Hotness in the News, brought to you by SociaLifeChicago, is your daily intel for quick news stories to keep you up on what’s going on in Chicago and the world. With sports, celebrity, business, fashion news and our ‘Look of The Day.’ Make small talk, better.
Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
― Desmond Tutu
CHICAGO NEWS
• HomeMade Pizza, the take-and-bake pizza company that abruptly closed seven months ago, has filed for bankruptcy and they owe $11.2 million reports Crain’s. The Chapter 7 petition, filed Dec. 3, would enable the shuttered company to formally liquidate and discharge its debts. HomeMade owed 130 creditors slightly more than $11.2 million, the vast majority to investment entities controlled by Matthew Pritzker and Gary Brinson of Chicago, Martin Murch of Ohio, and Gary and Mary West of Evanston. Pritzker’s stake was by far the largest, valued at $5.1 million, according to the filing. [CRAIN’S CHICAGO]
NATIONAL NEWS
• Jury selection in the first (of two) murder trials of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is set to begin Friday. This is for the murder of semi-professional football player Odin Llyod. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to all three killings. [REUTERS]
WORLD NEWS
• Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decade in power ends today. He has been defeated in a midterm election by his challenger Maithripala Sirisena who garnered over 51% of the vote. Rajapaksa abolished the two-term limit on the presidency to allow himself to run for a third time, and then called Thursday’s snap elections two years before his second term ended — a move that backfired badly. [TIME]
• A gunman is believed to be holding five people including women and children hostage near Porte de Vincennes, on the eastern edge of Paris. This may or may not be related to another hostage taking at a printing house where the suspected gunmen from the Charlie Hebdo massacre are barricaded. Police said the suspects in the Wednesday attack, had stolen a car and exchanged automatic-weapons fire with the police as they were pursued down a highway.Police have established communication with the Kouachi brothers who states they want to die as martyrs. [NY TIMES]
SPORTS
• Soccer’s Asia Cup 2015 tournament began today with Australia’s Socceroos beating Kuwait 4-1 in Melbourne. The tournament will run until January 31 and air live on designated ABC channel as well as ABC radio. [ABC NEWS]
•Former Miami Dolphins player Rob Konrad swam nine miles back to shore after falling off his boat during a fishing trip he took alone in South Florida. [USA TODAY]
BUSINESS
• Premium Cars such as BMW, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Audi hit record sales last year and global demand for them remains healthy. Mercedes and Porsche did particularly well in China, with sales growth of 29% and 25% respectively. Deliveries of BMW rose 9.5% in 2014 to 1.81 million cars. Volkswagen AG ’s Audi brand saw a 11% increase to 1.74 million cars, Porsche reported an 17% increase. [WSJ]
• Sue Ann Arnall, ex spouse of oil tycoon Harold Hamm who is worth over $20 billion, received an almost $975 million check and it was initially reported she turned it down but actually did cash the check after all. Though Mr. Hamm agreed to pay nearly $1 billion back in November to settle the divorce, she appealed that she was entitled to more. Hamm’s attorney, Craig L. Box, confirmed to CNN that the check has been deposited. [CNN]
CELEBRITIES
• Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host the Golden Globes Sunday night and Fey said viewers can expect some digs at the embattled comedian Bill Cosby. [PAGE SIX]
FASHION
• The French fashion industry is lending its support to the “Je Suis Charlie” campaign asserting the need to protect freedom of speech in the wake of the killings at the satirical newspaper. Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault said on social media “Freedom of expression is sacred. Stand united!” Others including Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kris Van Assche, Olivier Rousteing and Riccardo Tisci are also speaking out. [VOGUE UK]
• Though Chicago was first, designer Ralph Lauren is opening his third but first NYC restaurant adjacent to his Ralph Lauren Store. The Polo Bar located on 1 East 55th Avenue opens today and the first of two private dinners to unveil the new restaurant had guests including former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg, Vanity Fair EIC Graydon Carter, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Hoda Kotb, Loews Hotel’s Lizzie Tisch, Harper’s Bazaar EI Glenda Bailey. Looks like this may be the new power restaurant. [WWD]
LOOK OF THE DAY
• DIANE KRUGER
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