7/4/2023: How to Fight a Bear 🐻

PLUS: Bud’s Bottler; “Barbie” Ban; and Smiling Sussexes

Today is Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

It is the 185th day of the year.

180 days remain.

Photo by Simon Infanger on Unsplash

WHAT’S ON TAP

A lucky lottery winner has finally taken home his prize nearly six months after buying the ticket. More in HIT LIST.

JOHNNY ROTTEN has a stalker and DRAKE gets mixed reviews of his pink manicure. More in SHOWBIZ.

The Vietnam Cinema Department is banning the “Barbie” film and JJ WATT has found his post-NFL career. More in CASTING CALL.

KHLOE KARDASHIAN is ready to move on from her 30s. More in KARDASH.

Amid breakup rumors, PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE are all smiles. More in ROYALS.

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HIT LIST

The downstream effects of plummeting demand for Bud Light are starting to hit farther down the company’s supply chain. One company that is a major vendor for the brewer’s bottles is shuttering two plants and laying off nearly 650 employees in North Carolina and Louisiana. 

BUT WAIT: In an official statement, the bottle manufacturer says the shutdowns are part of a “performance optimization program” – and does not directly blame Bud. 

HOWEVER: Local media in North Carolina reports that in May, an internal memo directly blamed slow sales with Anheuser Inbev, Bud Light’s parent company. [via WRAL]

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A Massachusetts man named Paul Little has finally collected the $3 MILLION lottery winnings he won back in January – after the clerk who sold the ticket tried to steal it!

State lottery officials spent weeks trying to identify who had won the prize. Eventually, security camera footage revealed that Little forgot to grab the tickets when they were printed. The next customer who bought lottery tickets noticed they got two extra, and returned them to the cashier, who put them back in the drawer. When the clerk, 23-year-old Carly Nunes, realized those left-behind tickets included winning numbers, she made off with them as her own. Lotto officials were tipped off immediately when Nunes and her boyfriend were arguing at the lotto office about how they would split the money, and a formal investigation began.

Nunes went on the lam when a warrant went out for her arrest earlier this month, but was arrested a few days later. 

Now, Little has finally collected his winnings. He says he’ll stay employed as a mechanic for a while and help his church buy a new heating system. [via MassLive]

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A Maine woman successfully fended off a black bear by punching it in the nose, and only has a few stitches to show for it.

The 64-year-old woman spotted her dog running out of the woods toward her home with the bear right behind it. She tried to make herself big to scare off the bear, but it continued. That’s when she bopped it on the nose and it bit her. 

Fortunately, it retreated anyway. 

Officials say they do not recommend throwing punches at black bears. [via AP News]

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“TELL ME THIS ISN’T A GOVERNMENT OPERATION”: A small Minnesota town on the outskirts of the Twin Cities is figuring out what to do with a welcome sign provided by the state department of transportation that managed to misspell the town’s name.

Ogilvie, Minnesota, is a letter-salad to begin with, and locals say they’re used to seeing it misspelled on mail. In the case of the sign, it’s just one letter off, spelled “Oglivie.”

No word yet on when an update will be provided. [via CBS News]

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Do you know what SPAM…as in the mystery meat stuffed into a rectangular blue tin…stands for? 

The internet went wild over the weekend after Hormel Foods, the Minnesota-based company behind the mystery meat, revealed that the name is a blending of the words “spiced” and “ham.” 

In response to the revelation, social media users shared what they always thought the acronym stood for. 

“Salt Preserves Any Meat,” one user wrote, while another added, “Salty Piece A’ Meat.” Others used comedian BILL ENGVALL’s joke that it stands for “stuff posing as meat.” 

HISTORY LESSON: SPAM was first released on July 5, 1937 to help fill the food void created during the Great Depression. Also, the seemingly endless shelf life allowed the meat to be shipped anywhere in the world, making it a staple during WWII. [via NY Post]

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DEATHS

ROBERT DE NIRO’s grandson, actor LEANDRO DE NIRO, has died. 

He was found dead inside a NYC apartment on Sunday afternoon, according to law enforcement sources. An official cause of death has not been revealed, though investigators say they are treating the death as an overdose. 

Leandro was only 19. 

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BABY NEWS

Actors KIT HARRINGTON and ROSE LESLIE have welcomed baby #2. 

No details about the birth were shared, other than the baby is a girl. 

The “Game of Thrones” alums met and fell in love on the set of the HBO show in 2011. They are already parents to a little boy, who was born in 2021. 

The couple keep details of their family life private. 

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RELATIONSHIPS

“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star KYLE RICHARDS and her husband MAURICIO UNMANSKY have separated. 

Several sources reported Monday that the couple have been separated for a while, but are still living together. It is unknown what caused the split. 

Richards and Unmansky have been married since 1996 and have three daughters together. 

Rumors of a split started swirling earlier this year, but they both denied them. Part of those rumors were that Richards is dating country singer MORGAN WADE. 

Stay tuned. 

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BY THE NUMBERS

📈 The DOW added 10 points (0.032%) to close at 34,418 on Monday. The S&P added 5 points (0.12%) to close at 4,455 and the NASDAQ added 28 points (0.21%) to close at 13,816. 

🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $70; BRENT CRUDE at $74.

⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.53 on Monday.

₿ BITCOIN was up over 2% on Monday and trading around $31,200.

🛩 There were more than 2,150 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 120 such cancellations.

💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $400 million jackpot or a $205 million cash payout.

SHOWBIZ NEWS

BRITNEY SPEARS may not be able to wish her sons safe travels ahead of their move to Hawaii. 

Insiders told TMZ that the boys’ father, KEVIN FEDERLINE, said he will not force the teens to see their mom before moving next month, though he is “encouraging” them to see her. 

At this point, a source says that the boys have not decided if they will say goodbye to Spears. 

Remember, Federline asked Spears’ permission to move with the boys to Hawaii. After some back and forth, she did agree to it. [via TMZ]

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Punk rocker JOHNNY ROTTEN has a stalker. 

According to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, the SEX PISTOLS singer has been being harassed by a fan for almost a month. Starting out with letters, Rotten says the woman quickly escalated and ended up trespassing at his home. At one point, Rotten says he even came face to face with her and told her to leave. 

It was when the fan started obsessively calling him that he decided to file a stalking report. [via Express]

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MANDY MOORE is a regular mom, dealing with the trials and tribulations of potty training. 

The 38-year-old shared photos on Instagram over the weekend of her attempts to potty train two-year-old son Gus. 

“Guys. Real talk. Potty training is WILD,” she wrote. 

Moore and her husband TAYLOR GOLDSMITH also have a 9-month-old son named Ozzie. [via People]

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Former tennis champion ROGER FEDERER helped COLDPLAY jam out to their hit song “Don’t Panic” over the weekend 

Federer took the stage in Zurich, alongside CHRIS MARTIN, JONNY BUCKLAND, GUY BERRYMAN and WILL CHAMPION, and had his own “shaker solo.” 

After that, Federer released inflated balloons during the song “Adventure of a Lifetime.” 

Coldplay is currently on their “Music of the Spheres” world tour. [via Rolling Stone]

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MICHAEL JORDAN is not a fan of his son’s relationship with LARSA PIPPEN. 

Photogs caught up with Jordan in Paris, and asked him if he approved of 32-year-old MARCUS JORDAN dating Larsa, who is 48. At first the NBA legend laughed off the question, but after the paparazzi asked again Jordan offered a definitive “No!”

The whole situation is odd as MJ used to play ball with Larsa’s ex-husband SCOTTIE PIPPEN. [via TMZ]

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Ahead of his “It’s All a Blur” tour, DRAKE took some time to make sure he is looking fresh for fans. 

The rapper showed off his new look, which included pink fingernails. 

Fans responded with nothing but praise for the manicure job, while critics were quick to bash him for the “feminine” look. 

DRIZZY and 21 SAVAGE are joining Drake on the tour. [via AllHipHop]

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CARRIE UNDERWOOD, her two sisters and their 74-year-old mom Carole all got matching tattoos during a mother-daughters-day in Vegas over the weekend. 

“I never would’ve thought I’d see the day that Mama Carole would be gettin’ some ink! #WhatHappensInVegas,” Underwood captioned a photo of the ladies getting their tats. 

Underwood recently wrapped the first leg of her Las Vegas residency, “Reflection.” She has more shows kicking off this September. [via People]

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CASTING CALL

“Barbie” will not be shown on screens in Vietnam. 

According to The Guardian, the issue is over the “nine-dash line,” an area in the South China Sea that Vietnam and other countries want to claim. 

In the film there is reportedly a map that shows the nine-dash line as being in China’s territory, which has rubbed those in the Vietnam Cinema Department the wrong way. 

“Barbie” hits theaters on July 21. 

WORTH NOTING: This isn’t the first film to be banned by the country. In 2019, DreamWorks animated film “Abominable” was banned for the same reason. [via The Guardian]

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Wisconsin native and former NFL player JJ WATT has landed a new job. He has signed a multi-year deal with CBS as a sports analyst. 

Sharing the news on Twitter, Watt noted that he is excited to “talk a little NFL, talk a little life, [and] have a global platform to make fun of my brothers.” 

The new gig will kick off Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. 

Watt’s brothers, who both played for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, currently play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. [via US News]

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NICHOLAS ALEXANDER CHAVEZ is taking a leave of absence from “General Hospital” to take on the role of Lyle Hernandez in Netflix’s “Monster” series. 

Chavez, who plays Spencer Cassadine on the daytime soap, reportedly won’t be replaced, according to TVLine.

It is unclear how the show will handle his absence. [via TVLine]

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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS

KHLOE KARDASHIAN is ready to be 40.

The reality star, who turned 39 last week, called her 30s “the worst decade ever” over the weekend. 

“I hate being in my 30s. I think it's the worst decade ever, and I cannot wait to be in my 40s,” Khloe wrote on Instagram. 

While there is a lot that Khloe will be ready to leave behind, the past decade wasn’t totally terrible, as she welcomed her two children -- True and Tatum.

Plus, at the end of the day, she is a Kardashian. [via Insider]

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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS

Amid whispers of divorce plans, PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE were spotted smiling leaving a small office building together this week, with some kind of security in tow.

Multiple outlets have speculated on a potential breakup this week, with Marca reporting that Meg is demanding $80 MILLION in order to sign any paper. [via Marca]

WORTH NOTING: Today of all days, let’s be grateful we’re not ruled by these dorks.

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DAY OF THE YEAR

Independence Day

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ON THIS DATE

1776 - The Declaration of Independence is officially adopted, making the US a free nation. 

Also on that day…

The Liberty Bell rings for the Second Continental Congress who ratified the Declaration, proclaiming that the Thirteen Colonies were no longer subordinate to Great Britain.

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1803 - President Thomas Jefferson announces the Louisiana Purchase. 

The acquisition included most of the land in the Mississippi River’s drainage basin west of the river for the United States from the French First Republic. 

The official documents for the purchase wouldn’t arrive in Washington, D.C. for ten more days. 

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1828 - Construction begins on the B&O (Baltimore-Ohio) Railroad. 

The first section would open in 1830, making it the oldest railroad in the US.

It would not reach the Ohio River until 1852, however. 

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1865 - The first edition of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll is published. 

It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatures. 

The book has been translated into 174 different languages

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1884 - The Statue of Liberty is presented to the US in Paris. 

The idea for the statue first came about in 1865, when a French historian proposed commemorating the centennial of the United States’ independence in 1876. 

Work on the statue, formally called “Liberty Enlightening the World,” began in 1875. The following year the torch and left forearm were put on display in Philadelphia and New York to help raise money for the statue’s giant pedestal. 

The Statue of Liberty stood just over 151 feet high and weighed 224 tons when it was completed. 

After being presented it was disassembled and shipped to NYC, where it was reassembled. 

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1939 - Lou Gehrig is the first MLB player to have his jersey number - 4 - retired on his “Appreciation Day” at Yankee Stadium. 

It was during this ceremony that Gehrig makes his iconic “luckiest man” speech.

It would also be his last public appearance.

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1944 - Six United States Marines raise the American Flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in the final stages of the Pacific War.

A photograph of the iconic scene was taken by Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press. It would be published in Sunday newspapers two days later and reprinted in thousands of publications. 

The photo is the only one to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the same year at its publication. 

It was later used for the Marine Corps War Memorial in 1945, which was dedicated to honor all Marines who have died in service since 1775. 

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2009 - The Statue of Liberty’s crown reopens to the public after eight years. 

It was closed off due to security concerns after the September 11th terrorist attacks. 

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2021 - Two Italian researchers reveal there are 14 living descendants of Leonardo da Vinci. 

The study, published in the journal Human Evolution, documents the continuous male line for the Da Vinci family from Michele (born in 1331) to grandson Leonardo (born in 1452) to this date; traveling through 21 generations. 

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BIRTHDAYS

Alex Hibbert - actor, “The Chi” - 19

Malia Obama - daughter of Barack & Michelle - 25

Daniela Nieves - actress, “Every Witch Way” - 26

Post Malone - rapper - 28

Melissa Barrera - actress, “In the Heights” - 33

Luke Thompson - actor, “Bridgerton” - 35

Mike Sorrentino - reality star, “Jersey Shore” - 41

Safaree Samuels - music producer - 42

William Goldsmith - drummer, Foo Fighters - 51

Jeremy Spencer - guitarist, Fleetwood Mac - 75

Ron Kovic - anti-war activist & writer, “Born on the Fourth of July” - 77

Geraldo Rivera - journalist - 80

Born On This Day

Bill Withers - soul singer - 1938 (d. 2020)

Gloria Stuart - actress, “Titanic” - 1910 (d. 2010)

Calvin Coolidge - 30th POTUS - 1872 (d. 1933)

James Anthony Bailey - circus ringmaster, Barnum & Bailey - 1847 (d. 1906)

Nathaniel Hawthorne - author, “The Scarlet Letter” - 1804 (d. 1864)

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