Tuesday, November 3, 2020 — Edition: #6842

Our Sheet Don’t Stink!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Johnny Depp has lost his highly publicized libel case against the publisher of Britain’s The Sun newspaper, whose claim that he was an abusive husband sparked a courtroom showdown between him and his ex-wife Amber Heard. Citing evidence, including photos, audio recordings and Depp’s own text messages, lawyers for the newspaper group argued that Depp “beat his wife Amber Heard, causing her to suffer significant injury, and on occasion leading to her fearing for her life.” And the UK’s High Court agreed, with Judge Andrew Nicol saying in his judgment that the paper’s claims had been shown to be “substantially true.” Depp had admitted long-term problems with drugs and alcohol during the trial but said the tabloid’s claims that he was violent toward Heard were “completely untrue.”
-CNN
★ Sean Connery’s wife Micheline Roquebrune has opened up about his final days. She told a newspaper that toward the end, “It was no life for him,” as he had been struggling with dementia. She said that the disease took its toll on him” to the extent that “He was not able to express himself” She went on to share that Connery, who died on Saturday at age 90, “got his final wish to slip away without any fuss.”
-MSN
★ Victoria and David Beckham and their family are set to be the subject of a $21-million fly-on-the-wall Netflix documentary. David Beckham’s rise to fame will be documented through personal photographs and video footage of family celebrations and recollections from friends, family and teammates, according to a report. Archive footage will include everything from old video of birthdays, Christmas holidays and special occasions, as well as the couple’s early dates. David Beckham’s business ventures will also be covered in the film.
-Variety
★ Dave Chappelle is set to host Saturday Night Live this weekend. It marks Chappelle’s first time hosting the show since he made his debut the weekend that Donald Trump became President. During that show, Chappelle wished the former host of “Celebrity Apprentice” luck, and added: “I’m going to give him a chance, and we, the historically disenfranchised, demand that he give us one too”. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance.
-Deadline
★ “Black Panther” star Letitia Wright is convinced Marvel bosses are secretly plotting an all-female Avengers blockbuster. Wright, who appeared as ‘Shuri’ in a string of Marvel movies, including Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, feels she has seen the wheels rolling on the potential project, and believes a big “girl power” announcement is imminent.
-Canoe

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Pre-empted
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Pre-empted
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, Aaron Sorkin (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Pre-empted
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Jeff Daniels, Summer Walker (R)
• “Conan” (TBS): The CONAN Repeat Election Night Special
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Pre-empted
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Pete Buttigieg, Sara Fagen
• “The Talk” (CBS): Jamie Pressley, Luke Bracey
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Chrissty Metz
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Macey Hensley
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Terry Bradshaw, Iain Armitage, Alex & Elizabeth Smith
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Jessica Capshaw, Farnoosh Torabi, Dr. Aliza Pressman, Jack Hazan
• “Election Night 2020” (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CNN): Coverage of the 2020 presidential election

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Ariana Grande – Her producer Tommy “TBHits” Brown says he was as surprised as everyone else when she announced the release of her new album last month. “Positions” came out on Friday, and Brown says he regards Grande as a “guru” who can feel the pulse of when it’s time to drop an album.
• Ashlee Simpson – She and actor Evan Ross have welcomed their second child together, a son named Ziggy. The two also have daughter Jagger, who is 5. Simpson has an 11-year-old son, Bronx, from her first marriage to Pete Wentz.
• David Coverdale – The Whitesnake singer hopes to reissue his 1993 album with Jimmy Page to mark its 30th anniversary. In an interview, he called his stint with the Led Zeppelin guitarist “amazing,” and said a reissue package of “Coverdale-Page” would include “some nice surprises.”
• David Lee Roth — has launched “The Roth Project”, an online comic which he narrates. The 17-chapter story also includes five songs he co-written and recorded with guitarist John 5 several years ago, one of which is the recently-released ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill’. Viewers of the “immersive interactive comic” are advised to “Put on your headphones. Open your mind.”
• Mick Jagger — has released a teaser video of himself performing the new song ‘Pride Before a Fall’. Jagger hasn’t commented on the song, but the lyrics appear to allude to US President Donald Trump.
LINK:  https://tinyurl.com/yyhxz77m
• Luke Combs – His “What You See Is What You Get” album is back at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart for a second time, following its deluxe reissue. It debuted atop the list in Nov., 2019. The album was reissued on Oct. 23 with a handful of additional songs.
• Eric Church – On Friday, he shared the new song ‘Through My Ray-Bans’. He co-wrote it in honor of the fans who attended the Route 91 Harvest Festival in 2017. Church was a headliner there two days before a gunman opened fire during Jason Aldean’s set, killing 60 people and injured hundreds more.
• Dustin Lynch – has announced “The Dustin Lynch Pool Situation: Vegas” for June 3-6, 2021. The weekend event will feature a headline performance by Lynch, alongside guest artists Jordan Davis and HARDY, in addition to DJ sets from Brandi Cyrus. Tickets are on sale now.

ADD-ONS ADD UP:
If you’re trying to stick to a budget, here’s a tip: Think before buying anything marketed as an “add-on”. A study from the University of British Columbia found that companies often frame something as an add-on to make you spend more money. Their research determined that shoppers are one-third more likely to upgrade to a premium option when the extra cost is marketed that way, rather than a higher overall price. As an example, consumers are more likely to buy a $200 plane ticket that involves a two-hour layover and then upgrade to a direct flight by paying an extra add-on of $50 than just buying a direct ticket for $250. Why? People are willing to pay more when they see the word “add-on” because they associate it with similar language like ‘upgrade’ or ‘extra,’ implying they get something special that those who just pay the base price don’t get. The researchers tested this with a series of scenarios including buying a computer monitor, choosing an external hard drive, and even ordering breakfast.
(Fortunately, I have an automatic “add-on deflector”. It’s called being cheap!)
(If you’ve ever had to suffer through a two-hour layover, you’d know that avoiding that is worth MORE than the cost of the ticket!)
-BestLife

MEATLESS MARKET:
Why not? It’s 2020, after all. What’s believed to be the world’s first ‘vegan butcher shop’ opened on Sunday in London, on World Vegan Day. At Rudy’s Began Butcher, meat isn’t an option. But “soysage and peppers” is. Aiming to capitalize on growing demand for vegan products in Britain, co-founder Matthew Foster says everything Rudy’s offers is designed to taste like meat, and to have a similar texture. Shoppers can get meatless versions of sausage, bacon and turkey – all made with soya, seitan and other substitutes.
(And if you’re wondering how Londoners will find out that the shop is vegan – don’t worry, vegans will tell people!)
(I have no beef with this…)
(They missed a golden opportunity to call it “Mis-steak”!)
-NYPost

CORONAUPDATE:
➢ The latest thinking of researchers is that the ‘dose’ of coronavirus a person gets may determine how sick they get. Erin Bromage, an associate professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts, says that as is the case for many viruses, the severity of a COVID-19 infection – which determines whether an infected person becomes asymptomatic, getting mildly sick or becoming critically ill – may depend on factors such as how many particles the person is exposed to, and how many they are exposed to over a period of time. He points out that if the dose is small enough, it may not cause illness, but could still generate an immune response, similar to a vaccine. And what constitutes a small dose? Let’s just say that by wearing a mask, a person, if exposed, would get a smaller dose of the virus than they otherwise might. (As long as it’s also covering the NOSE, people!)
➢ How about smartphone app can tell if you’re an asymptomatic COVID-19 carrier – simply by the way you cough? MIT researchers programmed an AI model with thousands of different recorded coughs from both healthy and sick volunteers. Their system accurately detected 98.5% of coughs coming from people with COVID-19. It also successfully picked out 100% of asymptomatic cases from volunteers without symptoms who tested positive for the virus. The scientists are now working on turning their model into a user-friendly app. (What should they call it – “Coughy Filter”?)
-CNN, Studyfinds

SURPRISINGLY EASY WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY:
✓ Use the lid to pots & pans when cooking. It can reduce energy consumption by 14%.
✓ Reheat leftovers with the microwave instead of the stove. Microwaves use 50% less energy.
✓ Install dimmer switches for overhead lights to reduce energy use and extend lightbulb life.
✓ Lower the thermostat when you’re away. ‘Smart’ thermostats allow you to do this daily.
✓ -18°C (-0.4 F) is the magic efficiency setting for your freezer. Frozen is frozen.
✓ Clean your dryer’s exhaust vent. Use a vacuum to suck out all the lint that builds up.
✓ Wrap your hot water tank with an electric water heater blanket. It reduces heat loss by 40%.
✓ Make sure outdoor lights use motion sensors as it’s easy to leave them on by mistake.
✓ Weather-strip doors and windows, an easy way to insulate your home and save on energy.
✓ Invest in energy-efficient appliances. Energy Star appliances use substantially less energy.
-Lifehack

SLANG TERMS YOU “TOTES” CAN’T USE AFTER AGE 40:
☞ Lit
☞ Cray-cray
☞ Oh, snap!
☞ Clap back
☞ I can’t even
☞ I’m dead
☞ Bruh
☞ Talk to the hand
☞ Fam
☞ Yolo
(And yes, ‘totes’ too!)
-MSN

DID YOU KNOW?
Leaving a job after less than 15 months is not good for your future prospects. According to a survey by job site TalentWorks, applicants who were fired, laid off or quit within the first 15 months of a previous job were 43% less hireable when applying to new jobs. The interview callback rate for these candidates was 7.6%, compared with 13.4% for their counterparts who held a position longer than 15 months.
-CNBC

BS CHRONOMETER 11.03.20

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1949 [71] Anna Wintour, London England, journalist (fashion icon who became famous as the editor-in-chief of Vogue Magazine in 1988)

1952 [68] Roseanne Barr, Salt Lake City UT, TV actress (“Roseanne” 1988-1997, 2018)

1953 [67] Dennis Miller, Pittsburgh PA, comedian (“Saturday Night Live” 1985-91, “Dennis Miller Live” 1994-2002)

1954 [66] Phil Simms, Lebanon KY, NFL analyst (CBS-TV)/former NFL quarterback (2 Super Bowls with NY Giants 1979-93)

1957 [63] Dolph Lundgren, Stockholm Sweden, movie actor (“The Expendables” films, “Rocky IV”, Creed II”)/martial artist

1987 [33] Colin Kaepernick, Milwaukee WI, NFL QB (San Francisco 49ers 2011-16)/civil activist (Known for protesting what he viewed as the oppression of people of color in the US by “taking a knee” during the pre-game national anthem)

1987 [33] Elizabeth Smart, Salt Lake City UT, activist (made international news after being kidnapped at age 14. She was rescued nine months later and later became a child safety activist and a contributor for ABC News)

1995 [25] Kendall Jenner, LA CA, fashion model/TV personality (“Keeping Up With the Kardashians”)/fashion designer (Kendall & Kylie)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Election Day”, today is the day set aside in the United States for the general election of federal public officials, including the offices of president, vice president, and members of Congress. (And perhaps it’s no coincidence that it is also…)

• “Cliché Day”. It’s amazing how they infiltrate our daily conversations. (***Try to make it through an entire show without anyone uttering a cliché. Hit the buzzer every time one pops up!***)

MOST ANNOYING BS CLICHÉS:
✗ “To be honest …”
✗ “Threw me under the bus.”
✗ “It is what it is.”
✗ “I’m not joking.”
✗ “With all due respect …”
✗ “Bite the bullet.”
✗ “Par for the course.”
✗ “Run it up the flagpole.”
✗ “You know what I mean?”
✗ “At the end of the day …”

• “Sandwich Day”, celebrating the 1718 birth of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. A compulsive gambler, he wanted something that could be eaten at gaming tables and earned immortality when he began eating beef between slices of toast in 1792. (Some dissenters say he stole the idea from a guest, the Earl of Shrewsbury. So, it should be a peanut butter shrewsbury, a grilled cheese shrewsbury, a knuckle shrewsbury, etc.?) Here’s a listing of some truly odd sandwiches …
LINK: http://bit.ly/sCip1r

• “Housewife Day”, recognizing the importance of stay at home wives and moms. Also referred to as “Retro” Housewife Day. These wonderful, caring creatures build and enrich strong family environments. They help to instill family values and good character. (Probably best not to call them ‘housewives’, though…)

• “International Skeptics Day” … or so they claim…

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] King Tut Day
[Wed] Candy Day
[Thurs] Love Your Red Hair Day
[Thurs] Commercial TV Broadcast Day

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2019 [01] Olivia Newton-John’s black leather outfit from the film “Grease” sells for $405,700 at auction in Beverly Hills

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1990 [30] ‘Ice Ice Baby’ by Vanilla Ice becomes the first rap tune to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100

2004 [16] Eric Clapton is made a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace in London

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1995 [25] The NBA’s Toronto Raptors play their first regular-season game (a win over NJ Nets)

2014 [06] NYC’s One World Trade Center officially opens, 13 years after terrorists destroyed the twin towers of the original World Trade Center

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2004 [16] “Jeopardy!” contestant Ken Jennings shatters the record for game show earnings by accumulating $2,197,000 (finished with $4,370,700, later exceeded by Brad Rutter – $4,938,436 – including tournaments)

BULL’S BITS

BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ In Latin, ‘novem’ means ‘nine’. In ancient Rome, November was the 9th month. 5th-century Anglo-Saxons called it ‘Wind Month’.
✓ 14% of kids will hoard their Halloween candy for a year or more.
✓ What is called a “French kiss” in the English-speaking world is known as an “English kiss” in France.
✓ If you add up all the times you blink in a day, your eyes are closed for a total of about 30 minutes.
✓ The nursery rhyme never says that Humpty Dumpty was an egg.
✓ Cap’n Crunch’s full name is Horatio Magellan Crunch.
-ThoughtCatalogue, BathroomReadersInstitute

BS THINGS OVERHEARD IN THE VOTING LINEUP:
• “Is the line for the McRib?”
• “Can I get a fast-pass like at Disney?”
• “Can someone please quickly explain the issues to me?”
• “Is the line for changing my vote?”
• “Presidents are temporary. Wu-Tang is forever!”
• “Sure glad I put on the “Depends” today…”
• “And once again, here I am, lined up for Kanye.”
• “Hi, I’m Chad. Just hangin’ out…”
-Twitter

Best of BS . . .
BS FAKE GOOGLE FACTS:
• It was named after the Goo Goo Dolls.
• Many doctors use it every day to diagnose their patients.
• The minimum age requirement to use Google is 20. Because teenagers already know everything.
• If you type “Google” into Yahoo, it just starts crying.
• It can translate what your pet says.
• Google is a woman, because it starts guessing what you’re about to say before you’ve finished saying it.
• There is a 3 second delay every time you do a search, to allow Google to ask Jeeves.
• You can pay your Google bill with baked goods . . . however, they do not accept cookies.
• It was originally going to be called “Gaggle”. . . but autocorrect.
• It is considered cool to call it “The Google Machine”.
• (***CAUTION***) Hitting the “I’m feeling lucky” button really pisses off Clint Eastwood.
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018

TODAY’S SLICE OF BS:
➠ Firefighters in England had to rescue three men who were stuck in a dryer. (Sure, the three men were rescued, but unfortunately the same can’t be said for one missing sock…)
➠ We moved our clocks back an hour on the weekend. (The clock change was originally instituted so NBC could fit another hour of “Law & Order” into the week.)
➠ It was World Vegan Day on Sunday. (That’s the day when Gwyneth Paltrow slides down the chimney with a reusable Whole Foods bag and leaves Priuses for all the good girls and boys…)
➠ Kendall Jenner turns 25 today. (And now that she’s finally an adult woman, maybe she won’t be so shy about showing off her body…)
➠ Kendall Jenner is 25 today. (And you know what that means…She’s another year closer to having her very own sex tape!)

BS WEB GOODIE:
Mind. Blown:  https://tinyurl.com/y3yluj2s

BS PHONE STARTER:
What is the most ‘tech-illiterate’ thing that you’ve ever seen someone do?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I should run for office just to see what kind of dirt is dug up. It’d be nice to piece together my 20s.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  According to a survey, 14% of us have never performed THIS simple task. What is it?
Answer:  Written a letter

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.