Today is Thursday, August 31, 2023.
It is the 243rd day of the year.
122 days remain.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
There will be no newsletter on Monday, September 4, in observance of Labor Day.
###
WHATâS ON TAP
A whopper of a lawsuit hits a popular burger chain and two nefarious regimes strengthen their alliance. More in HIT LIST.
TAYLOR SWIFT has set another record and NICK CARTER is once again denying sexual assault allegations. More in SHOWBIZ.
Five late night hosts have joined forces for a new podcast. More in CASTING CALL.Â
Insiders say YE has been working hard on some new music. More in KARDASH.
There are some things a princess simply doesnât say. More in ROYALS.
###
HIT LIST
Packers fans arenât pettyâŚ
After AARON RODGERS ended his 18-year run with the Green Bay Packers to sign with the New York Jets earlier this year, many cheeseheads are hoping his upcoming season involves a lot of interceptions -- especially patrons of local Milwaukee watering hole, Jackâs American Pub.
Jackâs recently announced they will be offering Packer fans free drinks for every Rodgersâ...er, Jetsâ...loss this season.Â
HEREâS THE CATCH: To get the free drinks, Rodgers must start, a new tab must be opened 15 minutes before the game, fans must be present for the entire game, no food or top shelf liquor is included, and the deal is not valid if the Jets are playing at the same time as the Packers.Â
BY THE WAY: The Jets first game is Monday, September 11 against the Buffalo Bills. [via CBS Sports]
###
More than 40% of college seniors with student loans looking to enter the workforce after graduation expect to pick up side hustles and extra jobs to help pay their bills and pay down debt loads.Â
Of those graduating with loan debt, 70% say that burden will influence the type of job they take â meaning theyâll look for whatever pays the bills, not necessarily what they want to pursue. [via CNBC]
COLLEGE SHMOLLEGE: The collective bargaining agreement that UPS drivers agreed to earlier this month will earn the average driver $170,000 a year in pay and benefits.Â
WORTH ASKING: What, exactly, is the point of a college degree anymore?
###
A Florida judge is letting a lawsuit against BURGER KING move forward over the chainâs advertising of its Whopper.
Lawyers for BK failed to get the suit dismissed, which argues that pictures of the ingredients overflowing from the bun make it appear 35% bigger than it actually is with double the meat.Â
WORTH NOTING: The suit only pertains to in-store pictures. The judge tossed the claims made against TV and internet ads with similar pictures. [via Reuters]
###
US intelligence suggests that dictators VLADIMIR PUTIN and KIM JONG JUNIOR have personally exchanged formal letters discussing plans for North Korea to supply Russia with artillery ammunition and more expansive arms deals.
A rep for the State Department says the deal includes âsignificant quantities and multiple typesâ of weapons that would be used on the front lines in Ukraine, plus North Korean raw materials to expand Russiaâs own manufacturing capacity. [via Politico]
###
Four gator hunters caught a big one in Mississippiâs Sunflower River over the weekend.Â
The animal, weighing 802.5 pounds and measuring 14 feet, 3 inches, set a new state record for longest alligator ever to be recorded, according to the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.Â
Mississippiâs alligator hunting season kicks off annually on the last Friday in August. This yearâs hunt runs through September 4. [via AP News]
###
BY THE NUMBERS
đ The DOW was up 38 points (0.11%) to close at 34,890 on Wednesday. The S&P was up 17 points (0.39%) to close at 4,515 and the NASDAQ was up 75 points (0.54%) to close at 14,019.Â
đ˘ WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $81; BRENT CRUDE at $85.
â˝ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.82 on Wednesday.
âż BITCOIN slid nearly 2% on Wednesday, trading around $27,100.
đŠ There were more than 3,200 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 1,065 such cancellations.
đ°Friday nightâs MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $85 million jackpot or a $41.2 million cash payout.Â
SHOWBIZ NEWS
TAYLOR SWIFT is now the first female artist to hit 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify.Â
In their announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Spotify called the milestone âqueen behavior.â [via @Spotify]
###
There is some controversy over the cause of death of former swim champion JAMIE CAIL, who passed away in February in the Virgin Islands.
An autopsy report from the Virgin Islands medical examiner claims she died of âfentanyl intoxication with aspiration of gastric content,â but her family says they donât believe her death was an accident.Â
Cailâs family released a post-mortem photo of the 42-year-old with a bruised eye and mark on her nose to Insider, saying, âHer face is bashed in. Did fentanyl do that to her? Jamieâs face was smashed in, the top of her skull and her nose.âÂ
The family also states they do not believe Cail would have taken the drugs knowingly.Â
No word on whether an investigation into her death will be opened. [via Insider]
###Â
âBacheloretteâ alum JOSH SEITERâs ex, drag performer MONICA BEVERLY HILLZ, thinks he faked his own death hoax.Â
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Monica said that while she is âhappy heâs alive,â she canât help but question his Instagram-hacking story as it happened just days after they broke up.Â
As previously reported, news of Seiterâs death was reported on Monday. Then on Tuesday he posted a video on Instagram saying he is alive and that his account was hacked. [via Entertainment Weekly]
BY THE WAY: As for why it took so long to let everyone know he was okay, Seiter said Wednesday that he was more concerned with finding out who hacked him. [via TMZ]
###
NICK CARTER is once again denying sexual assault claims.Â
A new woman has come forward accusing the BACKSTREET BOYS member of sexually assaulting her multiple times on a yacht in 2003, when she was 15 and he was 23.Â
Carterâs attorney told TMZ that the woman made the same allegations two decades ago and an investigation came up with nothing to prove what she was saying.Â
Two other women have previously come forward accusing Carter of sexual assault. He has denied all the accusations. [via TMZ]
###
After posting a tribute to her late dad MICHAEL JACKSON on what would have been his 65th birthday this week, PARIS JACKSON was shocked to see so many hateful comments -- but not about her famous father.
In a clip on Instagram, Paris shared some of her favorite memories of her dad, while doing her hair. Wearing a sleeveless top, her unshaved armpits were on full display.Â
âYou made this whole video just to show you donât shave your armpits,â one person wrote.Â
âI was pulling my hair up to show my glass cutting jawline,â Paris quipped in response.Â
As for posting on her dadâs birthday Paris said that he was never a huge fan of celebrating, so she would rather honor him by not posting anything, but when she has done that in the past, fans have accused her of not loving and not caring about him.Â
âThey tell me to kill myself,â she revealed. [via Page Six, TMZ]
###
NICK CANNONâs brother says he uses a notes app âor Googleâ to recall the names of his 12 nieces and nephews.Â
â[Nick] messed up [naming] all his kids, so Iâm not even gonna attempt. Iâm just uncle. Itâs easy,â he told Entertainment Weekly.Â
Speaking of the Cannon dozen, Uncle Gabriel told the outlet that he hasn't even met all the kids yet. [via Entertainment Weekly]
###
CASTING CALL
Late night hosts STEPHEN COLBERT, JIMMY FALLON, JIMMY KIMMEL, SETH MEYERS and JOHN OLIVER have teamed up for a new Spotify limited-series podcast, called âStrike Force Five.âÂ
The podcast features conversations between the five regarding the complexities of the ongoing Hollywood strikes. There are at least 12 episodes, during which the hosts take turns as moderator.Â
It is currently available to stream. [via Newsroom]
###
An hour-long special, honoring the late BOB BARKER, will air tonight on CBS.Â
âThe Price Is Right: A Tribute to Bob Barkerâ will feature a slew of clips from Barkerâs more than 50-year career.Â
Barkerâs successor, DREW CAREY, will host the special. [via THR]
###
Fifteen years after it premiered, Oscar-nominated docuseries âFood Inc.â is getting a sequel.Â
While not in the initial plans, after the issues with meatpacking plants and food shortages during the pandemic, directors Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo knew they had more work to do. Â
âFood Inc. 2â will follow in the same footsteps as the original, examining the ways âcorporate agriculture produces food in ways that can be unhealthy for animals, people and the planet.â
A premiere date has not yet been announced. [via People]
###
Fan-favorite MICHAEL DAMIAN is returning to âThe Young and the Restlessâ in a multi-episode arc for the showâs 50th anniversary.
No details about his storyline have been released, other than he will first appear in the episode airing on September 28.Â
Damian starred as Danny Romalotti on the show from 1980 to 1998. [via Daily Mail]
###
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE is working on some new music.Â
An insider told Page Six that the rapper has âbeen cooking up in the studio all summerâ and ânew music is imminent.â
Yeâs last album was 2022âs âDonda 2.â [via Page Six]Â
###
WEâLL NEVER BE ROYALS
The creator of TV legal drama âSuitsâ â which featured MEGHAN MARKLE â tells The Hollywood Reporter that the royal family put pressure on the showâs writers to remove one specific word from Megâs dialogue: âpoppycock.â
The dialogue was to be included one time as a nod to creator Aaron Korshâs in-laws, who used the word in everyday talk. Korsh says he canât figure out how anyone in The Firm got their hands on the script, but eventually word came down from up high that Meg shouldnât speak the word on film.
They opted for âbullsâ-â instead. [via THR]
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
We Memoirs Day
Daffodil Day
International Overdose Awareness Day
Love Litigating Lawyers Day
National Trail Mix Day
National Eat Outside Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1422 - King Henry V of England dies of dysentery while commanding a military campaign in France. He was only 36-years-old.Â
He would be buried in Westminster Abbey. As a result, his nine-month-old son became king. A council appointed by parliament made decisions until Henry VI came of age.Â
###
1888 - Jack the Ripper takes his first victim. Mary Ann Nichols was a prostitute, as were many of Jack's other victims.Â
The real murderer has never been discovered.Â
###
1939 - Nazi soldiers masquerading as Polish troops attack a radio station in Gleiwitz, Germany. Once inside, the men broadcast anti-German propaganda in Polish.Â
Nazis brought in a German who sympathized with the Poles and killed him. They staged the murder, planting evidence on the body that made it appear he was responsible for the break-in.Â
This operation made it look like the Poles were attacking Germany, which Hitler and his generals used as justification to invade Poland the next day.Â
###
1965 - The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy takes flight for the first time.Â
The cargo compartment is 94-feet, 6-inches long and almost nine feet wide. It's specially designed to haul cargo components for other large aircraft. NASA and Airbus are prime clients.Â
Today it is mostly used when flying parts for the International Space Station around the world.Â
###
1997 - Lady Di dies in a car accident while visiting France. The princess, her man-friend Dodi Al-Fayed, and the driver were all killed.Â
The accident was caused by either the drunken chauffeur or MI-6, depending on who you ask.Â
###
2006 - Norwegian police recover stolen paintings "Scream" and "Madonna."Â
The works had been taken in 2004, when thieves literally walked out of the museum with them. Though the criminals were swiftly rounded up, it took time to find the paintings, which were feared destroyed.Â
The circumstances of their recovery is classified, but they were found in good condition.
###
2009 - Disney buys Marvel Entertainment for $4.24 billion.Â
###
2020 - COVID-19 cases in the US surpass 6 million with 183,300 deaths.Â
California and Florida reported the highest number of cases with 699,000 and 619,000, respectively.
###
BIRTHDAYS
Ahmad Gardner - football player - 23
Brittany Mahomes - wife of Patrick Mahomes - 28
Athena - wrestler - 35
Sarah Jones - drummer - 38
Larry Fitzgerald - football player - 40
Mickie James - wrestler - 44
Jeff Hardy - wrestler - 46
Sara Ramirez - actress, âGreyâs Anatomyâ - 48
Marc Webb - director, â500 Days of Summerâ - 49
Chris Tucker - actor, âRush Hourâ films - 52
Debbie Gibson - pop singer - 53
Richard Gere - actor, âPretty Womanâ & âChicagoâ - 74
Van Morrison - rock singer - 78
Born On This Date
Fredric March - actor, âDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydeâ - 1897 (d. 1975)
Maria Montessori - educator, Montessori schools - 1870 (d. 1952)
###