7/24/2023: X Gon Give It To Ya
PLUS: Cadbury Conviction; Selena Gomez Nears Billionaire Status; and Harry and Meg Do Malibu
Today is Monday, July 24, 2023.
It is the 205th day of the year.
160 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Big plans ahead for the future of Twitter – er, X. More in HIT LIST.
KEVIN COSTER’s divorce is getting petty and LANA DEL REY has a new gig. More in SHOWBIZ.
“Oppenheimer” hit theaters worldwide over the weekend, but one country isn’t so sure about showing the film. More in CASTING CALL.
KIM KARDASHIAN and SAINT WEST attend LIONEL MESSI’s MLS debut. More in KARDASH.
PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE look for a real estate reset. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Lawyers overseeing the bankruptcy reorganization for FTX allege that disgraced founder SAM BANKMAN-FRIED’s legal defense is being paid with money stolen from the hedge fund at the center of the cryptocurrency trading platform’s implosion.
Sam sent his dad JOSEPH BANKMAN $10 MILLION in January 2022 from his own FTX account – much of which is believed to have been pulled from customer accounts on the FTX exchange.
IT GETS WORSE: On paper, the funds were technically a loan from the company to Sam, who used it to send money to his father. [via New York Post]
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ELON MUSK has owned the website domain X.com for many years and has made no secret about his plans to turn Twitter into “the everything app” and host it at the single-letter website address.
Newly-minted CEO LINDA YACCARINO Tweeted that “X will be the platform that can deliver, well….everything” [original ellipses; nothing omitted] and be “the future state of unlimited interactivity – centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/bankings” that will be powered by AI to create a global marketplace of ideas, goods, services, and opportunities.
Some companies over the weekend started using a job posting feature connected to their official company accounts, which some have speculated is Musk’s effort to take a run at pseudo-competitor LINKEDIN.
On Sunday afternoon, X.com started pointing to Twitter.com. Musk said a new logo would be in place soon as well.
Expect more announcements and changes to be in the pipeline this week. [via Morning Martini Editorial Team]
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A 68-year-old white-bearded man named Gerrit Marshall from Madison, Wisconsin, won this year’s annual Ernest Hemingway lookalike contest in Key West, Florida.
GET THIS: Marshall’s birthday was Saturday, July 22. Hemingway’s birthday was July 21.
Unlike Hemingway, Marshall’s only been married to one woman. Hemingway had four wives.
This was Marshall’s eleventh time entering the contest, and first win. [via Associated Press]
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Oklahoma has turned into a nexus of illegal marijuana distribution and logistics, Bloomberg reports.
During a raid last week, Oklahoma’s drug enforcement officials found nearly 7,000 pounds of weed at a warehouse. That kind of haul could fetch nearly $30 MILLION on the market. In April, a similar-sized cache was discovered.
BUT WAIT: It’s legal to grow marijuana in Oklahoma for licensed farms, but sending the crop out of state becomes a federal felony.
The 7,000-pound bust was spotted getting loaded onto trucks headed to New York and New Jersey. A rep for the state’s Bureau of Narcotics says that growers are buying cheap to grow the plant, then supplying it through a newly-formed pseudo-black market.
GET THIS: The regulations in New York are too strict to make the weed industry profitable, so manufacturers are now buying it from out of state.
State agencies are now working out ways to clamp down on this budding drug trade industry. [via Bloomberg]
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Remember the guy who stole $40,000 worth of Cadbury Creme Eggs? He has finally been punished for his crime.
A UK judge sentenced Joby Pool to 18 months in jail for theft, criminal damage and driving without insurance after he broke into an industrial unit and made off with over 200,000 chocolate eggs in a stolen tractor earlier this year.
Only half of Pool’s sentence will be spent behind bars, and the other half will be “spent on license” (the UK equivalent of being on parole.)
It is still unclear if Pool is the Easter Bunny.
FUN FACT: Over 220 million Cadbury Creme Eggs are sold in Britain every year. [via CNN]
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DEATHS
Legendary musician TONY BENNETT has died.
He passed away Friday at his home in New York City of age-related causes, according to his publicist.
Throughout his career, Bennett won 20 Grammy awards, including a lifetime achievement award, and recorded a handful of iconic duets with fellow musicians, including LADY GAGA, PAUL MCCARTNEY, ARETHA FRANKLIN, WILLIE NELSON and more.
Bennett also battled Alzeiher’s disease, which he was diagnosed with in 2016.
He was 96.
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Actress CARLIN GLYNN has died.
She passed away on July 13 after a battle with lung cancer, according to a statement from her daughter.
Glynn is best known for her roles in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and “Sixteen Candles.”
She was 83.
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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
10. No Hard Feelings: $1 million (down from 8)
9. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: $1.2 million (down from 7)
8. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: $2.8 million (down from 6)
7. Elemental: $5.8 million (down from 5)
6. Insidious: The Red Door: $6.5 million (down from 3)
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: $6.7 million (down from 3)
4. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One: $19.5 million
3. Sound of Freedom: $20 million (down from 2)
2. Oppenheimer: $80.5 million (new)
1. Barbie: $155 million (new)
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW was flat on Friday, up just 2 points and closing at 35,227. The S&P added 1 point to close at 4,536 and the NASDAQ added 27 points (0.2%) to close at 14,090.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $76 on Friday; BRENT CRUDE at $80.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.59 on Sunday.
₿ BITCOIN was up about 0.75% on Sunday and trading just over $30,000.
🛩 There were more than 5,690 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday and more than 270 such cancellations.
💰Tuesday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $820 million jackpot or a $422 million cash payout. Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $28 million jackpot or a $14.5 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
Things don’t appear to be getting any more amicable between KEVIN COSTNER and estranged wife CHRISTINE BAUMGARTNER.
According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, the exes’ divorce drama is getting more petty. As many know, the two have already been fighting over money, which is par for the course in most divorces, but these two are also arguing over saucepans, dog beds, a beach umbrella, a juicer and an exercise bike.
Costner is rumored to be worth about $400 million, so one would think he could afford to give up some kitchen appliances and an umbrella to expedite the process. [via Daily Mail]
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JAMIE FOXX is feeling better and thanking fans for their love, support and prayers during his medical emergency and subsequent recovery.
Taking to Instagram, the actor opened up about the past few months, saying he went through “hell and back.” As for why it took him so long to address things, Foxx said he didn’t want people to see him with tubes coming out of his body.
Still no word on exactly what happened. [via Instagram]
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LUKE BRYAN did not ask CMT to pull his music in a move of solidarity for his friend, fellow country singer JASON ALDEAN.
The story, first shared by satirical website Uplifting Today, started circulating in response to the network removing the music video for Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town” after several people called it “racist.”
STANDING BEHIND JASON: In response to CMT removing the song, Nashville’s E3 Chophouse tweeted that it will not air the network at any of their restaurants until a “formal apology is made and Jason’s music video is reinstated.” Both Aldean and Bryan are investors in the Chophouse. [via Billboard]
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Actress BUSY PHILIPPS recently appeared on her friend Rox Hernandez’s “Ghosted!” podcast to talk about her psychic abilities.
“Well, I think I’m intuitive. But sometimes I just know things are going to happen. I sort of just see things in the future and then I have a lot of really psychic connections with people,” she explained.
The two also reminisced about the time Hernandez was house sitting for Philips and came face-to-face with a would-be-intruder, who they referred to as a “murderer.”
“I see this man staring into the window at me! It’s the thing I’ll never forget,” Hernandez shared, to which Philipps replied, “You essentially saved my life.” [via Variety]
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SELENA GOMEZ may soon join the list of female BILLIONAIREs.
According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, the 31-year-old has a current net worth of about $800 million, thanks to her Rare Beauty makeup line.
A recent report from Bloomberg stated that Selena’s Rare Beauty blush generated about $70 million last year, and is expected to fetch about three times that this year. And that is only ONE product.
Last year Selena’s net worth was an estimated $95 million. [via CelebrityNetWorth, Bloomberg]
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TORI SPELLING put one Los Angeles realtor on blast after he mocked her current living situation.
“The latest bizarre inquiry,” realtor Robert Vinson texted, not realizing he was actually messaging Spelling.
“I’m sorry? I’m assuming that wasn’t meant for me,” Spelling wrote back, to which he replied, “It is more for Karen. Tori Spelling has been asking for a 1 month rental. If you follow her situation on TMZ it is all amusing.”
The “90210” alum posted a screenshot of the text exchange on Instagram, captioning it, “Wow! Human empathy and kindness prevails. Kids in crisis is amusing.”
As many know, Spelling and her five kids have been bouncing between hotels and friends’ homes after being forced from their home due to mold. And all of this is happening amid her divorce from their dad, actor DEAN MCDERMOTT. [via Page Six]
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In her downtime LANA DEL REY has been serving up food at a Waffle House in Florence, Alabama.
Several customers posted about seeing the musician while grabbing a bite to eat.
It is unknown why she is working at the eatery, though the gig seems legit as she has her own Waffle House name badge. [via CNN]
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American sprinter NOAH LYLES broke a record with his 19.47 time in the 200m sprint at the Diamond League meet in London over the weekend.
The race marked Lyles 35th 200m sprint run in under 20 seconds, breaking the record set by sprinter USAIN BOLT.
Next up, Lyles will compete in the World Championships in Budapest. [via Daily Mail]
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CASTING CALL
“Oppenheimer” hit theaters around the world over the weekend, except in Japan.
A release date for the film has not yet been announced in the country, and the reason why is pretty obvious.
The CHRISTOPHER NOLAN flick is about the creation of the nuclear bomb in 1945. That August, the US dropped two nukes on HIroshima and Nagasaki, putting an end to WWII.
BUT WAIT: Japan has a history of postponing film releases to see how well they do at the box office, so maybe it will still happen? [via Insider]
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Turns out VANNA WHITE is looking for even more of a payout in the wake of “Wheel of Fortune” host PAT SAJAK’s retirement announcement.
A source told People Magazine that the letter-turner is now negotiating for “much more than 50 percent of his salary,” with her high-powered attorney asking to match Sajak’s pay or even go beyond it.
As previously reported, White has not had a raise in nearly two decades and currently makes one-fifth of what Sajak does. [via People]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN took son SAINT WEST to watch LIONEL MESSI make his Major League Soccer club debut in Miami on Friday.
When approached by a sideline reporter, Kim said that they wanted to attend because of Saint’s love for the game and to cheer for his favorite player, Messi.
KHLOE KARDASHIAN’s ex TRISTAN THOMPSON was also in attendance, as was LEBRON JAMES and SERENA WILLIAMS.
After the game, Messi signed his jersey and gave it to Saint. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Maybe PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE are just too glamorous for little ol’ Montecito.
Express reports that the Sussexes are house hunting in Malibu to be even closer to Hollywood A-listers. They’re currently about an hour away from the action in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, where the media world’s elite tend to hole up.
One insider says they’ve already been out and about in the area.
The news comes as inside reports suggest the couple are scrambling to plot a new course for their lives having realized they’ve said all anyone cares to hear about their time inside the British Royal Family. [via Express]
AND THEN THERE’S THIS: The New York Post reports that Harry and Meg haven’t made inroads with the Hollywood crowd because the entertainment elite are intentionally keeping the Susssexes at a distance – so that they don’t ruin any goodwill with the actual royal family.
Montecito-area neighbors like STEVEN SPIELBERG, JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUSS, and ROB LOWE also fear that Harry and Meg might spill their secrets for publicity, too.
According to a 2021 report, “Everyone’s got a movie to sell and a Broadway play they want to debut on screen in London or [London’s] West End and they know that Prince William and Kate — who are the biggest [celebrity] gets over there won’t show if they think someone is friends with Harry and Meghan.” [via New York Post]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Tequila Day
National Tell An Old Joke Day
National Drive-Thru Day
National Cousins Day
Pioneer Day
National Amelia Earhart Day
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ON THIS DATE
1567 - Mary Queen of Scots is forced to abdicate the throne.
Her one-year-old son became King James VI of Scotland, with his uncle, James Stewart, Earl of Moray acting as regent.
Mary fled to England, seeking the protection of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, but would be imprisoned and then executed in 1587.
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1847 - Brigham Young and his Mormon followers arrive at Salt Lake City, Utah.
The group migrated from the east after the murder of Joseph Smith, the sect’s founder and first leader.
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1866 – Tennessee becomes the first secessionist state to return to the Union. Its federal representatives were also welcomed back to Congress.
The Tennessee legislature had approved the 14th amendment, which provided for equal protection, due process, and other reconstructive elements.
It also eliminated any debts payable to anyone fomenting rebellion against the U.S. Most importantly, all men were counted as whole persons, eliminating the rule that counted each slave as three-fifths of a person.
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1911 – Hiram Bingham arrives at Machu Picchu in the Andean mountains.
The site once belonged to the Incas and is thought to have been a spiritual retreat for tribal elders.
Local peasants and farmers were familiar with the crumbling walls and eroding stonework that marked the outskirts of the ancient city, but Bingham was the first Westerner documented to have visited the ruins.
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1959 – Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev hold a heated debate in Moscow during the American National Exhibition.
Vice President Nixon was on hand to open the monument to America, as part of an effort from both countries to share the other's culture. The Soviet version had opened stateside the month prior.
In a mock American living room and kitchen, Nixon demonstrated nifty appliances and a color TV. Khrushchev was not pleased.
The Soviet premier then railed on Nixon for the recent passage of the Captive Nations Resolution in Congress, which asked for Americans to pray for the liberation and freedom of oppressed Eastern European countries.
He then declared that Russia would have all the same technology within a few years.
The debate escalated from there, with finger pointing and blame pushed around over one nation goading the other into nuclear war. The exchange ended with both men sheepishly apologizing in front of reporters.
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1969 – The first men to walk on the Moon safely return to Earth.
Neil Armstrong, "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins crewed the first manned landing mission to the Moon, with Collins being one of the more forgotten men in all of history.
After being recovered in the Pacific Ocean wearing biological containment suits, the men were kept in isolation for three weeks to ensure they hadn't picked up unknown germs while on the Moon.
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1998 – “Saving Private Ryan” opens in theaters.
The World War II drama would rack up five Oscars, including those for Steven Spielberg for directing and other technical awards.
It was one of the first movies to graphically and authentically replicate the Normandy invasion.
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2019 - Hungarian swimmer Kristof Milak breaks Michal Phelps’ 200m butterfly world record at the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
The 19-year-old swam a 1:50.73 -- 0.78 seconds faster than Phelps.
Phelps had set the record 10 years earlier.
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BIRTHDAYS
Bindi Irwin - naturalist & reality star, “Crikey! It’s the Irwins” - 25
Kyle Kuzma - basketball player - 28
Emily Rickards - actress, “Arrow” & “The Flash” - 32
Mara Wilson - actress, “Matilda” - 36
Anna Paquin - actress, “True Blood” - 41
Rose Byrne - actress, “Insidious” & “Bridesmaids” - 44
Danny Dyer - actor, “Skins” - 46
Torrie Wilson - wrestler - 48
Rick Fox - basketball player - 54
Jennifer Lopez - pop singer & actress - 54
Kristin Chenoweth - actress, “Wicked” & “Descendants” - 55
Barry Bonds - baseball player - 59
Karl Malone - basketball player - 60
Lynda Carter - actress, “Wonder Woman” - 72
Born On This Date
Amelia Earhart - pilot, first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean - 1897 (d. 1939)
Bill the Butcher - gang member, NYC’s Bowery Boys - 1821 (d. 1855)
Alexandre Dumas - author, “The Count of Monte Cristo” - 1802 (d. 1870)
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