Wednesday, December 2, 2020 – Edition: #6863
Can You Believe This Sheet?
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ A celebrity chef has made history on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”. On Sunday, “Ugly Delicious” star David Chang took the hot seat and became the first celebrity ever to win $1 million on the game show. For his last question, Chang phoned a friend, journalist Mina Kimes, to help him identify the first U.S. president to have electricity at the White House. Kimes said “It’s probably Benjamin Harris”, and she was right. Chang says he would have guessed the final question wrong without his friend’s help. According to him, “I was a terrible student — that’s why I became a chef.”
-MSN
★ Felicity Huffman has booked her first role since she was ensnared in the college admissions scandal last year. She’ll star in a baseball comedy pilot at ABC. The series is based on the real-life story of Susan Savage, the owner of the Sacramento River Cats minor league baseball team. Huffman would star as the team’s “unlikely owner”. After suddenly losing her husband and inheriting his beloved squad, she is forced to navigate her new normal with the help of her dysfunctional family. The series currently has a pilot production commitment.
-TheWrap
★ Actor David Prowse died following a battle with COVID-19. Prouse, who played ‘Darth Vader’ in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, passed away, after previously being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. His daughter Rachel confirmed Prowse spent two weeks in hospital before his death, revealing that, amid the pandemic, the family were unable to see him in his final days. His funeral will be a small gathering.
-Canoe
★ While most people would likely be very happy to have a street in their hometown named for them, it appears the honor could carry a few unintended consequences for Ryan Reynolds. The Vancouver-raised actor responded to a widely-circulated petition that’s calling for the mayor to name one of the city’s streets after Reynolds. In response to a reporter who tweeted out support for the idea, Reynolds wrote: “Very kind but hard pass. If traffic sucks everyone will say, ‘Ryan Reynolds is a mess’ or ‘Ryan Reynolds is really backed up.'” (I can actually think of worse things they’ll say…)
-VancouverisAwesome
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): George Clooney, Amanda Seyfried, Tones and I
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Jamie Dornan, Joe Manganiello, Phoebe Bridgers
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Kate Winslet, Michael Eric Dyson
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Dan Aykroyd, Anya Taylor-Joy, Carter McLean (R)
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Bad Bunny
• “Conan” (TBS): Natasha Lyonne (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Kelly Dodd, Whitney Rose
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Kate Winslet
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Riz Ahmed, the Crafty Lumberjacks
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Aubrey Plaza, Lil Nas X
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Lily Collins, Alison Deyette, Josh Groban
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Jenny Slate, Jake Borelli
• “SEAL Team” (CBS): Season 4 premiere
• “Court Cam” (A&E): Season 3 premiere
• “88th Annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center” (NBC): The annual tree-lighting ceremony in New York featuring performances from Dolly Parton, Meghan Trainor, Kelly Clarkson, Brett Eldredge, Tori Kelly, Goo Goo Dolls, Leslie Odom Jr., Dan & Shay, the cast of Ain’t Too Proud and the Radio City Rockettes.
• “Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes — At Home Holiday Special” (NBC): The world-famous Rockettes perform in their celebrated show that has become a staple of the holiday season at the Rockefeller Center.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Miley Cyrus – was the first guest in a new weekly holiday-themed concert series from Amazon hosted by Lil Nas X. The three-part event began yesterday with Nas performing his new single ‘Holiday’ followed by Cyrus performing 3 songs from her new “Plastic Hearts” album, plus Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’. Future episodes will feature Kiana Ledé and Foo Fighters.
• Halsey – is siding with The Weeknd, who called The Grammys “corrupt” after being shut out of the nominations. In a lengthy Instagram Stories post, Halsey wrote that Grammy nominations are gained “with the right handshakes” and apparent “bribes” and “committing to exclusive TV performances and making sure you help the Academy make their millions in advertising on the night of the show.”
• Spice Girls — Geri Horner is auctioning off the Union Jack leotard she wore in the ‘Wannabe’ music video to benefit the people of Beirut affected by the blast that took place on August 4. Bidding is from Dec. 7-15.
• Duran Duran — are looking forward to their scheduled headline appearance at next year’s British Summertime festival in London. Simon Le Bon said: “We’re just really hopeful British Summertime goes ahead…The only upside of having to have postponed it for a year is that we are likely going to be playing new music.”
• Journey — Guitarist Neal Schon will release the solo album “Universe” this month. He revealed the artwork on Twitter, and wrote: “There are some interesting covers on here, as well as originals…Jimi / Prince / John McLaughlin / Stevie Wonder / Beatles / and Journey.
• Carrie Underwood – says she almost quit “American Idol” in 2005 because she was so nervous onstage during the finals. Her father gave her an out following one tough audition, saying they could ‘go home right now, and we don’t ever have to talk about it again’, but Underwood says she “took a deep breath, and said ‘No, I’ll go.”
• Chase Rice – surprise-released his new single ‘Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen’ on Monday, featuring Florida Georgia Line. Rice has a full band acoustic livestream show set for this Sunday, and a full production livestream performance set for Dec. 13.
• Carly Pearce – will be among the performers at The Grand Ole Opry’s 4,953rd consecutive Saturday night broadcast on Dec. 5. Ricky Skaggs, Sister Sadie, Del McCoury and others will also be featured on the show, one hour of which will stream on YouTube.
PORCH N’ CONTROL:
The COVID-19 pandemic has many people wondering if it is safe to share holiday baking with friends and family this year. The good news is that evidence shows that the virus that causes COVID-19 isn’t easily spread through food. The bad news is that food scientist and occupational health and safety specialist at McGill University Ebrahim Noroozi suggests you may still want to skip it. Noroozi says first, it’s best to confirm with the recipient that they would like to have the gift. If they do, then the onus is on you to be sure to deliver it in “sanitary condition.” While research has shown no evidence of COVID-19 being transmitted through the food chain, coronavirus strains are capable of living at low and freezing temperatures and on food packaging. Noroozi suggests putting your baking in a clean, sanitized container left outside of the home, in order to follow social distancing guidelines, but points out that those who really want to avoid every risk shouldn’t accept homemade treats at all.
(Suddenly I get the feeling that we’re going to be seeing a lot more porch pirates this month…)
(Hear that, honey? We definitely CAN’T SHARE that freezer full of Christmas fudge and rumballs that you just finished making on the weekend. Shame…)
(On the other hand, if I’m the one doing the baking, same as every year, it’s definitely the food you have to worry about!)
-CTV
DON’T BE CAUGHT SHORT:
There are lots of people who would love to be a little taller. And there are plenty of guys who SAY they are a little taller than they are. Now, thanks to a sneaky new shoe, they actually can be. Pete Gibson says The Lad Lift was inspired by his desire to be a little taller, and now he has launched a Kickstarter campaign to manufacture his special elevation-extending footwear. On the fundraising page, he says that Lad Lifts “increase your height and confidence in the time it takes to tie your laces.” The sneakers use what is called “invisible extra thick insole that adds 2.2 inches to your height”. They are available in black or white, and ‘Shorty’ Gibson hopes to be able to ship them around the world from his UK home by March of next year.
(Finally, I’ll be 6 feet tall…if I get 3 pairs!)
(So…basically orthotics that you can’t remove?)
(Sounds great – but I’m a ‘little’ suspicious…)
-LADBible
WORKING FROM HOME – STARTING FOR REAL…NOW:
Microsoft has rolled out what is called its “Productivity Score”, which lets bosses track how their employees use Microsoft’s suite of tools. When the company announced the feature in October, they called it a way to provide “insights that transform how work gets done” to employers. The tool gathers data on each employee’s behavior across 73 metrics and presents a breakdown to their bosses at the end of the month. This includes how often workers turn their cameras on, how frequently they send emails, whether they regularly contribute to shared documents or group chats, and the number of days they used programs such as Word, Excel, Skype, Outlook or Teams. Microsoft has gone out of its way to claim that the feature is not a work monitoring tool, but privacy experts are criticizing the company, saying they are basically “gamifying” workplace surveillance, with one writing that Productivity Score is like “a person with a stopwatch and a clipboard sitting behind you, meticulously recording how long you spend on each task…then reporting the findings to management.”
(That reminds me — God, I miss Karen!)
(This wouldn’t bother me – if I knew how half those programs work!)
(In fairness, I hope that my boss’s boss gets a breakdown of how often my boss uses this thing!)
-Gizmodo
SIX INEXPENSIVE GIFTS EVERYONE LOVES GETTING:
☺ Homemade or Gourmet Food: Store-bought or homemade, giving food as a gift is both thoughtful and inexpensive. Gourmet candy and hot sauces can be bargains, and there is always something to suit everyone on your list. Baking something and putting it in a fancy container is a great idea too. (If it lasts long enough to make it out the door…)
☺ Festive Socks: They’re a great way to add a splash of personality to a wardrobe, and there are lots of companies making novelty socks that fit great and feel amazing. They are inexpensive and you can find a pair to fit anyone’s personality. (OK…FIVE inexpensive gifts that everyone loves getting…)
☺ Coffee or Tea (and accessories): Full-bodied coffees that pair with a winter chill or teas flavored with holiday spices are easy to find this time of year and are perfect for the cold weather. There are also plenty of accessories, like mugs and French presses. (What is a ‘coffee accessory’? Is that like a funnel?)
☺ Books: They’ve an inexpensive, thoughtful gift that you can match to anyone’s taste. This time of year, many paperbacks and even some hardcovers may be under $10. (Yes, they do still make books…)
☺ Scarves and hats: They’re are all over the place around the holidays, and you may be able to pick them up for under $10 in a wide range of styles and colors (Take it from someone who has been there: If your Grandma knits, check with her first!)
☺ Bath Products: Pretty much everyone could use a nice bath to unwind after the work week, and you can grab items like bath bombs for under $10. There are even aromatic coffee soaps you can give to those who may not be the type to sit in lavender-scented water. (10 bucks? Apparently the people on my list aren’t the only ones who will be getting soaked this Christmas!)
-MentalFloss
DID YOU KNOW?
Merriam-Webster has announced “pandemic” as its 2020 word of the year. Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster, said “That probably isn’t a big shock.” And he’s right. Searches for pandemic on March 11, when the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, were 115,806% higher than on the same date last year.
-MSN
BS CHRONOMETER 12.02.20
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1968 [52] Lucy Liu, Queens NY, TV actress (‘Joan Watson’ on “Elementary” 2012-19, “Dirty Sexy Money” 2008-09)/movie actress (“Kung Fu Panda”, “Kill Bill”)
1968 [52] Nate Mendel, Richmond WA, rock bassist (Foo Fighters-‘Learn to Fly’, ‘Best of You’)
1978 [42] Nelly Furtado, Victoria BC, pop singer (‘I’m Like a Bird’, ‘Promiscuous’)
1978 [42] Chris Wolstenholme, Rotherham UK, rock bassist-vocalist (Muse-‘Supermassive Black Hole’, ‘Uprising’)
1981 [39] Britney Spears, Kentwood LA, pop singer (‘Baby, One More Time’, ‘Oops!… I Did It Again’)
1983 [37] Jana Kramer, Rochester Hills MI, country singer (‘Why Ya Wanna’, I Got the Boy’)/actress (“One Tree Hill” 2009-12)/reality star (“Dancing With the Stars” 2016)
1983 [37] Aaron Rodgers, Chico CA, NFL quarterback (Green Bay Packers)/2011 Super Bowl
1983 [37] Daniela Ruah, Boston MA, TV actress (‘Kensi Blye’ on “NCIS: Los Angeles” since 2009)
1988 [32] Alfred Enoch, Westminster England, movie actor (“Harry Potter” franchise)/TV actor (“How to Get Away with Murder” since 2014)
1991 [29] Charlie Puth, Rumson NJ, pop singer (‘See You Again’ w/Wiz Khalifa, ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’ w/Selena Gomez)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting”, a tradition for New Yorkers and citizens across the US. Today, the Wednesday after Thanksgiving, a ceremony is held and the tree, located just outside of the 30 Rockefeller Plaza building, is lit for the first time. (***See “Show Biz Sked”, above***)
• “Fritters Day”, honoring the yummy treat made by frying up small cakes of dough in butter or oil. (Yum! Really good for you, too!)
• “International Day For the Abolition of Slavery”, a UN observance begun in 1949. An estimated 40.3 million people are in modern slavery. LINK: https://www.un.org/en/observances/slavery-abolition-day
• “Mutt Day”, saluting all dogs that are cross-breeds, no-breeds, or all-breeds. (And what do you get if you neuter your dog? Nixed mutts!)
• “Special Education Day”, initiated in 1975 to promote access to education for all children, including those with disabilities.
• “Business of Popping Corn Day”, honoring this day in 1885 when Charles Cretors founded his company (“C. Cretors & Company”), which invented the first large-scale commercial oil popcorn popper. (Perhaps “Toothpick Day” should be celebrated today, too?)
• “United Arab Emirates National Day”, celebrating the anniversary of independence of the federation of 7 Persian Gulf states from Britain (1971).
COMING UP . . .
[Thurs] Let’s Hug Day
[Thurs] Make a Gift Day
[Fri] National Sock Day
[Fri] National Cookie Day
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2006 [14] 25-year-old Beyoncé is signed to star in the film “Dreamgirls”, the musical based on Diana Ross & The Supremes
2012 [08] Blues legend Buddy Guy, actor Dustin Hoffman, TV host David Letterman, and the surviving members of Led Zeppelin receive Kennedy Center Honors for contributions to culture
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1983 [37] Michael Jackson’s 14-minute ‘Thriller’ video debuts on MTV
2009 [11] Beyoncé leads nominees for the 52nd Grammy Awards with 10 nominations
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2009 [11] Adam Barta of Girard, OH throws 191 bowling strikes in an hour, breaking the previous record by 15
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body.
✓ Statistically, the safest form for of travel (miles travelled versus number of deaths) is the elevator.
✓ Horses can kick backward, forward, and sideways.
✓ More than 60% of the meaning in any conversation is communicated non-verbally.
✓ Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.
✓ Barry White’s music has been used by marine biologists to encourage sharks to mate.
-Unnecessary Knowledge, BathroomReadersInstitute
MORE BS MORE-ACCURATE SLOGANS:
• Purell: The lazy hand wash
• Halls: Candy with directions
• Crayola Crayons: The white one is useless
• Bounty paper towels: Makeshift plates
• Axe: Makes all the women flock…away from you
• Monopoly: A great way to ruin friendships
• Dirt Devil: Terrorize your pets
• Old Spice: Smell like Grandpa
• Febreze: Give your house the smell of freshly-laundered garbage
• Sims: Make your Sims pee themselves and yell at the sky
-Wimp
TODAY’S SLICE OF BS:
➠ Guns N’ Roses have just announced their first stadium tour since COVID-19 shut down concerts. (And just this past weekend, Axl Rose was seen preparing to arrive late for the first show…)
➠ KFC has donated money to the Salvation Army Red Kettle drive and is urging others to step up during a tough season for the non-profit. (This reaffirms my faith in humanity. Then I see Kylie Jenner and it’s gone again!)
➠ Bob Dylan papers, including unpublished lyrics, have sold at auction for 495-thousand dollars. (Expensive? Sure. But a bargain when you consider there’s 15 kilos of weed rolled up in those papers…)
➠ It’s officially the holiday season! (You can tell because Starbucks is pushing the Michael Bublé Christmas CD instead of the regular Michael Bublé CD…)
➠ Meteorologists fear that Santa Ana winds in Southern California could gust up to 65 mph. (The last time they had conditions like this, San Fernando Valley residents awoke to find their yards littered with porn stars…)
BS WEB GOODIE:
Why I’m not as productive when working from home: https://tinyurl.com/y6lbmpx3
BS NAME THAT (CORPORATE) TUNE:
(Guess the company that the slogan belongs to . . .
• “Like a good neighbor, _____ ____ is there” [State Farm]
• “The best part of waking up is _______ in your cup” [Folger’s]
• “Bah-dah-bah-bah-bah, I’m lovin’ it” [McDonald’s]
• “Five, five dollar, five dollar foot long” [Subway]
• “What would you do-ooo-ooo for a ________ bar?” [Klondike]
• “I’m stuck on _______ brand, ’cause _______’s stuck on me” [Band-Aid]
• “I’m a big kid now” [Pull-Ups]
• “I don’t want to grow up, I’m a ____ _ __ kid” [Toys-R-Us]
• “I want my baby back, baby back, baby back” [Chili’s]
• “Meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow, MEOW meow meow meow” [Meow Mix]
(***See “More BS More-Accurate Slogans”, above***)
-Buzzfeed
BS PHONE STARTER:
What, to you, is the greatest Christmas movie of all-time?
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I don’t know about you, but I’m really nervous about Christmas break. The last time the school gave me my kids for a week, they wouldn’t take them back!
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: According to a study, THIS is the trick to getting people at work to tell you secrets or gossip. What is it?
Answer: Get them to laugh
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Not all storms come to disrupt your life — Some come to clear your path.
