Today is Friday, September 20, 2024.
It is the 264th day of the year.
102 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
A zoo in China fesses up to painting panda pups and a luxury yacht sinks after a fire. Details in HIT LIST.
PHARRELL doesn’t “do politics” and ERIC ROBERTS apologizes for past comments. More in SHOWBIZ.
The first slew of hosts and musical guests for Season 50 of “SNL” are announced in CASTING CALL.
Do YE’s in-laws finally approve of him? Find out in KARDASH.
KING CHARLES needs someone to tend to his flock. Details in ROYALS.
###
HIT LIST
Americans will soon be able to renew their passports online.
The new service will “allow Americans to pay to upload a photo and to apply completely online, with no need to appear in person or to send documents through the mail,” the Assistant Secretary for State of Consular Affairs announced.
It will be available to adults looking to renew a regular 10-year passport that has expired within the past five years or expires in the coming year.
Also, it will be available 24/7. [via CNN]
Hey, DMV -- are you hearing this?!
###
IN OTHER PASSPORT NEWS: A family from Britain almost missed out on a trip to the Dominican Republic because of their love for “Star Wars.”
Christian Mowbray applied for passports for his whole family, only to find out his son’s had been denied; the issue being the boy’s name -- Loki Skywalker Mowbray.
Britain’s Home Office, which is in charge of immigration, security, and law and order, denied the boy’s passport claiming it couldn’t print “Skywalker” because of Disney copyright laws. The family said they had no idea the name would be a problem as there had been no issues for his first seven years.
Eventually the passport was issued and the family will soon leave on their vacation.
BY THE WAY: Not only is the Mowbray family huge “Star Wars” fans, Loki Skywalker was born on May 4 aka “Star Wars” Day. [via Suffolk News]
###
Hershey is entering the wellness category.
Landing a deal with C4 Energy, the 130-year-old confectionary company is looking to create some chocolate and Reese’s peanut butter protein powders and Jolly Rancher-flavored energy drinks.
A pre-workout powder based off of Bubble Yum gum will also be introduced down the line.
C4 has already found success using Skittles, Starbursts and Popsicle flavors in its energy drinks. [via FoodDive]
###
China’s Shanwei zoo has copped to painting puppies to look like pandas.
The shtick initially came to light earlier this year when visitors questioned why one of the “pandas” appeared to be panting on a rock, while another was barking.
Initially the zoo said the animals were a breed of “panda dogs,” but later fessed up to having dyed two Chow Chows black and white. [via NY Post]
###
A 120-foot luxury yacht sank off the coast of Los Angeles this week after fireworks set off from the deck caused an explosion.
Two people were on board at the time, as well as over 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Authorities say the two boaters were able to escape with only minor injuries.
Firefighters did their best to put out the blaze, but too much damage had been done. It took the ship about two hours to fully submerge after the fire started.
An investigation into the incident is now underway, though authorities are pretty sure they know what's to blame. [via L.A. Daily News]
###
DEATHS
Drummer KENNY HYSLOP has died.
He passed away on September 15 after being ill for sometime. No further details were shared.
Hyslop had been a member of SIMPLE MINDS since 1981.
He was 73.
###
WEDDINGS
Pop star CHARLIE PUTH tied the knot with digital marketing and PR coordinator BROOKE SANSONE earlier this month.
He’s 32 and she’s 24.
The ceremony was held at his family home in Montecito, California.
The pair are currently honeymooning in Italy.
###
BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 522 points (1.26%) to close at 42,025 on Thursday. The S&P increased 95 points (1.70%) to close at 5,713 and the NASDAQ increased 440 points (2.51%) to close at 18,013.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $72; BRENT CRUDE at $74.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.22 on Thursday.
₿ BITCOIN gained Thursday, trading around $63,126.
🛩 There were more than 3,090 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Thursday and more than 73 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $47 million jackpot or a $23.9 million cash payout. Saturday night’s POWERBALL drawing will be for a $195 million jackpot or a $99.1 million cash payout.
###
SHOWBIZ NEWS
New Music Friday
Cher, “Forever”
Gregg Allman Band, “Uncle Sam’s”
Jake Bugg, “A Modern Day Distraction”
Kat Von D, “My Side of the Mountain”
Katy Perry, “143”
Keith Urban, “HIGH”
Nelly Furtado, “7”
Orion Sun, “Orion”
Purple Disco Machine, “Paradise”
Tasha, “All This and So Much More”
Tom Walker, “I Am”
###
The body cam footage from JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE’s DWI arrest will not be made public.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney, both prosecutors and the singer’s attorneys agreed to keep the footage sealed.
JT pleaded guilty last week to a lesser charge of driving while impaired. As a result, he will serve 25 hours of community service and appear in a PSA warning people against drinking and driving. [via TMZ]
###
Country singer ZACH BRYAN deactivated his X account after “drunkenly” sharing a post aimed at TAYLOR SWIFT and KANYE WEST.
The post read: “eagles > chiefs” and “Kanye > Taylor,” followed by “who’s with me.”
After being met with swift (😏) backlash, Bryan issued an apology on Instagram, writing that he was “drunkenly comparing two records and it came out wrong.” He then clarified that he is a fan of Swift and didn’t want to discredit her talent with his “stupid” tweet. [via Variety]
###
Just days after canceling their tour, JANE’S ADDICTION quietly released a new single, titled “True Love.”
The track is ironic as less than a week ago bandmembers PERRY FARRELL and DAVE NAVARRO got into an altercation mid-show.
This was the band’s first tour in 14 years. [via Daily Mail]
###
PHARRELL WILLIAMS doesn’t think celebrities should “do politics.”
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Williams shared his annoyance over “celebrities trying to tell [people] who to vote for,” and giving political endorsements.
“I’m going to vote how I’m going to vote. I care about my people and I care about the country, but I feel there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and I’m really about action,” he explained.
Even so, when asked if he would ever vote “far right,” Williams said, “I won’t do that.” [via THR]
###
Detroit Lions head coach DAN CAMPBELL is selling his home due to security issues.
“The home is beautiful. It’s just that people figured out where we lived when we lost,” Campbell explained.
The 5-bedroom, 7-bathroom pad sits on two acres and is listed at $4.5 million. [via NY Post]
###
ERIC ROBERTS is walking back a statement he once made about being responsible for his sister JULIA ROBERTS’ acting career.
In his new memoir, “Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far,” he writes, “Now one of the things I’d like to apologize for in this book is for publicly saying on more than one occasion, ‘If it wasn’t for me, there would be no Julia Roberts.’ That’s not only unfortunate, but it’s also untrue.”
Elsewhere in the book, Eric details how Julia and their other sister, Lisa, lived with him in NYC, and how it didn’t last very long because he was “so difficult” to be around.
“Runaway Train” is available now. [via EW]
###
CASTING CALL
The first round of hosts for Season 50 of “SNL” are:
September 28: Jean Smart, with Jelly Roll
October 5: Nate Bargatze, with Coldplay
October 12: Ariana Grande, with Stevie Nicks
October 19: Michael Keaton, with Billie Eilish
November 2: John Mulaney, with Chappell Roan
First timers include JEAN SMART, JELLY ROLL and CHAPPELL ROAN, the rest are all returning to the series. [via AP]
###
A docuseries about the downfall of SEAN COMBS is in the works from Investigation Discovery.
The not-yet-titled project will “explore the allegations of violent behavior and illegal activity that have trailed the music mogul. As accounts of sexual assault, abusive behaviors and other disturbing claims surface,” according to a press release.
The project is set to premiere next year. [via Variety]
###
A new real estate reality series is heading to Bravo.
“Sold on SLC” is based in Salt Lake City, and will follow realtors from Presidio Real Estate.
No premiere date has been set, but Bravo says it will be sometime later this year.
MEANWHILE: The “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” is currently in its 5th season on Bravo. [via People]
###
THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
BIANCA CENSORI’s parents were both spotted at YE’s recent concert in China, leading some to believe he has finally gained their approval.
Leo and Alexandra Censori were spotted in a VIP area at the show alongside Bianca, who at one point they didn’t want with the controversial rapper.
Their issue with Ye was that they believed he was behind their daughter’s barely-there outfits, with Leo reportedly telling friends the 47-year-old was turning his family into a “trash commodity.” [via geo.tv]
###
WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
KING CHARLES needs someone to tend to his flock of 2,000 royal sheep.
The Sandringham Estate posted an advertisement seeking a skilled shepherd with at least two years experience, a clean UK driving license, a right to live and work in the UK, and most importantly, their own dog.
The flock lives on about 200 hectares (about 494 acres) of grass, and is used to “produce finished lamb for a premium supermarket retailer.” [via NY Post]
###
DAY OF THE YEAR
National Fried Rice Day
National Pepperoni Pizza Day
National Tradesmen Day
International Grenache Day
National Queso Day
Raspberry Day
National Concussion Awareness day
4pm Finish Day
National Care For Kids Day
World Paella Day
National Punch Day
National String Cheese Day
###
ON THIS DATE
1519 - Ferdinand Magellan leaves Spain on a journey that would take his crew around the world.
It would be the first expedition on record to circumnavigate the earth.
Magellan would die during a tussle with Philippine natives two years later.
###
1806 - The Lewis and Clark expedition arrives at La Charette, a frontier village along the Missouri River.
It was the first White settlement they encountered since departing westward two years earlier.
The people at La Charette told the explorers they were assumed dead.
Lewis and Clark were the first American explorers to lay eyes on the Pacific Ocean from the west coast.
They also confirmed there was no easy water route that would empty into the Pacific.
###
1881 - Chester Arthur is inaugurated as President.
He succeeded James Garfield, who died hours before after suffering from wounds inflicted during an assassination attempt more than two months prior.
This was the second time that three men held the nation's high office in one year -- in 1841, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, and John Tyler sat as president. Tyler succeeded William Henry Harrison, who died from pneumonia only 32 days after his inauguration.
###
1946 - The first Cannes Film Festival commences in France.
It was slated to begin September 1st, 1939, but the Nazi invasion of Poland derailed those plans.
It was restarted in part to encourage tourism to war-torn France.
###
1973 - Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in a historic tennis match dubbed The Battle of the Sexes.
Billie took on Bobby Riggs, a self-proclaimed chauvinist who said women were inherently inferior athletically.
The match was a perfect grist for the media mill: Riggs rode in on a platform lifted by men dressed as ancient Egyptians. King was carried in on a rickshaw helmed by supermodels.
50 million tuned in from around the world to watch King's victory.
###
2001 - President George W. Bush addresses Congress and the Nation in his first major address since the 9/11 attacks.
The president declares war on terrorism around the world in all its forms, and against all its allies.
He promised the fight would be long and costly. At the time, his approval ratings hit record highs.
###
2006 - Venezuelan Dictator Hugo Chavez gives a rambling speech at the United Nations in New York.
He compares President Bush to the devil, and calls for peace and cooperation among the world’s socialist nations.
###
2011 - The US ends its “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.
The move allows gay men and women to serve openly in the military for the first time.
###
2021 - A first edition of Mary Shelley’s 1818 gothic novel “Frankenstein” sells for $1.17 million.
The first edition was one of 500 copies of the novel printed in 1818 and the first to be auctioned since 1985.
The sale set a new record for a printed work by a woman.
###
BIRTHDAYS
Trevon Diggs - football player - 26
Sammi Hanratty - actress, “Shameless” & “Pushing Daisies” - 29
Phillip Phillips - pop singer - 34
John Tavares - hockey player - 34
Khabib Nurmagomedov - MMA fighter - 36
Yung Joc - rapper - 44
Jon Bernthal - actor, “The Walking Dead” & “The Punisher” - 48
Kristen Johnston - actress, “3rd Rock From the Sun” - 57
Debbi Morgan - actress, “All My Children” - 68
Lloyd Blankfein - CEO of Goldman Sachs - 70
George R.R. Martin - novelist, “Game of Thrones” - 76
Chuck Panozzo - bassist, Styx - 76
Sophia Loren - actress, “Two Women” - 90
Born On This Date
Red Auerbach - HOF basketball coach - 1917 (d. 2006)
Maxwell Perkins - editor & publisher for Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Wolfe - 1884 (d. 1947)
Upton Sinclair - author, “The Jungle” - 1878 (d. 1968)
###