Today is Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
It is the 268th day of the year.
98 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
An Iowa man cracks a unique world record and X capitulates. Details in HIT LIST.
DIDDY’s music streams increase and KATY PERRY’s latest album flops. More in SHOWBIZ.
MARGOT ROBBIE and JACOB ELORDI to star in “Wuthering Heights.” Details in CASTING CALL.
YE settles one of his lawsuits. More on that in KARDASH.
Insiders close to MEG and HARRY come to their defense – kind of. Details in ROYALS.
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HIT LIST
The Department of Justice announced Monday its plan to pursue an attempted assassination charge against the would-be shooter who was thwarted from killing DONALD TRUMP earlier this month. Initially, Ryan Routh was only hit with illegal gun possession charges.
The DOJ published the first page of a handwritten letter believed to have been penned by the suspect, that begins, “Dear World, This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you” – leaving no doubt about his intention.
The letter later offers a $150,000 bounty for “whomever can complete the job” – calling into question why the DOJ did not censor this bit, which gives even more incentive to crazies already inspired by the life-endangering language used by Trump’s political opponents for the last decade. There are believed to be more pages in the handwritten note but they were not published.
Prosecutors will first need to get a grand jury to sign off on the attempted assassination charges.
IT GETS WEIRDER: The letter was found in a box that Routh had left with a “civilian witness,” as identified in court filings. This witness obtained the box from Routh months ago, but did not open it until the witness heard about the assassination attempt. Inside, he also found “ammunition, a metal pipe, miscellaneous building materials, tools, four phones, and various letters.”
WORTH ASKING: Who is this person and why did they wait to open it? And where would Routh get his hands on $150K to pay off another assassin? [via New York Times, Morning Martini]
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After a weeks-long standoff with Brazil’s government, X will comply with some of the country’s court orders, but has stopped short of indulging its demands to censor accounts and turn over user information to the government.
For starters, X has named a legal representative in Brazil, the first of the Supreme Court’s demands. In mid-August, X shut down its offices and laid off its staff. It will also pay a fine equivalent to about $3 MILLION and block some of the accounts. [via CNN]
ALSO IN ELONWORLD: HAWAIIAN AIRLINES will now carry Starlink service on its domestic flights at no cost to passengers, with plans to expand service for transpacific flights by the end of the year. [via @ajtourville]
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Eight rodeo bulls escaped their pen at an event in North Attleboro, Massachusetts over the weekend.
Footage from the chaos showed locals scurrying out of the way as the horned animals took out barriers and leapt over one another in an attempt to get away.
One bull was captured almost immediately, while six of them were found hours later behind a nearby home. The last bull, most likely the ringleader of the group, is still on the loose.
No injuries were reported. [via NY Post]
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The last American KMART location will close on October 20.
The Bridgehampton, New York, location is the last full-size brick and mortar spot for what was once one of the nation’s most prominent discount retail stores.
A standalone, smaller location will remain in operation in Miami. There are also still full-sized KMarts up and running in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The closure marks a rapid decline for a chain that had 1,400 stores open just two decades ago. [via CBS News]
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An Iowa man has claimed the title for building the world’s fastest wheelbarrow.
John Loghry, from the Des Moines area, drove his motorized garden tool to speeds of 57 miles per hour on Saturday during a public event on a city street. He bested the previous record by 10 miles per hour.
Local police provided the speed gun to clock Loghry’s achievement.
Loghry built the contraption with spare parts and multiple trips to the hardware store. He hasn’t yet filed paperwork with Guinness World Records to make it official but plans to begin that process soon. [via KCCI]
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WEDDINGS
JAMIE FOXX’s daughter CORRINE FOXX tied the knot with TV exec JOE HOOTEN over the weekend.
She’s 30 and he’s 31.
The couple met in 2018 and got engaged last year.
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BY THE NUMBERS
📈 The DOW gained 61 points (0.15%) to close at 42,124 on Monday. The S&P increased 16 points (0.28%) to close at 5,178 and the NASDAQ increased 25 points (0.14%) to close at 17,974.
🛢 WEST TEXAS INTERMEDIATE closed at $70; BRENT CRUDE at $73.
⛽ The national average price of a GALLON OF GAS was $3.20 on Monday.
₿ BITCOIN was mostly flat on the day, trading north of $63,000.
🛩 There were more than 3,165 FLIGHTS delayed within, into, or out of the United States on Monday and more than 70 such cancellations.
💰Tonight’s MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be for a $62 million jackpot or a $31 million cash payout.
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SHOWBIZ NEWS
SEAN COMBS’ legal woes are not negatively affecting his music sales.
According to Luminate, there was an 18.3% increase in on-demand streams during the week of his arrest compared to the week prior.
This pattern was also seen following the release of a documentary about R.KELLY’s sexual misconduct in 2019. [via AP]
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JANET JACKSON’s rep shot down reports about an apology from the singer over remarks she made in an interview about KAMALA HARRIS not being Black.
The apology was issued by consultant Mo Elmasri, who claimed to be Jackson’s manager, which her rep says is not the case. Elmasri also stated that he has since been fired by Jackson and her actual manager, her brother, RANDY JACKSON. No word on what role Elmasri actually played on her team. [via Variety]
MEANWHILE: Comedian D.L. HUGHLEY tweeted that Jackson’s interview “sounded like a #Trump rally!” and also called it “ironic” that she was questioning whether someone else is black while she’s “breathing through the nose of a white woman!” [via X]
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USHER is clearing the air on his recently wiped X account.
“Account got hacked and damn y’all ran with it!” he wrote on X, in response to reports that he had cleared his page because of some sort of connection to SEAN COMBS’ recent legal troubles.
Remember, Combs was Usher's mentor, bringing him up in the music biz.
ELSEWHERE: PINK’s X feed was also erased, though no statement has yet been made on that yet. [via Billboard]
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After lashing out at his JANE’S ADDICTION bandmate, PERRY FARRELL is seeking medical treatment, says his wife.
In a statement on social media, Etty Lau Farrell called her husband “the gentlest of souls” and said that he “must have been pushed to his absolute limit” to act like that.
The altercation led the band to cancel the rest of their reunion tour. [via Instagram]
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Fans are raising concerns over how frail HARRISON FORD appeared at a recent event at Disney’s D23 Expo, where he accepted the Disney Legend honor.
During the ceremony, the 82-year-old appeared to struggle while signing his name and pressing his handprints in cement.
“He does not look well,” one person commented, while another wrote, “Congrats to him, but it breaks my heart to see him so frail.”
Ford is 82. [via Daily Mail]
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DICK VAN DYKE canceled another public appearance, just a week after skipping out on the Emmys.
The actor, who will turn 99 in December, was supposed to be part of the three-day FanX event in Salt Lake City this coming weekend.
The announcement states that “traveling and interacting with thousands of people is more than he is able to do at this time.”
Van Dyke’s last public appearance was September 7 at the 2024 Creative Arts Emmys, where he won for Outstanding Variety Special for the CBS special, “Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic.” [via NY Post]
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KATY PERRY’s newest album, “143,” is the lowest scoring album in 13 years, according to Metacritic, a site that assigns numerical value to music, movies, TV shows and other materials based on weighted scores from professional critics.
One of those critics, the Los Angeles Times, wrote, “In a year of great pop music, Katy Perry’s latest is pop trash,” while Rolling Stone called it “a Failed Attempt to Rekindle Her Glory Years.”
Metacritc gave “143” a 34, ranking it alongside the 2011 album “Famous First Words,” by VIVA BROTHER. [via Variety]
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COLDPLAY frontman CHRIS MARTIN went incognito to a Las Vegas karaoke bar to film the music video for the group’s next single, “All My Love.”
Martin was in town for the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival. After his performance, he wore a big, dorky suit, thick glasses, and a bad wig to Dino’s bar. Video taken by onlookers shows Martin singing and holding a balloon. Eventually he called a fan onto the stage and handed the balloon to her while he finished crooning. [via Billboard]
BY THE WAY: Coldplay’s next album “Moon Music” drops October 4.
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CASTING CALL
JERRY SEINFELD and JIM GAFFIGAN are hitting the road…again!
Following their four-stop joint tour last year, the comedians are teaming up for a 10-stop North American tour set to kick off next year.
The two last worked together on the Netflix comedy “Unfrosted.” [via People]
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MARGOT ROBBIE and JACOB ELORDI will star in an adaptation of the classic novel, “Wuthering Heights.”
Robbie will play Catherine Earnshaw, opposite Elordi as Heathcliff.
The original novel by EMILY BRONTE was published in 1850. It follows two families, the Earnshaws and the Lintons and the turbulent relationship they have with the Lintons foster son, Heathcliff.
Plot details on the adaptation are not known. [via Deadline]
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THE DAILY KARDASHOPUS
YE has reached a settlement agreement with Justin Poplawski, a well-known autograph seeker, who claims the rapper attacked him outside SoHo Warehouse in Los Angeles in early 2022.
Poplawski sued Ye for assault and battery.
Settlement details were not made public.
ELSEWHERE: A “Vultures 3” album is reportedly in the works. [via HotNewHipHop]
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WE’LL NEVER BE ROYALS
Friends close to MEGHAN MARKLE and PRINCE HARRY are pushing back on the report from last week alleging that Meg’s staff call her “Duchess Difficult” for her insane demands and unpredictably tyrannical behavior.
One insider says, “These quotes were fabricated by someone lacking knowledge of our company. The Duke and Duchess work from Montecito, and we’re based in Hollywood,” adding, “They likely think we’re all in the same office and that this quote would fly, but the circumstances don’t even allow for it… It’s total nonsense.”
BUT WAIT: The complaints about Meg also include receiving demanding emails at odd hours, something she can do from anywhere. And has she never even visited these offices? This defense sounds weak. [via Express]
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DAY OF THE YEAR
World Bollywood Day
National AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day
Bluebird of Happiness Day
Heritage Day
National Voter Registration Day
International Age Diversity Day
National Cherries Jubilee day
Lash Stylists Day
National Punctuation Day
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ON THIS DATE
622 - Islam's prophet Muhammad is believed to have escaped Mecca for Medina. Muslims call this event the Hegirah (Arabic for “flight”).
It is at Medina that Muhammad builds his religion. The date also reflects the beginning of Year 1 of the Muslim calendar.
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1789 - The First U.S. Congress passes the Judiciary Act, which instituted a Chief Justice and five associate justices.
The Act also outlined the creation of 13 district courts among the states.
President Washington nominated John Jay to lead the court as Chief Justice that day.
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1869 - The American gold market collapses when financiers Jay Gould and Jim Fisk attempt to corner the market.
The pair had colluded to buy as much gold as possible to increase its market value. When its price reached high enough levels, they would sell their stash for huge profits.
Their plan initially worked, but the Grant administration panicked and sold $4 million worth of government gold.
Other gold investors freaked out, too and sold off their holdings. The price of gold plummeted. But Gould had enough gold in his coffers that he still was able to control the market for some time.
He died filthy rich after running the Union Pacific Railway and selling it after earning millions.
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1906 - President Teddy Roosevelt declares Devils Towers in Wyoming the country's first National Monument.
The cylindrical geographical oddity rises 1,267 feet around the surrounding area.
It was also the filming site for part of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
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1918 - Bulgaria seeks a ceasefire to end its participation in World War I.
British forces were fast enclosing on the small country's borders. With 90,000 Bulgarian soldiers already dead, the government feared more slaughter.
The truce negotiations would commence four days later. Bulgaria would officially surrender fighting on September 29.
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1964 - The Warren Commission presents its findings to President Johnson.
The group was investigating the assassination of President Kennedy the year before. The Commission heard testimony from 552 witnesses and observed Dealey Plaza where Kennedy was shot.
It concluded that suspected shooter Lee Harvey Oswald indeed worked alone.
Much of the report is available at the National Archives today.
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1966 - "The Last Train to Clarksville" by The Monkees hits the Billboard Top 40 charts.
The success was unexpected by everyone.
The Monkees debuted as a fictional band on a TV show. When their music quickly became popular, the production studio encouraged spin-off records and concert tours.
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1988 - Ben Johnson of Canada wins Olympic Gold for sprinting the 100-meter dash in 9.79 seconds.
Three days later he was tested for steroid use -- and failed. The Olympic committee stripped him of his medal. Johnson claimed he had been unwittingly served the drugs and that they came from an herbal drink someone gave him before the race.
The committee didn't buy it.
American second-place finisher Carl Lewis got the gold.
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2012 - Worst blown call ever in NFL history. Thank God for instant replay.
In a week of blown play calls, this Monday night football game took the cake. Narrowly escaping the Green Bay Packers’ defense, Seattle Seahawks’ Quarterback Russell Wilson dropped back and heaved a pass toward the corner of the end zone.
Golden Tate and a plethora of Green Bay defenders all jumped for the free ball. M.D. Jennings intercepted the ball then subsequently fell on top of Seattle receiver, Golden Tate.
After a short scuffle, the NFL replacement refs indicated that the pass was a simultaneous catch and ruled the play a touchdown granting the Seattle Seahawks victory.
The NFL reinstated the real referees later that week.
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2020 - Filmmaker David Attenborough breaks the record of the fastest person to reach 1 million followers on Instagram.
He took the crown from actress Jennifer Aniston.
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BIRTHDAYS
Ben Platt - actor, “Pitch Perfect” - 31
Sonya Deville - wrestler - 31
Spencer Treat Clark - actor, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” - 37
Erik Stocklin - actor, “Mistresses” & “Haters Back Off” - 42
Stephanie McMahon - wrestler - 48
Ian Bohen - actor, “Yellowstone” - 48
Jackie Sandler - actress & wife of Adam - 50
Megan Ward - actress, “Dark Skies” - 55
Kevin Sorbo - actor, “Hercules” - 66
Lee Aaker - actor, “Rin Tin Tin” - 78
Joe Greene - HOF football player - 78
Born On This Date
Phil Hartman - actor, “SNL” & “NewsRadio” - 1948 (d. 1998)
Lou Dobbs - journalist & conservative pundit - 1945 (d. 2024)
Jim Henson - puppeteer, “The Muppets” & “Sesame Street” - 1936 (d. 1990)
F. Scott Fitzgerald - author, “The Great Gatsby” - 1896 (d. 1940)
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