Friday, December 8, 2023 – Edition: #7614

Deja Moo!

 

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Ryan Seacrest will usher in 2024 on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” from New York City’s Times Square, alongside Rita Ora. There will once again be satellite locations in LA — hosted by Jeannie Mai — and a Spanish language countdown with Dayanara Torres live from San Juan’s Puerto Rico Convention Center. The Los Angeles party will boast R&B up-and-comer Coco Jones, Ellie Goulding, Green Day and 2024 Grammy album of the year nominee Janelle Monáe. Loud Luxury x Two Friends Feat. Bebe Rexha, Ludacris, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Paul Russell, Reneé Rapp and Thirty Seconds to Mars will also take the stage to usher in 2024. And in a year where “Barbie” ruled everything, the Danish-Norwegian Europop band Aqua will revisit their best-known hit, 1997’s ‘Barbie Girl’.
-AP
★ Kim Kardashian has still not apologized to Taylor Swift over the infamous phone call she leaked, according to a report. This week, Swift put Kimmy K. on blast in her Time “Person of the Year” cover story for leaking an edited private phone call between Swift and Kanye West over 7 years ago. And sources told TMZ that Kardashian has still not said “sorry”. Insiders told the outlet that Swift would accept a public apology from Kardashian. Their bad blood stems from the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009 when Taylor won Best Female Music Video and West jumped on stage to say Beyoncé should have won. It was was worsened later when West included Swift’s name in the explicit lyrics to his hit ‘Famous’.
-PageSix
★ “Killers of the Flower Moon” has been named the best film of 2023 by the National Board of Review, a New York-based group of film professionals and academics. The film also won NBR’s Best Director prize for Martin Scorsese, while Lily Gladstone picked up the Best Actress award and Rodrigo Prieto took the Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography award for “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Barbie.” Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” won 3 awards, picking up prizes for lead Paul Giamatti, supporting actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph and the original screenplay.
-TheWrap
★ “Deadpool 3” has resumed filming now that the actors strike has ended, and several photos have already leaked from set. And although this is a hazard of filming a big-budget superhero film, star Ryan Reynolds is asking websites to please preserve his film’s secret moments. On his Instagram Story, Reynolds posted: “Surprises are part of the magic of theatrical movies. It’s important for us to shoot the new ‘Deadpool’ film in real, natural environments…Telephoto lenses continue to spoil surprises and create a difficult situation for everyone.” Leaks this week seemed to show that “X-Men” villain ‘Sabretooth’ is returning to fight ‘Deadpool’’ and ‘Wolverine’. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yetau53p
-Variety
★ Start practicing your ‘Red Light, Green Light’, because “Squid Game: The Challenge” is coming back for another season. Netflix renewed the reality show on Wednesday, ahead of the Season 1 finale. In a statement, a Netflix rep said: “There was no red light in our decision to greenlight Season 2 of ‘Squid Game: The Challenge,’ the most ambitious unscripted show we’ve premiered at Netflix.” Casting for Season 2 is now open at www.SquidGameCasting.com .
-Variety
★ Fox is ringing in the new year by turning back the clock. The network has announced that on Jan. 1, it will air “M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television”, a 2-hour special featuring new interviews with surviving cast members Alan Alda, Gary Burghoff, Jamie Farr, Mike Farrell and Loretta Swit, as well as EPs Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe. In what’s being called the “definitive” look back at the Emmy-winning series, which aired on CBS from 1972-1983, the retrospective will also include “never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage, photos and stories.
-TVLine

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Anne Hathaway, Peter Sarsgaard, Fumi Abe
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Talking Heads, Mae Martin (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Gayle King, Brian Cox, Da’Vine Joy Randolph (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Triumph the Insult Comic Dog aka Robert Smigel
• “The Talk” (CBS): Sebastian Maniscalco, Monique Kelley
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Nicki Minaj Jordan Fisher
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Jimmy Fallon, Meghan Trainor, Matt Bomer, Christina Perri
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Martha Stewart
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): It’s Bigger Than Us founder Tyrone Nance
• “20/20” (ABC): When a beloved mother is killed, police uncover clues in the accused killer’s diary.
• “Raid the Cage” (CBS): A father-daughter duo faces off against married college sweethearts.
• “The Last Cowboy” (CMT): This year’s Run For A Million includes Cow Horse and Cutting challenges; qualified riders prepare for Las Vegas, where they compete for the title.
SATURDAY-
• “Funny You Should Ask” (CBS): A comedy game show where a panel of standup comics interacts with contestants for cash and prizes.
• “Heisman Trophy Ceremony” (ESPN): Live. The 89th ceremony, honoring college football’s most outstanding player. Followed by “30 for 30: The Great Heisman Race of 1997”
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC): Host Adam Driver; Olivia Rodrigo performs.
SUNDAY-
• “A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop” (CBS): Hip-hop legends and Grammy-winning artists grace the stage for a special tribute concert. Performers include Common, LL COOL J, Queen Latifah, Questlove, De La Soul, Remy Ma and more.
• “MasterChef Junior: Home for the Holidays” (Fox): Series premiere. Gordon Ramsay welcomes 9 young culinary contestants to cook up seasonal delights.
• “NFL Football” (Check local listings): Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Demi Lovato – ‘Solo’, her 5-year-old duet with Clean Bandit, is the newest member of YouTube‘s Billion Views Club. The song was 2018’s most-searched song on Shazam.
• Nicki Minaj – will appear on an upcoming edition of “Watch What Happens Live”. Host Andy Cohen took to X on Wednesday, asking fans to tweet in questions for her. No word on exactly when Minaj’s episode will air. She drops her highly anticipated “Pink Friday 2” album today, and is scheduled to appear on “Live With Kelly and Mark”. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yc3msrb3
• Daddy Yankee — is officially retiring from reggaeton to devote his life to his religious faith, he said after ending his farewell tour in his homeland of Puerto Rico. The 46-year-old told fans “Living a life of success is not the same as living a life with purpose.” He popularized the 2017 hit ‘Despacito’ with Luis Fonsi and Justin Bieber, which hit #1 in 47 countries and became the most-viewed video on YouTube.
• • Def Leppard — has announced a 2024 US stadium tour with special guest Steve Miller Band. Heart and Cheap Trick will also appear in select cities. The 23-date trek kicks off July 6 in St. Louis and is currently set to conclude Sept. 8 in Denver. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Dec. 15.
• Tom Petty – His 1989 song ‘Love is a Long Road” soundtracks the first preview of “Grand Theft Auto VI”, the long-awaited next installment in the controversial video game series. The trailer, showing a fictionalized version of Florida (Petty’s home state), racked up millions of views on Tuesday when it was released. The game comes out in 2025. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/986nekc4
• Rod Stewart – On Feb. 23, he’ll release the new album “Swing Fever”. It is a collaboration with Jools Holland (ex-Squeeze), and features 13 covers of classic big band numbers. He has already dropped the first single ‘Almost Like Being in Love’, LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3mhpyduh
• Tim McGraw – told People about the advice he gave to Taylor Swift when she was a teenager. She opened for McGraw’s joint Soul2Soul tour with wife Faith Hill nearly 15 years ago. He says he told Swift “Aways know that you’re the leader, that you’re the one making decisions, that you will know what song is going to work or not and that you are the captain of your ship.”
• Garth Brooks – When asked about the upcoming “Spinal Tap” sequel, in which he has a cameo: he said he isn’t allowed to give any details, but: “If you think you have laughed before, Jiminy Christmas… First of all, I was in love with Spinal Tap, in love with the original movie. The fact that it’s coming back, it’s gonna be neat to be a part of this. Because this is history, man.” Elton John and Paul McCartney will also appear.
• Luke Bryan – says his family has a fun, football-related tradition for the kids at Christmas. Quote: “In our hallway, we tape up a bunch of wrapping paper and they kind of run through the wrapping paper like a football team to see all the presents and stuff.”

SHOOTING THE BULL

NEW MOVIES THIS WEEK:
• “Poor Things” (R, Sci-Fi/Romance, limited): When Bella is brought back to life by her unorthodox father/scientist, she is kept sheltered until a debauched lawyer convinces her to join him on a whirlwind getaway. She soon finds herself yearning for equality and liberation. (Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willen Dafoe) Tomatometer: 93%, No Audience Score
• “The Oath” (PG-13, Action/Adventure, limited): 400 A.D., in a forgotten time of Ancient America, a lone Hebraic fugitive must preserve the history of his fallen nation while being hunted by a ruthless tyrant. But rescuing the King’s abused mistress could awaken a warrior’s past. (Billy Zane, Darin Scott, Eugene Brace Rock) No Tomatometer Rating
• Also today: Re-releases of 2003’a “Love Actually” (Tomatometer: 64%) and 1988’s “Die Hard” (Tomatometer: 94%) See, it really IS a Christmas movie!

“GEDDON” INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT:
Is anyone in your house or office playing “Whamageddon”? Or, perhaps more accurately, WAS anyone playing it? Apparently Whamageddon is a game that takes place each holiday season in which players try to avoid hearing ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! from Dec. 1 through Christmas Eve. And what if you DO accidentally hear the festive harmonies of Mssrs. Michael and Ridgeley? The game’s official Wikipedia entry says that if a player hears the song between Dec. 1 and 24 at midnight, they are out of the game and have to post “#Whamageddon” on social media to indicate that they have lost. The exceptions are that players are allowed to listen to remixes and cover versions of the song. LINK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whamageddon
(Oh, OK great. Crazy Frog version – here we come!)
(I’ve been unconsciously playing this game for over 30 years!)
-Insider, Wiki

SCIENTISTS SAY:
➠ Married people tend to live longer, but maybe with an asterisk. A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that married men and women could be at a greater risk of high blood pressure — if their significant other has it too. The results were found to be most apparent among middle-aged and elderly adults, and among couples who mirror each other’s interests, lifestyle choices and habits. (Being married raises your blood pressure? I’ll take “Things I knew, but were afraid to say out loud for $500, Alex!)
➠ “Stress eating”, such as the act of scarfing down a donut as you rush to meet a work deadline will only make your stress worse, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Birmingham found that eating fatty food before or during a stressful event reduces the functioning of your heart AND your brain, and it slows your body’s recovery from stress, too. Not only that, fat consumption negatively affected test participants’ mood both during and after the stress episode. (Mark it down – that’s one MORE thing that donuts can do!)
-NYPost

NEWS OF THE WEIRD:
➢ A North Carolina woman loves Costco so much that she decided to celebrate her birthday there. Madison Stimmel said that she didn’t want to do anything ‘big or fancy’ for her birthday this year, and the idea of having a party at Costco “just popped” into her head. So, she had a small party in the wholesale warehouse’s food court alongside 6 of her family members. And everyone wore matching Costco sweatshirts – as can be seen in a now-viral TikTok video. She and her family ordered 5 hot dogs, one chicken bake, one rotisserie chicken Caesar salad, a whole cheese pizza, and several soda cups — for a grand total of $30.88. While the gang was enjoying their meal, staff members surprised her with a birthday cake – and a song. (Someone should tell her that there are easier ways to get a famous Costco birthday cake – I should know, I buy one there at least once a month!) LINK: https://tinyurl.com/59vf8ya2
➢ A restaurant in Japan is leaving customers a bit slap-happy. Patrons at Shachihoko-ya in Nagoya are offered the opportunity to pay waitresses to slap them in the face. For the reasonable price of 300 Japanese Yen (about $2 USD), Kimono-wearing, stone-faced women slap the eager customer’s cheeks with a palm over and over again — and some even administer backhanded slaps – which sometimes even knock diners out of their seat. Both men and women — locals and tourists alike — enjoy the slaps so much that they thank their assailants for the violent service. Shachihoko-ya opened in 2012 but was in danger of closing when the wacky custom was introduced. From then on, business began to thrive — eventually becoming so popular that more waitresses were needed to meet demand. (They may be the first servers to strike their customers – but they’re definitely not the first that WANTED to!) LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3wpvdz9f
-Fox, NYPost

DID YOU KNOW?
An Australian duo broke a Guinness World Record by going on a pub crawl that took them to 99 different bars over the course of 24 hours. Harry Kooros and Jake Loiterton, both 26, had drinks at 99 Sydney bars to break the record for the most pubs visited in 24 hours. The old record was 78. The pair said they were aiming for 100 pubs, but stopped at 99 due to a counting error. (Hey, after hitting up 99 bars and drinking for entire day – totally understandable!)
-UPI

BS CHRONOMETER 12.08.23

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Hanukkah” begins. Hanukkah, which is the Hebrew word for “dedication,” is a Jewish celebration that lasts 8 days and 8 nights. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where, according to Jewish belief, a miracle occurred that allowed oil to light a menorah for 8 days, when there only was enough oil for one day. As a result, many celebratory foods are fried in oil during the 8 days.
• “Christmas Tree Day”, a good day to put yours up. Some go out and cut down a real tree, tie it to the roof of their car, and bring it home. Others drag a box out of the attic or basement, fluff up the branches of an artificial tree, and stick them into a post. (But at least there’s a much-lower chance of vermin escaping into your home that way…)
• “Brownie Day”, celebrating the chewy chocolate in a pan that you just can’t quit eating. (I always intend to add whipped cream, but it never lasts long enough…)
• “Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day”, created in 2007 by the Koala Wallop online community. The basic premise is to pretend to be someone from the past or future who’s somehow ended up in the present. (No comments about my wardrobe, please…)
• “National Salesperson Day”, honoring those gifted and creative individuals whose big kick in life is persuading others to spend a buck. (We were going to buy lunch for the station sales team, but it seems they’ve already left for the day…)
• “Take It In the Ear Day”, a day to learn how to accept criticism graciously. (What did ya THINK it was about?)
• “Lost & Found Day”, the 12th annual, encouraging us to give one last effort to find whatever it is we have lost. (Our minds?)
• “National Lard Day”, while traditionally viewed as unhealthy, lard can be used to incorporate healthy fats into a nutritional diet. Lard Day showcases how it can be used and how it is considered a better fat option than butter or grease. If you love lard (and don’t have anything better to do), share its benefits on social media, using #nationallardday

SATURDAY-
• “Christmas Card Day”, commemorating the first commercial Christmas card, commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in London, England in 1843, which featured a cheery illustration depicting a family with glasses raised in a Christmas toast. It was widely denounced at the time as promoting drunkenness.
• “Anna’s Day” in Sweden and Finland, when it’s time to start the preparation process of the lutefisk to be consumed on Christmas Eve, as well as a Swedish day celebrating all people named ‘Anna’.
• “Pastry Day”, a fun day created to encourage you to make, and of course eat, your favorite pastries. (Initiated by the ‘Danish’?)
• “International Anti-Corruption Day”, to raise awareness of corruption and the role of the UN Convention Against Corruption in combating and preventing it. (Sounds like a scam to me…)
• “International Shareware Day”. Shareware is software that is shared as “try before you buy”. That includes programs, including Donkey Kong, WinZip, YouTube Downloader, antivirus programs, and Adobe Acrobat. When the trial period for shareware is over, the user either starts paying, or has to stop using the program. (That’s not sharing – that’s lending!)
• “National Llama Day”, to appreciate this fuzzy animal that’s closely related to the alpaca — and can be trained as a therapy animal. Some fun llama facts:
-They can live as long as 30 years.
-Because of their gentle demeanor, they are often favorites at petting zoos. They appear at festivals and weddings, and have even been deployed as therapy animals.
-They make great guards because they charge at coyotes or dogs — and often make high-pitched screams at intruders.
• “World Techno Day”, techno is a kind of electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in Detroit in the late ‘80s. It is a fusion of dance music and the avant-garde, futuristic sounds from the likes of German electro-pop group Kraftwerk. It is regarded as intellectual and cerebral (but not by your parents!).

SUNDAY-
• “Dewey Decimal Day”, honoring Melville Dewey, born this day in 1851 in Adams Center NY. At 21, he invented the “Dewey Decimal Classification System” while working as a student assistant in the Amherst College library. For creating this revolutionary filing system, he’s known as the ‘Father of Modern Librarianship’. (Wow, let’s not overDUE it…)
• “International Human Rights Day”, honoring the UN Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
• “Nobel Prize Awards Day”. The awards were established by the will of Swedish chemist (and dynamite inventor) Alfred Nobel and have been held on this date since 1901. The current value of each award is about US $1 million.
• “National Lager Day”, lager is typically characterized as a light, summer beer. Most is matured or conditioned at a cold temperature, and with a particular yeast, resulting in a “crisp” and “refreshing” taste. The term lager means “storeroom” or “warehouse” in German.
• “Worldwide Candle Lighting Day”, the 21st annual, when we’re encouraged to light candles at 7 pm local time to honor children worldwide who have died at any age from any cause.
• “World Choral Day”, celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in December, when thousands of choirs join in the celebration at concerts, festivals, sing-alongs, and other events.

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1953 [70] Kim Basinger, Athens GA, movie actress (“L.A. Confidential”, “Batman”, “8 Mile”)/married to Alec Baldwin 1993-2002, mother of Ireland Baldwin

1957 [66] Phil Collen, London England, rock guitarist (Def Leppard-‘Pour Some Sugan on Me’, ‘Love Bites’)

1964 [59] Teri Hatcher, Sunnyvale CA, TV actress (“Desperate Housewives” 2004-12), “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman 1993-97”)/movie actress (“Tomorrow Never Dies”)

1973 [50] Corey Taylor, Des Moines IA, rock singer-songwriter (Slipknot-‘Psychosocial’, Stone Sour-‘Through Glass’)

1976 [47] Dominic Monaghan, Berlin Germany, TV actor (“Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan” 2012-16, “Lost” 2004-10)/movie actor (“Wolverine”, “Lord of the Rings” trilogy)

1978 [45] Ian Somerhalder, Covington LA, TV actor (‘Damon Salvatore’ on “The Vampire Diaries” 2009-2017, “Lost” 2004-10)

1982 [41] Nicki Minaj, Saint James Trinidad & Tobago, hip hop artist (‘Anaconda’, ‘Super Freaky Girl’)

1984 [39] Sam Hunt, Cedartown GA, country singer (‘Body Like a Back Road’, ‘House Party’)

SATURDAY- (Dame) Judi Dench (“Shakespeare in Love”) is 89; John Malkovich (“Being John Malkovich”) is 70; Donny Osmond (“Donny and Marie”) is 66; Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”) is 61; Brian Bell (Weezer) is 55; Jakob Dylan (The Wallflowers) is 54; Tré Cool (Green Day) is 51; Jesse Metcalfe (“Desperate Housewives”) is 45; Simon Helberg (“The Big Bang Theory”) is 43

SUNDAY- Susan Dey (“The Partridge Family”) is 71; (Sir) Kenneth Branagh (“Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets”) is 63; Bobby Flay (“Beat Bobby Flay”) is 59; Andrea Canning (“Dateline NBC”) is 51; Meg White (White Stripes) is 49; Raven-Symoné (“The View”) is 38

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1959 [64] For the first time, a movie features ‘Aromarama’, in which smells are piped in through ceiling vents to accompany the onscreen action of “Behind the Great Wall”

2010 [13] Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson divorces “Almost Famous” director Cameron Crowe after 24 years of marriage

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1980 [43] 40-year-old John Lennon is shot and killed outside his apartment in New York City by Mark David Chapman, for whom he had signed an autograph hours earlier

2004 [19] Former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell is shot dead on stage while performing with his band Damageplan in Columbus OH. The gunman kills 3 others before being shot dead by a police officer

2013 [10] Metallica plays a gig inside a dome at the Argentine Antarctic Base Carlini, becoming the only band to perform on all 7 continents

THIS DAY IN SPORTS . . .
1987 [36] Philadelphia Flyer Ron Hextall becomes the first NHL goalie to score a goal

2012 [11] Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel becomes the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy as the NCAA MVP (he later goes on to an NFL career that lasts — about 6 minutes)

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2010 [13] SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft

BULL’S BITS

BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The word “friends” is said in every episode of “Friends”.
✓ Will Ferrell consumed so much sugar while filming “Elf” that he became physically ill. If you remember the spaghetti scene, you can probably understand why.
✓ Maine is the only US state with a single-syllable name.
✓ Slugs have not one, not 2, not 3… but FOUR noses.
✓ Some prehistoric dragonflies had wingspans as big as a hawk’s.
✓ Alexander the Great was buried in a vat of honey.
-TheFactSite, WomansDay

Best of BS . . .
BS REASONS THE GRINCH IS AWESOME:
• He has the most sturdy sled known to man.
• He basically walks around naked and no one seems to even notice.
• Baby Grinch is almost as cute as Baby Yoda.
• He gets Whoville to stop singing that stupid song for at least a few minutes.
• I’ve never seen anyone, anywhere with better facial expressions.
• Unlike many politicians, his heart is actually capable of growing.
• He personifies who we all want to be when showing up to our holiday family gatherings.
• Helps you take down your Christmas decorations.
• He is so full of hate that he should be on X.
• It ain’t easy being green.
• How bad can he be if he loves his dog?
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019

BS THINGS WE LEARNED FROM OUR KIDS:
• A 3-year-old’s voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
• Always look in the oven before you turn it on.
• When you hear the toilet flush and the words ‘uh-oh!’, it’s already too late.
• Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke … lots of it.
• Certain Legos will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year-old.
• Swimming pool filters do not like Jell-O.
• Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
• Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise while driving.
• Super Glue is forever.
-Adapted from Poddys, first published in BS in 2011

BS WEB GOODIE:
He gets it from his dad:  https://tinyurl.com/ycxzhyrt

BS RANDOM JOKE:
If this weekend goes as planned, it will not include any actual plans…

BS PHONE STARTER:
Politics aside, what’s the dumbest thing someone has argued with you about?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  Before the end of the year, the average person will say THIS 56 times. What is it?
Answer:  “Merry Christmas”

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Happiness is an inside job.