7/27/2023: $50K Apple Kicks 👟
PLUS: Crane Collapse; Kevin Spacey Not Guilty; and Windsor Family Values
Today is Thursday, July 27, 2023.
It is the 208th day of the year.
157 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
SAM BANKMAN-FRIED could be back behind bars sooner than later and a candy collab comes just in time for National Mustard Day. More in HIT LIST.
JASON ALDEAN’s song “Try That In a Small” town gets altered and Judge GREG MATHIS is in some hot water. More in SHOWBIZ.
A spidey villain says TOBEY MAGUIRE may reprise his role as the superhero in a new flick and “Jeopardy!” might be in jeopardy. More in CASTING CALL.
Is soccer mom KIM KARDASHIAN on the hunt for a soccer man? More in KARDASH.
PRINCE WILLIAM wants to prepare his son to inherit the throne. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Prosecutors in SAM BANKMAN-FRIED’s trial related to FTX’s mishandling of customer funds are arguing that the former billionaire should sit in jail awaiting trial.
They say he’s been leaking evidence to the media to harass witnesses for the prosecution – in particular, his former girlfriend and head of Alameda Research, CAROLINE ELLISON. Phone call logs monitored by court officials show SBF has made more than 1,000 phone calls to journalists since starting house arrest. More than 100 of those were to the New York Times, and more than half were to author Michael Lewis, who has been following SBF for a book.
WORTH NOTING: Lewis wrote the books behind movies like “Moneyball,” “The Blind Side,” and “The Big Short.”
The judge ordered the defense to present a counterargument and the prosecution to follow-up next week. [via Associated Press]
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A cargo ship transporting an estimated 3,000 automobiles caught fire off the coast of The Netherlands late Tuesday, killing at least one crewmember and causing a few others to jump overboard.
Rescue ships had to spray enough water to quell the blaze without overloading the cargo vessel and sinking it. Officials tell Reuters the fire may continue for a couple of days.
No cause has been reported. [via Reuters]
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At least 11 people were injured after a construction crane caught fire and collapsed in New York City Wednesday morning.
As the crane fell, its arm struck a building across the street, shattering windows. More than 200 emergency responders including firefighters were dispatched to the scene. [via New York Times]
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In the mid-1990s, APPLE commissioned shoes with their company branding embroidered on them as a giveaway for a sales conference. They’ve never been for retail sale – but you could own a pair of your own.
A size 10.5 pair is for sale through Sotheby’s. This time it’s not an auction, so if you have $50,000 to spare, you can buy the pair. Check them out here >
A similar set of shoes sold in 2016 for $30,000. [via ARTNews]
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SKITTLES and FRENCH’S are teaming up for a condiment-flavored candy concoction.
In honor of National Mustard Day on August 5, the two brands are releasing mustard-flavored Skittles.
The limited edition candy is said to have a “tangy mustard flavor” along with the “iconic chewy texture.” [via McCormick]
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DEATHS
SINEAD O’CONNOR has died.
The singer notoriously tore up a photo of the Pope during a live performance on Saturday Night Live in 1992.
Reps for the family did not confirm a cause of death. She was 56.
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RELATIONSHIPS
HULK HOGAN is engaged.
The former WWE star popped the question to yoga instructor SKY DAILY last week at a restaurant in Tampa.
This will be Hogan’s third marriage. He was married to JENNIFER MCDANIEL from 2010 to 2020, and before that he was married to LINDA HOGAN for 23 years.
Hogan has two kids from his relationship with Linda and Daily has three kids of her own.
By the way -- he is 69 and she is 45.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 82 points (0.23%) to close at 35,520 on Wednesday. The S&P lost less than 1 point to close at 4,566 and the NASDAQ lost 17 points (0.12%) to close at 14,127.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $78; BRENT CRUDE at $82.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.68 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN ticked up nearly 1% on Wednesday, trading around $29,500.
🛩 There were more than 4,275 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 245 such cancellations.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $910 million jackpot or a $464.2 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
The music video for JASON ALDEAN’s song “Try That In a Small Town” has been altered.
The Washington Post reports that the video is now six seconds shorter than when originally released because it no longer includes some news clips featuring footage from the 2020 riots.
Initial speculation was that the clips were removed amid widespread backlash, but it later came out that the production company behind the video used the now-removed footage without FOX’s permission. [via Washington Post]
WORTH ASKING: Do people actually think that by deleting real word footage erases the fact that it did in fact happen?
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BRONNY JAMES is doing better after suffering cardiac arrest on Monday.
Insiders said the 18-year-old’s parents, LEBRON and SAVANNAH JAMES, are “relieved” he is stable and will be by his side as he undergoes tests to find out what happened.
As of Wednesday none of them had spoken out publicly regarding the terrifying incident. [via TMZ]
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BRITNEY SPEARS returned to Instagram this week, telling her more than 14 million followers that she once again thought she might be with child.
“I will be honest I woke up this morning and thought I was pregnant because I’m so nauseous but I think it’s the sun !!!” she wrote.
Spears added that the smart thing would be to stay indoors but she wants to be outside after being “caged up” during her 13-year-conservatorship.
The 41-year-old is currently vacationing with her husband SAM ASGHARI in Mexico. [via Page Six]
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Judge GREG MATHIS has been accused of pulling a gun on some Los Angeles Department of Water employees, but he says that their story is false.
According to law enforcement sources, Mathis allegedly flashed a gun at the employees after they asked him to move his vehicle. He says the workers were blocking him in his own driveway and refused to move so he could leave.
Mathis told officers that he mentioned he had a gun, but never showed it.
An investigation into the incident is underway. [via TMZ]
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Actress BLAKE LIVELY jumped the ropes at the Crown to Couture exhibit at Kensington Palace to fix a display of her iconic 2022 Met Gala gown.
“When you’re the clown who hops over the rope at the museum to fix the exhibit,” she captioned a video of her altering the lay of the dress.
The gown is on exhibit alongside 200 other pieces, including LADY GAGA’s 2020 MTV Awards dress. [via People]
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To offset her gambling debt, KIM ZOLCIAK is reportedly selling some of her daughter Brielle’s designer accessories -- with Brielle’s permission.
The items include a $5,000 Chanel purse, $500 Louis Vuitton shoes, another Chanel purse for $7,000 and some Prada boots for $700.
Kim is also selling some of her own items, including $650 Louis Vuitton boots, $750 Gucci shoes, $450 Alexander Wang boots and $250 Valentino slides.
As previously reported, Kim and her husband KROY BIERMANN allegedly owe millions of dollars in back taxes, amid other debts. [via Hollywood Unlocked]
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A gold, ruby and diamond crown ring once owned by TUPAC SHAKUR sold at auction for over $1 million this week, becoming the “most valuable Hip Hop artifact ever sold at auction.”
Sotheby’s Auction House said the late rapper designed and commissioned the ring in 1996 and wore it during his final public appearance at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.
The sale comes amid renewed interest in Pac’s life and death as investigators were spotted searching a Las Vegas home last week believed to be connected to his homicide. [via The Source]
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CASTING CALL
ICE CUBE joined TUCKER CARLSON on his Twitter (X?) show to discuss several topics, including former president BARACK OBAMA, BLM, and COVID-19 vaccines.
With both Obama and BLM, Ice said that he doesn’t believe either did anything to help improve the life of Black people. Next up was the covid vaccine, which Ice refused to get, even going so far as to drop out of a project that would have paid $9 million to avoid being forced to get the jab.
“I know what they said. I heard what they said, I heard them loud and clear. It’s not their decision. There is no repercussions if they are wrong. I get all the repercussions if they are wrong,” Ice told Tucker.
He also said that he wanted to set an example for his kids, standing by his convictions, to which Tucker pointed out that most people who “stand by their convictions” are considered heroes, but he was not treated that way.
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This year’s “Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions” may be postponed amid the ongoing writers’ strike, as several of the “champions” have said they will not cross picket lines.
Writers -- including those working for the game show -- have been on strike since May after failing to agree on terms of a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
“Jeopardy!” is supposed to return on September 11, but if the strike continues into the fall that date may be in…jeopardy. [via ET]
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Rumor is a new Spider-Man flick, with TOBEY MAGUIRE playing the web-slinger, is in the works.
THOMAS HADEN CHURCH, who played the Sandman in “Spider-Man 3,” recently told ComicBook.com that he heard Maguire is in talks with director SAM RAIMI for a follow-up to the 2000’s “Spider-Man” trilogy.
Maguire last reprised his role as Spider-Man alongside ANDREW GARFIELD and TOM HOLLAND in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” [via ComicBook]
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COURT CASES
A UK jury found actor KEVIN SPACEY not guilty of all nine sexual assault charges against him on Wednesday.
Four men accused Spacey of assault between the years of 2001 and 2013. He has always denied the accusations. [via ET]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Will KIM KARDASHIAN’s next relationship be with a soccer player? Her fans certainly think so!
As speculation mounts over who Kim will date next, many of her devoted followers have pointed out that with all her worldly travels to take in soccer games, she might just meet the next love of her life.
“Shopping for a soccer player Kim?,” one fan commented on photos of her recent trip to Japan for a soccer match, while another wrote “Kim out there shopping hunni and it ain’t for purses.”
If Kim does start dating a soccer player fans might not know about it for a while, as she recently told her sisters on their Hulu show “The Kardashians” that she plans to keep her next relationship out of the spotlight. [via Metro]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE WILLIAM is making a concerted effort to help his son and future King PRINCE GEORGE understand his future as second-in-line to the throne.
William reportedly never had a sit-down and talking-to about what his birthright meant for his future, and had to figure it all out on his own, an experience he found “troubling” and “traumatic.”
Royal observer Monique Jessen says on the “Royally Obsessed” podcast that the Waleses “want to prepare [George] and they also don’t want to terrify him.” [via Express]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Take Your Houseplant For A Walk Day
Gary Gygax Day
National Refreshment Day
National Scotch Day
National Chicken Finger Day
National Walk On Stilts Day
National Intern Day
Norfolk Day
National Chili Dog Day
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ON THIS DATE
1586 - Sir Walter Raleigh brings the first tobacco to England from Virginia.
He also brought with him maize and potatoes.
At the time, tobacco was deemed good for one’s health, while potatoes were thought to be suspicious.
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1866 - The trans-Atlantic cable spanning from Ireland to Newfoundland connects North America with Europe by telegraph for the first time. The cable extends 1,686 miles.
Twenty-two years after the first message was sent between Washington, DC and Baltimore by Samuel Morse, American financier Cyrus Field was finally successful after nine years of setting up the right infrastructure.
The first official communication happened in August. Queen Victoria expressed a telegram commending President James Buchanan for linking the two countries. The President responded in kind.
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1919 - Riots break out in Chicago after a white man instigates violence against blacks playing in the water at a South Side beach. When one of the victims was killed, police arrested not the attacker but one of his victims.
Racial attacks swiftly escalated into violence. It took 6,000 National Guard troops to quell the situation.
Reports indicate a majority of the violence came from whites setting fire and destroying property of blacks.
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1931 - A grasshopper swarm massacres crops across Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
Many of the crops were eaten down to the ground, without even the stalk left standing.
The outbreak likely came from recent droughts, since grasshopper eggs survive best in dry soil.
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1940 - Warner Brothers introduces a little bunny named Bugs in the animated short film “A Wild Hare.”
The Wascally Wabbit didn't have a name in his cartoon debut, but did in his second.
The film got an Academy Award nomination for best short subject cartoon.
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1960 - Richard Nixon is nominated to run for President at the Republican Convention in Chicago.
He'd lose to JFK later that year.
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1974 - The House Judiciary Committee votes to impeach Richard Nixon.
By a vote of 27-11, the committee recommended the first article of impeachment -- that's Obstruction of Justice.
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1996 - At the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, a pipe bomb kills one and injures 111.
Richard Jewell, a security guard, alerted officials to the mysterious package enclosing the bomb. He was initially implicated in its planting and detonation, but later cleared.
The real culprit was Eric Robert Rudolph, who committed three other similar attacks before being caught.
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2017 - Jeff Bezos briefly becomes the world’s richest man at $91.4 billion, overtaking Bill Gates.
His time at the top only lasts half-a-day.
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2020 - John Lewis becomes the first black lawmaker to lie in state in the Rotunda in Washington DC.
The congressman passed away 10 days earlier from pancreatic cancer.
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BIRTHDAYS
Winnie Harlow - model - 29
Jordan Spieth - golfer - 30
Tory Lanez - rapper - 31
Taylor Schilling - actress, “Orange Is the New Black” - 39
Dolph Ziggler - wrestler - 43
Alex Rodriguez - baseball player - 48
Maya Rudolph - actress, “SNL” & “Bridesmaids” - 51
Triple H - wrestler - 54
Julian McMahon - actor, “Charmed” & “Nip/Tuck” - 55
Donnie Yen - actor, “Rogue One” & “Mulan” - 60
Bill Engvall - comedian - 66
Peggy Fleming - Olympic figure skater - 75
Norman Lear - screenwriter & producer, “All in the Family” & “Maude” & “The Jeffersons” - 101
Born On This Date
Young Dolph - rapper - 1985 (d. 2021)
Jerry Van Dyke - actor, “My Mother the Car” - 1931 (d. 2018)
Leo Durocher - HOF shortstop - 1906 (d. 1991)
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