Thursday, July 25, 2024 – Edition: #7762
It’s Another Running Of The Bull!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool & Wolverine” finally opens tomorrow, with hopes of not only further rebounding the post-strike box office, but also revitalizing the MCU. Current predictions have it that the new Deadpool movie, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, will earn $160-$170 million in its first weekend, the biggest R-rated opening of all time, unseating the first Deadpool’s $132 million. Worldwide, the movie stands to debut at around $350 million. It was only last November that the studio experienced its lowest opening ever when “The Marvels” made just $46 million domestically.
-Deadline
★ Celine Dion will reportedly be paid $2 million to perform one song during tomorrow’s Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The Grammy winner was spotted checking into the Royal Monceau Hotel in Paris on Monday, with a source confirming she is expected to perform. If she does indeed take the stage, it would mark her first public performance in years. In 2021, the now-56-year-old halted her Vegas residency due to muscle spasms. She revealed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes painful and progressive muscular rigidity and stiffness.
-PageSix
★ Cher is ready to tell all. The 78-year-old Goddess of Pop has announced that she will release a 2-part memoir. The description by HarperCollins Publishers says: “After more than 70 years of fighting to live her life on her own terms, Cher finally reveals her true story in intimate detail.” In “Cher: The Memoir, Part One,” she recalls her childhood and marriage to Sonny Bono, detailing “the highly complicated relationship that made them world-famous, but eventually drove them apart.” The 480-page first book hits stores Nov. 19, and the second is expected sometime in 2025.
-PageSix
★ The new season of “Cobra Kai” debuted as Netflix’s most-watched TV show of the week. After Netflix dropped Part 1 of 6th and final season last Thursday, the show tallied up 14.8 million views through its first several days. Viewership more than doubled that of the week’s second most-watched show, “Vikings: Valhalla” Season 3. Docuseries “Simone Biles: Rising” debuted in the #3 spot on the most-watched English TV list in its first week on the streamer. Cobra Kai Parts 2 and 3 will debut on Nov. 28 and January 2025, respectively.
-TheWrap
★ As rumors about the third “Top Gun” film continue to circulate, Glen Powell has revealed he’s been given a “date” for when the movie will enter production. Powell starred alongside Tom Cruise and Miles Teller as ‘Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin in 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick”. When he was asked about the next sequel’s progress during an appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, he said: “I mean, I have a date”. When host Josh Horowitz asked if he could provide any additional information, Powell responded: “Absolutely not.”
-ContactMusic
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Marlon Wayans, Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers, Brigitte Calls Me Baby, guest host Lamorne Morris
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Rob Lowe, Sutton Foster, Christian Pulisic, Reggie Conquest
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Kevin Hart, Jon M. Chu, Andrew Bird
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Pete Holmes, Maria Bamford, Vinny Thomas
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Michael Cera, Daisy Edgar-Jones, James Bay, José Medeles (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Gina Kirschenheiter, Josh Flagg
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Ralph Macchio
• “The Talk” (CBS): JB Smoove, Lisa Ann Walter guest co-hosts (R)
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Hugh Jackman
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Peyton Manning, Mike Tirico
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Andie MacDowell, Dermot Mulroney, Mary Stuart Masterson (R)
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Kane Brown, Cole and Chelsea DeBoer (R)
• “Big Brother” (CBS): Following a live vote, a houseguest is evicted and interviewed; remaining houseguests compete for power in the next head of household.
• “Press Your Luck” (ABC): Deadpool and Wolverine Whammy Takeover
• “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” (Fox): The Human Jukebox! Top Gun Vs. Top Model
• “Sea Change: The Gulf of Maine, A NOVA Special Presentation” (PBS): How international trade changed the Gulf of Maine’s bounty; wildlife and people adapt to the Gulf warming faster than 99% of the global ocean.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Billie Eilish — Subscription-based VR fitness app Supernatural has launched a pair of new workouts featuring her music. Songs such as ‘Bad Guy’, ‘Lunch’, and a remix of ‘Copycat’ are highlighted in the boxing workout, while the “Flow” routine features ‘Birds of a Feather’, ‘Bellyache’, and ‘Oxytocin’, among others. There are also 2 playlists featuring Eilish songs.
• Jessie J — shared on Instagram that she has been diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder within the last 3 months. Quote: “It’s weird when you know you have been a little different and felt things differently your whole life, and finally one day when you least expect it, someone really explains why.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2wv4j5af
• Snoop Dogg — will be one of the final torchbearers of the Olympic flame in the last hours of its France-wide tour ahead of tomorrow’s opening ceremony. He is in Paris as a sportscaster on NBC’s “Primetime in Paris” show.
• Neil Young — will perform at this year’s Farm Aid festival on Sept. 21 in Saratoga Springs NY, even though he cancelled his summer tour with Crazy Horse due to (someone’s) illness. He’ll be joined by fellow Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews, plus Mavis Staples, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson, and more.
• Green Day – “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill makes a cameo as ‘Luke Skywalker’ in their new video for ‘Corvette Summer’. In the clip, bandmembers portray junior high schoolkids from 1979, demonstrating to the class that they created a music video over summer break. Hamill appears in a nod to the 1978 film “Corvette Summer”, which he starred in. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y3sh88xm
• Metallica – will host its 4th Helping Hands Concert & Auction on Dec. 13 at the YouTube Theater in LA, to support its All Within My Hands Foundation. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the evening will feature appearances by Robert Downey Jr., Tony Hawk, and St. Vincent, plus a set by Greta Van Fleet, and an acoustic/electric performance from Metallica. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yc2fh9dk
• Parker McCollum – He and wife Hallie Ray Light are expecting their first child — a baby boy. In an interview, he spilled the beans on the name they have picked out – and it’s very Texas. The singer, from the Lone Star state, revealed the boy will be named Major Yancey McCollum. He explained that he got the idea after watching highlights of old championship college football games.
• Dylan Marlowe – will release the new song ‘Devil on My Shoulder’ tomorrow. In making the announcement on Instagram, he wrote: “Devil On My Shoulder Drops this Friday. The Start of a new era, who’s ready?” His post also revealed the song’s cover art. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3msbbde5
• Megan Moroney – Her “Am I Okay?” album has debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 chart, and #3 on the Country Albums chart. She’s currently opening for Kenny Chesney on his “Sun Goes Down Tour”.
SHOOTING THE BULL
NEW COKE:
There is a bizarre new beverage trending on TikTok that’s called “Fluffy Coke”. And if just the sound of drinking something with the word “fluffy” in its name sounds horrid, I can assure you that it tastes better than it sounds – even if it is being called by some “diabetes in a cup”. Fluffy Coke combines the creaminess of marshmallow with the crispness of an ice-cold fizzy drink. TikTokker Emma Grace claims she and her Grandma came up with Fluffy Coke, and this is how it is made: Using a spatula, slather marshmallow fluff on the interior of a glass, then add ice cubes, and pour in a regular can of Coca-Cola. Grace gives it a 10 out of 10 for taste in her video, which has been viewed more than 3.7 million times. Other TikTokkers tried it themselves, and now there are hundreds of videos on the site with the hashtag #fluffycoke. Some adventurous users have switched up the recipe, swapping in Diet Coke, Pepsi, root beer, Dr. Pepper, flavored sparkling water – and even coffee. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/e4j9h2cs
(Mmmm…fluffy coffee! Somehow, that sounds even worse!)
(I’ve tried it – and it is lit! No, wait – that should be LINT! It’s LINT!)
-NYPost
NIGHT MOVES:
Although we often hear that exercising before bed is a bad idea, because it is said to affect your ability to drift off quickly, researchers are saying that doesn’t mean you should meld into the couch and binge -watch TV for a few hours, fearing that the slightest movement might ruin your shuteye. In fact, the opposite is true: Getting up for short bursts of light activity (like, maybe during commercial breaks) could help you sleep better. Researchers at New Zealand’s University of Otago found that breaking up prolonged periods of sitting in the evening with brief sessions of simple exercises extended test participants’ sleep time by nearly half an hour.
(Great news – if you feel like being late for work tomorrow!)
(I feel like I already do that every commercial break. I have pets – and a bladder!)
-StudyFinds
COMEDY OF A.I.s:
Is there anything it CAN’T do? A new study claims that AI can create jokes at an ““equally funny or funnier than human-produced” level. Researchers at University of Macerata tested the computer-generated comedy of the artificial intelligence program Chat GPT to “shed light on how funny” it is “to the general public.” The language learning model was instructed to write satirical headlines that might appear in the publication “The Onion.” In another test, AI’s ad-libbing abilities were compared to human non-professional comedians. In both, “ChatGPT 3.5-produced jokes were rated as equally funny or funnier than human-produced jokes, regardless of the expertise of the human comedy writer.” Maybe so, but when a newspaper conducted its own test, asking ChatGPT to come up with some jokes, these are the best it could do:
• Why don’t scientists trust atoms? Because they literally make up everything!
• Why did the scarecrow become a successful neurosurgeon? Because he was outstanding in his field!
• Why do biologists look forward to casual Fridays? Because they’re allowed to wear genes to work!
Then, when instructed to tell the “funniest joke” it could offer, ChatGPT responded: Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts!
(So, it turns out that ChatGPT is a dad…)
(Where is ChatGPT doing its “language learning”? Dixie Cups?)
-NYPost
STRANGE SPORTS THAT WERE ONCE PART OF THE SUMMER OLYMPICS:
The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony is tomorrow. If you think the new-to-the Olympics sport of breakdancing is odd, check out these events, which were once a part of the proceedings…
☞ Tug of War: It was an event at 5 games between 1900-20. If neither team succeeded to pull the other over the line after 5 minutes, a winner was declared based on who performed the best.
☞ Club Swinging: An event twice, in 1904 and 1932. Participants would perform a routine by swinging clubs that looked like bowling balls.
☞ Running Deer: In the early 1900s, competitors shot at a deer-shaped target which would move, or “run,” a distance of 75 feet.
☞ Dueling Pistols: In 1906, this bizarre event saw competitors shoot wax bullets at human-shaped targets dressed in long coats from a 20 or 30-meter distance.
☞ Fencing With Sticks: A one-time event in 1904, “Singlestick” was similar to fencing, but the weapon was a rounded wooden stick, about 34 inches long. (So – hockey?)
☞ Plunge for Distance: In 1904, this event saw competitors dive into a pool, then try not to move at all until one minute was up, or until they naturally floated to the surface. (It made for an incredible spectator experience…)
☞ Solo Synchronized Swimming: Between 1984-92, the intent was for the swimmer to synchronize their movements to music. The solo Olympic sport has since evolved into a team effort now known as Artistic Swimming. (But the very idea of “solo” synchronized swimming must have raised some eyebrows at the time!)
-TorStar
DID YOU KNOW?
Are CDs on their way back? Well, they’re definitely on their way back into a new Subaru, as a “throwback” option. The latest generation WRX has a number of ‘finishing touches’ available, allowing buyers to add all manner of extras, such as mud flaps, an engine underguard, and a first aid kit. But the most interesting – at least for 90s kids – is the optional CD player, neatly fitted under the center console’s armrest. Of course, with the shift to downloads and streaming services, not many manufacturers even offer a CD option anymore, but if you still have some discs kicking around, Subaru’s $375 CD Player Kit might be worth splashing out on. On the other hand, you could instead select the “automatic transmission” option for just $300… (What if you can’t work a CD player – OR a standard transmission?!?)
-SuperCarBlondie
BS CHRONOMETER 07.25.24
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Hot Fudge Sundae Day”, an annual excuse to indulge in this decadent hot n’ cold dessert. (And they couldn’t have arranged to have this on a ‘Sunday’?)
• “Merry-Go-Round Day” (or “Carousel Day”), the anniversary of the mechanical carousel’s first patent in 1871 by William Schneider of Davenport, Iowa. He didn’t invent it, though. Carousel rides may go back as far as 500AD. (The man who invented the Ferris wheel never met the man who invented the merry-go-round. They traveled in different circles!) [***BS FUN FACT: In the UK, they usually turn clockwise, while in North America and Mainland Europe, they typically go counter-clockwise.***]
• “Wine and Cheese Day”. Oh, all right … if we must!
• “Culinarians Day”, a special day to salute anyone who cooks. (I cook. But no one would call me a culinarian!)
• “Intern Day”, celebrating the leaders of tomorrow, and to bring attention to the challenges and inequalities that entry-level candidates face in the workforce. The day also serves to show companies how investing in internship programs is a way to invest in the future. (I got an internship at a nudist camp…just for the exposure!)
• “Thread the Needle Day”, a day for those who sew. The term “thread the needle”, is also a saying. It means to either walk a fine and difficult line between 2 things or issues, or to do something difficult.
• “Red Shoe Day”, founded in memory of Australian Lyme disease patient, Theda Myint, who died July 25, 2013. Red Shoe Day is an annual remembrance not only for Theda, but for all those lost to Lyme and other invisible illnesses.
• “National Chili Dog Day”. Alas, making decisions about what mouth-watering cuisine to satiate your appetite with during the sweltering summer months can be difficult. Do you want chili? Do you want hot dogs? Well, sometimes you CAN have it all…
COMING UP . . .
[Fri] All or Nothing Day
[Fri] Bagelfest Day
[Sat] Bagpipe Appreciation Day
[Sun] Soccer Day
This Month is…Doghouse Repairs Month
This Month is…Baked Bean Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1955 [69] Iman (Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid), Mogadishu Somalia, model/actress/TV host (“Project Runway Canada” 2007-09)/entrepreneur/widow of David Bowie
1965 [59] Illeana Douglas, Quincy MA, movie actress (“Cape Fear”, “To Die For”)/TV actress (“Goliath”, 2019)
1967 [57] Matt LeBlanc, Newton MA, TV actor (“Friends” 1994-2004, “Man With a Plan” 2016-20)/TV host (BBC’s “Top Gear” 2012, 2016-18)
1974 [50] Jay R. Ferguson, Dallas TX, TV actor (‘Ben’ on “The Connors” since 2018, ‘Stan’ on “Mad Men” 2010-15)
1985 [39] Shantel VanSanten, Luverne MN, TV actress (‘Julie Swagger’ on “Shooter” 2016-18, “One Tree Hill” 2009-2012)
2000 [24] Mason Cook, Oklahoma City, OK, TV actor (‘Ray DiMeo’ on “Speechless” 2016-19, “The Middle” 2009-13)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1990 [34] Roseanne Barr sings a shrieking and legendarily bad version of the American National Anthem at a Cincinnati Reds-San Diego Padres game. President George Bush refers to it as “disgraceful” (And at the time, we thought THIS would be the low point of her career…)
2020 [04] 2-time Academy Award-winner Olivia de Havilland (“Gone With the Wind”) dies at age 104
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1980 [44] AC/DC releases its first album without singer Bon Scott, who died 5 months earlier. “Back in Black”, featuring new frontman Brian Johnson, goes on to sell an estimated 50 million copies, the second best-selling album in history
2014 [10] Weird Al Yankovic’s 14th album, “Mandatory Fun”, featuring parodies of songs by Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke, Iggy Azalea, Lorde and Imagine Dragons, becomes the first comedy album to hit #1 in more than 50 years
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1978 [46] The world’s first ‘Test Tube Baby’ is born (Louise Brown of Manchester, England, who had been conceived outside her mother’s body using the new technique of ‘in-vitro fertilization’)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2010 [14] WikiLeaks publishes more than 76,900 classified documents about the war in Afghanistan, likely the largest leak in military history
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ A study found that people interrupt close friends or family more than they interrupt strangers.
✓ It takes one 15-20-year-old tree to produce 700 paper grocery bags.
✓ The Italian Space Agency sent a specially-designed espresso machine into space for one of its astronauts.
✓ Sea lions can dance to a beat.
✓ Some drug-sniffing dogs are now being trained to ignore marijuana.
✓ The average human would have to consume 300 hamburgers to match the equivalent of what hummingbirds eat every day to survive.
-UberFacts, BestLife
Best of BS . . .
San Diego Comic Con starts today. here are the…
BS PEOPLE YOU FIND AT A COMIC BOOK CONVENTION:
• The ‘Inappropriately Ogling the Lone Woman’ guy.
• The ‘Hoping that His Costume Will Make Him an Internet Meme’ guy.
• The ‘Blogging This to a Blog that Nobody Reads’ guy.
• The ‘Overestimated How Many Red Bulls He Could Drink’ guy.
• The ‘Thinks He Knows More than the Expert Panelists but Makes the Audience Groan with His Inane Questions’ guy.
• The ‘I’m Never Doing This Again for Him’ girl.
• Disappointed hookers.
-Adapted from BBSpot, first published in BS in 2015
BS REJECTED ANNIVERSARY CARDS:
• To another year of not finding anyone better.
• You’re 40! (…months behind in your child support payments)
• You’re the best starter husband a girl could wish for!
• Happy “Got Drunk in Vegas and Did Something Stupid Day.”
• I really thought you’d be dead by now.
• I love you… by the way, that dress DOES make you look fat.
• We’re such a great match. I like to travel, and you like to get around.
• When I said “For better or worse”, that was actually rhetorical.
• We need to talk.
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
BS WEB GOODIE:
World famous impressions of me at lunchtime: https://tinyurl.com/yjd9p2b2
BS RANDOM JOKE:
You may think no one is there for you, but there’s laundry. Laundry is always there for you.
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What was your embarrassing childhood nickname?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
15% of men and women say THIS is the most romantic place to kiss. Where is it?
Answer: In front of a fireplace
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
