Friday, February 28, 2020 – Edition: #6644
The BS Press!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ The Duke of Sussex asked to be addressed simply as ”Harry” as he made his first public appearance since the agreement that he and wife will be stepping back as senior members of the British royal family. The prince returned to the UK from Canada on Wednesday to attend an event for eco-tourism initiative “Travalyst” in Edinburgh, one of his final engagements before officially stepping away from royal life next month. His request comes days after he and his wife Meghan Markle released a statement confirming they wouldn’t be using “Royal” in their branding.
-ContactMusic
★ Ryan Murphy revealed the cast of “American Horror Story” Season 10 on Wednesday. It includes the returns of series alums like Kathy Bates and Evan Peters, along with newcomer Macaulay Culkin. Murphy revealed the cast via a video posted to Instagram, which slowly unveiled each name against the backdrop of waves crashing on a beach. The clip was set to Orville Peck’s ‘Dead of Night’. Take from that what you will in terms of what the theme and title of “AHS’s” tenth season might be.
-TheWrap
★ Laura Prepon has given birth to her second child. The “Orange is the New Black” star took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a picture of her holding her new ”bundle of love.” She hasn’t confirmed the tot’s gender or the name she and husband Ben Foster have chosen. The newborn is the couple’s second child, after two-year-old daughter Ella.
-ContactMusic
★ Chris Pratt has let fans in on a big secret — the title of the third Jurassic World film. The official title was revealed on the first day of filming with both Pratt and director Colin Trevorrow posting a shot of a clapperboard with the name front and center. “Jurassic World: Dominion” is scheduled to hit theaters June 11, 2021.
-MSN
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Norman Reedus, Hailey Bieber, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Tyra Banks, Coyote Peterson
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Leslie Jones, Max Greenfield, Taika Waititi, Chris Coleman (R)
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Charlie Hunnam, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Elbow (R 1/22/20)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Day of Hot Topics
• “The Talk” (CBS): Hilary Duff
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Nik Wallenda, “Toy Guy” Chris Byrne
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Jesse Tyler Ferguson, guest host Sean Hayes
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Rosario Dawson, Xosha Roquemore, Alano Miller, Dustin Lynch
• “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” (FOX): The Superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment do battle in elaborate, long-running rivalries in a weekly two-hour showdown.
SATURDAY-
• “Fire Fight Australia” (FOX): Benefit concert for rescue, recover and rehabilitation assistance in Australia’s fire-affected areas. Performers include: Queen + Adam Lambert, Michael Bublé, 5SOS, Alice Cooper, k.d. lang. Hosted by Olivia Newton-John.
• “Saturday Night Live” (NBC): Host John Mulaney with musical guest David Byrne
• “Dying to Be You” (LIFETIME): Terror strikes when a young woman learns that her pen pal since childhood plans to take over her life.
SUNDAY-
• “Dispatches From Elsewhere” (AMC): Series premiere. Peter is stuck in the everyday routine of his mundane life until the day he meets a group of strangers who all have something in common and together they begin an adventure into a world that has been hidden all around them.
• “Bar Rescue” (Paramount): T-Pain and Jon Taffer travel to historic Old Town Sacramento to resurrect an owner haunted by the ghosts of his past, as well as his failures.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Lady Gaga – Has announced her first solo pop single in nearly three years. ‘Stupid Love’ will be released today. It is probably the song which leaked online recently, after she posted a photo of herself that appeared to show her iPod playing a song with a similar title.
• Bruno Mars – is flattered that BTS chose his song to perform when they crammed into James Corden’s car on Tuesday night’s edition of “Carpool Karaoke.” Mars caught their performance of ‘Drippin’ in Finesse’, and later tweeted “Thanks fellas,” along with a ‘glasses-clinking’ emoji.
• Whitney Houston – While many fans were thrilled to attend opening night of her hologram tour in Sheffield, England, it didn’t go down so well with reviewers. Here are some quotes from critics: “As any horror movie fan will tell you, bringing the dead back to life never works out well,” and “The firm behind the show has postponed an Amy Winehouse hologram tour, but it’s probably best to let sleeping stars lie.”
• Celine Dion – says she sings Cher hits during soundcheck before performances. Quote: “When I’m trying to get myself comfortable on stage, I like to make people laugh and just laugh myself. So, I pick a Cher song, usually ‘Believe’, to sing during that.”
• Amy Winehouse — will be honored on London’s Music Walk of Fame on March 4, followed by a fundraiser for the Amy Winehouse Foundation. Madness will be similarly recognized on Monday.
• Def Leppard – will release “London to Vegas”, a two-DVD/four-CD collection, featuring a 2018 concert from London and a show from the band’s 2019 Las Vegas residency. The package, also available on Blu-ray, comes out April 24.
• Garth Brooks — will receive the Icon Award at this year’s Billboard Music Awards. He will also perform at this year’s show, which will take place on Wednesday, April 29th at MGM Grand Gardens Arena in Las Vegas, and air on NBC.
• Reba McEntire — While sharing her plans for the upcoming year, she asked fans to text her directly. She wrote: “This is going to be an action-packed year. We’ve got so many wonderful things going on, and I want you to be a part of it.” She then gave her number (615-436-8697) and told fans that she is “looking forward to hearing from you!!!”
• Luke Combs – is now a vegan, thanks to a football bet. At the beginning of the year, during the Panthers/Falcons game, he bet his keyboard player, Neil Tankersley, that if the Panthers won, then Tankersley, who is bald, would have to grow enough hair to form a pap pap ring on his scalp for three months, and if the Panthers lost, Combs would have to go on a 90-day vegan diet.
TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “The Invisible Man” (R-Rated, Horror): When Cecilia’s abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see. (Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge)
• “Lost in America” (Documentary–limited release): Following director Rotimi Rainwater, a former homeless youth, as he travels the country to shine a light on the epidemic of youth homelessness in America. (Rosario Dawson, Halle Berry, Tiffany Haddish, Jon Bon Jovi)
• “Wendy” (PG-13, Action/Drama–limited release): Lost on a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued, Wendy must fight to save her family, her freedom, and the joyous spirit of youth from the deadly peril of growing up. (Yashua Mack, Devin France)
28 DAYS HATH FEBRUARY:
But why? Why do all the other months have 30 or 31 days, and February has 28 — 29 in a good year? In the 8th century BC, they used the Calendar of Romulus, a 10-month calendar that kicked the year off in March and ended in December. January and February didn’t even exist. The problem? At that point, the year was only 304 days long. Winter was a nameless, monthless period that no one bothered to count. In 713 BC, King Numa Pompilius decided there needed to be a name for the period of time in winter, so he split the calendar into 12 lunar cycles—about 355 days—and introduced January and February. They were added to the end of the calendar, making February the last month of the year. The Romans believed even numbers were unlucky, so Numa tried to make each month contain an odd number of days. But to reach the quota of 355, one month had to have an even number of days. February ended up pulling the short stick, probably because it was the last month. After a few more adjustments over the years, we eventually arrived at a 365-day calendar, but February stayed at 28 days (29 in leap years).
(Probably because nobody wanted it to last any longer.)
(But when you think about it, ALL the months have 28 days!)
-MentalFloss, first published in BS in 2018
NEWS OF THE WEIRD:
➢ A group of students craving Chick-fil-A bought a $98-airplane ticket just to secure the grub, but they never boarded a flight. Vincent Putrino, a senior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, hatched the plan when his team wanted to feast on the fried fowl for a team lunch. Unfortunately, the only nearby Chick-fil-A restaurant is located at the Albany, NY Airport – on the other side of airport security. Team members chipped in to buy Putrino a one-way ticket to Fort Lauderdale. The ticket cost $98, but it allowed him to sail through security and pick up his buddies’ order (15 sandwiches, 15 large fries, 13 orders of 13-piece nuggets, a bag of cookies and a lemonade). Putrino then slickly left the airport to serve lunch to his grateful teammates. (And once again, the airport meal costs as much as the flight…!)
➢ A woman in Pittsburgh has become the first documented case in a living person of an unusual medical condition which causes one to urinate alcohol. The condition, which researchers propose to call either ‘bladder fermentation syndrome’ or ‘urinary auto-brewery syndrome’, was found in a 61-year-old woman who sought treatment for liver damage and poorly-controlled diabetes. Although doctors initially suspected her problems stemmed from alcohol addiction, tests determined that she suffers from a condition where alcohol naturally brews in the bladder from the fermentation of yeast. (I’ve definitely turned beer into pee, but I’ve never heard of someone turning pee into beer!)
-NYPost, ScienceAlert
DID YOU KNOW?
Amazon has opened its first cashier-less supermarket, where shoppers can grab groceries and walk out without waiting in line or ever opening their wallets. At the new store, called “Amazon Go Grocery”, which opened Tuesday in Amazon’s hometown of Seattle, shoppers scan a smartphone app to enter the store. Cameras and sensors track what’s taken off shelves, and items are charged to their Amazon account after leaving.
-CTV
BS CHRONOMETER 02.28.20
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1940 [80] Mario Andretti, Montona Italy, retired race-car driver (1969 Indianapolis 500, 1978 Formula One World Champion)
1944 [76] Kelly Bishop, Colorado Springs CO, TV actress (‘Emily Gilmore’ on “The Gilmore Girls” 2000-07, “Gilmore Girls: A Year In the Life” 2016)/movie actress (“Dirty Dancing”)
1955 [65] Gilbert Gottfried, Brooklyn NY, whiny-voiced comedian/voice actor (voice of ‘Iago’ in Disney’s “Aladdin”/voice of the “Aflac Duck” 2000-11)
1957 [63] John Turturro, Brooklyn NY, movie actor (“Transformers” films, “The Taking of Pelham 123”)
1969 [51] Pat Monahan, Erie PA, pop-rock singer (Train-‘Hey, Soul Sister’, ‘Drops Of Jupiter’)
1973 [47] Eric Lindros, London ON, retired pro hockey player (Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars), Hockey Hall of Fame, 2016
1976 [44] Ali Larter, Cherry Hill NJ, movie actress (“Resident Evil” films, “Final Destination” films)/TV actress (“Heroes” 2006-10)
1977 [43] Jason Aldean, Macon GA, country singer (‘Burnin’ it Down’, ‘Dirt Road Anthem’)
SATURDAY- (‘Leapers’): motivational speaker Tony Robbins is 60 (or 15); Antonio Sabato Jr. (“The Bold & The Beautiful”) is 48 (or 12); Ja Rule [Jeffrey Atkins] (f/Ashanti-‘Mesmerize’) is 44 (or 11); Mark Foster (Foster the People) is 36 (or 9)
SUNDAY- Harry Belafonte (‘The Banana Boat Song [Day-O]’) is 93; Roger Daltrey (The Who) is 76; Ron Howard (“Happy Days”) is 66; George Eads (“CSI”) is 53; Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”) is 51; Ryan Peake (Nickelback) is 47; Lupita Nyong’o (“Black Panther”) is 37; Kesha (‘Tik Tok’) is 33; Justin Bieber (‘Yummy’) is 26
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Tooth Fairy Day”, honoring the devious dental donor who leaves money under kids’ pillows for lost teeth. No one knows the origin for sure but there was a fairytale in 18th-century France about a ‘tooth mouse’ who hid under pillows. A 2018 poll showed that parents….err…the Tooth Fairy leaves an average of $4.13 per tooth under the pillow. The current average rate for a “first tooth” is $5.70.
• “International Floral Design Day”, focusing on the art of flower arranging, both as a profession and as a hobby.
• “Rare Disease Day”, established in 2008 as an annual observance to raise awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment. A disease is defined as ‘rare’ in Europe when it affects less than 1-in-2000; and in the USA if it affects fewer than 200,000 in total.
• “International STAND UP to Bullying Day”, a semi-annual event that takes place in both February and November. The November event coincides with Anti-Bullying Week. Those participating in the day sign and wear pink “pledge shirts” to take a public stand against bullying.
SATURDAY-
• “Leap Year Day”, the calendar correction that occurs every 4 years. A few facts …
– In Leap Years (aka ‘bissextile’ years), a day is added to bring our Gregorian calendar more into accord with Earth’s orbital period … roughly 365.2422 days.
– On the Chinese calendar, this day only occurs in years of the ‘dragon’, ‘rat’ (as is this year), or ‘monkey’.
– Years that are divisible by 100 but not by 400, do NOT contain a leap day. So 1900, no; 2000, yes.
– In Greece, it is considered unlucky to marry on Leap Day.
– The ‘Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies’ is an association with several goals, including having Leap Day printed on calendars like holidays are.
– Every year in which Summer Olympics are held is coincidentally also a Leap Year.
(***see more “Whack Leap Year Facts” below***)
• “International Repetitive Strain Injuries Awareness Day”, now commemorated internationally on February 29th, the only non-repetitive day on the calendar (February 28th in non-leap years). While it takes a worker an average 47 days to recover from a broken bone, a worker suffering from an ‘RSI’, such as tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome, takes an average 52 days or 71 days, respectively.
• “International Underlings Day”, recognizing the insignificant peons that surround us. So buy your co-host a coffee.
SUNDAY-
• “Horse Protection Day”, to raise awareness about the abuse, neglect, homelessness, and slaughter of horses and to promote adoption events to help unwanted horses find a home.
• “Pig Day”, honoring the “most intelligent and useful of domesticated animals”. Studies show pigs are much smarter than horses (… but harder to ride).
• “Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day”, ah, but is one day enough? BS FAST FACT: The slang term for peanut butter during World War II was “monkey butter”. (***a good day to have phone contestants try a tongue twister with a mouthful of smooth or crunchy***)
• “Plan a Solo Vacation Day”, to inspire singles to spice up their lives by checking out solo travel options. What’s the biggest thing that would dissuade you from traveling on your own?
• “Chalandamarz” in Switzerland, when they drive away Winter by ringing bells and cracking whips. (***Let’s try that and see if it works! [SFX]***).
• “Refired, Not Retired Day”, a day for those who’ve left the workforce to reinvigorate themselves with new interests and goals.
• “World Compliment Day”, billed as the most positive day of the year. There is an art to it, though. A true compliment must be genuine, or the receiver will see through it. Just as importantly, the receiver must accept the compliment with a heartfelt “Thank-you!”
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1983 [37] Final TV episode of “M*A*S*H” airs; a record 125 million watch in the US (still the most-watched TV series episode in history)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1998 [22] Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’, from the movie ‘Titanic’, goes to #1 in the US, joining the soundtrack and the movie at #1 on their respective charts
2016 [04] At the Oscars, Lady Gaga performs ‘Til It Happens To You’ joined by a group of sexual assault survivors, but the “Best Song” Oscar goes to Sam Smith’s ‘Writing’s On the Wall’
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2013 [07] In North Carolina, a neuro-scientist at Duke University announces he has successfully connected the brains of 2 rats in such a way that they can share information
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK LEAP YEAR FACTS:
✓ A person born on a Leap Day is called a “29er”, a “leapling” or a “leaper”. The odds of being born on February 29th are 1-in-1,461.
✓ Leap Day has often been celebrated as “Bachelors’ Day” or “Sadie Hawkins Day”, traditionally when girls can ask a guy out. The tradition of women proposing to men on this day dates back to 5th-Century Ireland.
✓ The official name for a non-Leap Year is a “Common Year”.
✓ The Henriksen family from Norway set the Guinness World Record for the most children born on February 29 in the same family, with children born on Feb 29, 1960, 1964 and 1968. Americans The Estes tied the record with Leapers born in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
✓ If we didn’t have Leap Year, our calendar would become so out-of-line, it would need a major adjustment like in 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII declared October 5th to be October 15th and 10 entire days instantly disappeared!
✓ Leap Day effects us in many ways: inmates serve an extra day in jail, but it’s unlikely your bank will give you an extra day’s interest. And this may make you want to take the day off: Unless you get paid by the hour or per day, in the grand scheme of things, you’re working for free today.
– ListsOPlenty.com, CBC
Best of BS . . .
BS REASONS IT’S GOOD TO BE A ‘LEAPER’:
(There are about 4 million people worldwide who were born on February 29th. Some of the advantages they share …)
• Your house isn’t all cluttered up with thoughtful birthday gifts.
• You can still pay children’s price at the movies.
• Lack of birthday cake has kept you relatively thin.
• Dumb people think you’re supernatural.
• How many other people get a car on their 4th birthday?
• Between your birthday and Groundhog Day, February’s a non-stop party!
– First published in BS 2012.
BS FAILED CIRCUS ACTS:
• World’s tallest dwarf
• Man-bun lady
• Three-ring binder
• Non-creepy clowns (couldn’t find any)
• Synchronized fidget spinning
• My world-famous check book balancing act
• Electrified hi-wire
• The carny kissing booth
• Russian roulette
• My 2015 family reunion
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019
BS WEB GOODIE:
Life goals: https://tinyurl.com/v8kwd7v
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Why have a Leap Day when instead, we could just sleep in for an extra hour six times per year?
BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s the strangest food item you’ve snuck into a movie theater?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Women say they go through about three of THESE a year, but guys generally stick with the one they have. What is it?
Answer: Pillows
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Look before you leap, for as you sow, you are likely to reap.
