Today is Wednesday, August 7, 2024.
It is the 220th day of the year.
146 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A western state dominates the best places to live and the Red Cross needs your blood. Details in HIT LIST.
Several follow up stories in SHOWBIZ.
“House of the Dragon” has two seasons left. Details in CASTING CALL.
KIM seeks a restraining order against a new stalker. More in KARDASH.
The Royal Family has a weird connection to a quiet Midwestern town. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
At least twenty-four, 70-pound bricks of blow washed up in the Florida Keys on Monday after Hurricane Debby made landfall. The drugs have a street value north of $1 MILLION.
A visitor to the beach alerted authorities after finding a trash bag full of cocaine. Each brick contains a glowing red symbol on a black background taped to it.
A bit of internet sleuthing suggests the logo is a knockoff of Barcelona-based electric vehicle company CUPRA. It’s most likely some drug ring just knocked off the emblem – but also interesting to note that drug cartels appear to be leaning into branding their products like any other organization. [via New York Post, Morning Martini]
MEANWHILE, IN MICHIGAN: A 42-year-old Canadian national was busted last week for trying to bring 266 pounds of cocaine into the United States over the Blue Water Bridge, the crossing point at the southern tip of Lake Huron. His bond has been set at $3 MILLION. [via Click On Detroit]
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Americans have never had more credit card debt, the New York Fed reports.
In the second quarter of the year, aggregate balances rose by $27 BILLION, totalling $1.14 TRILLION.
In the same timeframe, Americans took out $374 BILLION in new mortgage debt. By contrast, during the hot housing markets of 2021 and 2022, that number typically exceeded ONE TRILLION DOLLARS every quarter. [via New York Fed]
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A Consumer Affairs study ranks Utah as the best state to move to in 2024.
The research examined five principal categories: affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety.
Utah’s low property tax and high median household income, around $79,500 a year, helped it earn the top spot.
At the bottom: West Coast gem California. [via Consumer Affairs]
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The Red Cross needs your blood.
Warm temperatures in July caused low turnouts at more than 100 blood drives scheduled across the country last month. The organization says its national supply has dwindled by 25% since July 1, after it received 19,000 fewer donations than its target.
To help encourage donations, people who give blood between now and the end of the month will go home with a $20 Amazon gift card. [via NBC News]
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A polite thief left an apology note at one of the San Fernando businesses he ransacked last week.
“Sorry! Need $ for drugs, won’t come back” the yellow post-it note read.
While the apology is nice, the business owner isn’t ready to let it slide, saying the guy left behind broken glass, trashed the cash register and threw coins all over the place.
The burglary is just one in a slew of break-ins in the area, which police think are all being committed by the same person. [via ABC7]
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DEATHS
Actor CHARLES CYPHERS has died.
He passed away Sunday in Tucson, Arizona after a brief illness. No further details were shared.
Cyphers is best known for his role as Sheriff Leigh Brackett in the “Halloween” franchise.
He was 85.
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Baseball player BILLY BEAN has died.
He passed away Tuesday after a yearlong fight with acute myeloid leukemia.
Bean was drafted by the Yankees but spent most of his MLB career with the Tigers, Padres, and Dodgers. After retiring, he returned to the league as the first Ambassador for Inclusion in 2014.
He was only 60.
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Actress PATTI YASUTAKE has died.
She passed away on August 5 after a long battle with cancer.
Yasutake is best known for her roles in “Beef” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
She was 70.
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BABY NEWS
BARBARA PIERCE BUSH welcomed her second child with husband, actor CRAIG COYNE.
Proud grandpa, former President GEORGE W. BUSH, shared the news on Instagram, announcing the birth of grandson Edward Finn.
Bush and Coyne are also parents to 2-year-old daughter Cora.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW added 294 points (0.76%) to close at 38,997 on Tuesday. The S&P increased 53 points (1.04%) to close at 5,240 and the NASDAQ increased 166 points (1.03%) to close at 16,366.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $73; BRENT CRUDE at $76.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.46 on Tuesday.
₿ BITCOIN rebounded Tuesday, up over 4.5% and trading around $56,400.
🛩 There were more than 4,350 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Tuesday and more than 1,020 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $185 million jackpot or a $92.1 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
FOLLOW UP: TMZ reports the ZAC EFRON’s pool scare was because of some swallowed water.
Insiders told the outlet that Efron dove into the water, hit the bottom of the pool and ingested a significant amount of water -- enough to cause him distress and needing to be helped.
He was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, but a chest x-ray showed his lungs free of any water and he was released. He is now home and healthy. [via TMZ]
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FOLLOW UP: The Peninsula Paris responded to SERENA WILLIAMS’ accusation, claiming it never denied her service.
Remember, Williams took to X to blast the hotel for allegedly denying her entry despite the place being “empty.”
In response, the hotel apologized for the confusion, explaining that the rooftop bar Williams asked to sit at was already fully booked and the unoccupied tables were actually reserved. [via X]
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FOLLOW UP: Newly released documents from JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE’s DUI arrest state that he verbally refused a Breathalyzer test three times, smelled of alcohol, had glassy eyes, divided attention and was unsteady on his feet. The latter of those -- specifically his “very unbalanced” walk-and-turn test -- was the final straw for the arresting officer.
The docs also list items JT had on him at the time of his arrest, including a Rolex watch, black vape pen, gold ring and $300 in cash.
A very different picture of the incident was painted by JT’s attorney at the August 2 arraignment, during which a judge suspended his driver’s license for refusing to take a Breathalyzer test. No word on how long he’s without. [via Daily Mail]
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BENNIFER SAGA: Page Six reports that JENNIFER LOPEZ is “furious” and “humiliated” over the rumors that BEN AFFLECK is allegedly holding off filing for divorce to spare her more embarrassment.
“He has humiliated her. He was the one who initiated getting back together,” a source told the outlet.
Ben and Jen rekindled things in July 2021. They tied the knot (twice!) in the summer of 2022.
WORTH ASKING: Couldn’t JLo file?
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HARRISON BUTKER is now the highest-paid kicker in the NFL after agreeing to a $25.6 million contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The extension comes just months after Butker faced blowback following a speech he gave at Benedictine College, in which he shared his views on the LGBTQ community, abortion and women being fulfilled as homemakers. [via Bleacher Report]
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JANET JACKSON is reportedly in the final stages of securing another Las Vegas residency, starting in December.
Her last Vegas stint was in 2019 at the MGM.
Jackson is currently on her “Together Again” tour, which is heading to Europe at the end of next month. [via Vibe]
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CELEBS, THEY’RE JUST LIKE US: Actress BLAKE LIVELY says she really struggles being a working mom.
“When you’re working, sometimes you feel guilty for, you know, not being in your personal life in those hours you’re at work. And then when you’re at work, you feel guilty by being distracted by wishing you were at your personal life,” she recently told ET.
To help alleviate some of the “mom guilt,” Lively said she and husband, fellow actor RYAN REYNOLDS long ago agreed “not to work at the same time.”
The couple share four daughters, 9-year-old James, 7-year-old Inez, 4-year-old Betty and 1-year-old Olin.
Lively’s newest film, “It Ends With Us,” hits theaters this Friday. [via ET]
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While chatting with DENISE RICHARDS on her “misSPELLING” podcast, TORI SPELLING recapped the time CHARLIE SHEEN offered her a “hot crack pipe.”
Sheen, who was previously married to Richards, lived in the same building as Spelling years, and years, and years ago, and one night, she and a friend decided to go visit him.
Before even being allowed into this condo, Spelling says Sheen offered her a “hot crack pipe,” which she politely declined. From there, she says the place was “very dark” -- the only light coming from people “smoking.” Spelling said Sheen later took her on a tour of his place, which she says included some “ladies of the night.”
Sheen’s alcohol- and drug-fueled past is no secret, but last December he revealed he was six years sober. [via Page Six]
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CASTING CALL
HBO’s “House of the Dragon” will end with Season 4.
The news comes on the heels of the Season 2 finale, which was met with mixed reviews from fans.
Season 3 is currently being written and will head into production “earlyish 2025.” [via Variety]
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DAN and EUGENE LEVY are in talks to host the 2024 Emmy Awards on ABC.
Should the duo land the hosting gig, it will come four years after they made history as the first father-son pair to win Emmys in the same year.
The 76th Emmy Awards will air live from the Peacock Theater on September 15. [via Deadline]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN and her “American Horror Story” co-star EMMA ROBERTS share a stalker.
The reality star recently asked for a restraining order against Melvin Jeffrey Conley, after Roberts said he broke into her home and talked about his intentions to find Kardashian and her kids.
The day after Conley entered Roberts’ home, he found himself at KRIS JENNER’s house, which he believed belonged to Kardashian. When questioned, Conley stated he was Kardashian’s “long-time manager” and a player with the Toronto Raptors. Last month, he tried to gain access to Kardashian’s Malibu pad, but his attempt was thwarted by security.
Kardashian says Conley’s efforts cause her great “worry, concern and severe emotional distress.”
Roberts obtained a five-year restraining order against the guy earlier this summer. [via TMZ]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Here’s a weird connection that a Midwestern gem has to the Royal Family.
The DailyMail reports that PRINCESS BEATRICE’s stepson is spending the summer in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, with his mother.
DARA HUANG shares 8-year-old son Christopher with EDOARDO MAPELLI MOZZI. Mozzi is currently married to Beatrice, the daughter of PRINCE ANDREW and niece of KING CHARLES.
Huang shared some Instagram pics living it up this summer with her son in what appears to be a luxury lake house in the quiet Midwestern town. One pic shows the mother-and-son duo in front of local favorite spot the Kiltie Drive-In.
Huang is a well-known designer and architect who has worked for the Four Seasons hotels and consults with celebrity clients like MARGOT ROBBIE. [via DailyMail]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
Purple Heart Day
Regatta Day
Professional Speakers Day
National Sea Serpent Day
National Raspberries n’ Cream Day
National Psychiatric Technician Appreciation Day
National Opportunity Day
Professional Engineers Day
Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day
National Lighthouse Day
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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.
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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."
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.
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1789 - Congress creates the Department of War, whose Secretary would oversee all military operations until the creation of the Navy Department nine years later.
All branches of the military were eventually rolled into the Defense Department in 1949.
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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.
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.
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1929 - Babe Ruth becomes the first and only Major Leaguer to hit grand slams in consecutive games - twice - during his career.
The first was two years earlier.
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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 city’s infrastructure and all life in the city of Hiroshima.
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1970 - The younger brother of imprisoned activist George Jackson busts into a courtroom and demands his release.
The Judge, District Attorney and three jurors are taken hostage.
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.
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1992 - The Orlando Magic sign No. 1 draft pick Shaquille O’Neal.
His deal was worth $40 million over seven years; the most lucrative in team history, at the time.
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2007 - Barry Bonds slugs his 756th home run, beating Hank Aaron's all-time homerun record.
Aaron did it in 3,298 games. Bonds made the record in 2,938.
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2021 - Kevin Durant earns his third and team USA’s fourth consecutive Olympic men’s basketball gold medal with an 87-82 win over France in the Tokyo Games.
He scored 29 points in the game.
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BIRTHDAYS
Jalen Hurts - football player - 26
Kyler Murray - football player - 27
Brett Gray - actor, “On My Block” - 28
Mike Trout - baseball player - 33
DeMar DeRozan - basketball player - 35
Michael Blaustein - comedian - 36
Sidney Crosby - hockey player - 37
Charlize Theron - actress, “Monster” & “Young Adult” - 49
Michael Shannon - actor, “Nocturnal Animals” - 50
Wayne Knight - actor, “Seinfeld” - 69
Robert Mueller - FBI director - 80
Tobin Bell - actor, “Saw” films - 82
Born On This Date
Carl Switzer - actor, “Our Gang” - 1927 (d. 1959)
Elizabeth Bathory - Hungarian serial killer - 1560 (d. 1614)
Constantius II - Roman Emperor - 317 AD (d. 361 AD)
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