Wednesday, July 7, 2021 – Edition: #7023
It’s Another Running Of the Bull!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Britney Spears’ longtime manager Larry Rudolph has announced his resignation in a letter to her conservators, citing her intent to “officially retire” from music. Rudolph said he last communicated with Spears more than two and a half years ago, when she informed him “she wanted to take an indefinite work hiatus.” In January 2019, Spears abruptly suspended her Las Vegas residency due to her father’s health issues. She has not performed since. In his letter to Spears’ conservators, Rudolph pointed out that he was “never” part of her conservatorship or its operations.
-Yahoo
★ Quentin Tarantino is the proud new owner of another historic movie palace in Los Angeles, the Vista Theatre. He already owns the New Beverly Cinema, which he’s operated since 2007. Tarantino says that while the Vista is a “crown jewel”, his new investment the New Bev has “its own vibe.” He says there, he can show older films, sometimes for 4-night engagements. He also has a connection to the Vista. It appeared in the film he wrote “True Romance” as the location where Patricia Arquette and Christian Slater’s characters first meet.
-TheWrap
★ Filmmaker Richard Donner, who helped create the modern superhero blockbuster with 1978’s “Superman”, and mastered the buddy comedy with the “Lethal Weapon” franchise, has died at 91. He gained fame with his first feature, “The Omen” in 1976. A then-unheard-of offer followed: $1 million to direct Superman. Donner channeled his love of the character into the film, repeatedly facing off with producers over the need for special effects that would convince the audience that a superhero could really fly. In the title role, Donner cast Christopher Reeve, who was associated with Superman for the rest of his life.
-CBC
★ Gordon Ramsay covered a newlywed couple’s bill of around $2,200 after they accused him and his camera crew of ruining their special day. Charlie and Laura Willis tied the knot at Lusty Glaze beach, in Cornwall, U.K., last month. They paid for a gourmet meal for six guests, at around $86 a head. But they said the meal ended up being “cheap and nasty” because Ramsay took over the kitchen while shooting his new show “Future Food Stars”. Despite saying they felt like “extras” on their big day, the wedding party had not secured exclusive use of the beach. But Ramsay and producer Sharon Powers decided to “unruin” the couple’s special day by paying for the wedding meal in full, and writing a letter of apology.
-ETCanada
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Colin Farrell, Japanese Breakfast, guest host Wanda Sykes
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Seth Meyers, Annie Murphy, Coldplay (R)
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Robert Duvall (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): David Harbour, Josh O’Connor, Garbage, Brendan Buckley (R)
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Zion Williamson, Years & Years (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Wanda Sykes, Kim Fields (R)
• “The Talk” (CBS): Jaime Camil, Arielle Vandenberg, guest co-hosts Debbie Matenopoulos & Victor Cruz
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Vivica A. Fox, Jenny McCuiston
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): RuPaul, John Kanell, Saweetie, guest host Loni Love
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Scarlett Johansson, Jaren Lewison, Cassadee Pope
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Josh Lucas, Ali Wentworth, Molly Yeh (R)
• “Big Brother” (CBS): Season 23 premiere
• “Love Island” (CBS): Season 3 premiere
• “Stanley Cup Finals” (CBC, SN, NBC): Game 5. Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Lana Del Rey – Although her new album “Blue Banisters” was scheduled to drop on July 4, on Saturday night, she wrote on Insta: “Album out later later”, and shared the Blue Banisters album art and a teaser for a new, as-yet-untitled single. Del Rey wrote that the song will be “out soonish.”
• Grimes — has teased that her new album is a “space opera” about an AI lesbian romance. She has been working with Canadian songwriter Illangelo – a longtime collaborator of The Weeknd.
• Twisted Sister — singer Dee Snider says he was paid $300,000 for the use of a re-recorded version of the song ‘I Wanna Rock’ in “The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie”, released in 2004. At first, he rejected having the lyrics changed to ‘Goofy Goober Rock’, but when he found out the kind of money that was being thrown his way, Snider admits that he would have re-recorded the song himself if asked.
• UB40 — have announced Kioko’s Matt Doyle as their new lead singer. Duncan Campbell, who had a stroke in August 2020, recently announced he had ended his tenure in the group to focus on his recovery.
• The Monkees — Micky Dolenz says he has no plans to retire. He’ll reunite with Mike Nesmith for the band’s farewell tour in September. But the 76-year-old says while that is the “last hurrah” for The Monkees, he’s not going anywhere. Quote: “I tried it once, and I got bored, so it’s not in my plans right now.”
• Queen – Their “Queen’s Greatest Hits” could return to #1 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart this week following the release of a 40th anniversary edition – for the first time since 1981. It’s already the top selling album of all time in the UK, with more than 6 million sold.
• Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani — As you’ve probably heard, they’re married! The couple were wed on Saturday in a ceremony held in a chapel on Shelton’s Oklahoma ranch. On Instagram, Stefani shared 3 photos from the celebration. This is Shelton’s third marriage and Stefani’s second.
• Luke Combs — As promised, he delivered a second new, unreleased song to fans in time for the holiday weekend. ‘Five Leaf Clover’ finds him grateful for all of the blessings he’s received — and, frankly, a little shocked that they’ve all come his way. It follows ‘Good Old Days’, both of which were shared via live performance videos. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/dx25nke3
SHOOTING THE BULL
EXPIRY DATE:
A new online calculator lets user predict when they’re going to die. The “Risk Evaluation for Support: Predictions for Elder-Life in the Community Tool” (RESPECT), was put together by scientists using data from almost a half-million older adults who had been given five years or less to live. They were surveyed about various health conditions and were tracked between 2013 and 2017, to try to understand the needs and health care plans of elderly people. The researchers say they hope the calculator will improve health care services in the future. Users answer a few simple questions, including about long-term health problems including dementia, stroke or hypertension. Keep in mind, though, the calculator is specifically for people likely to die within the next 5 years who are currently using or need home care. The calculator’s originators at the University of Ottawa say it could be a useful tool to help an adult child plan when to take a leave of absence from work to be with a parent, or decide when to take the last family vacation together.
LINK: https://www.respect.projectbiglife.ca/
(Or if they’d like to know when they can expect to have access to Grandpa’s new truck…)
(I tried it on Sunday morning, when I felt like I was gonna die by noon…)
-LADBible
SURVEY SAYS:
⇒ A new study has found that many of us believe that playing video games will help them reach the “next level” in their careers. Nearly half of the 2,000 Americans surveyed credit many of their successes in life to gaming. 42% said they’ve learned more life skills through video games than in school. But how does the “video game mentality” help someone in their career? 68% admit to getting competitive when playing video games, and almost two-thirds consider their competitiveness an advantage when it comes to pushing through difficult situations. Another six in 10 believe they gained a keener creative eye or better problem-solving skills. A similar amount (59%) feel video games improved their hand-eye coordination, while others learned time management skills (50%). (Well, I have to admit – Gaming did teach me the important 2021 career skill of sitting at home all day in front of a screen in your underwear!)
⇒ 60% of us believe it’s only a matter of time before Earth is the target of an alien invasion. Fortunately, if things turn out like the movie “Independence Day,” 80% say they have a plan on how to deal with any ‘space invaders’. The problem? many of those plans involve hiding under the bed or simply bursting into sheer panic. The poll, conducted by OnePoll, in honor of World UFO Day on July 2, found other folks’ alien invasion plans include calling their parents for help and stocking up on toilet paper. Others say they’ll flee to the countryside or simply make tea and welcome their new alien overlords. 63% of the 2,000 UK residents polled say they’d welcome an alien if they saw one land. And one in 20 people claim they’ve already seen an extraterrestrial. (Sure, Let ‘em take over. It’s not like they could screw up the planet worse than we have!)
-StudyFinds
THE DIRT ON DIRT:
There is still more than enough dirt and germs out there to keep our immune systems strong, according to scientists. In a new paper University College London researchers say that the rise in allergies is not, as many people believe, due to our environment being too clean. They say that we still come into contact with the microorganisms that are useful for regulating our immune system, and that hand washing and clean surfaces ensure that we are less likely to meet the ones that cause disease. The paper says that while exposure to microorganisms in early life is essential for the ‘education’ of the immune and metabolic systems, we, in modern society, are not “too clean for our own good.”
(Trust me, my place is NOT “too clean for our own good”!)
(Fine. But please explain, then, why my kid is apparently “allergic” to all vegetables…)
-TheTimes, SciTechDaily
TALES FROM THE INSIDE:
According to a Reddit thread, here are some industry secrets from people who supposedly have insider’s knowledge . . .
➢ “When you ask a grocery store worker to check the back for an item, 99% of the time they just walk away, stand for a few moments, and come back.”
➢ “I was a funeral home worker for five years. The price of caskets are hugely marked up, but it is illegal for a funeral home to not let you source your own casket.”
➢ “The repairman who shows up at your house to fix something is usually the one deciding how much to charge you. Being nice can save you a lot of money”
➢ “I’m a preschool teacher, and you should know your children tell us nearly everything about what goes on in your home.”
➢ “I work in HR, and if you put the keywords from the job listing in your résumé, you’ll almost be qualified. We search for those words instead of reading an entire résumé.”
➢ “I work for a web design agency. We charge anywhere from $5,000 to $200,000 for web projects, but we outsource 90% of those projects to India for $200.”
➢ (***Caution***) “I used to work on commercial radio. It’s never caller #5 who wins. It’s the caller who sounds best on air.”
-Buzzfeed
DID YOU KNOW?
In 2018, researchers at New York’s Stony Brook University School of Medicine claimed they were able to determine that humans are aware when they’re dead. It isn’t due to some window into the afterlife or supernatural elements. They found that the brain is still active for a time after the organs and heart stop functioning. The death of brain cells can take hours to close out the death process in the human body, according the researchers. In that period, people apparently become aware that they are dying.
-Diply
BS CHRONOMETER 07.07.21
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1940 [81] Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey), Liverpool UK, rock drummer-singer (‘You’re Sixteen’, The Beatles-‘Yellow Submarine’)
1949 [72] Shelley Duvall, Houston TX, movie actress (“The Shining”, “Popeye”)
1963 [58] Vonda Shepard, New York NY, pop singer (‘Searchin’ My Soul’, w/Dan Hill-‘Can’t We Try’)/TV actress (“Ally McBeal” 1997-2002)
1966 [55] Jim Gaffigan, Elgin IN, comedian (“The Jim Gaffigan Show” 2015-16)
1968 [53] Jorja Fox, New York City NY, TV actress (‘Sara Sidle’ on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” 2000-15)
1968 [53] Amy Carlson, Glen Ellyn IL, TV actress (‘Linda Reagan’ on “Blue Bloods” 2010-17)
1972 [49] Kirsten Vangsness, Pasadena CA, TV actress (‘Penelope Garcia’ on “Criminal Minds” since 2005)
1981 [40] Synyster Gates (Brian Elwin Haner Jr), Huntington Beach CA, metal guitarist-vocalist (Avenged Sevenfold-‘This Means War’, ‘Hail To the King’)
1994 [27] Ashton Irwin, Sydney Australia, pop drummer (5 Seconds of Summer-‘Youngblood’, ‘She Looks So Perfect’)
1995 [26] Maddie Marlow, Sugarland TX, country singer (Maddie & Tae-‘Fly’, ‘Girl In a Country Song’)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Chocolate Day”, started by the Confectioners Association to promote what is almost every woman’s (and many a man’s) weakness. Some say chocolate from the New World (mostly Mexico) was introduced to Europe on this date in 1550. Suggestions for today’s menu …
– Breakfast: Chocolate cereal; chocolate cream-filled donuts; hot chocolate.
– Morning Snack: Chocolate bar to give you a boost until lunch.
– Lunch: A big tall glass of chocolate milk; chocolate pie or pudding for dessert.
– Afternoon Snack: Chocolate covered raisins, which contain both vegetable and fruit.
– Dinner: Chocolate liqueur aperitif; chocolate-flavored coffee; chocolate cake.
– Evening Snack: Chocolate ice cream, of course!
• “Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together Day”. If she’s a teenager, good luck! Like, are you tryin’ to embarrass her or what?
• “Global Forgiveness Day”, begun in 1994 as an excuse for us to get in touch with our need to forgive and be forgiven. A good day to knock that chip off your shoulder and make peace.
• “Macaroni Day”, saluting one of the more popular forms of pasta. How would the average student survive without mac & cheese?
• “Tell the Truth Day”, challenging each of us to go an entire day without telling a lie or saying anything misleading or dishonest. Is this possible? (The only time a politician tells the truth is when he calls another politician a liar!)
• “National Dive Bar Day”, From the one-time speakeasy to the little hole-in-the-wall, the dive bar is like an old pair of jeans; it just fits right. Urban Dictionary calls a dive bar “A well-worn, unglamorous bar, often serving a cheap, simple selection of drinks to a regular clientele.” (I’ll drink to THAT!)
COMING UP . . .
[Thurs] Be a Kid Again Day
[Thurs] Ice Cream Sundae Day
[Fri] Call of the Horizon Day
[Fri] Fashion Day
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2011 [10] “Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 2”, the final film based on the wizard fantasy books, premieres in London on its way to becoming the year’s top-grossing movie
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2007 [14] “Live Earth: Concerts For a Climate In Crisis” take place in 11 locations on all 7 continents, featuring performances by over 150 acts including Garth Brooks, Kanye West, Metallica, Genesis, Duran Duran, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kelly Clarkson, Bon Jovi, Shakira, and Lenny Kravitz (and emits about 7 trillion tons of carbon into the atmosphere)
2009 [12] Hundreds-of-thousands converge on LA’s Staples Center at a public memorial for Michael Jackson (millions more watch on TV and the internet)
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1928 [93] Sliced bread is sold for the first time by the Chillicothe Baking Company, Missouri. It is described as the greatest thing since bread was wrapped.
2007 [14] The ‘New Seven Wonders Of the World’ are unveiled (Great Wall of China, Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue, Peru’s Machu Picchu, Mexico’s Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, the Colosseum in Rome, India’s Taj Mahal, and Petra in Jordan)
2013 [08] Andy Murray defeats Novak Djokovic in straight sets to become the first Brit to win men’s singles at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships since Fred Perry in 1936
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Turkeys do not have belly buttons.
✓ Elvis Presley didn’t write any of his songs.
✓ None of The Beatles could read music.
✓ The average car has 30,000 parts.
✓ The town of Ding Dong Texas is located in Bell County.
✓ Alexander Graham Bell refused to have a phone in his study because the ringing drove him nuts.
-Buzzfeed, BathroomReadersInstitute
Best of BS . . .
BS ODD COSTCO POLICIES:
• Hot dogs come in 240 packs, but hot dog buns come in 200 packs.
• Buy one 40-pound tub of mayo, get one free.
• No signs on aisles, so you have to walk through every one to find tuna in the coffee aisle next to the booster cables.
• If you can stand in the dairy section wearing nothing but cut-offs & a tube-top for an hour, you get free milk.
• One lifetime supply per customer.
• Must use the same toothpick for all free samples.
• If you find something you’ve never seen before, you must buy TWO just in case it’s the best thing ever.
• Coffins are only sold in 3-packs.
• If your cart isn’t full, go back and try harder this time.
• No pants, no samples.
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2020
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ Shark Week kicks off this Sunday. (All I know about Sharks is that they cry at the end of “Jaws” and laugh at the end of “Titanic”!)
➠ I just read that men are 3-4 times more likely to drive drunk than women. (True…at least until Lindsay Lohan falls off the wagon again!)
➠ I just read that on average, people fall in love 7 times before marriage. (Yeah, but that was BEFORE the selfie…)
➠ Fact: In 2009, Nigerian police arrested a goat on suspicion of attempted armed robbery. (You’ve got to be KIDDING…)
➠ Fact of the Day: Hitting ‘snooze’ on your alarm can make you more tired than if you had gotten up right away. (But trying to explain this to my kids is more tiring than getting up OR hitting the snooze button!)
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• Each of a classic Rubik’s Cube 6 faces is covered by how many stickers?
a) 9 [CORRECT]
b) 12
c) 16
d) 17
• The Nintendo GameCube was replaced by which video game console in 2006?
a) Nintendo Wii [CORRECT]
b) Nintendo 64
c) Nintendo Switch
d) ColecoVision
• Which Elton John song did US President Donald Trump use to nickname North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un?
a) Tiny Dancer
b) Honky Cat
c) Rocket Man [CORRECT]
d) Island Girl
-Trivia.fyi
BS WEB GOODIE:
Next-level begging skills: https://tinyurl.com/5un6py2
BS RANDOM JOKE:
It was love at first sight. Then I took a second look!
BS PHONE STARTER:
What food that you’ve never eaten before, would you like to try?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: In a survey, over 50% of people said a sign of true love is know THIS about your partner. What Is it?
Answer: Their phone, email or Facebook password
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.
