Thursday, April 16, 2020 Edition: #6677
The BS Press!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Even in the midst of his fight against stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Alex Trebek is finding ways to spread a message of hope. He announced that he’s written a memoir called “The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life”, which will be released on July 21. Trebek has been resisting requests that he write a memoir for decades. But after he announced his diagnosis in March 2019, he was so moved by the letters and words of support he received that he decided to share his story.
-Yahoo
★ Ricky Gervais has slammed his fellow celebrities for moaning about coronavirus lockdown measures from their mansions. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in governments across the world telling citizens to stay in their homes as much as possible, with some stars, including British singer Sam Smith and Ellen DeGeneres, complaining on social media that being in lockdown is tough. Gervais slammed the stars whining about being holed up in luxury homes, saying they should be grateful they aren’t working to battle the disease or struggling to make ends meet.
-Canoe
★ Disney is working on a remake of its 1973 adaptation of “Robin Hood”, which has become a cult classic in its own right. The new movie will again tell the classic medieval tale of a hero who takes from the rich and gives to the poor, and will feature anthropomorphic animals. Like the recent “Lady and the Tramp” remake, this one is planned to go straight to Disney+.
-PopCulture
★ WWE has been deemed an ”essential business” and the company will be allowed to continue recording its television programming during the pandemic. The state of Florida is currently under a ”stay at home” order to try and stop the spread of COVID-19, but Orange County Major Jerry Demings has granted World Wrestling Entertainment permission to continue filming at its Orlando Performance Centre.
(Believe me, in Florida, wrestling is an essential service!)
-ContactMusic
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Seth Rogen
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Chelsea Handler, Kelly Clarkson, Michael McDonald
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Trevor Noah, Christine and the Queens
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Bill Hader
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Bob Odenkirk, JP Saxe & Julia Michaels
• “Conan” (TBS): Julia Louis-Dreyfus
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): John Oliver, Luann De Lesseps
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Day of Hot Topics
• “The Talk” (CBS): Alicia Silverstone
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Cate Blanchett, the winners of “Lego Masters”, Aloe Blacc
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Kerry Washington, José Andrés
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): World premiere of her new song ‘I Dare You’
• “The Disney Family Singalong” (ABC): Ryan Seacrest hosts, featuring celebrities and their families as they take on their favorite Disney tunes from their homes; onscreen lyrics allow viewers to sing along.
• “In The Dark” (CW): Season 2 premiere. Murphy, Jess and Felix must act quickly to devise a plan that will keep them out of Nia’s crosshairs and, possibly, save Guiding Hope in the process.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Katy Perry – appears to have confirmed rumors of an upcoming Vegas residency. During an Instagram Live Q&A, she winked and smiled when one user asked about it, and said: “Hey, that one was for you.” Last year, it was reported that Perry and her team had been seen checking out the Colosseum venue at Caesars Palace, and discussed a potential series of concerts.
• Drake – was one of many virtual guests for Diddy’s digital “dance-a-thon” for COVID-19 relief funds, and said that he is using his isolation time to work on his next album. Although there is no release date yet, he said: “Definitely, it’s the most excited I’ve been about an album in a long time.”
• John Fogerty — While quarantined at home, he and his family have been making music together. He and his children have released a video of their performance the CCR classic ‘Down on the Corner’. He wrote: “We all need to celebrate the life we have and remember how precious it is. I love music, I am listening every day. Makes everything feel better for me.”
• The Pretenders — have released ‘You Can’t Hurt a Fool’, another new track from their upcoming album “Hate for Sale”. The album comes out July 17.
• Bruce Springsteen – is among a group of New Jersey performers who are coming together to play a one-night benefit show to raise money for the newly launched New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund. “Jersey For Jersey” will air on April 22. It will also feature Jon Bon Jovi, Halsey, Charlie Puth, Chelsea Handler and others.
• Joan Jett – and Alice Cooper were scheduled to perform last night at “Cleveland Rocks: From Our Living Rooms”, a benefit concert to raise awareness and dollars for the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund.
• Journey – Former singer Steve Perry was happy to hear that a New York hospital has been playing the band’s hit ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ every time a COVID-19 patient is discharged. Good Morning America reported the tradition began last week, and Perry tweeted a link to the story, writing: “I wanted to share a little cheer. … We’re all in this together, and we’ll get through this together.”
• Miranda Lambert – shocked fans on Monday by sharing several pics of herself posing with “Tiger King” star and his ex-husband, John Finlay. Her explanation: “During Hurricane Harvey, the MuttNation Team…asked for volunteers who could transport dogs…Some guy named Joe volunteered his trailer and staff. Now I know it’s ‘Joe Exotic.'”
• Chase Rice – announced on “Good Morning America” that “The Album Part II” is set for release on May 15. The four-song digital release, titled in keeping with January’s “The Album Part I,” will combine with that earlier collection and additional songs for an eventual all-encompassing physical product entitled “The Album.”
SPRING CLEANING: IT’S NOT LIKE YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO:
A new survey has found that 55% of American adults say that spring cleaning is their most dreaded time of the year. To what extremes would people go to avoid having to give their home its annual freshening? A third would rather go to the DMV than do their spring cleaning, and 20% would rather get a bad haircut. Why do we hate it so much? Many of us gripe over how much time it takes (average: 5 hours). The most-dreaded chores? 25% say washing windows, closely followed by dusting blinds and dusting shelves. Cleaning the oven and the refrigerator weren’t very popular either.
(I haven’t been to the DMV lately, and having seen the lineups at the grocery store, I can only imagine!)
(I’m going to start mine today. And by cleaning, I mean drinking wine and spraying everything with Febreze…)
(I think I’ve done 3 years’ worth of spring cleaning this month just washing my hands and using disinfectant wipes!)
-NYPost
IT’S A ZOOM OUT THERE:
It appears that the current pandemic is responsible for adding a new word to the lexicon of dating terms in the 2020s. A growing number of users of the videoconferencing app “Zoom” are finding themselves “zumped” – that is ‘dumped’ over ‘Zoom’. Yes, the term is new, but it is expected to become more commonplace as social distancing drives a wedge between couples whose main form of communication is the computer program. One ‘zumping’ victim, Julia Moser, took to Twitter to ask: “Am I the first person who’s been dumped via Zoom?” After the tweet went viral, a few other bizarre, technological-based endings surfaced, including:
• “My college bf broke up with me via FaceTime. The app. While I was in Paris. The City of Love. On Christmas Day. The most wonderful time of year.”
• “I was once laid off via PowerPoint”.
Another wrote: “Thinking about picking up a boyfriend during this…solely so I can breakup with him via Zoom.”
(It’s even worse when they do it in the middle of a video conference with the whole office…)
(Why can’t these people step up and send a breakup text like a real man?)
-NYPost
ISOLATION EXHAUSTION:
If you’re at home all-day these days, you may have noticed something – aside from the fact that the leather on your couch is wearing out. You may have noticed that despite the fact that you’re probably consistently getting more sleep than ever before, you’re still tired all the time. Expert Gillian Sisley says that’s normal in troubled times. And dealing with constant negative messaging has a lot to do with it. We’ve often been told that positive self-talk can make you feel good about yourself. Well, the opposite is true as well. The more negative messaging you receive in a day, the worse you’re going to feel about yourself and the world. And it takes a lot of energy to navigate through a constant barrage of “bad news” on TV, in social media, and try to keep up with work from an unfamiliar place. Plus, we’re dealing with a lot of new concerns, such as our own welfare, the welfare of older friends and relatives whom we can’t visit, and new financial concerns, in either our personal or professional lives – or both. These factors put us in ‘survival mode’, and being on high alert demands energy, which we only have so much of. So, bottom line: Right now, your main goal is to keep yourself and your family safe and healthy, and to get through the day in one piece.
(So I can put down this mop and bucket?)
(Definitely. Social isolation makes ME tired. Tired of my own company…)
-Meduim
HOW THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IS HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT:
⇒ Decreased air pollution: Many, if not all, countries are experiencing drastically reduced levels of harmful emissions, including carbon and nitrous oxide. In Feb. alone, China’s carbon emissions were reduced by an amount equal to more than half the annual emissions of the entire UK.
⇒ Animals have more room to roam: In Japan, deer who used to feed on people’s food scraps in public parks are now exploring urban areas. In India, wayward monkeys are loitering at storefronts. And at a closed zoo in Hong Kong, after more than a decade together, a pair of pandas have finally mated, perhaps because of their new-found privacy.
⇒ Banning of wildlife trade: Many experts blame the pandemic on the exotic animal trade, which includes the sale of bats, dogs, cats and more. The under-regulated and unsanitary industry has also been detrimental to populations of rhinoceros, elephants, crocodiles, tigers, turtles and pangolins. Under global pressure, lawmakers in China and Vietnam have placed a ban on the consumption of wild animals.
-NYPost
DID YOU KNOW?
A Belgian and Dutch study has found that for runners and other outdoors exercisers, increased social distancing should be practiced. When a person breathes, coughs or sneezes, they expel respiratory droplets into the air. Physical activity, like running, often causes these droplets to travel further than the commonly-recommended distance of two metres.
-RunnersWorld
BS CHRONOMETER 04.16.20
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1947 [73] Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, [Lew Alcindor], NYC, retired NBA superstar (Milwaukee Bucks, LA Lakers) 6-time NBA MVP, 19-time All-Star, 6-time champion)/movie actor (“Airplane!”, “Fletch”)
1952 [68] Bill Belichick, Nashville TN, NFL head coach (New England Patriots since 2000, Cleveland Browns 1991-95)/3X NFL Coach of the Year/6 career Super Bowl championships
1964 [56] David Pirner, Green Bay WI, alt-rock singer-guitarist (Soul Asylum-‘Runaway Train’, ‘Misery’)
1965 [55] Jon Cryer, NYC, TV actor (“Supergirl” since 2019, “Two-and-a-Half Men” 2003-15)
1965 [55] Martin Lawrence, Frankfurt-am-Maim Germany, movie actor (“Big Momma’s House” films, “Bad Boys” films)
1971 [49] Peter Billingsley, New York City NY, movie actor (“A Christmas Story”)/Producer (“Iron Man”)
1976 [44] Lukas Haas, West Hollywood CA, movie actor (“Lincoln”, “Inception”)
1984 [36] Claire Foy, Stockport England, movie actress (“First Man”, ‘Queen Elizabeth’ in “The Crown” 2016-17)
1993 [27] Chance the Rapper (Chancellor J Bennett), Chicago, IL, rapper (DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne – ‘I’m the One’)
2002 [18] Sadie Sink, Houston TX, TV actress (‘Max’ on “Stranger Things” since 2017)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Eggs Benedict Day”, a day to enjoy heart-attack-on-a-plate – poached eggs, topped with back bacon, served on toasted English muffins, and slathered in Hollandaise sauce … made of even more egg-yolks and butter. (One origin story has it that Lemuel Benedict, a Wall Street stock broker, wandered into the Waldorf Hotel in 1894 and, hoping to find a cure for his hangover, ordered “buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of hollandaise”. The restaurant decided to put it on the menu but substituted ham for the bacon and an English muffin for the toast. They probably didn’t supply the “hooker” either…)
• “Healthcare Decisions Day”, designed to inspire and educate the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.
• “Save the Elephant Day”, to raise awareness of threats to their future in both Africa and Asia, ranging from poachers and traffickers to loss of habitat. At its current pace, ivory poaching could make the African elephant extinct within decades, according to “TIME”.
• “Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day”, an annual event begun as a promotion for a pajama-maker that’s evolved into another fun excuse for office hijinks. (A bit anti-climactic this year?)
• “World Voice Day”, initiated in 1999 as a worldwide celebration of the phenomenon of voice as a tool of communication in our daily lives. Usual related events include concerts, symposia, and open houses at voice clinics, TV shows, and radio programs. (What celeb has the greatest voice…aside from Gilbert Gottfried?)
• “Healthcare Decisions Day”, designed to inspire and educate the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.
• “Day of the Mushroom”, celebrates edible mushrooms, which can be eaten plain, be stuffed, or be used in salads, soups, and sauces.
• “Get to Know Your Customers Day”, a day that businesses try to get to know their customers better. In our digital and big-box-store age, the personal connections that were once made by owners or workers of businesses with their customers are not as frequent or as robust as they once were.
COMING UP . . .
[Fri] Blah Blah Blah Day
[Fri] Bat Appreciation Day
[Fri] National Cheeseball Day
[Sat] Adult Autism Awareness Day
[Sat] World Circus Day
THIS DAY IN SHOWBIZ:
2005 [15] “Survivor: All-Stars” winner Amber Brkich weds “The Amazing Race” star ‘Boston’ Rob Mariano in the Bahamas
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2007 [13] Carrie Underwood’s ‘Before He Cheats’ wins “Video of the Year”, “Best Female Video”, and “Best Video Director” at the fan-voted CMT Music Awards
2010 [12] Lady Gaga breaks the YouTube record for ‘Most Views’ for an artist, logging more than 1 billion
2018 [02] Kendrick Lamar’s album “DAMN.” wins the Pulitzer Prize for music, making him the first rapper to win the award
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2009 [11] NY Yankees play their first official game at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx (Kelly Clarkson sings the anthem; Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra throws out the first pitch)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2002 [18] 6 foot-11-inch Jon Rauch of the Chicago White Sox becomes ‘Tallest Player in Major League Baseball History’ (tallest active player? Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Brad Wieck is listed at 6′ 9″. Shortest? Houston’s Jose Altuve: 5’6″)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Shaquille O’Neal made only one three point shot during his entire NBA career.
✓ The cast of “Friends” still earns around $20 million each year in royalties.
✓ The Comic Sans font came from an actual comic book.
✓ Allergy season is getting longer and more intense each year.
✓ It’s thought that the phrase “Feeling groggy” comes from the 17th century, when grog—rum mixed with water—was what sailors drank on ships.
✓ The word “MacGyvered” is in the Oxford English Dictionary.
-RandomWordGenerator
BS STUPID QUESTIONS FOR THE TAXMAN:
• Do I have to claim the money I was paid “under the table”?
• What’s the best detergent for laundering money?
• What did you do with the money I gave you last year?
• If you are late giving me my refund, can I penalize you?
• Can I get my refund in Bitcoin?
• Can I pay my taxes with a postdated check from a Nigerian prince?
• Do you have an “it’s complicated ” option in the part about marital status?
• If my dog does his ‘business’ in the basement, can I deduct that as office space?
• How exactly do you expect me to pay you a penalty if I couldn’t pay my taxes to begin with?
• Can you remove me from your mailing list?
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ In New Orleans, a woman walked into an airport completely naked and refused to leave. She was arrested for public indecency and her court date is pending. (Apparently she’s used to losing cases…)
➠ Monday was National Scrabble Day. Some enthusiasts broke quarantine rules, had parties and hosted games. (One party even had a naked gal jump out of a cake. I was speechless . . . I just stared at the rack trying to think of words to say…)
➠ A man in prison attacked his cellmate because he was asked to do a courtesy flush. (He jumped so fast off that toilet and popped his roommate square in the nose! . . . wouldn’t even let him finish his sentence…)
➠ A man discovered his girlfriend had buried his stockpile of beans in the woods in case coronavirus ‘gets bad’, then she broke up with him with him. Now, he wants his to find the stash. (But, of course, she won’t spill the beans!)
➠ A woman in Australia was fined $5000 after mooning a passing tram. (No need to wonder what her Loco-Motives are ~ She has a one-track mind! (I’ll can show myself out. . . I know the way)
BS WEB GOODIE:
It actually could have been worse: https://tinyurl.com/shra2ll
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Remember last year when the worst thing was the “Game of Thrones” finale?
BS PHONE STARTER:
Spill something about yourself that sounds made up — but is 100% true.
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Over the course of a typical career, you do THIS over 6,000 times. What is it?
Answer: Attend a meeting
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
If you aren’t making somebody feel good, what are you making them feel?