Monday, November 7, 2022 – Edition: #7353
Get a Load of This Sheet!
SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Aaron Carter, a former child pop singer and younger brother of Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter, has died at age 34. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call for help at Carter’s Lancaster, California home on Saturday morning, where he was found dead in his bathtub, according to a report. Authorities gave no information about a possible cause of death. Carter, who first found fame as a boy with pop songs like ‘I Want Candy’ and ‘Crush on You’, was also known for his roles on television shows such as “Lizzie McGuire” and “7th Heaven.” He also appeared on his family’s reality series “House of Carters.” He is survived by his 11-month-old son, Prince.
-CNN
★ [***UPDATE Rebel Wilson says she and Ramona Agruma are NOT engaged. She wrote on her Instagram Story, alongside an image of the pair together at Disneyland: “Thanks for the well-wishes, but we are NOT engaged.”***]
Rebel Wilson is engaged! The 42-year-old “Pitch Perfect” actress has been in a relationship with businesswoman Ramona Agruma since April, and they’re reportedly set to tie the knot, after telling onlookers about their engagement while at George Clooney’s Halloween party. Although it is not clear who popped the question, the proposal is said to have taken place a couple of weeks ago, and they marked their engagement with matching diamond rings. Wilson initially went public with her romance in June, announcing her sexuality to the world at the same time.
-Bang!
★ Johnny Depp is no longer dating his lawyer. It has been confirmed that Depp and Joelle Rich, who represented him in his UK libel lawsuit, are no longer seeing each other. In September, it was reported that the 59-year-old actor and the London lawyer were “dating, but it’s not serious.” Rich was on Depp’s legal team during his libel case against The Sun, which he lost in November 2020. He sued the newspaper for calling him a “wife-beater,” but the court upheld the outlet’s claims as being “substantially true”. Rich was not among his lawyers in this year’s defamation case against ex-wife Amanda Heard, which was held in Fairfax County, Virginia.
-People
★ HBO has switched off “Westworld”. The network has decided to cancel the sci-fi drama after its recent 4th season. It’s an unexpected fate for a series that was once considered one of HBO’s biggest tentpoles — an acclaimed mystery-box drama that racked up 54 Emmy nominations (including a supporting actress win for Thandiwe Newton). Last month, co-creator Jonathan Nolan said that he hoped HBO would give the series a 5th season to wrap up the show’s ambitious story, which chronicled a robot uprising that changed the fate of humanity. But ratings for the pricey series fell off sharply for its third season, then dropped even further for season 4.
-HollywoodReporter
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Dana Carvey, Jonathan Majors, SoFaygo
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Ryan Reynolds, Jen Psaki, Smino
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Gayle King, Bobby Cannavale, Benny Greb
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Cedric the Entertainer, Lena Dunham, OneRepublic (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Evan Rachel Wood, Daniel Radcliffe
• The View” (ABC/CTV): Nicolle Wallace
• “The Talk” (CBS): Lena Waithe, Kym Whitley
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Laverne Cox, Sara Gilbert
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Angela Bassett, Raymond Lee, Lindsey Stirling
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Millie Bobbie Brown
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Beth Behrs, Aldis Hodge
• “Sherri” (Check local listings): Shaunie and Keion Henderson
• “The Voice” (NBC): 3-way knockouts conclude, a winner is selected to move on to the live playoffs.
• “NFL Football (ESPN): Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints
• “Holiday Baking Championship” (Food): Season 9 premiere. Jesse Palmer welcomes the 12 bakers by challenging them to create fall pavlova wreaths; the competitors divide into cake and pie teams to decide the best holiday dessert and win immunity.
• “9-1-1” (Fox): Athena and the 118 race to the rescue when a fading movie star is plagued by a series of near-death experiences.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Drake – Megan Thee Stallion has clapped back after his new album with 21 Savage dropped on Friday, in which he appears to take a jab at her, doubting her story about being hit in a 2020 shooting incident. She tweeted: “Stop using my shooting for clout..Since when tf is it cool to joke abt women getting shot!”
• Camila Cabello — has shared her version of ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’, and fans are loving her Latin twist on the holiday classic. She first debuted it on “Michael Bublé’s Christmas in the City” TV special in 2021, but it hadn’t been released until now. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2p8r7mef
• Jay-Z – is in talks with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos about a potential joint bid to buy the Washington Commanders NFL team, according to several reports. Jay-Z is a former part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets.
• Duran Duran — original guitarist Andy Taylor was unable to attend the band’s induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Sat. due to stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. Taylor had kept his illness secret since being diagnosed 4 years ago. He had planned to reunite with his bandmates for the occasion, but in a statement, he said he suffered a setback “a week or so ago.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/4cpsujb9
• Guns N’ Roses — have released a new version of ‘November Rain’, featuring a 50-piece orchestra. The re-imagined single is a part of the 30th-anniversary reissue of the band’s 1991 album “Use Your Illusion”, which drops this Friday. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3xe6sppz
• Neil Young — A 1971 documentary called “Harvest Time”, will premiere in theaters worldwide on Dec. 1, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his classic album “Harvest”. It is described as a “never-been-seen-before fan piece including footage from Northern California, London and Nashville, during [Harvest’s] creation”. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/n8ayvbzh
• Maren Morris – Friday, she dropped “Humble Quest: In Rare Form”. It features 7 stripped-back versions of songs from her “Humble Quest” album, which came out in March. She and her band self-produced the project. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/bdf63sfx
• Darius Rucker – has announced he’ll release a new album, “Carolyn’s Boy,” next year. During an interview with “Today” anchor Craig Melvin, he said: “At the end of the day, I’m really still just Carolyn’s Boy”. The album cover will feature a photo of his late mother, Carolyn.
• Luke Bryan – Tonight, he’ll join his CMA co-host Peyton Manning on “Monday Night Football With Peyton and Eli” on ESPN2 and ESPN+. Also tonight: ABC News’ annual special “On the Road to the CMA Awards”, hosted by Bryan, looking at the country music world in Australia, Europe and North America. The CMA Awards are on Wednesday night.
SHOOTING THE BULL
NOW IT’S “INFLA-DATING”:
Not really something to look forward to, but singles can expect cheap dates in the New Year. The dating app Plenty of Fish” has coined the term “infla-dating” after a survey of 8,000 users found a steep 48% of single millennials and Gen Zers suggested going on more budget-friendly dates. It’s not surprising, given recent inflationary pressures and economic indicators. Kate MacLean, a dating expert at Plenty of Fish said: “Singles are feeling the financial pressure, so it’s not surprising that infla-dating, or taking someone on a less expensive, budget-friendly date, will be much more prevalent in 2023.” US Stats show that yearly dating costs shot up to $3,030 in 2022, compared with $2,375 in 2021.
[***Preview***] (But you’ve got to admit – that was one hell of a date!)
(Yeah, but that’s because in 2021, all our dates were via Zoom!)
-NYPost
TECH TALK:
➠ In a major breakthrough, it’s now possible to send messages from the brain to an iPhone. We might not quite be at a point where you can think “bring me a snack” and the request will pop up on your partner’s phone in the next room, but we may be a step closer, thanks to a device which can be surgically linked to the brain. The Synchron Switch is a computer-brain implant which has been granted approval for clinical trials by the US Food and Drug Administration. The goal is to assist those who suffer from conditions such as ALS, which affects the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movement. Synchron’s devices are designed to be permanent additions to the body, and so far, have lasted more than one year in at least 4 patients, with no serious adverse events. (Except Elon Musk growing very jealous!)
➠ According to a computer model, a hunched back, claw-like hands, and a second eyelid could be common features of human anatomy in the future. That’s according to a new report that warns overuse of technology could be steering human evolution in a direction that leaves people looking deformed compared to what we consider normal today. The team factored in a wide range of scientific studies and expert opinions examining the physical and mental changes that come from consistent exposure to smartphones, laptops, and television. The results also predict that people could develop “Tech neck” where muscles there grow more to limit damage due to poor posture, and our sedentary lifestyle could result in reduced brain capacity. (How long is this gonna take? Because my neck’s killing me!)
-Unilad, StudyFinds
NEW GOOD NEWS:
➢ A wheelchair-bound mom surprised her son with a tear-jerking dance on his wedding day – by standing for the first time in 4 years. 58-year-old Dede Brown’s son Tayler had said he wanted to dance with his mom, but she told him to ask a different family member, due to her battle with a degenerative nerve disease that left her unable to walk more than a few steps. But on Instagram, she spotted The Zeen, a mobility device fitted with 3 levels, sitting, barstool mode, and standing, with a bicycle seat design to let the user walk and move. It arrived 2 weeks before the wedding, during which time she practiced using it in secret. Dede and husband Mark switched from her wheelchair to the Zeen halfway through the ceremony. She switched to standing mode on the dancefloor, and didn’t leave a single dry eye at the ceremony. Mark said: “Tayler couldn’t believe that she was standing, he just started crying.”
➢ A 93-year-old Ontario man says he’s happy he won the lottery because he’ll finally be able to pay off his mortgage. Richmond Hill’s Thomas Gibson won $1 million in the Sept. 27 Lotto Max Draw. He said that his son was checking his tickets for him, and “came into the living room and said, ‘By the way, you just won a million bucks.’” Besides paying down his mortgage, Gibson plans to share some of his winnings with his caregivers. Quote: “I would dream about this moment every time I bought a ticket.” (Would the local rich folks consider this “new money” or “old money”?)
-SWNS, CTV
NAME WRECK-OGNITION:
The revelation last week that we’ve been saying Adele’s name wrong for all these years (In Q&A, she remarked to a fan who called her ‘Uh-dale’ that she said her name “perfectly”). That made us go searching for some other commonly-mispronounced celeb names…
✗ Rihanna: “Ree-ANNA” She went on record on “Showbiz Tonight”, saying that’s the correct way to say it (as opposed to the popular “Ree-AWNA”).
✗Camila Cabello: The double “l” in her surname is pronounced like “ay” in Spanish. So, it’s “Cam-EE-la Cab-AY-o,” not “Cab-ell-o.”
✗ Ariana Grande: She said in a 2018 interview that her grandfather had one pronunciation (“GRAND-ee”) but then her brother changed it to “GrAHn-day,” but she prefers it the old way.
✗ Lindsay Lohan: On TikTok this year, she introduced herself by putting an emphasis on a long “o”, not the “h.” Most people say “Low-HAN,” but she says “LOW-en”. (Actually, she isn’t mentioned much at all, anymore…)
✗ Gal Gadot: “Gal Gah-dote” For the Israeli-born “Wonder Woman”, start with “Gal” as in “My Gal Sal” and for the last name, make the long-o sound, as in “to dote on someone.”
✗ Chrissy Teigen: She once revealed in a tweet that basically the whole world has been pronouncing her surname incorrectly. She explained: “Last name is Tie-gen not Tee-gen”.
✗ Charlize Theron: On TV, she once stated that her surname is pronounced “Throne”, with a slight roll of the “r”.
✗ Amanda Seyfried: “SIGH-fred”. She says not to put a hard “G” into her last name, and not include “fried,” like “fried chicken.” But she admitted that her sister pronounces it differently!
✗Lupita Nyong’o: “Loo-pee-ta Nuh-YONG-oh” The Kenyan-Mexican “Black Panther” actress has an apostrophe at the end of her first name, but vocally it seems to come at the front of that word.
✗Ralph Fiennes: “RAY-ph Fines”. Don’t ask. Just go with it.
✗ Jake Gyllenhaal: “Jake YILLEN-hoo-leh-hay”. Seriously. It’s a Swedish-origin name, and he once said this pronunciation is “correct in Sweden and Ikea”, but he is resigned to no one ever getting it right. (Even his sister, Maggie!)
-Today, Cosmo
DID YOU KNOW?
A first-of-its-kind study suggests that bumblebees play with objects such as wooden balls just for fun, same as humans or dogs do. A team at Queen Mary University, London researchers wrote: “We found that ball rolling did not contribute to immediate survival strategies, was intrinsically rewarding, differed from functional behavior…and was initiated under stress-free conditions.” This led to their belief that what they were witnessing was animal play. (Definitely ‘buzz’worthy news!)
LINK: https://tinyurl.com/33x9czjk
-CTV
BS CHRONOMETER 11.07.22
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day”, celebrating a particular combination of flavors – dark, bitter chocolate and toasted almonds. This is one of the oldest recipes involving chocolate in the English-speaking world. (Hey, chocolate with ‘whatever’ works for me!)
• “Notary Public Day”, initiated in 1975 to honor the officers who ‘administer oaths and statutory declarations, witness and authenticate documents, and perform certain other acts varying from jurisdiction-to-jurisdiction’. (Almost as exciting as “Accountants Day”)
• “Hug A Bear Day”, it isn’t about the big fuzzy beasts that roam the forests munching on nuts and berries. Hugging one of those could, in fact, lead to a very bad day. This day is about our loyal, trusty fuzzy stuffed Teddy Bear.
• “Little League Girls Day”, in honor of New Jersey’s brave foray in equal opportunity sports for tomboys in 1973, when that state became the first to allow girls to play Little League baseball.
• “Job Action Day”, to empower and inspire anyone looking to find a job, find more fulfillment in their work, or plan the next steps in their career. (Like lunch?)
COMING UP . . .
[Tues] Cook Something Bold Day
[Tues] Cappuccino Day
[Wed] Scrapple Day
[Thurs] Sesame Street Day
This Week is…Drowsy Driving Prevention Week
This Month is…Family Stories Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1943 [79] Joni Mitchell, Fort Macleod AB, folk singer (‘Big Yellow Taxi’, ‘Free Man in Paris’)
1957 [65] Christopher Knight, New York City NY, TV actor (‘Peter Brady’ on “The Brady Bunch” 1969-74)/reality TV star (“The Surreal Life”, “The Masked Singer”)
1960 [62] Tommy Thayer, Portland OR, rock guitarist (KISS since 2002, Black ‘n Blue)
1967 [55] David Guetta, Paris France, DJ (‘Turn Me On’, ‘Without You’)/producer (Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas)
1970 [52] Morgan Spurlock, Parkersburg WV, documentary filmmaker (“Super Size Me”, “OneDirection-This is Us”, “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold”)
1983 [39] Zach Myers, Memphis TN, rock guitarist (Shinedown-‘Second Chance’, ‘The Crow and the Butterfly’)
1983 [39] Adam Devine, Waterloo IA, TV actor (‘Andy’ on “Modern Family” 2013-18)/movie actor (“Pitch Perfect” movies) COMING UP…“The Out-Laws”, 2022
1996 [26] Lorde (Ella Yelich-O’Connor), Devonport New Zealand, pop singer-songwriter (‘Team’, ‘Royals’)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2010 [12] Queen Elizabeth II launches a Facebook page (but no one is allowed to ‘poke’ or ‘friend’ her)
2011 [11] Physician Conrad Murray is found guilty of manslaughter in the drug-fueled death of Michael Jackson
2016 [06] Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart star in the first episode of “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party”, where they make fried chicken with Wiz Khalifa.
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2014 [08] At the annual ‘Stand Up For Heroes’ benefit event, 2 wealthy fans bid $300,000 to eat lasagne with Bruce Springsteen at his home
2016 [06] Canadian poet and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen (‘Suzanne’, ‘Hallelujah’) dies at 82
2020 [02] The Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston, The Notorious B.I.G., and T. Rex enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Because of COVID-19, the ceremony is virtual
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
2000 [22] The US presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore is inconclusive. The result, in Bush’s favor, is eventually resolved by the Supreme Court
2012 [10] US voters in the states of Colorado and Washington approve the legalization of recreational marijuana use
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Toilets account for 35% of indoor water use.
✓ Every Pixar movie contains a reference to the Pixar movie that comes after it.
✓ The highest body count in film history goes to “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” with 836 on-screen deaths.
✓ All the blinking you do in one day equates to having your eyes closed for 30 minutes.
✓ The first computer mouse was created from wood in 1964.
✓ The word ‘bidet’ comes from the French word for ‘pony’.
-DidYouKnow, TheFactSite
Best of BS . . .
BS REJECTED NAMES FOR ‘MOVEMBER’:
It’s the month when guys grow a ’stache to raise awareness of men’s health issues. ‘Movember’ may not be the catchiest name for it, but it beats the heck out of these …
• ‘Occupy Top Lip’
• ‘Fuzzy Chops Month’
• ‘Nose-hair Extension Month’
• ‘Lip Landscaping Month’
• ‘Face Fur Fantasy’
• ‘Almost-as-Bushy-as-Grandma Month’
• ‘Shaggy Labium Month’
• ‘Miracle-Grovember’
• ‘The Only Part of My Cranium Where I Can Grow Hair Month’
-First published in BS in 2011
BS THINGS EVERYONE THINKS WHEN THE CLOCKS GO BACK:
• Hooray! An extra hour in bed! Bed! Bed! Bed! I’m going to put on new sheets. Maybe get a new blanket. God, I love sleep. I’m definitely going to go to bed at the ‘same’ time.
• I’m not sure my Mom has reminded me enough about the clocks. She only texted twice, emailed, and called me this morning.
• Why am I so hungry? Seriously, it’s only 7am and I could chew that guy’s arm off to get his bacon sandwich.
• No, really, why am I so hungry? It’s only 11am and I’ve already eaten my lunch and been to the bakery for a Danish.
• Why do we even change the clocks in the first place? It’s something to do with farmers, isn’t it?
• Is my phone showing the right time? It should auto-update, shouldn’t it?
• It’s sooo dark out. I need a flashlight just to find my front door.
• Why am I so tired? This is basically jet lag. Standard time jet lag.
• Oh good, I haven’t missed “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune”. Oh wait, I have missed it! Stupid microwave clock…
• I’ll just go to bed now. Seems like a good idea.
• How is it 1 am? And I’m wide awake again!
-Adapted from Metro
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• You have the chance to see the “Leonids” in mid-November every year. What are they?
a) Indy Car races
b) Meteor showers [CORRECT]
c) Awards show
d) Christmas decorations
• Which of these was a real animal before becoming extinct?
a) Thunderbird
b) Skunk ape
c) Grootslang
d) Elephant bird [CORRECT]
• The famous inventor Thomas Edison said WHAT is “one percent inspiration and 99% perspiration”?
a) Life
b) Success
c) Genius [CORRECT]
d) Plagiarism
-MentalFloss, WeLoveQuizzes
BS WEB GOODIE:
Good skills: https://tinyurl.com/2p9rektf
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I can resist anything — except temptation.
BS PHONE STARTER:
For what sporting/concert/entertainment event would you buy tickets … regardless of the price?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: According to a survey, 5% of households that that have one of THESE, never use it. What is it?
Answer: A dishwasher
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Only a mediocre man is always at his best.
