Thursday, December 15, 2022 – Edition: #7380

Ah, the Sweet Smell of BS!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss’ has died at age 40. His wife, Allison Holker Boss, confirmed his passing in a statement, saying: “Stephen lit up every room he stepped into…He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.” Boss rose to fame as a contestant on MTV’s “The Wade Robson Project” before becoming a runner-up on “Star Search”. He later competed on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2008. In 2014, Boss joined The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a guest DJ. He eventually became a permanent fixture, and was elevated to co-executive producer status in 2020. TMZ is reporting he died by suicide at an LA hotel.
-People, TMZ
★ The 1989 rom-com “When Harry Met Sally” is one of 25 films chosen this year to enter the National Film Registry, a list that ranges from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” to a 1898 silent documentary, long thought lost, about the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. Also chosen this year for preservation: Marvel’s “Iron Man,” John Waters’ “Hairspray,” Brian de Palma’s “Carrie” and the 1950 “Cyrano de Bergerac” starring Jose Ferrer, whose performance made him the first Hispanic actor to win a best actor Oscar. The registry is housed at the Library of Congress, which selects movies for preservation based on their cultural and historic importance.
-AP
★ One of comedy’s highest honors is headed Adam Sandler’s way. The superstar comedian has been selected to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The “Hustle” star will receive the honor during a gala ceremony at Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on March 19. The Mark Twain Prize “recognizes those who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, best known as Mark Twain.” Previous recipients include Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen DeGeneres, Jay Leno, and Dave Chappelle. Many of his fellow “Saturday Night Live” alums have also received the honor, including Lorne Michaels, Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
-HollywoodReporter
★ Early viewers of “Avatar: The Way of Water” are just about unanimous in their emphatic praise of the James Cameron epic. The film, which debuts in theaters tomorrow, is already being called one of the best films of the year. One reviewer wrote: “Avatar: The Way of Water is miles better than the first (in 2009). The ocean environment is incredible and Cameron clearly is wearing his environmentalist heart on his sleeve here. I connected to this one in a way I couldn’t with the original.” Another said the film is “proof that cinematic wonder still exists” and the film is “exactly what moviegoers need.” On the other hand, there have been a few negative mentions of the film’s 3 hour and 12 minute length.
-TheWrap, LADBible

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Brendan Fraser, Diego Calva, Weezer
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Regina Hall, F. Murray Abraham, Edvin Ryding, Omar Rudberg, Andrea, Matteo & Virginia Bocelli
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Paul Bettany, Lily Collins, Kevin Murphy
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Margot Robbie, Jean Smart
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Ciara Miller, Jason Cameron, Jessica Stocker
• The View” (ABC/CTV): Alexandra Pelosi, Audra McDonald
• “The Talk”(CBS): Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Harry Shum Jr.
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Salma Hayek, RuPaul, Eden Grinshpan, Andrea Bocelli
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Michelle Obama, Guy Branum, Pentatonix, Meghan Trainor
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Aubrey Plaza, Savannah Guthrie, Gabe Labelle, Melissa King
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Matthew Perry, Greta Onieogou
• “Sherri” (Check local listings): Gizelle Bryant, Robyn Dixon, Peter Cincotti
• “Ghosts” (CBS): When Jay’s sister Bela comes for a holiday visit and brings a male friend, Samantha makes it her mission to spark a holiday romance between them.
• “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” (ABC): An animated and live-action showcase of the fan-fave movie, with new musical performances, sets and costumes inspired by the classic story.
• “Baking It: Maya Rudolph & Amy Poehler’s Celebrity Holiday Special” (NBC): A festive baking competition where celeb guests Kristen Bell, Fred Armisen, JB Smoove and Nicole Richie create delicious treats, all while raising money for charities.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• BTS – Jin shared a pic of his military buzzcut on Tuesday. He uploaded a selfie to BTS’ fan-community WeVerse site, showing that his signature long locks are gone, in favor of a super-short “induction cut.” In his caption, he said he found the cut “cuter than I thought.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/226hnd6t
• Drake – has had a piece of jewelry made from all the engagement rings he thought about giving women … but decided not to. His designer wrote over a video showcasing the creation: “New piece titled ‘Previous Engagements’ for all the times he thought about it but never did it.” He also wrote that the necklace is made up of “42 engagement rings, 351.38 carats in diamonds”. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mr4ypyvt
(***Caution – language***) • Def Leppard – As far as singer Joe Elliott is concerned, Demi Lovato made the best album of 2022. Quote: “The one that rocks harder than anything else I’ve heard this year is Demi Lovato’s album ‘Holy Fvck’. The riffs are fantastic and her singing is off the f—ing charts!”
• AC/DC – singer Brian Johnson says the first time he met Paul McCartney, he was so in awe, he couldn’t speak. Quote: “I didn’t know what to say to him…for the first time I was absolutely tongue-tied…And it was Paul that spoke to me…And I went, ‘Hello, Paul. Sir Paul. Your honor. Your majesty.’”
(***Caution – language***) • Ozzy Osbourne — After enduring a series of health problems over the past few years, he’s eager to get back on the road. But there’s still one problem. In a recent interview, he said: “My head is alright, my creativity is OK, my singing’s OK but I just can’t f—ing walk much now.” He is scheduled to resume his long-delayed “No More Tours 2” world tour May 3 in Finland.
• Luke Bryan – has earned the 30th #1 country hit of his career, thanks to ‘Country On’, and he gives some of the credit to his kids. Bryan, who is dad to 14-year-old Bo and 12-year-old Tate, said: “I play demos whenever we get in my pickup truck, and whatever demos the boys keep wanting to hear, there’s something special about those.”
• Keith Urban — is the latest country superstar to part ways with his master recordings catalog. He has sold his masters to the newly-formed music rights company Litmus. The sale includes 10 studio albums plus a greatest hits package, and includes an agreement to collaborate on future releases. No word on a price. Kenny Chesney and Blake Shelton also recently sold the majority of their catalogues.
• Tyler Childers – will perform at “Hello From the Hills”, the first-annual collaborative fundraising event benefiting the (John) Prine Family’s The Hello in There Foundation and Childers’ Hope in the Hills. It will be held at Nashville’s City Winery on Jan. 7. Jason Isbell, Sierra Ferrell and Amythyst Kiah and others will also participate.

SHOOTING THE BULL

LIGHTYEAR BUZZ:
Manufacturing has begun on the world’s first production solar car. The Dutch company Lightyear is now assembling its first vehicle – ‘Lightyear 0’ – a 4-5 passenger EV that will go down in history as the first electric vehicle that generates a realistic amount of charge via sunlight. Taking advantage of as much body space as possible with 5 curved solar arrays, the Lightyear 0 charges wherever there is daylight, whether it is parked or on the move. Lightyear claims it can travel up to 40 miles (70km) per day from the sun alone, and “with an infinite power source like that on its roof, Lightyear 0 can drive for months without charging.” Non-solar charging can be done by plugging into a regular home socket, which will offer over 185 miles (300km) of range overnight. If solar panels can become greater producers of energy, electric cars would finally sidestep the criticism that electric cars aren’t any better for the environment, since most electricity is generated through fossil fuels. The company plans to produce one of the vehicles per week to start with — priced at around $255,000.
(A solar vehicle? I definitely didn’t hear that coming!)
(Just 40 miles per day? That’s a short circuit!)
-GoodNewsNetwork

OCCUPATION REVELATIONS:
➠ If you tend to hit the snooze button a couple times every morning, chances are, you’re chronically tired. A study published in the journal Sleep suggests that those who use an alarm clock to wake up are more tired than those who wake up naturally. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame found that 57% of employed, salaried adult white-collar workers snooze their alarms. Those who do hit snooze were found to experience more sleep disturbances — and people who woke up naturally were found to sleep longer and drink less caffeine during the day. Women were 50% more likely to snooze than men, and night owls were more prone to hitting the snooze button and were found to be the most tired. (I never hit the snooze button. I save that for after I get to work!)
➠ Gen-Z and millennials are the workers most likely to call in sick, according to a new survey. A poll of 2,000 US adults found that 41% of workers are likely to call in the moment they feel themselves getting sick. And only about a third (32%) said they don’t feel bad at all about bailing on work when they’re sick. While the younger workers in the Gen-Z and millennial age groups were more likely to call in sick (36% and 45%, respectively), older generations like Gen-X and baby boomers were found to be more willing to work through their illness (30% and 47%), rather than miss work. (Miss work? I wouldn’t miss it at all. Take that any way you like…)
-NYPost

THE YEAR’S MOST MISPRONOUNCED WORDS:
(among newsreaders and others on TV, according to The Captioning Group…)
✗Adele (uh-DALE):  In a livestream, she applauded a London fan who pronounced her name “perfectly.”
✗Edinburgh (ED-in-Bruh or ED-in-Buh-Ruh):  The capital of Scotland was mentioned often in the news this year as Queen Elizabeth II’s body made its way to Holyroodhouse after her death in Balmoral.
✗ Domhnall Gleeson (DOH-null):  He’s is the actor known for playing ‘Bill Weasley’ in the “Harry Potter” series, as well as starring in the 2022 miniseries “The Patient.” And his brother Brian (known for his role in “Peaky Blinders”), his name is pronounced “BREE-an,” not “BRY-an.”
✗  Negroni Sbagliato (ne-GRO-nee spah-lee-AH-toh):  The alcoholic beverage was introduced to the world by “House of the Dragon” star Emma D’Arcy, whose social media mention of the drink received more than 14 million views.
✗ Novak Djokovic (NO-vak JO-kuh-vich):  In January, the tennis star was deported from Australia and not allowed to compete in the Australian Open after failing to comply with COVID regulations.
✗ Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa (TOO-uh-ning-uh-mah-noo-oh-LEH-po-luh TUNG-o-vai-LOH-uh)[***Good luck!***]:  — The Miami Dolphins quarterback who became the center of discussion about NFL concussion protocols after suffering injuries in consecutive games. (We just call him ‘Tua’ for short!)
✗ Zaporizhzhia (zah-POH-reezha):  The city in Ukraine that is home to Europe’s largest nuclear station. (I’m actually surprised to find that I’ve been saying this one RIGHT!)
(What word(s) would you add to the list?)
-Newsy, NPR

MOST RE-GIFTED CHRISTMAS GIFTS:
In a 2020 survey, 72% of people agreed that their favorite gifts are heartfelt and unique. But the survey also identified the WORST holiday gifts out there. Avoid giving these, and hopefully you’ll never have to deal with the embarrassment of having the same thing re-gifted to you NEXT year!)
1. Picture frames:  34% said they’d likely re-gift it
2. Gift sets of body care products:  33% would re-gift it
3. Scented candles:  32% would re-gift it (unless they’re bacon-scented…)
4. Beauty gift sets:  30% would re-gift it (because it didn’t work?)
5. Box of chocolates 29% would re-gift it (I honestly can’t see ANY red-blooded woman giving away ANY type of chocolate product…unless it has that crappy orange filling in it…)
(That’s another great thing about giving someone a personalized gift – they CAN’T regift it!)
-BestLife

DID YOU KNOW?
According to many influencers, “tramp-stamps” are making a comeback. The lower-back tattoo, deserved or not, became synonymous with the somewhat trashier lifestyle of the 1990s. But Gen Z’s love of the decade has seen them returning to popularity. A 2011 study found that the body artwork, referred to as “tramp-stamps,” became unfairly associated with promiscuity. But this time around, the tattoos are seen as more empowering rather than embarrassing. (That doesn’t mean you need to get yours freshened up, Grandma!)
-NYPost

BS CHRONOMETER 12.15.22

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Cat Herders Day”, a day of sympathy for anyone who feels their job, or even their life, is like trying to herd cats. (Or making cats do anything else, for that matter…)
• “International Tea Day”, observed annually since 2005 in tea-producing countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda, India, and Tanzania. (Not Chai-land?)
• “Cupcake Day”, for many years, cupcakes were known as “1-2-3-4 cakes” because of their recipe: 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, 4 eggs, plus 1 cup of milk and 1 spoonful of baking soda. (And as you know, it’s impossible to be in a bad mood when you’re eating a cupcake!)
• “Wear Your Pearls Day”, reminding us that when life throws dirt our way, we all have value in the end. The beautiful result of nature’s design, one irritating grain of sand can cause an iridescent pearl to form.
• “Bill of Rights Day”, on December 15, 1791, Virginia ratified the first 10 amendments of the Constitution (The Bill of Rights). With this, the amendments reached the requisite number of state ratifications necessary to become part of the US Constitution.

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Chocolate Covered Anything Day
[Fri] Underdog Day
[Sat] Wright Brothers Day
[Sun] Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf Day
This Month is…Universal Human Rights Month
This Month is…Write a Friend Month

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1939 [83] Dave Clark, Tottenham England, rock drummer-singer (The Dave Cark Five-‘Glad All Over’, Bits and Pieces’)

1949 [73] Don Johnson, Flat Creek MO, TV actor (“Nash Bridges” 1996-2001, “Miami Vice” 1984-89)/movie actor (“Django Unchained”) COMING UP… “Shriver”

1979 [43] Adam Brody, San Diego CA, movie actor (“Scream 4″, “The Ring”)/TV actor (“The OC” 2003-07)

1981 [41] Michelle Dockery, London England, TV actress (“Good Behavior” 2016-17, “Downton Abbey” 2010-15)/movie actress (“Downton Abbey” 2019, “Downton Abbey: A New Era” 2022)

1982 [40] Charlie Cox, London England, TV actor (“Daredevil” 2015-18 “Boardwalk Empire” 2011-12), movie actor (“The Theory of Everything”)

1983 [39] Camilla Luddington, Ascot England, TV actress (‘Jo Wilson’ on “Grey’s Anatomy” since 2012)

1991 [31] Alana Haim, LA CA, pop-rock guitarist (Haim-‘The Wire’, ‘Don’t Save Me’)

1997 [25] Maude Apatow, CA, movie actress (“The King of Staten Island”, “This Is 40”)/TV actress (“Euphoria” since 2019)/daughter of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2008 [14] Madonna pays her former husband, film director Guy Ritchie, around £50 million ($65 million) as part of their divorce settlement

2020 [02] UK newspaper The Sun publishes a recording of Tom Cruise berating his “Mission: Impossible 7” film crew for breaking COVID-19 protocols

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1997 [25] The “Spice World” movie, directed by Bob Spiers and starring girl group the Spice Girls, premieres in the UK

2014 [08] Taylor Swift’s 5th album, “1989″, reaches #1 and goes on to become the best-selling album of 2014 (9.5 million copies)

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1979 [43] After finding pieces of their “Scrabble” game missing, Canadians Chris Haney and Scott Abbott create the board game “Trivial Pursuit”

2001 [21] Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27 million are spent to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean (because that’s the tourist attraction)

BULL’S BITS

BS WHACK CHRISTMAS FACTS:
✓ ‘Silent Night’ is the most-recorded Christmas song (over 138,000 versions).
✓ Rudolph was almost named Rollo. Other reindeer names before the ones we’re familiar with today were settled upon include: Flossie, Glossie, Racer, Pacer, Scratcher, Feckless, Ready, Steady and Fireball.
✓ Tinsel was invented in 1610 in Germany — and was originally spun from real silver, making it far from the chintzy decoration it is now.
✓ Christmas Day boasts the fewest relationship breakups – and the most engagements.
✓ Mistletoe is an ancient symbol of fertility and virility — and the Druids considered it an aphrodisiac…
✓ …But the Germanic word for mistletoe literally means “dung on a twig.”
-GoodHousekeeping, PioneerWoman

Best of BS . . .
BS SIGNS YOU’RE HAVING A BAD HOLIDAY SEASON:
• All of the Christmas cards you receive are addressed to “Resident.”
• The first words your daughter’s new talking doll says are, “Take me back to the store.”
• The FBI finds your handprints on Mrs. Claus’s dress.
• You’ve had more than one fist fight with a mall cop.
• You’re riding in a one-horse closed sleigh, and your wife keeps whining, “Oh what fun we’d be having if only this were an open sleigh!”
• The department store Santa says, “So Tubby, I’m guessing you want an Ab Roller?”
• Willie Nelson [Snoop Dogg] has smoked all of your frankincense.
• Every person you know gets you an industrial-sized bottle of Clearasil.
• A week after Christmas, you notice a bizarre smell coming from the chimney.
• Two words: tinsel rash.
-Neloo, first published in BS in 2013

BS ALCOHOL WARNING LABELS BEING CONSIDERED:
• “Consumption of alcohol is a major factor in deranged dancing.”
• “Consumption of alcohol may cause you to schpeak like thish.”
• “Consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not.”
• “Consumption of alcohol may leave you wondering what the hell happened to your pants.”
• “Consumption of alcohol is the leading cause of inexplicable rug burns on the forehead.”
• “Consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, handsomer and smarter than some really, really big guy nicknamed Moose.”
• “Consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are laughing WITH you.”
• “Consumption of alcohol may lead you to believe that ex-lovers are really dying for you to text them at 4 in the morning.”
-First published in BS in 2011

BS WEB GOODIE:
The family that plays together…:   https://tinyurl.com/w8nn2d3u

BS RANDOM JOKE:
It’s probably my age that tricks people into thinking I’m an adult.

BS PHONE STARTER:
Will you ‘self-gift’ on Christmas by giving yourself a present? (In a poll, 26% said “Yes, if I see something I want”; 19% said “Yes, and I know what I want”)

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  40% of us have done THIS at work when no one was looking. What is it?
Answer:  Raise or lower the thermostat

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
If you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.