Odd News // 4 weeks ago
S.C. man stops to buy a drink, wins $200,000 lottery prize
Feb. 5 (UPI) — A South Carolina man made a stop to quench his thirst and ended up buying a scratch-off lottery ticket that earned him a $200,000 windfall.
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‘Love Story’ Sets a Streaming Record for FX Limited Series on Hulu
The Love Story currently playing out across FX’s streaming partners has captivated a sizable audience.
The limited series has racked up more than 25 million hours (or 1.5 billion minutes) of viewing for its first five episodes on Hulu and Disney+, FX says — a record streaming number for an FX limited series. The show airs on the FX cable channel as well, but virtually all of its audience has come on the two streaming platforms.
The show has also been building week to week. While FX isn’t sharing precise viewing data (and Nielsen’s streaming ratings haven’t yet caught up to the show’s Feb. 12 premiere), the outlet says Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s most recent episode drew 51 percent more viewing time than the series premiere. The season is set to conclude on March 26.
As the title says, Love Story tracks the relationship, marriage and tragic deaths of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy during the 1990s. The show has drawn praise for its meticulous re-creation of ‘90s New York — and also scorn from members of the Kennedy family and mixed reactions from others who knew the couple. Reviews have leaned positive, and the latest FX … Story series from Ryan Murphy has also spread across social media. FX cites some 21 million posts on TikTok with the #lovestory hashtag in the past month.
Connor Hines created the series and executive produces with Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Eric Kovtun, Nissa Diederich, Scott Robertson, Monica Levinson, Kim Rosenstock, D.V. DeVincentis and Tanase Popa. Max Winkler directed and executive produced the first episode.
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Paramount Enlists Ellison Advisor to Handle Jeff Shell’s Legal Drama
A legal fight is taking shape between Paramount and the high-stakes gambler who sparked an internal investigation and SEC inquiry into whether company president Jeff Shell prematurely disclosed details of a $7.7 billion UFC media rights deal.
At the heart of the matter: An allegation that the studio and Shell reneged on an agreement to pick up an English-language format of a Roku reality show the gambler, R.J. Cipriani, co-created and exec produced. A lawsuit hasn’t been filed, though Paramount is lawyering up.
Blair Connelly, a longtime, do-it-all outside advisor to David Ellison, has stepped in after Cipriani presented the company with a lawsuit advancing breach of oral contract and fraudulent misrepresentation claims, among others, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Paramount chief legal officer Makan Delrahim was previously a partner at Connelly’s firm, Latham & Watkins.
The litigation threat has imperiled Shell’s return to the C-suite following his termination from his prior role as NBCUniversal CEO in 2023 due to allegations of sexual misconduct with a CNBC correspondent. Ellison brought him over from an interim perch at the studio’s financing partner RedBird Capital.
Shell is now represented by Steve Olson of O’Melveny, while Cipriani is represented by Steven Aaronoff. A draft complaint has been circulated.
Shell’s recent troubles began when Cipriani alleged that the Paramount boss improperly disclosed specific details about the studio’s UFC deal before its August 2025 announcement. An outside law firm is now investigating the claim, and the SEC is reviewing a related whistleblower complaint.
The situation has already had repercussions. Shell wasn’t involved in final negotiations between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount and was absent from the conference call announcing the $111 billion deal, which included fellow executives like Paramount chief strategy officer Andy Gordon.
Cipriani made the tip-off about the purported confidential information breach following soured discussions with Shell over the reality show project. The pair shared an attorney, the prominent Hollywood litigator Patty Glaser, who had been attempting to resolve the matter.
Shell has been a key face of the new regime at Paramount since the acquisition from Shari Redstone in 2025. He, Cipriani and the studio declined to comment.
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NBA Fantasy: Waiver wire adds as playoffs loom
The Kings’ Nique Clifford has started and played at least 39 minutes in each of the past three games.
The start of the fantasy basketball playoffs is right around the corner in most leagues. Injuries have made playoff pushes difficult, but there are still some appealing players to target on the waiver wire. Here are six players to consider adding who are still available in the majority of Yahoo leagues.
Saddiq Bey, New Orleans Pelicans (45% rostered)
The Pelicans may have one of the worst records in the NBA, but they are one of the healthiest teams in the league right now. Zion Williamson returned Tuesday after missing just one game with an ankle injury. Trey Murphy III is back from his shoulder ailment and Dejounte Murray is playing again. The Pelicans don’t own their first-round pick in the 2026 Draft, so they aren’t really incentivized to rest their players to improve their lottery odds.
Even with the Pelicans healthy, Bey is playing heavy minutes. Over their last 11 games, he averaged 33 minutes. That helped him produce 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.8 3-pointers a night. In what has been a breakout season for him, he looks to be locked into a prominent role. He should be rostered in more than half of leagues.
Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors (42% rostered)
Stephen Curry is expected to miss at least another week with a knee injury. The star guard sat out the entire month of January and there haven’t been many positive updates regarding his recovery. It might make sense for the Warriors to shut him down if they were out of the playoff picture, but they currently occupy the eighth seed in the Western Conference and aren’t in any real danger of falling out of the Play-In Tournament. Still, with a spot in the tournament likely all but wrapped up, the Warriors could remain cautious with Curry and not bring him back until closer to the playoffs.
Curry being sidelined has opened up added minutes and responsibilities for Podziemski. He has become a valuable fantasy contributor, averaging 15.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.7 3-pointers over his last nine games. That type of all-around production warrants rostering him in the majority of formats.
Kyle Filipowski, Utah Jazz (42% rostered)
Keyonte George recently returned from injury for the Jazz. That has been their only positive news lately as their frontcourt continues to drop like flies. Lauri Markkanen is now dealing with a hip injury that will force him to miss a minimum of two weeks. Given how blatant the Jazz have been about trying to improve their lottery odds, it’s possible that we have already seen the last of Markkanen for the season.
Filipowski has remained a regular in this column as the Jazz continue to rule out big men for the season. Over their last seven games, he has averaged 14.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.9 3-pointers. There is no reason that he shouldn’t be rostered in more than half of fantasy leagues.
Maxime Raynaud, Sacramento Kings (38% rostered)
Raynaud was in this column last week and was only rostered in 38% of leagues, a fact that has not changed. Since then, he has played three games. He produced two double-doubles on his way to averaging 20.0 points and 9.7 rebounds. Across his last nine games, he has recorded 15.8 points and 11.0 rebounds a night, while shooting 60.4% from the field and 87.0% from the free-throw line.
The Kings don’t have much choice but to play Raynaud a lot right now. Dylan Cardwell (ankle) should be out for at least a couple more weeks, so Precious Achiuwa and Drew Eubanks are the only real competition for playing time. Achiuwa is needed more at power forward right now with Keegan Murray (ankle) out, which makes Raynaud even more appealing in fantasy.
Nique Clifford, Sacramento Kings (27% rostered)
The Kings have the worst record in the NBA for a reason. They entered the season without much of a margin for error. Once injuries set in, things went downhill quickly. In addition to all their missing big men, Zach LaVine (finger) and De’Andre Hunter (eye) are out for the season. This is the time for them to give more opportunities to their younger players, one of which is Clifford.
Clifford has started and played at least 39 minutes in each of the last three games. Going back even further, he has averaged 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.3 3-pointers over his last 13 games. With no shortage of playing time on the horizon, Clifford has a great opportunity to remain productive.
Brandon Williams, Dallas Mavericks (18% rostered)
Cooper Flagg (foot) has missed eight straight games for the Mavericks. The team is now eight games out of the last spot in the play-in with only 21 games left to play. Their chances of making it are slim, to say the least. Flagg needs to play 16 more games to qualify for the Rookie of the Year Award, which might be the only reason for the team to even consider playing him right now.
One player who is on the rise as the Mavericks continue to rack up losses in Williams, who has averaged 24 minutes over the last 10 games. That helped him average 15.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He is not a good 3-point shooter, making just 23.6% of his attempts from behind the arc for the season. Still, he shoots 47.2% from the field overall. He’s not a must-roster in 10 and 12-team leagues, but he does have appeal in deeper formats.
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Baba Vanga and Nostradamus’ 2026 predictions resurface following Iran conflict
Two alleged clairvoyant figures may have correctly predicted one of the biggest events of 2026 so far.
Nostradamus and Baba Vanga are known for their many predictions for humanity, which span over centuries.
While the French seer is known to be one of a select few prophets who believe they have been eerily correct in some of their predictions long after their death, Baba Vanga has managed to do the same after dying back in 1996.
The former passed away in the 16th century, though not before writing a book called Les Prophéties, which is known for its future forecasts and coincidentally predicted world-altering events.
On the other hand, Baba Vanga, a Bulgarian mystic, spoke of many prophecies which would happen in the years following her death.
But both of them have correctly predicted that a war would ensue in 2026.
Nostradamus has made several predictions about humanity which has spanned hundreds of years after his death (Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)
In all fairness, Nostradamus also predicted global conflict in 2025, which we did see between Russia and Ukraine.
People have remained sceptical about their predictions though, and how their words could be misinterpreted due to the vague nature of some of them.
But one thing is clear, they both predicted that a ‘global war’ or ‘great war’ would take place this year.
Nostradamus wrote in this quatrain: “Seven months great war, people dead through evil/ Rouen, Evreux the King will not fail.”
Many think theat this is linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, as they linked it to a previous phrase from the astrologer, which read: “Within two cities, there will be scourges the like of which was never seen.”
This has previously been linked to the atomic bombs dropped by the US on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.
Baba Vanga also foresaw that ‘global wars’ would take place, as she believes that Earth may never really know peace.
We’re only in March, and this has already come true as the US and Israel are currently locked into a conflict with Iran, as both sides have launched missiles at each other’s territories and bases.
President Donald Trump even confirmed that the US has commenced ‘major combat operations’ against the Middle Eastern nation.
US bases in nearby Gulf countries have been targeted by Iran, with some debris from missiles crashing into populated areas.
Trump said he expects the conflict to last around a month (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
She claimed that in 2026, World War 3 would kick into gear, claiming that tensions between global powers will escalate and that there was even the the potential for the Chinese takeover of Taiwan to reach new heights.
The Bulgarian also said there may have been a direct confrontation between Russia and the US.
Baba Vanga also warned us of AI, explaining that it could become a major problem, with 2026 likely to mark a shift in the tides, where AI’s progress ends up dominating humanity.
While I, Robot already told us this years ago, it may be far beyond an enjoyable film – it could be our reality.
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FATF Flags Peer-to-Peer Stablecoin Transfers as Top Money Laundering Risk
In brief
Stablecoins and regulators
The FATF and stablecoins
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Ethereum ETFs Draw In $169M, Highest Level in Two Months
In brief
What’s next?
Daily Debrief Newsletter
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Map shows how big Iran is compared with the 50 US states
The United States and Israel have continued to bombard Iran, killing at least 1,045 people since Saturday.
Tehran has responded with drone and missile attacks on Israel and several Gulf countries, causing multiple fatalities.
According to recent polling, only one in four Americans approves of the US strikes on Iran. Approval among supporters of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party is stronger but not resounding with 55 percent saying they approved of the strikes, 13 percent disapproving and 32 percent unsure.
About 74 percent of Democrats disapproved of the strikes with 7 percent approving and 19 percent unsure.
How big is Iran?
Iran is the 17th largest country in the world by area, just behind Sudan and Libya. It covers about 1.65 million square kilometres (636,000sq miles).
To put that into context, Iran is about one-sixth the size of the United States, about one-fifth the size of Australia, roughly half the size of India, about four times larger than Iraq and about 80 times larger than Israel.
Iran is located in Western Asia and shares a land border with seven countries, the longest being with Iraq, followed by Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Armenia.
(Al Jazeera) How big is Iran compared with the 50 US states?
Iran is nearly as large as the largest state in the US, Alaska, and more than twice the size of Texas. To equal the landmass of Iran, you would need to combine the areas of Texas, California, Montana and Illinois.
If you placed Iran over the US East Coast, it would swallow almost everything from Maine down to Florida.
The map below shows how big Iran is compared with each of the 50 US states.
(Al Jazeera) Iran at a glance
With 92 million people, Iran’s population represents about a quarter of the nearly 350 million people of the US. Most of the population live in the western half of Iran, where rugged mountains, fertile valleys and river basins sustain the population.
The country is rich in oil and gas, ranking as the world’s ninth largest oil producer and third largest natural gas producer.
Iran’s gross domestic product (GDP) is $375bn, ranking it 43rd globally, and it has an unemployment rate of about 9.2 percent.
(Al Jazeera) In the north, high-altitude areas endure long, bitterly cold winters. Farther south and east, the climate shifts dramatically. Iran’s central and southern provinces experience intense summer heat. The southwestern city of Ahvaz has recorded temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), among the highest ever measured.
Iran’s vast central plateau is comparable to the arid stretches of Arizona or inland California, sparsely populated and shaped by a harsh desert climate.
Where are Iran’s main population centres?
With 9.6 million inhabitants, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran. Its scale is comparable to New York, the most populous city in the United States, which has 8.5 million residents within its city limits. Both serve as the cultural and economic hearts of their respective nations.
(Al Jazeera) Tehran has been the capital since 1795, but the city’s history dates back more than 6,000 years.
Mashhad in the northeast is Iran’s second largest city with 3.4 million people, putting it in the range of Los Angeles, which has about 3.8 million people.
Mashhad has a history spanning more than 1,200 years and is a major religious and cultural centre. It is home to the Imam Reza Shrine, which attracts millions of pilgrims from around the world every year.
Isfahan, the third largest city, is home to 2.3 million people and is comparable to Houston, which has roughly the same number of people.
More than 2,500 years old, Isfahan was once the capital of the Safavid Empire, which lasted from 1501 to 1722. The city has major educational institutions and is a centre for textiles, steel, manufacturing, and the nuclear and aerospace industries. The wider region of Isfahan is home to one of the nuclear sites bombed by the US towards the end of the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June.
Other populous cities across Iran include: Shiraz (1.7 million), Tabriz (1.7 million), Karaj (1.6 million), Qom (1.4 million) and Ahvaz (1.3 million).
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Iranians ‘ready to disgrace’ US troops if they invade, top official says
Top Iranian official Ali Larijani has stressed that his country is prepared to confront a possible invasion from the United States, pledging to capture and kill US troops if they enter the country.
Thursday’s statement comes as US officials, including President Donald Trump, refuse to rule out deploying forces inside Iran.
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Larijani, who serves as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, warned that such actions would have dire consequences.
“Some American officials have stated that they intend to enter Iranian territory on the ground with several thousand troops,” Larijani said in a statement.
He then added a pointed reference to Iran’s former supreme leaders, Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei, the latter of whom was killed on Saturday in a joint US-Israeli strike.
“The valiant sons of Imam Khomeini and Imam Khamenei are waiting for you, ready to disgrace those corrupt American officials by killing and capturing thousands,” he said.
Larijani, who was a close adviser to the assassinated supreme leader, is believed to be one of the most powerful figures in Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed Larijani’s remark on Thursday, saying that Iran is not afraid of a possible US invasion.
“No, we are waiting for them,” Araghchi told NBC News, adding that a ground offensive would be a “big disaster” for US troops.
Israel and the US have dropped thousands of bombs on Iran since the latest conflict began on Saturday, and Tehran has responded with missile and drone attacks across the Middle East.
Trump has said that the war is proceeding better than expected, with the US and Israel in control of Iran’s skies and striking the country with no reprieve.
But Tehran has projected defiance, vowing to continue fighting to avenge Khamenei and repel the US and Israeli attacks.
“We will not negotiate with the United States,” Larijani said earlier this week.
Venezuela as a model for Iran?
In the aftermath of Khamenei’s death, there have been few signs that Iran’s new leadership is willing to work with Washington.
But Trump has nevertheless expressed a desire to see Iran’s government follow the model set by his January 3 attack on Venezuela, which involved replacing the head of state with a figure who is friendly to the US.
In Venezuela, US forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and transported him to the US for trial. Within days, Maduro was succeeded by his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, with the backing of the US.
Rodriguez has since been cooperating with the US, including by allowing the Trump administration to sell millions of barrels of Venezuela’s oil. The rest of Venezuela’s government, meanwhile, has remained largely intact.
“What we did in Venezuela, I think, is the perfect, the perfect scenario,” Trump told The New York Times on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Trump added that he would like to be “involved in the appointment” of Khamenei’s successor, like he had been “with Delcy in Venezuela”.
Trump also voiced opposition to Mojtaba Khamenei, the slain supreme leader’s son, who is believed to be one of the frontrunners to succeed his father as head of state.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” the US president told Axios.
The next supreme leaders will be chosen by a body of religious scholars known as the Council of Experts.
Later on Wednesday, Araghchi warned Trump that the plan for a quick military victory against Iran has failed.
“Your Plan B will be even bigger failure,” Araghchi wrote on X.
He then questioned whether Trump’s “America First” platform was prioritising US priorities — or Israel’s. The foreign minister also blamed the Trump administration for scuttling recent negotiations to deescalate tensions between the US and Iran.
“The truth: Chance for unique deal burned after the ‘America Last’ cabal obscured ‘significant progress’ we made in negotiations. ‘Israel First’ always means ‘America Last’,” Araghchi wrote.
The US and Iranian officials held talks in Geneva days before the Trump administration and Israel launched the war.
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Oscars 2026 Presenters: Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal, Robert Downey Jr. and More Join Star-Studded Lineup
Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal, Will Arnett, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Gwyneth Paltrow are set to present trophies at the 98th Academy Awards.
Raj Kapoor, the show’s executive producer and showrunner, and Katy Mullan, an executive producer, announced the group as the third official round of presenters to join the upcoming ceremony.
Previously announced Oscars presenters include Adrien Brody, Javier Bardem, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Maya Rudolph and Zoe Saldaña.
Although Mescal and Infiniti are not individually nominated for their respective appearances in “Hamnet” and “One Battle After Another,” both films have been recognized by the Academy; “Hamnet” received eight nominations and “One Battle After Another” received 13.
Brody, Culkin, Madison and Saldaña return to the stage as last year’s Oscar acting winners and will honor a new crop of victors, although the Academy has not yet confirmed which categories they will present.
The producers will continue to announce talent joining the show in the coming weeks.
This year’s nominations are led by Ryan Coogler’s record-breaking vampire film, “Sinners,” which garnered an all-time high of 16 nominations. Following close behind is “One Battle After Another,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, with a total of 13 nods. Both films are nominated for best picture alongside “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value” and “Train Dreams.”
Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the 98th Academy Awards will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 15, at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT, with the official live red-carpet show airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.