Tuesday, October 31, 2023 – Edition: #7586
Let’s See What BS We Can SCARE Up…!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Hank Azaria says that it was Matthew Perry who brought him to his first AA meeting, helping him get sober. The “Birdcage” actor, who has been sober for 17 years, credited the late “Friends” star for being there for him in his time of need, in a new video posted to Instagram. In the emotional clip, Azaria said: “The whole first year I was sober, we went to meetings together. As a sober person, [Perry] was so caring and giving and wise. And he totally helped me get sober.” Perry was found dead Saturday in an apparent drowning at his Pacific Palisades home. He was 54.
-PageSix
★ John Cleese isn’t worried about getting cancelled. The “Monty Python” warns the trend to boycott people with controversial opinions makes people “more literal-minded” — so it has become harder to be funny. And while he is too “old” and established to worry about it, he admitted if he was starting his career, he’d be more concerned. Asked if he could have written his famous lines today, told a British newspaper: “It’s a good question”, and that cancel culture makes it “tougher to make funny — or intellectually interesting — associations.” Cleese, who turned 84 on Friday, also said that at this point, he is “so old (that) I am not bothered about getting cancelled.”
-ContactMusic
★ Florence Pugh was struck down with anxiety after finding fame. The 27-year-old actress says her life changed following the release of her 2019 movie “Little Women”, and she realized she was struggling with her mental health while home during the pandemic. In a new interview, the “Oppenheimer” star said although she doesn’t consider herself “famous famous”, she experienced “crippling anxiety” while in lockdown, then realized she had been “running on a low level of anxiety every day”. Her solution was to “be the normal person that you are and go to normal places … and move on with your life”. She cautions, however, “that’s me on a good day.”
-ContactMusic
★ Travis Barker is tired of fans attributing the tension between his wife Kourtney Kardashian, and her sister Kim, to his relationship with Kim in the 2000s. In passages from his 2016 memoir, which have resurfaced online, Barker discussed his initial attraction to Kim, whom he met in 2006, referring to her as “bleeping hot”. Barker slammed the continued rumors about him and Kim in a new interview, saying: “I obviously shared all that stuff because I wanted to move past it. It was therapeutic for me … That’s her sister. She knows we used to talk. Nothing bad was going on…It’s just so ridiculous.” Kim and Kourtney Kardashian have been feuding on and off since last year.
-Messenger
★ Britney Spears teased a sequel to her bestselling memoir “The Woman In Me” on Saturday, but deleted the post just hours later. In the since-deleted post, Spears wrote over a video of a symphony reaching a musical climax: “Humor is the cure to everything !!! Play on!!! Volume 2 will be released next year … get ready !!!” The Woman in Me was released last Tuesday.
★ Fresh from his horse wrangler film “Ride On”, Jackie Chan has lined up an action comedy flick centering on…baby pandas. The 69-year-old is set to star in “Panda Plan”, directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Luan. The film tells the story of a rare baby panda with a dark circle around just one eye, who becomes a worldwide sensation. But when a tycoon dispatches mercenaries to kidnap the zoo’s baby pandas, Chan, playing a version of himself, is forced into a rescue mission. Chan has several other projects in the works, including, interestingly, “Kung Fu Panda 4”.
-HollywoodReporter
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Marisa Tomei, John Wilson, Madison Beer
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Alex Cooper, Depeche Mode
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Alex Newell
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Meg Ryan, Sarah Cooper
• “The Daily Show (COM): Guest Host Charlamagne Tha God
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): TBA
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Roy Wood Jr., Marc Summers
• “The Talk” (CBS): JoJo Siwa, Bush
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Michael Urie
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Kyle Richards, Keith Morrison
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Ree Drummond
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Coi Leray, Sheila E.
• “Dancing With the Stars (ABC): A monster-themed Halloween episode.
• “The Voice: (NBC): The Battles Part 5
• “The UnXplained Special Presentation” (HIS): Exploring if dark, powerful energies permeate the human world, or if it is all just myth and superstition.
• “2023 World Series” (Check local listings): Game #4: Texas Rangers @ Arizona Diamondbacks
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Taylor Swift – Her re-recorded “1989” album made Spotify history in its first 24 hours of release. The streamer says that “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”, which arrived on Friday, became the most-streamed album in a single day in the service’s history. Swift also became the most-streamed artist in a single day, over the same 24-hour time frame, of course. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mupcaw6z
• Megan Thee Stallion — is slithering into her next era. She has announced that she’ll drop the new song ‘Cobra’ this Friday. She also posted the artwork for the single, which features her soaked and nearly nude in front of a forest or jungle. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/czey2d6u
• Adele – got into the ‘spirit’ of the season by wearing a ‘Morticia Addams’ Halloween costume during her Vagas residency show on Friday night. Not to be outdone, Lizzo put on a Tina Turner-inspired outfit, and posted pics on Instagram. LINKS: https://tinyurl.com/534upurc https://tinyurl.com/yc4h8kjt
• Duran Duran — Simon Le Bon has no interest in Halloween – despite the fact that he and the band have just released an album based around the concept. Why not? Quote: “Danse Macabre is Nick (Rhodes)’s fantasy album,” “I don’t give a [BLEEP] about Halloween, to be honest, as it’s always a distraction in my birthday week.” Le Bon’s birthday is Oct. 27.
• Judas Priest – singer Rob Halford has recorded a metal cover of Bonnie Tyler’s 1983 hit ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ with German metal queen Doro Pesch. The pair also teamed up for a new version of Priest’s ‘Living After Midnight’. Both songs will appear on Pesch’s new album “Conqueress – Forever Strong And Proud”. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y7w94cpc
• Jason Aldean – ended his “Highway Desperado Tour” with a bang. For the final show Saturday in Tampa, WWE legend Hulk Hogan came out onstage to hype up the crowd with some of his signature catchphrases. For example: “What’s up, Jason Aldean maniacs?!…”Let me hear how much love you’ve got for JasonMania, brother. We love you.” He then waved and blew kisses to the crowd, turning to Aldean for a quick handshake and hug. LINK: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy_CSQOr_7n/
• Chris Janson – Friday, he released his cover of Lindsey Buckingham‘s 1983 classic ‘Holiday Road’. And not only does Janson sing the song, it features his drumming skills, too. Chris quote: “I’ve always loved Christmas Vacation, the movie, and this song reminds me of that.” He’ll perform it live on “Christmas at the Opry”, airing December 7 on NBC. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/27vwb54b
• Maddie & Tae — have released the extended version of 2020’s “We Need Christmas”. The new version of the album includes 3 additional yuletide classics: ‘It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas’, ‘The Christmas Song’, and ‘White Christmas’. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yc2eyjh9
SHOOTING THE BULL
CORRECT RESPONSE:
You’ve heard of ‘Grammar Nazis”, those who feel it’s their duty in life to point out the incorrect usage of their, they’re and there…or two, to and too. Well, new research shows that these people might actually be taking it easy on us – because it affects them more deeply than perhaps we realized. Researchers at the University of Birmingham say that when people are subjected to poor grammar, it actually causes them stress — and even initiates a “fight or flight” response. At least among some of us, that is. In their test, the more grammatical errors a person heard coincided with the strict regularity of their heartbeat, an indication of stress. The scientists say that the ‘fight or flight’ response is a result of the body’s response to a threat or perceived danger, which is what those people tend to perceive when exposed to a grammatical error.
(…and those people are called teachers!)
(Man! I bet those scientists spellchecked their press release about a thousand times before they had the nerve to send it out!)
-NYPost
SUPERSEED:
Not only is it Halloween, today is also “Pumpkin Carving Day” (I know…what a coincidence!). And if carving up a pumpkin is on your list of things to do, here’s a little something to keep in mind: Don’t throw away the insides — in the world of so-called “superfoods”, the humble pumpkin seed is a giant. Among the health benefits of eating pumpkin seeds…
❑ They contain magnesium — a mineral that many people don’t get enough of. It helps regulate blood sugar and lowers the risk of diabetes.
❑ They are a rich source of antioxidants, helping to reduce inflammation.
❑ They assist with sleep disorders, thanks to the amino acid tryptophan.
❑ Pumpkin seeds are full of fiber, which helps with digestion — and can reduce the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
❑ For men, the zinc in pumpkin seeds may help to improve sperm quality and testosterone levels, and relieve symptoms of an enlarged prostrate gland.
To enjoy your gourd’s innards, you can add the seeds to soups, salads, cereals and sauces, or eat them as a crunchy snack. To cook ‘em up, you can roast them, or boil them. Here’s one recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13768/roasted-pumpkin-seeds/
(Wow! Halloween-related food that’s actually GOOD for you!)
-NYPost
SWEET WINE:
Halloween candy isn’t just for kids. But I didn’t need to tell you that! However, THIS might be interesting for anyone who plans to raid their kids’ treat bags about one minute after they go to bed tonight: Wine influencer Kimberlee Lizakowski, known online as “That Blonde Wino”, has come up with her list of the perfect wine and Halloween candy pairings. That’s right…mowing down those bite-sized treats just got better! According to That Blonde Wino, “The perfect pairing can enhance the flavors of what you’re enjoying, and wine and candy are no different.” Here are her ‘wine and candy pairing’ sugggestions…
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and merlot: “The warm fruity notes of merlot pair well with the chocolate-peanut butter perfection of a Reese’s.”
• Sour Patch Kids and pinot grigio: “A crisp white like pinot grigio tones down the tartness of the candy.”
• M&M’s and Gamay: “A light, fruity red pairs nicely with the milk chocolate in M&M’s and with their extra sugar kick from the candy coating.”
• Peanut M&M’s and malbec: “The chocolate in M&M’s mixed with malbec’s velvet-like finish and the slight saltiness of the peanuts is the perfect combination.”
• Starburst and viognier: “With Starbursts being so juicy, a full-bodied viognier is the perfect match.”
• Twizzlers and Sangiovese: “A lot of the fruity notes found in Twizzlers such as cherry and plum, can also be found in a sangiovese.”
• Candy corn and chardonnay: “The creaminess of a chardonnay complements the flavors in candy corn nicely by muting some of that high-sugar taste.”
• Hershey’s and zinfandel: “The fruit-forward notes in zinfandel balance out the classic creamy flavors in a Hershey’s bar.”
• Kit Kat and pinot noir: “The jammy notes in a pinot noir are a nice complement to the chocolate coating of a Kit Kat.”
• Twix and cabernet sauvignon: “A bold cab paired with a more complex candy like Twix and its many different layers of flavor…keeps you wanting more with every bite.”
(I think I’ve just found my soulmate!)
(After a night of chasing my kids around the neighborhood, then trying to get their sugar-infused little brains to calm down and sleep, I think I’ll just pair my wine with…wine!)
-NYPost
WHY JOHNNY CAN’T SLEEP:
Here are the most iconic spooky and scary horror movies and villains, according to a poll of 2,000 adults in the US with streaming services. Plus the most ‘family friendly’ scary movies too…
MOST ICONIC HORROR FILM ANTAGONISTS:
1. Freddy Krueger (according to 54% of respondents)
2. Chucky (39%)
3. Ghostface (34%)
4. Jack Torrance (31%)
MOST ICONIC HORROR MOVIES:
1. “Friday the 13th” (41%)
2. “Carrie” (35%)
3. “An American Werewolf in London” (33%)
4. “Halloween” (33%)
5. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (27%)
6. “Night of the Living Dead” (23%)
7. “The Exorcist” (9%)
MOST FAMILY-FRIENDLY SCARY MOVIES:
1. “Coraline (40%)
2. “Casper” (37%)
3. “Ghostbusters” (37%)
4. “Corpse Bride” (35%)
5. “Beetlejuice” (28%)
6. “Halloweentown” (16%)
7. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (10%)
…and by the way, while over half of respondents said they are fans of true crime, they overwhelmingly agreed that fictional horror films and shows are scarier than true crime content!
-SWNS
DID YOU KNOW?
If you spend a large part of your workday sitting on your largest muscle, rather than working your muscles, you’ll want to pay attention. The average person spends approximately 9 hours per day sitting while awake, which leads to an increased risk of developing dementia, obesity, heart disease and even death. But new research from the Arctic University of Norway says a mere 22 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity could lower the risk of adverse health effects of being sedentary. The study author says even simple activities “that make you breathe a little bit heavier, like brisk walking, or gardening or walking up a hill,” would help you realize these benefits. (Does looking for my car in a parking lot count?)
-NYTimes
BS CHRONOMETER 10.31.23
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Halloween”, also known as ‘Hallowe’en’ (a contraction of “All Hallows’ evening), less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve, a long-time tradition in the US and Canada, which spread to many other countries by the late 1900s and early 2000s. Some believe its origins come from a Celtic festival for the dead called “Samhain.” Celts believed the ghosts of the dead roamed Earth on this day, so people would dress in costumes and leave “treats” at their front doors to appease them.
• “Caramel Apple Day”, saluting the tasty Fall treat made by dipping apples on a stick into hot caramel. Not many people hand them out to trick-or-treaters anymore, but you can enjoy one yourself! (And for our money, they beat ‘candy apples’ by a long shot!)
• “Carve a Pumpkin Day”, your last chance to carve a pumpkin because Halloween is tonight. Pull out your patterns and get to work. (Or try carving a turnip…that’s what the Irish originally carved faces into…)
• “International Magic Day,” traditionally a day for magicians to meet, celebrated on the anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death on October 31st, 1926.
• “International UNICEF Day”, observed on October 31st since 1967, the reason many trick-or-treaters collect donations in UNICEF coin boxes.
• “Girl Scout Founder’s Day”, Juliette Gordon Low, also known as Daisy, who was born on October 31, 1860, was the founder of Girl Scouts of the USA.
• “Knock-Knock Jokes Day”, celebrating their momentous contribution to the comedy world.
Two of the worst:
1. “Knock-Knock.” “Who’s there?” “Cows go.” “Cows go who?” “No, silly. Cows go Moo.”
2. “Knock-knock.” “Who’s there?” “Interrupting pirate.” “Interrupt…” “ARRRRRRRRR!”
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] All Saints’ Day
[Wed] Give Up Your Shoulds Day
[Thurs] Cookie Monster Day
[Fri] Cliché Day
This Week is…Red Ribbon Week (for keeping kids drug-free)
This Month is…Popcorn Poppin’ Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1931 [92] Dan Rather, Wharton TX, TV news anchor (“CBS Evening News 1981-2005”, “60 Minutes” 1968-81) “The News With Dan Rather” since 2018
1961 [62] Larry Mullen Jr, Dublin Ireland, rock drummer (U2-‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’, ‘With or Without You’)
1961 [62] Peter Jackson, Pukerua Bay New Zealand, movie director-producer (“The Hobbit” films, “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Beatles: Get Back”)
1963 [60] Dermot Mulroney, Alexandria VA, movie actor (“My Best Friend’s Wedding”, “Young Guns”)/TV actor (“Shameless” 2015-17)
1963 [60] Rob Schneider, San Francisco CA, movie actor (“Deuce Bigalow”, “Hot Chick”)/TV actor (Saturday Night Live 1990-94)/father of singer Elle King
1966 [57] Adam Horovitz (‘Ad-Rock’), New York NY, rapper-guitarist (Beastie Boys-‘Fight for Your Right [to Party!]’)
1967 [56] Vanilla Ice (Rob Van Winkle), Dallas TX, rapper (‘Ice, Ice Baby’ and….ummmm….) /“Dancing With the Stars” season 23 contestant [Fun Fact: ‘Ice Ice Baby’ was the first hip hop song to top the Billboard Singles Chart]
1976 [47] Piper Perabo, Dallas TX, movie actress (“Coyote Ugly”, “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle”)/TV actress (“Yellowstone” since 2021, “Covert Affairs” 2010-14)
1993 [30] Letitia Wright, Georgetown Guyana (raised in London UK), movie actress (‘Shuri’ in “Black Panther” and “Avengers” movies, “Urban Hymn”)
2000 [23] Willow Smith, Los Angeles CA, pop singer (‘Whip My Hair’, ‘Fireball’)/TV host (“Red Table Talk” co-host 2018-23)/movie actress (“I Am Legend”)/daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2006 [17] After 35 years at the helm, host Bob Barker announces he’ll retire from “The Price Is Right” (Drew Carey takes over)
2020 [03] ‘James Bond’ actor Sean Connery dies at his home in the Bahamas at age 90
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS. . .
2005 [18] The white suit John Lennon wore on the cover of The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album sells at an Amnesty International charity auction in Las Vegas for $118,000
2022 [01] Taylor Swift becomes the first artist ever to claim all top 10 slots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, all songs from her album “Midnights”
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1892 [131] Arthur Conan Doyle publishes “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”
2011 [12] “Day of Seven Billion”, the day designated by the UN Population Fund as the approximate date on which the world’s population reached 7 billion (coincidentally all of them are in front of you in the DMV lineup!) Current world population: 8.07 billion…and counting. UPDATES: http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK HALLOWEEN FACTS:
✓ According to tradition, if a person wears their clothes inside out and then walks backwards on Halloween, he or she will see a witch at midnight.
✓ About 1 in 25 coffins from the 16th century has been found to have scratch marks on the inside.
✓ “Bloodcurdling” isn’t just an expression: Research shows that watching horror movies can increase a certain clotting protein in our bloodstreams.
✓ The average bag of candy that one child will collect on Halloween contains about 11,000 calories.
✓ The farthest a pumpkin has been hurled without the use of explosives is 5,545.43 feet (1,690.25 m)
✓ According to legend, you can also become a vampire by being born with red hair, or by being promiscuous.
-FactRetriever
Best of BS . . .
BS PET PEEVES OF TRICK-OR-TREATERS:
✪ People who forget to buy candy and just offer you a bite of their sandwich.
✪ People who want receipts.
✪ When your Mariachi costume is so convincing you get deported to Mexico.
✪ Encountering a jack-o-lantern that looks suspiciously like your mailman’s head.
✪ Black jelly beans that turn out to be blood-swollen ticks.
✪ People who sit outside on their porch at the end of a long driveway and give you the stink-eye.
✪ When you find something in your goodie bag called ‘Malted Meat Balls’.
✪ When as soon as you get home, your dad wrestles you to the ground for the Kit Kats.
✪ When they say “Trick-or-treat”, and the homeowner says, “OK….trick!”
✪ When someone gives you something healthy.
-First published in BS in 1998
BS ODD THINGS TO ASK A VAMPIRE:
✪ If you can’t see yourself in a mirror, how is your hair and makeup always perfect?
✪ Edward or Jacob?
✪ Can I have your garlic bread?
✪ Where do you stand on the whole ‘pineapple on pizza’ debate?
✪ If you stay inside, are you able to pull an ‘all-dayer’?
✪ Are you related to umpires?
✪ What’s your go-to brand of sunscreen?
✪ Are you aware that you suck?
✪ Where do you keep your money? The blood bank? (groan…)
✪ Being that you are a soulless, blood-sucking, mind-controlling monster, will you be running for office soon?
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ The World Series continues with the Rangers versus the Diamondbacks. (Sorry. I’m not into baseball. To me, the only thing less exciting than a Ken Burns documentary about baseball IS baseball!)
➠ Today is Halloween — A day when you can paint your face, dress in silly clothes and act like a fool, and nobody thinks you’re weird. (Or, as Johnny Depp calls it . . . Monday.)
➠ Don’t you just love Halloween? (Seeing all those lil’ monsters with their fake smiles and freakish hair begging for your approval?? Heck, I may even turn off those political ads and hand out candy, who knows…?)
➠ A report found that close friends and family are the most important source of a person’s happiness. (…followed closely by cookies and Netflix.)
➠ Rob Schneider is 60 today. (He doesn’t need a cake, instead he’ll just grab the leftover crumbs from Sandler’s party…)
BS U-PICK HALLOWEEN TRIVIA:
• What is a collection of witches called?
a) Cavern
b) Coven [CORRECT]
c) Cauldron
d) PTA meeting
• According to legend, what are Vampires afraid of?
a) Wooden stakes [CORRECT]
b) Well-done steaks
c) Sweepstakes
d) Other’s mistakes
• What the original name of ‘Dracula’ in Bram Stoker’s book of the same name?
a) Edward Cullen [CORRECT]
b) Jacob Black
c) Marceline the Vampire Queen
d) Keith Dracula
• What item is banned in California on Halloween?
a) Snickers bars
b) Going “Whoooh!” like a ghost
c) Candy Corn
d) Silly String [CORRECT]
-Beano, first published in BS in 2022
BS WEB GOODIE:
Headed to work on the 31st: https://tinyurl.com/7bex9zbx
BS RANDOM JOKE:
One of the most beautiful sounds you’ll ever hear is a baby’s laughter. Unless it’s 3am . . . and you’re home alone. And you don’t have a baby.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What scene from a movie still haunts you?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTIONS:
• Question: A survey found the two worst things to do on a first date. One is talking about the weather. What’s the other?
Answer: Going to a horror movie
• Question: In a Halloween poll, parents said that Snickers are their favorite treats to steal from their kids. What was second?
Answer: Twix (followed by M&M’s)
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Villainy wears many masks, none so dangerous as the mask of virtue.
