Monday, June 14, 2021 — Edition: #7007

100% Grade A Bull!

 

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ First, it was the “Friends” reunion, now it’s the “Friends” cruise. A cruise dedicated to the beloved ’90s sitcom will be setting sail from Florida in May 2022. The cruise is not affiliated with Warner Bros., which owns the rights to “Friends”, nor will there be any cast members appearing, but for superfans, there’s plenty to do on board, including “Friends” trivia, a come-as-your-favorite-character costume contest and cooking demos. Nicknamed “The One When They Went on a Cruise.” The ship will depart from Fort Lauderdale, with stops in Key West, Mexico and Grand Cayman. (Just in case you need to be “on a break”!)
★ Valerie Bertinelli is headed back to scripted TV — to play Demi Lovato’s mother. The two will star in “Hungry”, a comedy pilot at NBC. The show, which is said to be “in contention” to air next year, revolves around friends who belong to a food issues support group. Bertinelli has been open about her own issues with food in the past, telling People in 2017, “It’s about finding balance and the forgiveness for when the scale doesn’t say what you want it to say.” The role will be Bertinelli’s first on a scripted project since “Hot in Cleveland” ended in 2015.
-HollywoodReporter
★ Kevin Bacon is slated to play the villain in “The Toxic Avenger” opposite Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay and Taylour Paige. “The Toxic Avenger” follows the monstrous protector of Tromaville, N.J., born when the mild-mannered ‘Melvin’ falls into a vat of toxic waste. He’s transformed into a repulsive yet lovable mutant hero who stands up to bullies and corruption with irreverent zeal — “doing good and brutally mauling evil in a no-holds-barred fashion”. Production is set to get underway in Bulgaria later this month.
-TheWrap
★ An anime prequel to “The Lord of the Rings” is in development. New Line Cinema has partnered with Warner Bros. animation on the new feature, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.” The stand-alone movie will tell the story of the bloody saga behind Helm’s Deep, the fortress depicted in the middle part of the trilogy “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and the man who it is named after, ‘Helm Hammerhand’, the King of Rohan.
-ContactMusic

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Elisabeth Moss, Omar Sy, Valerie June
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Ethan Hawke, Ilana Glazer, Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Jon Stewart, H.E.R., Dana Carvey
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Luke Wilson, Juno Temple, MARINA, Stevie Nistor
• ” The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Hugh Grant, Mike Colter, TOMORROW X TOGETHER
• “Conan” (TBS): Patton Oswalt
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Daisy Kelliher, Capt. Glenn Shephard
• “The Talk” (CBS): Helen Hunt, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Amanda Kloots, Anna Kloots, guest co-hosts Ne-Yo & Mark Sanchez
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Tyrese Gibson, Amy Nofziger
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Debbie Allen, Madeline Brewer, guest host Stephen “tWitch” Boss
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Hunter Fieri
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Rosario Dawson, Retta, Carmen Rita Wong, Dr. Argie Allen-Wilson (R)
• “The Celebrity Dating Game” (ABC): Premiere. Hosted by Zooey Deschanel and Michael Bolton with a roster of celebrity singles from TV, music, comedy, and film in their pursuit to find love.
• “The Republic of Sarah” (CW): Premiere. The bucolic tranquility of Greylock, New Hampshire, is upended when a massive vein of an incredibly valuable mineral is discovered under the town.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Ariana Grande — is reportedly launching a beauty line. She filed a trademark for a line of beauty products named after her 2018 single ‘God Is A Woman’. It covers everything from skincare to body products, including mists, soufflés, perfumes, shower and bath gels.
• Ed Sheeran – On Friday, he teased his new single ‘Bad Habits’, announcing that the song will be out on June 25 — his first official release since his 2019 “No. 6 Collaborations Project”. He shared a short clip from the song’s music video, featuring him in vampire makeup. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/dnmxyptr
• Def Leppard – Friday, they released “Volume 3”. The box set collects their three 2000s albums along with B-sides, demos, and unreleased recordings from the band’s vault. The 6-CD or 9-LP limited-edition set, includes 2002’s “X”, the 2006 covers album “Yeah!”, and the 2008’s “Songs From the Sparkle Lounge”.
• The Killers — have shared a preview of their upcoming Bruce Springsteen collaboration ‘Dustland’, which comes out on Wednesday. The Boss also says he has been working on “3 songs” with John Mellencamp. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/8x9crtd5
• Sinead O’Connor – has unretired. In a Twitter statement proclaiming her return, she says the media (or “pigs in lipstick”, as she put it) made her announce her retirement last week, in a “knee-jerk reaction” to U.K. and Canada reporters, who didn’t respect her request not to ask about prior trauma in her life.
• High Valley — Curtis Rempel has announced he is leaving the band to his brother, Brad, and returning to Canada to open an unspecified business with his wife. High Valley has released one full-length CD and 2 EPs, including last year’s “Grew Up On That.” While far more successful commercially in Canada, the duo has 2 US top-20 hits: ‘Make You Mine’ in 2016 and ‘She’s With Me” the following year.
• Brett Young – will release the children’s book “Love You, Little Lady” on Aug. 24. Inspired by the lyrics to his #1 hit ‘Lady’, the book is essentially a love letter to his daughter Presley, as he shares what it is like to hear her heartbeat, hold her for the first time and watch her take her first steps.
• Midland – singer Mark Wystrach has landed a role in the upcoming film “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”, about the life of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. He will portray Gary S. Paxton, a musician who was linked to the Bakkers in 1987 as rumors began to spread about a fling between Paxton and Tammy Faye. The movie arrives in theaters on Sept. 17.
• Clint Black – He and his wife, Lisa Hartman Black, have announced their first full tour together in their 30-year marriage. The “Mostly Hits & the Mrs. Tour” comprises of 23 gigs over 4 months, kicking off Nov. 18 in Wichita Falls, TX, and concluding Feb 14, 2022 in New Orleans.

SHOOTING THE BULL

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME:
Ongoing travel restrictions and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic has led to drastic increases in the form of holidaying known as “home swapping”. Frugal holiday makers have been doing it for years to save on accommodation costs and enjoy a different type of vacation experience, but UK-based company Love Home Swap reported a 282% increase in new customers last year, and rival company Holiday Swap saw growth of 20%. Obviously, one of the attractions is the price. After paying a membership fee equal to about what you’d pay for one night in a hotel, people can basically stay in someone else’s home for free – provided they make their home available to others for the same amount of time. That means you can travel as much as you like to wherever you’d like to go without worrying about accommodation costs. And many die-hards say they end up going places and doing things that they never would have been able to do otherwise.  While travel restrictions mean international home swapping opportunities are limited right now, it doesn’t mean that people can’t plan long trips in the future – while enjoying closer getaways this summer.
(Or in my case, start cleaning up my house now, so it might be ready by the end of the pandemic!)
(I just couldn’t do it. Too many skeletons in my closet…literally!)
(What? You mean “home-swapping” means my family gets to come too?)
(Would YOU ‘swap’ your home for a week? Why or why not?)
-CNN

THEY DON’T CALL IT THAT FOR NOTHING:
On the heels of that recent study that found early-risers are less at risk of depression, now scientists are saying they’ve come up with another possible treatment: Laughing gas. In clinical trials, University of Chicago researchers found a low dose of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, can relieve symptoms of depression that are otherwise resistant to current drugs. Even better, the benefits appear to last for several weeks and come with very few side effects. Oddly enough, when nitrous oxide was first discovered in the late 1700s, chemists in England threw laughing gas parties for an elite crowd. Guests reported feeling euphoric and pain-free, and the gas was adapted for use in dentistry and surgery. But in the past few years, scientists have been re-examining it for use as an antidepressant.
(Besides laughing gas, other things on their list of possible treatments: a barrel of laughs, giggle juice, and doing the happy dance…)
(There actually IS one possible side-effect: Becoming the star of a viral video!)
(So there you go – Knock yourself out!)
-ScienceAlert

NEW PRODUCT LEAK:
If you’ve ever spilled a drink on your pants while out in public and thought: “I look like I peed me pants. Cool!”, then Wet Pants Denim is probably for you. The company is selling jeans designed to make it look like you’ve had an accident. Yup, they make jeans featuring what appears to be a wet spot front and center. On its website, the company says their product have a “wet look, dry feel”, and “are designed to mimic the aesthetic of urinary incontinence without the commonly associated discomfort”. The company’s founder – a 20-something dude from Manhattan who won’t reveal his name – also refused to share the company’s sales figures, but confirmed that Wet Pants Denim’s products are “100% real”. How much does it cost to look like you’ve lost control? $75.
(Niche market. I’m guessing only target customers would be my crazy Uncle Larry, that guy on the corner, and Gary Busey!)
(I’ve been accused of wearing “floods” before . . . but never like THIS!)
(And what happens if you DO have an accident? They look dry? You get a prize? You smell like pee?)
-CNBC

THE WORLD’S MOST-LIVEABLE CITIES IN 2021:
(…according to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index of 140 cities around the world. For this year’s ranking, how a destination fared in combating COVID-19 was considered, along with all the usual criteria…)
1. Auckland, New Zealand
2. Osaka, Japan
3. Adelaide, Australia
4. Tokyo, Japan
6. Perth Australia
7. Zurich, Switzerland
8. Geneva, Switzerland
8. Melbourne, Australia (tie)
10. Brisbane, Australia
(The annual list was not compiled in 2020, but Vienna, Austria, which came out on top in both 2018 and 2019, dropped out of the top 10 after being heavily affected by Covid, and now sits at #12.)

… AND THE LEAST LIVABLE:
1. Damascus, Syria
2. Lagos, Nigeria
3. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
4. Dhaka, Bangladesh
5. Algiers, Algeria
(Obviously, The EIU is NOT familiar with my neighbors…)
-CNN

DID YOU KNOW?
Have you ever come across a colleague — or, even worse, an ex — on Tinder? The popular dating app is fixing that. Tinder is tolling out the new feature “Block Contacts” that will allow users to avoid awkward encounters with exes, cousins, bosses or just about anyone they would rather not see — or be seen by. As the name suggests, the new feature will allow users to block any or all of their phone contacts within the app. In a recent survey, 40% of users said they had stumbled across an ex-partner on dating apps, while 24% had seen a family member or colleague. 10% even came across a professor’s profile. (And 31% said they had already hit on all of them, anyway…)
-NYPost

BS CHRONOMETER 06.14.21

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1946 [75] Donald Trump, NYC, politician (US President 2017-21)/reality TV show host (“Celebrity Apprentice” 2004-15)/real estate billionaire (Trump Tower)/author (“The Art of the Deal”)

1961 [60] Boy George (George Alan O’Dowd), London England, pop singer (Culture Club – ‘Karma Chameleon’, ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?’)

1968 [53] Yasmine Bleeth, NYC, TV actress (“Baywatch” 1993-97, “One Life to Live” 1991-93)

1987 [34] Tyler Johnston, New Westminster BC, TV actor (‘Stuart’ on “Letterkenny” since 1026)

1989 [32] Lucy Hale, Memphis TN, TV actress (‘Aria Montgomery’ on “Pretty Little Liars” 2010-17) COMING UP…”Big Gold Brick”, 2021

1992 [29] Daryl Sabara, Torrance CA, movie actor (“Spy Kids” franchise, “The Polar Express”) married to pop singer Meghan Trainor since 2018

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bourbon Day”, a day to raise a glass of the sweetened amber spirit to celebrate the splendor of this great American whiskey. Most recipes use about 70% corn, which gives it its nickname of ‘corn whiskey’. Although the origin of the name ‘bourbon’ is unclear, contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

• “Family History Day”, a day to ‘share the folklore, legends and myths of your family tree’.
(This message brought to you by ancestory.com)

• “Strawberry Shortcake Day”, either on a shortcake biscuit or on a sponge cake, strawberry shortcake is an easy and delicious summertime dessert.

• “World Blood Donor Day”, dedicated to thanking and celebrating voluntary blood donors around-the-globe. It occurs on the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, who created the ABO blood group system, which is still used today. (Whenever I’m sad, I just read my blood donor ID. It says “B positive”!)

• “American Flag Day”, commemorating John Adams’ 1777 recommendation to Congress that the ‘Stars & Stripes’ be adopted as America’s flag.

• “Pop Goes the Weasel Day”, celebrating the rhyme we’ve known since childhood and the tune that sticks in our heads every time we hear it played by an ice cream truck . . . (the definition of anticipation? The look on a kid’s face while hearing that song and winding up a Jack in the Box)

• “International Bath Day”, on today’s date—one week before the start of summer—Archimedes, a Greek scientist and mathematician, was taking a bath when he noticed that the water level rose when he got in, and it occurred to him that the volume of an object could be measured by submerging it in water.

COMING UP . . .
[Tues] Lobster Day
[Tues] Smile Day
[Wed] Fresh Veggies Day
[Wed] Fudge Day
This Week Is…Men’s Health Week
This Month Is…Rose Month

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1976 [45] “The Gong Show”, hosted by Chuck Barris, makes its TV premiere

2015 [06] “Jurassic World” becomes the first film to make $500 million worldwide in its opening weekend

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2002 [19] (Sir) Mick Jagger is knighted by Prince Charles. (According to the British Press, The Queen avoided personally giving Sir Mick his knighthood because she thought he was an inappropriate candidate. She scheduled knee surgery for the day before the honors were to be handed out.)

2017 [04] The National Music Publishers Association gives Yoko Ono the Centennial Award for song of the century and adds her name to the songwriting credits of the winning song, ‘Imagine’. Lennon originally took sole credit, but later admitted he got the idea from Ono

TODAY IN SPORTS…
1994 [27] The New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years by defeating the Vancouver Canucks 4 games to 3.

BULL’S BITS

BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ A bolt of lightning is 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.
✓ Pearls melt in vinegar.
✓ The creator of Legos made a policy of no military sets because he didn’t want war to seem like child’s play.
✓ Nike Air Soles do not actually have air in them.
✓ You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than a poisonous spider.
✓ In Mexico, the Tooth Fairy is known as the ‘Tooth Mouse’.
-WhattheFFacts, RandomFactGenerator

Best of BS . . .
SIGNS YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO AT WORK:
• You’ve already read the entire Dilbert page-a-day calendar for all of 2021.
• People only come into your office to borrow pencils from your ceiling.
• You now require only a single can of cola to belch the names of all seven Dwarfs.
• You discover that staring at your cubicle wall long enough produces images of Elvis.
• You’ve figured out a way to get Gilligan off the island.
• No longer content with merely photocopying your hand, you now scan it, enhance it with Photoshop, and distribute it to everyone on your contacts using only voice commands.
• The 4th Division of Paperclips has overrun the Pushpin Infantry, and General White-Out has called for reinforcements.
• You have now officially read the internet.
-Rantnroll, first published in BS in 2001

TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ That nun who ran a Torrance, California, Catholic school has pleaded guilty to stealing funds to finance her gambling addiction. (Shaking my head. Such a bad habit…)
➠ The U.S. National Spelling Bee is happening right now. (People think spelling doesn’t matter anymore. But those people are wrong. W-O-N-G . . . wrong!)
➠ Wheel of Fortune’s Pat Sajak revealed via Twitter that his dog of 12 years has passed away.  (The tweet was hard to understand because Sajak didn’t use any vowels…)
➠ Former US president Donald Trump is 75 today. (He is sad his parents aren’t around anymore because he used to call them on his birthday to congratulate them!)
➠ Of nearly 1,000 fathers surveyed, 52% actively barbecue, making grilling accessories one of the most popular items to get dad for Father’s Day. (Me? My favorite cooking accessory is GrubHub)

BS U-PICK “DAD-JOKE” TRIVIA:
(***With Fathers Day coming up, have contestant give the correct answer to the ‘Dad joke’…***)
• What time did the man go to the dentist? (A: Tooth-hurty!)
• Why did the Clydesdale give the pony a glass of water? (A: He was a little horse!)
• What’s Forrest Gump’s password? (A: 1Forrest1)
• Why do crabs never share? (A: They’re shellfish!)
• What does it make you if you see a robbery at the Apple store? (A: An iWitness!)
-BuzzFeed

BS WEB GOODIE:  Wife: Any ideas for what you want the wedding reception to look like? Husband: https://tinyurl.com/8vtrnnzu

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I just dumped M&Ms into my mask so I can eat them like a horse…

BS PHONE STARTER:
If you could pick any 2 celebs to be your parents, who would they be?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  In a poll of 1,000 mask-wearers, 1 in 4 shockingly admitted that they have done THIS. What is it?
Answer:  Shared one

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.