Thursday, January 7, 2021 — Edition: #6883
Can You Believe This Sheet?
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ You’re never too old to be hip — just ask Christie Brinkley! The 66-year-old took some time for herself during the pandemic to get a hip replacement, due to injuries from a 1994 helicoptor crash. Brinkley posted a pic on Instagram with the words: “New Year, New Hip! Yes that’s a band-aid on my hip. I injured my hip in a back country skiing helicopter crash on a mountaintop in Telluride many years ago.” She added that she was told 12 years ago the hip needed to be replaced, but the idea was too “daunting” at the time. Her recovery must be going well, because she also posted photos of herself…scuba diving.
-People
★ Ken Jennings has opened up about the final piece of advice Alex Trebek gave him before the long-time Jeopardy! host died in November. On “Good Morning America”, Jennings said: “I was reminded of the thing he always emphasized about the show which was: He’s not the star of the show. The host is not the star of Jeopardy! He always made it about the players and about the competition. It’s just hard to imagine that in the TV landscape today, a star of his size saying, ‘Hey, the game is not about you,’ but that was great advice.” Trebek’s final Jeopardy! episodes are airing this week.
-Yahoo
★ Shia LaBeouf has been whitewashed by Netflix in the ads for his new movie “Pieces of a Woman” amid a lawsuit from his ex, FKA Twigs. LaBeouf, who has been accused of abusing Twigs and other girlfriends, has a starring role in the Oscar frontrunner that debuts on Netflix today. LaBeouf, who industry experts said could have been placed in the best supporting actor category, has already been scrubbed from Netflix’s award campaign, and now he has been removed from the actual ads promoting the movie.
-PageSix
★ Even Arnold Schwarzenegger gets the various Hollywood “Chrises” mixed up, apparently. Schwarzenegger recently appeared on Instagram with his son-in-law Chris Pratt — however, he mistakenly called him “Chris Evans.” Pratt played it off as a joke, though fans couldn’t make up their minds about whether or not it was scripted. Schwarzenegger continued: “I didn’t look at the cue cards. Sorry about that. I should know your name, I should know your name. That’s for sure. You’re my favorite son-in-law.”
-PopCulture
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Tessa Thompson, Paul Bettany, Steve Earle
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Ricky Gervais, Daisy Edgar-Jones, the Avett Brothers
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Bill Hader, Chris Coleman
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Michael Sheen, Jo Ellen Pellman
• “Conan” (TBS): Sarah Silverman (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Madison LeCroy, John Pringle
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Lil Nas X, Ralph Macchio, William Zabka
• “The Talk” (CBS): Chrissy Metz
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Jaime Pressly, Vanna White, Dr. Keri Glassman
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Bryan Cranston, Anya Taylor-Joy (R)
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Tim Allen, Jay Leno, Mary Mouser, Brené Brown, Laura DIY
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Pete Holmes, Danny Seo
• “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” (ABC): Premiere. Participants include Leslie Jones, Chandra Wilson and Tony Hawk.
• “The Chase” (ABC): Premiere. Three competitors face off against the Chaser, a ruthless quiz genius determined to stop them from winning cash prizes.
• “Mr. Mayor” (NBC): Premiere. Neil Bremer starts his first day as mayor of Los Angeles, where he faces new challenges on the job and at home.
• “Hell’s Kitchen” (FOX): Season 19 premiere.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Grammys — The 2021 Grammy Awards have been postponed due to Covid-19 concerns. The show was scheduled for Jan. 31 in Los Angeles, where there has been a recent surge in cases. It was already going to be held without an audience, with only presenters and performers on-site. Organizers are said to be eyeing March 14 as a new date for the ceremony.
• Taylor Swift – has extended her record run atop the Billboard Artist 100 chart, chalking up her 44th week as the top musical act in the U.S. Swift has tallied the most weeks at #1, dating to the chart’s 2014 launch. Drake ranks second with 31 weeks on top, followed by The Weeknd (20) and BTS and Ariana Grande (15 each).
• Robin Thicke — has announced his first album in 6 years, “On Earth, and in Heaven”. He’ll release his follow-up to 2014’s “Paula” (named after his now ex-wife Paula Patton) on February 12. The new record is dedicated to those he has lost and the people in his life who “made” him who he is, including his late father, Alan Thicke, who passed away in 2016.
• Spice Girls — Mel B has teased they are eager to get back on the road for more shows when it’s safe to do so. It’s not clear if she means Victoria Beckham – also known as Posh Spice – would reunite with her bandmates for future shows, but Mel C recently indicated that all five Spice Girls are “talking” about planning something for their 25th anniversary this year.
• Bruce Springsteen – says he won’t tour in 2021, but says fans should watch for a “big surprise.” Quote: “I do have things to keep me busy this year that will give the fans something to bide their time with.”
• Kid Rock — has donated $100,000 to help small businesses. In a tweet, he announced his contribution to the Barstool Fund, writing: “This is the America I love! Put me down for 100K. And I only post this in hopes others as blessed as me may be moved to help out.” The Barstool Fund is a crowdsourcing platform that aims to raise money for small businesses in need, set up through the blog Barstool Sports.
• Tim McGraw – has teamed up with Florida Georgia Line singer Tyler Hubbard on the single ‘Undivided’, which is set for release Jan. 13. Hubbard co-wrote the song with Chris Loocke while he was quarantined on his bus in November after testing positive for COVID-19.
• Dolly Parton – is wanted…as a guest judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Judge Michelle Visage says Dolly has been dodging their requests for more than 10 seasons. Why? Visage says: “At the end of the day it’s scheduling, and it’s a very long day for these people.” Other LGBTQ icons who have had to decline because of scheduling conflicts include including Cher and Liza Minelli.
• Ricky Skaggs – has revealed that he had quadruple bypass heart surgery over the summer. The 66-year-old says he sought treatment after finding he was easily winded and felt tightness in his chest.
SHOOTING THE BULL
JUST A SECOND:
Have you ever found yourself wishing for fewer hours in a day? No? How about fewer seconds in a minute? Global time officials say that Earth’s rotation is speeding up, and to compensate, maybe we should shorten a minute by one second. The website TimeAndDate.com shows that last Sunday, for example, was actually only 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59.9998927 seconds. And though the planet’s rotation does speed up or slow down slightly from day to day, calendar trends indicate that recent years have become shorter overall. As you probably know, in the past, the world’s clock watchers have occasionally added “leap seconds” to the clock to make up for “lost time” when the planet’s rotation doesn’t match the atomic clock. But now Peter Whibberly, senior research scientist with National Physical Laboratory’s time and frequency group, says that Earth is spinning faster than at any time in the last 50 years, and “It’s quite possible that a negative leap second will be needed if the Earth’s rotation rate increases further, but it’s too early to say if this is likely.”
(As long as I don’t have to change the clock on the oven, I’m fine with it…)
(Well, I know it was spinning pretty quickly on New Year’s Eve!)
(And immediately, bosses everywhere are looking forward to cutting pay for that minute by 1/60th…)
-NYPost
CORONAUPDATE:
➢ A cheap drug used to treat head lice might drastically cut the risk of dying from COVID-19. Ivermectin is being explored as a potential treatment for the coronavirus following a promising study that showed an 80% reduction in hospitalized COVID-19 patient deaths. Just 8 out of 573 patients who received ivermectin passed away, compared to the 44 out of 510 who died after being given a placebo. Liverpool University virologist Andrew Hill calls the new study “transformational” in the search for a coronavirus therapy. Treatment with the drug generally costs less than $20.
➢ A new study finds disposable surgical masks are the best option if you want to be heard clearly. A team at the Illinois Augmented Listening Laboratory tested the acoustic effects of several masks, including disposable surgical masks, masks with clear plastic windows, homemade options, and store-bought masks made of different fabrics and numbers of layers. Results showed that every mask muffles the quiet, high-frequency sounds that come from a person saying consonants. Those are the sounds that are particularly challenging for the hearing impaired even without a mask. Disposable surgical masks provided the best acoustic performance. Loosely-woven cotton masks also scored well, but don’t block respiratory droplets as effectively. Tightly woven cotton and blended fabrics also block out more sound. Masks with a plastic window, which are looked upon favorably by those dealing with hearing loss (because of their usefulness in seeing visual cues) were found to block the most sound of all the masks tested. (Note to self: “Buy wife a mask with a plastic window…”)
-NYPost, StudyFinds
THIS DIET – TRY IT!
For the fourth year in a row, the Mediterranean diet has been named #1 in US News and World Report’s ranking of best diets. Each year, a number of diets are ranked on balance, maintainability, palatability, family-friendliness, sustainability and healthfulness. And once again, the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes simple, plant-based cooking has checked the most boxes. It also captured first place in the categories of Best Diets for Healthy Eating (tied for #1), Easiest Diets to Follow, Best Diets for Diabetes (tied for #1), Best Plant Based Diets and Best Heart-Healthy Diets (tied for #1). Meals from the sunny Mediterranean have long been linked to stronger bones, a healthier heart, a lower risk of many diseases and longer life. The DASH Diet and Flexitarian diet tied for #2 overall, with WW (formerly Weight Watchers) at #4, followed by the MIND Diet, Volumetrics, Mayo Clinic Diet and TLC Diet, all of which tied for #5. U.S. News & World Report is considered the global authority in rankings and consumer advice.
(What diet came in last? My teenager’s?)
(I don’t even know where Mediterrania is!)
(How much do suppose it would cost to get an Uber Eats delivery from the Mediterranean?)
-USNews&WorldReport
TWEETS ABOUT MARRIAGE FROM 2020 THAT BELONG IN THE HALL OF FAME:
⇒ Sent my husband nudes and he asked me which mole I was worried about. – Laura Marie
⇒ Made it to that level of marriage where you get in trouble for being able to fall asleep so fast. – Simon Holland
⇒ Before marrying someone, listen long and hard to the sounds of their chewing because that’s the soundtrack to the rest of your life. – Lil Bit
⇒ My wife said she’d buy her own birthday cake this is a test, right? – DadBroDad
⇒ My wife didn’t order anything from Amazon yesterday so the UPS guy knocked on our door to see if we’re okay. – Rodney Lacroix
⇒ Marrying someone is easy. Staying married after going to IKEA on a Saturday with an empty stomach, is not. — MaryfairyBoberry
⇒ There are two kinds of people. The ones that pack six days before a trip, and the ones that wake up day-of and realize they need to do a load of laundry. And they marry each other. – Dadman Walking
⇒ Listen: I just found out that my husband eats spaghetti with a spoon so I can’t listen to your problems right now. – Arianna Bradford
⇒ In 34 years on this planet I’ve learned one very important lesson that I’m going to pass on to you fellas. She can eat your fries. You cannot eat her fries – Crockett
⇒ I miss how my wife would say “he’s a rescue” whenever I misbehaved at parties. – The Dad Briefs
⇒ Due to personal reasons, I’ll be flushing the toilet every time my husband showers this week. – MaryfairyBoberry
⇒ Wife: You’re doing it wrong. Me: What? Wife: *motions vaguely in the direction of my entire life* — James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn
-HuffPost
DID YOU KNOW?
Some people with “dark personality traits” may actually be enjoying the pandemic, according to a study. Researchers from the University of Mississippi surveyed 402 adults and assessed them for personality traits such as psychopathy, narcissism, sadism and Machiavellianism. They found that “dark” personality characteristics affected the way people behaved in the pandemic. The research showed that sadists, in particular, may be enjoying the pandemic. Perhaps surprisingly, people with narcissistic traits were more likely to indulge in kind, helpful behaviour – possibly to reap the resulting admiration from people around them.
-YahooNews
BS CHRONOMETER 01.07.21
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1948 [73] Kenny Loggins, Everett WA, pop/rock singer (‘Danger Zone’, ‘Footloose’, Loggins & Messina-‘Your Mama Don’t Dance’
1957 [64] Katie Couric, Arlington VA, TV show host (“Today” 1991-2006, “CBS Evening News” 2006-11, “60 Minutes” 2006-11, “Katie” 2012-14, Global Anchor of “Yahoo! News” 2014-17)
1964 [57] Nicolas Cage (Coppola), Long Beach CA, movie actor (“National Treasure” films, “Leaving Las Vegas”)/nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola. COMING UP…”The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent “, 2021
1971 [50] Jeremy Renner, Modesto CA, movie actor (“The Bourne Legacy”, “The Hurt Locker”, “Avengers” films)
1974 [47] John Rich, Amarillo TX, country singer (Big & Rich-‘Save a Horse [Ride a Cowboy]’, ex-Lonestar-‘Amazed’)
1982 [39] Lauren Cohen, Philadelphia PA, TV actress (‘Maggie Greene’ on “The Walking Dead” since 2011, “The Vampire Diaries” 2010-12)
1983 [38] Brett Dalton, San Jose CA, TV actor (‘Grant Ward’ on “Marvel’s Agents of Shield” 2013-18)
1985 [36] Lewis Hamilton, Stevenage UK, race car driver (2008, 2014, 2015 Formula One World Champion)/first Brit driver in history to win consecutive F1 titles
2000 [21] Marcus Scribner, LA CA, TV actor (‘Andre Johnson Jr.’ on “black-ish” since 2014)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bobblehead Day”, an annual celebration of the dumb dolls with wobbly noggins that are often handed out as giveaways at sports events. (Then collect dust on a shelf for decades.)
• “I’m Not Going to Take It Anymore Day”, a day to stand up for your rights. (You can also show up late to work, but don’t tell them I told you it’s OK…)
• “International Programmers Day”, honoring the mythical creatures who somehow solve all the problems of we lesser mortals without having to move from their desks. (And they know that programming is like sex: One mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life!)
• “Orthodox Christmas” in many countries worldwide. Why? Both Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches still use the old Julian calendar.
• “Tempura Day”, celebrating the Japanese cooking tradition of dipping seafood or vegetables in a thin batter of flour and water, then frying them in oil. NET: http://tinyurl.com/bfsagap
• “Harlem Globetrotter’s Day”, they’ve played a strange part in the lives of those who grew up in the age of classic Scooby-Doo. They were so famous that they would even make appearances in animation. Of the 10 honorary Harlem Globetrotters, two are Popes (Francis and John Paul II), and one is Whoopi Goldberg.
COMING UP . . .
[Fri] Argyle Day
[Fri] Bubble Bath Day
[Sat] Balloon Ascension Day
[Sat] International Choreographers Day
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2006 [15] Pink marries her motocross racer-boyfriend Carey Hart on a beach in Costa Rica
2012 [09] Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott weds drummer Chris Tyrrell near Albany, New York
2020 [01] Rascal Flatts announce they are breaking up following a farewell tour slated for June. They don’t get the chance, as the tour is cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic
2020 [01] Rush drummer/lyricist Neil Peart dies of brain cancer at 67
TODAY IN TECH . . .
2019 [02] Amazon overtakes Microsoft to become the world’s most valuable listed company for the first time, worth $797 billion
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
2009 [12] US president George W Bush invites president-elect Barack Obama and former chief execs Bill Clinton, George HW Bush, and Jimmy Carter for a 5-president luncheon at the White House (the first of gathering of its kind in 27 years)
2018 [03] It snows in the Sahara Desert – 15 inches reported in Aïn Séfra, Northwest Algeria
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The cost of a cell phone in 1984 was $4,195 (in the US—equal to about $10,000 today).
✓ The technology behind smartphones relies on up to 250,000 separate patents.
✓ People develop first impressions of you in a tenth of a second.
✓ “Time” is the most commonly used noun in the English language.
✓ Walruses bald as they age.
✓ Farmers in England are required by law to provide their pigs with toys.
-FactSlides, BathroomReadersInstitute
Best of BS . . .
BS MOTTOS FOR PROCRASTINATORS:
• Just Do It…tomorrow.
• Why do today what you could have done yesterday?
• It’s called a ‘due date’ because it’s the day you do it.
• I’m no hater for later.
• Happy belated birthday!
• Procrastination is great! You always have something to do tomorrow and nothing to do today!
• It’s called ‘Time Waste Management.”
• Some days I don’t even get around to procrastinating.
• Seize tomorrow!
• Motto? Good idea. We should get on that.
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2020
TODAY’S SLICE OF BS:
➠ Kim Kardashian says she tries to avoid smiling and laughing because doing so causes wrinkles. (Which is why the only thing she watches on TV is “Saturday Night Live”)
➠ Forbes has named Kylie Jenner the highest-paid star of 2020, earning just under $600 million. (The last time she was this proud of herself was . . . probably earlier today, actually.)
➠ Researchers have invented a material that could create an invisibility cloak that COULD make an entire moment disappear. (Why waste the time? Isn’t that what booze and Celine Dion are for?)
➠ Kenny Loggins is 73 today. (I’m not going to say he’s old, but these days ‘Welcome to Pooh Corner’ has a whole new meaning. . . )
➠ Bombshell Leah McSweeney, from “Real Housewives of New York”, revealed that she got a ‘Christmas Boob Lift and Augmentation’ (At least I THINK that’s what she said. To be honest, I wasn’t listening, because I wasn’t ‘exactly’ making eye-contact…)
BS WEB GOODIE:
Started the year on a happy note: https://tinyurl.com/y3plohwa
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Stephen King has a son named Joe. I’m not joking – but he is.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What can you just NOT understand the popularity of?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Over 70% of men admit they have lied on a first date. And more than half of them have admitted to lying about THIS. What is it?
Answer: How much they work out
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.
