Wednesday, April 9, 2025 — Edition: #7932
We’ve Gone Bullistic!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Tom Cruise‘s “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” is officially headed to Cannes Film Festival. The highly anticipated 8th film in the spy franchise will premiere out of competition on May 14, with Cruise and director-writer Christopher McQuarrie in attendance. It marks Cruise’s third time at Cannes. The first was for Ron Howard’s “Far and Away” in 1992, and the second for “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022. During his last Cannes appearance, Cruise also received an honorary Palme d’Or and gave a masterclass to attendees. The Final Reckoning is set for theatrical release on May 23.
-Variety
★ “Saturday Night Live” and veteran NBC News newswoman Andrea Mitchell will be honored at the 85th annual Peabody Awards ceremony, June 1st in Beverly Hills. “SNL”, currently in its 50th season, will receive the Peabody Institutional Award. It joins programs such as “Star Trek,” “The Simpsons,” “60 Minutes,” “Fresh Air With Terry Gross”, and “Sesame Street”, all past recipients of the honor. Mitchell, who currently serves as NBC News’ chief Washington and chief foreign affairs correspondent, will receive the Peabody Career Achievement Award. She joins past honorees, including Mel Brooks, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, Dan Rather, Cicely Tyson, and Carol Burnett.
-TheWrap
★ Robert De Niro will be honored at this year’s Cannes Film Festival with an honorary Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement. He’ll receive this award at the opening ceremony of the 78th festival, 14 years after he presided over the jury in 2011. The ceremony will be held on May 13, and the next day, he’ll hold a masterclass at the Debussy Theatre. In a statement, De Niro said: “Cannes brings us together — storytellers, filmmakers, fans and friends. It’s like coming home.”
-TheWrap
★ Sydney Sweeney has been spotted with her ex-fiancé, Jonathan Davino, and judging by the low-key vibes, it looks like they were trying not to be seen. The 2 were spotted at an LA restaurant on Sunday. Sweeney was wearing a blue hoodie pulled up, and shades, clearly in incognito mode as she walked side by side with Davino. Their body language definitely didn’t say “rekindled romance”, according to onlookers. He did manage to crack a few smiles, and TMZ reported that it appears there is no bad blood between the exes. They split in January.
-TMZ
★ Monopoly is passing “Go” at Netflix. Multiple reports say the streamer has landed the reality competition series adaptation of the classic board game after a bidding process. The board game-inspired reality show was announced in March, and is described as a “large-scale social-experiment contest that will force contestants to form alliances and betray their competitors.” It’s the latest move for Netflix in the unscripted space, after already having success with “Squid Game: The Challenge”. It is also working on “The Golden Ticket”, a competition series set in the world of ‘Willy Wonka’ as well as a raft of other projects that have IP tie-ins.
-Deadline, Variety
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): Jean Smart, Melanie Lynskey, Lola Young
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Rami Malek, Jason Isaacs, Zarna Garg, Warren Zeiders
• “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Sheryl Lee Ralph, Paul W. Downs, Scowl
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Adam Levine, Tim Robinson
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Taran Killam, Tone Bell, Jess McKenna
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Danielle Schneider, Lexi Wood
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Olivia Munn, host Desi Lydic
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Anthony Anderson
• “Today” (NBC): Harry Hamlin and Renee Guilbault, Fat Joe, Ashley Graham, Valerie Bertenelli, Jay Ellis co-hosts
• “GMA3” (ABC): Ramón Rodríguez, Jenny Best and Kary Rappaport, Kate Sandoval Box, Dr. Darien Sutton
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Yvonne Strahovski, Tracee Ellis Ross
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Rami Malek and Rachel Brosnahan; Geri Halliwell-Horner
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Lauren Graham, Will Taylor
• “The Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Barbara Corcoran, Emily Osment and Montana Jordan
• “Survivor” (CBS): An unforeseen twist puts pressure on the castaways during the immunity challenge; there’s nowhere to hide when a pivotal tribal council takes shape.
• “The Masked Singer” (Fox): Group C Finals: Decades Night
• “The Conners” (ABC): Jackie decides to rejoin the police force despite everyone’s concerns; Darlene grows more skeptical about Mark’s secretive behavior.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Sabrina Carpenter – has joined the Fortnite Universe for “Festival” Season 8. Players can now virtually perform her music while playing as Carpenter as part the Rock Band-like game Festival. Fans are able to play her hits ‘Juno’ and ‘Nonsense’ as Jam Tracks. Available at the Fortnight Shop are ‘Please Please Please’, ‘Taste’, ‘Espresso’, and ‘Feather’.
• Ariana Grande — The expanded edition of her 2024 album “eternal sunshine”, called “eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead”, has returned the record to #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The original version of the album was currently at #87, but since all versions are combined for charting purposes, it has now jumped to the top. The deluxe edition has 6 unreleased songs, and a number of variations.
• Kiss – has announced special guests for their upcoming “Kiss Army Storms Vegas” convention and reunion show. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley will be joined by longtime guitarist Tommy Thayer for an unmasked electric show during the Nov. 14-16 event at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Thayer’s former band, Black ‘n Blue, will also take part, as will former Skid Row frontman and Kiss superfan Sebastian Bach.
• Bruce Springsteen – has shared a lyric video for ‘Rain in the River’, the first release from “Tracks II: The Lost Albums”, a new collection of unreleased music from The Boss, out June 27. The song is from the unreleased album “Perfect World” included in the set. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/43zj9cam
• Blondie – Longtime drummer Clem Burke has died at 70 after a private battle with cancer. Since joining the band in 1975, he appeared on every Blondie album, and played live with the Romantics and The Ramones, and in studio with Bob Dylan, Eurythmics, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop and Pete Townshend. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2j2a9ay8
• Riley Green – broke up a fight at his Toronto show on Friday. Video shows him pause his show to single out the offending parties, pointing into the crowd, and saying in his best ‘stern dad’-voice: “Hey fellas. Hey, hey! Is it that important?” Then he pointed toward the exit, and instructed: “If y’all wanna fight … go out here and do it”, as the fans were presumably escorted from the venue. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/5thmaymx
• Luke Bryan – has announced his fall Farm Tour 2025 will take place Sept. 18-20. Tickets go on sale this Friday for the shows, scheduled at family farms near Brooklyn WI, Prairie Grove IL, and Lansing MI. Since 2009, Bryan has awarded 84 college scholarships to students of farming families.
• Eric Church – will play 3 nights at Colorado’s famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre to mark the release of his new album “Evangeline vs. The Machine”, out May 2. The July 14 show will be themed ‘Eric Church vs. The Machine’, as strings, horns and a choir join in. July 15 will be ‘Eric Church vs. The ECB’, featuring his original band, and July 16 will be a stripped-down, solo show titled ‘Eric Church vs. The Guitar’.
SHOOTING THE BULL
SMART APPLIANCES:
Because it’s something that I’m sure, someday, we’ll wonder how we ever did without it, Samsung has created a cordless vacuum that notifies you when you’re getting a phone call or text. Not kidding. The Bespoke Jet AI now comes with an LCD display that connects to your phone to show incoming calls and texts. Retail price: $1,100. And that’s not all: You can even make a phone call through the new Samsung washer and dryer. The Bespoke AI Laundry Vented Combo washer/dryer lets you answer a call directly on the built-in 7-inch LCD screen. Less “out of left field”, and probably more usefully, it will also automatically add detergent, and when the cycle is done, open its door. How much for this combo of practicality and, well, impracticality? $3,099.
(…and the best thing about taking messages on your vacuum (or calls on your dryer)? Voila! Another excuse to put off housework!)
(You know, it’s easy to knock on this, but if someone did the opposite, and invented a phone that you could also use as a cordless vacuum, we’d all go CRAZY for it!)
-MorningBrew
TOO WEIRD FOR WORDS:
❑ A restaurant in Thailand is being accused of “fat shaming” – because it offers diners discounts if they can fit their bodies through spaces of varying widths, as detailed in an Instagram post with nearly 8 million views. Video shows customers at Chiang Mai Breakfast World, which serves a smorgasbord of international breakfast foods all day, trying to squeeze through a series of metal multicolored “skinny discount” bars in the eatery’s courtyard, where the rule is “the smaller the gap, the bigger the discount”. There are 5 categories, ranging from 20% off for customers who can fit through the smallest space, a 10% discount for navigating the medium slots…and those who can only get through the largest gap have to pay full price. (Do you do this before – or AFTER enjoying the buffet?) LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2b89marv
❑ It’s the latest hair trend, twisted as it may be. Daring fashionistas are paying big bucks for “braided hair neckties” after the luxe label Schiaparelli unveiled the avant-garde idea in Paris last year. For a “reasonable” $2,300, you can have a collection of nylon hair looped together into a pigtail, to string around your neck and under the collar like a shoestring tie, in a tip of the hat to the current cowboy aesthetic. Both Selma Blair and Maggie Gyllenhaal have turned heads (and a few stomachs) in a similar look recently. (I might be getting soft in my old age, but those things don’t look nearly as bad as you’d think!) LINK: https://tinyurl.com/4pvn3xv2
-NYPost
“SEVERENCE” QUESTIONS:
Would you volunteer to be “severed” like the characters in the hit AppleTV series “Severance”? According to a new poll, over a third of real-life employees – and nearly half of the Gen-Zers, are OK with it. In the show, to be ‘severed’ involves undergoing a surgical procedure that splits your consciousness into 2 separate identities: Your “innie” (a version of you that exists only at work), and your “outie” (the version of you outside of work). Each version has no memory of the other. In the survey of 2,000 workers in the UK, a startling 35% said they would willingly “sever” their work memories from their personal lives. Among 18-25-year-olds, that figure rose to a staggering 46%. But for those aged 55 and over, only 1 in 5 would want to be severed. One expert commented that the results are “a stark reminder of the stress and pressure people face today. No one should feel the need to completely forget about their work lives just to cope.” Over a third of survey respondents said they have a “work persona” that is different from their real self outside work – similar to the show’s “innies” and “outies.” The survey was conducted last month, as the second season of the psychological blockbuster wrapped up.
(One thing’s for sure: That would take care of the problem of the boss emailing at night!)
(So, you’d have no memory that you have a job? So – pretty much like me in my 20s, when I used to go out on Monday nights?)
-UnMind
SELF IMPROVEMENT:
A Reddit user recently asked: “What improved your quality of life so much that you wish you did it sooner?” Here are some of the best answers . . .
⇒ “One thing that can improve your quality of life is developing a consistent self-care routine.”
⇒ “Cutting toxic friends and family out of my life like I was trimming a bush in my yard.”
⇒ “Moving out of the city I was raised in. It’s like you’re born again when you live with people different from the ones you’re used to.”
⇒ “Forgiveness. You don’t realize how heavy something is until it’s finally off your shoulders.”
⇒ “Going to bed earlier.”
⇒ “Literally making my bed first thing in the morning.”
⇒ “Standing up for yourself.”
⇒ “Taking a step down at work. I was chasing promotions but when I got there, I couldn’t stand the stress, extra meetings, and politics. I stepped down for less money and was so much happier.”
(What improved YOUR quality of life? For me, it was decluttering…my kids’ toys!)
-BuzzFeed
DID YOU KNOW?
The incredibly high cost of eggs has Americans considering their other options – both for breakfast AND for decorating this Easter. A study by Clarify Capital found that over 30% of Americans have stopped buying eggs, thanks to their historically high prices these days. And for the same reason, people are getting creative with what they are coloring for the upcoming holiday. Rather than decorating and dyeing eggs, how-to videos have cropped up on social media showing people coloring other unexpected grocery staples — such as marshmallows, potatoes and onions. (At this point, I’m expecting the Easter Bunny to leave IOUs!) LINK: https://tinyurl.com/s86prpa8
-NYTimes
BS CHRONOMETER 04.09.25
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Cherish an Antique Day”. Celebrate with a visit to a museum, or by simply retrieving a valued heirloom from its place of safety and exhibit it for the day. (That explains the 3 grandfather clocks on the bus this morning…)
• “Name Yourself Day”, a day for anybody with a name they hate, to tag themselves with a brand-new label. (‘Clem’, perhaps?)
• “International Day of Pink”, promoting acceptance, equality, and taking a stand against bullying. Pink shirts are worn today in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. LINK: https://www.dayofpink.org/
• “Chicken Little Awareness Day”. Don’t worry, I checked, the sky is still there!
• “Chinese Almond Cookie Day”. In some Chinese restaurants, they are served to cleanse the palate after several courses, rather than being regarded as a dessert.
• “Winston Churchill Day”. This date in 1963, Winston Churchill was made an honorary citizen of the United States. He is well-known for his leadership as Prime Minister of the UK during World War II. Quote: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
• “Gin and Tonic Day”. As a staple among the list of amazing cocktails out there, gin and tonics have a high bitterness factor, but are tempered with lime and sugar to make them palatable for most people. (If at first you don’t succeed, try, try a gin…)
• “Unicorn Day”, celebrating the mythological animals that look like horses with horns on their foreheads. Although observed all around the world, it has special significance in Scotland, where the unicorn is the national animal. (So, not only do they believe in the Loch Ness monster…)
AND REMEMBER…
[Thurs] Siblings Day
[Thurs] Cinnamon Crescent Day
[Fri] Dive Bar Day
[Sat] Record Store Day
This Week is…Medic Alert Week
This Month is…Couple Appreciation Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1954 [71] Dennis Quaid, Houston TX, movie actor (“A Dog’s Purpose”, “The Parent Trap”)/TV actor (“Vegas” 2012-13)/married to Meg Ryan 1991-2001. COMING UP… “I Can Only Imagine 2” 2026
1963 [62] Marc Jacobs, NYC, fashion designer (clothing and accessory designer chiefly known as the brainchild behind ‘Louis Vuitton,’ as well as ‘Marc Jacobs’)
1965 [60] Paulina Porizkova, Prostejov Czechoslovakia, supermodel (Sports Illustrated)/movie actress (“Anna”)/TV personality (“America’s Next Top Model” judge 2008-10)/married to The Cars’ Ric Ocasek 1989-2019
1966 [59] Cynthia Nixon, NYC, TV actress (“And Just Like That…” since 2021, “Sex & The City” 1998-2004)/movie actress (“Sex & The City” films)/stage actress (2 Tonys, including for “The Little Foxes”)
1971 [54] Jacques Villeneuve, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu QC, retired auto racer (World F1 champion 1997, Indianapolis 500 winner, 1995, Indy Car World Series champ, 1995)
1977 [48] Gerard Way, Summit NJ, rock singer (My Chemical Romance-‘Welcome To The Black Parade’)
1980 [45] Albert Hammond Jr, LA CA, rock guitarist (The Strokes-‘Last Nite’, ‘Juicebox’)
1982 [43] Jay Baruchel, Ottawa ON, movie actor (“How to Train Your Dragon” films, “Goon”, “BlackBerry”)/TV actor (“FUBAR” since 2023)
1986 [39] Leighton Meester, Fort Worth TX, TV actress (“Gossip Girl” 2007-12, “Single Parents” 2018-20), “Good Cop, Bad Cop” since 2025/movie actress (“The Roommate”)/married to Adam Brody since 2014
1987 [38] Jesse McCartney, Ardsley NY, pop singer-songwriter (‘Beautiful Soul’)/TV actor (“All My Children 1998-2001)/movie actor (“Chernobyl Diaries”, voice of ‘Theodore’ in “Alvin and the Chipmunks” films)
1990 [35] Kristen Stewart, LA CA, movie actress (“Twilight Saga” films, “Snow White & The Huntsman”) COMING UP… “The Wrong Girls”
1998 [27] Elle Fanning, Conyers GA, movie actress (“Maleficent” movies, “A Complete Unknown”)/sister of Dakota Fanning. COMING UP… “Predator: Badlands” 2025
1999 [26] Lil Nas X (Montero Hill), Lithia Springs GA, rapper (‘Old Town Road’ ft. Billy Cyrus, ‘Montero [Call Me by Your Name]’)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2005 [20] Britain’s Prince Charles & Camilla Parker Bowles are married in Windsor, England.
2009 [16] The mockumentary “Parks and Recreation,” starring Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman and Aziz Ansari, makes its debut.
2021 [04] Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and consort of Queen Elizabeth II, dies at 99.
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2004 [21] Tom Jones’ manager – his son Mark – orders the 63-year-old former sex symbol to stop wearing tight leather pants onstage.
2012 [13] Marc Anthony files for divorce from Jennifer Lopez due to irreconcilable differences after 7 years of marriage.
2018 [07] Fleetwood Mac announce that guitarist Lindsey Buckingham has been fired and will be replaced by Mike Campbell (Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers) and Neil Finn (Crowded House) on their upcoming tour.
TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1992 [33] The ‘Heaviest Chocolate Easter Egg’ weighs 10,483 lbs and measures over 23-feet-high (Ringwood, Australia). Current record: 15,873 lbs (2011).
2012 [13] “The Lion King” becomes highest-grossing Broadway show ever, overtaking “The Phantom of the Opera”. (It’s still running, and at just over $2 billion in revenue.)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ All 3 members of Nirvana were kicked out of the release party for their own album “Nevermind” for starting a food fight.
✓ A woman will own an average of 111 handbags in her lifetime.
✓ Kangaroos never stop growing.
✓ To graduate from Cornell University, you must first pass a swim test.
✓ Google has found that GPAs and test scores are “worthless as a criteria for hiring.”
✓ Canada has a strategic maple syrup reserve to make sure there is always enough syrup for the market.
-Facts, BathroomReadersInstitute
Best of BS . . .
BS AWKWARD SPEED-DATING QUESTIONS:
• To which side of the bed do you like to be handcuffed?
• What should we name our kids?
• Do you have a living will?
• Can I record your breathing for my ringtone?
• Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? ’Cuz your face looks really funky and your pants are dirty.
• What color are your underpants?
• So, how many cats would you consider ‘too many’?
• Who is your favorite serial killer?
• If a train is leaving Buffalo NY at 5pm travelling 100mph, and another train is leaving Charleston SC at 3pm travelling 79mph, at what point will you cheat on me?
• Would you mind if my wife asked you a few questions?
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
MORE BS QUESTIONS PLAGUING HUMANITY:
• Can you get cavities in your dentures if you use too much ‘artificial sweetener’?
• Why is the person who invests all your money called a ‘broker’?
• How do they treat someone who’s addicted to counseling?
• If maple syrup comes from maple trees, where does cough syrup come from?
• If you have to push a button, is it really ‘automatic’?
• Do masochists enjoy dying?
• If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, do the other trees laugh?
• When will New Jersey get new jerseys?
-First published in BS in 2016
BS WEB GOODIE:
The more you watch it, the funnier it gets: https://tinyurl.com/3bmjmj4k
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I hate when people accuse me of lollygagging when I’m clearly dilly-dallying…
BS WOULD YOU RATHER?
(***You run down the list while your caller decides which choice is more palatable …***)
• Would you rather never lose your phone again, or never lose your keys again?
• Would you rather find your one true love, or a suitcase with $5 million inside?
• Would you rather have out of control body hair, or a strong, pungent body odor?
• Would you rather never have to work again, or never need to sleep again?
• Would you rather have everything you eat be too salty, or not salty enough, no matter how much salt you add?
• Would you rather never use social media again, or never watch another movie or TV show?
• Would you rather live without hot water for bathing, or live without a washing machine?
• Would you rather have chapped lips that never heal, or terrible dandruff that can’t be treated?
• Would you rather be alone for the rest of your life, or always be surrounded by annoying people?
☎ BS PHONE STARTER:
What outdated slang do you use on a regular basis? (Gnarly? Hella? Totes!)
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
A survey says that if it were an option, 53% of us would keep THIS forever. What is it?
Answer: Our car
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.