7/17/2023: “Snow White and Her Magical Companions”
PLUS: Kentucky Gold Rush; Poopy Pants; and The Walses at Wimbledon
Today is Monday, July 17, 2023.
It is the 198th day of the year.
167 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
SAM BANKMAN-FRIED and his folks would like to see some fresh faces – and fresh sheets. More in HIT LIST.
VICTORIA BECKHAM crushed the hopes and dreams of SPICE GIRLS fans around the world by revealing she will not be joining the ladies on tour. More in SHOWBIZ.
SAG-AFTRA listed its do’s and don'ts for striking actors and JAMES CAMERON says he will never make a movie about OceanGate. More in CASTING CALL.
All of the bad blood between BLAC CHYNA and the KARDASHIANS seems to be gone as the model celebrates 10-months of sobriety. More in KARDASH.
It was a day at the Courts at Wimbledon for the Waleses. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
A new filing by SAM BANKMAN-FRIED’s lawyers suggest the disgraced crypto king could use some company. He’s currently under house arrest at his parents’ home in California and has limited access to technology and visitors.
The filing asks the judge overseeing SBF’s criminal case to allow an expanded list of friends and colleagues connected to his parents to visit, and that they’ve agreed to obey restrictions on bringing in unmonitored devices.
Also included in the list is “household help” – so the Bankman-Fried household sounds tired of doing their own dishes and laundry now, too.
SPEAKING OF (A DIFFERENT KIND OF) WEALTH: At the Sun Valley retreat in Idaho, where zillionaires gather every summer to talk about that thing rich people do where they turn money into more money, WARREN BUFFET’s wife was reportedly overheard griping about the cost of a cup of coffee at the venue.
Astrid Buffet apparently said she could get a whole bag of coffee for the $4 she spent on a cup.
She and her husband are worth $115 BILLION – though Warren is notoriously frugal.
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An unidentified Kentucky man discovered a trove of more than 700 gold coins dating back to the Civil War while plowing his field, and has enlisted the help of a local coin and jewelry broker to turn the find into cash.
The company that certified and is selling the coins says the haul is worth around $2 MILLION now. One analyst calls it “one of the most significant finds of U.S. rarities that were found buried in the ground of the last 50 years or so.” [via Lex18]
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An Artificial Intelligence startup called Mubert says it has generated 100 MILLION new songs based on inputs from licensed tracks to create new music. By contrast, the entire Spotify catalog is also about 100 million tracks.
The company, Mubert, makes the newly-created songs available to others to license, for use in things like corporate videos and background music in podcasts or TikTok videos.
You can listen to a variety of sample tracks here > [via Honest Broker]
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A report by the Manhattan Institute suggests that after considering all the energy it takes to mine, refine, and transport the raw materials that go into electric vehicles there is likely a net increase in overall carbon emissions.
Much of these materials are refined by Chinese companies, which certainly don’t have the stringent environmental standards that similar American companies would, either.
WORTH NOTING: Of course, with time, these processes and the associated technology will become cleaner and more efficient – hopefully. But in the meantime, EVs may not be the silver bullet for fossil fuels that some make them out to be, either. [via Manhattan Institute]
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Hey all you winos, listen up!
This year’s World’s Best Vineyard award goes to Catena Zapata, located in Mendoza, Argentina.
The vineyard features Malbec wine, Mayan-inspired architecture and multisensory masterclasses.
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DEATHS
Style icon JANE BIRKIN has died.
She was found in her Paris home on Sunday, according to several reports. No further details were shared.
A notable trendsetter in the ‘60s, the model inspired Hermes’ famous Birkin handbag.
She was 76.
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Bodybuilder GUSTAVO “the Freakin’ Rican” BADELL has died.
His death was confirmed Friday by a friend, though no details about his passing have been shared.
Badell was well-known on the bodybuilding circuit, facing off against some of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He also finished third in the Mr. Olympia competition two times.
He was 50.
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BABY NEWS
Retired football player PHILIP RIVERS and his wife TIFFANY RIVERS are expecting their 10th child, a boy.
The couple’s other nine children -- seven girls and two boys -- range in age from four to 21.
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Model KARLIE KLOSS and husband, businessman JOSHUA KUSHNER have welcomed their second child.
The newborn arrived on July 11, though no details have been shared.
The couple are also parents to two-year-old son Levi.
IT’S ALL RELATIVE: Josh’s brother is JARED KUSHNER, who is married to IVANKA TRUMP, the daughter of former president DONALD TRUMP.
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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
10. The Little Mermaid: $2.3 million (down from 9)
9. Joy Ride: $2.5 million (down from 6)
8. No Hard Feelings: $3.3 million (down from 7)
7. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: $3.4 million (up from 8)
6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: $6 million (down from 5)
5. Elemental: $8.7 million (down from 4)
4. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: $12 million (down from 2)
3. Insidious: The Red Door: $13 million (down from 1)
2. Sound of Freedom: $27 million (up from 3)
1. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One: $56.2 million (new)
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 113 points (0.33%) to close at 34,509 on Friday. The S&P lost 4 points (0.1%) to close at 4,505 and the NASDAQ lost 24 points (0.18%) to close at 14,113.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $74; BRENT CRUDE at $79.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.56 on Sunday.
₿ BITCOIN was mostly flat over the weekend, trading around $30,300.
🛩 There were more than 7,430 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday and more than 1,490 such cancellations as storms wreaked havoc at major airports on the east coast, particularly New York City and Boston.
💰Tuesday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $640 million jackpot or a $328 million cash payout. Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $900 million jackpot or a $465.1 million cash payout. It is the third-highest jackpot in Powerball history.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
VICTORIA BECKHAM will not be joining her fellow SPICE GIRLS, despite reports to the contrary.
The Sun reported Friday that Posh Spice had agreed to join the girl band at Glastonbury next year. In response, an insider told the Daily Mail that Beckham will in fact not be returning to the group.
The other four members - EMMA BURTON, GERI HORNER, MEL BROWN and MEL CHRISHOLM -- are all reportedly on board with touring again. [via The Sun, Daily Mail]
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JASON ALDEAN abruptly exited the stage during his concert in Connecticut over the weekend due to the extreme heat.
The country singer was performing at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford when he wiped his face on his upper arm and then booked it off stage.
Speculation was that the heat was getting to him, with one fan tweeting, “It was hotter than hell. It was bad enough just standing in the pit. I can't imagine performing in jeans, boots and hat under all those lights in that humidity with no breeze.”
The next day a member of his team issued a statement on the incident, saying the singer was “experiencing heat stroke,” but as of Sunday was feeling better.
Aldean is currently on his “Highway Desperado” tour. [via Deadline]
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TAYLOR SWIFT’s album “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” is No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It is her 12th No. 1 album on the chart.
Three of her former No. 1 albums are all currently in the Top 10, marking the first time in nearly 60 years that a living artist has at least four albums in the Top 10 at the same time.
Joining “Speak Now” on the chart are, “Midnights,” “Lover” and “Folklore.” [via Billboard]
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DOLLY PARTON would rather “drop dead” than retire.
Speaking to “Greatest Hits Radio” host Ken Bruce, the 77-year-old country legend said, “I would never retire. I’ll just hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song onstage someday, hopefully one I’ve written.”
“But in the meantime, I’m going to make hay while the sun shines,” she later quipped.
Parton is set to release her first rock album, “Rockstar, this November. The album features collaborations with her goddaughter, MILEY CYRUS, SHERYL CROW, LIZZO, ELTON JOHN, CHRIS STAPLETON, STEVIE NICKS, STING and more. [via Startsat60]
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JOE JONAS says therapy has helped him cope with the trauma of pooping his pants on stage.
Speaking on the “Will & Woody” podcast, the musician detailed how a few years ago he was performing when “a little toot, might’ve been something else, something a little extra.” To make matters worse, Jonas said he was wearing a white outfit.
While he didn’t clarify what show the incident occurred at, he did note that eagle-eyed fans could probably figure it out due his quick mid-performance wardrobe change.
FELLOW POOPERS: Jonas isn’t the only celeb who has had an accident in public, rapper CHRIS BROWN and singer ED SHEERAN have also opened up about sh*tting their pants. [via Page Six]
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On KEVIN HART’s “Hart to Heart” podcast, music producer DR. DRE shared why he passed up working with MICHEAL JACKSON, PRINCE and STEVIE WONDER.
“They just asked me to work with them and I was like, ‘What the [F-word] am I going to do with them?’” Dre said. “My entire life and career has been dealing with and working with new artists. That’s what I like.”
Those new artists include, EMINEM, SNOOP DOGG, and KENDRICK LAMAR. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
SAG-AFTRA laid out some ground rules for striking actors.
The DO NOTS include, no weapons, no engaging in violence or threats, no cursing, no littering, no property destruction, and no getting drunk or high before picketing.
As for what actors are allowed TO DO while striking, the union says, to always assume someone is recording them, follow all parking and traffic laws, get signs cleared by SAG-AFTRA and most importantly, have fun! [via Deadline]
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The live-action version of “Snow White” is going to look a bit different than the original animated film.
Photos from the London-based production show that the seven aptly-named dwarfs will be played by random, mostly average-sized people. The actors will also be a mix of races and genders.
Lastly, the group of seven will no longer be referred to as “dwarfs,” but rather “magical creatures.”
The film is due out next year. [via TMZ]
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“Iron Man” be damned.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. told a crowd at the London premiere of his new movie, “Oppenheimer,” that it is the “best film” he has ever been in.
“Just going to flat out say it: This is the best film I’ve ever been in. I cannot wait for you all to experience it,” he was filmed saying at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square.
In the flick, Downey plays an antagonist of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (CILLIAN MURPHY), who was pivotal in creating the first nuclear weapons during WWII.
“Oppenheimer” hits theaters on July 21. [via People]
WORTH NOTING: Downey’s interview came just before he and his castmates walked out of the premiere last Thursday in solidarity with the actors’ strike.
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JAMES CAMERON is not going to be part of any movie based on the Titan submersible that imploded last month.
Taking to Instagram and Twitter, Cameron told followers that he is “NOT in talks about an OceanGate film” and never will be.
Rumors likely started swirling after the Academy-Award winning director compared the Titan tragedy to the sinking of the Titanic, saying that in both situations “warnings went unheeded.” [via Vulture]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
BLAC CHYNA is celebrating 10 months of sobriety.
The former fiance of ROBERT KARDASHIAN and mom to their daughter DREAM KARDASHIAN, took to Instagram Friday to share the milestone, captioning a video, “Happy 10 months sober, clean eating, working out, staying in the word (bible), healing my mind, body and soul.”
The milestone comes amid what many feared to be more bad blood with the Kardashian family, after KHLOE KARDASHIAN said that her niece Dream needed a “great maternal influence.” Many took the comment to be a dig at Chyna, who took the high road, responding with positivity writing, “Everything is good on both ends, we are all family at the end of the day.”
Khloe later addressed the comment on her social media, explaining that what she said had been taken out of context. [via Page Six]
WORTH REMEMBERING: Chyna and the famous family have a long history drama. First, the family was not thrilled about her engagement to Rob. Then there were concerns about her care of Dream, all while the two sides were going back and forth in court. And who can forget that during most of that time KYLIE JENNER was dating rapper TYGA, who shares 10-year-old son KING with Chyna.
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE WILLIAM joined PRINCESS KATE and their two eldest children for the last day of Wimbledon yesterday, where they watched the men’s singles final. The couple has watched the championships together most years since they’ve been hitched.
Kate herself enjoys playing tennis and is an active patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. She took over this cause from QUEEN ELIZABETH in 2016.
At the end of the match, she brought out the Wimbledon Trophy to winner CARLOS ALCARAZ GARFIA. [via People]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Peach Ice Cream Day
Global Hug Your Kids Day
National Yellow Pig Day
World Emoji Day
National Tattoo day
National Get Out of the Dog House Day
World Day for International Justice
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ON THIS DATE
1791 - Members of the French National Guard, under the command of General Lafayette, open fire on a crowd of radical Jacobins at Champ de Mars during the French Revolution.
Up to 50 people were killed.
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1841 – Britons Henry Mayhew and Mark Lemon begin editing the humor magazine Punch.
The satiric journal coined the word "cartoon," as applied to humorous art.
Punch's readers included Charlotte Bronte, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and other notable Brit contemporaries.
The magazine would shutter in 1992 after a century and a half. A short revival would come along in 1996, but would end in 2002.
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1898 - Spaniards surrender to US forces at Santiago de Cuba, thus ending the Spanish-American War.
The following February, the Treaty of Paris would be signed, giving the US control of Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
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1917 - King George V changes the name of the British Royal family from the German name “Saxe-Coburg-Gotha” to the more English-sounding “Windsor.”
The decision -- a blatantly political one -- was done under pressure from a war-weary nation that had been bombed by a German bomber aircraft named Gotha.
The new name was inspired by Windsor Castle, the family’s long-tenured residence.
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1918 – Bolshevik leaders order the murder of the Russian royal family.
Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, and his five kids, along with their entourage, were murdered by communists under the charge of Yakov Yurovsky, a Bolshevik Officer.
The family's remains would not be recovered until 1979.
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1945 - President Harry Truman, General Secretary Joseph Stalin and Prime Minister Winston Churchill hold the first post-WWII meeting; the Potsdam Conference.
The three leading Allies met from this date through August 2 in Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone to establish postwar order, solve issues on the peace treaty and counter the effects of war.
The talks also focused on the demilitarization, denazification, democratization, decentralization, dismantling and decartelization of Germany.
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1968 – The Beatles' animated feature film “Yellow Submarine” is released in England.
Though the film included the Fab Five's singing voices, the characters depicting each of them were voiced by other actors.
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1997 – Woolworth's closes its doors on all department stores in the U.S.
The five and dime shop that thrived in the '50s had evolved into a general discount store chain. Department stores took over the existing stores' market share and slowly pushed it out of business.
Stores in Canada had earlier been sold to Wal-Mart. The company has since evolved twice, and is now known as Foot Locker, Inc, as it has been since October 20, 2001.
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1998 - Tsar Nicholas II and family are buried in Russia 80 years after they were murdered.
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2019 – Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years in a New York courtroom.
Prior to the sentencing the drug lord addressed the court, saying in Spanish, “There was no justice here.” He also complained about his living conditions in prison, calling them “inhumane” and “torture.”
El Chapo was found guilty of all 10 federal crimes against him, including engaging in continuing criminal enterprise, drug trafficking and firearms charges, in February. He is serving his time in the nation’s most secure federal prison in Florence, Colorado.
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BIRTHDAYS
Connor Bedard - hockey player - 18
Grace Fulton - actress, “Ghost Whisperer” - 27
Kali Uchis - R&B singer - 29
Billie Lourd - actress, “Scream Queens” - 31
Tom Fletcher - pop singer, McFly - 38
Eric Winter - actor, “Days of Our Lives” & “The Rookie” - 47
Luke Bryan - country singer - 47
Craig Morgan - country singer - 59
John Ventimiglia - actor, “The Sopranos” - 61
Bryan Trotter - hockey player - 67
Angela Merkel - Chancellor of Germany - 69
David Hasselhoff - actor, “Knight Rider” & “Baywatch” - 71
Camilla Parker Bowles - British Queen - 76
Donald Sutherland - actor, “The Hunger Games” & “The Dirty Dozen” - 88
Born On This Date
Toni Stone - first woman to play in men’s Negro League, second base - 1921 (d. 1996)
James Cagney - actor, “Yankee Doodle Dandy” - 1899 (d. 1986)
Erle Stanley Gardner - detective writer, Perry Mason series - 1889 (d. 1970)
John Jacob Aster - entrepreneur, first American multimillionaire - 1763 (d. 1848)
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