Monday, December 7, 2020 – Edition: #6866
Thanks For Being On Our Sheet List!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ David Lander, known for his role as Andrew “Squiggy” Squiggman on TV’s “Laverne & Shirley,” has died at the age of 73. He died on Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after fighting multiple sclerosis for decades, his family said in a statement. Between 1976 and 1983, Lander played ‘Squiggy’ and Michael McKean played ‘Lenny’, the upstairs neighbors to ‘Laverne DeFazio’ and ‘Shirley Feeney’, played by Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams.
-CNN
★ Tim Allen is slipping back into his role as ‘Tim Taylor’ in “Home Improvement” as part of the ultimate TV crossover. It’ll happen as part of the ninth and final season of Allen’s current sitcom, “Last Man Standing”. Allen will appear as ‘Tim the Tool Man’ in the second episode of season 9, when his character Mike’s wife Vanessa hires a repairman who looks a lot like him. Taylor starred in “Home Improvement” from 1991 to 1999. “Last Man Standing” returns on Sunday, Jan. 3.
-MSN
★ Dennis Quaid is totally immersing himself into the role of Ronald Reagan for the upcoming movie bearing the name of the 40th President of the United States, and now he’s got a piece of memorabilia that actually belonged to the Gipper, after hatching a deal with Rick Harrison from “Pawn Stars.” Quaid checked out several treasures belonging to the late President before entering into negotiations with Harrison over one particular item. In the end, Quaid scored it for “thousands of dollars,” but what exactly it is won’t be revealed until the Pawn Stars episode airs next year. “Reagan,” starring Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan, will premiere in 2021.
-TheBlast
★ Matthew Perry is launching a “Friends”-themed clothing line to benefit coronavirus relief. Perry, who played ‘Chandler Bing’ in the long-running sitcom, posted a photo of himself in a Friends-themed T-shirt while pretending to be on the phone using a banana. The shirt features three images of Chandler dancing, and underneath it is written: “Could this BE any more of a T-shirt?”
-Canoe
★ A handgun used by the late Sean Connery in the first James Bond film sold for $256,000 at auction in Beverly Hills on Thursday, topping earlier estimates for the piece of Hollywood history. The deactivated semi-automatic Walther PP pistol, which along with its smaller model the PPK, became one of the film franchise’s best-known images, was used by Connery in the movie “Dr. No” in 1962. Julien’s Auctions had previously estimated that the gun would fetch between $150,000 and $200,000.
-Canoe
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Miley Cyrus
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Dolly Parton, Andrew Rannells, José Feliciano
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Meryl Streep, Chris Stapleton
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Nick Kroll, Jeremy O. Harris, Sam Hunt, Kaz Rodriguez
• ” The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Matthew McConaughey, Shawn Mendes
• “Conan” (TBS): Heather Graham
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Rachel Hargrove, Shane Coopersmith
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Sen. Joe Manchin
• “The Talk” (CBS): Rachel Brosnahan
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Christine Baranski
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Kate Mara
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Serena Williams, Merle Dandridge, Noelle Lambert, Aja King
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Jimmy Fallon, Molly Yeh, Norah O’Donnell
• “The Voice” (NBC): The top 9 artists perform for their chance at a spot in the finale, and share special dedications.
• “Nurses” (NBC): Premiere. Keon assists a patient who goes into early labor. Naz cares for a victim of the terrorist van attack and helps his mother make a difficult decision. Wolf tries to reunite missing fingers with their owner.
• “The Santa Squad” (LIFETIME): An unemployed art teacher has to accept a job with the Santa Squad to help wealthy widower Gordon and his two precious daughters rediscover the magic of Christmas.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Cardi B – Her monster hit with Megan Thee Stallion ‘WAP’ is #2 on Time’s “Best Songs of 2020” list. #1 is ‘People I’ve Been Sad’ by Christine and the Queens. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y2z7zas5
• Billie Eilish — has recorded a piano-only version of The Beatles’ ‘Something”. This is her third public take on a Beatles’ ballad. She sang ‘Yesterday’ during the “In Memoriam” portion of the Oscars, and performed ‘I Will’ with a ukulele on a “Carpool Karaoke” segment of “The Late Late Show With James Corden”.
• Greta Van Fleet – have released the new single ‘Age Of Machine’, and announced their second album “The Battle at Garden’s Gate”, which is set for an April 16 release. The band have also launched a website to coincide with the single, which hosts an audio stream of the song and features a series of photos, likely from a video shoot. LINK: www.ageofmachine.com
• KISS — Gene Simmons has hinted the group will play a gig in Antarctica. In an interview, he said Kiss will play a concert at the “coldest place on the earth” next year. Quote: “imagine us playing there with even larger pyro than you’ve ever seen, ’cause there’s nothing around there.”
• Gwen Stefani – Today, she releases her new single, marking her return to pop music after years of releasing Christmas-themed music and duets with Blake Shelton. On Insta, she wrote: “LET ME REINTRODUCE MYSELF. New single coming 12/7”.
• Florida Georgia Line – have released their first-ever holiday song, ‘Lit This Year’, which Tyler Hubbard calls “a modern-day version of ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer’ meets ‘Christmas Vacation’.” The duo also revealed on Twitter that their fifth album “Life Rolls On” will be released on Feb. 12.
• Lady A – have released a deluxe edition of their 2012 holiday album “On This Winter’s Night”, with four new songs. One is a cover of the Beach Boys 1963 holiday standard ‘Little Saint Nick’. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y6kquuw8
• Asleep at the Wheel – have announced the livestream concert “Merry Texas Christmas,” set for Dec. 19. Tickets for the 90-minute show of AATW songs and holiday favorites are on sale now.
STICK IN THE MUD:
Can you stand one more update on those mysterious metal monoliths that have been showing up and disappearing over the past few weeks? Now, an artist group has claimed responsibility for two of them, and is selling 10-foot monoliths on their website for $45,000(!!), which includes “delivery and installation”, according to the post. The Instagram account “The Most Famous Artist” has posted two photos – one of the Utah site and the other near a warehouse. There is also a third photo showing the site in California where one monolith still stands. In the comments, followers asked: “Was it you?” The account responded repeatedly, saying: “If by you, you mean us, yes.” So far, no answers about the Romanian monolith, though.
(But I’d bet that you could get that one for less than 45 grand!)
(Well, they’re no fun if they didn’t come from aliens!)
(If I knew I could sell them for 45K for it, I would have claimed them too!)
-LADBible
MORE POWER TO YOU (DEAR…):
It’s the age-old question: Who “wears the pants” in the relationship? Although much of the focus in recent years has been on improving equality for women, a new study says that men believe they are the ones with less power – in a relationship. Researchers in Sweden surveyed 808 Americans about the areas they consider most important in life, and asked each about how much power they felt they had over those aspects. They found that while American men say that in public, they feel more powerful than their significant other, they perceive themselves as holding less power in private. Women? Yup. They also feel that they are the stronger force at home. The findings are especially important because both men and women were found to agree that having more power at home is the most important aspect in life.
(I definitely have the power in my relationship. Unless it has something to do with décor. Or food. Or vacations. Or child-raising. Or Christmas plans. Or what I wear. Hey. Wait…)
(And guys…how would YOU answer that question. If your wife wasn’t listening, I mean…)
(And ladies, if you ever want to make sure you have the power in a relationship, just ask him if he knows what day it is – and judge by the look of fear on his face!)
-StudyFinds
FAST FAST-FOOD FACTS:
⇒ Burger King Japan recently debuted its latest sandwich, containing more than one pound of beef – but no bun. The “Extreme Super One Pound Beef Burger” has tomato, lettuce, cheese, onion and gherkin sandwiched between a total of four beef patties. Because of its high meat content, the 1.12-pound (.5kg) bunless burger costs a bit more than most, going for US $13.50, more than 3 times the price of a Whopper in Japan. (OK, no bun, but I hope it comes with napkins!)
⇒ A French chef has nabbed Guinness World Record by creating a pizza with 254 varieties of cheese. Benoit Bruel cooked up his creation in February, and it has now been validated by Guinness as the pizza with the most varieties of cheese. The chef spent about two hours weighing out “a few dozen grams” of each type of cheese, winding up with more than 1-and-a-half pounds (800g) of the stuff on the 12-inch pizza, costing him more than $1,000 to create. (What did he slice it with? A Skil-saw?) LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y47klqax
-Canoe, UPI
OLD-SCHOOL SKILLS THAT ARE BECOMING OBSOLETE:
☞ Reading and writing in cursive: These days, it seems he only time kids need to know cursive is when they get cards from their grandparents. (Oh, and signing their names . . . I hope!)
☞ Dialing a rotary phone: Although kids could learn this skill in about a minute, let’s face it, NO ONE needs this skill anymore. (But it sure would be fun watching a youngster try!)
☞ Sewing: Martha Stewart says its still important for practical and educational reasons . . . it can help develop planning and math skills, and hand-eye coordination. (Is the fact that ripped jeans are so popular because no one can sew anymore?)
☞ Navigating with a map or compass: Reading maps helps build spatial reasoning skills, and understanding compass directions can also be handy in a pinch. It’s tough to compete with the technology behind a map app, though. (Another lost skill: FOLDING a map!)
☞ Driving a standard-shift car: It may be a cool skill to have, but only 1.2% of cars sold in 2019 had manual transmissions. (I wanted to learn to do this, but I couldn’t find a manual!)
☞ Looking something up in a dictionary, thesaurus or encyclopedia: It’s difficult enough to FIND one of these in book form, let alone actually look something up. In fact, there is only ONE general encyclopedia still in print today. (You can’t use a dictionary? I have no words…)
☞ Remembering phone numbers: Who does THIS anymore?
(On the other hand, today’s youth are awesome at having a pizza delivered anywhere, anytime…without speaking to anyone!)
-Ladders
DID YOU KNOW?
An investigation has been launched after an “unprecedented” draw that saw six consecutive numbers selected in South Africa’s national lottery. 20 people claiming a share of the jackpot in last Tuesday’s draw, which sparked widespread allegations of fraud or error when the numbers drawn were 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, while the number 10 came up as the powerball bonus. The 20 players won 5.7 million rand (US $370,000) each and another 79 ticketholders won 6,283 rand (US $413) for guessing the correct numbers but missing the powerball.
-Independent
BS CHRONOMETER 12.07.20
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1932 [88] Ellen Burstyn, Detroit MI, movie actress (“Requiem for a Dream”, “The Exorcist”)
1949 [71] Tom Waits, Pomona CA, blues-rock-folk-jazz singer-songwriter (‘Downtown Train’, ‘(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night’)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 2001
1955 [65] Priscilla Barnes, Fort Dix NJ, TV actress (“Jane The Virgin” 2014-19, ‘Terri’ on “Three’s Company 1981-1984)
1965 [55] Jeffrey Wright, Washington DC, TV actor (‘Bernard Lowe’ on “Westworld” 2016)
1977 [43] Dominic Howard, Stockport UK, rock drummer (Muse-‘Uprising’, ‘Supermassive Black Hole’)
1978 [42] Kristofer Hivju, Oslo Norway, TV actor (‘Tormund Giantsbane’ on “Game of Thrones” 2013-19)
1979 [41] Sara Bareilles, Eureka CA, pop singer (‘King of Anything’, ‘Love Song’)
1987 [33] Aaron Carter, Tampa FL, pop singer (‘Aaron’s Party [Come Get It])/reality star “Dancing with the Stars” 2009)
1988 [32] Winston Marshall, London UK, folk-rock banjoist (Mumford & Sons-‘Believe’, ‘I Will Wait’)
1989 [31] Nicholas Hoult, Wokingham England, movie actor (“X-Men: First Class”, “Mad Max: Fury Road”)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Cotton Candy Day”, celebrating the sweet, sugary taste-treat that melts in your mouth. It was invented in 1897 as ‘Fairy Floss’, then renamed in 1920. In Greece, Israel, and India it is often referred to as ‘Old Woman’s Hair’. Yuck.
• “International Civil Aviation Day”, an observance by the International Civil Aviation Organization since 1994, to reinforce the importance of civil aviation to social and economic development. (Will this idea ever take off?)
• “Letter Writing Day”, when we’re encouraged to take a few minutes to send someone a handwritten letter. Letter-writing has almost become a lost art. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone, either printed or in cursive? (***See “Old-School Skills”, above***)
• “Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day”, observed on the anniversary of one of the defining moments in American history, the 1941 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii which caused the US to enter WW2. It is the 79th anniversary of the ‘date which will live in infamy’. BS FAST FACT: The film “Pearl Harbor” cost as much as the actual rebuilding of Pearl Harbor, and lasted an hour longer than the attack.
• “Walt Disney Day”, held on the first Monday in December in remembrance of Walt Disney (born Dec. 5, 1901). Today, Disney movie marathons are held and cakes are often baked into the shape of Disney characters. And some schools invite their students to dress as Disney characters today.
COMING UP . . .
[Tues] National Brownie Day
[Tues] Pretend To Be a Time Traveler Day
[Wed] Christmas Card Day
[Wed] National Pastry Day
This Week Is…National Hand Washing Awareness Week
This Month Is…Safe Toys and Gifts Month
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2001 [19] The caper movie remake, “Ocean’s Eleven”, featuring an all-star cast (George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts) opens in theaters (spawns the sequels “Ocean’s Twelve” 2004, “Ocean’s Thirteen” 2007, and the all-female “Ocean’s 8″ 2018)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1991 [29] Michael Jackson’s ‘Black or White’ reaches #1 on the singles chart; U2 s “Achtung Baby” debuts at #1 on the album chart
2014 [06] Pink Floyd’s classic album “The Dark Side of the Moon” makes a surprise return to the ‘Billboard 200’ (#13), thanks to ultra-cheap special pricing at 99¢ in the Google Play store
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1969 [51] The TV special “Frosty the Snowman” is broadcast (on CBS) for the first time. It has aired annually every Christmas season since.
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2010 [10] At auction, John James Audubon’s illustrated book “Birds of America” sells for a record price of $10.3 million
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The name for lint that gathers in the bottom of your pocket is “gnurr”.
✓ Buttermilk does not contain any butter.
✓ A person will burn 7 percent more calories if they walk on hard dirt compared to pavement.
✓ Humans shed 40 pounds of skin in their lifetime, completely replacing their outer skin every month.
✓ Most liquid laundry detergents are alive with living organisms that help to break down stains.
✓ A penguin was once knighted in Norway.
-AllThatisInteresting, RandomFactGenerator
BS ANTISOCIAL SONGS:
• Let Me Be
• Don’t Call Me Maybe
• I’m Think I’m Alone Now
• I’ve Got Friends in No Places
• Born to Run Away From Everyone
• Let it GO AWAY!
• Without You or Without You
• I Left Her Standing There
• Couldn’t Care Less Whisper
• Girls Just Wanna Be Left Alone
• Highway to Hell No
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019
TODAY’S SLICE OF BS:
➠ It’s officially that time of year. . . The Holidays! (You can tell, too. The Starbucks baristas are now spelling your name wrong on eggnog lattes…)
➠ Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas has unveiled a new Sandra Bullock wax figure that insiders call “Flawless.” (In fact, IT’S SOOO REAL, her Ex, Jesse James, has already cheated on it…)
➠ Goo Goo Dolls singer Johnny Rzeznik turned 55 over the weekend. (His birthday party was completely indistinguishable from birthday parties for the guy from Matchbox Twenty and the guy from Third Eye Blind.)
➠ Prohibition ended this week back in 1933. (Prohibition wound up being such a bad idea, historians now believe those who came up with it were drunk…)
➠ Saturday was the birth date of the late Walt Disney. He was born December 5th 1901. (If you’re looking for his grave, it’s not hard to find — Thanks to the ‘spinning’ sound it’s making because of Miley Cyrus, Bella Thorne, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Lindsay Lohan, Shia LaBeouf . . . what’s that? Keep going? Britney Spears, Zac Efron . . . )
BS WEB GOODIE:
How I spent my Saturday night: https://tinyurl.com/y4u5xby5
BS RANDOM JOKE:
A weekend wasted isn’t a wasted weekend.
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• The image of Santa Claus flying in a sleigh was dreamt up by the same guy who created:
a) The Easter Bunny
b) The Headless Horseman [CORRECT–Washington Irving]
c) Mary Poppins
d) The Batmobile
• What’s the most popular shape for Christmas cookies?
a) Christmas tree [CORRECT]
b) Santa Claus
c) Star
d) Bell [Those are the 4 most popular, in order.]
• What is another sort-of common term for eggnog?
a) Milk punch [CORRECT]
b) Fruit of the bovine
c) Pasteurized punch
d) Crème de cow
-ET, WhiteElephantRules
BS PHONE STARTER:
What is the stupidest question that you’ve ever heard (or that you’ve asked)?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: An online survey says that women who are unsure what to get their husband for Christmas will probably just buy THIS. What is it?
Answer: A wallet
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Ego says, “Once everything falls into place, I’ll feel peace.” Spirit says, “Find your peace, then everything will fall into place.”