Tuesday, February 8, 2022 – Edition: #7163
We’ve Got Our Sheet Together!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Kylie Jenner welcomed her second baby with Travis Scott on Feb. 2, she announced on Instagram Sunday. She shared the news with a black-and-white photo of the infant’s hand. She also revealed the newborn arrived one day after her daughter Stormi’s 4th birthday, with the caption, “2/2/22” alongside a ‘blue heart’ emoji. A rep for Jenner confirmed that she had a boy. Scott reacted to her post with a series of heart emojis.
-Yahoo
★ A man broke into “L.A. Ink” star Kat Von D’s on-the-market home late Saturday night as she and her 3-year-old son slept. Police found a man wandering around the home, who told them he was buying it, and needed to use the restroom. The man, who hopped the fence to gain access to the grounds, was booked for burglary. Von D’s home is rather famous, after being featured in the 2003 movie “Cheaper by the Dozen.” The 12,000-square-foot property, which includes a blood-red swimming pool, was recently listed for $15 million.
-MSN
★ Just when you thought Zendaya and Tom Holland couldn’t be any cuter, the couple has proven yet again that they are serious relationship goals. The “Spider-Man: No Way Home” stars are taking their romance to the next level by moving in together. They’re settling down in South West London, 4 miles away from the British actor’s hometown. Their new $4.1 million, 6-bedroom house is also located near the homes of other stars like Angelina Jolie, Mick Jagger, and “Venom” star Tom Hardy.
-Yahoo
★ A Vancouver-based video game company has hit the top of the Apple and Google download charts with a new mobile game based on the TV show “The Office”. Even though the show has been off the air for nearly 10 years, it still has a large fan following and regularly tops streaming charts as people re-watch the show’s 9 seasons. The game, titled “The Office: Somehow We Manage”, has players working at the fictional workplace Dunder Mifflin, interacting with characters and reliving iconic moments from the series.
-MSN
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Channing Tatum, David Oyelowo
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Ingrid Andress & Sam Hunt (R)
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Eva Longoria, J.B. Smoove, Anitta featuring Saweetie (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Chrishell Stause, Margaret Josephs
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Wendi McLendon-Covey, guest co-host Alyssa Farah
• “The Talk” (CBS): Ludacris
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Wendi McLendon-Covey, Eric Adjepong
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Josh Gad, Benson Boone, Colin Cloud
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Kristen Bell, Quinta Brunson
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Sam Richardson
• “Jeopardy! National College Championship” (ABC): Quarterfinals #1. Undergrads from 36 colleges and universities participate in 2 weeks of competition; each winner nets a grand prize of $100,000.
• “Super Bowl Greatest Commercials: All-Time Classics” (CBS): Boomer Esiason and Daniela Ruah host a countdown of the best Super Bowl commercials; behind the scenes of one of the biggest commercials of the 2022 Super Bowl; Kevin Frazier reports on the new spots for this year’s event.
• “2022 Winter Olympics” (NBC, CBC): Men’s and Women’s snowboarding, women’s slalom, and medals are awarded in luge and the men’s freestyle skiing big air event.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Lizzo — posted an empowering message on IG Saturday, soundtracked by what seems to be a new song. The video clip, which shows the singer naked and giving the camera an intense stare, while strategically covering parts of her body with her arms, while singing the words: “If you love me, you love all of me. Or none of me at all.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/bdf8fspm
• Taylor Swift – Even though she doesn’t have a single entry in the top 10 on this week’s Billboard albums chart, she still dominates it, with 8 different albums in the Billboard 200. In 2021, she occupied 9 spaces at once, the most among any solo artist that was still alive at the time of the chart ranking.
• The Band – Guitarist and main songwriter Robbie Robertson has joined the catalog-sale party and unloaded his music publishing, recorded interests and name and likeness rights to Iconoclast for a reported $25 million. It includes Robertson’s entire 6-decade career, including solo work, movie soundtracks and iconic Band songs like ‘The Weight’ and ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’.
• The Cure – are working on a new album. Robert Smith tweeted: “We will be performing songs from a new album when we next play…or we won’t be playing at all! And I really want to play…so that means…my desire to release a new album is overwhelming!” The band is scheduled to tour Europe beginning in October.
• Chris Stapleton – says that when he recorded ‘Easy On Me’ with Adele last year, his daughter got a serious perk. Quote: “I did stick her on the phone with my daughter…I said, ’Here, talk to Adele real quick. I got a little bit of dad points there, I think.” He said Adele couldn’t have been nicer to his little girl.
• Walker Hayes – is probably celebrating with a Bourbon Street steak and an Oreo Shake, because his recently released “Country Stuff The Album” has not only hit #2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, it currently sits at #9 on Billboard’s Hot 200 (all-genres) albums chart.
• Tim McGraw — has made it clear that fans will not hear his “1883” character ‘James Dutton’ sing. However, McGraw told Kelly Clarkson that he did write a lullaby for a recent episode where ‘Wade’ (James Landry Hebert) sang to his cattle. Quote: “That was my contribution to music on this show”.
SHOOTING THE BULL
ZOOMING OUT:
Let’s face it — spending hour-after-hour on monotonous video calls is a frustratingly tedious way to spend a large part of your workday. And after 2 years of Zoom meetings, it seems, by now, a number of workers have come up with ways of gaming the system. According to a recent survey by XLMedia, here are some of the more popular coping mechanisms for having to be on video calls:
• Two-thirds admitted setting their laptop camera at an angle to make them look more domineering.
• 56% try to make themselves look busier than they are by regularly leaving Zoom calls to attend another work meeting that doesn’t actually exist.
• About 54% said they regularly say something in Zoom meetings just to look more involved.
• Almost 25% have joined Zoom calls while on an exercise bike to appear disciplined, healthy and dynamic.
• 82% try to make a good impression by wearing formal office attire on the upper body, while dressing casually below the waist.
• One in 3 have tried to appear more committed by claiming to be ill while on Zoom – even though they were perfectly fine.
(In my experience, EVERYONE looks sort-of sick on Zoom. And I don’t mean ‘sick’ in a good way!)
(If nothing else, at least I hope we’ve given you some good ideas…)
(And I thought I was gaming the system just by putting books in the background to make me look smart…)
-Forbes
TO EACH THEIR OWN:
A number of mainstream companies seem to be ‘getting their games on’ by offering up sexy, new merchandise aimed at the “furry” subculture — just in time for Valentine’s Day. Furries are an anthropomorphic community whose members sometimes dress up as animals at conventions, or who have a special “fursona” with whom they connect. At least 250,000 Americans identify as “furries,” and no doubt some are thrilled that Build-A-Bear — which has been selling stuffed teddies for children since 1997 – is selling a raunchy range of “After Dark” bears for adults. A promo for the collection says: “Who said stuffed animals were just for kids?” One Teddy bear in the collection wears a Hugh Hefner-style silk robe, and is pictured lying on a shag carpet next to a red rose and 2 glasses of Champagne, as if it were about to seduce someone. BarkBox, which usually sells dog products, has gone a step further, creating “Bark After Dark,” a range of “unintentionally spicy” dog toys, including a stuffed dog toy named “Murray The Furry” — a human-like character who likes to dress up as a squirrel and is clad in a thong. A description of the $15 toy on the company’s website says: “Murray celebrates dogs who have always known there are a lot of ways to play. As long as no one gets hurt, they don’t judge, and neither do we. Play on, you dirty dogs.”
(Man! Was my face RED when she said: “I asked for a Furby, not a Furry”!)
(Uh, maybe just stick with flowers and chocolates, honey…)
-NYPost
MAY I HAVE ANOTHER WORDLE?
The internet’s obsession with the 5-letter word game has spawned a number of spin-off games. Last week, one of the top trending topics on Twitter was “Taylordle”, a variation of Wordle in which the solution is a nod to Taylor Swift. Song title ‘Exile’, album title “Lover” and the names of current and former romantic partners “Harry” and “Alwyn” were all correct answers. A similar puzzle based on 5-letter names and words from the “Lord of the Rings” series also exists, named, of course, “Lordle of the Rings”. A few others . . .
➢ Dordle: Where you must solve for two 5-letter words simultaneously instead of one. Players get 7 guesses instead 6, but each guess of 5 letters counts for both words.
➢ Absurdle: Following the same format as Wordle, Absurdle keeps a record of 2,315 possible 5-letter words. Players must essentially trap the game’s AI into only having one of the 2,315 options left.
➢ Hello Wordl: This one allows players to select how many letters, from 4 to 11, they would like to appear in the solution. You can play the word of the day selected by the game, or play multiple rounds with a randomized word as the solution.
➢ Mathler: Yup, it’s a mathematical version of Wordle. Mathler gives you the solution to the puzzle, then asks you to work backwards to solve using algebra.
(Math? Because I didn’t already hate Wordle enough?)
-CTV
THE BEST FOODS TO SNACK ON IF YOU’RE HUNGRY BEFORE BEDTIME:
Snacking before sleep isn’t really recommended, but sometimes it’s necessary. Here’s what to grab, according to nutritionists . . .
⇒ Walnuts: You should aim to eat foods that give you the most nutritional bang for your buck without being high maintenance, so these are a good choice. A ton of nutrients and heart-healthy fats.
⇒ Banana: They contain potassium, which is a natural muscle relaxant, which should help you sleep. They also contain tryptophan, which improves mood and assists in a good sleep. (Besides, that banana will probably go bad by morning…)
⇒ Chocolate-covered nuts: NOW you’re talking! You’re probably looking for something sweet, so try nuts covered in dark chocolate. It satisfies hunger, thanks to the blood-stabilizing protein and healthy fat from the nuts. Just be aware that chocolate contains caffeine.
⇒ Greek yogurt with almonds and berries: It’s great because it has a balance of protein, carbs and fat. This combo before bed helps keep blood sugar balanced and keeps you from waking due to low glucose.
⇒ Rice cake with peanut butter: The PB has protein and fat, and rice cakes have carbs. As mentioned above, that trio is great for keeping blood sugar balanced throughout the night. (But they’re probably talking about that fake “real” peanut butter, aren’t they?)
⇒ Dried shiitake mushrooms: They are one of the best sources of plant-based vitamin D, which is integral to a good night’s rest. Maybe you don’t have these lying around the house, but you can either buy mushroom jerky(!), or sauté the mushrooms ahead of time and keep them in the fridge to reheat. (OK, we’ve just officially jumped the shark!)
(Somehow, this team of nutritional experts has totally overlooked the leftover half-pizza that’s been sitting in the box on the counter and calling my name since dinnertime…)
-HuffPost
DID YOU KNOW?
A robot has successfully performed the first abdominal surgery – without a human guiding it. The laparoscopic (or “keyhole”) procedure, performed on a pig at Johns Hopkins University, is a major step towards fully autonomous operations on patients. During surgery, the robot, called “STAR” (Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot) reconnected 2 ends of an intestine. Researchers says STAR actually performed better than real surgeons, who tend to deviate more from the ideal cut line — causing more tissue damage.
-StudyFinds
BS CHRONOMETER 02.08.22
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Laugh & Get Rich Day”, in recognition of laughter’s power to add to the bottom line. It’s claimed that people who laugh are more effective and tend to remember things better.
• “Opera Day”, for those who like listening to every word of a story being sung. (Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings.) A few facts…
– The first ‘modern’ opera was written in 1597.
– The longest opera ever written was Wagner’s “The Ring Cycle,” a grueling 15½ hours.
– For all the attention and publicity that it gets, only 3% of us have ever attended an opera.
• “Propose Day”, the second day in the Valentine week from February 7-14. In India on this day, large numbers of young people give roses to girlfriends, boyfriends, relatives, or friends.
• “Safer Internet Day”, the 18th annual, with the theme this year: “Together for a better internet”. Help make the internet a safer and better place for all, especially children, by taking measures to prevent online dangers such as bullying and identity theft. LINK: https://www.saferinternetday.org/
• “Boy Scout Day”, celebrating the birthday of Scouting in America. On February 8, 1910, Chicago publisher William Dickson Boyce filed papers in the District of Columbia to create the Boy Scouts of America.
• “National Kite Flying Day”, why Kite Flying Day is held in the middle of winter, we have no idea. BS FACTOID: Kites were first used by the military in ancient China over 3,000 years ago.
• “Extraterrestrial Culture Day”, “to celebrate and honor all past, present and future extraterrestrial visitors in ways to enhance relationships among all citizens of the cosmos, known and unknown.”
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Chocolate Day
[Wed] Toothache Day
[Thurs] Flannel Day
[Thurs] Umbrella Day
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1932 [90] John Williams, Long Island NY, composer-conductor (wrote the theme music for the “Star Wars” movies, “Superman”, “Indiana Jones” and “Jaws”)/25-time Grammy winner. [BS FACTOID: He has never seen a Star Wars movie for which he composed the music]
1941 [81] Nick Nolte, Omaha NE, movie actor (“The Prince of Tides”, “Warrior”)
1943 [79] Creed Bratton [born William Schneider], Los Angeles CA, TV actor (“The Office” 2005-2013)/pop guitarist (The Grass Roots-‘Midnight Confessions’)
1953 [69] Mary Steenburgen, Newport AR, movie actress (“Step Brothers”, “Elf”)/TV actress (“Last Man on Earth” 2015-18)/married to Ted Danson since 1995
1955 [67] John Grisham, Jonesboro AR, lawyer-turned-novelist (“Rogue Lawyer”, “The Firm”) [BS FACTOID: Movies made from his books include “The Pelican Brief” (1993), “A Time to Kill” (1996), “Runaway Jury” (2003), and “Christmas With the Kranks” (2004)]
1961 [61] Vince Neil [Wharton], Hollywood CA, rock singer (Mötley Crüe-‘Smokin’ in the Boys Room’, ‘Home Sweet Home’)
1969 [53] Keith Nelson, Pittsburgh PA, rock guitarist (Buckcherry-‘Sorry’, ‘Lit Up’)
1974 [48] Seth Green, Philadelphia PA, movie actor (“Austin Powers” movies, “The Italian Job”/TV voice actor (‘Chris Griffin’ on “Family Guy” since 1999)
1977 [45] Dave ‘Phoenix’ Farrell, Plymouth MA, rock bassist (Linkin Park-‘The Catalyst’, ‘Shadow of the Day’)
1984 [38] Cecily Strong, Springfield IL, TV actress (“Saturday Night Live” since 2012)/movie actress (“Ghostbusters”)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2007 [15] 39-year-old wannabe actress, model, and million-heir Anna Nicole Smith is found dead in a room of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida
2012 [10] Elizabeth Taylor’s collection of artwork by Vincent Van Gogh, Camille Pissarro, and Edgar Degas sells at auction for over $20 million
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2009 [13] Chris Brown is questioned by police in Los Angeles after assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna. The two were scheduled to perform together at the Grammys that night.
2015 [07] Sam Smith wins both “Song” and “Record of the Year” for ‘Stay With Me’ at the 57th Grammy Awards, plus the Grammy for ‘Best New Artist’.
TODAY IN SPORTS . . .
1986 [36] 5′ 7″ (1.7m) Spud Webb of Atlanta Hawks wins NBA Slam Dunk Competition
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2004 [18] OutKast becomes the first hip-hop act to win a Grammy for “Album of the Year” (“Speakerboxxx/The Love Below”)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Earth orbits the sun at a speed of about 1,000 (1,600 km) miles per minute.
✓ No high jumper has ever been able to stay off the ground for more than one second.
✓ 200 million roses will be sold in the U.S. on Valentine’s Day.
✓ The first telephone answering machine was 3 feet (92cm) tall.
✓ The ‘tuatara’, a lizard native to New Zealand, has a third eye on the top of its head.
✓ In Switzerland, it is illegal to pee standing up in an apartment building after 10pm, so others aren’t disturbed by unnecessary “tinkling”.
-ThoughtCatalogue, BathroomReadersInstitute
Best of BS . . .
BS BAD TAILGATING ACTIVITIES:
• Grilling and eating whatever animal is your team’s mascot
• Flaming lawn darts
• Alcoholics Anonymous meeting
• Quietly reading a romance novel
• Beekeeping
• Blacking out before the burgers are done
• Shooting at propane tanks to get pumped
• Tailgating. Literally.
• Keg-stands. Trust me on that.
• Dieting
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019
BS SIGNS YOU’RE GETTING OLD:
• You refer to one of your legs as “My good leg”.
• You need to calculate your age in your head, because you’re not sure how old you are anymore.
• You start 8-12 sentences a day with the words “These damned millennials…”
• That crap your dad always said starts to make sense.
• They keep remaking your movies.
• Urban Dictionary is your homepage.
• The hot guys all call you “ma’am”.
• Ibuprofen has become a food group.
• Your biggest enemy? Gravity.
• When you fall down at a party, rather than laugh like they used to, people panic & run to help you.
• 50 shades of grey is your hair, not your sex life.
(***See ‘BS Phone Starter’, below***)
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ Monday is Valentine’s Day. (Flowers die. Instead, I got my lady something that won’t go away, even if you want it to: Boris Johnson)
➠ Only 4% of women think flowers are the best present for Valentine’s Day. (That number jumps to 100% if they’re delivered by a shirtless Gosling.)
➠ There’s a pub in Britain that is home to 15 cats, all of which were born inside the building. (So, great news for everyone who enjoys simultaneously being totally drunk and completely ignored…)
➠ A survey says that 60% of us pee in the shower. (Not me. I’m terrible at multitasking…)
➠ A study says nearly 35% of people plan to sext someone on Valentine’s Day. (For her sake, I hope ‘that someone’ has unlimited texting!)
BS WEB GOODIE:
Sweet revenge: https://tinyurl.com/2mmnfc53
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I’m fairly certain that the guy who decided to put the first ‘R’ in February was also the guy who decided how to spell ‘Wednesday’.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What is a clear sign you’ve noticed of getting older?
(***See ‘BS Signs You’re Getting Old’, above***)
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 10% of football fans have done THIS in the past few weeks to get ready for the big game. What is it?
Answer: Bought a new team jersey
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
If you think success is determined by talent, it becomes something you can’t change. If you look at it as a product of hard work, then you control the outcome.