Today is Friday, July 14, 2023.
It is the 195th day of the year.
170 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Russia and Belarus have been barred from formally participating in next summer’s Olympics, but many of their athletes will still likely compete. More in HIT LIST.
SHAKIRA is (maybe) dating a new man and recluse RICHARD SIMMONS is “happy” as he turns 75. More in SHOWBIZ.
TOM CRUISE is still hoping to film a movie in space and a “Stranger Things” haunted attraction is set to open at Universal Studios. More in CASTING CALL.
TRAVIS BARKER has KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN to thank for helping him get over his fear of flying. More in KARDASH.
FERGIE gives a little glimpse into her relationship with ex-husband PRINCE ANDREW. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Another crypto company’s head honcho has been charged with fraud – this time it’s 57-year-old ALEX MASHINSKY, who founded and helmed as CEO the Celsius Network, which functioned as a lender for cryptocurrencies.
Celsius filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy almost exactly a year ago. Under Chapter 11, the company has the ability to reorganize debt without completely going under. Now, Mashinsky has been accused of misleading customers and – reminiscent of the FTX saga – artificially inflating its own crypto token.
Mashinsky is out on a $40 MILLION bond, secured by his home in New York City. [via Reuters]
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The International Olympic Committee announced Thursday it will not invite Russia and Belarus to formally participate in next summer’s games in Paris.
Athletes from the countries will still likely participate in many cases, though they will be formally unaffiliated.
The Ukrainian government has demanded a more hardline stance, insisting that no athletes from Russia or Belarus compete. Since Russia began its invasion, Ukraine has selectively barred athletes from participating in certain international events to qualify for the Olympics, though there has not been a clear rationale for that decision. [via IOC]
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Two men made hiss-tory this week after wrangling a 19-foot-long, 125-pound Burmese python in Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve.
Taking the snake to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida to be officially measured and weighed, the python team there concluded that it is the longest Burmese on record.
The previous record was set in 2020, with a Burmese python measuring 18-feet and 9-inches; also in South Florida.
BY THE WAY: The annual Florida Python Challenge -- when everyday Floridians get the chance to hunt the invasive snakes -- runs from August 4-13. [via USA Today]
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The CEO of an e-commerce company based in Bangalore has replaced his entire customer support team with an A.I.-powered chatbot, to monumental success so far.
Not only did the chatbot respond to questions nearly instantly, the program delivered successful results much quicker — from a median of over 2 hours to just 3 minutes 12 seconds.
This new program has cut customer support costs by 85%. [via @suumitshah]
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Surfers taking to the water off the coast of Santa Cruz, California are being warned about an aggressive sea otter. According to the Los Angeles Times, the female otter started attacking surfers, and trying to steal their surfboards, in June.
The mammal, known to wildlife officials as Otter 841, was born in captivity at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Before she was weaned and released into the wild, she was tagged, so she could be monitored. Though it is unlikely officials thought they would use the tracking for something like this.
Now, officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are hoping to catch the otter and bring it back to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for a vet to check it over. From there, the aquarium says it will find her a more permanent home -- away from surfers. [via People]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 47 points (0.14%) to close at 34,395 on Thursday. The S&P added 37 points (0.85%) to close at 4,510 and the NASDAQ added 219 points (1.58%) to close at 14,138.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $77; BRENT CRUDE at $81.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.55 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN surged nearly 4.5% Thursday to trade over $31,700.
🛩 There were more than 3,010 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 130 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $560 million jackpot or a $281.1 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $875 million jackpot or a $441.9 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
These albums drop today:
Alana Springsteen, “Twenty Something: Figuring It Out”
Birdy, “Portraits”
Duane Betts, “Wild & Precious Life”
Lauren Spencer Smith, “Mirror”
Lil Tjay, “222”
Rita Ora, “You & I”
Tech N9ne, “BLISS”
Voyager, “Fearless In Love”
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LISA MARIE PRESLEY’s cause of death has been revealed.
According to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner, she died from complications of a small bowel obstruction.
Lisa Marie passed away in January at 54-years-old. [via TMZ]
WORTH NOTING: Toxicology reports have not yet been made public.
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SHAKIRA is once again sparking dating rumors.
First it was TOM CRUISE, then Formula 1 driver LEWIS HAMILITON, now fans think there is something brewing between the singer and basketball player JIMMY BUTLER.
Eyewitnesses told Page Six that the two enjoyed a cozy dinner at Novikov Restaurant & Bar in London this week. The two arrived and left within minutes of each other, and Butler’s security detail even assisted Shakira to her vehicle.
Neither have commented publicly on the date. [via Page Six]
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A rep for RICHARD SIMMONS made a comment about the fitness guru Thursday, on his 75th birthday.
“This is a big milestone. I just want to see him happy, which he is,” the rep told ET.
Simmons has not been seen publicly since 2014. Speculation surrounding his reclusive behavior is all over the board. Some think he is being held hostage by his housekeeper and others think he is now a woman who goes by the name Fiona.
A TMZ documentary claims Simmons disappeared from the spotlight due to an ailment. [via ET]
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Two years after their split, MEGAN FOX has finally covered up her ex, BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN’s name, which she had tattooed on her pelvic bone.
The coverup included a series of snakes and flowers.
Fox was married to Green from 2010 to 2021, they share three kids. She is now dating MACHINE GUN KELLY and Green is dating dancer SHARNA BURGESS. [via Billboard]
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DOLLY PARTON’s Imagination Library has gifted 200 million books worldwide since it was founded in 1995.
To celebrate the milestone, seven Dolly bookmarks will be randomly hidden inside Imagination Library books set to be passed out in September, which is also International Literacy Month. The books will go to children already enrolled in the program.
The seven lucky ones to find a Dolly bookmark will be awarded with a signed letter, an autographed picture, four Dollywood Theme Park tickets and a video chat with Dolly. [via People]
Think Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket, except with books instead of chocolate. And no oompa loompas!
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MICHAEL JORDAN isn’t the only one getting the “ick” when it comes to his son MARCUS dating LARSA PIPPEN.
On his show “First Take,” sports commentator STEPHEN A. SMITH said of the relationship, “there are certain lines you don’t cross.”
Later he added, “At one point in time, they were family,” referring to Jordan and his former Bulls teammate SCOTTIE PIPPEN, Larsa’s ex-husband.
Remember -- Larsa is 49 and Marcus is 32. [via NY Post]
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CASTING CALL
Hollywood is officially shut down.
SAG-AFTRA’s National Board officially called a strike Thursday, meaning actors will join picketing writers for the first time in over half a century.
Here’s what the strike means: actors cannot work on film or TV projects across the globe, and they are not allowed to do any promotions for upcoming projects, including press junkets and premieres. Actors will also not be allowed to participate in panel discussions, including the San Diego Comic-Con, which is set to kick off next week.
DEMANDS: Actors are asking for fair streaming residuals, improved working conditions, and increased minimum rates -- these are similar to writers’ demands.
MEANWHILE: Disney CEO BOB IGER took a shot at both strikes on Thursday, saying the demands “aren’t realistic” and their actions are “very disruptive” to the industry. [via Hollywood Reporter]
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TOM CRUISE is still planning on going to space.
The actor was asked about his plans to film a movie in space at the “Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning” premiere in New York this week.
“We’ve been working on it diligently. We’ll see where we go,” he told Variety.
The actors’ strike will obviously push those plans back a bit. [via Variety]
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Fans of “Stranger Things” can be immersed in Season 4 of the Netflix show starting this September at Universal Studios in both Orlando and Los Angeles as part of the parks’ Halloween Horror Nights.
The new haunted attraction will “transport guests to Hawkins, Indiana, where they will encounter the newest supernatural villain, Vecna, who is hell-bent on obliterating the volatile barrier between the eerie Upside Down and the real world,” according to a press release.
Video game-turned-TV show “The Last of Us” will also be the theme of another all new haunted attraction at both Universal Studios. [via USA Today]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Once fearful flier TRAVIS BARKER says he has now flown 30 times thanks to his wife, KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN.
“Just flew for the 30th time since my plane crash,” he wrote on Instagram. “Wouldn’t be able to tour or enjoy life again the way I do without the healing love of my amazing wife. I love you [Kourtney].”
Remember, Barker was anti-flight after a 2008 plane crash that killed four others and left him with third-degree burns on more than half of his body.
The first flight Barker took after the crash was in 2021, alongside Kourtney. They flew to Cabo on KYLIE JENNER’s private jet. [via People]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
FERGIE says her PRINCE ANDREW is “lonely” after the deaths of his parents.
While the pair have been divorced since 1996, they have remained close, even living together.
On her podcast, Fergie says she recently took a walk with Andrew and their pack of dogs, which now include two of the late QUEEN ELIZABETH’s brood. When she asked him how he’s doing after the loss of his parents, he replied, “It’s lonely.” She added that he’s taking a long time to process the grief of having lost them. [via People]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National French Fry Day
Bastille Day
World Kebab Day
Shark Awareness Day
Pandemonium Day
National Mac & Cheese Day
National Grand Marnier Day
National Nude Day
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ON THIS DATE
1789 – A French mob raids the prison fortress Bastille.
There were only seven 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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1933 – The Nazis solidify their totalitarian rule over Germany, outlawing any other political parties in a policy called Gleichschaltung, 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.
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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.
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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.
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2015 - Harper Lee’s 2nd novel “Go Set A Watchman” goes on sale in 70 countries.
The novel tackles the racial tensions brewing in the South in the 1950s and delves into the complex relationship between father and daughter. It includes treatments of many of the characters who appear in "To Kill a Mockingbird".
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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.
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BIRTHDAYS
Conor McGregor - MMA fighter - 35
Dan Reynolds - rock singer, Imagine Dragons - 36
Sara Canning - actress, “The Vampire Diaries” - 36
Dan Smith - rock singer, Bastille - 37
Peta Murgatroyd - dancer, “DWTS” - 37
Phoebe Waller-Bridge - actress, “Fleabag” - 38
Scott Porter - actor, “Friday Night Lights” & “Hart of Dixie” - 44
Tameka Harris - R&B singer, Xscape - 48
Loni Love - comedian - 52
Matthew Fox - actor, “Party of Five” & “Lost” - 57
Jane Lynch - actress, “Glee” & “Talladaga Nights” - 63
Born On This Date
Gerald Ford - 38th POTUS - 1913 (d. 2006)
Woody Guthrie - folk singer, “This Land Is Your Land” - 1912 (d. 1967)
William Hanna - animator, “Tom and Jerry” & “Scooby Doo” - 1910 (d. 2001)
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