8/7/2023: Cargo Bear š»
PLUS: Battles of the Billionaires; āBarbieā Hits a Billion; and Harry & Meg Buy a Book
Today is Monday, August 7, 2023.
It is the 219th day of the year.
146 days remain.
WHATāS ON TAP
JEFF BEZOS headed into the weekend a much wealthier man and Zoom employees head back to the office ā kinda. More in HIT LIST.
Charges have been dropped against CARDI B and MADONNA is working on rescheduling her āCelebrationā tour dates. More in SHOWBIZ.Ā
A āPee-wee Hermanā documentary was in the works ahead of PAUL REUBENS sudden death. More in CASTING CALL.Ā
There is some Bad Blood with one celeb who thinks KIM KARDASHIAN should not be allowed to attend TAYLOR SWIFTās āEras Tour.ā More in KARDASH.Ā
PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE might be making a big move in Hollywood. More in ROYALS.
###
HIT LIST
When AMAZON stock spiked 11% on Friday, founder JEFF BEZOS saw a $12 BILLION increase in his net worth.Ā
Year over year, Amazon netted $6.7 BILLION during the second quarter of the year, compared to a $2 BILLION second-quarter loss in 2022. CEO ANDY JASSY credits breakthroughs in AI technology for bolstering the companyās cloud computing services and huge demand for sponsorships on NFLās Thursday Night Football package, which Amazon carries. [via Forbes]
MEANWHILE, AT X:Ā ELON MUSK has encouraged anyone on the platform to get in touch if they were ever fired or faced discrimination for anything they had ever posted on the platform.
āWe will fund your legal bill,ā he wrote, adding, āNo limit.āĀ
BUT WAIT: Musk didnāt have much details on just how to get in touch or what process to follow. [via @ElonMusk]
MEANWHILE, ALSO AT X: Musk said that X would exclusively broadcast a throwdown between him and META-head-honcho MARK ZUCKERBERG.
The tech tycoons hinted at having some kind of fight in recent weeks and both have shown off their training for the throwdown, but no specific details have been announced. [via @ElonMusk]
###
The pandemic must really be over now: employees for video-conferencing company ZOOM have been ordered back to the office ā sort of.
The companyās new policy requires anyone who lives within 50 miles of their offices in either San Jose, California, or Denver, Colorado, to start heading into the office at least twice a week. Company leadership calls the āstructured hybrid approachā the āmost effective.ā [via NY Post]
###
A home in Connecticut has sold for $138.8 million, making it the most-expensive residential property ever sold in the state.Ā Ā
The 13,500-square-foot waterfront estate, located in Greenwich, features a main house with eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms, surrounded by walled gardens, a pool, tennis court, apple orchard and two private beaches. There is also a carriage house, gatehouse, pool house and two greenhouses.Ā
The buyer has not been identified.
BUT WAIT: Itās not the first record for the property. In 2014 it sold for $120 million, making it the most-expensive home ever sold in the U.S. That record held until 2019, when hedge-funder Ken Griffin dropped $238 million on a property in Manhattan. [via WSJ]
###
LAST WEEK: The US government said Russia is looking to buy more ammunition from North Korea as it continues its invasion of Ukraine.
NOW: North Korean dictator KIM JONG JUNIOR has ordered factories to expand their production of all kinds of weapons, including rocket launchers and ballistic missiles. Junior visited multiple weapons manufacturing facilities late last week.Ā
On July 27, Junior hosted Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for an expansive military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. [via JPost]
###
When your flight is running late, itās almost never the fault of the flight crew, but what about an escaped bear?
The captain of an Iraqi Airways flight to Baghdad ordered all passengers to get off the plane, after a bear in the cargo hold managed to escape and authorities had to bring in specialists to sedate it.
The Associated Press points out that wealthy elites in Iraq often adopt exotic pets as a status symbol, and such private ownership of a bear is not uncommon.
COULD BE WORSE: One passenger took to social media to complain about the delay, but noted that they were only an hour late from taking off. [via Associated Press]
###
DEATHS
Actor MARK MARGOLIS has died.Ā
He passed away Thursday at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City after a brief illness, according to a statement from his rep.Ā
Margolis is best known for his role as āTioā Hector Salamanca in āBreaking Badā and āBetter Call Saul.ā
He was 83.Ā
###
Musician JOHN GOSLING has died.Ā
He passed away on August 3, according to a statement from his bandmates. No cause of death was shared.Ā
Gosling played keyboard for THE KINKS from 1970 to 1978, when he founded the band THE KAST OFF KINKS, which -- as the name implies -- was made up of other ex-Kinks musicians.Ā
He was 75.Ā
###
BREAKUPS
Actress SOPHIA BUSH has filed for divorce from her husband GRANT HUGHES after 13 months of marriage.Ā
The former couple did not have any children, but they do share a rescue dog named Maggie.Ā
This is Bushās second divorce. She was married to her āOne Tree Hillā costar CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY from April 2005 to December 2006.Ā
###
āBachelorā couple KAITLYN BRISTOWE and JASON TARTICK have called it quits.Ā
The pair started dating in 2019 and got engaged in 2021.Ā
No word on why they split.
###
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
10. Elemental: $1.2 million (down from 8)
9. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: $1.5 million (down from 7)
8. Talk to Me: $6.2 million (down from 6)
7. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One: $6.4 million (down from 5)
6. Sound of Freedom: $7 million (down from 4)
5. Haunted Mansion: $8.9 million (down from 3)
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: $28 million (new)
3. Oppenheimer: $28.7 million (down from 2)
2. Meg 2: The Trench: $30 million (new)
1. Barbie: $53 million (stayed at 1)
###
BY THE NUMBERS
š The DOW lost 150 points (0.43%) to close at 35,065 on Friday. The S&P lost 23 points (0.53%) to close at 4,478 and the NASDAQ lost 50 points (0.36%) to close at 13,909.
š¢ WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $83; BRENT CRUDE at $86.
ā½ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.82 on Sunday.
āæ BITCOIN was mostly flat over the weekend, trading around $29,000.
š© There were more than 6,250 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Sunday and more than 260 such cancellations.
š° Tuesday nightās MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $1.55 BILLION jackpot or a $757.2 million cash payout. Tonightās POWERBALL drawing will be for a $145 million jackpot or a $71.1 million cash payout.Ā
SHOWBIZ NEWS
A heated debate took place over the weekend regarding a social media post made by JAMIE FOXX.Ā
The post read: āThey killed this dude name [sic] jesusā¦what do you think theyāll do to you???!ā
Some felt the post was āantisemiticā assuming the ātheyā he wrote about was referring to Jewish people. In response to the backlash, Foxx removed the post and issued an apology, saying he never intended to offend anyone.Ā
In response to his apology several of his famous pals questioned why he even felt the need to explain his post against the trolls. [via TMZ]
WORTH NOTING: An insider said Foxxās initial post was in reference to someone close to him who he felt wronged him. It had nothing to do with race, faith or other cultures.Ā
###
Rumor Has Itā¦ADELE cries before and after her Las Vegas shows because of how āemotionally-chargedā they are.Ā
An anonymous insider told The Mirror that she āgoes through a gamut of emotions during her performances, which the audience may not be aware of.āĀ
Adele has been performing at Caesars Palace since last November. [via The Mirror]
###
ED SHEERAN paused his show in Kansas City on Saturday to do a gender reveal for an expecting couple in the crowd.
āMy first gender reveal,ā Sheeran captioned a clip of the moment.Ā
By the way -- they are having a girl! [via Instagram]
###
CARDI B wonāt face charges for her microphone-hurling incident in Vegas.Ā
According to TMZ, the case has been dropped by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.Ā
As previously reported, a fan filed a battery report on Cardi after she threw her mic into the crowd at another woman who tossed a drink at her. For the record, Cardi did ask fans to ācoolā her down by tossing water at her. [via TMZ]
###
Music lovers flooded their ears with SINEAD OāCONNORās songs after her sudden passing last month.
According to Billboard, streams of her songs jumped 2,885% in the U.S. From July 24-25, her songs were streamed 243,000 times; from July 26-27 that rose to 7.3 million streams.Ā
OāConnor passed away on July 26. She was 56. [via Billboard]
###
Weeks after her hospitalization for a āserious bacterial infection,ā MADONNA announced that she is working on rescheduling her āCelebrationā tour dates.Ā
The 35-city tour was supposed to kick off on July 15, but things got postponed amid her hospitalization. [via Page Six]
###
RILEY KEOUGH, the daughter of the late LISA MARIE PRESLEY, has officially been granted ownership of Graceland, the iconic Memphis mansion that belonged to her grandfather, ELVIS PRESLEY. She will also oversee the trusts of her 14-year-old half-sisters Finley and Harper Lockwood.Ā
The settlement, which was filed in June, was approved by the Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday.
It comes after a bitter battle with her grandmother PRISCILLA PRESLEY, who will serve as a special advisor to the trust and receive a monthly stipend.Ā [via Deadline]
###
CASTING CALL
āBarbieā crossed the $1 BILLION mark globally over the weekend, while domestically the film hit just under $460 million. It is the second film of 2023 to hit the mark, after āThe Super Mario Bros.ā at $1.35 BILLION.Ā
āOppenheimer,ā meanwhile, is now the highest-grossing WWII pic at $552.9 million globally. [via Hollywood Reporter]
ALSO: āBarbieā director GRETA GERWIG is now the sole female director to have hit the BILLION-dollar mark.Ā
###
Is a TAYLOR SWIFT documentary in the works? Fans certainly think so!Ā
With last weekās opening night performance in Los Angeles, fans noticed a camera crew following Swift around on stage. Two days later she was being filmed by robotic cameras. Also, some noted how Swift appeared to wear the same outfits for both performances, instead of choosing alternates as she has done with other shows.Ā
If that is the case, this wouldnāt be her first. She previously released the Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour and Miss Americana documentaries. [via Tag24]
###
PAUL REUBENS had several projects he was working on before his sudden passing last week.Ā
Of all the projects, the most notable one was an HBO documentary about his iconic character, Pee-wee Herman.Those close to the doc say all of the interviews and insights from Reubens were collected prior to his passing. No word on when it will air.Ā
Remember, Reubens passed away on July 31 after an undisclosed battle with cancer. He was 70. [via TMZ]
###
CRIB NOTES
AARON RODGERS is laying down roots in New Jersey.Ā
The new Jets QB dropped $9.5 million on a 4,000-square-foot, eight-bedroom, 10-bathroom home in Montclair; just 10 miles from MetLife Stadium. [via NJ.com]
###
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Barstool Sports founder DAVE PORTNOY believes KIM KARDASHIAN was in the wrong amid the drama between her ex-husband YE and TAYLOR SWIFT.Ā
Remember, Ye rapped about Swift in one of his songs, saying āI made that [b-word] famous.ā He says he got Swiftās permission for the lyric, and Kim backed him up. Swift says she was never asked about it.Ā
Now, with her hugely successful āEras Tour,ā Portnoy says that if Kim tries to attend one of the Los Angeles shows, Swift should have her people toss her out and ātaken to jail.ā [via Page Six]
###
A replica of YEās childhood home is hitting the auction block.Ā
The piece was actually used on set during the rapperās āDondaā and āDonda 2ā concerts in 2021 and 2022.Ā
Rumor is he wanted the actual home he grew up in with his late mom DONDA WEST to be on stage at Soldier Field, but the Chicago Building Department said no way. [via TMZ]
###
WEāLL NEVER BE ROYALS
PRINCE HARRY and MEGHAN MARKLE have shelled out more than $3 MILLION to buy the production rights to the novel āMeet Me At the Lakeā by Carley Fortune.Ā
The pair are looking to bring more material to Netflix, which reportedly scaled back their nine-figure deal with the supposed power-couple earlier this year.Ā
The storyās details hit close to home: per DailyMailās synopsis, the novel ādescribes the trauma faced by a character who lost a parent in a car crash as a childā and also addresses themes surrounding substance abuse, which Harry documented in his memoir, āSpare.ā [via DailyMail]
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day
National Lighthouse Day
Aged Care Employee Day
Professional Speakers Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1588 - English and Spanish fleets clash in the Battle of Gravelines.
The British Navy sent eight fire ships (vessels filled with gunpowder and set on fire) toward the Spanish Armada, ending their attempt to invade England.
The rivalry between Spain and England intensified during the 1570s and 1580s as Sir Francis Drake of England attacked Spanish vessels and raided Spanish settlements in the Americas.Ā
###
1782 - General George Washington orders the creation of the Badge of Military Merit. The award was to commend "not only instances of unusual gallantry in battle, but also extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way."Ā
The badge, shaped like a heart and with the word "Merit" stitched in purple, eventually evolved into the Purple Heart medal, which is today issued to wounded soldiers. The first recipient is believed to be William Brown, a Sergeant with Connecticut's 5th Regiment, who fought in the siege of Yorktown.Ā
###
1789 - Congress creates the Department of War, whose Secretary would oversee all military operations until the creation of the Navy Department nine years later.Ā
All branches of the military were eventually rolled into the Defense Department in 1949.Ā
###
1888 - Philadelphian inventor Theophilus Van Kannel is granted the patent for the revolving door. Its advantages included moving silently, blocking wind and rain, and allowing high volumes of people to pass through it, in and out.Ā
The technical name for the contraption was a "Storm-Door Structure." The term "Revolving Door" doesn't even appear in the patent. 11 years later, a restaurant in Manhattan called Rector's installed the first revolving door.Ā
###
1929 - Babe Ruth becomes the first and only Major Leaguer to hit grand slams in consecutive games - twice - during his career.Ā
The first was two years earlier.Ā
###
1945 - Japanese officials report the use of a highly destructive bomb over Hiroshima the day before. The U.S. confirmed that the atomic weapon destroyed 60% of the cityās infrastructure and all life in the city of Hiroshima.Ā
###Ā
1970 - The younger brother of imprisoned activist George Jackson busts into a courtroom and demands his release.Ā
The Judge, District Attorney and three jurors are taken hostage.Ā
Jackson and two of his accomplices are killed during the attempted escape, along with the judge. George Jackson would be shot later in August while attempting an escape from San Quentin prison.Ā
###
1992 - The Orlando Magic sign No. 1 draft pick Shaquille OāNeal.Ā
His deal was worth $40 million over seven years; the most lucrative in team history, at the time.Ā
###
2007 - Barry Bonds slugs his 756th home run, beating Hank Aaron's all-time homerun record.Ā
Aaron did it in 3,298 games. Bonds made the record in 2,938.Ā
###
2021 - Kevin Durant earns his third and team USAās fourth consecutive Olympic menās basketball gold medal with an 87-82 win over France in the Tokyo Games.Ā
He scored 29 points in the game.Ā Ā
###
BIRTHDAYS
Jalen Hurts - football player - 25
Kyler Murray - football player - 26
Sasha Calle - actress, āThe Flashā - 28
Dalton Gomez - Ariana Grandeās ex-husband - 28
Mike Trout - baseball player - 32
DeMar DeRozan - basketball player - 34
Sidney Crosby - hockey player - 36
Tina OāBrien - actress, āCoronation Streetā - 40
Charlize Theron - actress, āMonsterā & āMad Max: Fury Roadā - 48
David Mann - actor, āMeet the Brownsā - 57
Maggie Wheeler - actress, āFriendsā - 62
Bruce Dickinson - metal singer, Iron Maiden - 65
Tobin Bell - actor, āSawā films - 81
Born On This Date
Carl Switzer - actor, āOur Gangā - 1927 (d. 1959)
Nathanael Greene - major general during the American Revolutionary War - 1742 (d. 1786)
Elizabeth Bathory - Hungarian countess & worldās most prolific female serial killer - 1560 (d. 1614)
###