Tuesday, February 18, 2025 – Edition: #7896
The BS Press!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ 24-year-old Netflix star Kim Sae-ron died by suicide, according to multiple news outlets. Korean National Police told reporters: “We believe she made an extreme choice and plan to handle it as a suicide.” Kim was found dead in her home in Seongsu-dong, a neighborhood in eastern Seoul, South Korea, just before 5pm on Sunday. Kim made her acting debut at age 9 playing an orphan in the 2009 drama “A Brand New Life”, which earned her international acclaim. She was also known for her roles in “The Man from Nowhere”, “The Neighbor”, and most recently, Netflix’s action series “Bloodhounds”.
-People
★ Sacha Baron Cohen is still a supporter of Isla Fisher, despite their split. Over the weekend, the actress shared a sultry snapshot from her recent shoot for UK newspaper The Sunday Times, in which she lay on a bed, surrounded by mirrors. She wrote “Happy Valentine’s Day” alongside the pic, which featured Fisher sporting a pink off-the-shoulder minidress and red lipstick. Cohen wrote in the comments: “Stunning photoshoot”, to which Fisher replied: “Thank you,” alongside a smiling face emoji. The pair announced last April that they had filed for divorce after 13 years of marriage.
-People
★ Kate Winslet will make her directorial debut with “Goodbye June,” a family drama that is being produced for Netflix. Along with directing and producing the film, Winslet will also star in it, alongside Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall and Helen Mirren. The movie is set in present-day England and revolves around a “fractured group of siblings (who) pull together under sudden and trying circumstances”, according to the synopsis. The movie will go into production on location in the UK later this year.
-Variety
★ Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award-winner Sharon Stone is in negotiations to join the cast of the HBO series “Euphoria” for Season 3. The 8-episode third season of Euphoria will feature a time jump that takes the characters out of high school. It is set to premiere in 2026, 4 years after the show’s Season 2 run. The ensemble cast of returning talent includes Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Eric Dane, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Maude Apatow, and Colman Domingo.
-Deadline
★ Mindy Kaling will be honored with the 2,800th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today. At 24, Kaling joined the writing staff at NBC’s “The Office”. During her 8 seasons at the show, she wrote 23 episodes while starring in a main role, and was nominated for an Emmy. She is also creator, star, and executive producer of “The Mindy Project”, and in 2020, Kaling released the critically acclaimed series “Never Have I Ever” for Netflix. On hand to speak at the ceremony will be her “Office” co-star B.J. Novak.
WalkofFame
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): Zoe Saldaña, Patrick Schwarzenegger, JOHNNYSWIM and Tobe Nwigwe (R)
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Joe Manganiello, Charli D’Amelio, Busta Rhymes (R)
• “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): George Clooney, Alan Ritchson
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Sebastian Stan, Auli’i Cravalho (R)
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Danny Pudi, Jessie Ennis, Ashly Burch
• “The Daily Show” (COM): TBA
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Will Packer
• “Today” (NBC): Halle Berry, Zachary Levi and Patricia Heaton, Lizzy Caplan, Justin Sylvester co-hosts
• “GMA3” (ABC): F. Murray Abraham, Will Packer, Teddy Savage and Rocsi Diaz
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Connie Britton, Victoria Canal
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Christian Slater, Amber Ruffin
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Mekki Leeper, Luke Wilson, Dan Souza and Lisa McManus
• “The Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Tyla
• “St. Denis Medical” (NBC): An emotional support animal is loose in the halls of St. Denis; Alex goes big for Serena’s birthday to mixed results.
• “Will Trent” (ABC): In the midst of a tropical storm, the APD and GBI race to clear the name of an innocent man, uncovering secrets that suggest the killer may be closer than they thought.
• “FBI” (CBS): When the team’s sex trafficking sting operation goes sideways, they race to recover a victim. Followed by new eps of “International” and “Most Wanted”.
• “Kitchen Nightmares” (Fox): Gordon Ramsay offers his support to The Verdict, a restaurant known for serving traditional New Orleans cuisine with a modern and trendy twist.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Drake – He broke Kendrick Lamar’s record for the biggest streaming day for a rapper in 2025. With the Feb. 14 release of Drizzy’s PARTYNEXTDOOR collab album “$ome $exy $ongs 4 U”, he garnered 92.4 million streams across all platforms. That beat Lamar’s record of 92.3 million streams.
• Lizzo – has teased her next era. She went live on Twitch with a brief clip showing her crying while looking into the camera, as a flute played in the background. The crying then turned into laughter, and she stared dead-pan into the lens. The scene ends with a date: February 28.
• Backstreet Boys – have added 3 shows to their upcoming Into the Millennium Las Vegas residency at the Sphere on Aug. 1, 2, and 3. In addition, they announced that on July 11, the day the residency starts, they’ll drop “Millennium 2.0”. That’s a deluxe 25th anniversary edition of “Millennium”, with bonus live songs, demos and B-sides.
• Fountains of Wayne — are reuniting for their first full performances since the death of founding member Adam Schlesinger in 2020. The power pop band — best known for ‘Stacy’s Mom’ – will play Milwaukee’s Summerfest over the July 4 weekend, plus the Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City MD on Sept. 26. Eve 6’s Max Collins will step in on bass for the performances.
• Rick Springfield, John Waite, and Wang Chung – In case you missed it, they announced this summer’s “I Want My ’80s” US tour, in which the artists will share the stage each night. Paul Young and John Cafferty will appear as special guests at select shows. The fun starts May 28 in St. Petersburg FL. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/ms46s9fv
• Sheryl Crow – is selling her Tesla and donating the cash to NPR. That’s in response to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s DOGE campaign to cut federal programs. Crow posted a vid of her happily waving as her Tesla is hauled away, and wrote: “My parents always said… you are who you hang out with. There comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/p8n9k43h
• Kane Brown – is apparently one heck of a “Call of Duty” player. While guesting on CMT’s Instagram, he said: “I don’t think people understand when I say I play video games, just how good I am at playing video games. I’m top 0% in the world in Call of Duty.” He added with a laugh: “I’ve went to tournaments for it and everything. I don’t lose.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/44ej2w3b
• Jon Pardi – Friday, he dropped ‘Love the Lights Out’, the latest single from his upcoming album “Honkytonk Hollywood”, out April 11. His “Honkytonk Hollywood Tour” kicks off on April 25 in Lubbock TX.
• Jelly Roll – has started what he’s calling the “Losers Run Club”, aimed at fans who, like him, want to get fit. He has set a date for his first 5K in May, and has invited fans to join him not only in the race, but as he trains. He’s sharing his diet and exercise routine free of charge in a Facebook group and app. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3rdknjxe
SHOOTING THE BULL
THE NO-JOY WORKDAY:
As you no doubt know from your experiences at the gym or at work, having the right music can really help you get in the zone. But what is the best type of music to boost focus and productivity? According to a new study published in PLOS One, specially composed “work flow” music actually helps people think faster and feel better while completing challenging mental tasks. Other types of background audio, including “deep focus” tracks from a streaming service, current hits or simulated office noise? Not so much. The researchers, from various American Universities, determined that the special “work flow” music maintained a moderately fast tempo with steady beats that didn’t overwhelm the listener. Only the participants listening to this specially designed music showed significant improvements in both mood and task performance. And perhaps surprisingly to some, pop hits, despite their popularity, showed no significant benefits in either mood or performance.
(Possible solution: Get Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter to record an album of “work flow” music!)
(Because you really want to be listening to music that you don’t know and can’t sing along to all day long?)
-StudyFinds
ORANGE JUICE: SQUEEZED OUT?
A recent story in Bloomberg Businessweek detailed how some breakfast staples, such as eggs (recent price spikes notwithstanding…), butter and even cottage cheese – are back. By that, they mean those items have regained popularity with the public after at one point being out of favor. But do you know what breakfast staple might NEVER come back? Orange juice. Consumption in the US is down by more than half since the 1990s. Why? The experts say there are a number of reasons that orange juice may never again be as popular as it once was – among them:
• Nutrition: More consumers have grown leery of how much sugar they are consuming.
• Prices: The cost of both bottles of OJ and frozen concentrate have spiked in the past year. Meanwhile, bottles have also been victims of ‘shrinkflation’, AND potential tariffs on the stuff as retaliatory measures by Mexico and Canada won’t help.
• Storms and diseases: Hurricanes and a disease called “citrus greening” have taken their tolls on many of Florida’s storied orange groves.
The good news is that brands such as Minute Maid and Tropicana are experimenting with new blends (like adding apple or pear) to bring down costs. Whether it will be enough to put orange juice on breakfast tables as often as it once was is another question.
(I’d really only miss it on occasions where a mimosa is called for!)
(I’m OK with this – as long as there’s still bacon!)
-Newser
CHESS NUTS:
Of course, a typical week for an NFL player may involve hours in the gym, intensive sessions going over game video to perfect plays, and practice pretty much every day. But increasingly, pro footballers are working another activity into their regimen that you’d probably never expect: Chess. Yes, you heard that right. Chess. Proponents say the game, which like football, requires total mental “buy-in”, sharpens players’ acuity and split-second decision making — skills that come in handy on the field, too, of course. Players also say that chess helps keep them on their toes (mentally), often forcing them to shift their strategy suddenly. The game has become so popular among NFLers that each year, former and current players face off in a chess tournament called BlitzChamps, where the winner picks a favorite charity to receive the $30,000 in prize money. Last year’s victor was Kansas City Chief Justin Reid.
(I’m guessing that at the Super Bowl, most of the Chiefs forgot about chess, and accidentally played checkers?)
(So…Now I can finally say I spent most of my youth training like an NFL player in the library?)
-CNN
STUFF YOU SHOULDN’T BUY:
People of the BuzzFeed community recently shared the products they believe people should quit buying, because they’re pretty much a big scam. Here are some of the most interesting comments . . .
✗ “A majority of anti-aging skincare products are a crock… Wear an SPF every day — it’ll do more than a lot of the products you’re using.”
✗ “Memory enhancers. Not a shred of evidence they work.”
✗ “My mother bought ‘weight loss socks’ that cost £40. They were just standard grip socks. She also bought a ‘weight loss ring’ for £60…I showed her the same ring on AliExpress for £1.”
✗ “Deodorant should be unigender and non-scented.”
✗ “(Non-prescription) products that promise to make your hair grow faster and detox your liver. Both are absolute bull…and scientifically impossible.”
✗ “Most vitamin supplements are scams and are not regulated by the FDA. Anything can be in them or nothing.”
✗ “Carpet powder to freshen up your carpet before vacuuming.”
✗ “Newer versions of the iPhone. Almost 5 years ago, I bought my current phone, an iPhone 10. It still works just fine.” (Check your battery health, dude!)
(What would you like to add to the list? Timeshares? Fancy soaps? Juicers?)
-BuzzFeed
DID YOU KNOW?
Simply stepping on a scale daily may help you lose weight, even if you’re not actively trying to do so, according to a study. Earlier this decade, researchers at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania examined 294 female college students of varying body fat percentages over a 2-year period. Generally, those who reported weighing themselves at least once a day during the study saw weight loss, along with a reduction in their BMI. The weight loss was “small but still significant, especially keeping in mind that these women were not part of a weight loss program”, according to the lead researcher. (Finally! A weight-loss strategy that doesn’t involve salads or squats. Just anxiety…)
-StudyFinds
BS CHRONOMETER 2.18.25
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day”. Once a year, you get to eat ice cream for breakfast – for a good cause. The occasion is to support and remember those touched by childhood cancer. Today, post a selfie of yourself enjoying ice cream for breakfast to the official Facebook page, with the hashtag #kidsgetcancertoo. New this year, you’re also encouraged to Eat a Bite and Give a Pint by also donating blood to your local Red Cross. LINK: https://www.facebook.com/eaticecreamforbreakfast/
• “Battery Day”, on the birth date of Count Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), the Italian physicist credited with developing the first electric cell in 1800. His vital invention is now used everywhere from smoke alarms to phones to cars, and comes in all shapes, sizes, and power capacities. (But is rarely included when you buy stuff…)
• “Drink Wine Day”, to embrace the positive benefits of wine — such as new friends, reduced risk of heart disease (according to some reports…), and the enhancement of food and life (not to mention contributing to my flawless dance moves…).
• “Thumb Appreciation Day”, devoted to the digit that helps make us human . . . the opposable thumb. Of course, a few other animals can also celebrate, including koalas, opossums, and pandas; as well as chimps, gorillas, and orangutans, which have opposable thumbs . . . on all 4 limbs. (Wow, I’ve got thumb envy!)
• “Crab-Stuffed Flounder Day”. This one-of-kind dish is composed of a stuffing made with crab meat, bread crumbs, butter, and seasonings, all stuffed into the whole flounder or rolled up into the fillets, and baked.
• “Pluto Discovery Day”. Astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh discovered Pluto on February 18, 1930, at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. It was considered one of the 9 planets in the solar system until 2006, when it was demoted to “dwarf-planet” status.
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Tug-of War Day
[Wed] Lashes Day
[Thurs] Clean Out Your Bookcase Day
[Fri] Single Tasking Day
This Week is…CSA Week
This Month is…Self-Check Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1933 [92] Yoko Ono, Tokyo Japan, artist-activist-filmmaker-musician (John Lennon & Yoko Ono-‘Happy Xmas [War is Over]’)/married to John Lennon 1969-80
1947 [78] Dennis DeYoung, Chicago IL, rock singer (‘Desert Moon’, ex-Styx-‘Babe’, Mr. Roboto’)
1950 [75] Cybill Shepherd, Memphis TN, TV actress (“Moonlighting” 1985-89, “Cybill” 1995-98)/movie actress (“The Last Picture Show”)
1954 [71] John Travolta, Englewood NJ, movie actor (“Grease”, “Saturday Night Fever”, “Pulp Fiction”)/TV actor (“Welcome Back, Kotter” 1976-79)
1957 [68] Vanna White, North Myrtle Beach SC, TV “letter turner” (“Wheel of Fortune” since 1982)
1964 [61] Matt Dillon, New Rochelle NY, movie actor (“The Outsiders”, “Crash”, “There’s Something About Mary”)
1965 [60] Dr Dre (Andre Young), Compton CA, rapper (NWA-‘Straight Outta Compton’)/music producer (Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, etc.)/headphone mogul who sold ‘Beats by Dre’ to Apple (current net worth: $500 million)
1968 [57] Molly Ringwald, Roseville CA, movie actress (“The Breakfast Club”, “Sixteen Candles”, Pretty in Pink”)/TV actress (“Riverdale” 2017-23) COMING UP… “Montauk”
1970 [55] Raine Maida, Toronto ON, rock singer-songwriter (Our Lady Peace-‘Innocent’)/married to Chantal Kreviazuk since 1999
1974 [51] Jillian Michaels, Los Angeles CA, personal trainer/TV host (“The Biggest Loser” 2005-14)
1977 [48] Ike Barinholtz, Chicago IL, TV actor (“The Mindy Project” 2012-17)/movie actor (“Suicide Squad”)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1929 [96] The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announces winners of the first “Academy Awards” (‘Best Picture’ goes to the William Wellman WWI drama “Wings”).
1990 [35] The fictional character ‘Hulk’ is killed off in NBC’s TV movie “Death of Incredible Hulk”.
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2006 [19] A week before Carnival, the Rolling Stones play a free concert to an estimated 1.5 million (!!) people at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
2012 [13] ‘Call Me Maybe’, the catchy pop song from “Canadian Idol” alumna Carly Rae Jepsen, goes viral via a YouTube lip dub by Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. The attention helps send the single to #1.
TODAY IN SPORTS . . .
2001 [24] 7-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champ Dale Earnhardt dies at 49 in an accident during the last lap of the Daytona 500.
TODAY’S FIRST. . .
1979 [46] Snow falls in the Sahara Desert of southern Algeria for the first recorded time.
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Sunshine can work as a natural antidepressant.
✓ Eating spicy foods can boost your metabolism and cause your body to burn more fat.
✓ It takes eight and a half minutes for light to get from the sun to earth.
✓ It takes just six minutes for alcohol to affect your brain.
✓ Cleopatra wasn’t Egyptian; she was Greek.
✓ A 2018 study found that two-thirds of millennials sleep nude.
-UberFacts, TheFactSite
Best of BS . . .
BS BAD DATING APP NAMES:
• Your Next Ex
• Leftovers
• Fatal Attraction
• Living With Parents But Looking For Love
• STD (Spare Time Dating)
• Who’s Your Daddy
• Cheatr
• Any Port in a Storm
• It’s All Relative
• Gold Diggers
• Lowered Expectations
• Plenty of Catfish
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2121
BS PONDERABLES:
• If you did something “like a boss”, you’d probably just pay someone else to do it.
• If you view a bald eagle at the zoo, you are looking at the American symbol of freedom in captivity.
• The only time “incorrectly” isn’t spelled incorrectly is when it’s spelled incorrectly.
• What if our use of emojis becomes so extensive that we actually circle back to writing in hieroglyphics?
• When you say the word “crisp”, it moves from the back of your mouth to the front as you say it.
• If you have a PhD, every meeting you go to becomes a doctor’s appointment.
• We say “hair” when referring to lots of it, but we say “hairs” when referring to a few.
• How far back in history do you have to go before it’s considered archaeology rather than grave robbing?
• When a pregnant woman swims, she is a human submarine.
• The person who proof-read Hitler’s speeches was literally a grammar Nazi.
-SunnySkyz, first published in BS in 2019
BS WEB GOODIE:
It’s true: https://tinyurl.com/26fz4dc6
BS RANDOM JOKE:
At work, they’ve been treating me like one of the family, and I’ve put up with it for as long as I can.
☎ BS PHONE STARTER:
What do you think is the greatest invention of all time?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Typically, the younger you are the more you do THIS. What is it?
Answer: Smile
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities.
