January 29 2021

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Friday, January 29, 2021 — Edition: #6904

Have a Sheety Weekend!


BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:

★ Larry King’s estranged wife Shawn Southwick King, with whom he was still close, says that the legendary journalist did not die of COVID-19 complications, as has been widely assumed. She told Entertainment Tonight: “It was an infection, it was sepsis.” She said that he had battled numerous recent health conditions, including COVID, “But he beat it, you know, he beat it, but it did take its toll and then the unrelated infection finally is what took him.” Larry King died on Jan. 23 at age 87,  and Shawn says he was laid to rest in a “beautiful” and intimate ceremony, in which the entire family wore suspenders — a tribute to his signature look.
-People, DailyMail
★ Mayim Bialik has had a long and successful career — “Blossom”, “Big Bang Theory” and now “Call Me Kat”, to name a few — but she says she views guest hosting “Jeopardy!” as the most iconic thing she’ll ever do. At one point, Bialik took a 12-year break from Hollywood to pursue her education, obtaining a Ph.D. in neuroscience — and she says she’s happy to “represent all the geeks out there” by taking a turn in the hosting role. Ken Jennings is currently guest hosting, and the show’s executive producer Mike Richards will host for two weeks. That gives the other guest hosts — also including Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers and Bill Whitaker — time to prepare for the job.
-Yahoo
★ On the heels of last week’s news that “Bridgerton” has been renewed for a second season, Netflix has revealed another big bit of news about the Shonda Rhimes-produced period romance: “Bridgerton” is now Netflix’s biggest series ever, crushing even the streaming service’s own launch projections. According to Netflix, a record 82 million households around the world watched “Bridgerton” in the first 28 days since its Christmas Day 2020 launch.
-TheWrap
★ Sacha Baron Cohen will receive the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award at the 36th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival on April 7th. He’ll be honored for his critically acclaimed work in both Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.” SBIFF said in a statement: “In 2020, Mr. Cohen twice was able to capture our interest, our imagination as well as the zeitgeist. His work in both films is timely, urgent and nuanced.” (Never in my life did I think that I’d see Borat referred to as “nuanced”!)
-MSN

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): John Oliver, Charles P. Pierce, Ashley McBryde (R)
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Justin Timberlake, London Hughes, Ozuna x Anuel AA
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Chris Hayes, Sarah Thawer (R)
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Bryan Cranston, Rufus Wainwright (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Keegan-Michael Key
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Naomi Watts, Cicely Tyson, Anthony ONeal
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Loni Love, Adrienne Houghton, Jeannie Mai, Garcelle Beauvais, Nikki & Brie Bella, guest host Mario López
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Peter Krause, Jennifer Coolidge, the McFive Circus
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Leah Remini, Patrick Starrr, Ross Matthews
• “Little Women: Atlanta” (LIFETIME): Season 6 premiere

SATURDAY-
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC): Host John Krasinski, with musical guest Machine Gun Kelly.
• “Wendy Williams: The Movie” (LIFETIME): Wendy Williams overcomes obstacles and defies naysayers to become the popular host of a syndicated talk show.
• “Snowkissed” (HALLMARK): Sparks fly between a New York writer and her adventurous tour guide in Canada.

SUNDAY-
• “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” (ABC): Ray Romano plays for Harvest Home, plus firefighter Lauren Kuykendall
• “The Lady and the Dale” (HBO): The story of Elizabeth Carmichael, who released a fuel-efficient vehicle during the 1970s gas crisis. As she wins over car makers and investors, a web of mystery unfolds regarding the car’s technology and Carmichael’s surprising past.

BS MUSIC NOTES:

• The Weeknd — has announced a greatest hits album called “The Highlights”, out Feb. 5. The 18-track release, which includes mega-hits such as ‘Blinding Lights’ and ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ – will arrive 2 days before his Super Bowl halftime show performance in Tampa Bay, Florida.
• Halsey – has announced she’s pregnant! She shared the news via Instagram, posting 3 maternity photos, in which she showed off her growing belly. She tagged screenwriter Alev Aydin, suggesting he is the father. He basically confirmed it by reposting a pic and adding two red heart emojis.
• Billie Eilish — On “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” Jared Leto revealed that he low-key discovered her and her brother, Finneas. Quote: “They weren’t signed, and I thought that maybe I would try and sign them, they were so incredibly talented and just special people.”
• Selena Gomez — Her first-ever Spanish-language EP is set to drop March 12. Titled “Revelación” (Revelation), it will follow her singles ‘De Una Vez’, and ‘Baila Conmigo’ (out today).
• Adam Lambert – told Kelly Clarkson on her TV show that he may someday start his own beauty company. That was his response after Clarkson complimented his smoky-eye look, saying “Look how good you look! Are you ever going to come out with a makeup line?
• Phil Collins – has sold his stunning Miami Beach home. The 11,000 square-foot house on Biscayne Bay features a rotunda foyer, 150-year-old reclaimed hardwood floors, a chef’s kitchen, a wine cellar and an elevator. The house was built in 1929 and purchased by Collins in 2015 for $33 million. The selling price hasn’t been disclosed, but it was listed for $40 million.
• Rush — The city of St. Catharines, Ontario is commissioning an original work of public art to recognize the percussive and poetic contributions of the late Neil Peart. Artists are invited to submit proposals to honor the drummer, who grew up in the city.
• Gabby Barrett – announced on Wed. that she is a new mom. The ‘I Hope’ singer posted: “Gotten to spend a very sweet week with our newest addition…meet our girl Baylah May Foehner.” Baylah was born Jan. 18, to Barrett and her husband, Cade Foehner, who also is Barrett’s guitarist and a fellow “American Idol contestant”. They married in Oct. 2019.
• Chris Young — The first song performed at the brand-new Chris Young Cafe was ‘Famous Friends’, but he wasn’t just promoting his latest single. The newly revealed space at Middle Tennessee State University features a mural outside depicting him alongside 31 other “friends” who’ve touched his life or made a mark at MTSU, Young’s alma mater in Murfreesboro, TN.
• Tenille Arts — Not only is her song ‘Somebody Like That’ in the Top 20 on the country charts, it also just entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and she was named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country for 2021. On top of all that, last weekend, she won 3 trophies at the Saskatchewan Music Awards: Single of the Year for ‘Somebody Like That’, Album of the Year for “Love, Heartbreak & Everything In Between”, and Country Artist of the Year.

SHOOTING THE BULL

WEEKEND SHENANIGANS:
☞ English and Scottish people have topped an international study of how often people get drunk. The 2020 Global Drugs Survey found that people in Scotland and England say they got drunk on average more than 33 times in the last year. This was the highest of all 25 countries studied and more than twice the rate of several European countries, including Poland, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal. The global average was just over 20 times. Only 7% of Scottish and English people surveyed reported not having been drunk at all in the past 12 months. (I’d get drunk too, if I had to eat something called “blood pudding”!)
☞ Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine set out to examine the effects of an afternoon of heavy tailgating on a group of 18 overweight but generally healthy men. They were given lots of alcoholic drinks for a full afternoon (5 hours), while indulging in tons of hamburgers, cupcakes, and chips. On average, each ate a total of 5,087 calories, more than enough to raise their insulin, fat, and glucose blood levels. But the results show that people’s bodies react in different ways to an afternoon of gluttony. All of the test subjects drank enough alcohol to maintain a 0.08-0.10 blood alcohol level, but only 9 of the 18 men showed increased levels of fat in their liver. Another 5 actually displayed lower fat liver levels after tailgating, and one didn’t experience any liver fat fluctuations whatsoever. (No word on the effects of somersaulting off a truck roof onto a folding table…)
-TheGuardian, Ladders

NEWS OF THE WEIRD:
➢ Despite Italy’s lockdown, a couple from Venice recently set out to prove Earth’s flatness once and for all by sailing to the edge of the world, which they believed to be somewhere near Sicily. After selling their car to buy a boat, they set off for the point where the rim meets the vacuum of space. Using a compass (which, of course, relies on the principle that the Earth is round) the couple attempted to navigate their way through the Pelagie Islands to reach Lampedusa, where they believed they’d find the edge of the earth. They soon found themselves lost, tired, and washed up on the island of Ustica instead. They were quickly placed in quarantine by health officials, but escaped and sailed away once more, possibly reasoning that police’s authority ends at the end of the world. They were caught three hours later. After escaping again a few days later, they ended up in the home of a man who claimed to be positive for COVID-19, but fortunately for them, he was not. Dejected, they returned to their part of the globe via ferry. (It’s amazing how few locals bother to visit famous tourist attractions, like the leaning tower of Piza…or the edge of the Earth!)
-IFLScience

DID YOU KNOW?
Kraft is serving up a pink, candy-flavored Mac & Cheese for Valentine’s Day. Candy Kraft Mac & Cheese is a (very) limited edition offering that’s sure to set hearts aflutter, or something. That’s right: pasta and candy, finally together in one place. Instead of that signature shade of orange, this version will come with a “candy packet” that turns the pasta that bright pastel shade of pink. According to reviewers, the candy flavor packet lives up to its name. Alongside that salty, savory, cheesy combo that you expect, it also has a slight (but unspecified) candy taste, adding in a bit of unexpected sweetness to the mix. The candy pasta is only available by entering a draw at CandyKraftMacandCheese.com. You’ve got until Feb. 8. (I love ketchup so much, my K.D. is ALWAYS pink!)
-AllRecipes

BS CHRONOMETER 01.29.21

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1940 [81] Katharine Ross, Los Angeles CA, movie actress (“The Graduate”, “The Stepford Wives”)

1945 [76] Tom Selleck, Detroit MI, TV actor (‘Frank Reagan’ on “Blue Bloods” since 2010, “Magnum, P.I.” 1980-86)/movie actor (“Three Men and a Baby”)

1954 [67] Oprah Winfrey, Kosciusko MS, TV network mogul (OWN)/TV talk show host (“Oprah” 1986-2011)/movie producer-actress (“Selma”)/magazine publisher (“O”, now online-only)/“Queen of All Media”

1968 [53] Ed Burns, Queens NY, movie actor (“Saving Private Ryan”)/movie producer-director (“She’s the One”)

1970 [51] Heather Graham, Milwaukee WI, movie actress (“The Hangover” movies, “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”)

1975 [46] Sara Gilbert, Santa Monica CA, TV personality (“The Talk” 2010-19)/TV actress (“Roseanne” 1988-97, 2018, “The Big Bang Theory” 2007-10, 2016, “The Conners” since 2018)

1977 [44] Justin Hartley, Knoxville IL, TV actor (“This Is Us” since 2016)

1982 [39] Adam Lambert, Indianapolis IN, pop singer (‘Whataya Want from Me’)/2009 “American Idol” runner-up/“Queen + Adam Lambert” singer since 2011

1983 [38] Eric Paslay, Abilene TX, country singer (‘She Don’t Love You’, ‘Friday Night’)

SATURDAY- Gene Hackman (“Unforgiven”) is 91; Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is 80; Phil Collins (‘In the Air Tonight’) is 70; Christian Bale (“The Dark Knight” Batman trilogy) is 47; Olivia Colman (“The Crown”) is 47; Josh Kelley (‘Only You’) is 41; Wilmer Valderrama (“That ’70s Show”) is 41

SUNDAY- Jonathan Banks (“Breaking Bad”) is 74; John Lydon (‘Johnny Rotten’ of the Sex Pistols) is 65; Minnie Driver (“Good Will Hunting”) is 51; Portia DeRossi (“Arrested Development”) is 48; Kerry Washington (“Scandal”) is 44; Justin Timberlake (‘Can’t Stop the Feeling!’) is 40; Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons) is 34; Tyler Hubbard (Florida Georgia Line) is 34

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Corn Chip Day”.  The corn chip is made from cornmeal which is baked or fried in oil. Although it originated in Mexico, the US patent was granted in 1932. (***Ask listeners to put a half-dozen in their mouth and whistle a tune***)

• “Curmudgeons Day”, an annual celebration of the crusty, yet insightful, wags who consistently apply the needle of truth to the balloons of hypocrisy and social norms. Celebrated on the birthday of late comedian WC Fields, one of the all-time most beloved curmudgeons.

• “Seeing Eye Dog Day”, commemorating ‘The Seeing Eye’, North America’s first guide dog school which opened in Nashville, Tennessee on this date in 1929.

• “Puzzle Day”, celebrating one of our all-time favorite pastimes. What’s your favorite: Jigsaw or Crossword?

• “National Carnation Day”, honoring the memory of President William McKinley. The carnation was said to be McKinley’s favorite flower, and he always wore one on his lapel.

• Fun At Work Day”, because experts say when we enjoy our work, we are more productive. Here are a few suggestions . . .
✓ Find out where your boss shops and buy the same exact outfits. Always wear them one day after your boss does. (Especially effective if your boss is a different gender.)
✓ Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
✓ Include a piece of your kid’s artwork as a cover page for all reports you write.
✓ When answering your phone, talk in a fake British accent.
✓ Make up nicknames for all your co-workers and refer to them only by these names. (“That’s a good point, Sparky.”)
✓ Take a picture of your boss, have it framed and display it prominently on your desk.
✓ Leave the photocopy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17-inch paper, 99 copies.
✓ Send e-mail to the rest of the company telling them EXACTLY what you’re doing. (“If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the bathroom.”)
✓ Pretend your computer mouse is a CB radio mic. Talk to it.

SATURDAY-
• “Croissant Day”, the first step of which is being able to say the French word. It’s not ‘CROY-sent’, it’s ‘cwah-SAHN’. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/amzltv8
• “Inane Voicemail Message Day”, a time to change, shorten, replace, or delete that annoying voicemail message … which you likely recorded on Day One and then never altered.
• “Yodel for Your Neighbors Day”, yodeling is a singing style that most people associate with Switzerland or being in the mountains. It consists of people going back and forth between octaves very fast to get a unique type of sound. (Does this mean that Celine Dion is a yodeler?)
• “National Escape Day”, it’s all about taking a well-deserved break from all the hassles and struggles of everyday life (as well as your yodeling neighbors)

SUNDAY-
• “Backwards Day”, a day to relieve Winter blahs by doing everything backwards, ie: calling people by their last name, eating meals in reverse, [***signing off your show at the beginning***], etc.  (Not to be confused with ‘Opposite Day’, which we celebrated on Monday. Actually…yes! It is very much to be confused with Opposite Day!)
• “Hell is Freezing Over Day”, a day to make a list of things you have said or thought in the past that you would never, ever do. Think about each one to see if you still feel the same way. (***See BS Phone Starter, below***)
• “Hot Chocolate Day”, saluting the warm and creamy beverage we love to drink on a cold Winter’s day.
• “Inspire Your Heart With Art Day”, celebrating the effect it can have on your disposition. Look at a piece of art and ask yourself – What is telling me? How does it make me feel? What emotions is it evoking within me? (What is that thing?)
• “Brandy Alexander Day”, saluting the classic dessert drink that combines brandy with dark crème de cacao in a silky blend often likened to an alcoholic milkshake

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2006 [15] A US 39-cent stamp is released, featuring Hattie McDaniel in the dress she wore in 1940 when she became the first African-American actress to accept an Academy Award

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2009 [12] Kelly Clarkson makes the largest leap to date in “Billboard Hot 100” chart history, rising 96 places to #1 with ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’

2014 [07] Over 100,000 Americans sign a petition to deport Canadian citizen Justin Bieber out of the USA after his arrest for DUI and driving without a valid license (doesn’t happen)

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1936 [85] The first members of the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced in Cooperstown NY: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson, and Walter Johnson

1963 [58] The first members of the NFL Hall of Fame announced in Canton OH, including Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, and George Halas

BULL’S BITS

BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Before the Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt ate 100 Chicken McNuggets a day for 10 days straight, then won 3 gold medals.
✓ A white flag is not actually a sign of surrender for boats at sea. It’s just a request to communicate.
✓ Bubbles from a bubble bath thermally insulate the surface of the water, keeping the bath warm for a longer period of time.
✓ Before crash-test dummies, pig cadavers were used to simulate accident victims.
✓ Hula hoops were once banned in Japan for causing “obscene movements”.
✓ A Cinnabon study found that the scent of cinnamon causes mall shoppers to be more polite.
-KickAssFacts, BathroomReadersInstitute

Best of BS . . .
BS LEAST INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES:
• “You may not have succeeded, but you were at the top of the list of those that failed.”
• “You may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but you’re still a tool.”
• “The ground’s the limit.”
• “If one door closes…open it again. It’s a door. That’s how they work.”
• “Don’t walk before me for I will not follow. Don’t walk behind me for I will not lead. Just stay 100 yards away from me. The restraining order is very specific.”
• “Be yourself. Nobody else wants to be you.”
• “Go ahead. Have the piece of cake. You’re gonna be fat either way.”
• “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after that.”
• “Creativity is contagious, pass it on. Once you have some.”
• “I have a dream. Then I wake up, use the bathroom, and go back to bed.”
-Twitter, first published in ‘BS’ in 2018

TODAY’S SLICE OF BS:
➠ Kansas City is the early favorite to win on Feb. 7, according to oddsmakers. (In football, that is. In finding a great florist, dog groomer or interior designer, Tampa Bay is a million-point favorite…)
➠ Movie execs say that they continue to work on the Sly Stallone flick “The Expendables 4”, after various delays due to the pandemic. (You can complain . . . or you can just be thankful Stallone’s not doing a “Judge Dredd” remake!)
➠ There’s a Seattle, Washington company that is making a non-alcoholic beer for dogs. (If you think everyone in Seattle is stoned, then… well…you may have a good point!)
➠ Bill Gates just gave another $250 million dollars toward a COVID-19 relief fund. (He would have done it sooner, but he was too busy getting his hair done…)
➠ Fact:  If you stay up all night, your body will burn an extra 161 calories. (So, those ‘Midnight Snacks’ are actually helping me stay fit?)

BS WEB GOODIE:
Big fan (sound up):  www.tinyurl.com/3sar2mwh

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I just found out there’s no popcorn in popcorn shrimp. I guess now there’s no reason to try pot roast…

BS PHONE STARTER:
What thing that you said you’d never do. . . have you done?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:

Question:  For some reason, 3 of THESE disappear from the average home each year. What are they?
Answer:  Forks

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The two things in life you have total control over are your attitude and your effort.

 

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