Today is Friday, August 25, 2023.
It is the 237th day of the year.
128 days remain.
WHATâS ON TAP
Tickets for FRYE FESTIVAL 2.0 have already sold out and another historic landmark in Italy gets vandalized. More in HIT LIST.
BRITNEY SPEARS is still supporting SAM ASGHARI and ANGELINA JOLIEâs new ink has been revealed. More in SHOWBIZ.
A screenwriter shares her truth from working on the set of âFriends.â More in CASTING CALL.
A new documentary explores the KARDASHIAN-JENNER family. More in KARDASH.
PRINCE HARRYâs September stop in London is still a go -- but no word on if he will see his family. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
A court filing this week shows that the team overseeing FTXâs bankruptcy bills for about $1.5 MILLION â every day.Â
Those fees are largely paid by whatever assets FTX had left and those they continue to recover. While total fees have so far crossed well into the nine-figure range, the bankruptcy team has recovered billions of dollars.
WORTH NOTING: All the money paid to the recovery team is money that wonât go to people who lost their money in the fraud. Even then, the government gets to be first in line for unpaid taxes. [via CoinDesk]
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NETFLIXâs crackdown on password-sharing appears to be working for their bottom line: after stagnant or dwindling subscriber numbers, the streaming platform added 2.6 MILLION subscribers in July.Â
Driving the increase was an uptick in people purchasing the advertising tier for $7 a month plus ads that play before and during movies and shows.Â
BY THE WAY: You can still share your password to use an account across multiple households â but itâll cost $8 a month extra. [via Deadline]
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The first round of tickets for the revamped FYRE FESTIVAL have already sold out â despite no official dates or specific location announced.Â
Only 100 tickets were included in the first round, selling for up to $8,000.Â
In a video posted late Wednesday, convicted fraudster and event organizer BILLY MCFARLAND said that this week had changed his life with nearly 7,000 people already on the waitlist.
He said more tickets will be available when further details are announced in terms of location and programming. [via @pyrtbilly]
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The Vasari Corridor in Italy is the latest historical marker to be hit by vandals.Â
According to Italian authorities, two German tourists, ages 20 and 21, were arrested after spray painting slogans for a Munich soccer team on the side of the 460-year-old landmark in Florence.Â
Italyâs Culture Minister wants an example to be made of the two, saying âenough with the symbolic punishments [...] we need the hard fist of the law.âÂ
According to Italian law, acts of vandalism fall under âaggravated damage,â which carries a maximum sentence of three years. There will likely be a fine imposed as well, as the damage will cost $10,800 to repair.
The latest vandalism comes after two tourists were caught carving their names into the Colosseum. [via Insider]
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Have you ever wondered how many times youâre supposed to wipe after going No. 2? An Australian pelvic expert has the answer!Â
In a TikTok video that has been viewed over 4.5 million times, the physiotherapist says two wipes should be all you need. If it takes more than that, chances are you have a condition called âfecal smearing,â which is when âtoo much fecal matter stays at the entrance of the anus after you finish the poo.â
To reduce the number of wipes needed, the expert says to squeeze your anus four times with increasing force each time after emptying your bowel. This will âhelp close off the anus sphincterâ and eliminate the need for extra wiping. [via TikTok]
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BREAKUPS
KROY BIERMANN has filed for divorce from KIM ZOLCIAKâŠagain.Â
The former NFL player filed on Thursday, noting that the marriage is âirretrievably broken.â He is asking for sole legal and sole physical custody of their four kids, alimony, child support and exclusive use of their marital home.Â
Remember, both Kim and Kroy filed separate divorce petitions in May, while also hurling nasty accusations at one another. In July the two decided to give their marriage another go, but it seems that things are just not meant to be.
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BY THE NUMBERS
đ The DOW was down 374 points (1.08%) to close at 34,099 on Thursday. The S&P dropped 59 points (1.35%) to close at 4,376 and the NASDAQ went down 257 points (1.87%) to close at 13,463.
đą WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $79; BRENT CRUDE at $83.
✠The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.83 on Thursday.
âż BITCOIN slid Thursday, down more than 1.1% and trading around $26,113.
đ© There were more than 3,690 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 261 such cancellations.
đ°Tonightâs MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $52 million jackpot or a $24.6 million cash payout. Saturday nightâs POWERBALL drawing will be for a $345 million jackpot or a $165.5 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
These albums drop today:Â
Alice Cooper, âRoadâ
Becca Mancari, âLeft Handâ
Charlotte Cardin, â99 Nightsâ
Common Kings, âCelebrationâ
Gareth Donkin, âWelcome Homeâ
Hiss Golden Messenger, âJump For Joyâ
Kendra Morris, âI Am What Iâm Waiting Forâ
Morgan Wade, âPsychopathâ
Nightly, âwear your heart outâ
Patrick Droney, âSubtitles For Feelingsâ
Sid Sriram, âSidharthâ
Tim McGraw, âStanding Room Onlyâ
Victoria Money, âJaguar IIâ
William Shatner, âPonder The Mystery Revisitedâ
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BRITNEY SPEARS is still supporting estranged husband SAM ASGHARI.Â
Insiders told TMZ that she is paying the $10,000-a-month bill for Samâs new apartment, which is located in one of the most high-end apartment buildings in L.A.Â
As for why she is footing the bill, sources say her manager and attorney felt it would be a gesture of goodwill. [via TMZ]
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A tribute statue of KOBE BRYANT will be unveiled on February 8, 2024 -- 2/8/24 -- outside Crypto.com Arena.Â
The date is significant as Kobe wore Numbers 8 and 24 during his 20-year career with the Lakers and his daughter, Gigi, who passed away alongside him in the helicopter crash, wore No. 2.Â
The statue will be erected alongside other Laker superstars, including MAGIC JOHNSON, KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, and SHAQUILLE OâNEAL. [via Fox Sports]
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Just days after DREW BARRYMOREâs alleged stalker approached her during an event in NYC, he showed up at her Southampton estate.Â
According to law enforcement sources, Chad Michael Busto went house-to-house in Drewâs neighborhood until he found her home. He wasnât able to get too far onto the property, however, before getting arrested. Drew was not home at the time.Â
No word on whether any legal action has been taken to protect the actress and her family. [via NY Post]
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PRISCILLA PRESLEY says she was âneverâ on bad terms with granddaughter RILEY KEOUGH during their battle over LISA MARIE PRESLEYâs estate.Â
Remember, Priscilla contested her daughterâs will, which had Riley listed as the sole trustee.Â
âRiley is now the executor, which should be right, obviously, being [Lisa Marieâs] daughter. Riley and I are on good terms. We were never not on good terms,â Priscilla recently told The Hollywood Reporter. [via Hollywood Reporter]
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The mysterious new ink on ANGELINA JOLIEâs middle fingers has been revealed.Â
After fans speculated that the design was perhaps a F-U to ex-husband BRAD PITT, celebrity tattoo arrest Mr. K revealed that it has nothing to do with him.Â
Jolieâs new finger tats are daggers designed to look like they are piercing her skin. As for any symbolism, sources say the actress is a collector of knives -- particularly daggers. [via Page Six]
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Actor DANNY TREJO is celebrating a major milestone in his sobriety journey.Â
The 79-year-old posted a selfie on Instagram this week to announce that he is 55-years sober.Â
Trejo has been open about his past addiction, once sharing that he was eight when he first tried marijuana, 12 when he started drinking alcohol and 14 when he started using heroin. From there he started dealing drugs and spent years in and out of jail.Â
Fans flocked to the comment section to praise and celebrate the actorâs success. [via People]
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BILLIE EILISH stunned fellow passengers when she chose to fly commercial rather than chartering her own private plane.Â
No word on where Eilish was headed, but fans were quick to compliment her choice of travel.Â
FOR WHAT ITâS WORTH: She is worth about $30 million dollars, so flying private would totally be doable. [via Page Six]
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Comedian MICHAEL BLACKSON says he will forever joke about pal NICK CANNONâs dozen children.Â
On the topic, Blackson told TMZ photogs that Cannon will have to âstagger visitations on FaceTimeâ with all the kids and his âfew thousand grandchildrenâ down the road.Â
The jokes follow rapper 50 CENTâs comments about Cannon personally populating the planet. [via TMZ]
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CASTING CALL
As the writersâ strike continues, one former screenwriter has spoken out about her experience working on an iconic sitcom from the â90s and early 2000s.Â
In her new book, âEnd Credits: How I Broke Up with Hollywood,â Patty Lin details her time working behind-the-scenes on the show âFriends.â In one excerpt, she wrote that when she signed on in 2000, the stars of the show -- JENNIFER ANISTON, DAVID SCHWIMMER, COURTENEY COX, MATTHEW PERRY, LISA KUDROW and MATT LEBLANC -- âseemed unhappy to be chained to a tired old show when they could be branching out.âÂ
Whatâs more, Lin says the cast would âpurposely sabotageâ the script if they didnât find it funny enough, writing, âThey rarely had anything positive to say and when they brought up problems, they didnât suggest feasible solutions.âÂ
As for her coworkers, Lin said that the writing staff was âcliqueyâ and reminded her of âthe preppy kidsâ she went to highschool with.Â
âEnd Credits: How I Broke Up with Hollywoodâ hits shelves on August 29. [via NY Post]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
A three-part documentary series called âHouse of Kardashianâ is in development by UKâs Sky TV.Â
The show âaims to confound expectations and challenge what society knows of the Kardashians, exploring their rise, reach and the cost that comes with being some of the most famous women on the planet,â according to the network.Â
âWhether you like, loathe or are indifferent to the Kardashians, you cannot deny the familyâs grip on popular culture and influence in society,â Skyâs director of documentaries said. [via Variety]
AMERICAN ROYALTY: Maybe Brits are as fascinated with the KarJenner family as Americans are with the Royal Family.Â
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WEâLL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE HARRY will be in London in September after all â but publicly there is still no confirmation heâll have a chat with his father, KING CHARLES.
Harry is scheduled to give a speech for the WellChild Awards on September 7 â just a day before the one-year anniversary of QUEEN ELIZABETHâs death. Heâs been a longtime patron of the charity.
MEANWHILE: The Firm confirms that KING CHARLES and QUEEN CAMILLA will not publicly commemorate the one-year anniversary of the late monarchâs passing, but spend the day in âquiet reflection,â according to the Daily Beast. [via Daily Beast]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Kiss and Make Up Day
National Whiskey Sour Day
National Banana Split Day
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ON THIS DATE
1835 - A headline in the New York Sun declares: "Great Astronomical Discoveries Lately Made by Sir John Herschel At the Cape of Good Hope."Â
The news story declared that an array of fantastical creatures had been discovered on the moon, including goats and unicorns, bat-winged humanoids, as well as temples and other buildings surrounded by oceans and trees. The authors later proclaimed that the observatory that scoped these wonders caught fire and burned to the ground -- so the story could not be confirmed.Â
The author is assumed to be reporter Richard A. Locke. He was doing his best to discredit and ridicule some of the more fanciful theories about life on other worlds. Though The Sun would admit to fabricating the stories, its circulation nonetheless skyrocketed.Â
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1840 - Joseph Gibbons receives a patent for his Grain Drill invention.Â
The machine simplifies planting and sowing seeds. It allowed the user to plant without so much bending over, and was able to regulate how many seeds were planted.Â
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1916 - The National Park Service Organic Act is authorized by Congress, creating the National Park Service.Â
Its purpose was to unify the individually managed parks and monuments across the country that were sometimes operated by the U.S. Army.Â
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1939 - The UK promises to defend Poland in the event it is invaded by another European power -- which is assumed to have meant Germany.Â
Of course, German troops would roll into Poland on September 1st. The pact impelled England into World War II. Greece and Romania were later also included under Britain's protection after Italy invaded Albania.Â
FIVE YEARS LATER: Germans surrender their last garrison in Paris, and allied troops declare the French capital liberated from Nazi control.Â
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1948 - The House Un-American Activities Committee televises its hearings for the first time.Â
Whittaker Chambers again calls Alger Hiss a liar -- saying 80% of what he had testified is a fabrication, but that he was very fond of Hiss, who was one of his closest friends in the communist party.Â
Hiss maintained his innocence, stating repeatedly that he was not a communist.Â
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1989 - Voyager 2 swings by Neptune, which was at the time the second-to-last planet in the solar system; before Plutoâs status was reduced.Â
It sent back some 8,000 images of the planet and its moons. Voyager 2 had a nuclear power source, allowing it to continue its operations.Â
It still measures deep space magnetic fields and other data, zooming away from the sun at almost 291 million miles a year -- that's more than 33,000 miles an hour.Â
Itâs expected to remain functional until 2025.
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2017 - Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Texas, northeast of Corpus Christi.Â
The Category 4 hurricane produced 130 mph winds and caused catastrophic flooding.Â
It is tied with 2005âs Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cyclone, inflicting $125 billion in damage. Â
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2019 - NASA investigates the first crime committed in space.Â
Astronaut Anne McClain accessed her estranged wife Summer Wordenâs bank account during her six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.Â
McClain admitted to accessing the account, but said it was only to monitor finances, and to make sure that her ex had enough money to care for her son. There was no sign that any money had been withdrawn or spent.Â
In a dramatic turn-of-events, federal investigators would discover that Worden was not telling the whole truth about the incident, and ended up with charges of lying to federal authorities.Â
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BIRTHDAYS
China Anne McClain - actress, âDescendantsâ & âBlack Lightningâ - 25
Blake Lively - actress, âGossip Girlâ & âThe Age of Adalineâ - 36
Rachel Bilson - actress, âThe O.C.â & âHart of Dixieâ - 42
Kel Mitchell - actor, âAll Thatâ & âGood Burgerâ - 45
Alexander Skarsgard - actor, âTrue Bloodâ & âBig Little Liesâ - 47
Claudia Schiffer - model - 53
Rachael Ray - chef - 55
Tom Hollander - actor, âPride & Prejudiceâ & âBird Boxâ - 56
Billy Ray Cyrus - country singer - 62
Tim Burton - director, âBeetlejuiceâ & âThe Nightmare Before Christmasâ - 65
Gene Simmons - rock singer, KISS - 74
Born On This Date
Regis Philbin - TV show host, âWho Wants to be a Millionaire?â - 1931 (d. 2020)
Sean Connery - actor, James Bond films & âThe Hunt for Red Octoberâ - 1930 (d. 2020)
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