Wednesday, April 26, 2023 — Edition: #7461
Here’s More Bull Roar!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Harry Belafonte, the dashing singer, actor and activist who became an indispensable supporter of the civil rights movement, has died at age 96. Belafonte died Tuesday morning of congestive heart failure, according to his publicist. Belafonte was dubbed the “King of Calypso” after the groundbreaking success of his 1956 hit ‘The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)’. He also became a movie star after acting in the film adaption of the Broadway musical “Carmen Jones.” But his biggest contributions took place offstage. He was a key strategist, fundraiser and mediator for the civil rights movement, repeatedly risking his entertainment career for his activism.
-CNN
★ Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik are taking on new game show roles — this time as contestants. The “Jeopardy!” hosts will be competing against each other on rival game show “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” on May 10. Joining them as a contestant will be “Wheel of Fortune” co-host Vanna White, “calling letters instead of revealing them,” ABC said. The much-anticipated crossover will follow the “Jeopardy! Masters” tournament, which will see the return of some of the game’s top contestants, including Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, Mattea Roach, Andrew He, Sam Buttrey and James Holzhauer.
-NYPost
★ After 3 decades, Nintendo has decided to change the controversial name of one of the villains from “Super Mario Bros” ahead of the movie’s official release in Japan this week. The Japanese video game giant made the announcement in a tweet. A translation says the foreman character ‘Blackie’, who appeared in the 1980s computer game “Wrecking Crew,” will have his name changed to ‘Spike’ in Japanese. That’ll take place in both the games and the “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” which remains at the top of the box office for the third week running. While Nintendo didn’t provide a reason for the decision, the character’s former title is considered a racial slur in Western countries.
-NYPost
★ Harrison Ford says the upcoming “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” will mark his final outing as the globetrotting archeologist, which means fans shouldn’t expect to see him in the “Indiana Jones” TV series that’s currently in development at Disney+. Ford said to Total Film: “This is the final film in the series, and this is the last time I’ll play the character.” He also indicated he believes it’ll be the last time the character ever appears in a film. (We’re pretty sure he said the same thing in 1984…and ’89…and 2008…)
-Variety
★ The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and ABC have announced. This marks the third year the Academy Awards ceremony will be held in March after seeing steady viewership bumps the past 2 years. The Academy set the submission deadline for general categories for Nov. 18. The nominations voting period will run from Jan. 11-16, 2024, with the official nominations announcement on Jan. 23.
-Variety
★ ABC has been making a lot of renewals, including the drama “Will Trent”, medical drama “The Good Doctor”, and most recently, “Station 19”, but its only new fall series, “Alaska Daily”, may be headed to cancellation. The Hilary Swank-led series hasn’t done well ratings-wise, nor has it made a lot of noise, and Deadline says it’s very likely the network won’t go through with a second season. In the show, Swank stars as a New York journalist seeking a fresh start in Anchorage, Alaska. The series has averaged about 3 million viewers in its first season.
-PopCulture
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Pierce Brosnan, Abby Ryder Fortson, New West
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Michael Strahan, Judy Blume, El Michels Affair & Black Thought ft. KIRBY
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Jennifer Garner, Rep. Katie Porter (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Keri Russell, Graham Norton, Anup Sastry
• “James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Mila Kunis, Aaron Paul
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Tinx, James Kennedy
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): James Brolin, JoJo
• “The Talk” (CBS): Zoe Lister-Jones, Daymond John
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Guest host Desi Lydic
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Amanda Peet, Lizzy Caplan, Judy Blume
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Carol Burnett, Colbie Caillat
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Rainn Wilson, Brooke Shields, Ali Wentworth, Mariska Hargitay, Madison Beer
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Brendan Hunt, Tawny Cypress
• “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love” (NBC): Friends and stars come together to pay tribute to her illustrious career. Featuring Steve Carrell, Lily Tomlin, Cher, Katy Perry and many more.
• “Survivor” (CBS): Castaways must negotiate to earn a big pot of rice for the entire tribe; they put their best foot forward to earn immunity at tribal council.
• “The Masked Singer” (Fox): The 3 “saved by the bell” singers, Mantis, Gargoyle and Medusa, compete for their spot in the quarterfinals; 2 are unmasked, one battles for a spot in the semis.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Usher – his response when asked if he’d like to headline the Super Bowl halftime show: “I’d be a fool to say no. If things line up the way we would all hope, one day that moment would happen.” In 2011, he made an appearance at the halftime show to sing ‘OMG’ in support of The Black Eyed Peas.
• Katy Perry – Her video for ‘Wide Awake’ has surpassed the one billion views mark on YouTube. It is her 6th video to do so, following ‘Roar’ (3.7 billion), ‘Dark Horse’ (3.4 billion), ‘Firework’, ‘Hot n Cold’ and ‘Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)’.
• Matchbox 20 – Co-founder Paul Doucette says he didn’t think the group would “ever make music again” prior to recording the group’s new album “Where the Light Goes”, out May 26. Quote: “I had grieved it and moved on. Rob [Thomas] was doing his thing and I didn’t want to wait anymore.”
• U2 — has announced dates for its ‘Achtung Baby: Live at Sphere’ Vegas residency. The first show will be on Sept. 29 at the new MSG Sphere at the Venetian, followed by performances on Sept. 30, Oct. 5, 7 and 8. General onsale begins this Friday. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yeyvkp2z
• Queen – Ironically or not, the group appears on the official playlist for the Coronation of King Charles. ‘We are the Champions’ is featured in the collection, alongside hits from The Beatles (‘Come Together’), David Bowie (‘Let’s Dance’), Michael Bublé (‘It’s A Beautiful Day’) and 23 others. Apparently, The Proclaimers ‘500 Miles’ was also there, but was scrubbed due to the duo’s “anti-monarchy views”. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yrukcsuv
• Carrie Underwood – has added 3 dates to her “Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency 2023” calendar. She announced shows Dec. 13, 15 and 16. Those join 18 Reflection dates already scheduled in June, Sept. and Dec., plus a one-off on Nov. 29. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/rtmwvwb5
• Morgan Wallen – has become the first artist to chart 3 songs in the Top 10 of the Billboard Country Airplay chart, which launched in 1990. On the tally dated Ap. 29, ‘Thought You Should Know’ is at #7, while ‘Last Night’ and ‘One Thing At A Time’ are at #8 and #9, respectively.
• Cole Swindell — With his deluxe album “Stereotype: Broken” dropping on Friday, he has announced the 12-date “Twelve Tour” set for this fall. Quote: “12 is my number … 12 shows. 12 different sets”. His supporting acts will also vary, with Nate Smith, Conner Smith, Avery Anna and Greylan James — joining him for different lineup combinations. LINK: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cra9RUurNO9/
SHOOTING THE BULL
MONEY MISTAKE:
There is a big money mistake you should be careful to avoid – because it can ruin your marriage. Personal finance advisor Ramit Sethi, the host of the new Netflix series “How To Get Rich”, says that couples, who fail to discuss their finances and implement a plan of action to save, could pay big time when it comes to fighting about money. Sethi feels that the biggest mistake we make is to “avoid our money”. By that, he means “We wait until something comes up, and then we react to it, and we do that for the next 50 years.” According to him, couples generally lack a vision of what their money should do for them. Quote: “People will argue over how much one person spends at Target. We’ve got to stop asking $3 questions, and start asking $30,000 questions.” He feels that 5-10% of a couple’s earnings should go into savings, and another 5-10% into investments.
(Which is exactly what we do…assuming I own shares of Amazon!)
(Hmmm. So, why is it that whenever my wife goes to Target, I actually end up asking $30,000 questions!)
-NYPost
CHAT CPT CHAT:
➢ Since its launch late last year, ChatGPT has been used to generate student essays, write wedding vows, and even compose rousing sermons. Now, a Japanese city has revealed plans to use the AI chatbot . . . to help run the government. Yokosuka City announced last week that it will begin using ChatGPT to help with administrative tasks. A news release (no doubt written by AI) said all employees will be authorized to use the chatbot to “summarize sentences, check spelling errors, and create ideas.” The move was made in part as a response to the country’s dwindling population crisis. The release says that with ChatGPT handling administrative tasks, “staff can focus on work that can only be done by people, pushing forward an approach that brings happiness for our citizens.” (It’s not like we haven’t been governed for generations already by people with “Artificial Intelligence”…)
➢ Are you ready for really persuasive AI-generated spam emails? Because they’re coming. John Licato, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Director of AMHR Lab at the University of South Florida, says the use of AI could allow spammers “to target individuals and make their messages more persuasive based on easily accessible information, such as social media posts.” He believes that both spammers and legit marketers could benefit from being able to predict more about individuals, quickly learning about your political leanings, marital status or life priorities. That also means spammers might find it easier to sneak past your email filters, and, with the right approach and choice of words, entice you to actually open and read it. (As if the promise of a $20 Walmart gift card doesn’t already work on me!)
-CNN
KIDS VEGGIES POCKET
If you want to get your kids to eat their vegetables, here’s how to do it: Eat yours first. According to a survey of 2,000 parents with children 6 and younger, 53% have noticed their kids eating unwanted vegetables just to mimic them. 78% believe their children learned their table manners simply by imitating them at the table. What else did OnePoll find out from the parents of these little monst….err…angels?
• 80% described eating with their child as one of their favorite ways to bond.
• 72% said it’s important that their meals are eaten at an actual dining or kitchen table.
• 73% have witnessed their child use the same language as them in conversations, picking up complex words and phrases like “predicament” or “appropriate,” plus common expressions like “thank you” or “excuse me.”
(I’ve noticed that when I do the cooking, my kids often use the expression: “What did this used to be?”)
(Eating your own veggies first, to encourage your kids to eat theirs: Great idea — except for one thing: That means I have to eat my vegetables…)
-SWNS
MEDICAL MYTHBUSTING:
✗ “If you have back pain, you need bedrest until it improves”: No current medical guidelines recommend limiting activity – exercise is even encouraged. Prolonged bed rest makes most kinds of back pain worse, and stiffens back muscles. (I find I need whiskey, not bedrest, until it improves…)
✗ “You should avoid dairy products when you have a cold”: Recent studies show milk and dairy product intake does not increase symptoms of congestion or nasal secretion. Additionally, coughs became looser with increasing milk and dairy product intake. (Yeah, but ice cream just doesn’t taste the same…)
✗ “Antibiotics cure sinus infections faster than no antibiotics”: Most sinus infections are caused by viruses. Doctors tend to prescribe antibiotics, but those should only be used to treat bacterial infections. Taking antibiotics unnecessarily results in resistance against bacterial infections.
✗ “Air hand dryers are more sanitary than paper towels”: An independent study found that neither method is more hygienic than the other, and the most important thing to focus on is handwashing technique. (But paper towels are definitely better for cleaning up spilt milk…)
✗ “The flu shot can give you the flu”: Shut up. Just. Shut. Up. But also, remember that it takes 2 weeks for the flu shot to become fully effective, so if you get sick 2 days after being vaccinated, you were already infected when you got the shot.
-StudyFinds
THE BEST GUITARISTS OF ALL TIME:
(According to a consultation with 10 “expert” websites…)
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Jimmy Page
3. Eric Clapton
4. David Gilmour
5. Jeff Beck
(If nothing else, this should get some Eddie Van Halen fans’ shorts in a knot!)
-StudyFinds
DID YOU KNOW?
The “laugh-cry” emoji is the most popular in the world, even if younger people are, like, SOOOO over it. Researchers from University of Southern California analyzed millions of tweets in 30 countries, looking at how and when Twitter users turn to over 1,700 different emojis. They found “laugh-cry” is still a more universally utilized sign than the traditional smiley face. (Considering this is Twitter we’re talking about; I fully expected the “poop” emoji to come in at #1!)
-StudyFinds
BS CHRONOMETER 04.26.23
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Administrative Professionals Day”, recognizing the work of secretaries, receptionists, administrative assistants, and other administrative support professionals. (The REAL office boss!)
• “Hug an Australian Day”, to show our appreciation for all the friendliness and support Aussies have given us over the years. (Fun “fact”: Australia’s biggest export is the boomerang. It’s also their biggest import…)
• “Kids & Pets Day”, a celebration of the magical connection between children and animals. (Mainly because kids are the likeliest family members to drop food from the table…)
• “Pretzel Day”, honoring the world’s oldest snack food. They were made as early as 610 A.D. by monks in France & Italy, using dough scraps formed to represent a child’s arms folded in prayer.
• “Denim Day”, millions of people will wear jeans with a purpose today: to support survivors, and educate themselves and others about all forms of sexual violence. (I tend to avoid skinny jeans. They’re getting more and more difficult to ‘pull off’!)
• “Get Organized Day”, Do you find yourself lost in an absolute sea of clutter? Is your filing cabinet more of a 3-story garbage can? Does your desk require an archaeological team to find? Get Organized Day just may be your salvation. (I may need a month…)
• “Audubon Day”, saluting John James Audubon, born on this day in 1785. He’s best known for his wonderful bird portraits. What is often forgotten is that he painted them using stuffed models, captured in the wild. (But at least he died with no egrets!)
• “Alien Day”, dedicated to the “Alien” movie franchise, starring Sigourney Weaver. It’s held on April 26 because one of the planetoids or moons in the film series is named “LV-426”.
• “Richter Scale Day”, celebrating the 1900 birth of Charles F. Richter, who invented the Richter Scale in 1935. It calculates the energy released by an earthquake by measuring its magnitude, or seismic waves on a scale from 0 to 9. (9 being a moody teenager stomping to their bedroom…)
• “World Intellectual Property Day”, established by WIPO in 2000 to celebrate content creators, and to raise awareness of how patents, copyright, and trademarks impact our daily lives. (So…we have them to blame for Jake Paul?)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
[Thurs] Prime Rib Day
[Fri] Superhero Day
[Sat] Viral Video Day
This Week is…Infertility Awareness Week
This Month is…Move More Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1933 [90] Carol Burnett, San Antonio TX, actress/comedian/TV host (“The Carol Burnett Show” 1967-1978) COMING UP… “Mrs. American Pie” miniseries
1958 [65] Giancarlo Esposito, Copenhagen Denmark, movie actor (“The Jungle Book”, “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials”)/TV actor (‘Fring’ on “Better Call Saul” 2017-22, and “Breaking Bad” 2009-11)
1963 [60] Jet Li, Beijing China, movie actor (“The Expendables” films, “Cradle 2 The Grave”)
1964 [59] Jimmy Stafford, Morris IL, pop-rock guitarist (Train-‘Hey, Soul Sister’, ‘Drops of Jupiter’)
1965 [58] Kevin James, Stony Brook NY, movie actor (“Grown Ups”, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop”)/TV actor (“The King of Queens” 1998-2007, “Kevin Can Wait” 2016-18)
1970 [53] Melania Trump, Sevnica Slovenia, former model, former First Lady of the United States/married to Donald Trump since 2005
1971 [52] Jay DeMarcus, Columbus OH, country bassist (Rascal Flatts-‘I Like the Sound of That’, ‘Bless the Broken Road’)
1977 [46] Tom Welling, Putnam Valley NY, TV actor (“Smallville” 2001-11, “Lucifer” 2017-19)
1980 [43] Channing Tatum, Cullman AL, movie actor (“Magic Mike” movies, “Jump Street” films) COMING UP…”Project Artemis”
1980 [43] Jordana Brewster, Panama City Panama, movie actress (“Fast & Furious” films)/TV actress (“Secrets & Lies” 2015-16) COMING UP… “Fast X”, 2023
1992 [31] Aaron Judge, Sacramento CA, MLB outfielder (With NY Yankees, in 2022, he set the AL record for most home runs in a season with 62)/4X All-Star, 3X Silver Slugger, AL MVP 2022
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1989 [34] Lucille Ball (“I Love Lucy”) dies of heart attack at 77
1992 [31] The final episodes of “Growing Pains” and “Who’s the Boss” air
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1986 [37] Van Halen proves there is life after David Lee Roth as their album “5150″, the first with singer Sammy Hagar, hits #1 in the US
2013 [10] Country music icon George Jones dies at 81
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1921 [102] The first radio weather reports are aired on WEW, St Louis, Missouri (and next week, we’ll find out if their long-range forecast was correct…)
1941 [82] The Chicago Cubs are the first team to use an organ in a baseball park (duh duh duh duh da duh … charge!)
TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1986 [37] The “Worst Nuclear Accident in History” occurs as an explosion and fire at Ukraine’s Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant releases radioactive contamination (the only ‘level 7′ event until the 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan)
2021 [02] Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototype trainers sell for a record $1.8 million in a private sale
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Firefighters use ‘wetting agents’ to make water wetter.
✓ Bluebirds cannot see the color blue.
✓ Blue whales eat half a million calories in one mouthful.
✓ If you are a guy, you have a 1-in-3 chance of going bald by the time you are 30. By age 50, your odds increase to 1-in-2.
✓ The country Brazil is named after the Brazil nut.
✓ “Running amok” is a medically recognized mental condition.
-Factinate, ReadersDigest
Best of BS . . .
BS IF CANDY IS DANDY, THEN…
• Wine is divine.
• Fried possum is awesome.
• Flan is…what the heck is flan, anyway?
• Pie is fly.
• With ribs, you need bibs.
• Rhyming gives you diabetes.
• What I’m eating now must be a chocolate laxative.
• Rice is nice.
• I can’t seem to think of anything that rhymes with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos…
• …hop into my unmarked van.
• Willy Wonka was right about everything.
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ A poll found that 1 in 6 people do not know their next door neighbor’s name. (True, but they DO know how to hack into their encrypted Wi-Fi…)
➠ Recent stats show that Millennials now outnumber Baby Boomers. (When reached for comment, Millennials said: “Sorry, Not Sorry”.)
➠ 67% of people say their cat is their best friend. (There’s a name for these people: single.)
➠ Today is Administrative Professionals’ Day. (Our receptionist is so bad…she remembers absolutely everything that happens at the office Christmas party…!)
➠ Tomorrow is “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day”. (Or, as we call it around here, “Fiddle with your iPhone while laying on the floor in the copy room day”)
BS WEB GOODIE:
I “knead” a cat: https://tinyurl.com/2p94bzh5
BS RANDOM JOKE:
My mother was NOT a good cook. I didn’t realize how bad until I went into the army…
BS WOULD YOU RATHER?
(***You run down the list while your caller decides which choice is more palatable …***)
• Would you rather have whatever you are thinking appear above your head for everyone to see — or have everything you do live streamed for anyone to see?
• Would you rather travel the world for a year on a shoestring budget — or stay in only one country for a year but live in luxury?
• Would you rather move to a new city or town every week — or never be able to leave the city or town you were born in?
• Would you rather always have a mullet — or always have a ponytail?
• Would you rather always have bad gas — or always have really dry mouth?
• Would you rather have a time machine — or a teleporter?
• Would you rather humans discover intelligent life from another planet — or figure out how to extend human life for another 100 years?
• Would you rather have to listen to the same 10 songs on repeat for the rest of your life – or watch the same 5 movies on repeat for the rest of your life?
• Would you rather go without shampoo for the rest of your life — or toothpaste?
BS PHONE STARTER:
What would be an accurate tag line for a month?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 15% of people say THIS is the talent they wish they had. What is it?
Answer: Dancing
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
