Friday, December 21, 2018 – Edition: #6362

Jingle Bull, Jingle Bull …

BS SUBSCRIBER NOTE:
“The Bull Sheet” is shutting down for the holidays December 24th-January 1st inclusive. All subscribers will be awarded account credits for missed service days.  Following TODAY’S issue, the next edition of “BS” will be January 2, 2019. Thanks for a successful year of BS and Happy Holidays, all!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ “Aladdin” fans now have their first look at Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of the beloved animated film – and the internet is particularly fixated on how Will Smith looks as the Genie. And not in a good way. Judging by their responses, Twitter users seem to want to stuff Smith’s high-ponytail-and-beard combination back into the lamp and ask for a do-over. One tweet read: “Will Smith gotta remake ‘Jingle All The Way’ with John Cena if he’s going full Sinbad.” The backlash followed Wednesday’s unveiling of the first photo of Smith in character alongside Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine.
-MSN
★ The two artists who created a mural in honor of Jason Momoa impressed him so much, he gave them tickets to his “Aquaman” premiere.  The airbrush/aerosol artists, were gifted red carpet passes by Momoa’s team after they unveiled their colorful mural of the King of Atlantis on Monday in Burleigh Heads, Queensland, Australia.
-TheBlast
★ Mayim Bialik is single for the holidays. Bialik wrote about her recent break-up on her website Grok Nation, getting candid about how she’s coping. She shared some advice on how to overcome loneliness, including exercise, not taking you phone with you during workouts, not listening to sad music, knowing your limits and finding perspective. She also wrote: “As for me, I’ve got a half bottle of Manischewitz, four cats, and a wicked puzzle waiting for me”
-MSN
★ The staff member of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling who is accused of stealing more than $40,000 through unauthorized credit card use says that staff were “terrified” of Rowling’s wild mood swings.  Former personal assistant Amanda Donaldson testified that “People in the office would sometimes ask if she was in a good mood, in a terrified way.” Donaldson has denied using the author’s credit card on a wild spending spree, saying she never received specific instructions about its use and wasn’t allowed to bother Rowling, so she made her own decisions.
-Canoe

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Ellen DeGeneres, Pete Holmes, Cole Swindell (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Alec Baldwin, Kate Bosworth, Bazzi, Nikki Glaspie (R)
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Octavia Spencer, Jesse Williams, Pentatonix (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki (R)
• “The Talk” (CBS): Sting & Shaggy, Krista Smith, guest co-host Lisa Ling (R)
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Vanessa Hudgens, Crafty Lumberjacks
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Jennifer Lopez (R)
• “A Home for the Holidays: The 20th Anniversary” (CBS): Host LL Cool J introduces inspirational stories about children adopted from foster care. Gwen Stefani, Train and Lukas Graham perform.
• “Elf” (AMC): Buddy, a regular-sized man who was raised as an elf by Santa, heads to his place of birth in search of his biological family where he learns that he’s not a real elf.

SATURDAY–
• “CMA Country Christmas” (ABC): Reba McEntire hosts, featuring Tony Bennett, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Amy Grant, Diana Krall, Dustin Lynch, Martina McBride, Old Dominion, Brad Paisley, Michael W. Smith, and more.
• “Jingle Around the Clock” (HALLMARK): Ad Exec. Elle has the promotion-worthy shot to overhaul a Christmas campaign just she begins planning a special Christmas reunion for her friends.

SUNDAY–
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): O Come OG Faithful: Part 2, with Teresa Giudice, Kyle Richards, Bethenny Frankel, Ramona Singer, Vicki Gunvalson, Nene Leakes
• “The Year: 2018” (ABC): A recap of the year, including its biggest names, hottest trends and lowest moments.
• “Masters of Illusion: Christmas Magic” (CW): Hosted by Dean Cain, featuring magicians Jarrett and Raja, Jonathan Pendragon, Ed Alonzo, Jibrizy, and more.  Also: a Christmas choir performs.
• “Christmas Made to Order” (HALLMARK): Steven recruits Gretchen to bring the holiday joy to his family.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Avicii – His entire fortune of $25.5 million will be inherited by his parents.  The DJ did not have a will nor a partner when died in April. As his next of kin, his parents are legally the sole beneficiaries.
• Mariah Carey – Her song ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ has dominated the charts every December since 1994, but her friendship with the song’s cowriter, Walter Afanasieff is far from merry. He says the two “had a falling out” and now she refuses to mention his name.  But he says: “I love Mariah Carey.  She’s the greatest thing that ever happened to me. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go both ways.”
• Queen — Guitarist Brian May has announced the release of his first solo song in more than two decades. “New Horizons” will be ‘launched’ from the NASA mission control center in Greenbelt, Md., on New Year’s Day. May, a doctor of astrophysics, is officially affiliated with NASA’s New Horizons probe, which took off in 2006 and will perform the most distant flypast in history on the same day.
• Jimmy Page – His neighbor Robbie Williams has prevailed in their five-year legal battle over Williams’ plans for an underground gym and swimming pool. The Led Zeppelin guitarist objected to Williams’ plans, arguing that construction work would lead to potentially “catastrophic” consequences for his own property.
• Burton Cummings – has moved from Los Angeles, which had been his home for 40 years – to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan…population 34,000.  The native of Winnipeg, Manitoba says he made the move about a year ago and finds his new city “small” and “sane” compared to southern California.
• Rascal Flatts – take a different direction on their new “Jukebox” EP, out now.  It includes cover versions of Hall & Oates’ ‘You Make My Dreams’, Foreigner’s ‘Feels Like the First Time’, Kenny Loggins’ ‘Heart to Heart’ and Huey Lewis’ ‘Do You Believe in Love’.
• Chris Stapleton – is among the long list of stars who have been added to the bill of a Willie Nelson tribute concert which will take place in Nashville on Jan. 12.  Eric Church, Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Buffett, Vince Gill, John Mellencamp, Steve Earle and many others will perform at “Willie: Life & Songs of an American Outlaw”. It will air on the A&E Network sometime in 2019.

THIS WEEK’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Aquaman” (PG-13, Action/Adventure):  Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and be a hero to the world. (Jason Momoa, Amber Heard)
• “Bumblebee” (PG-13, Action/Adventure):  On the run in 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. (Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena)
• “Mary Poppins Returns” (PG, Kids/Family):  Decades after her original visit, the magical nanny returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael’s children through a difficult time in their lives. (Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda)
• “Welcome to Marwen” (PG-13, Drama):  A victim of a brutal attack finds a unique and beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process. (Steve Carell, Leslie Mann)
• “Second Act” (PG-13, Comedy/Romance):  A big box store worker reinvents her life and her life-story and shows Madison Avenue what street smarts can do. (Jennifer Lopez, Leah Remini)

BUCKETING A TREND:
You may be aware that it has long been a Japanese tradition to eat fried chicken on Christmas.  What you probably don’t know, is that part of the whole custom is based on the fact that Colonel Sanders sort-of looked like Santa Claus.  Takeshi Okawara, who helped launch KFC in Japan in the early 1970s, says that the restaurant struggled at first, until he was asked to cater a Christmas party.  After being asked to cater another, he decided to play it up, adding Santa costumes to the Colonel Sanders statues outside his restaurant, and telling media that fried chicken is a common Western Christmas tradition.  Okawara says he regrets the lie, but it saved his restaurant and took the chain from near failure to massive success.  Even today in Japan, KFC outlets dress Colonel Sanders statues up in Santa Claus gear for the holiday season, and people wait in line for hours or reserve their buckets of chicken weeks in advance.
(And I complain if the drive-thru takes more than 3 minutes!)
(He couldn’t at least make it fried TURKEY?)
-BusinessInsider

Best of BS . . .
WHAT MOM REALLY WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS:
(It’s OK, we both know you don’t have anything for her yet…)
☞ Spa Retreat:  And it’s pretty easy for you to just pick up a gift certificate…
☞ Weekend of Solitude:  A weekend for Mom to do what she wants, at her own speed.
☞ Cleaning Service:  Pretty self-explanatory…and pretty awesome for Mom!
☞ Something Heartfelt:  A love letter or a card or video from the (grand)kids.
☞ A Personal Chef:  Maybe just for a day.  She’ll love it!
☞ Time With a Friend:  Help clear her schedule so she can spend a day doing whatever she wants with a BFF.
☞ Date Night:  Take care of hiring the babysitter and making dinner reservations.
☞ Family Photos:  Hire a pro photographer and set a date for the whole family to be there.
☞ Breakfast in Bed.  You know she loves this!  Just be sure that you are able to put together something decent!
(And what does dad want for Christmas?  Mom!)
-TheStir, first published in ‘BS’ in 2017

BEAUTY TIPS TO HIDE A HOLIDAY HANGOVER, LADIES:
➠ Keep drinking:  Water, that is. It’s the easiest way to restore your skin’s natural glow. Coconut water is even better. (You were probably headed for the bathroom anyway…)
➠ Mask up:  Your skin needs a little extra TLC when you’re hungover, so pamper it with a hydrating mask. (You probably want to hide after whatever you did last night anyway…)
➠ Conceal, cover and correct:  A little concealer will erase any leftover signs of the three regrettable polar bear shots you downed at last call.  (Now that they’ve cleaned up the mess you made all over the bar, that is!)
➠ Even out your complexion:  A heavy foundation might be a bad idea.  Instead, a BB cream will even out blotchy skin and blur any imperfections, giving you a healthy, natural glow. (Fake it ‘til you make it!)
➠ Go bold:  The last thing you probably want to do is apply a bold lip colour — but a bright pout will not only brighten your mood, but it will make it so your family doesn’t suspect that you were out most of the night before. (…telling strangers that you love them…)
-YahooStyle

BS WEB GOODIE:
Macaulay Culkin is “Home Alone” again:  https://youtu.be/xKYABI-dGEA

DID YOU KNOW?
“Auld Lang Syne” was written in 1788 by Scottish poet Robert Burns.  “Auld lang syne” literally means “old long since,” or as we’d say in contemporary English, “long, long ago.”  The phrase “for auld lang syne” therefore translates to “for old time’s sake.”

BS CHRONOMETER 12.21.18

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1937 [81] Jane Fonda. NYC, movie actress (“The Butler”)/TV actress (“Grace & Frankie” since 2015)

1948 [70] Samuel L Jackson, Washington DC, movie actor (“Pulp Fiction”, “Django Unchained”)

1950 [68] Kay Robertson, West Monroe LA, reality star (“Duck Dynasty” 2012-2017)

1957 [61] Ray Romano, Queens NY, movie actor (“Ice Age” movies)/TV actor (“Parenthood” 2012-15, “Everybody Loves Raymond” 1996-2005

1965 [53] Andy Dick, Charleston SC, TV actor (“2 Broke Girls” 2013-2016, “Newsradio” 1995-1999)

1966 [52] Kiefer Sutherland, London UK, TV actor (‘Tom Kirkman’ on “Designated Survivor” 2016-present, “24″ 2001-10)/movie actor (“The Lost Boys”)

1983 [34] Steven Yeun, Seoul, South Korea, TV actor (‘Glenn Rhee’ on “The Walking Dead” 2010-2016)

SATURDAY–
News anchor Diane Sawyer (“Good Morning America”) is 73; Movie actor Ralph Feinnes (“Harry Potter”) is 56; Pop singer Jordin Sparks (‘Tattoo’) is 29; Pop singer Meghan Trainor (‘All About That Bass’) is 25

SUNDAY–
TV voice-over actor Harry Shearer (“The Simpsons”) is 75; Soap opera actress Susan Lucci (“All My Children”) is 72; Rock singer Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) is 54; Actor Finn Wolfhard (“Stranger Things”) is 16

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Ugly Christmas Sweater Day”, a day of light-hearted fun, and a day to be yourself and not that buttoned up corporate version of yourself (I think I’d rather be the corporate guy than the guy with the ugly sweater…)
• “Crossword Puzzle Day”, celebrating the date in 1913 when the first ‘Crossword Puzzle’ was published in the “New York World”. Arthur Wynne devised what he called a ‘Word-Cross’ for the Christmas edition, blissfully unaware he was starting a worldwide craze.
• “French Fried Shrimp Day”, celebrating the joys of battered prawns. Mmm!
• “Homeless Persons Remembrance Day”, observed since 1990 to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness and to remember those who have paid the ultimate price for living on the street.
• “Humbug Day”, when 12 ‘humbugs’ are allowed to be uttered in order to vent the frustrations of preparing for the holidays.
• “Short Girl Appreciation Day”, a salute to those of minimal stature on the shortest day of the year. At what height does a woman qualify as ‘short’?
• “Winter Solstice”, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, as Winter officially arrives at 5:23pm EST. The solstice is celebrated in many ways …
– “Blue Christmas”, also called “Longest Night” in the Western Christian tradition, is a day in the Advent season marking the longest night of the year.
– “Flashlight Day”, a tongue-in-cheek commemoration of the year’s longest night.
– In the Wicca religion it’s “Yule”, marking the death of the Sun-God and his rebirth from the Earth Goddess. (Source of the ‘Yule log’.)
– Iranians celebrate with “Yalda”, when fires and lights are lit and families stay up all night to help the Sun battle against darkness.
– The annual “Yukon International Storytellers Festival” features all-night music and stories in Whitehorse, Yukon.
(Just 89 days until Spring!)

SATURDAY–
• “Abilities Day”, honoring disabled people and their care-givers. It is also a time to recognize that we all have abilities and disabilities of various kinds.
• “Date Nut Bread Day”, celebrating the rich loaf that is moist and delicious and great toasted for breakfast. Sort of like Christmas cake, only with half the weight.
• “National Cookie Exchange Day”, cookie exchanges/swaps/parties are loads of fun and pretty simple to put together. Save the date, invite your guests and whip up a batch or two of your favorite tried-and-true homemade cookie recipes or try that brand-new recipe you’ve been eyeing and share/trade with your guests.

SUNDAY–
• “Festivus”, created in 1966 but little-known until mentioned in a “Seinfeld” episode in 1997. It’s dedicated to celebrating the season without the pressure and commercialism of traditional holidays. (“A Festivus for the rest of us!”  Now, who would like to begin the Airing of Grievances?)
• “HumanLight”, a Humanist holiday celebrated annually on December 23rd.  Like “Kwanzaa”, it’s a modern invention, celebrating a positive approach to the coming new year.
• “Pfeffernuesse Day”, a salute to the tiny spice cookies that are popular as a holiday treat in Denmark, Germany, and The Netherlands, as well as among Mennonites in North America.
• “Roots Day”, a day to celebrate your heritage. Many of us are returning to our roots as we head home for Christmas, bringing us a cozy, comfortable feeling and a sense of belonging.

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2012 [06] The world is purportedly scheduled to end, according to the much-cited ‘Mayan Calendar’, despite the fact that experts state there were no Maya prophecies foretelling the end of the world on the date (part of the hype was created by the 2009 movie “2012″)

2014 [04] “The Battle of the Five Armies”, last film in “The Hobbit” series, exceeds box office expectations by grossing over $90 million in its first 5 days of release

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENT . . .
2014 [04] Elton John & David Furnish formally convert their civil partnership into a marriage, hosting a ceremony at their estate in Berkshire UK (guests include David & Victoria Beckham, Ed Sheeran, Sharon Stone…and Ozzy Osbourne)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2012 [06] “Gangnam Style” by South Korean musician Psy becomes the 1st YouTube video to reach a billion views (currently at 3.25 billion views, ‘Despacito’ is at #1 with 5.8 billion)

BULL’S BITS

BS WACK FACTS:
✓ All the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas added together would equal 364.
✓ The Germans made the first artificial Christmas trees out of dyed goose feathers.
✓ The tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington.
✓ According to data analyzed from Facebook posts, two weeks before Christmas is one of the two most popular times for couples to break up. However, Christmas Day is the least favorite day for breakups.
✓ Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’ classic story ‘A Christmas Carol’ was almost named “Little Fred.”
✓ Norwegian scientists have hypothesized that Rudolph’s red nose is probably the result of a parasitic infection of his respiratory system.
-FactRetriever

BS HOW TO GET YOUR HOLIDAY GUESTS TO LEAVE:
• Break out the non-alcoholic beer
• Ask someone to pull your finger
• Let the dog lick the plates and then put them away. Plus, they’ll never come back
• Say, “Have Y’all read ‘Dianetics’?”
• Dance like nobody’s watching
• Put on your pajamas
• Announce that your snake has escaped his cage
• Don’t answer the door in the first place
• Nickelback
• Move
-Twitter

BS CRAZY QUESTIONS FOR AQUAMAN:
• Do you drink like a fish or do fish drink like you?
• How long do you stay out of the water after eating to avoid cramps?
• Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
• Do you believe in cod?
• Can you find Nemo?
• What do you think of Awkwafina’s performance in Crazy Rich Asians?
• Have you ever met Left Shark?
• Do you feel like a cannibal every time you eat a tuna sandwich?
• 24/7 shrinkage or nah?
-Twitter

BS RANDOM JOKE:
When you stop believing in Santa, you get underwear.

BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s one thing you’re excited about that’s coming up in 2019?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTIONS:
Question:  In a survey, over 80% of men said they hate this most about the holidays, what is it?
Answer:  Wrapping gifts!

Question:  53% of people will do THIS on their phone on Christmas Eve. What is it?
Answer:  Check work emails

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly. – Andy Rooney