Tuesday, December 6, 2022 – Edition: #7373

Good Morning, Sheetheads!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
(***UPDATE***) ★ Kirstie Alley, known for her role in the sitcom “Cheers,” has died after a recent diagnosis of cancer, her family said in a statement Monday. She was 71. The statement says: “She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead. As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother.” Alley played bar manager ‘Rebecca Howe’ in Cheers. She also played a memorable role as ‘Saavik’ in “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan,” and starred alongside John Travolta in “Look Who’s Talking,” among other roles.
-NBC
★ A new trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s documentary dropped yesterday, and it’s clear the couple isn’t holding back in taking some serious shots at the royal family. The latest preview for Netflix’s Harry & Meghan” shows more of the drama that’ll be unveiled starting this week, including Harry’s calling out the “hierarchy of the family” — claiming people inside his camp leaked stories about him and Meghan. Meanwhile, the Duchess claims everything changed after she married into the family, with one person talking about “a war against Meghan” — while another claims the drama was rooted in hatred and racism. Harry even talks about not wanting “history to repeat itself,” while flashes of paparazzi swarm their car — before showing shots of Princess Diana dealing with the same thing. Part one of “Harry & Meghan drops tomorrow, and part 2 comes a week later. LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rlVhiXlcHU
-TMZ
★ Kelly Clarkson says a strange man is showing up to her house, trespassing on her property and leaving her unwanted gifts, and has asked the police to get involved. Reportedly, over the past month, the same man’s been popping up at Clarkson’s LA-area home, going up to her porch and dropping things off for her. A source says he has been leaving behind cards, plants and other random items — even though she says she has never met him and has no idea who he is. Clarkson’s security was concerned enough to call police and file a report, and now LAPD Threat Management is investigating. Cops see the man’s alleged behavior as very troubling — they don’t know yet if it’s a fan who means no harm, or a situation that could escalate into something far worse.
-TMZ
★ Al Strobel, best-known for his role as ‘Phillip Gerard’, the one-armed man on “Twin Peaks,” died Friday in Eugene OR at age 83. Twin Peaks producer Sabrina Sutherland released a statement on behalf of his family saying: “He is an irreplaceable human being and will always be an important part of our Twin Peaks family.” Strobel, who lost his left arm in a car accident at the age of 17, was a mainstay on the show, playing Gerard, a man who removed one of his arms to prevent a sinister being from possessing his body. He provided one of the show’s most memorable moments, performing a haunting poem intoning the words “fire walk with me.”
-Variety
★ Olivia Wilde has left her worries behind. Shortly after splitting with boyfriend Harry Styles, the “Don’t Worry Darling” director jetted off to a tropical location for some much-needed fun in the sun. She shared a bikini pic of herself laughing in a hammock with friend Babs Burchfield on Instagram. The “Tron: Legacy” star captioned her post, her first in nearly 2 months, with the word, “Best.” On her Instagram Stories, Wilde also posted a photo of herself posing in a swimsuit, with her arms above her head, on a rocky beach as the rays nearly shadow her out completely. She captioned the snap, “Mahalo” which is a term used in Hawaii to express gratitude.
-E!

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Janelle Monáe, Sadie Sink, Rita Wilson, Smokey Robinson
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Emma Thompson, Guillermo del Toro, Ashley McBryde, John Osborne
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): “The Late Show Presents: Red, White, & Greenland! Stephen Cold-Bear Is Lost In Space Force”
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Chris Hayes, Charlotte Nicdao
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Noah Centineo, Max Thieriot, Syncopated Ladies
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Casey Wilson, Danielle Schneider
• The View” (ABC/CTV): Sally Field
• “The Talk”(CBS): Jeannie Mai Jenkins
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Sebastian Maniscalco, Janelle James, guest co-host Josh Groban
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Regina Hall, Taye Diggs, Melissa DeSousa
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Adam Sandler, the Twins that Cook
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Billy Porter, Haley Lu Richardson
• “Sherri” (Check local listings): Lee Daniels, Jordan E. Cooper, Casey Wilson, Danielle Schneider, Mike E. Winfield
• “FIFA World Cup 2022” (Fox, TSN): Round of 16: Morocco vs Spain; Portugal vs Switzerland
• “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” (ABC): Celeb players Sasheer Zamata, Jack Black and Kal Penn
• “The Voice” (NBC): The top 4 are revealed as safe, while the bottom 4 compete in the instant save.
• “People’s Choice Awards” (E!): Awards include The Music Icon for Shania Twain, The People’s Champion for Lizzo and The People’s Icon for Ryan Reynolds. Kenan Thompson hosts.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• The Weeknd — shared a teaser video on Twitter, revealing he has new music coming soon, in conjunction with the new “Avatar” movie. In the 12-second clip, a chorus sings as a visual of a watery, blue “A” appears. He later retweeted the official account for “Avatar: The Way of Water” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/ypvjrmf6
• SZA – announced during her appearance on “SNL” that her sophomore album “S.O.S.” will drop this Friday. She also debuted ‘Blind’, a song from the new album, and performed her recent hit single ‘Shirt’, which will also appear on S.O.S.
• Madonna – Her “Moonman” – the MTV Video Music Award she won for her 1986 hit ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ is on the auction block with an estimated price tag of $60K. RR Auctions is also selling a Nirvana signed “In Utero” CD booklet (estimated to go for 12K), and Tom Hanks’ military uniform from1994’s “Forrest Gump”. The auction ends tomorrow. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/h2mpfpum
• Journey – guitarist Neal Schon performed with special guest Teddy Swims, who is nearing 1 billion streams of his own version of ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’, at the annual tree-lighting ceremony in San Francisco. They were accompanied by the San Francisco Philharmonic Orchestra as they kicked off the holidays with a special concert. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2d694v9s
• The Tragically Hip – an exhibition of artwork inspired by late frontman Gord Downie’s lyrics is now on display in Toronto. “Echoes of the Flame: Art Inspired by the Lyrics of the Tragically Hip” features paintings based on songs including ‘Bobcaygeon’ and ‘Ahead by a Century’ at Gallery 1313 until Dec. 10. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/4a229uzk
• Guns N’ Roses – is suing a company that runs the online gun store “Texas Guns and Roses”. In a lawsuit filed in LA, lawyers for the band claim corporation that runs the store was leading consumers to believe the business had something to do with the rock band.
• Blake Shelton – has an idea of who should be his replacement on “The Voice”. Friday, he tweeted: “Y’all know that next spring The Voice season 23 will be my last. So I’d like to throw @NealMcCoy’s hat in the ring…Can I get an amen?!!!!” That sparked a landslide of replies from fans who agree, including from McCoy himself, who retweeted Shelton’s post, with the words: “How cool is this?”
• Jason Aldean – His life and career are profiled in a new episode of “Behind the Music” on Paramount+. The hour-long episode, out now, chronicles Aldean’s rise to fame and the struggles he encountered along the way. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mtbpv7vy
• Dolly Parton — has revealed more details about her upcoming rock album, which she decided to make after being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She told Jimmy Fallon that the record will be called “Rock Star”, and will include covers of songs by Prince, The Rolling Stones and Lynyrd Skynyrd, among others. Journey’s Steve Perry will guest on the album.

SHOOTING THE BULL

WALKING BACKWARD WALKING:
Everyone knows that walking is good for you. You know what’s REALLY good for you? Walking backward. I’m not kidding. In fact, a study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine said that reverse walking and/or running makes for good cardio exercise, and those who did so showed improvement in weight loss goals as well as body composition. Inspired by that 2005 study, nutritionist Juhi Kapoor took to Instagram to further share that walking backward helps make the legs stronger and uses muscles that haven’t been used before. According to her, people who have knee pain or an injury can do reverse walking for rehabilitation as its impact on the knee is very low. She also cites other benefits of reverse walking, including strengthening leg muscles, reducing back pain and helping sciatica. To get started, she says to aim for 15 minutes of backward walking per day, while wearing proper shoes, in an area where there are no rugs or furniture around. And if you are doing it outdoors, be very aware of any people, animals, and other possible obstacles nearby, to keep yourself safe.
(Yes, be especially aware of other people – to keep yourself safe from ridicule!)
(I tried it, but it reminded me WAAAY to much of my career…!)
LINK: https://www.instagram.com/p/Clf58i-jAea/
-TheConversation, IndianExpress

PLENTY OF FIBS:
NEWS FLASH! Some people are less than truthful on their dating profiles! Once you’re over the shock of hearing this, I’ll continue…Nearly half of singles who use dating apps have lied about something on their profile, according to a new survey. 2,000 single Americans were polled, and 47% indicated that they have, at some point, intentionally stretched the truth or misrepresented themselves while swiping. You may or may not be surprised to hear this, but lying on dating profiles was found to be slightly more common among male respondents than females (51% vs. 44%). What did people most often lie ABOUT? 61% said they were inaccurate about their current hairstyle. Their career came in second (55%). Twenty-five per cent said they lied about their height.
(I’m very disappointed in these peoples’ creativity. Like, can’t they come up with some better lies than their hairstyle or their job?)
(Darn right people lie on their dating profiles! I’ve seen about 15 different profile pics where the person is holding same dog!)
-Talker

NEW DEVELOPMENTS:
⇒ A smart bandage that makes a serious wound heal 25% faster has been developed by scientists at Stanford. They say the battery-free and flexible device monitors wounds and delivers treatment at the same time. It could help diabetics with painful leg or foot ulcers that last for months, as well as other patients with chronic injuries. The state-of-the-art dressing repairs tissue by combining electrical stimulation and biosensors. It boosts skin closure by fueling blood flow to the site, dramatically reducing scar formation. Circuitry uses temperature detectors to identify problems, such as an infection, and apply more electrical stimulation if required. The electronic layer is just 100 microns thick – about the thickness of a human hair. (All that science, and it probably still hurts like heck when you remove it…!)
⇒ Scientists say they have finally developed a urinal that will drastically reduce “pee splashblack”. The team, from the University of Waterloo in the UK, says that due to the tall, narrow design that’s met with a curving inner surface, the “splashback-free urinal” prevents any droplets from ricocheting off, no matter where you aim. The design was inspired by observing how dogs pee, and the fact that they instinctively know how to raise their hind legs, resulting in no mess. Researchers found that the critical angle that results in the tiniest splash is about 30°. (So, this is the type of work they do . . . at the University of “WATERLOO”??)
-StudyFinds, LADBible

EVERYDAY PHRASES WITH SURPRISINGLY DARK ORIGINS:
• “Meet a deadline”:  A deadline was an actual line drawn on Civil War prisons. If a prisoner escaped and crossed that line, he would be killed. (That warden would fit right in around here…!)
• “Pulling my leg”:  This phrase goes back to Victorian London, when it wasn’t used to refer to when someone is trying to fool us, but to the then fairly-common practice by robbers of dragging a person by the leg to get their hands on one’s possessions.
• “Diehard”:  This term dates back to the 1700s. Then, it wasn’t used to describe a huge fan of something. It was used to refer to those who struggled the longest when hanged. (But was it a Christmas hanging?)
• “Bite the bullet”: Soldiers in the battlefield sometimes had to undergo emergency procedures without anesthesia or alcohol to numb the pain. So, they’d have to literally “bite a bullet”.
• “Taken aback”:  Comes from the idea of attacking someone from behind. The element of surprise can make an effective way to conduct an attack.
• “Running amok”:  comes from the Amuco, a band of Javanese and Malay warriors who would go on killing sprees for unknown reasons. It is believed there was some mental condition afflicting them.
• “God bless you”:  Its origins can be traced back to the plague. It was used to express a desire for your soul to remain in your body, because the Black Death could take it.
-MSN

DID YOU KNOW?
Girl Guides of Canada is changing the name of its “Brownies” program – to either “Comets” or Embers” The national organization is asking its members to vote on new name options for its program for 7 and 8-year-olds because the current name has caused harm to racialized Girl Guides. Girl Guides says that some Black Canadians, Indigenous residents and people of colour have chosen to skip the program or delay joining the organization because of the name.
-CTV

BS CHRONOMETER 12.06.22

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women” (in Canada), also known as “White Ribbon Day”, observed since 1991 to mark the anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre, in which a student murdered 14 women and injured 14 others in the name of “fighting feminism”. Today, Canadians are encouraged to observe a minute of silence and to wear a white ribbon as a commitment to end violence against women. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mrx2kved
• “Gazpacho Day”, in celebration of the spicy but cold Spanish soup. To look like a real rube, order some in a restaurant, then blow on it to cool it down.
• “Miners Day”, saluting the ‘men of the deeps’ who toil away daily underground. (You know what they say: “A lot of people worry about being buried alive, but really it’s a miner problem…”)
• “Put on Your Own Shoes Day”, This is it, boys and girls. Time to prove you’re a big kid now. (Tomorrow, we work on putting on MATCHING shoes…)
• “St Nicholas Day”, commemorating the 4th-century bishop who died December 6, 342 AD, and from whom the traditions of “Santa Claus” and exchanging gifts were derived. No wonder he’s the patron saint of both children and merchants! Many European kids awaken today to find candy and oranges in their shoes, or if they’ve been bad … a piece of coal.
• “Pawnbrokers Day”, celebrated on “St. Nicholas Day”, the saint who, among other things, is the patron saint of pawnbrokers. (Buuut…shouldn’t St. Nicholas Day be Dec. 25?)
• “Microwave Oven Day”, Percy Spencer discovered microwave cooking in 1945 when he came too close to a magnetron tube — and a chocolate bar in his pocket began to melt. (Fun Fact: The first commercially available microwave oven, in 1947, was called the ‘Radarange’)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Special Kids Day
[Wed] International Civil Aviation Day
[Thurs] Brownie Day
[Fri] Christmas Card Day
This Week Is…Influenza Week
This Month Is…Farm to Food Bank Month

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1955 [67] Steven Wright, Cambridge MA, comedian (known for his lethargic voice and slow, deadpan delivery of one-liners)/movie actor (“Desperately Seeking Susan”, “The Emoji Movie” [voice])
Some of his classic lines:
• “It’s a small world, but I wouldn’t want to paint it.”
• “I’ve written several children’s books…not on purpose.”
• “7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.”
• “A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I’m afraid of widths.”
• “I intend to live forever – so far, so good.”
• “I spilled spot remover on my dog and now he’s gone.”
• “A friend of mine has a trophy wife, but apparently, it wasn’t first place.”
• “I had amnesia once…or twice.”

1956 [66] Peter Buck, Oakland CA, rock guitarist (R.E.M.-‘Losing My Religion’, ‘Everybody Hurts’)

1957 [65] Andrew Cuomo, New York NY, American politician (Governor of New York 2011-21)/son of former NY governor Mario Cuomo/brother of former CNN host Chris Cuomo

1962 [60] Janine Turner (Gauntt), Lincoln NB TV actress (‘Maggie’ in “Northern Exposure” 1990-95)/movie actress (“Cliffhanger”)

1967 [55] Judd Apatow, Syosset NY, movie producer (“Bridesmaids”, “Pineapple Express”)/movie director (“Knocked Up”, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”)/married to Leslie Mann

1996 [26] Stefanie Scott, Chicago IL, movie actress (‘Quinn’ in “Insidious: Chapter 3”)/pop singer (‘Girl I Used to Know’)

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2005 [17] Director Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain”, starring Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal, premieres in New York City (wins 3 Academy Awards)

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1988 [34] Roy Orbison, while in the midst of a career resurgence, thanks to his part in supergroup Traveling Wilburys, dies from a heart attack at 52

2021 [01] Drake, a long-time critic of the Grammy Awards, turns down his 2 nominations, joining The Weeknd in boycotting the awards

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1877 [145] The first-ever recording is made of a human voice: Thomas Edison reciting ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’

2003 [19] Army becomes the first team in NCAA major college football history to finish its season 0-13, by losing to Navy 34-6

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
2013 [09] The Fender Stratocaster played by Bob Dylan when he “went electric” at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival is sold at auction for a record $965,000 (It had been in the possession of a NJ family for 48 years after Dylan left it on a private plane)

2017 [05] Starbucks opens its largest cafe in the world, in Shanghai: 30,000 square-feet, half the size of a football field

BULL’S BITS

BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The word “barbarian” originally referred to people who don’t speak Greek. The Greeks thought people who spoke a foreign tongue sounded like they were saying “bar bar bar” all the time.
✓ It takes 345 squirts from a cow’s udder to get a gallon (4.5 liters) of milk.
✓ Police are sometimes called “the fuzz” because London cops once wore fuzzy helmets.
✓ Cats have 5 toes on the front paws — but only 4 on the back paws.
✓ If you lose your pinkie finger, you lose 50% of your hand strength.
✓ Hell, Michigan froze over in 2004, 2014, 2019 and 2021.
-BathroomReadersInstitute, TheFactSite

Best of BS . . .
BS COMPLAINTS FROM NORTH POLE ELVES:
• Not allowed to join in reindeer games.
• Always being compared to Buddy.
• Low shelf-esteem.
• Climate change is melting my work station.
• How are we supposed to make these kids an iPhone without being sued?
• Nothing to eat but cookies and reindeer jerky.
• Keebler Elves have a better benefit package.
• The polar bears ate Sugarplum Mary.
• South Pole elves never have to do squat.
• “I can’t handle one more Christmas Carol, and it’s only Dec. 6!”
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019

TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ A report says that people who post inspirational quotes on Facebook are less intelligent. (By the way, I have a name for people like that. They’re called: ‘Blocked’!)
➠ A study found that social media can hurt a student’s chance to be accepted into some colleges.  (Unless the school offers a degree in “duckface.”)
➠ Lawmakers are considering allowing police to conduct roadside drug and marijuana tests. (In related news, Woody Harrelson just downloaded Uber…)
➠ Antidepressant use among pets is on the rise. Vets say that pets need meds when they start acting distant, lazy, or disobedient. (Which begs the question: How do you know when a cat needs meds?)
➠ Jay-Z turned 53 over the weekend (…which means now his 100th problem is always having to get up in the middle of the night to go pee!)

BS WEB GOODIE:
Opposite of ‘poker-face’:   https://tinyurl.com/3uhnrn6b

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Do you ever get halfway through eating a horse, then think: “You know, I’m not as hungry as I thought I was”?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  A survey found that women who are unsure what to get their husband or partner for Christmas will probably just buy THIS. What is it?
Answer:  A wallet

BS PHONE STARTER:
What movie, show, or video always makes you laugh — no matter how often you watch it?

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Miracles happen to those who believe in them.