Time to Brin Home the Bacon |
As we all know, Le Brin cheese originates from Savoie, the Rhone-Alps region in France. Produced in a hexagonal shape by the Guilloteau creamery, Le Brin is a semi-soft, spreadable paste with reddish-orange rind and a sweet aroma and taste—a lot like this newsletter! It's also highly appropriate for today's cheese pun, because with the presidential election deadlocked, tonight's debate is make-or-break for both candidates. Will Trump be mean? Will Harris be memorable? Will the whole thing be as terrible as last time? It's time to Brin and bear it! We also spoke with Politico about five things that matter for the debate. And there are plenty more cheddlines for ya! —Matt Davis, N2K Chedditor P.S. We've got crazy footage of robot arms flinging people around on our Instagram. |
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"The race today is incredibly close. When President Biden was still in the race, you could comfortably say Trump had a narrow but comfortable lead. Now it's basically a coin flip between the vice president and former President Trump." — Zach Montellaro |
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1. Kendrick Lamar to Headline 2025 Super Bowl |
Rapper Kendrick Lamar, whose music I definitely know well enough to reference easily without Googling, is set to headline the halftime show at Super Bowl LIX in February in New Orleans. I did live in New Orleans for a couple of years, back when the Saints won the Super Bowl, and I even got to touch the Heisman trophy. It was…metallic.
This marks the first time Kendrick (as I like to call him) will lead a Super Bowl halftime show, following his participation in the 2022 show with Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent. Jay-Z, whose company plays an advisory role in the performance, praised Lamar as a "once in a generation" talent whose influence extends beyond music.
Lamar has won 17 Grammys and—damn!—a Pulitzer Prize for his album "Damn." He recently released his fifth studio album, "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers," and has had notable success with his singles "Like That" and "Not Like Us."
Last year's halftime show by Usher was the most-watched ever, with 123.4 million viewers (is it just me, or does that number sound a tad made-up?), followed closely by Rihanna's 2023 show. The question is: Will the Kansas City Chiefs win it all again? And when is Taylor Swift going to play at half-time? Also, will Drake, whom Kendrick spent much of this year saying nasty things about in various "dis tracks," be dis-pleased by all this? (Answer: No, Canadians are famously hard to irk.) Read More |
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2. Time to Check Under the Couch Cushions: These Ohio Sisters Found a Dime Worth Half a Mil |
Three sisters from Ohio have discovered that a rare 1975 dime they inherited could fetch over $500,000 at auction.
The coin, which they had kept in a bank vault for over 40 years, was struck at the San Francisco Mint without the "S" mint mark, making it incredibly rare—with only two known to exist. The other known "no S" dime sold in 2019 for $456,000.
Serious collectors have known about these two elusive dimes since the late 1970s, but their whereabouts had been a mystery until now. The sisters inherited the coin after their brother, who had originally bought it with their mother in 1978 for $18,200 (equivalent to about $90,000 today), passed away. Their family had viewed the coin — rightly, as it turns out — as a financial safety net. The rare coin, known for some reason as the "1975 'no S' proof dime," will be displayed at a coin show in Tampa, Florida, giving collectors a chance to see it before it goes to auction.
It's worth noting that if they'd invested that $18,200 in the stock market, with an 8 percent annual return, it would be worth $627,428.35 today. The S&P's average annual return, over the last 100 years, has been 10.64 percent. You do the math. This is not financial advice, of course, but these people made a bad investment. As the kids say, only in Ohio!
Those of you who think this is way big too big a deal to make over something with a simple 's' missing can...kis my as. Read More |
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| What could possibly go wrong?
Watch as innovative Chinese robotic arms showcase their impressive precision and strength by lifting and moving people around. |
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3. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Scores Scores $110M September September Debut Debut |
"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," the sequel to Tim Burton's original 1988 film, achieved a formidable opening weekend, earning $110 million. The launch ranks as the second-largest September debut ever, trailing only the 2017 film "It," and the day of my birth on the 25th in 1979, of course.
The sequel's impressive start is attributed to nostalgia and effective word of mouth, continuing the legacy of the original film, which only gradually become a hit and even spawned a Broadway musical.
The film was produced with a budget of $100 million. Tim Burton returned as director for the sequel, which stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, and new additions like Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe. The story picks up 36 years after the original, with Lydia Deetz's daughter discovering a portal that inadvertently reintroduces the iconic character, Beetlejuice. In other words, it's pretty derivative but just about original enough to keep the fans interested. A lot like this newsletter! Read More |
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You Need 2 Know About This Box!
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Meet the Sunset Box, a quarterly subscription service sending home, wellness, and travel goodies straight to your doorstep, curated by editors at mag Sunset, the Western-lifestyle magazine that just so happens to be a sister company of ours. Since you clearly have good taste (you're an N2K subscriber, after all), we think you'll love this box. Use code CHEDDAR15 for 15% off your subscription. |
Note: Sadly does not contain any cheese. |
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4. Five Things That Matter for the Harris/Trump Debate |
"The race today is incredibly close," Zach Montellaro, deputy national editor at Politico, told us yesterday. "When President Biden was still in the race, you could comfortably say Trump had a narrow but comfortable lead. Now it's basically a coin flip between the vice president [Kamala Harris] and former President Trump."
National polling averages generally have the veep up anywhere from 1 to 3 points. The New York Times ran a poll this weekend calling the race far closer.
"We could come out of this on Wednesday morning, and the race is exactly as it is right now," Zach said. "And that's what I suspect, where it will be very close. But who knows, someone could blow up again."
The debate, in Philly, gives Harris the opportunity to introduce herself to Americans, Zach said, an expected 50 million of whom are likely to tune in. Although if you need an introduction to the country's vice president at this point it does suggest you may not have been paying attention the first few times. Meanwhile Donald Trump probably has a great strategy to win.
"Donald Trump does not have a strategy," Zach said.
Oh.
"Donald Trump does what Donald Trump wants to do. His goal, I guess, is to unnerve the vice president."
I've got to say that based on that, I have a fairly good idea of who might win. What about you? Read More |
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5. DirecTV Offers Discounts Amid Disney Dispute |
DirecTV is providing a $20 credit to its subscribers amid an ongoing dispute with Disney, which has led to the blackout of Disney networks including Hulu and ESPN+ for millions of DirecTV customers. The issue arose after the two companies were unable to reach new contract agreements. To redeem the credit, DirecTV customers can visit the firm's website and follow the instructions. I'm sure you'll be going there and doing that just to get your hands on $20. Or maybe you'll spend your free time writing me emails to complain about my politics and/or cheese puns. Your call!
The dispute centers on DirecTV's desire for more flexible package options that better match customer interests, as opposed to larger bundles containing channels that many viewers do not watch or know exist. DirecTV has accused Disney of being anti-competitive. Disney, on the other hand, insists on "valuing their extensive portfolio of entertainment." Which sounds a lot like DirecTV might have a point, if you ask me.
Affected channels include Disney Channel, ESPN networks (including ACC and SEC networks), Freeform, FX, the imaginatively named FXX, and National Geographic. The duration of this dispute, and how long these channels will remain unavailable to DirecTV customers, is currently unclear. DirecTV is worth $10 billion. Disney is worth $160 billion. My sense is that the dispute will probably end when Disney spends more on attorneys, but you never know. It's "like that," as Kendrick Lamar might say. In a hip-hop track I have definitely listened to. Read More |
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