Monday, January 4, 2021 – Edition: #6880
The Bull is Back!
BS SUBSCRIBER NOTE:
Happy New Year! All Bull Sheet subscribers have received account credits for missed service days over the holiday season. We’re all set to go with another great year of BS!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Legendary talk show host Larry King has been hospitalized with COVID-19 for more than a week, according to multiple reports, prompting worry over his condition, given his age and history of health problems. The 87-year-old suffered a stroke and had an angioplasty in 2019. In 2017, he revealed that he had received treatment for lung cancer. King also had a major heart attack in 1987, for which he underwent quintuple-bypass surgery. Southern California, where King lives, has become a coronavirus hot spot.
-Forbes, Variety
★ James Corden is opening up about his struggles with weight loss and encouraging others to join him on his “year of health” journey. He has announced that he’ll be embarking on a health and weight-loss quest as a new partner with WW (formerly Weight Watchers) because he is “fed up” with repeatedly going on diets that never work. In a clip announcing his partnership with WW, he said: “I’ve realized that every year for the past decade — probably even 15 years — on January 1, I’ve told myself and anyone that would listen that this is it, this is the year, I’m going on a diet, I’m going to lose a load of weight.”
-Yahoo
★ Mike Fenton, the casting director behind some of Hollywood’s most beloved films including the “Back to the Future” movies, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” and “The Godfather Part II,” has died at age 85. Fenton racked up an impressive resume casting movie and TV projects for more than 50 years, became a frequent collaborator with filmmakers including Steven Spielberg, and co-founded the Casting Society of America in 1982.
-Yahoo
★ How do you write “The Yankee Clipper” in Cyrillic? It turns out Russians are almost as fascinated with legendary baseball player Joe DiMaggio as Americans. The 2017 book “Dinner with DiMaggio” by renowned foot specialist Dr. Rock Positano and his brother John is being published in Russian and will hit Moscow bookshelves this month. Apparently, stories about Joltin’ Joe’s stormy marriage to Marilyn Monroe and his friendship with Frank Sinatra that didn’t make the U.S. cut will be included in the Russian edition.
-PageSix
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt James, Machine Gun Kelly
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Gordon Ramsay, Vanessa Kirby, Sturgill Simpson
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Stacey Abrams, RuPaul, Maren Morris
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Amy Poehler, Burna Boy, Chris Coleman
• ” The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Rosario Dawson, Ingrid Andress
• “Conan” (TBS): Ricky Gervais (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Ashling Lorger, Eddie Lucas
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Day of Hot Topics
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Matt James, Lisa Edelstein, Dr. William Li
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Justin Bieber, Russell Dickerson (R)
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Taylor Kinney, Sherri Shepherd, Glennon Doyle, Craig Robinson
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Nikki Glaser, Julie Glaser
• “The Bachelor” (ABC): Season 25 premiere
• “The Hustler” (ABC): Season 1 premiere. A Puzzle, Wrapped in an Enigma, Tattooed in Mystery
• “L.A.’s Finest” (FOX): Season 1 finale
• “Antiques Roadshow” (PBS): Season 25 premiere
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Ashanti – started the new year with some good news: she’s tested negative for COVID-19, three weeks after revealing she’d tested positive. On Jan 1st, she posted: “Starting off the new year amazing and covid free!”
• Demi Lovato – started the year by leading a meditation session. As part of YouTube’s Hello 2021: Americas series, she helped spread the word about how to practice mindfulness “to start turning the page from this totally unprecedented chapter and to help us all move forward into 2021 with a clear heart.”
• Avril Lavigne – has been working with Machine Gun Kelly. She shared some pics of her and the rapper on Instagram, and teased: “So are we ready for new music in the new year or what? Lemme know.”
• Celine Dion – A UK man who is a huge fan of hers had a few too many while watching one of her performances on TV and drunkenly changed his name to – you guessed it – Celine Dion. He forgot about his online application until an envelope arrived at his house, confirming the switch. Quote: “I am slightly obsessed with her, I’m not going to lie.”
• Def Leppard – has announced Jan. 13 as the “unlocking” date of the “Def Leppard Vault” — an online collection of the band’s artifacts and related stories, curated and told by bandmembers. It will serve as a constantly curated museum, where fans can see the band’s history from 1977 to the present.
• KISS – has confirmed that their “Kiss 2020 Goodbye” show on New Year’s Eve in Dubai set two world records, with verification pending on a third. The band set records for the highest flame projection in a music concert (73 metres) and the most flame projections launched simultaneously in a concert. They are also expected to set the mark for highest-grossing pay-per-view rock concert.
• Brad Paisley – quietly helped out a musician affected by the Christmas bombing in Nashville. Buck McCoy, a guitarist who lost his home in the bombing said he received a message from Paisley on Insta, and “I was like, this must be some kind of prank…No, it was actually him, and he wanted to talk to me and he said, ‘I want to hook you up with a guitar so you can get back to work and make a living.’”
• Carrie Underwood – has announced that she will release a gospel album of songs she grew up singing in time for Easter. “My Savior,” which she calls a “companion” to her holiday disc, “My Gift,” will drop on April 4.
• Florida Georgia Line – Despite rumors to the contrary, they aren’t breaking up, but Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley have revealed plans for each of them to release solo music this year. Florida Georgia Line will release their fifth studio album “Life Rolls On”, next month, and they say they’re holding some dates open for 2021 in hopes that they’ll be able to return to the road.
SHOOTING THE BULL
POSITIVE RESULT:
Yes, the pandemic has been a challenging time for everyone, but oddly, 2020 may have brought unexpected health benefits for some. While restrictions that kept people locked down in their homes certainly have had a potential effect on people’s mental health, psychologist Dr. Meg Arroll says that many have benefited from the slower pace of life that spending a lot of time at home allows. Some have been liberated from their daily commute, freeing up time to prepare healthy meals. Many have reaped the benefits of catching up on sleep and reconnecting with loved ones, either virtually or those they live with. Maybe you’re eating meals as a family again, or walking or exercising together, or you’ve adopted a pet for comfort and company. Arroll says these activities “heighten our sense of connectedness, which benefits not just health and wellbeing but also longevity.”
(Plus, the benefits of never having to wear socks CANNOT be overstated…)
(Yes, I’m eating as a family these days. The problem is that I live alone!)
(Great! …until we kill each other…)
-Yahoo
SWIPING RIGHT:
While there may still be some social stigma associated with meeting a partner online, a new study says couple who meet through dating apps are just as happy as those who first met in real life. The study, published in the journal PLOS, actually found that those who meet on sites like Tinder, Bumble, and others often have stronger long-term relationship goals than those who meet in other ways. Research involving over 3,200 people in Switzerland, found that there is “no differences between couples initiated through dating apps and those initiated elsewhere regarding relationship and life satisfaction.” It was also noted that women who met their partners via dating apps had “stronger fertility desires…than those who found their partner offline” and that online introductory services led to more couples with different educational backgrounds finding love, which researchers concluded “may have to do with selection methods that focus mainly on the visual.”
(Now you know, Tinder-users: There are those who are right for you, and those who are left!)
(I know! I met MY wife on Tinder. We both have a lot of explaining to do…)
(What did they say about placing an ad in the paper? Asking for a [girl] friend…)
-NYPost
FROG BULL:
It seems like every year, there’s a new trendy kind of cleanse making the rounds. We’re not so sure this one is going to catch on, but some Silicon Valley executives and others on the West Coast are singing the praises of the Amazonian frog poison “cleanse”. Kambo, a gluey substance secreted on the skin of the Giant Monkey Frog when threatened, is being taken by some for what they say is its curative physical and psychological properties – but it comes at a cost. How is it applied? Treatments begin with a person’s skin being burned and then the venom is applied to the wound. It causes immediate and severe short-term symptoms including projectile vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate and a swollen face. Practitioners say that the intense sensations help create feelings of strength and power. They say it can cure anything from migraines to anxiety and can succeed when more traditional medicines or therapy are ineffective. How much? About $150 per session. Oh, one more thing: Hospitalizations and even deaths have been reported among those who have received the treatment, a problem partly blamed on a lack of trained professionals able to administer kambo.
(The only time I’d ever pay $150 for side effects like that is on New Year’s eve!)
(But other than that…it’s highly recommended…)
-NYPost
2021 IN REVIEW – THE EARLY EDITION:
Here is what we can look forward to this year, according to British psychic Jemima Packington, who makes her predictions by throwing asparagus across a room and observing the patterns formed when they land…earning her the nickname “Mystic Veg”:
➢ The pandemic will begin to pass by June and the world’s population will become kinder as a result.
➢ The royal family will experience “at least two” divorces and Harry will return to the UK in March. The Queen will “make an important announcement in June”, perhaps handing power to Charles.
➢ Donald Trump will be “disowned by GOP members because of his appalling handling of the US domestic situation, will not stand for a further term as President, and his future is uncertain.”
➢ “Big salaries for sports stars and the obsession with celebrities will become things of the past. The era of semi-professional sportsmen will re-emerge along with a focus on real heroes.”
➢ ‘Gus’ will become a popular baby name in 2021. (That one might just have come to her because she was throwing asparaGUS around…)
-Mirror
DID YOU KNOW?
An Iowa meteorologist is advising people to refrain from munching on icicles this winter – claiming they’re full of feces. She posted her poopy PSA on TikTok, where it currently boasts over 2.4 million views. In the clip, Sioux Falls weatherwoman Katie Nickolaou says: “When icicles form, it’s from water that melts off your roof and runs down the side of a building. You know what else is on your roof? Bird poop. A lot of it. As she points out, that fecal runoff freezes in the ice “like an excremental slushie”. (Mmmm…poopsicles!) LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y9gxxjqu
BS CHRONOMETER 01.04.21
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1954 [67] Tina Knowles, Galveston TX, fashion designer (Mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles who became known for her House of Dereon and Miss Tina by Tina Knowles fashion brands)
1957 [64] Patty Loveless (Ramey), Pikeville KY, country singer (‘Blame it on Your Heart’, ‘Lonely Too Long’)
1960 [61] Michael Stipe, Decatur GA, rock singer-songwriter (R.E.M.-‘The One I Love’, ‘Losing My Religion’)
1965 [56] Julia Ormond, Epsom UK, movie actress (“My Week with Marilyn”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”)/TV actress (“Mad Men” 2013-15)
1966 [55] Deana Carter, Nashville TN, country singer (‘How Do I Get There’, ‘Strawberry Wine’)
1989 [32] Michelle Mylett, Ladysmith BC, TV actress (‘Katie’ on “Letterkenny” since 2016)
1991 [30] Charles Melton, Juneau AK, TV actor (‘Reggie’ on “Riverdale” since 2017)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “National Weigh-In Day”, losing weight is oftentimes a goal as a new year begins, with many viewing it as an ideal time for starting a new weight-loss plan
• “Spaghetti Day”, celebrating the Italian pasta dish that seemingly everyone loves. Marco Polo brought the recipe for pasta back to Europe with him after his famous trip to China in the 13th century.
• “Trivia Day”, honoring those with ‘doctorates in uselessology’.
BS ‘TRIVIA DAY’ QUIZ, COURTESY OF “TRIVIA CRACK”:
⇒ Who uttered the famous salute “Live Long and Prosper”? (“Star Trek’s” ‘Spock’)
⇒ Who wrote the French romantic novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”? (Victor Hugo)
⇒ What famous phrase is Marie Antoinette known for? (“Let them eat cake”)
⇒ In the sport of bull riding, which hand do you ride with? (Either)
⇒ A group of porcupines is known as what? (A ‘prickle’)
• “World Braille Day”, observed on the anniversary of the 1809 birth of Louis Braille in France. In 1829, he published “Method of Writing Words, Music & Plain Song by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind”. Today, the ‘Braille method’ is used in virtually every language as the standard form of reading and writing by those with vision-loss.
• “World Hypnotism Day”, with the objective of correcting the myths and misconceptions about hypnotism while promoting the truth and benefits of the process that helps many put aside fears, and change what they believed was unchangeable. (Not to mention bark like a dog.)
NET: http://www.worldhypnotismday.com
COMING UP . . .
[Tues] Bird Day
[Tues] Whipped Cream Day
[Wed] Take Down the Christmas Tree Day
[Wed] Cuddle Up Day
This Week Is…Diet Resolution Week
This Month Is…National Braille Literacy Month
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2009 [12] Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant is voted the ‘Greatest Voice in Rock’, followed by Queen’s Freddie Mercury, and Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company
2012 [09] 66-year-old Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry marries 29-year-old Amanda Sheppard, who briefly dated Ferry’s son
2020 [01] Mariah Carey becomes the first artist to top the Hot 100 in four different decades when ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ stays at #1 for a third week
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1863 [158] 4-wheeled roller skates are patented by James Plimpton of NY
1996 [25] The first ‘Live Rock Concert on the Internet’ features Deborah Harry, Joan Jett, Joey Ramone, The Lunachicks
TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1975 [46] Ice thickness is measured at 4776 m, at Wilkes Land, Antarctica
2010 [11] The Burj Khalifa, ‘World’s Tallest Building’ (828 m or 2,717 ft), is officially opened in Dubai UAE
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ 91% people skip the first slice of bread, just because it’s ugly.
✓ A person passes on 278 different types of bacteria to another person when they kiss them.
✓ Your fingernails grow faster when you are cold.
✓ Your feet typically produce a pint of sweat every single day.
✓ People whose names start with ‘A’ have the longest life expectancy.
✓ Your earlobes line up with your nipples.
-WhattheFFacts, KidsActivities
Best of BS . . .
BS ODD CALENDAR THEMES:
• People of Walmart
• Former Trump administration staff
• Nuns having fun
• Pictures of last year’s calendars
• Skin disease of the month
• Mugshots
• Plumber’s cracks
• People who “can’t even”
• “19 Kids and Counting” 19-month calendar
• Doomsday countdown
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
TODAY’S SLICE OF BS:
➠ Starbucks has raised their prices in some regions again by a small fraction. (Which, if you do the math, means a Grande Latte now costs an extra thirty dollars…)
➠ The words ‘swole’, ‘af’ and ‘janky’ are now actual words in the dictionary. (In related news, The Dictionary has changed its name to the Urban Dictionary!)
➠ Ceiling fans sold at Home Depot have been recalled because the blades may spin off. (I was sitting there wondering if I purchased my ceiling fan from Lowes or Home Depot . . . and then it hit me.)
➠ A new viral trend for pet owners is to treat their animals with marijuana, for various afflictions and illnesses. (The only downside? You have to buy them even MORE treats!)
➠ Lori Loughlin has been released from prison. (I just realized: That sentence is equally accurate without the words “released from prison”!)
BS WEB GOODIE:
Duck that: https://tinyurl.com/yc5ez5ex
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I had a tummy tuck this morning. Tucked it right into my high-waisted leggings.
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• Of all the fruits, which has the most calories?
a) Avocado [CORRECT]
b) Banana
c) Grape
d) Cumquat
• If you add together all the numbers on a roulette wheel, what do you get?
a) Zero
b) 666 [CORRECT]
c) 1,234
d) Really dizzy
• What are ‘Block’, ‘Platform’ ‘Wedge’ and ‘Kitten’ examples of?
a) Hair styles
b) Women’s shoe heels [CORRECT]
c) Performing venues
d) Cuts of beef
-TodayIFoundOut
BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s one thing you really want to do in 2021 that you didn’t get to do last year?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: In a survey of those who have made New Year’s resolutions, the #1 reason given for why they might fail is “lack of willpower”. What is #2?
Answer: “Forgetting”
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.
