CHEAT SHEET

01

CAREER CROWNED

Legendary Director, 88, to Miss Own Oscar Ceremony

The renowned director had to prerecord his speech.

Ridley Scott, the legendary filmmaker behind movies like 1982’s Blade Runner and 2015’s The Martian, has been tapped to receive an honorary Oscar at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 17th annual Governors Awards on Sunday night. But the director, whose career spans six decades, won’t be able to attend in person. The London-based English auteur, who turns 89 on Nov. 30, underwent a minor medical procedure last week, and has been advised by doctors not to fly while he recovers. His wife, children, and grandchildren will fly to Los Angeles to accept the award on his behalf, and the ceremony will screen a prerecorded video of his acceptance speech. Scott made his feature directorial debut at 40 with 1977’s The Duellists and went on to make a string of acclaimed films, including 1979’s Alien, 1991’s Thelma & Louise, and 2000’s Gladiator. His films have earned him four Oscar nominations and grossed more than $5 billion worldwide.

02

DARK WATERS

FBI Investigating a ‘Suspected Homicide’ on Cruise Ship

The vessel returned to the Port of Galveston after setting sail a day earlier.

The FBI is investigating a “suspected homicide” aboard an MSC Seascape cruise ship. The vessel returned to the Port of Galveston in Texas on Monday after setting sail a day earlier. “As is customary with crimes aboard a cruise ship, an FBI Maritime Liaison Agent based out of Texas City Resident Agency is coordinating with the US Coast Guard, the Port of Galveston Police Department, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the cruise line,” the FBI’s Houston field office said in a statement. An MSC Cruises spokesperson said the company is “cooperating fully with the investigation and providing support to those impacted. On reporting a guest incident aboard our ship, we were instructed by the authorities to return to the Port of Galveston.” The cruise has since left the port and resumed its seven-day excursion to Mexico and Honduras. The investigation is ongoing, and no additional details have been released.

03

A LIFE IN STYLE

Robert De Niro’s Model Ex Dead After Health Battle

The twin children she shares with De Niro announced her passing.

Actress and model Toukie Smith, best known for her role on the NBC sitcom 227 and her longtime romance with Robert De Niro, has died at 74. Smith’s passing came after a “long, courageous battle” with multiple sclerosis. Smith’s 30-year-old twin children with De Niro, Julian and Airyn, announced their mother’s death last Wednesday at a hospital in New York. In 1978, Smith was named Bloomingdale’s Model of the Year after posing for several magazines and designers, including Hubert de Givenchy and Thierry Mugler. The Philadelphia-born actress appeared in ‘90s films Talkin’ Dirty After Dark, I Like It Like That, and The Preacher’s Wife. Smith and De Niro began dating in 1988, though the timeline of their on-again, off-again relationship is unclear. They welcomed their children via surrogate in 1995. When asked about her personal life in 1990, Smith told the Los Angeles Times, “What’s great about a private life is it’s private.”

04

EXCALIBUR UNEARTHED

Divers Find 3,300-Year-Old Treasure at Bottom of Lake

The original owner is believed to have been an elite warrior with prestige and great influence.

Archaeologists have found a 3,300-year-old sword at the bottom of a volcanic lake in Italy. The country’s Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria announced the discovery in October, made by its Underwater Service. The sword was revealed in “Arthurian” fashion during an underwater excavation at Lake Mezzano in central Italy. The blade was still sharp. Dating back to 1300 B.C., experts believe the artifact was purposefully placed in the lake during a ritual offering—a practice linked to several Bronze Age European sites. The lake once contained a thriving Bronze Age village that sat upon wooden stilts above the water, according to experts. The superintendent said the artifact was preserved in “excellent condition,” representing “an important addition to our understanding of the communities that frequented the lake basin over three thousand years ago.” This sword is now the third found at the same site in the past 50 years, giving the area a reputation as an archaeological treasure trove. The latest expedition unearthed pottery and other bronze objects like axes, daggers, and spearheads. A razor was found near the sword, indicating it could’ve belonged to an elite warrior with prestige and great influence.

05

FACETIME FAIL

‘Call of Duty’ Chat Sparks Chaos Aboard Frontier Flight

The aircraft was evacuated in Ontario.

A Frontier Airlines flight was evacuated at Empire’s Ontario International Airport on Sunday after a passenger overheard a suspicious conversation. A passenger aboard the flight, which was preparing to depart, heard someone say “he had a bomb in his backpack.” The Ontario Police Department responded around 10 p.m. “Officers located and detained the subject in questioning, confirming that he was in possession of a backpack and had no other luggage,” said Ontario Police Department Public Information Officer Denyse Quezada. The suspect told authorities he was talking to a friend on FaceTime. “The friend was playing a video game called ‘Call of Duty,’ and had just been eliminated by an in-game C4 explosion. The subject’s statement was related to a video game and not an actual explosive,” Quezada added. The flight was evacuated, as was part of the airport. A bomb-sniffing K-9 team searched the plane and surrounding area and found no explosives or signs of a threat.

06

DEERLY DEPARTED

Disney Legend and 3-Time Purple Heart Recipient Dies at 92

The actor was scouted at just three years old.

Donnie Dunagan, the voice of Disney’s Bambi, has died. Dunagan passed away at age 92 on November 4 after a battle with lung cancer, according to his agent. “We were proud to represent a Marine, beloved by fans around the world,” Kris Jones and Nery Kemus said of Dunagan. After voicing Bambi, the voice actor enlisted as the youngest drill sergeant in the corps’ history. Dunagan retired as a major after serving three tours in Vietnam, ending in 1977 after he received a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. The native Texan moved to Hollywood with his parents after a talent agent scouted him at age three. He then made his debut in Mary Carey’s Chickens in 1938, later appearing in Son of Frankenstein as Peter von Frankenstein in 1939, as well as The Forgotten Woman and Tower of London that same year. By 1942’s Bambi, he had also been in 1940’s Vigil in the Night, and 1941’s Meet the Chump. His agents concluded their goodbye message, saying, “He had an infectious smile, a warmth and charisma that never shook the childlike spirit of his acting youth… We will always love you, Donnie. You were the best of us.”

07

PRESIDENTIAL THROWDOWN

Olympic Giant Running for President Delivers Warning for Trump

The Olympic-level martial arts fighter hinted at a challenge to Donald Trump.

Olympic martial arts champion Teddy Riner, 37, has announced he intends to run for France’s next president. The heavyweight judo star, consistently ranked among France’s favorite public figures, posted his bid for office on social media on Monday. Although he has liberal economic views, he told a Parisian paper he’s identifying as “neither right-wing nor left-wing” in his campaign, wanting to be a “president who brings people together.” Riner would run in a tense political climate and an already troubled government, following weeks of protest marches over higher wages and student issues. “[France] has… given me the opportunity to dream big,” Riner explained. “Today, that is precisely what is missing. There is no longer that ambition.” When asked whether or not the French people should take this new venture seriously, Riner said, “What would be irresponsible would be to remain silent and stand by as a spectator to what is happening in our country.” He continued, saying his first initiative in his potential presidency would be to ensure France works well with its allies and commands greater respect. Standing 6 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 311 pounds, Riner doesn’t intend to stop fighting. He laughed about meeting U.S. President Donald Trump, saying, “We’ll see who has the firmer handshake.”

08

BAD AIR DAY

United Flight Forced to Land After Weird Smell Fills Cabin

Passengers faced an unexpected detour after a mystery stench filled the cabin.

A United Airlines flight traveling from Israel to New York diverted to Greece after an unusual odor filled the cabin. Flight UA168, traveling from Tel Aviv to Newark Liberty International Airport, was redirected to Athens in the early hours of Monday after passengers noticed the smell. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down safely, and all 230 passengers and 13 crew members disembarked normally, with the airline arranging a replacement aircraft to complete their journey. The source of the stench remains unknown. United Airlines confirmed the diversion, telling the Daily Mirror: “United flight 168 from Tel Aviv to Newark diverted to Athens and landed safely to address an odor in the cabin.”

09

LOCKDOWN

Two Arrested in Separate White House Security Scares

President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time.

The White House was briefly put on lockdown Monday after two separate security incidents occurred around the same time. Just before 10 a.m., a car crashed onto the sidewalk on the north side of Lafayette Park, facing the White House. The driver hit an informational sign before police ordered him to the ground. “The driver was combative with law enforcement, but was quickly placed under arrest,” a Secret Service spokesperson said. The suspect was ushered away by Secret Service in handcuffs, and a video caught him shouting “oh my God!” as he walked down Pennsylvania Ave. “Around ​the same ​time, ⁠a second individual jumped a barricade near the northwest ​corner of Lafayette Park. That ​individual ⁠was also quickly placed under arrest,” the spokesperson said. The Secret Service said both incidents are under investigation, and it is unclear whether they were related. President Donald Trump was preparing for meetings inside the White House Monday morning, the New York Post reports.

10

RUNWAY RUNAWAY

Boeing 747 Slams on the Brakes in Near Collision

An American Airlines crew “made every wrong turn possible.”

Two passenger planes have narrowly avoided colliding on the runway at Miami International Airport. Lufthansa flight LH463, a Boeing 747-8 bound for Frankfurt, was taxiing on Thursday when it had to stop suddenly as an American Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner turned into its path. The incident sparked tense discussion among air traffic controllers, audio published by Simple Flying shows. Flight AA1155 had been arriving from Philadelphia but, upon landing, “made every wrong turn possible,” the tower said. Crew aboard the German plane said they “had to make a full stop at full taxi speed.” They added, “that was very close to an accident in the making.” LH463 departed 53 minutes late and touched down in Germany 39 minutes behind schedule, according to Flightradar24.