Thursday, April 4, 2024 – Edition: #7691
The Sheet Hits the Fans!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Jeff Bezos has scooped up a third property on Miami’s elite Indian Creek Island — for a staggering $90 million. The Amazon founder, who was recently named the 3rd richest person in the world by Forbes, purchased the waterside mansion in the ritzy neighborhood, nicknamed “Billionaire Bunker,” in an off-market transaction. The resort-style manor features a plush yard overlooking the ocean with several manicured gardens, a large driveway, and a beautiful swimming pool and guesthouse. It is being reported that Bezos plans to live in the home while completing the demolition of his 2 other island abodes. Indian Creek is already home to A-listers, including Tom Brady, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. The tech titan purchased his other 2 neighboring Indian Creek residences for $147 million.
-PageSix
★ “Joker 2”, aka “Joker: Folie à Deux”, has been given an R-rating — and a trailer premiere date – and Warner Bros. has released a brand-new poster. The first footage from the ‘Batman’-adjacent sequel will drop on April 9. And it might also give us our first glimpse of a selection of musical numbers, given the movie’s unusual direction. The poster showcases Joaquin Phoenix’s ‘Arthur Fleck’/’Joker’ character holding Lady Gaga’s ‘Harley Quinn’ in a dance, while still in their clown make-up. Joker: Folie á Deux hits theaters on October 4.
-DigitalSpy
★ Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are on vacation this week, so old interviews have been airing on “Live with Kelly and Mark.” But it seems someone wasn’t paying attention when they picked out which ones, because on Tuesday an episode from June 2023 aired, in which Ripa fawningly begs for an invitation to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ yacht. The problem? The rap mogul’s homes were raided last week as part of what appears to be a sex-trafficking investigation. In the rerun, the couple compliments guest Mary J. Blige on a photo of her posing on a yacht, which Blige refers to as her “big brother Puff’s boat.” Blige said. Ripa replies: “Next time you go on Puff’s boat, we’d like to!” The clip has since been pulled from YouTube.
-PageSix
★ Sam Raimi is finally addressing rumors that he’s working on another ‘Spider-Man’ movie starring Tobey Maguire. Marvel fans have been speculating for a while that the director would reunite with Maguire for a 4th installment of the Spidey universe he created in 2002. In an interview, Raimi said: “I did read that, but I’m not actually working on it yet…Marvel and Columbia are so successful with current Spider-Man [movies]…I don’t know that they’re going to go back to me, and say, ‘Well, folks, we can also tell that story!’” Raimi has said he was open to the idea of directing a 4th Spider-Man film.
-Variety
★ Clear the aisles — Target Lady is back! Kristen Wiig reprised her iconic “Saturday Night Live” role for a series of new Target ads, beginning with a teaser shared this week. From the moment she wakes in the short ad, Target Lady is ready for action – donning red fuzzy slippers with the Target logo on them before getting in a morning workout – using the Target checkout lane as a makeshift treadmill. Next, she dives into her day, literally head-first through a slide that takes her to the store for another dream come true day as a Target cashier. The new campaign promotes Target’s “Circle Week”, beginning on Sunday. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3d76j26e
-People
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): Kirsten Dunst, Andrew Scott, Conan Gray
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Dr. Phil McGraw, Alex Edelman, G-Eazy ft. Coi Leray & Kaliii
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Steve Buscemi, Henry Louis Gates Jr.
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Trevor Wallace, London Hughes, Affion Crockett
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Kristen Wiig, Mike Birbiglia
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Amanda Batula
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Sebastian Junger, Ken Harbaugh, host Desi Lydic
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Elizabeth Hurley and Damian Hurley, Alex Edelman
• “The Talk” (CBS): Justin Willman, Skylar Astin
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Scarlett Johansson, Gabrielle Union, Victoria Shaffer
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Valerie Bertinelli, Fortune Feimster, Henry Lloyd-Hughes
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Jessica Capshaw, Aly Raisman
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Kenya Barris, Jamie Kern Lima
• “Young Sheldon” (CBS): Georgie and Mandy’s wedding plans pit Mary against Mandy’s mom, with baby CeeCee caught in the middle.
• “Ghosts” (CBS): Trevor’s brother, Jeremy, checks into Woodstone after discovering a loophole in the Woodstone Rewards Points program.
• “9-1-1” (ABC): Athena’s son finds himself in trouble with the law; Buck grows envious as Eddie forms a bond with someone else.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Taylor Swift – According to a new Forbes report, the 34-year-old has officially reached billionaire status — thanks to her ongoing “Eras Tour”, extensive song catalog and real estate portfolio. She’s said to be the only musician to earn the feat solely based on music and live performances – and her next album “The Tortured Poets Department” drops April 19.
• Lizzo — is not quitting music. Days after she stirred up headlines for posting “I quit” on social media, she took to Instagram to clarify exactly what she meant. Quote: “I mean I quit giving any negative energy attention. What I’m not going to quit is the joy of my life, which is making music and connecting to people…I’m going to keep moving forward and keep being me.”
• The Offspring — Guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman reports that the group is “Already almost done” recording the band’s follow-up to 2021’s “Let the Bad Times Roll” album. The group is again working with super-producer Bob Rock on the project, and he expects it to be complete by the end of this month.
• Heart — has announced 30 additional dates for its 2024 “Royal Flush Tour”. Earlier this year, the band unveiled shows running April-Sept., but has now added dates to keep them on the road through the end of the year. Foreigner and Jeff Lynne’s ELO have also extended their current farewell tours.
• ABBA — are reportedly set to sign a multi-million-dollar deal to bring their avatar experience “ABBA Voyage” to Resorts World in Las Vegas. It currently takes place at the custom-built ABBA Arena in London, but reports say the group “has been secretly in talks for a while about getting a deal in Vegas.”
• Nate Smith – His “Through The Smoke” EP comes out tomorrow, but he has already taken to TikTok to share snippets of a new breakup song titled ‘Wish I Never Felt’. Meanwhile, his latest single, ‘Bulletproof’, is approaching the top 20 of the country charts. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mrypxd78
• Kenny Chesney – His new album “Born” has debuted at #5 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, his 22nd top 10. In addition, it is Chesney’s 12th album to hit #1 on the Top Album Sales chart.
• Toby Keith – His final studio recording is a sort-of tribute to another late country star: Joe Diffie. ‘Ships That Don’t Come in’, Keith’s collab with Luke Combs and Hardy, appears on Hardy’s “Hixtape Volume 3”, a full album tribute to Diffie. Also appearing on the album, which was released last Friday, are Blake Shelton, Chris Young, Clint Black, Darius Rucker, Hailey Whitters, and Koe Wetzel. LINK: https://youtu.be/vW8CVmVy5K0
SHOOTING THE BULL
‘VIRTUALLY’ A DATE:
It seems that virtual dating, which became a big thing during the worst of the pandemic, is back in style. Why? Because going out has become so expensive. The dating app Wingman says that Gen Z in particular has embraced the “virtual first date”, which lets people test the waters with a potential new partner without making a financial investment. Apparently, 65% of Wingman users aged 18-27 choose to meet on Zoom (or another type of video call) as a first date, instead of meeting up. According to a spokesperson for the app, Gen Zers “don’t bat an eye at it…You can have a quick chat and you can see if there’s that spark.” Some even try to set some of the atmosphere of a regular date — but at a lower cost — by ordering takeout to their date’s place for the call.
(Why not let her see how cheap you are right off the bat, I say!)
(Fine. But doesn’t that kinda make you feel like you’re INTERVIEWING for a real date?)
-BusinessInsider
THE APPLE MAPS APP:
OK – nerd alert – but this is pretty cool. It looks as though Apple Maps may soon customize the directions it gives you, based on the type of car you’re driving, among other things. Stay with me here… Yes, Apple Maps has long been the “poor little brother” of competitor Google Maps, but it has taken steps to enhance its app, and its latest patent filing indicates it may have plans to provide customized routes for those using the feature via CarPlay — based on the user’s vehicle and engine profile. For example, it could provide users with driving directions based on their fuel level. That way, the route could call for a stop at a gas station, if needed. Even cooler, if you were driving an electric vehicle, directions could be customized based on how far the EV can go before it needs a charge — and Apple Maps would make sure that the route includes a charging station along the way, of course.
(I’d much prefer it to include a charging station along the way…without a lineup!)
(Great stuff! The only problem I can see is if Apple Maps decides on a route that my wife doesn’t want to take…!)
-Mashable
COMBO MEALS:
McDonald’s customers in Canada who have made a habit of combining their favourite foods from the restaurant (which has become a thing), will soon get to see some of them become official menu items. McD’s announced its new “Remix” line this week, offering up 3 limited-time sandwiches and a reimagined McFlurry – complete with a 1980s commercial jingle ‘remixed’ by rapper Lil Yachty. The new “Remix” menu options:
• Chicken Cheeseburger: A crispy chicken patty and a beef patty, topped cheese, pickle, onions, ketchup and mustard.
• Surf ‘N Turf Burger: 2 beef patties and a Filet-O-Fish patty. Also topped with cheese, pickles, onions, ketchup and mustard.
• The Sweet Chili Junior Chicken, which adds a sweet chili Thai sauce to the regular Junior Chicken, which the restaurant calls its “most-hacked” item.
• The Apple Pie McFlurry, a McFlurry filled with apple pie and caramel.
A spokesperson said the Remix menu line “is tapping into what customers and what fans are already doing today and just making it official and having fun with it.” Last year, McDonald’s Canada offered a Chicken Big Mac that customers had long assembled themselves. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y82vhxyh
(McDonald’s not only expects to make a fortune with the Remix menu, they expect to SAVE a fortune because we won’t need a mitt-full of napkins every time we try to make one of these things ourselves!)
(My favorite menu hack at McDonald’s? Load everything up with ketchup and hope for the best!)
-CP
THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD:
Forbes has released its 2024 “Rich List”, its ranking of the world’s wealthiest people. Here is the top 10…
1. Bernard Arnault & family: Net Worth: $233 Billion — 75 fashion and cosmetics brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora.
2. Elon Musk: $195 Billion – cofounded Tesla, SpaceX, tunneling startup Boring Company, and 3 others. (But we don’t think he’s making much from X these days…!)
3. Jeff Bezos: $194 Billion — founded e-commerce giant Amazon in 1994. (And that’s about all he needs!)
4. Mark Zuckerberg: $177 Billion – In 2004, he started Facebook at age 19. Parent company Meta now also owns Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, plus other products and services (…as well as all your personal data!).
5. Larry Ellison: $141 Billion — Chairman, chief technology officer and cofounder of software giant Oracle, of which he owns just under 40%.
6. Warren Buffett: $133 Billion — Known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” he is one of the most successful investors of all time.
7. Bill Gates: $128 Billion – He diversified his fortune from software firm Microsoft into dozens of holdings, including waste disposal firm Republic Services and tractor maker Deere & Co. (Still #7, despite giving away billions!)
8. Steve Ballmer: $121 Billion — Former CEO of Microsoft, who led the company from 2000 to 2014.
9. Mukesh Ambani: $116 Billion – He chairs and runs Reliance Industries, which has interests in petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecom, retail and financial services.
10. Larry Page: $114 Billion – He stepped down as CEO of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, in 2019 but remains a board member and a controlling shareholder. (…and still makes more in a day than I dare even dream about!)
(BTW, experts peg Vlad Putin’s net worth from his web of corruption to be somewhere between #1 and #2, but no one has the paper trail to prove it … or they’re afraid to!)
-Forbes, NDTV
DID YOU KNOW?
All Japanese citizens will have the same surname 500 years’ time — unless married couples are permitted to use differing last names, a new study says. The report, from Tohoku University, found that if the country does not update a civil code dating back to the late 1800s which insists that couples select a single surname, every single Japanese person will be known as “Sato-san” by 2531, and people may “have to be addressed by…first names or by numbers.” “Sato” already tops the list of Japanese surnames, accounting for 1.5% of the total population.
-Guardian
BS CHRONOMETER 04.04.24
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “404 Day”, celebrating(?) the 404 error or, ‘not found’ message. This error occurs when your computer is not able to communicate with a server, or server can’t find what was requested. This date was chosen because the decimal form of April 4 reads “404”.
• “Ballroom Dancing Day”, celebrated on the birth anniversary of famous ballroom dancer Arthur Murray. Ballroom dancing has seen a resurgence in the 2000s thanks to TV shows like “Dancing With the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance”.
• “Hug a Newsperson Day”, Caution: wait until he or she has had their morning coffee!
• “International Day for Landmine Awareness & Assistance”. (Unfortunately, participation in this can cost you an arm and a leg.)
• “Carrot Day”, when the carrot is celebrated through carrot parties and other carrot related festivities. (Carrot festivities? The only carrot festivity I want to be a part of is a big hunk of carrot cake . . . hold the carrots!)
• “Burrito Day”. The word burrito means little donkey in Spanish. It is possible that it stems from the appearance of the packs and bedrolls donkeys used to carry. Burritos first appeared on restaurant menus in the 1930s, starting with the El Cholo Spanish Cafe in Los Angeles.
• “Ramen Noodle Day”. We don’t need a food “holiday” to crave a bowl of ramen, but Ramen Noodle Day is still a good excuse to slurp savory noodles and broth. (Perfect for those of us who are low on salt!)
• “World Rat Day”, since 2002, recognizing the “dear, sweet animals which deserve greater recognition and admiration”, if you believe the people who own them. They say the rat’s bad image is due to ignorance and prejudice. (Well, that and the plague…) LINK: http://www.worldratday.com
• “Tell-A-Lie Day”, (***a good day to ask listeners to add to the list of ‘World’s Greatest Lies’ …***)
– “You get this one, I’ll buy the next round.”
– “Drinking? Why no, officer.”
– “Trust me, I’ll take care of everything.”
– “It’s not the money, it’s the principle of the thing.”
– “I gave at the office.”
– “I’m from the government — and I’m here to help.”
– “The check’s in the mail.”
– “Of course I love you.”
– “It was good for me, too.”
– “I’ll call you later.”
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Go for Broke Day
[Fri] Deep Dish Pizza Day
[Sat] Pillow Fight Day
[Sun] Beer Day
This Week Is…Public Health Week
This Month Is…Decorating Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1944 [80] Craig T. Nelson, Spokane WA, TV actor (“Parenthood” 2010-2015, “Coach” 1989-1997)/movie actor (“The Incredibles” movies, Poltergeist”)
1963 [61] Graham Norton (Walker), County Cork Ireland, TV host, (“The Graham Norton Show” since 2007)
1964 [60] David Cross, comedian-TV actor (‘Tobias Fünke’ on “Arrested Development” 2003-06, 2013-19)
1965 [59] Robert Downey Jr, NYC, movie actor (“Iron Man” and “Avengers” films, Oscar-“Oppenheimer”) COMING UP… “The Sympathizer” miniseries
1970 [54] Barry Pepper, Campbell River BC, movie actor (“True Grit”, “Saving Private Ryan”)/TV actor (“The Kennedys”) COMING UP… “Solitary”
1971 [53] Josh Todd, LA CA, rock singer (Buckcherry-‘Sorry’, ‘Lit Up’)
1973 [51] David Blaine (White), Brooklyn NY, illusionist (suspended over the River Thames for 44 days, buried alive, frozen in a block of ice, caught a bullet in his mouth…)
1979 [45] Natasha Lyonne, NYC, TV actress (“Orange Is the New Black” 2013-18, “Poker Face” since 2023)/movie actress (“American Pie” movies)
1991 [33] Jamie Lynn Spears, McComb MS, TV actress (‘Zoey’ on “Zoey 101” 2005-08, “Sweet Magnolias” since 2020)/country singer-songwriter/sister of Britney Spears
ON THIS DAY . . .
1968 [56] Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis TN
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2013 [11] Movie critic/TV personality/screenwriter Roger Ebert dies of cancer at age 70
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2008 [16] Beyoncé marries Jay-Z at his New York apartment. Coldplay’s Chris Martin and wife Gwyneth Paltrow, and Beyoncé’s former Destiny’s Child bandmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, all attend the private ceremony. (Still together. Who’d a thunk it?)
2009 [15] Jeff Beck, Metallica, Run-DMC, Little Anthony & The Imperials, and Bobby Womack are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
2023 [01] The first truly believable AI-generated song appears online. An anonymous TikTok user posts ‘Heart On My Sleeve’, mimicking the voices of Drake and The Weeknd. It quickly raises the issue of copyright with AI music
TODAY IN SPORTS . . .
1982 [42] Edmonton Oiler Wayne Gretzky finishes the NHL season with 212 points, to become first and only player to break the 200-point barrier (He goes on to do it 3 more times)
TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
2017 [07] A stunning 59.6 carat diamond known as the ‘Pink star’ sets the world record price of $71 million for a gem, at an action in Hong Kong
2019 [05] Amazon’s Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos agree to a record-breaking $35 billion divorce settlement
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Data scientists analyzed over 10,000 words to discover the “happiest” word in the English language. It’s “laughter.”
✓ Lemurs were once the size of gorillas.
✓ Mars has a mountain named Olympic Mons, which is almost 3 times taller than Everest.
✓ You blink 5-10 million times per year.
✓ The symbols used by cartoonists to indicate swearing are called “grawlixes”.
✓ Adding all the numbers on a roulette wheel equals a total of 666.
-Penguin, Facts
Best of BS . . .
BS UNLIKELY SONG SEQUELS:
• Difficult like Monday Morning
• Stop Calling Me, Maybe?
• OK, I MIGHT do that
• Purple Rainbow
• We Were the Champions
• Pretty Fly For an Old White Guy
• Another Brick in the Wall Part 3 (***REAL***)
• Airbnb California
• On the Road Again, Again
• …Aaand Now I’ve Shot the Deputy, Too
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2022
BS QUESTIONS YOU’LL WISH YOU HADN’T ASKED:
• “Why is this chair wet?”
• “What’s inside this letter from the government?”
• “If that’s not chocolate, then what is it?”
• “What’s keeping that beltless vagrant’s pants up?”
• “Honey, why are you so sick every morning lately?”
• “No sir, I don’t have life insurance. Why do you ask?”
• “How contagious are you?”
• “When you say ‘about average’, exactly how many other men are you comparing me to?”
-First published in BS in 2015
BS WEB GOODIE:
Works for me: https://tinyurl.com/4mzr5mbm
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I told my psychiatrist that I’ve been hearing voices. He told me that I don’t have a psychiatrist.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What simple (to others) task or skill can you just not get your head around?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
28% of us haven’t shown up for THIS at least once in the past year. What is it?
Answer: Dinner reservations
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Every time you’re able to find humor in a difficult situation, you win.
