Friday, January 8, 2021 — Edition: #6884
More From the Sheethouse!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Katie Couric has been signed to take over the hosting reins of “Jeopardy!” for a week. She’ll be among the first guest hosts to helm the iconic game show after the final episode featuring Alex Trebek airs today. Trebek, who died Nov. 8, taped his last shows in October. The producers of “Jeopardy!” have previously stated their plans to have guest hosts after the final Trebek episodes air until a permanent replacement is chosen. “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings, who has an overall deal with Sony, has also been booked to host some episodes.
-Yahoo
★ Paramount Pictures has acquired the rights to bring the popular Monty Python musical “Spamalot” to the big screen. The musical comically tackles the legend of King Arthur and is adapted from the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. It proved to be a huge hit on Broadway as it landed the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005 and its runs on London’s West End and in Las Vegas have proved to be just as popular. It is hoped that production on the flick will be able to get underway this year.
-ContactMusic
★ PBS is saying farewell to the long-running kids’ show “Caillou.” PBS Kids said the show will be taken off the air, and posted a link to help parents break the news to their children. While many kids will need some extra hugs to help them process this news, it looks like Moms and Dads are OK with it. Many are taking to social media to share their feelings, and it’s not all nice. Alluding to Caillou’s famously whiny personality, one Twitter user described the eternal toddler as “the animated advertisement for birth control.” Another wrote: “it turns out 2021 is better than 2020 after all!!” – along with the hashtag #caillouisoverparty
-Yahoo
★ David Hasselhoff is auctioning off the A.I.-enhanced Knight Industries Two Thousand car — also known as “K.I.T.T.” — from his 1980s TV show “Knight Rider” — for an estimated $300,000. The 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is described as a “FULLY FUNCTIONAL K.I.T.T. CAR WITH FULL CONVERSION LOCATED IN U.K.,” according to the listing on LiveAuctioneers.com. Unfortunately, the prop K.I.T.T. doesn’t boast any of the capabilities of its on-screen counterpart, which could talk, drive itself and even inexplicably jump when the Hoff’s crimefighting character activated a “turbo boost” function — kind of like a good “Christine.”
-PopCulture
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Kristen Wiig, Carrie Underwood (R)
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Andrew Rannells, Megan Thee Stallion (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Day of Hot Topics
• “The Talk” (CBS): Paula Abdul, Francia Raisa
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Holly Hunter, Carson Kressley, Sarah Smith, Banners
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Amy Schumer (R)
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Nathan Fillion, Gabriel Iglesias, Deepak Chopra
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Hailee Steinfeld, Karamo Brown
• “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (CW): Season 9 premiere
SATURDAY-
• “A New Year’s Resolution” (HALLMARK): A morning show producer reluctantly becomes the subject of her own program’s on-air experiment about her New Year’s resolution to agree to every social invitation for a month.
• “Obsessed With the Babysitter” (LIFETIME): Elaine, an injured dancer, catches the eye of a psychologist who believes she’s the perfect woman. Realizing he’s manipulating her mind, Elaine must escape from his clutches before she becomes another casualty in his psychotic study.
SUNDAY-
• “Critics Choice Super Awards” (CW): An event honoring the most popular, fan-obsessed genres in TV and movies, including superhero, science fiction/fantasy, horror, action and animation; Kevin Smith and Dani Fernandez host.
• “The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth” (SHOWTIME): A revealing look at the Trump era of presidential politics, telling the intense, inspiring and infuriating stories behind the headlines.
• “Tiger” (HBO): Tiger Woods’ dedication and obsession with golf takes him not only to the heights of international fame and success, but down a spiraling road of darkness, and finally redemption.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Taylor Swift – Her “Folklore” is the #1 album of 2020, finishing the year with 2.3 million album units (a combination of streaming and sales data). Rolling Stone also reports that Lil Baby’s “My Turn” is second with 2.1 million. Also in the top-5, in order: “Shoot For the Stars Aim For the Moon” by Pop Smoke, the Weeknd’s “After Hours”, “Legends Never Die” by Juice WRLD, and Post Malone’s “Hollywood’s Bleeding”.
• Miley Cyrus – Has teased a big-names collaboration. A while back, she revealed she was working on a Metallica covers album. Now, she has told an interviewer that it will include a collaboration with Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The song? Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’.
• Dr. Dre — Hours after he was admitted to the hospital for a brain aneurysm, his hilltop Los Angeles home was the target of an attempted burglary. Four suspects were arrested. Dre has promised fans that he’ll be “back home soon”.
• Neil Young – after news broke earlier this week that Lindsey Buckingham had sold his entire songwriting catalogue to the British Investment firm Hipgnosis Song Fund, now it’s been revealed that Young has sold a 50% stake in his catalog to the same company for a reported $150 million. Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks have also sold off rights to their songs in recent months.
• David Bowie – Ground Control, a supergroup featuring Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro and Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, is among the names added to the line-up of “A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day!”, streaming today to mark what would have been the late artist’s 74th birthday. Also added: Boy George and Ricky Gervais. FULL LINEUP AND TICKETS HERE
• Morgan Wallen – His sophomore album “Dangerous: The Double Album” was set for release today, but he says he was recently informed that some Walmart stores leaked the album early. In response, he told fans that he would be “doing the leaking of songs” himself, and shared several clips on his Instagram and TikTok. Then he asked fans to “go to Target, baby.”
• Runaway June — Natalie Stovall, the newest member of the country trio, posted that she and her husband, musician James Bavendam, “had a full-on COVID Christmas round these parts.” She wrote that they are “So thankful it was a mild case. Just achy, exhausted and so strange not to taste or smell!” She reports that she is “cleared” now.
• Ingrid Andress – Has 3 Grammy nominations, including in the Best New Artist category. When James Corden asked her which fellow Best New Artist nominee she would like to work with, Andress quickly replied: Definitely Megan Thee Stallion. She does real ‘hot girl’ stuff and I do real ‘sad girl’ stuff, so I feel like together, we’d cover the spectrum.”
SHOOTING THE BULL
RUBBING YOU THE WRONG WAY:
If that Amazonian frog poison “cleanse” that was making the rounds this week doesn’t appeal to you, how about a “snake massage” instead? Masseuse Safwat Sedki is offering the service, which involves mixing oil with non-venomous snakes in 30-minute sessions at his spa in Cairo, Egypt. While he admits that snake massages aren’t for everyone, Sedki says they can work wonders for those suffering from pain. He says using snakes to perform a massage, which has been popular in Asia for a long time and is becoming a thing in Brazil, Russia and even in the US, has physical and emotional benefits. Physically, it can improve circulation and mental stimulation, and the emotional aim is to release “happy” endorphins to help people regain confidence and strengthen the immune system. How much for “snake therapy”? Only about $6.30 (US).
(It’ll also cost you a pair of skivvies, of course…)
(If I wanted to mix with snakes that ‘apparently’ won’t hurt me, I’d hang out with politicians!)
(I’m glad to finally hear of someone who is dealing with reptile FUNCTION…)
-Postmedia
NEWS OF THE WEIRD:
➢ Most of us don’t like spending any more time in hospital than we have to, but a Chinese man and his parents have been living in one for 6 years. In 2014, the man, with the last name Tian, was admitted to a Beijing hospital. He was supposed to spend a few days there after a medical procedure, but following a dispute regarding his medical bill, he refused to leave. He and his parents turned his hospital room into their own home, filling it with personal belongings and bringing in groceries. Despite several attempts to get them to leave, the three stayed put and lived there for 6 years. The weird saga finally came to an end last week, when the hospital squatters finally agreed to move out. (But he still owes $150,000 for parking…)
➢ A Brampton, ON man is facing charges after allegedly stealing a package from a home, and getting stuck in the snow as he was trying to flee. Video of the afternoon incident shows the 33-year-old attempting to make off with the package before the home’s front door swings open and the person filming can be heard saying, “You’re done.” The suspect then hops in his car and attempts to flee, before backing into a snowbank and getting stuck. The man can then be seen getting in and out of the car and trying to remove the snow and free his front wheels to no avail. Police eventually arrived and arrested him. (It’ll be interesting to see how his lawyer spins this in court…)
-OddityCentral, CTV
DID YOU KNOW?
Alcohol can impair your hand-eye coordination after just half-a-beer, much lower than most legal limits, according to a new NASA study. Although many countries find adults can safely function with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of 0.08 percent, NASA found that skills crucial to hand-eye coordination is significantly more sensitive to alcohol exposure. For some volunteers in the study, their coordination fell off by more than 20% with a BAC of just 0.015 percent (about a half-beer) — well below the legal limit. For the experiment, researchers only focused on men and women in their 20’s who have around two drinks each week. (I know one thing – They sure didn’t find them in THIS town!)
-StudyFinds
BS CHRONOMETER 01.08.21
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1946 [75] Robby Krieger, Los Angeles CA, rock guitarist (The Doors- ‘Hello, I Love You’, ‘Light My Fire’)
1955 [66] Mike Reno (Joseph Michael Rynoski), New Westminster BC, rock singer (Loverboy- ‘Turn Me Loose’, ‘Working For the Weekend’)
1967 [54] R (Robert) Kelly, Chicago IL, R&B singer (‘I Believe I Can Fly’) [currently incarcerated at Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago]
1976 [45] Josh Meyers, Bedford NH, TV actor (“That 70’s Show” 2005-2006, “Red Oaks” 2014-2017)
1979 [42] Sarah Polley, Toronto ON, movie director (“Away From Her”)/TV actress (“John Adams”)/Canada’s Walk of Fame (2010)
1983 [38] Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang North Korea, Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011
2000 [21] Noah Cyrus, Nashville TN, TV actress (“Hannah Montana” 2006 to 2010)/singer (feat. Labrinth-‘Make Me [Cry]’)/younger sister of Miley Cyrus
SATURDAY- Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) is 77; J.K. Simmons (“Spider-Man”) is 66; Dave Matthews (Dave Matthews Band) is 54; Sean Paul (‘Get Busy’) is 48; A.J. McLean (Backstreet Boys) is 43; Kate Middleton (Duchess of Cambridge) is 39; Nina Dobrev (“The Vampire Diaries”) is 32
SUNDAY- Rod Stewart (‘Maggie May’) is 76; Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) is 73; Boxer George Forman is 72; Pat Benatar (‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’) is 68; Janet Jones (actress wife of Wayne Gretzky) is 60; Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 57; Brent Smith (Shinedown) is 43
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bubble Bath Day”, a day to take the time to luxuriate in a super-foamy tubful of bubbles.
• “English Toffee Day”, celebrating the ooey-gooey treat that rips the fillings right out of your teeth.
• “Show & Tell Day at Work”, when adults can partake in the kindergarten ritual with co-workers. (***A good day to have your crew each bring in something that makes a unique sound***)
• “Argyle Day”, celebrating the pattern derived from the tartan of Clan Campbell, of Argyll in Scotland. The pattern has been used for kilts, plaids and the patterned socks (known as a tartan hose) worn by Scottish Highlanders since at least the 17th century. So, wear your argyle-patterned clothing today!
• “Joygerm Day”, to remind us that by being positive and treating people with kindness, we can influence those around us and pass that positive attitude on to others. (And when have you ever heard the words “joy” and “germ” used together before?)
• “Winter Skin Relief Day”, after bathing, pat your skin dry with a soft towel. Rubbing can cause more irritation and inflammation. And with the door closed to keep the humidity in, add a moisturizer.
SATURDAY-
• “Apricot Day”, saluting the fruit that inspired the name of a color. The word ‘apricot’ means ‘precious’ in Latin. The apricot tree emerged in China more than 4,000 years ago.
• “International Choreographers Day”, observed on the birth date of George Balanchine, one of the world’s greatest choreographers, born in 1904 in St Petersburg, Russia. Altogether everybody: five, six, seven, eight ….”
• “Play God Day”. So, what would you do if you were the Big Guy/Big Gal for a day?
• “Static Electricity Day”. I guess you can count on this being a bad-hair day…
• “Word Nerd Day”. Word nerd fact, according to the Oxford Dictionary: “bookkeeper” is the only word in the English language without any hyphens with three consecutive repeated letters.
SUNDAY-
• “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? (I took the light bulb out of the fridge a long time ago…)
• “Houseplant Appreciation Day”, saluting 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”, celebrating 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 this means 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.
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1993 [28] On what would have been Elvis Presley’s 58th birthday, a 29-cent stamp with his image is officially dedicated at Graceland. The design was chosen in a vote between an older Elvis from the ’70s and a younger version from the ’50s, which was the winner
2010 [11] Jimmy Page helps launch a new set of UK postage stamps featuring classic album covers, including “Led Zeppelin IV”, Coldplay’s “A Rush of Blood to the Head”, Pink Floyd’s “The Division Bell”; and David Bowie’s “The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars”
2016 [05] David Bowie’s “Blackstar” album is released on his 69th birthday. He dies two days later, and it becomes clear that the album’s ruminations on mortality are his parting words
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2004 [17] The Donald Trump-hosted reality TV series “The Apprentice” makes its debut on NBC
TODAY’S SPORTING EVENT . . .
1993 [28] 1993 Chicago Bull Michael Jordan scores his 20,000th career point (2nd fastest to do so, after Wilt Chamberlain)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ There are over 635 billion possible hands in a game of bridge.
✓ If you’re over 100 years old, there’s an 80% chance you’re a woman.
✓ The placement of a donkey’s eye enables it to see all four feet at all times.
✓ No high jumper has ever been able to stay off the ground for more than one second.
✓ Any space vehicle must move at a rate of 7 miles (11.2 km) per second in order to escape the earth’s gravitational pull.
✓ People in nudist colonies play volleyball more than any other sport.
-RandomFactGenerator
Best of BS . . .
BS WORST THINGS TO HEAR JUST BEFORE GOING UNDER FOR SURGERY:
• “Nurse, start the YouTube video…”
• “I think I’ll try using only my left hand today.”
• After this one, I’ll be just three kidneys away from paying off my student debt.”
• “I’ll remove both just in case.”
• “Let’s see what else is good in there.”
• “Hi – I’m Johnny Knoxville and welcome to Jackass.”
• “The thigh bone’s connected to the hip bone…”
• “Quick! Pick up the scalpel. Five second rule!”
• “Get me 50cc’s of ketamine, stat! And something for the patient, too!”
• “We’re out of lubricant, Doctor!”
-Reddit, first published in BS in 2020
TODAY’S SLICE OF BS:
➠ A historian thinks he’s pinpointed the oldest known use of the f-word. (It was Noah . . .right after he realized he forgot the unicorns!)
➠ Tyler Perry has split from his long-time girlfriend Gelila Bekele. (…after 13 years and 11 horrible movies)
➠ In an interview, Gwyneth Paltrow claimed she looks better now than she did when she was 24. (Keep in mind, though, she also thinks we care what she has to say.)
➠ Heidi Klum’s 16-year-old daughter, Leni, has just made her modeling debut on the Vogue Germany cover. (Leni says her career has nothing to do with the fact that she’s Heidi’s daughter. And also, did she mention she’s Heidi’s daughter?)
➠ The flight crew had to physically force a disruptive woman into her seat as a Manchester-bound Jet2 flight made an unscheduled stop in Ireland for her arrest. (Still, she was 100 times more comfortable than any passengers on RyanAir…)
BS WEB GOODIE:
Could Happen: https://tinyurl.com/y2ovjqcz
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Anyone want to meet for lunch? We can order drive-thru and pull up next to each other just like the police do.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What is the weirdest thing you’ve seen in someone else’s home?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: A survey says that parents spend just under $800 a year on THIS. What is it?
Answer: Their kids’ allowance
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Keep your face to the sunshine, and you cannot see a shadow.
