Monday, January 30, 2023 — Edition #7406

100% Grade A Bull!

 

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Priscilla Presley has contested “the authenticity and validity” of Lisa Marie Presley’s will. She filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court, challenging a “purported 2016 amendment” to the will, which ousted her as a trustee. Docs show Priscilla is asking a judge to determine the validity of the amendment, which named Lisa Marie’s eldest daughter, Riley Keough, and her late son, Benjamin Keough, as co-trustees. The amendment allegedly removed Lisa Marie’s former business manager, Barry Siegel, along with Priscilla from the trust, leaving Riley the sole trustee after her brother died by suicide in 2020. Priscilla alleges that her daughter’s signature “appears inconsistent” with her usual signature, and Lisa Marie’s name was even spelled wrong.
-PageSix
★ “Top Gun: Maverick” won Best Picture at the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, held Saturday at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The Tom Cruise-starring sequel beat out competition for the marquee award that included fellow Oscar nominees “Elvis”, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, “The Fabelmans”, “Women Talking” and “The Woman King”. Elvis‘ Baz Luhrmann won the Best Director award, and Michelle Yeoh and Brendan Fraser won the top actress and actor prize, respectively.
-Deadline
★ Jay Leno had another rough ride last week — literally and figuratively. He told a newspaper that he’s on the mend — again — from a Jan. 17 motorcycle accident in which he suffered several broken bones. To make matters worse, soon after the interview was published, it was revealed that CNBC is canceling “Jay Leno’s Garage” after 7 seasons, ending Leno’s 3-decades-long relationship with NBC.
★ After passing “Avengers: Infinity War” at the global box office on Thursday, “Avatar: The Way of Water” has now passed “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” for the #4 spot on the all-time box office list. After its seventh Friday in theaters, “Avatar 2” had totals of $608 million domestic and just over $2.1 billion worldwide. Its next target is another James Cameron film, “Titanic,” which scored $2.19 billion.
-TheWrap
★ Pamela Anderson will receive $10 million from the Jon Peters’ will. The Hollywood producer and Anderson were married for 12 days in 2020, though he says he’ll “always love Pamela.” The 77-year-old told Variety that even though she is unaware of it, he has stipulated that the millions go to Anderson “whether she needs it or not.” After their relationship ended, Pamela clarified on social media that they were never legally married, adding that were “no hard feelings.”
-E!
★ Amazon Studios has tapped Phoebe Waller-Bridge to write a TV series as part of a potential “Tomb Raider” universe that would span television, film and games. Reportedly, the TV series is in the works from Waller-Bridge, who was a writer on “No Time To Die” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story”. She is also the creator of “Fleabag” and “Killing Eve”.
-Deadline

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Salma Hayek Pinault, Billy Crudup, Justine Skye
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Austin Butler, Rob Gronkowski, Tyler Hubbard
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Christopher Meloni, D’Arcy Carden, Keio Stroud
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Emma Roberts, Paul Walter Hauser, Blake Rose
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Kate Chastain, Katie Glaser
•  “The Daily Show” (COM): Guest host D.L. Hughley
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Day of Hot Topics
• “The Talk”(CBS): Christa Miller, guest co-host Shaina Humphries
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Dave Bautista, Brian Kelly
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Hilary Duff, Benjamin Levy Aguilar, Drake Milligan
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Natasha Lyonne, Lisa Guerrero, Remi Cruz, Dionne Forest
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Gabrielle Union, Sam Jay
• “The Bachelor” (ABC): Zach takes off on a helicopter ride to his hometown for his first one-on-one date.
• “America’s Got Talent: All-Stars” (NBC): Auditions continue as winners, finalists, favorites and viral sensations vie for the chance to win the title of AGT All-Star.
• “TMZ Investigates: Lisa Marie Presley: Unending Tragedy” (Fox): A deep dive with “new info” on her death, and never-before-heard details about the money she left behind and who will inherit the fortune.
• “The Last of Us” (HBO): Joel and Ellie must survive ruthless killers and monsters on a trek across America after an outbreak.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Taylor Swift – Friday, she surprised fans by dropping a vid for her song ‘Lavender Haze’. The video has already been dissected by fans, who believe it is filled with easter eggs which reveal which album she might re-release next. LINK: https://mashable.com/article/taylor-swift-lavender-haze-easter-eggs
• Miley Cyrus – ‘Flowers’ has become the most streamed song in a week in Spotify history for the second week in a row (week of Jan. 26). While Spotify didn’t share specific numbers, the hit first achieved the feat the week of Jan. 19. It also debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Weezer – is one of the acts participating in “A Grammy Tribute to the Beach Boys”, a special that will tape Feb. 8 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, 3 days after the Grammys. Other artists influenced by the Beach Boys who are taking part: Beck, Brandi Carlile, Fall Out Boy, Lady A, John Legend, Charlie Puth, St. Vincent, Hanson and more. No air date has been announced.
• Rick Astley — is suing rapper Yung Gravy for impersonating his voice. Astley alleges that Gravy’s 2022 hit ‘Betty (Get Money)’, which heavily borrowed from the singer’s iconic ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, broke the law by impersonating Astley’s voice, without permission. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/4tvzymkp
• Journey — played the first 2 concerts of its 50th anniversary tour over the weekend in Durant OK, with no apparent drama, despite ongoing litigation between Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain. Many had wondered how the band would go on the road before the preliminary hearing on March 3.
• Luke Combs — Less than a year after releasing ‘Growin’ Up’, he’ll release the companion album “Gettin’ Old” on March 24. He says it’s “about the stage of life I’m in right now.” Friday, he dropped the lead track ‘Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old’. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yj8j2m3z
• Miranda Lambert – Her handwritten and signed lyrics to ‘Bluebird’ are one of the items included in the MusiCares Charity Relief Auction, taking place this Sunday, leading up to the Grammys. More details and the entire list of items at www.JuliensAuctions.com . (MIRANDA LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3wj9473w )
• Jon Pardi — has two new babies on the way. He and his wife Summer are expecting their daughter, Presley, next month, which also happens to be when he’ll be recording his new Christmas album. Although he hasn’t written any new songs for the holiday album, he said he’ll also shy away from recording “any boring ass Christmas songs.” He refers to the project as “Christmas with a drink.”

SHOOTING THE BULL

A.I. STUDY BUDDY:
I could see this being a problem. A powerful new artificial intelligence chatbot tool known as ChatGPT has passed law exams in 4 courses at a university. Since it became available in November, ChatGPT has been used to generate original essays, stories and song lyrics. Users have also had it draft research papers that were able to fool some scientists, and to pass an exam at a prestigious business school. Now, a growing number of educators are expressing concerns about the impact of ChatGPT on students and their ability to cheat on assignments. Some companies are also using the tech, but with varying levels of success. News outlet CNET last week was forced to issue corrections on a number of articles after using a different AI tool to help write stories.
(Well, at least we finally have an explanation for how Kimmy K passed the bar exam!)
(But when you really think about it – if there’s one occupation where humans SHOULD be replaced by machines – it’s lawyers!)
(That’s fine and all – but what I really want is a program that’ll write jokes for me – either that or one that’ll laugh at the ones I come up with!)
-CNN

KIDS’ STUFF:
Next time you go grocery shopping, you might save money in the long run by hiring a babysitter. According to research, 2 in 3 parents agree that shopping with their kids tends to be more expensive than just shopping by themselves – to the tune of $46 each trip. The poll of 2,000 parents in the US found that solo ventures cost an average of $133; shopping with kids costs an average of $179. 44% of parents admitted that they have to bribe their kids to behave while shopping. What are some of the most popular bribes? 18% said they’ve given their children cold hard cash to be on good behavior. Kids were also swayed by candy (37%), snacks (36%) and toys (34%). Some odd things that kids have asked for while shopping include: slime, iPhones, a ferret, pig ear chew toys meant for dogs — and even a taxidermized alligator.
(I’m just thankful my kids aren’t asking for eggs, these days!)
(Uh, I just realized that my wife also bribes ME to be good while shopping…)
-SWNS

NEW GOOD NEWS:
➢ A Tennessee animal shelter reunited a homeless mother with her beloved dog Lilo after she was forced to give up the pet due. In early Jan., Lilo was found wandering the streets of Chattanooga with a handwritten note attached to her collar, reading: “Please love me. My mom can’t keep me and is homeless with 2 kids. She tried her best but can’t get help…She really loves me and I’m a great dog and love to be loved on. Please don’t abuse me.” Lilo was taken to the McKamey Animal Center, where director Lauren Mann says staff “all cried reading the note” and decided to try to reunite the owner with her pet. On social media, Lilo’s owner was asked to contact them so that they could assist with connecting the family with resources to help with their situation. When Lilo and her owner were reunited at the shelter last week, “There was not a dry eye in the room.” The family currently lives at a shelter that does not allow animals, but the animal center staff is working to help them find a new living arrangement which will include Lilo. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/38bvs8ez
➢ Molly Simonson Lee was flying from Charlotte NC to New York when it became clear that the passenger in front of her was not comfortable flying. The frightened woman began to cry, and that’s when she witnessed a touching act of humanity — a flight attendant sat down on the floor next to her and explained he would be there for her every step of the way. She says “He just was so reassuring, so calming, and said, ‘you know what? I got you’. With every little noise, she’d be like, ‘what’s that?’ He’s like, ‘That’s just the jet bridge pulling away’ or whatever the case may be. And that really helped her.” The flight attendant was Floyd Dean-Shannon, and a pic of him holding the woman’s hand went viral on Facebook, with over 12,000 shares. Simonson says: “Just see someone extend their heart in that way to a stranger was just beautiful to me, and I wanted to capture it…And I really hope it leads to good things for him.” So far, so good — Her GoFundMe set up to “show Floyd some love” has raised $3,800 so far. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2p8xe4ac
-DailyCaller, GoodNewsNetwork

LIFE HACKS TO GET YOU THROUGH WINTER:
✓ If your car ends up getting stuck in snow, cat litter provides enough friction to help your tires get moving again. Keep a box in your trunk to save yourself a lot of hassle.
✓ Have lip balm on hand to ease cracked knuckles. The cold weather will make your skin dry and sore, and sometimes not even hand cream is up to the task.
✓ Use a disposable razor to gently shave along the surface of your sweaters to get rid of balled-up bits.
✓ Make your own throat-soothing remedy by mixing some powdered ginger with honey and a squeeze of lemon in a mug of hot water.
✓ Don’t skip the hat because you’re worried about looking tousled when you reach work. Take some dry shampoo with you to battle ‘hat hair’ when you arrive.
✓ Make hot chocolate in your slow cooker. Because who doesn’t want a massive vat of hot chocolate on the go when it’s chilly outside? Slow-cooking gives it a deeper, toasty flavor.
✓ Wash your face with an oil-based cleanser. Fend off the discomfort of dry skin using hydrating skincare products … or make your own using a mixture of olive oil and sugar.
✓ Mix 2 parts vinegar with 1-part water, then spray onto your car’s windshield to prevent it icing over. You’ll save yourself scraping time the next day.
✓ Invest in an electric blanket. Turn it on while you get ready for bed, then prepare for peak snuggling.
✓ Knit yourself some mittens. Gloves might be easier for texting, but mittens are proven to keep your hands warmer. They’re also loads easier to make. (Especially if you have a Grandma!)
(That’s it – I’m moving south!)
-Condensed from Metro

DID YOU KNOW?
Australian researchers are working on new technology that may allow mobile phone batteries to last for nearly a decade – about 3 times longer than they do now. Currently, only about 10% of handheld batteries, including those for phones, are recycled in Australia, because doing so is expensive. The rest go to landfills, which is harmful to the environment. This new innovation by engineers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology may help with this. (I just want a cell phone battery that’ll last past lunch time!)
-StudyFinds

BS CHRONOMETER 01.30.23

BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Croissant Day”, the first step of which is being able to say the French word. It’s not ‘CROY-sent’, it’s ‘cwah-SAHN’. Usually made with sugar, salt, flour, milk, eggs, and butter, croissants originated in Austria.
LINK: http://www.punchbowl.com/holidays/national-croissant-day
• “School Day of Non-violence and Peace”, observed in schools around the world on the anniversary of the 1948 death of Mahatma Gandhi, a purveyor of peace and nonviolence. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/bdfp2yvu
• “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day”, an annual event on the last Monday of January, celebrating the padding we all like to pop. (Would working in a bubble wrap factory be the most distracting job ever?)
• “Inane Voicemail Message Day”, a time to change, shorten, replace, or delete that annoying voicemail message … which you likely recorded on Day One, and then never altered.
• “Yodel for Your Neighbors Day”, yodeling is a singing style that most people associate with Switzerland or being in the mountains. It consists of people going back and forth between octaves very fast to get a unique type of sound. (Does this mean that Mariah Carey is a yodeler?)
• “National Escape Day”, it’s all about taking a well-deserved break from all the hassles and struggles of everyday life (as well as your yodeling neighbors…)

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Tues] Hot Chocolate Day
[Tues] Plan for Vacation Day
[Wed] Change Your Password Day
[Thurs] Groundhog Day
This Week is…Take Back Your Time Week
This Month is…Skating Month

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1930 [90] Gene Hackman, San Bernardino CA, movie actor (“The French Connection”, “The Quick and the Dead”, Unforgiven”)

1937 [86] Vanessa Redgrave, London England, movie actress (“The Butler”, “Mary, Queen of Scots””, Oscar-“Julia”)/stage actress (“As You Like it”, “Driving Miss Daisy”)

1941 [82] Dick Cheney, Lincoln NE, politician (US Vice President under George W. Bush 2001-09, Secretary of Defense 1989-93)

1951 [72] Phil Collins, London England, rock/pop singer/drummer (‘In the Air Tonight’, Genesis-‘Invisible Touch’)/movie actor (“Buster”)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2010, with Genesis/father of Lily Collins

1974 [49] Christian Bale, Haverfordwest Wales, movie actor (“The Dark Knight” trilogy, “American Hustle”, Oscar-“The Fighter”)

1974 [49] Olivia Colman, England, movie actress (Oscar-“The Favourite”, “Murder on the Orient Express” [2017])/TV actress (“The Crown” 2019-20) COMING UP… “Wonka” 2023

1980 [43] Josh Kelley, Augusta GA, pop-country singer (‘Amazing’, ‘Georgia Clay’)/brother of Lady Antebellum singer Charles Kelley/married to Katherine Heigl since 2007

1980 [43] Wilmer Valderrama, Miami FL, TV actor (‘Special Agent Nick Torres’ on “NCIS” since 2016, ‘Fez’ on “That ’70s Show” 1998-2006, “That 90s Show” since 2023) COMING UP… “Murder Mystery 2” 2023

1984 [39] Kid Cudi (Scott Mescudi), Cleveland OH, rapper (‘Day ‘n Nite’, w/Kanye West-‘All Of the Lights’)

1990 [33] Jake Thomas, Knoxville TN, TV actor (“Lizzie McGuire” 2001-04)/movie actor (“A.I. Artificial Intelligence”)

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2010 [13] “Avatar” becomes the first movie to gross over $2 billion worldwide (eventually amasses $2.9 billion)

2015 [08] Record producer Suge Knight is arrested in LA on suspicion of murder, after a hit-and-run (he allegedly had a beef with 2 men on the set of “Straight Outta Compton”, and later ran them down with his truck). In 2018, he is sentenced to 28 years

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1969 [54] The Beatles stage their famous rooftop concert atop Apple Records in London. After performing a few songs, police shut them down as a large crowd gathered. It would be The Beatles’ last public performance

2013 [10] Mick Jagger is named “Most Stylish Rock Star of All-Time” by lifestyle website Complex.com

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1975 [48] Ernő Rubik applies for a patent for his “Magic Cube” invention, later to be known as the “Rubik’s Cube”

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
2011 [12] Over half-a-million people participate in the “World’s Largest Wildlife Survey” after extreme cold drives non-native birds into Britain’s backyards

2017 [06] Scientists in China reveal the oldest known human ancestor, the 540-million-year-old Saccorhytus, in a fossil

BULL’S BITS

BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) allows up to 60 insect fragments per 3.5 ounces of chocolate.
✓ Winston Churchill once designed greeting cards for Hallmark.
✓ It is impossible for anyone to count to one billion out loud.
✓ Earth travels at a speed of about 490,000 miles per hour, which means that in one minute you are over 8,100 miles away from where you were.
✓ Your nose shapes the sound of your voice.
✓ The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds.
-BathroomReadersInstitute, WhattheFFacts

Best of BS . . .
BS MOVIES MY SPOUSE WATCHES WHILE I’M TRYING TO SLEEP:
• “Explosions II”
• “2½ Hours of Babies Crying”
• “Full Throttle Rage: The Screamfest”
• “Explosions III”
• “Loud Sex & Mariachi Music”
• “Sudden Changes in Volume”
• “3½ Hours of Engines Revving”
• “Car Door Slam Party”
• “Feature-Length Pit Bull Concert Video”
-First published in BS in 2016

BS THINGS I DON’T GET ABOUT FOOTBALL:
• Why do the referees dress like they work at Foot Locker?
• Do they wear all that gear to protect themselves, or to hurt others?
• When is the third half?
• Why are there no moms on the sidelines with oranges?
• Why isn’t the ball shaped like a foot?
• How is it that it hasn’t been officially promoted to a religion yet?
• How is it that the coaches can’t hear me yelling the correct play through the TV?
• Having your punter as the lead blocker on a fake punt. I mean…really.
• What is super about the bowl?
• Why is the field measured in yards if it’s called FOOTball?
• What’s the difference between a home run and a hole in one?
• The appeal.
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019

BS WEB GOODIE:
Sorry about the language, but… (sound up, definitely): https://tinyurl.com/5bfw48v5

BS RANDOM JOKE:
Winter is the season when we try to keep the house as hot as it was in the summer, when we complained about the heat.

BS U-PICK TRIVIA (MEDICAL EDITION):
• The word ‘pulmonary’ relates to which part of the human body?
a) Lungs [CORRECT]
b) Heart
c) Skin
d) Toenails

• How many ‘patellas’ does a human adult have?
a) 1
b) 2 [CORRECT, also known as ‘kneecaps’]
c) 3
d) 896

• What is a ‘sphygmomanometer’ used to measure?
a) Oxygen levels
b) Blood pressure [CORRECT]
c) Heart rate
d) Sphygmoms
-BestQuizQuestions

BS PHONE STARTER:
What sound is nearly impossible for you to ignore?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  36% of people claim they’ve never had THIS for breakfast. What is it?
Answer:  Pizza

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.