Friday, October 19, 2018 – Edition: #6317
Tomorrow’s Show Prep Today!
★ Big Bird is packing it in. Caroll Spinney, one of the original puppeteers who created “Sesame Street” with Jim Henson, is officially retiring. 84-year-old Spinney said that yesterday will be his last time shooting the iconic children’s show, where he has played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969. He says the roles “Have given me great joy, led me to my true calling and created a lifetime of memories that I will cherish forever.” Spinney actually stopped wearing the Big Bird suit a few years ago, but continued to provide the voices for both characters. Matt Vogel, who also plays Kermit the Frog, will take over as Big Bird.
-TheBlast
★ Bruce Springsteen had a very special guest in the audience at his Broadway show this week. Courteney Cox attended “Springsteen on Broadway” in New York City on Tuesday, along with her former “Friends” co-star, Jennifer Aniston. You might know that in 1984, Cox famously starred in Springsteen’s music video for ‘Dancing in the Dark’. She played the lucky lady who was pulled onstage at his concert in the video. There were no reports of an encore performance at Springsteen’s show this week.
-MSN
★ Jennifer Lopez is returning to TV with another police series. “Blood Ties”, the brainchild of former “The Mentalist” executive producer Tom Szentgyorgyi, revolves around a wrongly-convicted homicide detective whose time behind bars has given him an insight into the criminals he chases.
-Canoe
★ Jane Curtin opened up about the sexism she experienced on Saturday Night Live while visiting “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen”. Cohen asked if John Belushi was one of her sexist co-workers, and Curtin said he was one of those who thought, “Women should not be there.” The host followed up by asking if Belushi thought Gilda Radner was funny. Curtin answered that “He thought Gilda was funny, but she really, he didn’t classify her as a woman. She was Gilda.”
-HollywoodReporter
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Bryan Cranston, Wu-Tang Clan, Paul Shaffer
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Nick Jonas, Elizabeth Olsen, Robin Schulz (R)
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Robin Wright
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Kelly Clarkson, Freddie Highmore, Ken Burns, Sean Kinney (R)
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Kaley Cuoco, Joel McHale, Gaz Coombes (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Day of Hot Topics
• “The Talk” (CBS): Regina Hall, Jameela Jamil, guest co-host Camila McConaughey
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Shaquille O’Neal, Kiernan Shipka
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Jonah Hill, Whitney Cummings
• “Finesse Mitchell: The Spirit Told Me to Tell You” (SHOWTIME): A new stand-up special about adjusting to L.A. life, staying out of nightclubs and juggling the non-stop demands of marriage, fatherhood and adulting.
• “Real Time with Bill Maher: Anniversary Special” (HBO): A look back through the years with commentary from Barack Obama, Larry David, Fran Lebowitz, Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand and more.
SATURDAY-
• “Love, of Course” (HALLMARK): Amy has spent most of her adult life ‘helicoptering’ around her daughter, Cara especially since her husband died six years earlier. With reluctance, Amy is helping Cara head off to college in another city.
• “My Dinner with Hervé” (HBO): Based on rue events, a journalist spends a wild night in Los Angeles with Fantasy Island actor Hervé Villechaize.
SUNDAY-
• “90 Day Fiancé” (TLC): In the Season 6 premiere, everyone is on edge as the foreign partners get ready to arrive.
• “The Lover in the Attic” (LIFETIME): Dolly, despite being married to Fred, has an affair with her repairman, Otto. She then moves Otto into their attic as her sex slave.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Lady Gaga – wore an oversized pantsuit to Monday’s Elle Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration. She delivered an emotional acceptance speech that touched on sexual abuse, mental health and the standards placed on women in Hollywood, saying, “I decided today I wanted to take the power back. Today, I wear the pants.”
• Rihanna — has used F.U. as a business card for her clothing biz for some time, but now another company is firing back. Freedom United Clothing claims in a new lawsuit that it owns the ‘FU’ trademark. Riri has a deal with PUMA to add the “F.U.” on to her sweatshirts, jewelry and sandals. (And you can guess what her response will be…)
• Janet Jackson — will receive the Global Icon Award at MTV’s European Music Awards on November 4 in Bilbao, Spain, where she will also perform a medley of her greatest songs. The event will be hosted by Hailee Steinfeld, who will also perform.
• David Bowie — A controversial statue of him in Aylesbury, UK has been vandalized…again. A man was arrested after the statue was defaced with blue paint, just hours after it had been professionally cleaned and waxed, which was made necessary when the statue was vandalized right hours after it was unveiled in May. “Feed the Homeless” was written in front of it.
• Stray Cats — will mark their 40th anniversary in 2019 with a new album and tour. Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom–original founding members of the rockabilly trio–are heading into a studio in Nashville to record their first new album in 25 years.
• Chaka Khan — has been named grand marshal of the 2019 Rose Parade, which will feature the theme, “The Melody of Life.” In making the announcement on Wednesday, the Tournament of Roses President praised her efforts as an activist…and praised her baking. She sells a line of gourmet chocolates called “Chakalates.”
• Garth Brooks – The TV special “Garth: Live at Notre Dame!” will air on CBS on Dec. 2. This Saturday’s concert will be the first ever to be held at the legendary Notre Dame Stadium.
• Kenny Chesney – will co-headline the 2019 Tortuga Festival along with Jason Aldean and Thomas Rhett. More than 100,000 fans are expected April 12–14 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Also on the bill: Sheryl Crow, Dustin Lynch, Maddie & Tae, Midland, Maren Morris, Flo Rida, Morgan Evans, Chris Janson, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and many more.
TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Halloween” (R-Rated, Horror): Laurie Strode has her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago. (Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer)
• “The Hate U Give” (PG-13, Drama): Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right. (Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall)
• “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” (R-Rated, Comedy/Drama): When Lee Israel falls out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception. An adaptation of the memoir of best-selling celebrity biographer Lee Israel. (Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant)
• “What They Had” (R-Rated, Drama): Bridget returns home at her brother’s urging to deal with her ailing mother and her father’s reluctance to let go of their life together. (Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon)
• “Mid90s” (Not Rated, Comedy): Stevie, a thirteen-year-old in 90s-era LA, spends his summer navigating between his troubled home life and a group of new friends that he meets at a skate shop. (Sunny Suljic, Lucas Hedges)
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR…AGAIN:
Are you one of those people who starts playing Christmas music a few weeks after the kids go back to school in September…or are you someone who ducks and runs during the first four bars of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas?” If you are the second kind of person, you might be known as the local Grinch, but you are probably also a lot less stressed than your festive friends and family. New research shows that repetition of holiday music can have a psychological impact on us. That’s right. After a point, the more times you hear a Christmas song, the more likely it will lead to feelings of boredom, annoyance and even distress. That’s because the brain becomes oversaturated, triggering a negative response. If you’re already worried about money, work, or seeing family during the holidays, the constant bombardment of cheerful tunes may reinforce that stress instead of relieving it. It can also negatively affect employee productivity. A Consumer Reports survey found that 23% of us dread holiday music. How can you avoid the negative mental impacts of Christmas music? Switch up your music by varying your playlists. And keep the volume in check.
(Did you hear that, honey? SWITCH UP THE MUSIC AND KEEP THE VOLUME IN CHECK!)
(That explains the demeanor of a lot of retail workers at this time of year…)
(I think I reached “holiday music fatigue” after one “Fa” and three “Las”)
-BusinessInsider
TOO STUPID FOR US TO MAKE UP:
► A man stunned patrons and staff at Toronto’s Ripley Aquarium when he stripped naked, hopped a security barrier and jumped into a large shark tank. The man spent several minutes swimming in the tank with sand tiger sharks, sawfish and moray eels as a crowd gathered for “Jazz Night” looked on. At one point, as seen in videos posted online, the man briefly paused his swim and appeared to be getting out at the urging of security guards. A moment later, he dove backwards into the tank as onlookers let out a cheer. Naked. Police later charged 37-year-old David Weaver with mischief and in connection with an alleged assault earlier that evening.
(For which he is rumored to have worn clothing.)
► A new restaurant in Italy will let you eat for free – if you have enough Instagram followers. Owners Matteo and Tommaso Pittarello hope the initiative will raise publicity for their new sushi restaurant in Milan, called “This is Not a Sushi Bar”, which opens on Monday. Customers will be able to walk into their restaurant, order a plate of food, and then post a picture of the meal and the restaurant on Instagram. On the basis of how many followers they have, the next dish – and possibly more after that – will be free. Anyone with 1,000 to 5,000 followers will get one free plate of sushi. Those with 5,000 to 10,000 followers get two free plates. The rewards increase up to 100,000 followers. If you have that many, you can eat as much you like without paying.
(But do you dare, and not look perfect for that next Instagram selfie?)
-Telegraph
► Viewers of the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank on BBC were treated to a royal boo-boo if they had their television’s ‘subtitle’ function TV turned on. BBC blamed a failure of its voice recognition system for a subtitle that referred to Eugenie’s “beautiful breasts” rather than her “beautiful dress” as she walked up the stairs to the chapel.
(Talk about “descriptive video”!)
-AP
BS CHRONOMETER 10.19.18
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1940 [78] Michael Gambon, Dublin Ireland, movie actor (‘Dumbledore’ in the “Harry Potter” franchise)
1945 [73] John Lithgow, Rochester NY, movie actor (“The Accountant”, “Interstellar”)/TV actor (“Dexter” 2009, “3rd Rock From the Sun” 1996-2001) COMING UP…”Pet Sematary” 2019
1966 [52] Jon Favreau, Queens NY, movie actor/director (“Swingers”, director of “Elf”, “Iron Man 1 &2”) COMING UP…”The Lion King” 2019
1969 [49] Trey Parker, Conifer CO, TV producer-writer (“South Park” since 1997)
1970 [48] Chris Kattan, Los Angeles CA, TV actor (“Saturday Night Live” 1996-2012, “The Middle” 2009-2014)
1977 [41] Jason Reitman, Montréal QC, film director (“Up in the Air”, “Juno”)/movie producer (“Whiplash”)
1986 [32] Zac Barnett, Boston MA, indie rock singer (American Authors-‘Best Day of My Life’)
SATURDAY-
Movie actor Viggo Mortensen (“Lord Of the Rings”) is 60; Rapper Snoop Dog (‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’) is 47; Actor John Krasinski (“A Quiet Place”) is 39
SUNDAY-
Judge Judy is 76; Country singer Matthew Ramsey (Old Dominion-‘Break Up With Him’) is 41, Reality star Kim Kardashian (“Keeping Up With the Kardashians”) is 38
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Dress Like a Dork Day”, when all you need to do is slick back your hair, get out the plaid polyester pants, hideous shirt, suspenders, white knee socks, and your favorite dickey. Add horn-rimmed glasses fixed with masking tape, a fanny pack, and a pocket protector and you’re good to go!
• “Evaluate Your Life Day”, a time to “sit back and reflect on your contribution to humanity and see if you’re really heading toward where you want to be”. (I would make a joke here about my life, but my life beat me to it…)
• “Seafood Bisque Day”, celebrating the smooth, creamy, and highly-seasoned soup of French origin. Based on a strained broth of crustaceans, it’s made with lobster, crab, or shrimp.
• “Mammography Day”, observed on the 3rd Friday in October, “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”. On this day, or sometime this month, women are encouraged to make a mammography appointment.
SATURDAY-
• “Brandied Fruit Day”, a day to celebrate booze with a pit.
• “International Day of the Air Traffic Controller”, to recognize the attentive people who keep flight passengers safe by acting as an eye in the sky. Roger that! (Considered one of the most stressful jobs, but it’s the pilot who gets the applause when the plane lands safely!)
• “Suspenders Day”. If you prefer suspenders instead of a belt (how snappy!), this would be your day to celebrate.
• “World Osteoporosis Day”, focusing awareness on a major cause of bone fractures in older populations. Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density and quality of bone is reduced, increasing the risk of fracture.
SUNDAY-
• “Garbanzo Bean Day”, celebrating the legume also known as the chickpea. They can be eaten cold in salads or cooked in stews. They’re also the basis of the popular dip hummus.
• “International Day of the Nacho”, celebrating the popular snack food that originated in Mexico. First created circa 1943 by Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Anaya while working at a restaurant called the Victory Club in Piedras Negras, original nachos consisted of fried tortilla chips covered with melted cheese and jalapeño peppers.
• “Pumpkin Cheesecake Day”, a seasonal dish traditionally made with a graham cracker crust and a pumpkin purée cheesecake filling.
• “Reptile Awareness Day”, to raise awareness that habitat-loss and the threat of extinction are significant concerns in the world of reptilian life.
• “Babbling Day”, a day of tolerance for those who run off at the mouth … Admit it: as soon as I said that, you immediately thought of someone in particular!
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2003 [15] Magician David Blaine emerges from 44 days of isolation in a clear plastic box suspended over the Thames in London UK
2012 [05] Justin Timberlake weds Jessica Biel at a super-secret ceremony in Italy
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1986 [32] Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colors’ hits #1 (and goes on to become an anthem of acceptance and is reinterpreted many times)
2010 [08] In an interview with ‘Radio Times’ magazine, Elton John describes today’s songwriters as “pretty awful”, pop music as “uninspiring”, and TV talent shows as “boring”
TODAY’S FIRSTS. . .
1957 [61] Maurice “Rocket” Richard of the Montreal Canadiens becomes 1st NHLer to score 500 goals
2006 [12] Dow Jones Average closes above 12,000 for the 1st time (today it’s circa 26,000)
BULL’S BITS
BS WACK FACTS:
✓ Horror is the only movie genre in which more women appear than men.
✓ Pineapples contain an enzyme called Bromelain that eats flesh – so while you’re eating pineapple, the pineapple is eating you.
✓ If you pour salt into a glass of water, the level of the water will go down instead of up.
✓ Some farmers in Bangladesh have switched to raising ducks instead of chickens, because during catastrophic floods, ducks float.
✓ The probability of you drinking a glass of water that contains a molecule of water that also passed through a dinosaur is almost 100%
✓ During happy hour, you’re actually more tolerant to the effects of alcohol compared to other times of the day.
-WhattheFFacts, UberFacts
BS YOU KNOW YOU’RE A WINO IF:
• You drink wine by the box.
• You think that the opposite of white is red.
• You think that raisins are a waste of a grape.
• You have no fewer than 5 tools to open a bottle at any given time.
• Your glass is always half-empty, not half-full.
• Your man-friend/roommate/dog instinctively refills your glass anytime they go to the kitchen. Without being asked.
• You didn’t know that burgundy was a color.
• You find yourself swirling the glass even if it’s water.
• You wonder why so many people dislike the French.
• You can’t finish lists because you finished the bottle instead.
-LaLaLisette
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Just because it’s a bad idea doesn’t mean it won’t be a good time.
BS PHONE STARTER:
Spill! What embarrassing thing did you do that still makes you cringe every time you think of it?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 15% of men have insulted a woman on their first date by doing THIS. What?
Answer: Asking for gas money.
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
I don’t need an inspirational quote today. What I need is a freakin’ cup of coffee!
