9/1/2023: Where’s the Beef? 🥩
Discover more from Morning Martini
9/1/2023: Where’s the Beef? 🥩
PLUS: Railway Expansion; People’s Fund of Maui; and Andrew at a Distance
Today is Friday, September 1, 2023.
It is the 244th day of the year.
121 days remain.
PROGRAMMING NOTE
There will be no newsletter on Monday, September 4, in observance of Labor Day.
###
WHAT’S ON TAP
High interest rates and relentless inflation are hitting more Americans’ monthly budgets and a bull rides shotgun. More in HIT LIST.
ELLEN DEGENERES is alive and well and SAM ASGHARI has unfollowed BRITNEY SPEARS on Instagram. More in SHOWBIZ.
TAYLOR SWIFT’s “Eras Tour” is heading to the big screen. More in CASTING CALL.
KIM KARDASHIAN is concerned about YE. More in KARDASH.
How to interpret PRINCE ANDREW’s public appearances in ROYALS.
###
HIT LIST
Nearly two-thirds of Americans don’t have the financial resources to survive beyond their next paycheck.
A study by LendingClub reveals 61% of Americans say they’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, a 2-point increase over last year.
IT GETS WORSE: A CNBC survey shows less than half of Americans have any kind of emergency fund, and of those, one-in-four have less than $5,000 saved. [via CNBC]
###
The only private passenger railroad company in America is expanding its operations – in Florida.
BRIGHTLINE is opening train service between Orlando and Miami, where a trip will take about three hours. A car trip would take about four hours.
If the program goes well, Brightline has plans to open a rail line connecting Las Vegas and Southern California by 2028, where its trains would travel at speeds up to 186 miles per hour.
WORTH NOTING: By opening the facility in Orlando, Brightline’s passenger station will be the first station not built by Amtrak in forty years. [via Washington Post]
###
Half of the beef consumed in a given day in America is done so by just 12% of the population, according to research out of Tulane University.
Of that 12%, most are men between the ages of 50 and 65.
About a third of that beef came from standalone cuts like steak or brisket, and the rest was part of a larger recipe, like burgers, tacos, or in spaghetti sauce. [via Tulane University]
###
Brothel workers from Bella’s Hacienda Ranch, located in Wells, Nevada, feel so bad for the sexually deprived residents of Utah that they have decided to offer them a sweet deal.
After a new law was passed this year, requiring age verification for all porn sites in the state, Madam Bella Cummins (yes that’s her name) told the NY Post that Utah is now the “nation’s most sexually repressed state.”
In an effort to aid those “yearning” to “explore their desires with non-judgemental sex workers,” Cummins has announced that anyone visiting her brothel with a Utah ID will enjoy a 10% discount on “all sensual services.” [via NY Post]
###
A Nebraska man was pulled over for riding down Highway 275 with a massive Watusi bull in the passenger seat.
Photos of the bull -- named Howdy Doody -- showed him riding shotgun in the compact car with the upper half of its body sticking out of the top, where half the roof and windshield had been removed. The passenger door had also been replaced with a cattle gate.
Instead of issuing a slew of fines, responding officers decided to give the man some warnings and told him to take the animal back home. [via News Channel Nebraska]
###
BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW lost 168 points (0.48%) to close at 34,721 on Thursday. The S&P lost 7 points (0.16%) to close at 4,507 and the NASDAQ added 15 points (0.11%) to close at 14,034.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $83; BRENT CRUDE at $86.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.82 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN fell more than 4.5% on Thursday, trading right around $26,000.
🛩 There were more than 2,565 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 210 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for an $85 million jackpot or a $41.2 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $420 million jackpot or a $202.1 million cash payout.
SHOWBIZ NEWS
These albums drop today:
Ama Lou, “I Came Home Late”
Doja Cat, “Demons”
Escape The Fate, “Out Of The Shadows”
Lil Wayne, “Kat Food”
Nelly Furtado, “KEEP GOING UP”
Nicki Minaj, “Last Time I Saw You”
The Paper Kites, “At the Roadhouse”
Polaris, “Fatalism”
Pretenders, “Relentless”
Slowdive, “everything is alive”
The 1975, “The 1975 (10th Anniversary)”
###
OLIVER ANTHONY surprised fans when he took the stage at JOE ROGAN’s Texas comedy club, The Comedy Mothership, this week.
No videos of the performance have leaked since Rogan has a “no cellphone policy” at the club.
Anthony’s hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” remains on top of Billboard’s Hot 100. [via Whiskey Riff]
ALSO: The surprise performance comes just after Anthony appeared on Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” where he detailed how he had “given his life to the Lord” a month before he unexpectedly shot to fame. [via Christian Post]
###
ELLEN DEGENERES is alive and well.
The former talk show host is the latest victim in a string of online death hoaxes.
News of her passing broke late Wednesday on X (formerly Twitter), though it was quickly revealed to be fake after pictures of DeGeneres out and about in Montecito surfaced.
The hoax comes just days after “Bachelorette” alum JOSH SEITER was reported dead -- though it took nearly a day for that hoax to be revealed. [via Daily Mail]
###
50 CENT is now being investigated for felony battery after a fan was hit by a microphone he threw during his show at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.
According to those who were there, the rapper got frustrated after being handed several mics that didn’t work and hurled one into the crowd, hitting a woman right on the forehead.
People from 50’s camp told TMZ that the woman wasn’t supposed to be in the restricted area where he tossed the mic and that he “would never intentionally strike anyone with a microphone.”
The woman claims he looked directly at her before chucking the mic. [via TMZ]
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF: Remember, CARDI B faced criminal charges after throwing a mic at a fan who tossed a drink at her during a Vegas show. She was eventually cleared in the incident.
###
BRITNEY SPEARS’ latest Instagram clip appears to be a jab at her sister, JAMIE LYNN SPEARS.
“In Mexico now !!! When your sister says ‘I love her to DEATH’...you learn to start living !!!!,” she captioned a video of her twirling around. The quote is in reference to a comment Jamie Lynn made about their strained relationship earlier this year.
As for whether or not SAM ASGHARI is keeping up with all of Brit’s shenanigans, as of at least Wednesday, he no longer follows her on social media. She is still following him, though. [via Instagram]
###
ANDERSON COOPER wants all memories of MADONNA spanking and humping him on stage to be erased from existence.
Speaking to KELLY RIPA on her “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast, the journalist said that he is still “mortified” about the 2015 incident, saying he had no idea Madonna was going to grind on him and then hand him a banana in front of thousands at the Barclays Center.
Madonna previously addressed the awkward encounter during a 2017 episode of “Live With Kelly and Ryan,” saying she was confused by Anderson’s awkward dancing because she has seen him bust a move in the club. [via Page Six]
###
DWAYNE “The Rock” JOHNSON and OPRAH WINFREY have launched the People’s Fund of Maui to support those who have been affected by the devastating fires.
The pair announced the $10 million fund on Thursday, explaining that those who need it can receive $1,200 a month as they figure out how to reestablish what has been lost. [via Instagram]
###
CASTING CALL
TAYLOR SWIFT’s “Eras Tour” is heading to the big screen.
Her entire three-plus hour show will be featured in the film, which is set to hit theaters on Friday, October 13 -- Swift’s lucky number.
The flick will air at least four times a day at every AMC location in the US, as well as big theaters in Canada and Mexico.
Tickets go for about $20 a piece for adults and $13 for kids and seniors.
SPEAKING OF TICKETS: Just hours after the project was announced on Thursday morning ticket presales were already at $10 MILLION. [via Deadline]
WORTH ASKING: Is T-Swift going to single-handedly fix the economy?
###
Rumor is…LEVAR BURTON will be the face of a new game show based on the Trivial Pursuit board game.
Sources from the CW told TMZ that producers and Burton have been in talks for a while and the two are close to locking in terms on a deal for him to not only host, but also serve as executive producer.
Remember, Burton was said to be in the running to succeed ALEX TREBEK on “Jeopardy!” though some Sony bigwigs were not convinced he was the right choice. [via TMZ]
###
“Friends” fans are hitting back at longtime producer James Burrows, who recently said it was “a struggle” to work with actress HELEN BAXENDALE, who played Ross’ wife Emily, because she simply “wasn’t funny.”
Most fans were quick to defend Baxendale, but a few appeared to agree with Burrows, with one commenting, “She was awful. I don’t like those episodes at all…she was annoying af…Emily [effing] sucked. Her storyline was GARBAGE.”
As for her own thoughts about being on the show, Baxendale said that she is “proud” to have been on the show. [via Daily Mail]
###
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
KIM KARDASHIAN is “worried” and “embarrassed” by ex-husband YE and his recent outings with wife BIANCA CENSORI.
An insider told The Sun that the mom-of-four believes “something isn’t right” with the rapper and she is concerned about how she will explain his behavior to their kids.
As previously reported, Ye and Censori have caught the ire of Venice residents as they repeatedly stroll through the city barefoot. Censori’s scantily clad outfits have also sparked calls for the couple to be arrested for indecent exposure.
Most recently, Ye’s butt caught the attention of passersby as he sat with Censori on a water taxi. [via The Sun]
###
WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Even as PRINCE ANDREW has publicly joined his family during their summer retreat to Balmoral, insiders say there’s no chance he’ll formally take on a working role again in the future.
KING CHARLES is “absolutely resolute” about keeping his brother outside the inner circle and there’s “no possibility” of reconciling that.
The King is, however, committed to helping Andrew as a member of his family, but is also protecting the monarchy from further scandal. [via DailyMail]
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
National Lazy Mom’s Day
National Cherry Popover Day
Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day
Bring Your Manners To Work Day
National Chicken Boy Day
National Tofu Day
National College Colors Day
World Letter Writing Day
Ginger Cat Appreciation Day
National Emma M. Nutt Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1715 - France's King Louis XIV croaks after 72 years on the throne. His lengthy reign makes him one of the longest-serving European monarchs ever.
Louis reportedly died of gangrene. Having outlived his son, Louis XIV's grandson became the new ruler.
He was only 5 years old, and attendants of the court oversaw important government affairs.
###
1804 - German astronomer Karl L. Harding discovers the Juno asteroid.
He named it after the Roman goddess of the same name.
It's one of the largest celestial bodies in the solar system's asteroid belt, which orbits around the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
At one-point Juno was designated a planet, but as technological advances improved astronomical research, it was concluded the celestial object was too small.
###
1894 - The city of Hinckley, Minnesota is destroyed by a freak forest fire that claimed up to 800 lives.
The area was especially prone to a spontaneous blaze. The nearby forest had been picked clean by loggers, who left branches and leaves on the forest floor. Hinckley had also recently endured a 2-month drought.
Those who survived either hid in wells, took refuge in a nearby river, or escaped in trains that were leaving before the fire reached the town.
###
1939 - Nazi tanks and troops roll into Poland in the first invasion of Hitler’s attempted European conquest.
Not coincidentally, George C. Marshall became the Chief of Staff of the US Army that day. He quickly grew and expanded forces as America anticipated war in Europe.
On September 3rd, European allies France and England would declare war on Germany.
###
1974 - The SR-71 Blackbird experimental aircraft zips from London to New York in under two hours.
The line of supersonic jets was decommissioned in 1998. The remaining planes are on display in various spots around the country.
###
1979 - Pioneer 11 is the first spacecraft to encounter Saturn, and enters orbit 13,000 miles above the planet’s surface.
The probe discovered many of the gas giant's moons, and came within 2,500 miles of one -- that's a razor-thin margin by astronomical standards.
The satellite also scouted the planet for the approaching Voyager probes, which were at the time surveying Jupiter.
###
1985 - An expedition helmed by Robert Ballard finds the Titanic 2.5 miles below the ocean surface.
Further study concluded that the ship had indeed split in half before sinking, contrary to the findings of British and American investigations.
Since its discovery, some 5,500 artifacts have been recovered and put on display.
###
2018 - A memorial service for John McCain is held at the Washington National Cathedral.
His daughter Meghan McCain, Barack Obama and George W. Bush took turns speaking about the late Senator.
McCain passed away on August 25 at the age of 81. He was diagnosed with brain cancer the year prior.
###
BIRTHDAYS
Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr - daughter of Serena Williams - 6
Jungkook - pop singer, BTS - 26
Zendaya - actress, “Euphoria” - 27
Carlos Sainz Jr - race car driver - 29
Megan Nicole - pop singer - 30
Lilan Bowden - actress, “Andi Mack” - 38
Joe Trohman - guitarist, Fall Out Boy - 39
Coyote Peterson - TV show host, “Breaking Trail” - 42
Gloria Estefan - pop singer - 66
Dr. Phil - TV show host, “The Dr. Phil Show” - 73
Barry Gibb - rock singer, Bee Gees - 77
Lily Tomlin - actress, “Grace and Frankie” - 84
Born On This Date
Conway Twitty - country - 1933 (d. 1993)
Mark Hopkins - business tycoon, Central Pacific Railroad - 1813 (d. 1878)
James Gordon Bennett - publisher, New York Herald - 1795 (d. 1872)
###