” & “Lost” - 56

Jane Lynch - actress, “Glee” & “Role Models” - 62

Born On This Date

Gerald Ford - 38th POTUS & 41st VP - 1913 (d. 2006)

Woody Guthrie - folk singer, “This Land Is Your Land” - 1912 (d. 1967)

Annie Jones - bearded lady in PT Barnum’s circus - 1865 (d. 1902)

###