Friday, January 10, 2020 – Edition: #6609
Bully For You!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Buckingham Palace has released a statement in response to the news of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s decision to “step down as senior members of the royal family”. The statement begins: “Discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage . . . but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.” Meghan and Harry broke the news of their decision via their official Instagram, saying they have chosen to make a “transition” this year in order to carve out a “progressive new role”, and that they “now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America.”
-CTV, HarparsBazaar
★ Director James Cameron pushed the boundaries of science fiction with the wildly successful film, “Avatar”, and it’s now become the inspiration for a radical new concept car from Mercedes-Benz. The “VISION AVTR” features a mix of sustainable materials and flexible body panels, plus an electric drive system that can travel over 400 miles per charge. It also offers passengers immersive virtual and augmented reality games and scenarios based on Avatar’s space adventure. (Just don’t call it an Avacar!)
-NBC
★ Fran Drescher’s 1990s sitcom “The Nanny” is being developed as a Broadway-bound stage musical. Drescher and series co-creator Peter Marc Jacobson will write the book for the show, inspired by Drescher’s own life growing up in Queens, New York, as a Jewish fashionista. The series ran for 146 episodes between 1993 and 1999. Drescher earned 12 Emmy Award nominations over six seasons on the CBS hit.
-TheWrap
★ (***Caution: “F-ing”***) Rob Lowe not only co-stars alongside Liv Tyler in the new Fox drama “9-1-1: Lone Star”, but owes her dad, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, a huge debt of gratitude for a tough time in his life. Lowe told reporters, “When I first got sober, I thought, my life is sober. My fun is done, and I’m not going to be cool anymore. I came home when I was probably sober two or three weeks and I got a call from Steven Tyler, who I did not know. He called to say ‘I heard you are in recovery and I just wanted to say hey, I’m thinking of you dude.’” Lowe says: “If it’s good enough for f-ing Steven Tyler, it’s good enough for me.”
-MSN
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Laura Dern, Kesha
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Oscar Isaac, Casey Wilson, Jon Pardi (R)
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Christian Slater, Kaitlyn Dever, Gary Clark Jr. (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Dr. Jennifer Ashton
• “The Talk” (CBS): RuPaul
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Jason Biggs, Martin Lawrence, guest co-hosts Drew & Jonathan Scott
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy, guest hosts Eugene & Dan Levy
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Octavia Spencer, David Dobrik
• “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector” (NBC): Series premiere. Three years after the Bone Collector ended his career, Detective Lincoln Rhyme teams up with NYPD officer Amelia Sachs to investigate a series of murders that suggest the killer’s return, and an unlikely team is born.
SATURDAY-
• “NFL Football” (NBC): divisional playoff: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers
• “NFL Football” (CBS): divisional playoff: Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens
• “Love in Winterland” (HALLMARK): Ally, a final contestant on a dating show, must face her high school sweetheart when she is chosen for the Hometown Date.
SUNDAY-
• “25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards” (CW): Honoring the finest in cinematic and television achievement; Taye Diggs hosts.
• “NFL Football” (CBS): divisional playoff: Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs
• “NFL Football” (FOX): divisional playoff: Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers
• “The Outsider” (HBO): Season premiere. When the body of an 11-year-old boy is found in the Georgia woods, detective Ralph Anderson launches an investigation; evidence points to local teacher and baseball coach Terry Maitland.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• GRAMMYS — Billie Eilish, Lizzo and Aerosmith are among the artists that will perform at the 2020 ceremony on January 26th. Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani will also take the stage together on Music’s Biggest Night, hosted again by Alicia Keys. More acts will be revealed later.
• Justin Bieber – has shared that he was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, an infection caused by bacteria commonly carried by ticks. He also wrote that he “had a serious case of chronic mono which affected my, skin, brain function, energy, and overall health.” He says that more details will be revealed in the docu-series “Justin Bieber: Seasons”, which comes out January 27 on YouTube.
• Mac Miller – His family has announced that they will be releasing the music he was working on before he died. The posthumous album “Circles” comes out on January 17. Miller died in September 2018 at the age of 26.
Red Hot Chili Peppers — drummer Chad Smith says that the band is in the midst of creating a new album with recently returned guitarist John Frusciante. He says that aside from a few festivals this year, “for now, we’ll mostly be concentrating on new songs and writing a new record.”
• David Bowie – A previously unreleased version of his 1970 classic ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ is currently streaming to promote the upcoming EP “Is it Any Wonder”. The song was recorded and broadcast by the BBC on Bowie’s 50th birthday in 1997.
• Green Day — will release their new single ‘Oh Yeah!’ on January 16. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has launched an Instagram search for California-based fans who would be willing to host a ”backyard party” to celebrate the launch of the album.
• Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani — will perform their new hit single ‘Nobody But You’ together at the Grammy Awards on Jan. 26. Shelton revealed the news on Instagram.
• Justin Moore – says that he puts aside his music career for a few months every year to go hunting. He grows out his beard every year just for hunting season, but will have to shave by next Friday’s beginning of his “Late Nights and Longnecks Tour” with his friend, Tracy Lawrence.
TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “1917” (R-Rated, Drama): Two young British soldiers during the First World War are given an impossible mission: deliver a message deep in enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, and one of the soldiers’ brothers, from walking into a deadly trap. (Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay)
• “Just Mercy” (PG-13, Drama): World-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner. (Brie Larson, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx)
• “Like A Boss” (R-Rated, Comedy): Two friends with very different ideals start a beauty company together. One is more practical while the other wants to earn her fortune and live a lavish lifestyle. (Rose Byrne, Tiffany Haddish, Salma Hayek)
• “Underwater” (PG-13, Action/Adventure): A crew of aquatic researchers work to get to safety after an earthquake devastates their subterranean laboratory. But the crew has more than the ocean seabed to fear. (Kristen Stewart, T.J. Miller)
A LONG WEEKEND EVERY WEEKEND:
Finland’s new Prime Minister has announced plans to introduce changes to the working schedule in the country that would include a four-day-week and six-hour working day. Thirty-four-year-old Sanna Marin, who is the second youngest head of government in the world – said the anticipated changes, which also include a flexible working schedule, would allow more time for citizens to spend with their families, loved ones, hobbies and other aspects of life, such as culture. In Finland currently, it is normal to work eight hours per day, five days per week. In neighboring Sweden, where the six-hour-day has been in effect since 2015, results showed that employees were happier and more productive.
(Beginning at 3 o’clock every weekday!)
(I’m sure the politicians will lead by example…)
(The ironic thing is that around here, the rule is that “You work ‘til you’re Finnished!”)
-MSN
NEWS OF THE WEIRD:
➢ The parents of a young hockey fan named Jacob received quite a shock at his eighth birthday celebration. Knowing that Jacob loves nothing more than the Toronto Maple Leafs — his parents planned a party at a Montreal arena and put in an order in for a custom cake bearing the Maple Leafs logo. The baker confused “Maple Leafs” —Toronto’s NHL team — with “Maple Leaf” — one of Canada’s largest packaged meat brands. Jacob’s father picked up the cake while en route to his son’s birthday party, but didn’t look inside the box until he got there. While not overly impressed by what they saw on the cake, the boy’s parents laughed off the mistake and served it anyway. (As long as it didn’t TASTE like Maple Leaf meats….)
➢ A woman in Omaha, Nebraska who was busted for driving while heavily-intoxicated had an interesting excuse. After her claims that “she had very little to drink” were disproved by a roadside breathalyzer result of .0256 — three times the legal alcohol limit, the befuddled motorist wouldn’t back down, claiming she “wasn’t impaired because she’s a professional drinker.” Her improv skills have made a splash on social media, garnering responses such as, “And how does one get the title of ‘professional drinker’”, and “Is that a legal definition?” (She might be a pro drinker, but she’s not much of a liar…)
-FreshDaily, NYPost
BACK WORDS:
You’ve seen the annual list of words “Banished from the English language”. Now, Wayne State University is out with their list of words that we should use more often. Here is the Wayne Word Warriors’ 2020 list of eminently useful words that should be brought back to enrich our language:
✓ Cachinnate: To laugh loudly. (I need a co-host with the innate ability to cachinnate!)
✓ Gewgaw: A worthless, showy bauble. (Why does the Canadian loonie come to mind?)
✓ Luculent: Clear in thought or expression. (Our new slogan: “[Name of Show] – The most luculent morning show in the city!”)
✓ Mullock: Rubbish, refuse, dirt. (Our new slogan: “[Name of Show] – The most mullocky morning show in the city!”)
✓ Perendinate: To procrastinate a long time, especially two days. (I don’t know about you, but when I procrastinate for two days, I’m just getting STARTED!)
✓ Redolent: Reminiscent or suggestive of, usually a scent. (Why is the bathroom redolent of a sewage plant?)
✓ Somnambulant: Resembling or characteristic of a sleepwalker; sluggish. (No explanation needed here…we’ve all seen [co-host] on a Monday…)
✓ Velleity: A wish or inclination not strong enough to lead to action. (I made my resolutions, but they remain a velleity…)
(I’d challenge you to use all of these in a sentence, but someone would…)
-WSU
DID YOU KNOW:
It is estimated that 3% of gift cards go unused. That may sound like a small number, but consider that last year, about $100 billion was put on gift cards in the U.S. last year in anticipation of the holiday season. That’s about $3 billion left on the table.
-CBS
BS CHRONOMETER 01.10.20
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1945 [75] Rod Stewart, London UK, rock/pop singer (‘Maggie May’, ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?’)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1994)
1948 [72] Donald Fagen, Passaic NJ, classic rock singer (Steely Dan-‘Reeling in the Years’, ‘Rikki Don’t Lose That Number’)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2001)
1949 [71] George Forman, Marshall TX, boxer, (Two-time heavyweight boxing champion/Olympic gold medalist/cooking grill spokesperson/father of five sons…all named George Foreman
1953 [67] Pat Benatar (Andrzejewski), Brooklyn NY, classic rock singer (‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’)/4 consecutive Grammy Awards for ‘Best Female Rock Vocal Performance’ 1980-83
1961 [59] Janet Jones, Bridgeton MO, movie actress (“A League of Their Own”, “Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach”, wife of Wayne Gretzky since 1988)
1964 [56] Brad Roberts, Winnipeg MB, alt-rock singer (Crash Test Dummies-‘Superman’s Song’, ‘Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm’)
1978 [42] Brent Smith, Knoxville TN, rock singer-songwriter (Shinedown-‘The Crow & The Butterfly’, ‘Second Chance’)
SATURDAY- Phyllis Logan (“Downton Abbey”) is 64; Mary J Blige (‘Family Affair’) is 49; Amanda Peet (“Identity Thief”) is 48; Aja Naomi King (“How to Get Away With Murder”) is 35; Cody Simpson (‘On My Mind’) is 23
SUNDAY- Howard Stern (radio/TV personality) is 56; Jeff Bezos (Amazon founder) is 56; Mel C (Spice Girls) is 46; Rob Zombie (“The Devils Rejects”) is 55; Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against the Machine) is 50; Zayn Malik (‘Pillowtalk’) is 27
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bittersweet Chocolate Day”, the kind you can eat with less guilt because it has less sugar. And unlike milk chocolate or white chocolate, it does not contain any milk solids.
• “Cut Your Energy Costs Day”, a day to help both the environment and your bottom line. So, what’s your best tip?
• “Houseplant Appreciation Day”, a day to salute their therapeutic value in lifting your mood and outlook. And if you’re a gardener, they give you an opportunity to play in the dirt until Spring arrives in the seemingly far, far, distant future.
• “Peculiar People Day”, to celebrate the leaders of the strange and unusual, those who refuse to succumb to the world’s idea of what is normal. Which is great until you find out that people are talking about YOU! (***A good day to have listeners call in stories about the extraordinary, unusual, strange, odd, uncommon, intriguing, different, abnormal, and quirky people they know***)
• “Save the Eagles Day”, some species of eagles are on the endangered list. However, due to the work of scientists and the public, although still “protected”, the Bald Eagle was removed from the endangered list in 2007.
• “Oysters Rockefeller Day”, consists of oysters on the half-shell that have been topped with a rich sauce of butter, parsley and other green herbs, and bread crumbs, then baked or broiled. Lemon wedges are the typical garnish.
SATURDAY-
• “Hot Toddy Day”, saluting the traditional drink taken before retiring for the night, or in wet or cold weather. It’s typically a mixture of liquor and water with honey (or, in some recipes, sugar), herbs (such as tea) and spices, and served piping hot. Some believe it relieves the symptoms of cold and flu. Or at least makes you forget them.
• “Human Trafficking Awareness Day”, drawing attention to efforts to eradicate modern-day slavery around-the-world.
• “Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day”, in case you want to embrace a technology that has pretty much disappeared. Dash-dot-dot-dot … dot-dot-dash … dot-dash-dot-dot …
• “Cigarettes are Hazardous to Your Health Day”. Did we really need a day to tell us this?
SUNDAY-
• “International Kiss a Ginger Day”, an annual event that encourages folks to pucker up and plant one on a redhead (With their permission, of course!).
• “Marzipan Day”, celebrating the sweet, mold-able treat made from mostly sugar and almond meal or paste. It can end up looking like a big ball of Play-Doh that you can color with food coloring and then form into different shapes.
• “Stick to Your New Year’s Resolution Day”, more power to you if you’ve made it this far!
• “Pharmacists Day”, honoring drug dealers everywhere.
BS SIGNS YOUR PHARMACIST IS NUTS:
☞ Counts out pills, “One for you, two for me . . .”
☞ Claims he can’t read the doc’s writing so he’ll have to take a guess.
☞ Writes on the pill bottle, “Take a bunch a couple times a day.”
☞ Makes people with high blood pressure wait in line longer.
☞ Every day at 5 he yells “Happy Hour!”
☞ Wears a shirt that says “A Day Without Prozac is Like . . . Depressing, man”.
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1999 [21] “The Sopranos”, starring James Gandolfini as mobster Tony Soprano, debuts on HBO
2009 [11] Singer Fergie marries actor Josh Duhamel in Malibu CA (divorced in 2019)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2008 [12] Radiohead tops album charts with the physical release of “In Rainbows”, originally sold via the internet for a price chosen by fans
2016 [04] Singer-songwriter, producer, and actor David Bowie dies of liver cancer at age 69 in NYC
TODAY’S SECOND . . .
2018 [02] Amazon president Jeff Bezos becomes the second man worth over $100 billion as his wealth hits $106 billion due to a rise in Amazon’s share price (Bill Gates was first; Bezos current net worth: $115 billion, even after his 2019 divorce)
TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
2008 [12] Tata Motors, India’s largest automaker, unveils the “World’s Cheapest Car”, the Nano (MSRP around $2,000. It was discontinued in 2018)
2010 [10] China surpasses Germany to become the “World’s Largest Exporter”
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The average person ‘scrolls’ about 5 miles (8km) per year.
✓ Goodyear Rubber Company research concluded that shoes wear out faster on the right foot than the left.
✓ Women have a slightly higher average IQ than men.
✓ Onions have no flavor, only a smell.
✓ Goldfish remember better in cold water than warm water.
✓ Technically, freshwater fish is not seafood.
-RandomFactGenerator, QuiteInteresting
Best of BS . . .
BS RUIN A SAYING IN ONE WORD:
• A stitch in time saves duct tape.
• Get dizzy living or get busy dying.
• Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.
• Curiosity kilted the cat.
• Life begins deteriorating at 40.
• Just don’t do it.
• Better latte than never.
• People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them food.
• Love means constantly having to say you’re sorry.
• It’s the little thongs that matter.
• You CAN fix stupid.
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019
ALL-PURPOSE BS EXCUSES:
You know, I’d love to but …
• I’m teaching my ferret to yodel.
• I have to check the freshness dates on my dairy products.
• I changed the lock on my door and now I can’t get out.
• I’m sandblasting my oven.
• My patent is pending.
• I never go out on days that end in ‘Y’.
• I’m trying to be less popular.
• I have to study for a urine test.
• I’m trying to see how long I can go without saying ‘yes’.
• The guy on the radio told me to stay tuned.
BS WEB GOODIE:
Seacrest…out!! https://twitter.com/LiveKellyRyan/status/1214587691125358592
BS RANDOM JOKE:
We’re making progress. Things are getting worse at a slower rate.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What single item that you don’t currently possess would you most like to have in your home?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Men are twice as likely as women to do THIS with no clothes on. What is it?
Answer: Talk on the phone
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The best way to predict the future is to create it.
