Today is Friday, August 4, 2023.
It is the 215th day of the year.
150 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
DONALD TRUMP returned to court on Thursday and an ominously-shaped cloud spooked Kazan residents. More in HIT LIST.
LIZZO has responded to accusations from her former backup dancers and TOM BRADY is returning to football…the european kind. More in SHOWBIZ.
“Barbie” could hit $1 BILLION at the box office this weekend. More in CASTING CALL.
ADIDAS has been successful in selling off part of its collection of unsold Yeezys. More in KARDASH.
PRINCE GEORGE has adopted a new nickname, both at school and at home. More in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
Former President DONALD TRUMP formally pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction related to his belief components of the 2020 election were conducted unfairly and subsequent efforts to postpone the electoral college vote count.
No mugshot was taken, but digital fingerprints were recorded. Prosecutors did not push for any jail time before the trial, but insisted he not discuss facts of the case with anyone known to be a witness.
The first hearing is scheduled for August 28.
Before boarding his plane to return to New Jersey, Trump told reporters, “This is a persecution of a political opponent. This was never supposed to happen in America.” [via Morning Martini Original Reporting]
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An ominously-shaped cumulonimbus cloud resembling the “mushroom cloud” that follows a nuclear blast spooked residents of Russia’s fifth-largest city on Wednesday.
Residents of Kazan took pictures of the spooky, but natural, cloud formation, leaving many to wonder if it was the result of a nuclear attack amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive into Russia.
But there was nothing to worry about in this case. [via Newsweek]
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A Romanian man named Pop Laurentiu has set a new Guinness World Record for pumping out 3,378 push-ups in just an hour.
That’s over 100 more than the previous record, which was set just a few weeks ago by an Australian man.
For Guinness to count a complete push-up, elbows must be bent at a 90-degree angle, but the chest doesn’t have to touch the floor, then raised again until the arms are straight.
This was Laurentiu’s seventh attempt at the record; during previous attempts, record-keeping officials rejected the form of many of his reps.
THIS TIME: Officials say each rep was perfect and not a single one was disqualified.
BY THE WAY: The record amounts to 56 push-ups per minute – so about one every second … for an hour.
UP NEXT: Laurentiu says he wants to beat the record for most push-ups in an hour with an 80-pound pack on his back. The current record for that feat is 537. [via GWR]
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Scientists may have discovered a new record holder for heaviest animal to have ever lived.
Recently published data in the journal Nature details the discovery of fossils from Perucetus colossus aka “the colossal whale from Peru.” With each vertebra weighing over 220 pounds, and ribs measuring five feet long, scientists estimate the whale weighed somewhere between 94 and 375 tons. That puts it ahead of the largest blue whale, which weighed in around 200 tons.
Blue whales still have the advantage of length though, coming in at 100 feet, while the Perucetus colossus was only about 66 feet long. [via AP News]
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By now everyone has heard about the Hangzhou Zoo in China that has gone viral after visitors were convinced that Angela the Malayan sun bear is actually a human wearing a bear costume.
Well, there’s more…
A resurfaced video shows another zoo in China attempting to pass off a golden retriever as an African lion.
In 2021, the Yuanjia Shan Zoo in Xichang tried to convince visitors that the pup was actually a ferocious lion. A note on the cage confirmed that it was in fact the “lion housing,” and when questioned by a visitor, an employee said that the “lion” looked different because it “hasn’t grown up yet.”
It doesn’t end there…
Also in 2021, the Xiangshan Zoo tried to pass off a rottweiler as a wolf. [via The Sun, BBC]
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DEATHS
Actor MARC GILPIN has died.
He passed away at his home in Dallas after suffering from glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, according to a statement from his sister, “Frasier” star PERI GILPIN.
Gilpin was best known for his role as Sean Broday in “Jaws 2.”
He was 56.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 66 points (0.19%) to close at 35,215 on Thursday. The S&P lost 11 points (0.25%) to close at 4,501 and the NASDAQ lost 13 points (0.098%) to close at 13,959.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $81; BRENT CRUDE at $85.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.82 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN ticked up a bit, trading around $29,275.
🛩 There were more than 3,580 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 105 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $1.25 BILLION jackpot or a $625.3 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $124 million jackpot or a $62.8 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
These albums drop today:
BAMBII, “Infinity Club” EP
Brett Young, “Across the Sheets”
Girl Ray, “Prestige”
Jordi, “Sorry I’m Late”
Miles Kane, “One Man Band”
Quavo, “Rocket Power”
Skindred, “Smile”
Tyla Yaweh, “Heart Full of Rage 2”
Vince Gill and Paul Franklin, “Sweet Memories: The Music of Ray Price & The Cherokee Cowboys”
Wilmette, “Hyperfocused”
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LIZZO has responded to the accusations against her, calling the days since the news broke “gut wrenching.”
“These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional,” she explained, before concluding, “I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this.”
As previously reported, three of Lizzo’s former backup dancers claim they were harassed, bullied and humiliated while working for her. [via TMZ]
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New reports reveal that ARIANA GRANDE and her estranged husband DALTON GOMEZ double-dated with her now-boyfriend ETHAN SLATER and his now-estranged wife LILLY JAY.
According to the Daily Mail, the foursome would go out on the town when Gomez and Jay visited Grande and Slater in London, where they were working on “Wicked.” Even more daunting, an insider told the publication that Grande and Slater didn’t try very hard to keep their budding affair.
“They were so sloppy. They were seen being all over each other while he was supposedly happily married to Lilly,” the source declared.
Neither Grande nor Slater have addressed the various reports. [via Daily Mail]
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TAYLOR SWIFT surprised fans by announcing more US shows.
Yesterday, she revealed more dates in Miami, New Orleans, and Indianapolis for Fall 2024.
Fans can once again register for Ticketmaster’s Verified fan presale -- may the odds be ever in your favor! [via Billboard]
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TORI SPELLING is now living in an RV with her five kids.
The actress was spotted at a campground in Ventura County, California amid reports that she is struggling financially.
An insider told Entertainment Tonight that Spelling is “doing her best to make things work and take care of her kids,” but “it has been difficult for her to find a place to stay [...] because her financial situation is not great.”
She was previously bouncing between hotels and friends' homes, while hoping to find something more permanent.
On top of that, Spelling is trying to navigate her new life since splitting from husband, actor DEAN MCDERMOTT. [via ET]
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TOM BRADY is going from football to Fútbol.
The former QB is now part-owner of the Birmingham City Football Club.
As for those questioning his knowledge of the sport, Brady said, “Well, let’s just say I’ve got a lot to learn. But I do know a few things about winning, and I think they may translate pretty well.
Brady also has ownership roles with the Las Vegas Raiders, the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, a Major League Pickleball team and an E1 World Championship electric boat racing franchise. [via Bleacher Report]
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GWYNETH PALTROW is taking a social media break.
The 50-year-old actress announced her hiatus on Instagram, telling fans that she wants to work on “being present.”
Reactions were mostly supportive, with some posting how much they will miss her. [via People]
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CASTING CALL
“Barbie” could hit $1 BILLION this weekend at the worldwide box office.
Domestically, the film is expected to have its third consecutive weekend of grossing more than $55 million.
As of Thursday, the 15th day of release, “Barbie” crossed the $400 million mark (domestically), beating “The Super Mario Brothers Movie” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” which took 18 days to hit the mark. [via Deadline]
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CHRISTOPHER LANDON will direct the newest “Scream” movie -- “Scream VII.”
He is taking over the reigns from MATT BETTINELLI-OPLIN and TYLER GILLETT, who rebooted the scary movie franchise with “Scream” and “Scream VI.” They reportedly exited the project to work on an original horror flick for Universal, which is stalled amid the ongoing strikes.
Landon’s most recent movie is “We Have a Ghost,” which debuted on Netflix earlier this year. [via Hollywood Reporter]
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Comedian HASAN MINHAJ is likely to succeed TREVOR NOAH as host of “The Daily Show.”
Insiders told Variety that while an agreement has not yet been finalized there are no others in the running.
Many recall that Noah left the show last year, after taking over for JON STEWART in 2015. [via Variety]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Adidas has earned over $437 million after selling off its first batch of unsold Yeezy shoes.
According to the German sportswear company, proceeds from the sales will be donated to groups fighting antisemitism.
As previously reported, Adidas cut ties with YE after his anti semitic rants. By doing so, they were left with over $1.3 billion worth of Yeezy shoes. [via AP News]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE GEORGE’s schoolyard nickname has also made its way home: even his parents, PRINCE WILLIAM and PRINCESS KATE, as well as his pals at school, call the future king “P.G.”
Wills and Kate have taken it a step further, calling him “Tips” – because apparently PG Tips is a popular tea brand in the UK. [via Express]
WORTH NOTING: George’s father and uncle went by William and Harry Wales while at school. When George started, William and Kate were the Cambridges. No word if George changed his last name from Cambridge to Wales when the line of succession got shuffled about following the Queen’s death last year.
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day
National White Wine Day
International Clouded Leopard Day
Assistance Dog Day
U.S. Coast Guard Birthday
International Beer Day
Single Working Women’s Day
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ON THIS DATE
1892 – Abby and Andrew Borden are found brutally murdered in their Massachusetts home.
Andrew’s daughter, and Abby’s stepdaughter, Lizzie was the prime suspect — though her alibi had her walking out to the family’s barn to eat pears.
She would be the only suspect tried for the murders, for which she was eventually acquitted. Afterward she resumed her life in Fall River, where she would die of pneumonia 35 years later.
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1914 – Appeaser-in-chief Woodrow Wilson declares the United States will remain neutral in any conflicts as World War I continues to escalate.
But when Germany blockaded the British Isles, the US was cut off from one of its main trading partners, and American entry into the conflict grew imminent. War was declared after Germany’s policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, torpedoing ships belonging to allied or neutral countries.
This played out over several months. Woodrow would ask Congress for a declaration of War on April 2, 1915; it would be authorized 2 days later.
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1936 – American track star Jesse Owens wins the long jump at the Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany.
It was his second medal of the games, and came at a time when Hitler was espousing his plan for an Aryan master race.
In this event, Owens tied with German jumper Lutz Long in the first round. But in the second, Owens clobbered the standing record, bounding 26 feet, five-and-a-half inches — the first to exceed 26 feet, and one that would stand for 24 years. After the feat, Owens and Long walked around the track arm in arm, to the crowd’s thunderous approval from the crowd.
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1987 – The Fairness Doctrine is reigned in by the Federal Communications Commission.
The regulation required all broadcasters to present “controversial issues of public importance” in a way that was deemed honest, equitable, and balanced. There was no requirement for equal time, just that different views were, at some point expressed.
Ultimately it was decided that such regulation restricted journalistic freedom of broadcasters.
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2007 – NASA launches the Phoenix Mars lander.
It was the first explorer to land on one of Mars’ poles, and marked the sixth successful landing on the Red Planet.
Five months into the mission, in November 2008, NASA lost contact with the lander. Nonetheless, scientists were still happy that all of the scientific experiments were able to be completed on schedule.
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2015 - Robert Downey Jr. is named the world’s highest paid actor by Forbes Magazine.
His net worth is listed at $80 million.
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2015 - Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy announce the end of their relationship on Twitter.
The two had an on-again, off-again relationship that spanned decades.
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2020 - The UN says the COVID-19 pandemic has created the biggest educational disruption in history.
School closures affected nearly 1.6 million students in 190 countries.
The true harm would not be known for years.
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BIRTHDAYS
Meghan Rienks - actress, “Freakish” - 30
Cole Sprouse - actor, “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” & “Riverdale” - 31
Dylan Sprouse - actor, “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” - 31
Peter Weber - reality star, “Bachelor” - 32
Kelly O’Hara - Olympic soccer player - 35
Nathaniel Buzolic - actor, “The Vampire Diaries” - 40
Greta Gerwig - director, “Lady Bird” & “Barbie” - 40
Marques Houston - rapper - 42
Megan Markle - actress & former royal - 42
Rich Dollaz - entrepreneur, Dollaz Unlimited - 48
Jeff Gordon - race car driver - 52
Daniel Dae Kim - actor, “Lost” - 55
Lee Mack - comedian - 55
Barack Obama - 44th POTUS - 62
Billy Bob Thornton - actor, “Bad Santa” & “Monster’s Ball” - 68
Born On This Date
Tom Parker - pop singer, The Wanted - 1988 (d. 2022)
Louis Armstrong - trumpet player - 1901 (d. 1971)
Elizabeth The Queen Mother - Queen of England & mom to QE2 - 1900 (d. 2002)
Louis Vuitton - fashion designer - 1821 (d. 1892)
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