Today is Friday, August 23, 2024.
It is the 236th day of the year.
130 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
An everyday lunch stable could cause health problems and a fast food favorite launches a new concept. Details in HIT LIST
TAYLOR SWIFT breaks her silence and LADY GAGA adopts a new dog. Details in SHOWBIZ.
A viral sensation from the Olympics lands a new gig. Details in CASTING CALL.
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HIT LIST
The median rent price in the United States hit $1,481 a month last quarter, marking an all-time high.
The increase marks a 56% surge since 2019.
In terms of percentage of takehome pay, the pricey payments account for 29% of the average American’s monthly income. Before the pandemic, rent costs were under 25%. [via Kobeissi Letter]
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A study out of the University of Cambridge suggests eating just two slices of ham a day can raise the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 15%.
The research analyzed the dietary habits of TWO MILLION adults. Those who ate 100 grams a day of red meat – a small steak or medium-sized hamburger patty – and 50 grams of processed lunchmeat – were much more likely to develop the disease.
WORTH NOTING: Eating red meats an ham alone certainly aren’t inherently dangerous. One diet expert tells the BBC that the study did not include factors like family history and waist circumference, which are heavily-weighted contributing factors as well. [via BBC]
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CHIK-FIL-A has opened a drive-thru only restaurant in Atlanta, where the kitchens sit above multiple lanes to collected ordered food.
Customers place their order at a speaker, then wait for their order to be lowered down to them on a food conveyor system. The company says at peak efficiency, employees will be able to have a meal delivered to them every six seconds.
For people who are extra hungry and extra busy, they can order ahead of time on the app and pickup their order in a special lane. [via Atlanta First News]
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Quick-thinking employees at a California jewelry store foiled a robbery attempt on Tuesday in broad daylight.
When two thugs dressed in head-to-toe black approached the exterior windows and smashed the glass with sledgehammers, employees quickly swept in to pull the valuables, including Rolex watches, to safety.
As soon as the would-be robbers saw they might not be able to make a getaway with the loot, they ran away and drove off. Local law enforcement says it’s reviewing video footage for leads. [via KCRA]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 177 points (0.43%) to close at 40,712 on Thursday. The S&P lost 50 points (0.89%) to close at 5,570 and the NASDAQ lost 299 points (1.67%) to close at 17,619.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $72; BRENT CRUDE at $77.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.38 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN slid on Thursday, down nearly 1% and trading around $60,500.
🛩 There were more than 4,460 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 150 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $527 million jackpot or a $261.9 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $34 million jackpot or a $16.8 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music Friday
Lainey Wilson, “Whirlwind”
Lisa Loeb & The Hollow Trees, “That’s What It’s All About”
Thomas Rhett, “About a Woman”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Short n’ Sweet”
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With the European leg of her “Eras Tour” concluded, TAYLOR SWIFT has finally spoken out about the shows canceled in Vienna earlier this month as an extra precaution to prevent a potential terrorist attack.
In an Instagram post celebrating the tour segment’s conclusion and reflecting on what happened, she wrote in part, “I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows. In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to.”
On a more positive note, she said her five-show run at London’s Wembley Stadium “felt like a beautiful dream sequence,” “bursting with passion, joy, and exuberance.” [via Taylor Swift]
MEANWHILE: Just a few weeks after Swift canceled her shows in Vienna, COLDPLAY performed in front of a sold-out crowd of its own and performed a cover of “Love Song” as a tribute to Swift and her fans who missed out on her performance. WATCH >
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The latest trailer for FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA’s new flick “Megalopolis” has been pulled by production company Lionsgate after quotes from critics used in the promotional piece turned out to be totally fabricated.
BUT WAIT: The quotes were actually negative of Coppola’s previous works, including one from film critic Pauline Kael saying “The Godfather” was “diminished by its artsiness” – something she never said. Another quote attributed to Roger Ebert implied he called “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” “a triumph of style over substance” – something he never wrote.
The schtick was to suggest Coppola’s been underestimated by critics before and audiences should bring an open mind to seeing “Megalopolis.”
Lionsgate is taking the fall for the error, offering its apologies to Coppola and the critics, adding, “We screwed up. We are sorry.” [via TMZ]
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Three years after three of LADY GAGA’s French bulldogs were kidnapped while out with her dogwalker, the singer has apparently adopted a new pup. She showed off the new furry addition in a TikTok on Wednesday while lipsyncing along to her new duet with BRUNO MARS, “Die With a Smile.”
No word yet on the pooch’s name, but Gaga captioned the clip with a snowflake emoji – so there might be something to that. [via Lady Gaga]
WORTH REMEMBERING: The dogwalker was shot in the dognapping but ultimately recovered. One of the three stolen bulldogs eventually made its way back home to Gaga.
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CHANNING TATUM and ZOE KRAVITZ like to lay low on their days off and just watch a bunch of movies.
Tatum said during an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” this week that when he and his fiancee have a day off, they’ll binge watch three or four movies in a day.
Tatum joked that when he and Kravitz first started dating, she warned him that cinema is her career and hobby and she doesn’t do much else: “The first thing that she said when we started getting together was like, ‘I don’t do activities.’ I think I laughed. She’s like, ‘No, listen to me. I don’t hike. I don’t do any of that stuff,’” he said. [via Late Night with Seth Meyers]
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T.J. HOLMES says he texted girlfriend AMY ROBACH in the middle of the night when he learned that BEN AFFLECK and JENNIFER LOPEZ were getting divorced.
On Thursday’s edition of their “Amy & T.J.” podcast, Holmes revealed that he messaged Robach, “Good morning. I am so sad. First thing on my phone is about J. Lo filing for divorce” – at 3:22 am. Holmes added that he didn’t believe all the rumors that the famous couple were headed for splitsville and would always roll his eyes when someone else would speculate about their relationship. [via “Amy & TJ”]
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CASTING CALL
MEGAN THEE STALLION will host the MTV Video Music Awards next month.
Megan has dabbled with emcee duties in the past, with an “SNL” episode under her belt and a fill-in job for “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.”
She’s also up for five awards herself during the program. She’s won two VMAs in the past. [via The Mirror]
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Olympic-medal-winning American gymnast STEPHEN NEDOROSCIK will compete in the next season of “Dancing with the Stars,” ABC announced on Thursday. You might remember the bespectacled athlete for his pommel horse routine. Clips of Nedoroscik napping during before his slot went viral during the Olympics.
He’s the first participant to be announced ahead of the September 17 premiere date.
ALFONSO RIBEIRO and JULIANNE HOUGH are reprising co-hosting duties and the same slate of judges will be back. [via US Magazine]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Internaut Day
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
National Cuban Sandwich Day
Cheap Flight Day
Valentino Day
National Ride the Wind Day
National Sponge Cake Day
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ON THIS DATE
1305 - William Wallace meets his unfortunate demise. The leader for Scottish Independence and his army had fallen at the Battle of Falkirk.
When he was captured, King Edward I of England ordered him hanged, drawn, and quartered.
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1775 - British Monarch King George III declares the American colonies in open and direct rebellion against the crown. This was in response to the Olive Branch Petition, which sought a civil and reasoned negotiation for colonial liberty.
The King's reaction was a prime motivator for the signing of the Declaration of Independence the following year.
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1833 - Great Britain abolishes slavery in all of its colonies worldwide. It was the first empire of such size to do so.
Over 700,000 were freed.
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1904 - Harold D. Weed receives a patent for the Grip-Tread for Pneumatic Tires.
In short, he invents the idea of putting chains on your tires for better traction on snow or ice. Weed sold the patent to the American Chain and Cable company.
He later served as a lieutenant colonel in World War I, where he helped design bomb-release mechanisms and machine guns for aircraft.
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1966 - The Lunar Orbiter 1 spacecraft snaps the first photos of Earth from the moon.
During the mission, the orbiter also took pictures of the moon to help NASA scientists select landing spots for the Apollo missions.
The mission ended with a controlled crash into the moon on October 29.
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1989 - The Dodgers beat the Expos 1-0 -- after 22 innings.
The game took 5 hours, 14 minutes. Over 21,000 were in attendance for the game, but there's no intel on how many were around by the end.
In total 352 pitches were thrown.
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1990 - Estranged countries East and West Germany announce their pending reunion.
The countries, divided after World War II, had little to squabble over following the fall of communism. The reunion was slated for October 3.
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2007 - The hashtag is created.
The new trend was first used in a tweet by US product designer Chris Messina.
He tweeted: “how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?”
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2020 - Jacob Blake is shot and injured by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Blake was walking away from officers, ignoring their orders to stop, when he was shot. He would later admit to also being armed with a knife.
The incident sparked violent protests across the country.
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BIRTHDAYS
PJ Washington Jr. - basketball player - 26
Lil Yachty - rapper - 27
Francesca - actress, “Stranger Things” - 30
Seth Curry - basketball player - 34
Jeremy Lin - basketball player - 36
Chris Galya - actor, “Jessie” - 37
Marty York - actor, “The Sandlot” - 44
Julian Casablancas - rock singer, The Strokes - 46
Tana Ramsay - author & wife of Gordon Ramsay - 50
Gretchen Whitmer - politician - 53
Rick Springfield - rock singer - 75
Barbara Eden - actress, “I Dream of Jeannie” - 93
Born On This Date
Kobe Bryant - basketball player - 1978 (d. 2020)
River Phoenix - actor, “Stand by Me” & “Running on Empty” - 1970 (d. 1993)
Gene Kelly - actor, “Singin’ in the Rain” - 1912 (d. 1996)
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