Today is Thursday, September 12, 2024.
It is the 256th day of the year.
110 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A Malaysian woman survives an otter-pack attack and a Sacramento family gets spooked by a terrifying prank. Details in HIT LIST.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE scores a big win in his DWI case and HULK HOGAN is seriously worried about MIKE TYSON’s upcoming bout. More in SHOWBIZ.
The final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” gets a premiere date. Details in CASTING CALL.
A veteran actress still thinks KIM can’t act. Find out more in KARDASH.
New details about the KING and QUEEN’s upcoming trip to Australia. Details in ROYALS
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HIT LIST
HERE WE GO AGAIN: With 54 days to go until Election Day, two industry groups for voting administration sent an open letter to the Postmaster General, warning inefficient mail systems disenfranchised voters during the primary process.
The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors sent a letter on behalf of election administrators in all 50 states that they received ballots postmarked before the voting deadline that were returned well after the counting deadline. In some cases, they arrived after the three-to-five days the USPS promises for first-class mail.
The timing of the letter coincided with early voting in Alabama, where the first absentee ballots in the nation went out on Wednesday for the general election.
BUT WAIT: Reps for the Postal Service said in 2020, 98% of ballots were returned on time and 99% were on time in ‘22.
BUT ALSO WAIT: With such slim margins in battleground states, every vote and every hour matters.
AND WORTH NOTING: None of this would be a problem with a national voting holiday and mandatory in-person voting with identification. [via Associated Press]
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SPOOKY SEASON: A Sacramento family is looking for answers after they found a severed pig’s head on their doorstep Monday morning.
They’re intentionally asking not to be identified by name, but tell local media, “It’s kind of intimidating, disturbing, and a bit frightening,” the Man of the House said. Uh, yeah.
“The head was positioned pointing to the door, and it had a nail on its nose, with what looked like blood all over it,” he added. The couple called the police after they made the shocking discovery.
Both police and animal control responded to look into it — the investigation is ongoing. [via KCRA]
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No one was injured after a Carnival Spirit cruise ship impacted an iceberg last week off the coast of Alaska.
Fortunately, the ship sustained no damage, either. A rep for the cruise line downplayed the accident, saying the ship hit an “errant piece of ice.” It’s likely the incident would’ve gone entirely unnoticed were it not for social media videos about the mishap. One cruiser who witnessed it ominously called the crash a “Titanic moment.”
The worst of it appears to have been the delays that were caused to investigate any damage. [via CNN]
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MOVE OVER, OZEMPIC: A Danish pharmaceutical company has presented a new pill to combat obesity at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Madrid.
In a 12-week study of 124 overweight participants, those who took a single dose lost 10.4% of their body weight. Participants who took twice-daily pills lost 13.1% of their body weight. By comparison, the placebo group lost just 1.1% of their body weight.
The daily pill suppresses hunger hormones in a way similar to Ozempic — but is more convenient in pill form.
BUT WAIT: The most common side effect reported was gastrointestinal discomfort leading to nausea and vomiting — so it’s hard to eat when all you want to do is throw up. Pick your poison. [via StudyFinds]
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A Malaysian woman was left bloody and battered after being attacked by a group of otters while out jogging.
According to fellow park goers, eight wild otters surrounded the 40-year-old woman and started biting her legs. She also suffered cuts and scrapes to her hands and face while trying to get the animals off of her. The pack eventually scurried off to another area of the park, seemingly in search of food.
Wildlife officials blame the attack on people feeding the animals.
The woman is the second victim of the crazed otter pack in the park. [via Telegraph]
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 124 points (0.31%) to close at 40,861 on Wednesday. The S&P increased 58 points (1.07%) to close at 5,554 and the NASDAQ increased 369 points (2.17%) to close at 17,395.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $67; BRENT CRUDE at $70.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.25 on Wednesday.
₿ BITCOIN climbed on Wednesday, trading around $57,600.
🛩 There were more than 2,050 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Wednesday and more than 300 such cancellations.
💰A Texas resident won the $800 million jackpot in Tuesday night’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing. The winner also has the option of the $404.2 million cash payout. Friday night’s drawing will be for a $20 million jackpot or a $10.1 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
MEGAN THEE STALLION hosted last night’s MTV Video Music Awards show, live from the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.
TAYLOR SWIFT was up for the most awards of the night with 12 nominations, followed by POST MALONE who landed nine.
KATY PERRY received the Video Vanguard Award.
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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE made a deal in his DWI case. He won’t be charged with drunk driving and will only have to pay a $300-$500 fine for a traffic violation.
JT was pulled over in June after a police officer witnessed him blow through a stop sign. During the traffic stop the officer found the singer to be highly inebriated, and placed him under arrest.
While JT claims he only had “one martini,” others gave conflicting reports over how much he drank that night before getting behind the wheel.
WORTH ASKING: Is anyone even surprised by the slap on the wrist? [via NY Post]
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Just hours after FOO FIGHTERS rocker DAVID GROHL revealed he fathered a daughter with a woman who isn’t his wife, his teenage daughters deactivated their social media accounts.
ALSO: Grohl reportedly contacted a divorce attorney prior to the announcement. No word on whether or not he will have to use them. [via Page Six]
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After sharing his thoughts on LINKIN PARK’s new lead singer, JAMIE BENNINGTON, son of the late CHESTER BENNINGTON, says he is getting death threats.
“You don’t know what your dad would think,” one person wrote him, while another suggested he “kill” himself over his opinion. The latter comment is especially insensitive as Chester died by suicide in 2017.
Jamie says things have gotten so heated that he is afraid to interact with his dad’s fans. [via Deadline]
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BRITNEY SPEARS’ youngest son turns 18 today, which means her child support payments to ex-husband KEVIN FEDERLINE are done.
In total, she has paid over $5 million for both boys over the past 17 years, something insiders say Federline will miss as it is assumed those paychecks also went to funding his lavish lifestyle.
As for her son’s birthday, the Daily Mail reports that Spears plans to “get him a gift that is more expensive than anything his father could afford.” [via Daily Mail]
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KEVIN SPACEY wants $100,000 to move out of a Baltimore home, despite not owning the place anymore.
The five-floor condo sold at a foreclosure auction in July after the actor fell behind on payments. The place was bought by real estate investor Sam Asgari (not to be confused with Britney’s ex-husband Sam Asghari), who claims Spacey is refusing to leave.
Technically, what he’s doing can’t be considered squatting as after a foreclosure auction the courts must approve the sale before the highest bidder can officially sign the deed. That process can take months, during which the former homeowner can remain on the property.
The buyer can make a “cash-for-keys” offer for the owner to leave quickly, which Asgari said he did, offering Spacey $50,000 if he left by this weekend. The offer was countered by the actor’s camp saying if he could stay until February he would leave peacefully. [via NY Post]
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There is no more bad blood between ANDY COHEN and RYAN SEACREST.
The two were chatting on a recent episode of Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live,” along with Seacrest’s “Wheel of Fortune” partner VANNA WHITE, when a fan asked about their years-long feud.
Cohen admitted that he couldn’t even remember what started the drama, while assuring fans that all is well now.
Perhaps things turned sour when Cohen called Seacrest and other rival New Year’s Eve presenters a “group of losers” in 2021. [via TMZ]
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HULK HOGAN is worried that JAKE PAUL will seriously injure MIKE TYSON -- or worse -- when the two enter the boxing ring this November.
The 71-year-old WWE legend appeared on Paul’s brother, LOGAN PAUL’s, podcast this week, saying, “Your brother is strong [...] I love Mike to death. I don’t want him to kill Mike.”
At 58, Tyson is 31 years older than Jake.
The match is set for November 15. [via Daily Mail]
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CASTING CALL
Filming on the sixth and final season of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” is currently underway.
It is expected to premiere next spring.
Season 5 wrapped in 2022. [via The Mirror]
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JUDD APATOW and STEVEN SPIELBERG are set to helm a new project focusing on the battle for soda supremacy between rivals, Pepsi and Coke, called “Cola Wars.”
The film is still in its initial stages of development at Sony.
No word where it will land. [via THR]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
Actress PATTI LUPONE still thinks that KIM KARDASHIAN should leave acting to the professionals.
“There’s just some things people can’t do, and you just gotta admit you can’t do it. That’s all,” she stated on a recent episode of “Hot Ones Versus.”
“Everybody can’t do everything,” she continued, “like Kim [effing] Kardashian, OK? Can we go there?”
The sentiment is the same one LuPone shared last year following reports that Kim would star in “American Horror Story: Delicate.” At the time, she said the role should have gone to a “seasoned actor.”
MEANWHILE: Kim’s next acting gig will be playing a successful divorce lawyer and owner of an all-female law firm” in an upcoming -- and not-yet-titled -- Hulu series. [via Page Six]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
In a sign that KING CHARLES’ cancer treatment is going well, the official schedule for the King and QUEEN CAMILLA’s upcoming tour of Australia next month shows jam-packed days of events.
Some days include ten engagements, keeping the monarchs on a blistering pace.
The King did cancel a stop in New Zealand on the advice of doctors in order to avoid taxing himself, as he is currently undergoing weekly chemotherapy treatments. No word if those treatments will continue during the tour.
He has not publicly disclosed his form of cancer. [via DailyMail]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
World Dolphin Day
Gym Day
National Chocolate Milkshake Day
National Police Woman Day
National Day of Encouragement
National Video Games Day
Programmers Day
National School Picture Day
R U OK? Day
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ON THIS DATE
1609 - After discovering the mouth of a wondrous new river the day before, explorer Henry Hudson sails into it.
He was in search of the Northwest Passage, a secret route across North America that might lead to the Far East.
Today that river is known as the Hudson River.
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1777 - The Continental Congress receives word that George Washington and his troops have been soundly defeated at Brandywine. 1,100 Continental soldiers died. 600 Brits lost their lives.
In order to rally the young army, the delegates dispatched correspondence to their newly-found states, encouraging citizens to send reinforcements.
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1848 - A war between Swiss Catholics and Protestants that resulted in 100 casualties culminates with the signing of a new constitution. The riots were also the last armed conflict to happen on Swiss territory.
The constitution established Switzerland as a federal state and drew parameters for Swiss citizenship. It formalized the relationship between the 26 independent states that were bound by political treaties and often functioned as a singular political unit.
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1885 - The record is set for the biggest blowout ever in professional soccer.
Arbroath scored 36 goals against Bon Accord, which managed none in the 1885 Scottish Cup. Everyone saw it coming.
Bon Accord was actually a cricket club that had entered the wrong tournament. But rules stipulated that any organization could enter.
By some accounts the Arbroath goaltender spent the entire game under an umbrella, trying to stay warm in the rain.
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1942 - German U-Boat 156 fires on the British troop carrier Laconia.
German Captain Werner Hartenstein was soon informed by the survivors he picked up that Italian POWs were on board. Hartenstein called for aid from nearby Axis ships.
Allied vessels sped to the rescue. Though the German sub insisted they had surfaced for humanitarian reasons, the Allies suspected a trap. A B-24 raid on the U-Boat caused it to immediately submerge. 1,400 drowned.
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1984 - Rookie Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden throws his 246th strikeout of the season, setting the record for the most by a rookie.
He would ultimately throw 276 for the season, and still holds the record.
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2005 - The first Disneyland in Hong Kong opens in Penny’s Bay.
Its four themed areas are Main Street, U.S.A.; Fantasyland; Adventureland; and Tomorrowland.
It’s the smallest of all Disneyland parks, able to hold no more than 34,000 visitors a day.
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2018 - The oldest known human drawing is discovered in Blombos Cave, South Africa.
The hash-tag-like abstract drawing with red ochre is believed to be more than 73,000 years old.
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BIRTHDAYS
Sydney Sweeney - actress, “Euphoria” - 27
Colin Ford - actor, “We Bought a Zoo” - 28
Kelsea Ballerini - country singer - 31
Freddie Freeman - baseball player - 35
Emmy Rossum - actress, “Shameless” - 38
Jennifer Hudson - pop singer - 43
Yao Ming - basketball player - 44
Ben McKenzie - actor, “Gotham” - 46
2 Chainz - rapper - 47
Louis CK - comedian - 57
Born On This Date
Paul Walker - actor, “The Fast and the Furious” movies - 1973 (d. 2013)
Barry White - R&B singer - 1944 (d. 2003)
George Jones - country singer - 1931 (d. 2013)
Jesse Owens - Olympic runner - 1913 (d. 1980)
Richard Jordan Gatling - invented the Gatling Gun - 1818 (d. 1903)
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