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.

7/18/2022: Bennifer 2.0

PLUS: European Farmers Unite, Armie Hammer’s New Gig, and Meghan’s Vanity

Jul 18, 2022

Today is Monday, July 18, 2022.

It is the 199th day of the year.

166 days remain.

HIT LIST

Former FDA Commissioner SCOTT GOTTLIEB says monkeypox is on the cusp of becoming an endemic virus – but officials don’t want to admit it because that means they failed to contain it.

On “Face the Nation,” he said, “I think the window for getting control of this and containing it probably has closed, and if it hasn’t closed, it’s certainly starting to close.”

As reported quietly by many news outlets, monkeypox is most commonly transmitted between male sexual partners through prolonged skin-to-skin contact and respiratory droplets.

WORTH ASKING: Could this have been contained if the “experts” followed the “science” and loudly shouted warnings to gay men and other penis-havers about the risks of having risky sexual encounters?

###

Farmers across Europe are taking a cue from their Dutch colleagues, and taking their heavy machinery to city streets in protest of debilitating and nonsensical green regulations that threaten to kill their industry.

IN ITALY: Farmers clogged the streets of Milan and chanted “We are not slaves, we are farmers!”

IN SPAIN: Farmers in Badajoz, Granada, and Albacete protested in solidarity over other countries’ regulations that aren’t directly affecting them, but the farmers do protest increased food and gasoline prices, which threaten their industry from a different angle.

IN POLAND: Farmers took to the streets in Warsaw to vocally oppose rampant inflation.

###

A West Virginia woman had been in a coma for more than two years after a brutal attack in her own home.

Now, officials say she woke up last week, and was able to identify her own brother as the attacker, NBC News reports. Police have already arrested the brother, who the Sheriff described as being a little surprised, but didn’t put up much of a fight.

###

Eight people are confirmed dead after a cargo plane crashed in Greece late Saturday evening.

Observers say they heard an explosion overhead and a fireball crash to the ground, followed by smaller explosions over the course of two hours.

The plane was reportedly carrying mortar ammunition from Serbia to Bangladesh.

###

Skittles could be killing you, a new lawsuit alleges.

The class-action complaint filed in California takes Skittles manufacturer Mars to task for including “heightened levels” of titanium dioxide in its recipe. The compound is specifically for the candies’ artificial coloring.

For their part, Mars says the titanium dioxide quantities are in line with FDA rules.

###

BY THE NUMBERS

📈 Stocks had a strong end of the week Friday, with the Dow picking up 658 points (2.15%) to close at 31,288; the S&P 500 added 72.78 points (1.92%) to close at 3,863, and the Nasdaq added 201 points (1.79%) to close at 11,452.42.

🛢 West Texas Intermediate traded at $97.59 on Friday while Brent Crude was just over the $100 mark at $101.13.

⛽ The national average cost of a gallon of gas was $4.53 on Sunday.

₿ Bitcoin lost more than $200 over the weekend, trading just below $21,000 on Sunday.

🛩 There were 3,048 flight delays for routes within, into, or out of the United States, and 311 such cancellations on Sunday.

###

CHARTS

Weekend Box Office

10. Lightyear: $1.3 million (down from 7)

9. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris: $1.9 million (new)

8. Jurassic World Dominion: $4.9 million (down from 5)

7. The Black Phone: $5.3 million (down from 6)

6. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank: $6.2 million (new)

5. Elvis: $7.6 million (down from 4)

4. Top Gun: Maverick: $12 million (down from 3)

3. Where the Crawdads Sing: $17 million (new)

2. Minions: The Rise of Gru: $26 million (stayed at 2)

1. Thor: Love and Thunder: $46 million (stayed at 1)

###

DEATHS

BOBBY EAST has died.

The NASCAR driver was fatally stabbed at a gas station in California last week.

His attacker has been identified as 27-year-old Trent William Millsap. He was killed during an officer-involved shooting after becoming confrontational with arresting officers.

East was 37.

###

JAK KNIGHT has died.

The comedian and “Bust Down” actor passed away Thursday night in Los Angeles. No cause of death was shared.

He was 28.

###

WILLIAM “Poogie” HART has died.

The frontman of the R&B band the Delfonics passed away Thursday due to complications during surgery.

He was 77.

###

BABY NEWS

Tennis star MARIA SHARAPOVA, 35, has given birth to her first child, a son, with British businessman ALEXANDER GILKES, 42.

The child, named Theodore, arrived on July 1, 2022.

Gilkes and Sharapova got engaged in 2020, but had put wedding plans on hold during the pandemic.

WORTH NOTING: Gilkes was previously married to MEGHAN MARKLE’s pal MISHA NONOO from 2012-2016.

###

Model NICOLE WILLIAMS, 34, is expecting her first child with her husband, former NFL player LARRY ENGLISH, 36.

Williams showed off her baby bump while walking the runway for the Sports Illustrated Fashion Show during Miami Swim Week.

###

Broadway star ALI STROKER, 35, is expecting her first child with husband, director DAVID PERLOW, 37.

The actress announced the news Saturday, on the couple’s first wedding anniversary.

###

BREAKUPS

Actress KATE BOSWORTH, 39, has filed for divorce from her husband, director MICHAEL POLISH, 51.

The couple, who tied the knot in 2013, have been officially separated for over a year.

Bosworth is currently dating fellow actor JUSTIN LONG, 44.

###

SICK BAY

Broadway star BEANIE FELDSTEIN was forced to sit out the weekend’s “Funny Girl” shows after being diagnosed with tonsillitis.

She revealed her diagnosis on Instagram, telling her fans she is not allowed back on stage until she has enough antibiotics to no longer be contagious.

As previously reported, Feldstein recently announced she will exit the Broadway show this summer. She will be replaced by “Glee” alum LEA MICHELE, starting this fall, with an understudy taking over in the interim.

###

WEDDINGS

BEN AFFLECK, 49, and JENNIFER LOPEZ, 52, are married!

TMZ obtained a marriage license from Clark County, NV, indicating the two actors had in fact tied the knot in Vegas.

This is the fourth marriage for Lopez and the second for Affleck.

JLo confirmed the nuptials in her “On The JLo” newsletter Sunday, which she signed off “With love, Mrs. Jennifer Lynn Affleck.”

###

THE SWAMP

A Rasmussen poll gives Republicans an 8-point advantage over Democrats in Congress, with 47% of likely voters favoring the GOP. Just 39% say they’ll vote for the Democrat candidate running for Congress.

###

An analysis of HUNTER BIDEN’s calendar makes it increasingly improbable that he never talked about his business dealings with his dad, President JOE BIDEN.

IT GETS WORSE: The timing of the meetings coincide with Hunter’s foreign travels, in a way that surely looks like they were setup as debriefs.

For 21 of the 30 meetings, Hunter’s business partner ERIC SCHWERIN was also in the meetings with Joe, then the vice president.

In one egregious instance, Hunter had a morning meeting with the Prime Minister of Ivory Coast in Africa, and a meeting with Joe just 45 minutes later. In most cases, Hunter’s return from abroad coincided with an official meeting with his father, and often another business partner, within days.

WORTH NOTING: There’s certainly nothing wrong with a father and son having meetings, especially the vice president. But Joe Biden has asserted for years he not once, ever, has discussed his son’s business affairs with him. Media flacks have since held onto this narrative as truth.

WORTH ASKING: If not business dealings, what did they discuss, and what was the purpose of having Hunter’s business partners along?

###

Senator JOE MANCHIN torpedoed the last remnants of President JOE BIDEN’s green energy policy package on Friday, telling his colleagues he’s not going to vote for the new job-killing, economy-wrecking, inflation-driving regulations.

The New York Times reported that Democrat Senate staffers broke down in sobbing fits when they learned the news late last week.

WORTH NOTING: These blubbering bozos are the people trying to run half the country.

###

Milwaukee will almost certainly host the Republican National Convention in 2024.

The RNC’s site selection committee has approved the city, but the whole committee needs to hold a vote to make it official.

WORTH REMEMBERING: Milwaukee technically hosted the Democratic convention in 2020, but its program was ultimately broadcast from various remote sites.

BY THE WAY: As reported in the book “Lucky” about President JOE BIDEN’s win in 2020, Democrat organizers wanted to create a map graphic for the convention that lit up to show where the speakers were broadcasting from or taped their video message. The idea was to show the geographic diversity of the party. But they had to scrap the project when it turned out everyone turned out to live on the coasts, anyway.

###

LOTTERY

No winner for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. Tuesday night’s drawing will be for a $530 million jackpot or a $304.7 million cash payout.

###

No winner for Saturday night’s Powerball drawing. Tonight’s drawing will be for an $89 million jackpot or a $51.7 million cash payout.

###

SHOWBIZ NEWS

RICKY MARTIN is denying claims made by a family member that he was in an incestuous relationship with his nephew.

His lawyer issued a statement on the matter Friday, saying that Martin “never had any kind of sexual or romatic relationship with his nephew.”

A domestic violence-related restraining order was filed in Puerto Rico earlier this month. Martin faces up to 50 years in prison if the allegations prove to be true.

WORTH NOTING: Martin is also dealing with another lawsuit from his on-again, off-again manager, REBECCA DRUCKER, who claims he owes her around $3 million in unpaid commissions.

###

ARMIE HAMMER has been “cut off” from his famous family’s industrial fortune, and is now selling timeshares at a resort in the Cayman Islands.

The disgraced actor’s new gig was discovered after a hotel flyer with a photograph of someone resembling him was posted on social media.

At first Hammer’s lawyer denied the rumor, but sources have since confirmed to multiple outlets that he is in fact selling timeshares at Morritt’s Resorts.

Hammer fell from grace last year after several women came forward accusing him of sexual and emotional abuse, including cannabalistic fantasies. His wife, ELIZABETH CHAMBERS, filed for divorce shortly before the accusations were made public.

It is unknown if he will attempt to return to Hollywood.

###

CHRIS HEMSWORTH's family was not nearly as impressed with his jacked up “Thor” physique as many Marvel fans were.

The actor bulked up more than ever for his recent role in “Thor: Love and Thunder,” and in response, his wife thought it was “too much,” he told USA Today.

Hemsworth told the outlet that he can credit his increased muscle mass to being bored during Covid lockdown.

###

Comedian CRAIG ROBINSON was forced to bail on his set at the Comedy Zone in North Carolina after a gunman began shooting inside the club.

Eyewitnesses told TMZ that a man flashed his gun as he entered the venue, while demanding everyone leave. He then fired off at least one round.

There are no reports of any injuries, and the gunman was swiftly arrested.

###

CHRIS PRATT says the thought of HARRISON FORD’s ghost haunting him is enough to scare him from even considering taking on the role of Indiana Jones.

Speaking to podcaster JOSH HOROWITZ about rumors he was in the running to play the whip-wielding archaeologist, Pratt recalled a quote he once saw from Ford saying “When I die, Indiana Jones dies.”

“It was enough to scare me,” Pratt added.

As many know, Ford is returning to the role for the 2023 film.

###

GWEN STEFANI has been accused of cultural appropriation after wearing dreadlocks and a dress in the color of the Jamaican flag in SEAN PAUL’s new music video, “Light My Fire.”

The No Doubt frontwoman was swiftly bashed on social media.

“Ahhh Gwen Stefani went back to her Jamaican roots. Nature is really healing,” one user wrote.

“No one can appropriate a culture the way gwen stefani does,” another commented.

WORTH NOTING: In 2019, Gwen faced backlash after performing alongside Japanese dancers the “Harajuku Girls.” In response, she told Billboard “[...] if we didn’t allow each other to share our cultures, what would we be?”

###

JULIA ROBERTS is set to receive the Academy Museum Gala Icon Award at the Academy of Museum of Motion Pictures’ second-annual gala in October.

“Over the course of her expansive and renowned career, Julia has embodied iconic characters and memorable roles,” Academy Museum Director and President Jaqueline Stewart said in a release.

Others to be honored at the event include STEVE MCQUEEN (the Vantage Award), TILDA SWINTON (the Visionary Award) and MIKY LEE (the Pillar Award).

###

CASTING CALL

ANDREW GARFIELD will play RICHARD BRANSON in the limited series “Hot Air.”

The six-part series is based on the book “Dirty Tricks” which tells the story of the British billionaire and the rise of Virgin Airways.

Deadline reports that multiple platforms are competing to land the project.

###

RAFAEL CASAL has joined the cast of Disney+ series “Loki.”

News of his casting broke when a photo from the set of Season 2 leaked online.

The snap shows Casal alongside TOM HIDDLESTON and OWEN WILSON, who are reprising their roles as Loki and Mobius, respectively.

Details about Casal’s character are being kept under wraps.

“Loki” is the first Marvel series on Disney+ to get a second season.

###

ADAM SCOTT is set to join the cast of Sony’s “Madame Web.”

Starring DAKOTA JOHNSON, the movie follows Madame Web, an elderly woman with myasthenia gravis who requires a life-support system that resembles a spider web.

As previously reported, the film will likely follow a different storyline than the comics originally featuring Madame Webb, as she never actively fought any villains due to her condition.

Scott’s role in the movie is unknown.

###

CELEBRITY CELLBLOCK

Rapper KODAK BLACK was arrested Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after officers discovered dozens of oxycodone pills in his vehicle.

The 25-year-old was pulled over for suspected illegal window tint. When officers approached the vehicle, they claimed to smell marijuana, which led to a search of the truck. That turned up 31 pills and over $74,000 in cash.

Also, the vehicle’s license and tags were expired. Black was taken to Broward County jail, with charges pending, according to TMZ.

###

Actor BLAKE JENNER (no relation to the famous Kardashian-Jenners) was arrested and charged with a DUI over the weekend.

According to TMZ, he was pulled over after failing to stop at a red light. During the stop officers suspected he had been drinking and found him to be over the limit.

Jenner was arrested, booked and released on the same day. He will appear in court at a later date.

###

THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

KHLOE may have a baby boy on the way with her ex, TRISTAN THOMPSON, but that doesn’t mean her famous family is welcoming him back with open arms.

“The family is extremely upset with Tristan,” an insider told “Entertainment Tonight.”

The pair have been on and off for years, as the NBA player has been caught cheating multiple times. He even fathered a child with another woman last year. The news of which broke, we now know, shortly after he and Khloe found out they were going to welcome another child together via a surrogate.

As for the new child, who will join big sister TRUE THOMPSON, the insider explained that Khloe will have him full-time and has invited Tristan to be “in both the kids’ lives as much as he wants to be.”

The baby will be Khloe’s second child and Tristan’s fourth (that we know of).

SIDE NOTE: Many are wondering why Khloe would choose to bring another child into this world with Tristan when he had proved time and time again to be untrustworthy. The simple answer is that she wants her children to be 100% blood-related.

ALSO: Khloe and Tristan had embryos created prior to several of his cheating escapades.

###

WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

MEGHAN MARKLE was thrilled to be featured on the cover of Vanity Fair in 2017 until the magazine focused on her relationship with PRINCE HARRY, rather than her acting career and philanthropic work.

British journalist TOM BOWER writes about her “frustration” and “anger” in his book, “Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors.”

Meg was “ecstatic” when the magazine asked to do a story about her and put her on the cover, Bower claims. But when they used the headline “She’s Just Wild About Harry,” she became “furious” with her US public relations team, he explains.

In the book, Bower states that Meghan was under “strict orders” from Harry’s public relations team to avoid so-called “sensitive-topics,” including race and their relationship.

Meanwhile, her public relations team “demanded that the magazine satisfy Meghan’s requirement that she be presented as a philanthropist and activist, without considering one problem: Vanity Fair’s scrupulous researchers could find no evidence of her global philanthropy and activism,” Bower writes.

When asked about her relationship with Harry, Meg told editor SAM KASHNER “We’re a couple. We’re in love.” So much for not speaking on the relationship.

WHAT’S MORE: Kashner confessed to Bower that he had never heard of Meghan or “Suits.”

ALSO IN THE BOOK: Bower writes that QUEEN ELIZABETH was relieved Meghan was not attending PRINCE PHILIP’s funeral. “Thank goodness Meghan is not coming,” she allegedly told her trusted aides, according to an excerpt.

###

SPORTS

Controversial transgender swimmer LIA THOMAS has been nominated for the 2022 Woman of the Year award.

Thomas started out swimming for the University of Pennsylvania’s men’s team before transitioning in 2019 and joining the women’s team. It was there that Thomas quickly dominated female opponents -- which should come as no surprise as according to “science,” Thomas is male.

UPenn athletics also nominated tennis player, and actual woman, IULIIA BRYZGALOVA, according to the NCAA.

###

DAY OF THE YEAR

National Sour Candy Day

National Caviar Day

###

ON THIS DATE

64 A.D. - The Great Fire of Rome begins.

The fire burned for over five and a half days. Of the fourteen districts in the city, seven suffered serious damage and three were completely destroyed. Only four city districts escaped the inferno.

Nero, the emperor at the time, paid for the relief efforts from his own funds and even allowed his palaces to be opened as temporary homes for the displaced citizens.

To prevent a similar disaster, the city was rebuilt with greater spacing between the houses and brick was used in their construction.

The cause of the blaze remains unknown.

###

1389 - France and England agree to the Truce of Leulinghem.

The treaty ended the third phase of the Hundred Year's War.

This began a 13 year period of peace and was the longest during the entire conflict. The truce was supposed to last twenty-seven years, but Scotland decided to invade England in 1402 ending the peace prematurely. France re-entered the conflict during 1403.

###

1870 - The First Vatican Council decrees the Pope's infallibility.

This dogma stated that the Pope does not have a possibility of error when he declares a teaching on faith based on his own divine revelation to the Catholic Church.

A common misconception is that Papal infallibility implies the Pope is free from sin in his personal life, which is inaccurate.

This declaration only applies when the Pope is working in his official capacity.

###

1925 - Adolf Hitler publishes “Mein Kampf."

The thesis described an alleged Jewish conspiracy to gain world leadership. It also attempted to tell the story of how Hitler became increasingly anti-Semitic and militaristic.

Hitler dictated this first volume of the work while in prison for political crimes. The second volume would be published in 1926.

The title translated into English means "My Struggle" or "My Battle."

###

1969 - Senator Ted Kennedy kills Mary Jo Kopechne after a party on Chappaquiddick Island when he drunkenly drives his car off a bridge.

At approximately 11:15p.m. Kennedy left a thank you party, held for some of Robert Kennedy's campaign staff, with Mary Jo. He planned to get her onto the last ferry to Edgartown, where she was staying that night.

The Oldsmobile Delmont 88 was driven off a narrow, unlit bridge that was not on the route to Edgartown. Kennedy pulled himself to safety, but Kopechne was not so lucky.

The Senator reported the incident only after the car and body were discovered by police the next morning.

One week later, Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a 2-month suspended sentence as punishment.

###

2013 - Detroit, Michigan files for Chapter 9 bankruptcy.

The debt owed is:

$2.9 billion in government bond debt
$5.9 billion in Detroit Water and Sewerage Department debt
$3.5 billion in unfunded pension liability
$5.7 billion unfunded retiree health care liability

It is the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in US history, with over $18 billion owed.

Detroit is also the largest city by population to file for bankruptcy in the US.

###

2019 - The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals that the previous month was the hottest June on record with an average temperature of 61.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

###

BIRTHDAYS

JD McCrary - actor, “KC Undercover” & “The Lion King” - 15

Canelo Alvarez - boxer - 32

Mandy Rose - wrestler - 32

Chace Crawford - actor, “Gossip Girl” - 37

Priyanka Chopra Jonas - actress, “Fashion” & “Quantico” - 40

Kristen Bell - actress, “Veronica Mars” & “The Good Place” - 42

Elsa Patatky - model - 46

Matthew Moore - director - 47

Joe Russo - director - 51

Vin Diesel - actor, “Fast & Furious” films - 55

Jim Bob Duggar - reality star & dad of the 19 - 57

Wendy Williams - TV show host & podcaster - 58

Diana Williams - journalist - 64

Richard Branson - entrepreneur, Virgin Group - 72

Born On This Date

John Glenn - astronaut - 1921 (d. 2016)

Nelson Mandela - world leader - 1918 (d. 2013)

Molly Brown - Titanic survivor - 1867 (d. 1932)

###