Today is Thursday, August 15, 2024.
It is the 228th day of the year.
138 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A surprising city tops the nation’s list of hottest housing markets and North Korea plans to reopen to tourists. Details in HIT LIST.
SIMONE BILES’ mom wants a relationship and fans are concerned for FRANKIE VALLI. More in SHOWBIZ
BLAKE LIVELY tops husband RYAN REYNOLDS at the box office. Details in CASTING CALL.
Update on YE’s Sunday Service in KARDASH.
Another staffer exits the House of Sussex. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Since the early days of the pandemic, North Korea has totally sealed its borders to outsiders, not even allowing in its carefully-monitored tourist groups – until now.
Beijing-based Koryo Tours announced this week that the notoriously reclusive Kim regime will once again allow in tourists beginning in December. For now, groups will only be able to visit the mountains in Samjiyon, a sacred place in North Korean lore, where KIM JONG IL was born according to myth and legend.
The only other authorized tourism company for North Korea, KTG Tours, says they expect Pyongyang to open soon, too.
WORTH NOTING: North Korean State Media reported last month that KIM JONG JUNIOR visited construction projects in Samjiyon to give “field guidance.” [via CNN]
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Authorities in New Zealand believe a smuggling effort gone wrong led to a charity distributing candies laced with methamphetamine.
The Auckland City Mission received a donation of sealed, Rinda-brand pineapple candies as part of a donation earlier this month. Then on Tuesday, one recipient of the candy reported “funny tasting” candies. The New Zealand Drug Foundation then tested the treats, finding each contained 3 grams of methamphetamine – 300 TIMES the amount a user would normally consume.
A small number of recipients were hospitalized, treated, and discharged.
Drug agents say each candy would have a street value north of 1,000 New Zealand Dollars, or about $608 US Dollars, leading them to believe the bag was donated in a freak accident. [via NBC News]
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A small Wisconsin city tops a list of the nation’s hottest home markets, according to a Realtor.com study.
Oshkosh’s average list price is more than $65,000 below the national median, at $374,000. It offers a robust downtown, beautiful views on Lake Winnebago, and hosts the world-famous Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual fly-in every year.
People are noticing, too: Realtor.com reports that homes in the city received nearly 4 times as many views per property last month than the national average. Homes in the area are only on the market for an average of 18 days – well below the 50-plus days nationally.
One local realtor says she’s seeing homes go $30,000 over asking, even in this tight market. [via DailyMail]
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In a press briefing Wednesday, NASA officials said they hope to decide on a plan to get the Starliner crew back to Earth before the end of the month – but that plan could include keeping them in orbit until early next year.
One rep for NASA said they’ve gathered propulsion experts to troubleshoot the problem – specifically five of Starliner’s 28 thrusters that have been malfunctioning.
In the meantime, the Starliner crew is authorized to use the ship to return home in the event of a catastrophic emergency aboard the ISS.
The ongoing fiasco has forced a delay for two SPACEX missions. The first will now carry new astronauts to the ISS late next month and a Cargo resupply mission will dock in mid-October. This presents its own logistical issues, since the Starliner will have to undock to make room for the SpaceX capsule. No word yet whether the undocking can be conducted remotely or will require a pilot on board.
One contingency includes cutting the number of crew on the SpaceX mission so that the Starliner astronauts can return on that vessel in February next year. The Starliner capsule would ideally return to Earth intact for closer inspection. [via Space.com]
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An 8-year-old girl beat a would-be robber at her dad’s liquor store with a baseball bat.
Conchobhar Morrell entered Big Discount Liquors in Maplewood, Minnesota with a gun, and demanded the money from the register. As the girl’s dad, identified as Leo, began collecting the cash, Morrell tried to get behind the counter where the girl was sitting. Leo punched Morrell and wrestled him to the ground, at which point the 8-year-old grabbed a bat and repeatedly struck the thief.
Morell fled the store, only to be picked up by cops nearby. He has been charged with first-degree attempted aggravated robbery. [via CBS]
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DEATHS
Actress GENA ROWLANDS has died.
She passed away Wednesday at her home in Indian Wells, California. An official cause of death was not shared, but it was previously reported that she had Alzheimer’s.
Rowlands is best known for her role as the older version of Allie in “The Notebook.”
She was 94.
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RELATIONSHIPS
Actress KAYLEY CUOCO is engaged to fellow actor TOM PELPHREY.
She’s 38 and he’s 42.
Cuoco, who said she would never get married again, announced the news on Instagram, while showing off her new ring. This will be her third marriage.
The couple have been together for two years and share 1-year-old daughter, Matilda.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW increased 242 points (0.6%) to close at 40,008 on Wednesday. The S&P increased 20 points (0.38%) to close at 5,455 and the NASDAQ ticked up 5 points (0.02%) to close at 17,192.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $77; BRENT CRUDE at $79.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.44 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN slid 2.75% Wednesday, trading just under $59,000.
🛩 There were more than 2,920 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 130 such cancellations.
💰Friday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $464 million jackpot or a $228.2 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
FOLLOW UP: The lawyer for the 19-year-old alleged mastermind of the terror plot to attack TAYLOR SWIFT’s concert in Vienna says the plans were “pure fantasies.”
“He had neither the means nor the possibility and the explosives to carry this out,” the attorney argued this week.
Whether he -- and his two accomplices -- had the means to act is less important than their intent to do harm. If it wasn’t the concerts in Vienna, eventually the radicalized men would have acted.
Swift, meanwhile, is currently performing her “Eras Tour” shows in London. [via AP]
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SIMONE BILES’ biological mother is holding out hope that one day they can form a relationship.
SHANNON BILES, who gave Simone and her younger sister, Adria, to her parents to raise, spoke to the Daily Mail about her current estrangement from the Olympian. While she regularly checks in with Adria and gets updates from her parents, Shannon says she would like to make amends with Simone “personally.”
The girls’ biological father also would like to forge a relationship, according to Shannon, who says she is in regular contact with him. [Daily Mail]
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NICK CARTER is countersuing MELISSA SHUMAN for $2.5 million.
She filed a lawsuit last year, accusing him of sexual assault, which he continues to deny. In response, Shuman’s attorney said the countersuit only shows Carter’s defense is to “attack the victims.”
He was also accused of sexual assault by a woman named Shannon Ruth, whom he is also countersuing.
Carter, of course, is part of the BACKSTREET BOYS and Shuman was the lead singer of the ‘90s girl group, DREAM. [via People]
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Fans are concerned for 90-year-old FRANKIE VALLI after he seemed to struggle to lip-sync at a recent performance.
A rep for Valli says he is “just fine,” however.
Valli and the FOUR SEASONS are on their “The Last Encore” farewell tour, which is set to run through April. [via NY Post]
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BRANDON THOMAS LEE, the son of TOMMY LEE and PAMELA ANDERSON, got kicked out of the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks -- permanently.
TMZ reports that Brandon got into an altercation with a fellow golfer and allegedly drove his cart on the green -- a big no-no. The incident, along with other reports of alleged rude and obnoxious behavior, led to his membership being revoked.
Sherwood Country Club has not commented on the incident. [via TMZ]
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Actor and well-known celebrity evangelist KIRK CAMERON is a proponent of homeschooling because he thinks the public school system produces “little Marxists, little statists, little atheists, drag queens, strippers, drug dealers, and you name it.”
The “Growing Pains” star shared his thoughts on the matter on a recent podcast, where he also blasted parents for “outsourcing” their parenting.
Many took to X to share their shock over his comments, with one calling him a “Kookoo” and another calling him a “moron.” [via The Mirror]
WORTH NOTING: Kirk’s sister, actress CANDACE CAMERON BURE, has come under her own share of hate over her own conservative, religious beliefs.
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DOLLY PARTON is launching her own makeup line.
Dolly Beauty -- complete with a Jolene Red lipstick -- launches on August 22.
Other lipstick names include Honey Plum, Rosebud, and Birthday Suit -- all named after some of her songs.
Parton also said she has plans to grow the brand to include eye and complexion products. [via Page Six]
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TRAVIS KELCE’s shaggy new look is thanks to girlfriend TAYLOR SWIFT.
“I’ve been trying to get him to grow his hair out and all of a sudden Taylor gets him to do it,” PATRICK MAHOMES shared during a recent chat with SiriusXM “NFL Radio.”
In addition to the longer hair, Kelce is also rocking a full beard and stache. No word on whether or not he will keep the look past preseason. [via Billboard]
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CASTING CALL
RYAN REYNOLDS’ weekend bragging rights ended this week when wife BLAKE LIVELY’s new movie “It Ends With Us” took the top spot at the box office.
On Tuesday, Lively’s flick grossed around $7.6 million domestically, while Reynolds’ “Deadpool & Wolverine” brought in around $7 million. [via Deadline]
MEANWHILE: “It Ends With Us” director and star JUSTIN BALDINI has hired PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan amid reports that he and Lively clashed on set. Allegedly, he made her feel “uncomfortable” and created an “extremely difficult” atmosphere.
BY THE WAY: Nathan repped JOHNNY DEPP during his trial with ex-wife AMBER HEARD. [via THR]
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“Biggest Loser” winner RYAN BENSON says the show set contestants “up to fail” while they just “wanted to win.”
Appearing on Season 1 of the weight loss competition show in 2005, Benson said he was ready to do whatever it took to lose the weight, but wasn’t ready for how producers expected it to happen; or their hidden agenda to catch the contestants sneaking treats. Despite winning the show -- and the $250,000 prize -- Benson said he started gaining back the weight, putting on 30 pounds shortly after returning home.
Former “Biggest Loser” trainer JILLIAN MICHAELS spoke out about the show in 2021, saying “the producers gamified weight loss,” and that there should have been a “mental health professional” on set.
“The Biggest Loser” aired for 16 seasons on NBC. It was picked up again in 2020, but not for long. [via The Sun]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
What happened to YE’s Sunday Service?
According to The Sun, the choir is being run by a guy by the name of Jason White, as the rapper has not made an appearance since June of 2023.
Recently, the group lost its federal tax-exempt status as Ye failed to file his returns for three consecutive years. Also, the headquarters are still listed as Ye’s 300-acre ranch in Calabasas, which has been long abandoned. Nothing has been posted on the group’s Instagram page since 2022, and a slew of brands have pulled their partnerships over Ye’s antisemitic rants.
MEANWHILE: The choir is still performing, and insiders say White is setting up an LLC for Sunday Service Collective.” It is unclear if Ye has any say in the group anymore.
ELSEWHERE: Ye has yet to hire a new lawyer after his attorney asked to terminate their relationship in June. He currently faces 11 lawsuits from a variety of parties. [via The Sun]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
The man brought in to run affairs for PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE has exited his role as “chief of staff” after just three months.
JOSH KETTLER most recently traveled with Harry to London for Invictus Games events but ducked out of the role before joining his bosses on their visit to Colombia this week.
By the Daily Mail’s tally, Harry and Meg have had nine staff quit since they moved to California in 2020. One former staff member tells the Mail, “I don't think I heard a single current or former employee on their staff say they would take the job again if given the chance.”
Meg has held interviews, but still hasn’t found someone to run her American Riviera Orchard brand, either.
Today they’re headed to Columbia to show everyone how wonderful they are in the meantime. [via DailyMail]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Relaxation Day
National Check the Chip Day
National Lemon Meringue Pie Day
National Acadian Day
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ON THIS DATE
1534 - Saint Ignatius of Loyola gathers 6 students near Paris to form the Company of Jesus, which would become what is known today as the Society of Jesus -- whose members are called Jesuits.
The Catholic sect was founded on vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. It remains one of the stricter Catholic groups in existence today, whose members work in an array of professions, and communally share their resources.
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1877 - Thomas Edison writes a memo to AT&T encouraging the term "Hello" as a telephone greeting for the emerging technology.
His counterpart Alexander Graham Bell preferred "Ahoy, ahoy," which didn't make the cut. Edison said that "hello" could be distinctly understood, even when heard from a distance.
Phone operators were even known for a while as "Hello Girls."
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1914 - A deranged servant of Frank Lloyd Wright sets fire to the architect's home in Spring Green, Wisconsin.
The Barbadian servant then ax-murdered seven people, including his lover and her children, among other house workers. The arsonist tried to kill himself by drinking acid, but would survive for seven weeks, and eventually die of starvation.
Also that year…
1914 - The SS Ancon passes through the Panama Canal; it's the first ship to do so.
The Canal was finished two years ahead of schedule, with the original completion date set for June 1, 1916.
But the fast construction did not come without cost. 5600 workers died during the last 10 years of construction of the canal.
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1965 - More than 55,000 fans pack Shea Stadium in New York for the kickoff of the Beatles' North American tour.
With so many people and rudimentary acoustics, it was virtually impossible for anyone to hear anything. 100-watt speakers blared the band's familiar tunes, but the amplified sound was no match for the roaring crowd.
The whole concert lasted a mere 30 minutes.
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1969 - Woodstock opens in Bethel, New York.
The four-day hippie shindig featured a who's-who lineup of peacenik bands of the day, including Arlo Guthrie, The Grateful Dead, CCR, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix.
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1973 - President Nixon publicly denies any involvement with the Watergate break-in.
Of course, the scandal would culminate in his resignation from the nation's highest office one year later.
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1991 - Hundreds of thousands of people turn up in New York's Central Park for a free Paul Simon concert.
The music showcased his albums “Graceland” and “Rhythm of the Saints.” A recording of the concert was later repackaged as a Live CD.
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1995 - The first woman enters The Citadel military college as a student.
Shannon Faulkner had won a lawsuit that forced the military to admit her.
After four hours of training, she entered the school's infirmary. She would drop out completely within the week.
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2018 - A record 72,000 Americans died due to drug overdoses in 2017 according to new figures from the CDC.
That number is a 10% increase from 2016.
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2019 - Disney Studios becomes the first to have five films earn over $1 billion each in one year.
The films are: “Toy Story 4,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Captain Marvel,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.”
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BIRTHDAYS
Tones and I - pop singer - 24
Chief Keef - rapper - 29
Tristan Evans - drummer, The Vamps - 30
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - soccer player - 31
Jennifer Lawrence - actress, “The Hunger Games” & “American Hustle” - 34
Joe Jonas - pop singer, Jonas Brothers - 35
Belinda - pop singer - 35
Carlos PenaVega - actor, “Big Time Rush” - 35
Emily Kinney - actress, “The Walking Dead” - 39
Ben Affleck - actor, “Armageddon” & “Argo” - 52
Anthony Anderson - actor, “Transformers” & “Law & Order” - 54
Princess Anne - UK royal - 74
Born On This Date
Nipsey Hussle - rapper - 1985 (d. 2019)
Julia Child - chef - 1912 (d. 2004)
Napoleon Bonaparte - emperor - 1769 (d. 1821)
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