Thursday, July 6, 2023 — Edition: #7510
Sheeters Always Prosper!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Allison Mack, the former “Smallville” actress convicted and sentenced in 2021 to 3 years in federal prison for her participation in the notorious NXIVM cult, was released Monday after serving 2 years. She had been sentenced on racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges relating to her role in the cult, which prosecutors described as recruiting and grooming women to be used as sexual partners by leader Keith Raniere. She pleaded guilty, and received a relatively short prison sentence for assisting prosecutors in the case against Raniere, who in 2020 was sentenced to 120 years on charges related to sex trafficking.
-Deadline
★ Pinterest is seeing a huge ‘Barbie boom’ ahead of the hotly-anticipated film’s release , as fans look to live a life of plastic, just like the iconic doll. A spokesperson says people on the site have been hunting for ideas to “Barbify” their lives, as the movie premiere gets closer. “Barbiecore” searches have increased by 980%, while “Barbie mood board” is seeing a 1,290% bump. Pinterest data shows a steep rise from May 2022 to May 2023 — “Barbie live-action” is up 1,305%, “Barbie Margot Robbie” is up 1,630%, and “hot pink chrome nails,” pulled from Barbie’s color palette, is up 1,465%.
-TMZ
★ Joel McHale recently offered some details about the “Community” movie, revealing that it’ll be coming to Peacock minus one major star. While speaking to Kelly Ripa on her “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast, McHale explained that Donald Glover will return as ‘Troy Barnes’. However, Chevy Chase will not be reprising his role as millionaire ‘Pierce Hawthorne’. He sarcastically quipped: “There wasn’t any issues at all when we were making the show.” Fans will recall that Chase was alleged to have grown notoriously difficult to work with. He eventually exited, and his character was killed off.
-PopCulture
★ Stephen Colbert has grown out an impressive beard in the few weeks “The Late Show” has been on hiatus. He has only been photographed in public a few times since the WGA writers’ strike brought late night TV to a halt, but Colbert’s face features a mane of white hair these days. Most recently, he was sporting the beard at a festival in New Jersey where he gave a talk with fellow comedian Jim Gaffigan.
-PopCulture
★ Daniel Radcliffe has responded to inquiries about whether he would reprise as ‘Harry Potter’ for Max’s in-development episodic adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels. He shot down the notion, while wishing good luck to whomever takes his place. Radcliffe said he understands that “they’re trying to very much start fresh and I’m sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it”, which would be best done by getting “old Harry to cameo”. He said he’s not “seeking it out in any way”, but indicated while he’s “very excited to have that torch passed”, he doesn’t “think it needs me to physically pass it.”
-TheWrap
★ Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson are doing just fine. After an online rumor that the 2 “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” stars were going their separate ways, Olson debunked the claim that she and husband McElhenney had separated — and that he had had an affair. In a tweet, she shared the Perez Hilton article, and wrote: “It was me who had the affair. But it was not with someone from Wales. It was with a whale.” She didn’t stop there, writing: “I’ve always loved whales. They’re the bosses of the ocean and I’m attracted to power.” She ended the tweet with the typical celeb breakup line: “We ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult time.”
-People
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Julie Bowen, Murray Bartlett, PJ Morton (R)
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Michael Strahan, Jamie Campbell Bower, King Princess (R)
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Michelle Obama, Stromae (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Alan Cumming, Jonathan Groff (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Michael J. Fox, Ariana Madix (R)
• “The Talk” (CBS): Marcia Gay Harden, Golda Rosheuvel, India Amarteifio (R)
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Johnny Knoxville, Lola Tung
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Sterling K. Brown, Jaren Lewison, Tanya Holland (R)
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Tiki Barber, Damona Hoffman, Anne Burrell (R)
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Jackée Harry, Javicia Leslie, Harry Mack (R)
• “Generation Gap” (ABC): The seniors and juniors are in for a big adventure with celebrity guest Cheech Marin.
• “The Chase” (ABC): Contestants from Oakley CA, Blauvelt NY, and Nashville TN face off with Brad “The Buzzsaw” Rutter in a battle of the brains.
• “When Sharks Attack… and Why” (NGC): The Fourth of July turns bloody as New York sees an unprecedented 6 shark attacks.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Adele — During a recent Vegas show, she cheekily called out the disturbing trend of people throwing objects at artists on stage. Quote: “Have you noticed how people are like, forgetting…show etiquette?…People just throwing (stuff) on stage.” While wielding a T-shirt gun, she continued: “I (freaking) dare you…to throw something at me and I’ll (freaking) kill you.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yk62e6xn
• Cardi B – stopped to entertain fans as she left the Paris Fashion Show. Video shows her exiting the Palais Garnier opera house, when a nearby street performer asks if she’d like to sing with him. After admitting she felt “scared”, she stepped to the mic to perform a few lines from Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, before signing autographs and hopping into a car.
• Queens of The Stone Age — reunited with Spider-Man during their set at a Belgium music fest. In 2018, Josh Homme spotted a fan in the crowd who was dressed as the web-slinger at the same festival, and invited him onstage. On Sun., the same character was there, holding a sign reading: “Josh, wanna meet again?” Spidey was again invited to the stage, where he addressed the crowd with the famous Spider-Man motto: “With great power comes great responsibility”.
• Guns N’ Roses – Guitarist and horror movie buff Slash has revealed the classic movie that most affected him. He told NME: “I don’t scare very easily. That said, the first ‘Night of The Living Dead’ scared the (heck) out of me. It was so visceral, raw and…bleak. I found it quite unsettling.”
• Twisted Sister – will release an expanded 40th-anniversary reissue of their 1982 debut “Under the Blade”. Jay Jay French: “That’s gonna be a double vinyl album. And one…is gonna have us playing cover material from back in the bar days…So, you’re gonna have us playing Zeppelin and Aerosmith songs, which no one has ever heard.” It’s set for release this year.
• Lauren Alaina — performed her new song ‘Just Wanna Know That You Love Me’ on Monday’s episode of “The Bachelorette”. She serenaded Charity Lawson on her date with Aaron Bryant as they closed out their romantic evening with a private show at the LA Theatre. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/42z7kr49
• Morgan Wallen and Jason Aldean – are among several country artists coming together to help the students and staff of the Covenant School, where a shooter opened fire in the school’s halls in March. The Aug. 7 benefit “A Covenant Knight at the Opry House” will also feature performances from Lee Brice, Maddie & Tae, Old Dominion, Zach Williams and more.
• Gabby Barrett – She and husband Cade Foehner have been careful not to share pics of their 3 young children – until now. Her new song ‘Glory Days’ is so personal that she chose to feature her family in the music video. Quote: “What you see literally are my Glory Days right now. It’s sitting on the porch and reading the Bible with my husband or rocking my baby to sleep. (It) perfectly brings the lyrics to life.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/59nsjaw6
SHOOTING THE BULL
SCIENTISTS SAY:
⇒ Children who start reading for pleasure early in life tend to end up with better school marks and better mental health outcomes as teenagers. A study published in the journal Psychological Medicine found a strong link between reading 12 hours a week and improved performance on cognitive tests later in adolescence. The researchers said: “Reading isn’t just a pleasurable experience — it’s widely accepted that it inspires thinking and creativity, increases empathy and reduces stress.” (Fortunately for me, as a kid I could get my 12 hours a week in — simply by reading a cereal box!)
⇒ Forget sleeping pills and an eye mask — chocolate could be the key to avoiding jet lag. In a study, University of Sydney researchers created simulations of long-haul plane rides as the airline prepares to debut a direct Sydney to New York route in 2025, which will take a treacherous 20 hours. They found that those who devoured chocolate experienced “better sleep quality in-flight, less severe jet lag, and better cognitive performance in the 2 days after the flight.” (They could just have asked any woman about the miracle powers of chocolate!)
-CTV, NYPost
SEE SCROLLS:
First they cancelled the “thumbs up” emoji, and now they’re going after the index finger. According to a poll, Gen Z has decided that scrolling phones using your pointer finger is “lame”. Lame enough that they are now avoiding doing so — to avoid looking like “old and out of touch” baby boomers. The makers of the game Candy Crush commissioned the survey to shed light on the differences in the ways different generations use their mobile devices. They found that 80% of Generation Zers (those born between 1997-2012) use their thumbs to scroll their smartphones. 65% of millennials (born 1981-96) also tend to use their thumbs. And the poll found that 4 out of 10 Zoomers (Gen Z) admitted that they felt self-conscious scrolling or playing games on their smartphone in public using their index finger. As for Baby Boomers (those aged 59-77), 73% scroll through their phones with their index finger.
(Don’t laugh. At least most Boomers HAVE a smart phone! My parents still haven’t figured out how to answer their flip-phones!)
(I used to use my thumb, and I felt all cool like a Gen Zer. But then – Carpel Tunnel!)
-NYPost
HOLY SHIP!
Construction has been completed on the world’s biggest cruise ship at a shipyard in Finland. Royal Caribbean International’s “Icon of the Seas” is now undergoing sea trials ahead of its debut in October this year. When it sets sail, it will comfortably hold some 5,610 passengers and 2,350 crew. The boat’s piece de resistance will be the world’s largest waterpark at sea. “Category 6” will feature 6 record-breaking water slides, but guests who want a more leisurely experience can also relax in the boat’s 7 pools and 9 whirlpools. And exactly how big is the world’s biggest cruise ship? A mammoth 365 meters long (nearly 1,200 feet) and weighing about 250,800 tonnes. A spokesperson said the company is positioning the Icon of the Seas as the “ultimate family vacation”. And it sounds like it may be just that. It features more than 40 ways to dine, drink and be entertained. With 20 decks and 8 neighborhoods to explore, the concept is to cater to every type of vacationer, with areas dedicated to young families, adults-only spaces, and everything in between. There are 28 types of accommodations, designed to be the “perfect home base” for the Icon of the Seas’ excursions throughout the Caribbean, departing from Miami year-round.
(Well, it’s the world’s biggest cruise ship…for now!)
(It’s so big, they needed TWO former “American Idol” winners to head up the entertainment!)
-CNN
ALTERNATIVES TO TWITTER:
If you’ve had it just about up to HERE with Elon Musk’s crap…not to mention the cesspool of negativity that his Twitter has become, here are some others that you might want to check out…
❑ Bluesky: Founded in 2021 by Twitter’s co-creator and former CEO Jack Dorsey, it operates on an invite-only basis, allowing users to post content up to 300 characters long. The waitlist, however is 1.9 million people deep…
❑ Spill: Its creators (both former Twitter employees) refer to it as “visual conversation at the speed of culture.” The platform aims to “cater to culture drivers who frequently set new trends yet routinely get overlooked and under-compensated”. It also has a waitlist.
❑ Mastodon: It goes back as far as 2016. Its main difference from Twitter is that it is decentralized and operated by many independent servers. Users are able to join varying servers based on different central topics. The platform has 10 million registered users, making it the most-populated site for Twitter quitters.
❑ Threads: News surfaced this week that Instagram’s “Twitter-killer” will launch today. It has been teased that the text-centered application’s main advantage over Twitter is that Threads will be “sanely run”. (…said the company, whose boss is about to fight Elon Musk in an MMA cage match!)
❑ Post.News: Launched last Nov., it presents itself as “a social platform for real people, real news and civil conversations,” where users can “access journalism from premium publishes, without subscriptions or ads.” (Might be handy when news stories are completely banned from Facebook and Google!)
❑ T2 Social: Also launched last Nov., this creation of some ex-Twitter employees, defines itself as “a place to have the authentic conversations we’ve always wanted to have,” with a character limit of 280. It is currently available by invite-only.
(What? No Truth Social?)
-Variety
DID YOU KNOW?
A recent article in Scientific American makes the case that not only can some insects feel pain, some can even feel joy. Lars Chittka writes that researchers have shown that bees and some other insects are capable of intelligent behavior that no one thought possible. Bees, for example, can count, grasp concepts of sameness and difference, learn complex tasks by observing others, and know their own individual dimensions, a capacity associated with consciousness in humans. They also appear to experience both pleasure and pain. In other words, it now looks like at least some species of insects—and maybe all of them—are sentient. (It brings up the question: What on earth do bugs have to feel joyful about? But then I realized that a bug might ask that same question about me!)
-ScientificAmerican
BS CHRONOMETER 07.06.23
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Fried Chicken Day”. Don’t know who started it; don’t know why. But then . . . who cares? Dig in! (And they couldn’t have this on a Fry-day?)
• “International Kissing Day”, so presumably this means that today you can only kiss someone from another country?
• “National Air Traffic Control Day”, more than 14,000 highly trained air traffic control specialists provide a vital public service, guiding pilots, their planes and 12.3 million daily passengers worldwide from taxi to takeoff, through the air, and back safely to the ground (All so we can stand around for 3 hours, waiting for our luggage…)
• “Virtually Hug a Virtual Assistant Day”, saluting those living, breathing people who provide vital services to business owners and individuals everywhere from the comfort of their own home.
• “Take Your Webmaster to Lunch Day”, Today, you should “Show your appreciation to your webmaster by taking him out for some good food. That way, he/she/it will feel loved, and have the energy to fix all the typos on your site.” (Does this sound like it was written by a webmaster?)
• “Umbrella Cover Day”, celebrating those little sleeves that come on new umbrellas. Made of the same material as the umbrella, people are on the fence about whether they are critical bits of umbrella apparel, or a waste of material. It is this very ambiguity that has inspired a museum of Umbrella Covers (in Maine) and a Guinness World Record (for largest collection — 730) LINK: https://www.umbrellacovermuseum.org/
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Chocolate Day
[Fri] Global Forgiveness Day
[Sat] Be a Kid Again Day
[Sun] No Bra Day
This Month is…Cell Phone Courtesy Month
This Month is…Disability Pride Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1935 [88] Tenzin Gyatso (“The Dalai Lama”), Taktser China, religious leader (spiritual leader and head of Tibet, who travels the world promoting compassion as the source happiness, since 1940)
1946 [77] George W. Bush (‘Dubya’), New Haven CT, politician (43rd US president 2001-09)/Governor of Texas (1995-2000)/controlling partner of MLB’s Texas Rangers (1989-98)
1946 [77] Sylvester Stallone, NYC, movie actor-screenwriter-director (“Rocky”, “Rambo”, and “The Expendables” film series) COMING UP…”The Expendables 4″, 2023
1948 [75] Peter Mansbridge, London England, former TV news anchor (CBC’s “The National” 2006-17)
1951 [72] Geoffrey Rush, Toowoomba Australia, movie actor (“The Book Thief”, “The King’s Speech”)
1958 [65] Jennifer Saunders, Sleaford England, movie actress (“Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie”, “Minions”)/TV actress (“Absolutely Fabulous” 1992-2012)/comedian (“The Comic Strip”)
1975 [48] 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), Queens NY, rapper (‘Candy Shop’, ‘In Da Club’)/movie actor (“Home of the Brave”, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’”)/businessman (talent management, record, TV, film production, footwear, apparel, fragrances, liquor, video games, apps, books, headphones, health drinks and dietary supplements…)
1979 [44] Kevin Hart, Philadelphia PA, comedian (“Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain”)/movie actor (“Ride Along” films, “Get Hard”) COMING UP…”Kevin Hart: Reality Check” (on Peacock today)
1980 [43] Eva Green, Paris France, movie actress (“300: Rise of an Empire”, “Casino Royale”)/TV actress (“Penny Dreadful” 2014-16)
1988 [35] Cody Fern, Southern Cross Australia, TV actor (“American Horror Story” since 2018, “House of Cards”)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1994 [29] “Forrest Gump”, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and Gary Sinise, is released. (Highest-grossing movie of the year, Academy Award for Best Picture, 1995)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2019 [04] With 13 weeks at #1, ‘Old Town Road’ by Lil Nas X breaks the record for longest-running hip-hop song on the Hot 100. ‘Lose Yourself’, ‘Boom Boom Pow’ and ‘See You Again’ all had runs of 12 weeks
2020 [03] Charlie Daniels dies at 83 after suffering a stroke
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
2002 [21] Serena Williams defeats older sister Venus to win her first Wimbledon title and second straight Grand Slam tournament
2016 [07] The real-world mobile game “Pokémon Go” is released by Niantic (…and people walk around staring into their phones more than usual…!)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2020 [03] Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes signs the largest contract for an athlete in North American history, a 10-year deal that could end up being worth US$503 million (Lionel Messi’s 2017 contract with FC Barcelona was worth $674 million)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ It is estimated that it takes 2,000 frowns to cause one wrinkle.
✓ Every odd number that exists has the letter “e” in it.
✓ Stop signs used to be yellow.
✓ Approximately 97% of the vegetable varieties grown in 1900 are now extinct.
✓ In Liechtenstein, farmers publish obituaries for their dead cows.
✓ Bubble gum was originally called “Blibber-Blubber” gum (1906).
-WhattheFFacts, BathroomReadersInstitute
Best of BS . . .
BS UNLIKELY WEBSITE SECURITY QUESTIONS:
• What is your ex-wife’s newest last name?
• What sports team do you fetishize to avoid meaningful discussion with others?
• Name all the digits of pi.
• Which is your favorite child?
• When did you stop trying?
• What was the middle name of your first rebound?
• What is your “safe word”?
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2020
BS SIGNS IT’S TIME TO MOW YOUR LAWN:
• You have to attach an orange antenna flag to your kid before she plays outside.
• Your lawn flamingo was taken down by hungry jackals.
• Taking out the garbage requires a machete and a 4-day supply of water.
• Suddenly, your yard is THE hot spot to watch bison do it.
• The last time it was cut, the neighbor kid did it for 5 bucks. Today, his son wants a hundred.
• Your ABOVE-ground pool is now an IN-ground pool.
BONUS:
• You start to hear growling sounds similar to the ones on the National Geographic special on the Savannas.
• The mailman has woven the grass over the sidewalk into an artistic arch so he can get to the front door.
• You see your kids laying down a trail of bread crumbs as they leave the house.
-First published in BS in 2004
BS WEB GOODIE:
True: https://tinyurl.com/mua9w9mh
BS RANDOM JOKE:
One thing I know for sure: If history really does repeats itself, I’m getting a pet dinosaur.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What nicknames do you have for people in your neighborhood – and why?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: In a survey, parents said their kids can only do THIS for a half-hour before they get bored. What is it?
Answer: Play outside
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment.
