8/9/2024: Birthday Suit Bandit!
PLUS: FTX Closure; Remembering Robin Williams; and To the House of Glücksberg
Today is Friday, August 9, 2024.
It is the 222nd day of the year.
144 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
Damning new evidence in the July 13 assassination investigation and more legal woes for DELTA and CROWDSTRIKE. Details in HIT LIST.
Update on the terror plot against Swifties in Vienna in SHOWBIZ.
Another “Yellowstone” spinoff is in the works and CATE BLANCHETT enjoyed her “free sandwiches” while filming “The Lord of the Rings.” Details in CASTING CALL.
YE blames his antisemitic tweets on Hennessy in KARDASH.
Family drama in Norway’s Royal Family in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
The Wall Street Journal on Thursday published bodycam videos from local law enforcement in Butler, Pennsylvania, recorded shortly after the July 13 assassination attempt, in which officers talk to each other about the Secret Service failing to address their concerns about the very building where the shooter positioned himself.
One officer can be heard saying, “I f—ing told them that they needed to post guys f—ing over here…I told them that f—ing Tuesday …. I talked to the Secret Service guys. They’re like, ‘Yeah, no problem. We’re going to post guys over here.’”
Another officer says that the shooter was “creeping people out” and that they had eyes on him throughout the afternoon before the shooting.
Shortly after the shooting, another officer can be heard asking in frustration, “Why were we not on the roof? Why weren’t we?”
Why weren’t they, indeed. [via Wall Street Journal]
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A New York judge has approved a creditor payback program for FTX, the defunct crypto exchange.
Under the order, FTX will pay back $12.7 BILLION to a spate of creditors, including customers, vendors, and the IRS. The order does not specify any civil penalties, most likely because it will not continue as a company once everyone is made whole; not that FTX could if it wanted to, since the order also bans it from trading digital assets or functioning as an exchange.
WORTH NOTING: While the news is welcome relief for everyone, many customers remain rightfully irritated that the Bitcoin holdings they lost when the exchange filed for bankruptcy are now worth more than triple than what they were at the time.
The order ends a monthslong debacle that saw FTX’s founder, SAM BANKMAN-FRIED, sent to prison for 25 years for misusing customer funds and other frauds. Other company executives still await trial for their roles. [via CoinDesk, Morning Martini]
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Another lawsuit related to the CROWDSTRIKE outages – this time by customers against DELTA.
A group of flyers have joined a class action suit alleging the airline didn’t do enough to facilitate refunds and provide accommodations for customers as they awaited new bookings. “Delta’s failure to recover from the CrowdStrike outage left passengers stranded in airports across the country and the world and, in many cases, thousands of miles from home,” the suit says in part.
Delta has announced plans to sue Crowdstrike but has not yet filed paperwork. In a war of words, Crowdstrike says its liability is limited to the single-digit millions, per their agreement with Delta. The airline’s CEO has said their losses have amounted to at least $500 MILLION. [via CNN, Morning Martini]
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An Iowa man faces multiple charges after causing mischief and stealing a car early Tuesday morning in Des Moines – all while buck naked.
Video taken by onlookers shows Tyler Merl Jonsson running through the city’s streets before jumping into the open window of a parked car, with the driver still inside. Johnsson then dives over the driver’s seat and sits down in shotgun position while the stunned driver exits the vehicle.
Then Johnsson slides over behind the wheel and guns it in reverse, knocking the car owner to the ground – he fortunately only sustained minor injuries.
As for Johnsson: he crashed into a tree, giving cops time to catch up with him. He’s been booked into Polk County Jail and faces charges of second-degree theft and driving with a suspended license, though apparently nothing for running around in the buff. [via TMZ]
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TEAM USA OLYMPIC MILESTONES:
NOAH LYLES takes home Bronze in the 200-meter, running the race while having covid.
SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE dominated the women’s 400-meter hurdles, taking home Gold and a World Record
GRANT HOLLOWAY takes Gold in the 110-meter hurdles Thursday, while fellow Team USA runner DANIEL ROBERTS grabbed Silver
Speed climber SAM WESTON broke the world record he set earlier in the week with his Bronze win in the men’s speed climbing small final with a run time of 4.74 seconds.
The men’s basketball team will go for the Gold Saturday, against France, after beating Serbia in a come-from-behind win on Thursday
The women’s volleyball team hopes to win Gold Sunday against Brazil
As of Thursday evening (Central Time), the US has the most Gold medals at 30, followed by China (29) and Australia (18). Most overall medals also goes to Team USA with 103, followed by China (73) and France (54).
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 683 points (1.76%) to close at 39,446 on Thursday. The S&P increased 119 points (2.3%) to close at 5,319 and the NASDAQ added 464 points (2.87%) to close at 16,660.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $76; BRENT CRUDE at $79.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.45 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN surged more than 8% on Thursday, trading back up around $60,000.
🛩 There were more than 6,015 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 165 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $398 million jackpot or a $197.9 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $201 million jackpot or a $100 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music Friday
Amos Lee, “Transmissions”
Big Sean, “Better Me Than You”
J Balvin, “Rayo”
Little Big Town, “Greatest Hits”
Quivers, “Oyster Cuts”
Ravine Lenae, “Bird’s Eye”
Various Artists, “Yo Gabba GabbaLand!” Season 1 Soundtrack”
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More details were released about the alleged plot to attack fans at TAYLOR SWIFT’s Vienna concerts this week.
The two suspects are 19- and 17-years-old; there is also a 15-year-old who may have been privy to the plans, but did not play an active role.
The 19-year-old quit his job in July and told people he had something big planned, while the 17-year-old was reportedly in a downward spiral after a recent breakup.
Cops found a barrel of hydrogen peroxide, 21,000 euros in counterfeit cash and a blue police light at the home of the 19-year-old. They also discovered he had allegedly downloaded bomb-making instructions.
The scariest detail may be how close the 17-year-old got to the target -- getting a job at Ernst Happel Stadium in the days leading up to the trio of performances.
The alleged plan was twofold, with one of the terrorists driving a truck into the crowd outside the venue, while the other one detonated a bomb inside.
The 19-year-old admitted the plot to police, saying it felt morally “right to kill infidels.” All three were reportedly radicalized last month.
Even with the three being detained, Swift’s shows are still a no-go. Her next performance is in London on August 15. [via Vulture]
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COLIN JOST called it quits on covering the Olympics after a string of health-related issues.
As previously reported, Jost was on scene in Tahiti covering the surfing competitions. It was there that he scraped his foot on some coral reef. Things took a turn for the worse when the cuts got infected. He also developed an ear infection too.
Australian weatherman LUKE BRADNAM has taken over Jost’s commentating duties. [via Page Six]
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BLAKE SHELTON is heading to Vegas.
His first Las Vegas residency, “Blake Shelton: Live in Las Vegas,” will take place at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace next year.
The shows will run for two weeks in early February. [via People]
SPEAKING OF VEGAS: R&B singer NEYO, who currently has a residency there, was given a Key to the City by Mayor Carolyn Goodman this week. [via TMZ]
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PAUL MCCARTNEY returned for a stroll across Abbey Road this week, 55 years after crossing with his BEATLES bandmates.
Instead of taking the same pre-dawn walk he took for the “Abbey Road” album cover, McCartney chose to cross under the cover of darkness. He also chose to wear shoes this time around.
One local told The Sun that it was “special to see him recreate that famous walk when the rest of the country was sleeping.”
The walk coincides with a new documentary, titled “Paul McCartney and Wings - One Hand Clapping,” which was announced this week. It offers fans a behind-the-scenes look at their Abbey Road Studios recording session. [via The Sun]
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KELSEA BALLERINI’s fifth studio album, “Patterns,” will be released October 25.
The first single from the album, “Sorry, Mom,” arrives today. [via Billboard]
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CASTING CALL
MICHELLE PFEIFFER will star in “Madison,” a “Yellowstone” spinoff from creator TAYLOR SHERIDAN.
PATRICK J. ADAMS and KURT RUSSELL are rumored to also be part of the cast.
Per the logline, the show is a heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River valley of central Montana. [via Deadline]
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Despite it being one of the highest-grossing franchises, actress CATE BLANCHETT says she got paid nothing for her role in “The Lord of the Rings.”
“No one got paid anything to do that movie,” Blanchett told ANDY COHEN after he incorrectly assumed it was her highest-paying role. When he asked if she “got a piece of the backend” she replied, “No! That was way before any of that.”
“I basically got free sandwiches, and I got to keep my [elf] ears,” Blanchett later quipped.
WORTH NOTING: Actor ORLANDO BLOOM was paid about $175,000 for starring in all three films. [via Variety]
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BEN AFFLECK and MATT DAMON are rumored to be working on a movie about HULK HOGAN's beef with Gawker.
You may recall that Hogan sued Gawker in 2012 for invasion of privacy after the site posted a sex tape of him and the wife of a friend. He was awarded $140 million in 2016 and saw the demise of Gawker.
At the moment, sources say Hogan feels “indifferent” about the movie, but should he feel his privacy is once again being invaded, legal action will be taken. [via TMZ]
MEANWHILE: Hogan was in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin this week promoting his new beer, Real American Beer.
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SALLY FIELD reminisced about the time ROBIN WILLIAMS switched up the filming schedule for “Mrs. Doubtfire” so she could take time off to mourn her father.
Speaking to Vanity Fair about Williams, Field recalled how he prioritized her mental health despite being in the middle of filming the 1993 film.
“[I] came on the set trying with all my might to act” and “wasn’t crying,” but Williams could tell something was up and he “came over, pulled me out of the set and asked, ‘Are you okay?’” After telling him about her father’s passing, Field said Williams urged her to leave and got the crew to “shoot around [her] the rest of the day.”
Despite it being nearly a decade since Williams’ passing, Field says she can still “feel” him around her. [via Vanity Fair]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
CANDACE OWENS released an old interview with YE this week on her “Candace” podcast.
In the interview, Ye admits that he “was drinking” when he posted an antisemitic tweet in 2022. When asked by Owens why he didn’t explain that at the time -- especially in light of those who were trying to cancel him -- Ye said that he didn’t want to be “discredited” because he still holds those comments as his “truth.”
In the since-deleted message, Ye wrote that he was going to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” adding that he “can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew.”
He did later issue an apology for the tweet.
BY THE WAY: Ye’s drink of choice is Hennessy. [via Billboard]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
To the HOUSE OF GLÜCKSBURG in Norway we go – where the heir apparent’s stepson faces criminal charges for an altercation over the weekend.
CROWN PRINCE HAAKON is the heir to the ceremonial throne in Norway. He’s married to PRINCESS METTE-MARIT, who has a son from a previous relationship. He’s MARIUS BORG HOIBY.
Police in Oslo responded to an altercation Sunday night, where they found Hoiby and a woman believed to be the victim of domestic violence. Officials say they do NOT have evidence that she suffered serious injuries in the assault.
Hoiby has no Royal title, no position in the line of succession, or official duties, but he does live with his mother and stepfather and their two children. He was released after being charged on multiple counts. [via CTV News]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
National Book Lovers Day
National Women’s Day
National Coworking Day
Betty Boop Day
Hold Hands Day
National Rice Pudding Day
National Billiards & Pool Day
National Passion Fruit Day
National Veep Day
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ON THIS DATE
1483 - The Sistine Chapel opens for mass.
After nine years of work by some of the most renowned artists and architects in the world, the chapel was finally opened in Vatican City.
It is the official residence of the Pope.
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1831 - The first steam engine in the US takes off.
The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad made its first regular trip between Albany and Schenectady with an engine and three 10-passenger cars, which were stagecoaches mounted on trucks.
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1893 - The first bowling magazine — “Gut Holz” — is published in New York.
The name means “good wood.”
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1945 - The US drops a second atomic bomb, “Fat Boy,” on Nagasaki, Japan, destroying part of the city.
The exact death toll is unknown, but is estimated to be about 75,000.
The first bomb, “Little Boy,” was dropped on Hiroshima three days earlier.
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1965 - Singapore separates from Federation of Malaysia and becomes an independent and sovereign state.
The separation was the result of deep political and economic differences between the ruling parties of Singapore and Malaysia.
The differences led to race riots in July and September 1964.
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1974 - Richard Nixon resigns as President of the United States and Vice President Gerald Ford is sworn in as the 38th President.
Nixon’s resignation comes after his part in the Watergate scandal.
He is the only US President to resign from office.
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2002 - Barry Bonds hits his 600th career home run while playing for the San Francisco Giants.
He had hit his 500th homer in April 2001, making him the fastest player to cover the distance between 500 and 600 career home runs.
Bonds would end his career with a total of 762 home runs; an MLB record that still stands. His godfather, Willie Mays is 6th on the list with 660 home runs.
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2017 - A giant inflatable chicken resembling President Donald Trump is placed outside the White House as part of a political protest.
The 30-foot high bird was erected in Ellipse Park, just south of the White House, by artist and documentary filmmaker Taran Singh Brar.
Trump never saw the giant chicken as he was out of the office that day.
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2020 - Brazil reports over 100,000 COVID-19 deaths — the world’s 2nd highest — and more than 3 million recorded cases.
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BIRTHDAYS
Alexa Bliss - wrestler - 33
Adelaid Kane - actress, “Reign” - 34
Bill Skarsgard - actor, “Hemlock Grove” & “It” - 34
Anna Kendrick - actress, “Pitch Perfect” movies - 39
Vivek Ramaswamy - entrepreneur, author & presidential hopeful - 39
Ashley Johnson - actress, “Growing Pains” - 41
Jessica Capshaw - actress, “Grey’s Anatomy” - 48
Kevin McKidd - actor, “Grey’s Anatomy” - 51
Gillian Anderson - actress “The X-Files” - 56
Deion Sanders - football player - 57
Hoda Kotb - TV show host, “Today” - 60
Michael Kors - fashion designer - 65
Sam Elliott - actor, “The Ranch” - 80
Born On This Date
King Von - rapper - 1994 (d. 2020)
Whitney Houston - R&B singer - 1963 (d. 2012)
Elizabeth Hamilton - First Lady, Alexander Hamilton’s wife - 1757 (d. 1854)
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