Thursday, June 22, 2023 — Edition: #7501
The BS Press!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Tom Cruise has shared the screen with many famous names during his illustrious career, but there’s one actor he’s still desperate to work with. The “Mission Impossible” star has revealed he would love to make a movie with…Scarlett Johansson. Speaking with “Entertainment Tonight” at the premiere of the 7th Mission Impossible film, Cruise said: “I’d love to make a movie with her!…She is enormously talented. So charismatic, versatile. She has great physical ability obviously.” He said he has “watched her career her whole life”, and told another reporter that a shared project is “absolutely” going to happen.
-HuffPost
★ As Kevin Costner battles his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, over her alleged refusal to leave his $145 million residence in California, he has put up his massive home in Colorado, known as “Dunbar Ranch” for rent. The Golden Globe winner listed what seems like what would be his logical option for home base, his 160-acre Aspen estate in January for a colossal $36,000 per night, and it still seems up for grabs. Featuring 12 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, the spread occupies nearly 6,000 square feet. Dunbar Ranch has been pegged as “the ultimate luxury retreat,” with 24/7 caretakers on site, a baseball field, a sledding hill, 3 hot tubs and room to sleep 27 people comfortably.
-NYPost
★ It’s time to head back to “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom”! Amid the writers’ strike, NBC has ordered a new iteration of the iconic wildlife show. The new series will be hosted by Peter Gros, former host of the original series, who is also a wildlife expert. “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom: Protecting the Wild” is set to premiere on October 7 as part of NBC’s “The More You Know” programming block. Wild Kingdom premiered in 1963 on NBC, and ran until 1988. It was revived in 2002 by Animal Planet, and ran through 2011.
-PopCulture
★ Are they on-again, or off again? Dean McDermott was photographed moving his belongings into a storage unit on Monday, just days after announcing his separation from estranged wife Tori Spelling, then deleting the post. McDermott was seen without his wedding ring as he hauled boxes and bags of his things into a repository. The “Chopped Canada” host looked solemn, wearing sunglasses, and a white T-shirt that notably showed off his large tattoo of Spelling. He stacked his possessions, including tennis rackets and hockey sticks, in the unit.
-PageSix
★ Paramount+’s “Yellowstone” prequel ‘1923” is the latest show to shut down production as the WGA strike hits the 50-day mark. “Metropolis”, Sam Esmail’s years-in-the making Apple TV+ adaptation of the 1927 sci-fi film, has shut down permanently amid the labor unrest and economic headwinds. Production was halted last week on Netflix’s first comedy pilot “Little Sky”, starring and executive-produced by Samara Weaving. And “The Penguin”, Max’s “The Batman” spinoff series starring Colin Farrell, ceased production on June 14 until after the writers strike.
-Deadline
★ Netflix has changed how it measures its top shows and movies. And using the new metrics, the Jenna Ortega-hit “Wednesday” has overtaken “Stranger Things 4” for the first time when it comes viewership. Netflix will now rank its titles based on total views, which means total hours watched divided by a project’s runtime. Those 2 shows are now followed by “Dahmer: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (115.6 million views), “Bridgerton” Season 1 (113.3 million views) and “The Queen’s Gambit” (112.8 million views). Previously, the streamer ranked its top shows and movies based on total hours watched. “Squid Game” still ranks #1 across all English and non-English shows and movies with 265.2 million views.
-TheWrap
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Donald Glover, Machine Gun Kelly (R)
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Madonna, Elvis Costello, Rusty (R)
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Michael Shannon, Tig Notaro (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Post Malone, Adam Sandler, James Patterson (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Kristin Davis, Nicole Ari Parker
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Wanda Sykes
• “The Talk” (CBS): Drew Barrymore (R)
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Zoë Saldaña, Randall Park, Ncuti Gatwa
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Utkarsh Ambudkar, Kathleen Madigan (R)
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Joe Isidori, Kristina Zias (R)
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): La La Anthony, Bashir Salahuddin (R)
• “2023 NBA Draft” (ABC, ESPN): From Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY
• “The Blacklist” (NBC): Red’s attempt to mediate a meeting between rival families takes a deadly turn; When an elusive criminal is linked to the incident, the task force races against time to save Red.
• “Trippin’ With Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris” (E!): Series premiere. Anthony and Doris start their 6-week European trip of a lifetime in London; Anthony takes his mom on a sightseeing tour and surprises her with a starring role on the catwalk in African Fashion Week.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• BTS – Their new single ‘Take Two’ has debuted at #1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated June 24). The song, released in honor of the South Korean pop superstars’ first decade as a group, is BTS’ record-extending 7th topper on each chart.
• Katy Perry — is dropping a new box set and 2 unreleased songs. To commemorate the anniversaries of her first 3 albums — “One of the Boys” turned 15 this month, “Teenage Dream” turns 13 in August, and “Prism” turns 10 in October — “Katy Perry CATalog Collector’s Edition”, out Oct. 20, will feature those LPs, along with a 7-inch vinyl featuring unreleased songs ‘A Cup of Coffee’ and ‘I Think I’m Ready’. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/28en5kth
• Avril Lavigne and Tyga – have split after 4 months of dating. A source said the 2, who were friends for years before dating, “decided they’re better as friends than romantic partners.”
• James Taylor – has postponed 3 concerts due to a medical issue. The 75-year-old has been put on strict vocal rest by his doctor due to “a severe case of laryngitis.” His show set for last night in Cincinnati, plus shows in Huntsville AL and Mt. Pleasant MI have been rescheduled for late Aug.
• Bon Jovi – Ex-guitarist Richie Sambora has emphatically denied any plans for a reunion, despite a recent flurry of rumors to the contrary. When asked on June 15, he responded: “No, not even close. Nobody asked me yet — but I could do it tomorrow if they asked me.” In Feb., he was quoted as saying: “We’re talking about it. I don’t think there’s any reason not to at this point.”
• Aerosmith – While Joe Perry has said he doesn’t know if the band will ever create a new album, the group has announced a new “Greatest Hits” compilation, out Aug. 18. The career-spanning collection will be available on CD, 3-CD deluxe, and vinyl, and will feature 44 songs. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/39kvtcfd
• Shania Twain – Tomorrow, she drops the release of an expanded version of her latest album. “Queen Of Me: Royal Edition (Extended)” will include, in her words: “a couple of tracks that some of you may be familiar with,” plus 2 unreleased songs: ‘Done & Dusted’ and ‘On Three’, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/muwdjdtx
• Eric Church — has been named the 2023 Artist-in-Residence for the Country Music Hall of Fame. He’ll give 2 special shows at the Hall of Fame and Museum’s CMA Theater. The concerts will be specially designed and curated by Church himself, creating a one-of-a-kind live experience for attendees. The honor is paired with a special exhibit at the Museum dedicated to his life and career, opening July 13.
• Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs – Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ is spending its 11th week at 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Meanwhile Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ has driven into #3, meaning 2 country hits feature in the chart’s top 3 for the first time since 2000 (Lonestar’s ‘Amazed’ and Faith Hill’s ‘Breathe’).
SHOOTING THE BULL
THE LATEST “I” ON “A.I.”:
With the rise in A.I., you might be concerned about the security of your job. And really, who isn’t, these days? Well, good news for you, if you work with your hands. A leading expert in the field of artificial intelligence claims that those who do manual labor — including plumbers, construction workers, and carpenters — are likely safe from the expansion of AI. He also says that call center staffers could be unemployed soon, as bots take over those jobs. Professor Michael Wooldridge from the University of Oxford says anyone whose job requires “dexterity” likely won’t be replaced by A.I. In a video he released on the subject, Wooldridge points out that there are also “an awful lot of jobs which really require human understanding and having a human there is really quite important.” For that reason, he’s not as pessimistic as some about the future. He uses the example of the university’s staff which analyzes fetal scans, which use A.I. to spot abnormalities. He calls that one example of the huge range of technologies which are going to make people’s lives better.”
(I knew AI could never replace a plumber. Because where are you going to find a machine willing to get themselves elbow-deep into some of the things that THEY have to!)
(I watched the video. I’m not sure if this dude is real or not…)
-StudyFinds
CUSTOMER CONCERNS:
⇒ Domino’s says it can deliver you a pizza – even without an address. The pizza chain is launching “anywhere” delivery through its app, which lets customers get their food by dropping a pin on the map. The service, called Pinpoint Delivery, is ideal for the “start of summer,” the company says, because people are heading to the beaches and parks where the exact address could be difficult to specify. After dropping a pin on a map, customers can track their order and view their driver’s location with GPS and get text alerts about their delivery. Once the delivery person arrives, the service activates a “visual signal” on their phone that helps them locate the customer. (And nope, hiding at the other end of the beach until the “30-minutes or free” is up, isn’t allowed!)
⇒ In the latest example of “shrinkflation”, brewers in the UK are cutting the alcohol content — but not the price — of several of their most popular beers. Greene King, a major UK brewer and pub chain, has cut the alcohol content of its popular Old Speckled Hen pale ale to 4.8% from 5%. In March, the country’s oldest brewer, Shepherd Neame, slashed alcohol content of its Spitfire and Bishops Finger, while keeping the sizes of their bottles and cans the same. A newspaper report says this “drinkflation” mirrors “shrinkflation” — the practice of food producers and supermarkets reducing the size of their products without cutting prices. Under UK law, brewers pay less tax on drinks with a lower alcohol content. The newspaper claimed that the companies pocketed this saving rather than passing it onto customers through lower prices. (Drinkers hate the idea now, but will appreciate having 15% less hangover tomorrow morning!)
-CNN
OZEMPIC-SIZED PROBLEMS:
The diabetes drug turned weight-loss drug Ozempic has become the hottest prescription on the market, loved first by Hollywood stars, and now being used, probably, by someone in your circle of friends and family as a quick fix for shedding unwanted pounds. But the so-called “miracle drug” can have serious side effects, with doctors now reportedly witnessing a spike in ER admissions among users. Injected once per week into the stomach, thigh, or arm, Ozempic and sister drug Wegovy help the pancreas release the right amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high. Here some of the reported side effects that you might want to be aware of, before getting your prescription…according to recent social media posts from doctors…
– “Diarrhea. Nausea. Bloating.”
– “Blurred vision, kidney failure and gallstones.”
– Pancreatitis and stomach and digestion issues
– Malnutrition
– Changes to the face (looking old) , fingers and wrists (shrinking)
And by the way, the official prescribing guide for Ozempic states that side effects could include “possible thyroid tumors, including cancer.”
(OK, I take back that part I said about Ozempic being a “miracle drug”!)
(…and, judging from some of what I just said, another side effect might be not getting invited to any pool parties this summer!)
-NYPost
OBSOLETE PRE-1990s SKILLS:
A Reddit user asked: “People born before 1990, what trivial skill do you possess that no one uses anymore?” Here are some of the best answers…
❑ “Remembering phone numbers.”
❑ “I can unknot curly telephone wire and get all the curls facing the right way and behaving themselves.”
❑ “The ability to make and count out change for a purchase.”
❑ “My family gets mad at me for using MS Paint instead of Photoshop.”
❑ “I still know how to set up a VCR to record a television program in advance.”
❑ “Giving the television a karate chop to fix reception.”
❑ “I can cover a textbook with a brown paper bag.”
❑ “Crash-starting a manual car by rolling down a hill in second gear with the ignition on, then popping the clutch.” (Also known as “roll-starting”)
❑ “Using the Dewey Decimal System at the library.”
❑ “Downloading music using p2p software that isn’t Usenet or BitTorrent (Kazaa, LimeWire, FrostWire, BearShare, etc.).”
❑ “Texting with 10 keys. I still have it all memorized and could pick up a flip phone and send paragraphs if needed.”
❑ “I write in cursive — does that count?”
(What else can you add? I can still top up the tank to the nearest dollar…)
-BuzzFeed
DID YOU KNOW?
Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, but a study has found that if typos and grammatical errors REALLY bug you, you are more likely to be an introvert. The study, conducted by linguists at the University of Michigan, found that introverts were more likely to be annoyed by typos and grammatical mistakes than extroverts, and what’s more, introverts rated those who make such errors regularly as “poor roommate material”. (And if they’re willing to mention that it bugs them, it must REALLY bug them!)
-IntrovertDear
BS CHRONOMETER 06.22.23
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Stupid Guy Thing Day”. Women are always saying, “Oh that’s just another stupid guy thing…”, so here’s the day to commemorate it! Women are encouraged to make a list of ‘Stupid Guy Things’ and pass it on. To get you started . . .
✓ Pounding things.
✓ Squirting things.
✓ Watching TV sports.
✓ Using power tools.
✓ Driving giant pickup trucks.
✓ Wearing ball caps … backwards.
✓ Burning and/or exploding things.
✓ Eating anything and everything.
✓ The Three Stooges (What else have you got?)
• “World Rainforest Day”, to help protect rainforests by raising awareness and encouraging action. Rainforests absorb carbon dioxide from human activity, produce oxygen, provide fresh water, provide a home for half of the world’s animal and plant species, are the source of medicines, and stabilize climate patterns.
• “Chocolate Éclair Day”, saluting the light, crisp pastry that’s filled with a custard or cream and topped with icing. The éclair originated in 19th century France, and the word means “flash of lightning”. It was named this because it is eaten so quickly (in a flash).
• “Onion Rings Day”, for those of us who like our holidays deep-fried.
• “National HVAC Tech Day”, dedicated to all heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technicians. Why? They restore comfort to their customers, often working at all hours, and sometimes in extreme conditions. (And what a drag it must be when, after hours of fiddling with someone’s A/C on a sweltering day, you finally get it working, then off you go — to the next overheated home…)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] National Pink Day
[Fri] Take Your Dog to Work Day
[Sat] Celebration of the Senses
[Sun] Strawberry Parfait Day
This Week is…Roller Coaster Week
This Month is…Candy Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1936 [87] Kris Kristofferson, Brownsville TX, retired pop-country singer/songwriter (‘Me and Bobby McGee’, ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’)/movie actor (“A Star is Born”, “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid”)
1948 [75] Todd Rundgren, Philadelphia PA, rock singer-songwriter (‘I Saw the Light’, ‘Bang the Drum All Day’)/producer (Meat Loaf-“Bat Out of Hell”)
1949 [74] Meryl (Mary Louise) Streep, Summit NJ, movie actress (“The Iron Lady”, “Sophie’s Choice”, “Kramer vs Kramer”)/a record 21 Academy Award nominations & 3 Oscars
1952 [71] Graham Greene, Oshweken ON, movie actor (“Dances with Wolves”, “The Green Mile”)/TV actor (“The Red Green Show” 1994–2006)
1953 [70] Cyndi Lauper, Ozone Park NY, pop singer, (‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’, ‘Time After Time’)/Broadway composer (“Kinky Boots”)
1964 [59] Dan Brown, Exeter NH, author (“Angels & Demons”, “The Da Vinci Code” which sold over 60 million copies worldwide)
1964 [59] Amy Brenneman, New London CT, TV actress (“The Leftovers” 2014-17, “Private Practice” 2007-13, “Judging Amy” 1999-2005)
1970 [53] Steven Page, Scarborough ON, pop singer-guitarist (ex-Barenaked Ladies-‘One Week’, ‘The Big Bang Theory Theme’)/Canadian Music Hall of Fame, 2018
1973 [50] Carson Daly, Santa Monica CA, TV host (“The Voice” since 2011, “Today” since 2013, “Last Call With Carson Daly” 2002-19, “Total Request Live” 1998-2003)
1997 [26] Dinah Jane Hansen, Santa Ana CA, pop singer (Fifth Harmony-‘Work From Home’, ‘Worth It’)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2008 [15] Comedian George Carlin dies of heart failure in Santa Monica CA at age 71 (***See today’s Random Joke, Deep Thought, below***)
2011 [12] Daniel Craig weds Rachel Weisz at a ceremony in New York
2001 [22] “The Fast and the Furious,” directed by Rob Cohen, and starring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, premieres (spawns 10 sequels, with plans for 1 more…)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2002 [21] U2 guitarist The Edge weds his girlfriend of 10 years, Morleigh Steinberg, in Eze, France (they first met when she was a belly dancer on the band’s “Zoo TV” tour)
2020 [03] Twenty One Pilots release a never-ending video for the song ‘Level of Concern’. It continuously updates, using footage uploaded by fans. It does finally end on December 16 — 178 days later
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2002 [21] Spaniard Alvaro de Marichalar becomes the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean by jet ski (12 hours per day on water, sleeping on a support boat), landing at Miami Beach 4 months after setting off from Rome, Italy
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The first use of “Google” as a verb in pop culture was on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”.
✓ Sleeping on your stomach can induce weird, scarier and sexier dreams.
✓ Al Capone played banjo in the Alcatraz prison band.
✓ Cows give more milk when they listen to music.
✓ Geckos can turn the stickiness of their feet on and off at will.
✓ Referees get Super Bowl rings too.
-BathroomReadersInstitute, MentalFloss
BS STUPID DIVORCE QUESTIONS:
• Do I need to ask for her father’s permission first?
• Can I get child support, even though we have no kids?
• I’m still your beneficiary, right?
• Is there a gift registry?
• Can I have the ring back?
• Can we still fight once in a while, for old times’ sake?
• Now that you’re my ex, are you moving to Texas?
• Does this have something to do with my other family?
• Who has to take the teenager?
• So, which one of us has to date Pete Davidson now?
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2022
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ Wednesday marked the first day of summer — and the longest day of the year. (Even longer for those who went to the theater to watch “The Flash”…)
➠ A study shows that some commonly-used baby soaps and shampoos can trigger positive tests for marijuana. (…which explains why babies laugh at the dumbest things ever!)
➠ The U.S. Coast Guard found over 14,000 pounds of cocaine worth $186 million dumped at sea near Miami. (They’re asking whoever dumped the drugs to identify themselves. And also to say it was only 4,000 pounds…!)
➠ Cyndi Lauper turns 70 today. (I’m not gonna say she’s old, but these days ‘True Colors’ refers to her roots…!)
➠ Former “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson turns 67 tomorrow. (That’s 467 in “Yo Dawg” years!)
BS WEB GOODIE:
Innovative: https://tinyurl.com/2p85wba5
BS RANDOM JOKE:
“’I am’ is the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that ‘I do’ is the longest sentence? (George Carlin)
BS PHONE STARTER:
What painfully outdated phrase do you still use?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: In a survey, 15% of restaurant servers said they wish their customers would stop doing THIS. What is it?
Answer: Sitting together on the same side of the table or booth
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
“People who say they don’t care what people think are usually desperate to have people think they don’t care what people think.” (George Carlin)
