Wednesday, July 5, 2023 — Edition: #7509
Another Sheetload of Bull!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky have broken their silence on reports that they have separated after 27 years of marriage. The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” duo took to social media hours after it was reported they were “still living under the same roof” as they determine what will be next for their family. Richards wrote on her Instagram in a statement also shared to Umansky’s profile: “Any claims regarding divorcing are untrue. However, yes, we have had a rough year.” The joint statement continued: “There has been no wrongdoing on anyone’s part…we ask to be able to work through our issues privately. The two concluded, “Thank you for the love and support, Kyle & Mauricio.”
-PopCulture
★ Everyone’s favorite purple dinosaur just grew up. Mattel has revealed that its upcoming “Barney” film will be geared more toward adults than children. Exec Kevin McKeon told the New Yorker that although the Barney film is “really a play for adults”, it won’t be R-rated, “but it’ll focus on some of the trials and tribulations of being 30-something, growing up with Barney — just the level of disenchantment within the generation.” McKeon also described it as an (age) 24-type” movie. No release date has been announced.
-NYPost
★ ‘Jon Snow’ is a girl dad! “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington’s wife and former co-star Rose Leslie has given birth to their second child—their first daughter. The couple’s new addition joins their 2-year-old son, whose name has not been made public. Harington and Leslie, who had a recurring role as his character’s love interest ‘Ygritte’ on Game of Thrones, have been married since 2018.
-E!
★ Stanley Tucci believes actors should be able to play people with different sexualities than their own. In a BBC interview, he was asked to weigh in on the debate surrounding straight actors playing gay actors, and Tucci responded, “Obviously, I believe that’s fine. I am always very flattered when gay men come up to me and talk about [my role in] “The Devil Wears Prada” or they talk about “Supernova” (where he played gay characters), and they say…‘You did it the right way, because often it’s not done the right way.” The Oscar winner went on to state that he believes actors “are supposed to play different people…That’s the whole point of it.”
-People
★ Logan Paul and Nina Agdal are engaged to be married, weeks after marking their one-year anniversary. The 28-year-old YouTuber popped the question Sunday night in Italy, where the pair have been enjoying a romantic getaway at a luxury hotel. According to an eyewitness, Agdal was completely blindsided by the proposal, but said yes. The proposal did not go down without a hitch, however, as the ring was not the right size and did not fit on 31-year-old’s finger.
-DailyMail
★ Daniel Radcliffe is a proud dad to… a baby boy! He and his girlfriend, Erin Darke, welcomed the little one — their first child together — in April, but had yet to reveal the sex of their baby until now. While with “ET” ahead of the season 4 premiere of Radcliffe’s TBS series, “Miracle Workers”, the “Harry Potter” star gushed over life as a new dad, and said: “He’s wonderful and Erin is amazing — it’s a real privilege also to have this time with him.” “Miracle Workers: End Times” premieres July 10.
-ETCanada
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Joel McHale, Ali Wentworth, Molly Tuttle (R)
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Anya Taylor-Joy, Glen Powell, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen (R)
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Armando Iannucci, Dermot Kennedy (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Charlie Day, Sam Richardson (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Sigourney Weaver, Patricia Clarkson, Trace Lysette (R)
• “The Talk” (CBS): Derek Hough, Asher Grodman, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch, Jeremy Hansen (R)
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Charity Lawson, Bernadette Peters
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Eugene Levy, Gina Torres, Hisham Tawfiq, Jonathan McReynolds (R)
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Ben & Erin Napier, Brandon Marshall, Chasten Buttigieg (R)
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Alison Brie, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt (R)
• “Human Footprint” (PBS): Series premiere. A documentary examining the amount of products consumed in a lifetime and the impact it has on the environment.
• “The Real Housewives of Orange County” (Bravo): While the ladies take on ranch-hand tasks, Gina warns Heather about Tamra, Gina and Jenn hash out feelings about infidelity.
• “Shark Below Zero” (NGC): White Sharks move north to Canadian waters where scientists investigate.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Drake – showed some love for Ye while plugging his new album. On Insta, he shared video of himself wearing a sweatshirt that featured the same dogs he used promote his new poetry book, as well as the album, seemingly titled “For All the Dogs”. In the clip, he can be heard singing along to Kanye’s single ‘Through the Wire’ in a bathroom, while dancing. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/muzt8dp6
• Adele – has revealed what her favorite karaoke song is – and it’s not one of hers. In a video taken at one of her recent Vegas shows, she is seen telling fans: “You know what’s the best karaoke song to do?” ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga.” She goes on to enthusiastically sing the gibberish introduction to the song: “Ra ra ah ah ah, roma ro ma ma” — adding that the song is “so fun.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mpw6eccc
• Kiss — Gene Simmons says he has asked former members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss to perform at the band’s last ever shows this year – but both have refused the offer. The group’s final shows on their farewell “End of the Road” tour are set for Dec. 1 and 2 in their hometown of New York City.
• The Beatles — Ringo Starr has confirmed that the upcoming “new” song uses only authentic parts recorded by John Lennon and George Harrison before their deaths. Last month, Paul McCartney revealed that the unnamed song was completed with the help of AI, from an old Lennon demo tape. Ringo also said: “And it’s the final track you’ll ever hear with the four lads. And that’s a fact.”
• Elvis Presley — is coming to Paramount+. The new feature-length documentary “Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback” will premiere Aug. 15 in North America, and internationally the next day. It shows what happened behind the scenes of “The 68 Comeback.” When the show initially aired in 1968, it was the most-watched TV event of the year.
• Luke Combs – told an interviewer that he hasn’t heard a thing from Tracy Chapman, who wrote and recorded the 1988 original version of his current hit ‘Fast Car’. He pointed out, though, that “For a cover you don’t have to seek approval, but it’s very, very specific what you can and can’t do”, such as make a music video (without permission). He also couldn’t pre-promote the song before it was released.
• Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani – celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary on Monday. Shelton posted a wedding day pic with the words: “Happy anniversary [Gwen Stefani]!!!! Every day has been the best day since I met you.” She posted a montage of pics of the happy couple, set to her new song ‘True Babe’, which was inspired by her romance with Shelton. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/29mf8xw5
• Carrie Underwood – She, her sisters, and her mom got matching tattoos. She posted pics, and wrote: “When your 74-year-old mother asks you and your sisters to get matching tattoos with her in Vegas, the only questions are, “what?” and “where?” Photos show the group all bearing the same small heart tattoo on their wrists or feet. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2p9r8pd5
SHOOTING THE BULL
POSITIVE NEWS:
Awesome! I’ve got some positive news about the positive things that many people are experiencing these days. The world is having more good times, according to a new report. The Gallup Global Emotions 2023 Report is a collection of data from more than 100 countries that asks how people are feeling. The number of positive experiences recovered somewhat in 2022. Positive experiences had remained relatively stable in previous years, but dropped in 2021. In that year, negative experiences also skyrocketed to the highest rate researchers had measured in the 17 years they had been conducting the research. A little more good news: The rate of negative experiences didn’t go up in 2022 — although it is still at a historically high level. The researchers speculate that the rate of positive experiences was high last year because people began to “emerge from the grips of pandemic”, to participate in more social activities and plan travel.
(I had a lot of positives in 2022. But then, I’m a “glass half-full” kind of guy. If my glass is half-full, I’m positive I’m gonna need a refill soon!)
(It was a bit of both for me. Positive in that I could still afford to eat. Negative in that eating was ALL I could afford to do!)
-CNN
PAWSITIVE NEWS:
➢ A tech firm and university in Tokyo have teamed up to produce an app that they say can tell you when your cat is in pain. Since its release in May, “Cat Pain Detector” has racked up 43,000 users. The teams gathered 6,000 cat photos, and carefully studied the positions of the animals’ ears, noses, whiskers and eyelids. They used a system to measure tiny differences between healthy cats and those suffering pain due to hard-to-spot illnesses. Next, the app developers fed the information into an AI system, which has further refined its skills thanks to around 600,000 photos uploaded by users. They claim their app now has an accuracy level of better than 90%. (Detecting when a cat is hurting is a very difficult science. Why? Because most can convince you they’re in agony simply because dinner is 5 minutes late!)
➢ A dog expert says that your pupper probably not only knows your name, he/she also knows the names of the other members of your family…and the other pets in the household. Deanna Euritt, who write the Dog Tales blog, points out that it’s only natural that dogs notice that certain words go with certain people…and pets. Because dogs are highly attuned to human behavior and communication, and they can easily learn to recognize their names for people and animals that they often come into contact with. (My dog actually knows the cats’ names? That’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard!)
-AFP, DogTales
BEST-BEFORE UPDATE:
Canada is considering scrapping “best before” dates on food products. In an effort at addressing food waste and food insecurity, the government is investigating how the elimination of the dates printed on food labels would impact consumers. As many struggle with the highest food inflation in 4 decades, industry experts say best-before dates are misunderstood by most consumers. How are they misunderstood? As Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization, points out, “Best-before dates are not expiry dates. They’re not about food safety, they actually refer to a product’s peak freshness.” Because of the lack of clarity on date labels, some people end up throwing away perfectly good food — even as they’re struggling to feed their families. A recent study found that nearly 60% of food produced in Canada is lost or wasted annually.
(Not in my house. Once the best before date passes, it goes to the “dad-disposal” area, where, you guessed it, only I get to enjoy it. I don’t fell well…)
(Good idea. It definitely passes the “sniff-test” for me!)
-TorStar
ALTERNATE FACTS:
As honest as we’d all like to think we are, the truth is that everyone lies, sometimes. A Reddit user asked: “What is one lie everyone tells?” Perhaps some of these answers might make you feel a little less-guilty for some of the ‘partial-truths’ you’ve spouted…
⇒ “Sorry I missed your call.” (Nope. I was looking at the phone when it rang, and I totally chose to ignore it!)
⇒ “If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.” (I’ve always wanted to say something like, ‘OK, pay my power bill next month.’)
⇒ “It was nice talking to you.”
⇒ “I don’t judge.”
⇒ “I don’t know where your really loud, annoying toy went, sweetie! How about you play with your coloring book instead?”
⇒ “I don’t care what others think of me.”
⇒ “I’ve read the terms and conditions.”
⇒ (To the dentist): “Yes, of course I floss every day.”
⇒ “Yeah, I’ll definitely have to watch that show you recommended, thanks!”
⇒ “‘I’m almost there.” (Shows up 20 minutes later.)
-Buzzfeed
DID YOU KNOW?
It seems to be open season on ketchup faux pas. Last week, the official Heinz UK Twitter account posted: “FYI: Ketchup. goes. in. the. fridge!!!” And now, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council in the US has gone on record as saying that for adults, slathering a frank with ketchup is a big no-no. NHDSC president Eric Mittenthal points out that, as far as his organization is concerned, “The sweetness (of ketchup) is just not the ideal match for a hot dog…mustard, onions and sauerkraut are preferable toppings.” (To me, ketchup is like ice cream…it goes with everything. Except each other…I think!)
-NYPost
BS CHRONOMETER 07.05.23
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Graham Cracker Day”, saluting the wafer developed in 1829 by Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham, who believed consumption of graham flour suppressed “carnal urges”. What’s the best use for graham crackers? Pie crust? S’mores? Moon pies? (Anti-aphrodisiac?)
• “Workaholics Day”, a day to remove your nose from the grindstone … just once. (As Rodney Dangerfield said, “My old man was a workaholic. You mentioned work, he got drunk.”)
• “Bikini Day”, celebrating the July 5, 1946 unveiling of the landmark swimsuit by designer Louis Reard at a Paris press conference, which he described as ‘4 triangles of nothing’. The bikini is named after a tiny Pacific atoll (ring-shaped reef) where the first atomic bomb tests were performed earlier that week.
• “Apple Turnover Day”, also called “hand pies” because they are so portable, the pastry is made by placing apple filling on a piece of dough, folding the dough over, sealing it, then baking them. Although most are baked, they can also be fried.
• “Mechanical Pencil Day”, created by Cult Pens, after the pen and pencil purveyor noticed there was a “Fountain Pen Day,” but not a day for mechanical pencils. They decided on July 5th because it is written as 7/5 or 5/7. The most common mechanical pencil lead sizes are 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm.
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Fried Chicken Day
[Thurs] Take Your Webmaster to Lunch Day
[Fri] Comic Sans Day
[Sat] Freezer Pop Day
This Week Is…Be Nice to Jersey Week
This Month Is…Hot Dog Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1943 [80] (Jamie) “Robbie” Robertson, Toronto ON, rock singer-songwriter-guitarist (‘Somewhere Down That Crazy River’, The Band-‘The Weight’, Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks-‘Who Do You Love’
1950 [73] Huey Lewis (Hugh Anthony Cregg III), NYC, rock singer (Huey Lewis & the News -‘I Want a New Drug’, ‘The Power of Love’)/sometime movie actor (“Duets”, “Back to the Future”)
1959 [64] Marc Cohn, Cleveland OH, folk-rock singer (‘Walking in Memphis’)/married to ABC TV anchor Elizabeth Vargas 2002-14
1963 [60] Edie Falco, Brooklyn NY, TV actress (“Nurse Jackie” 2009-15, “The Sopranos” 1999-2007)/winner of 4 Emmys, 2 Golden Globes, and 5 SAG Awards. COMING UP…”The Parenting”
1969 [54] RZA (Robert Fitzgerald Diggs), New York City, rapper (Wu-Tang Clan-‘Uzi’)/filmmaker (director- “The Man with the Iron Fists”, scored the “Kill Bill” films)
1980 [43] Pauly D (Paul DelVecchio) Providence RI, reality star/DJ (“Jersey Shore” 2009-12, “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” 2018-present)
1980 [43] Jason Wade, Camarillo CA, rock singer-guitarist (Lifehouse-‘You & Me’, ‘Hanging by a Moment’)
1982 [41] Dave Haywood, Augusta GA, country multi-instrumentalist (Lady A-‘Bartender’, ‘Need You Now’)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1989 [34] The pilot episode of “Seinfeld” airs (originally titled “The Seinfeld Chronicles”). It would last for 180 episodes, through 1998
2000 [23] “Big Brother” premieres in the US, but fails to generate the same buzz it had with other versions worldwide (even so, season 25 launches Aug. 2nd)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1997 [26] Organized by Sarah McLachlan, the first all-female Lilith Fair tour kicks off at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington State. The lineup includes Jewel, Suzanne Vega, and Paula Cole, with Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow and Fiona Apple joining on subsequent stops
2008 [15] Katy Perry’s ‘I Kissed a Girl’ hits #1 in the US, where it stays for 7 weeks. Her first chart-topper, it’s a drastic change from 7 years earlier, when she was a gospel singer recording under her real name: Katy Hudson
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1994 [29] Amazon.com is founded in Bellevue, Washington by Jeff Bezos
1996 [27] ‘Dolly’ the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell, is born at the Roslin Institute in Scotland (named after Dolly Parton)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2012 [11] ‘The Shard’ in London, England is inaugurated as the “Tallest Building in Europe”, with a height of 310 meters (1,020 ft) [Now, it’s #7]
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The term “riding “shotgun” comes from the sitting position of the guard on a stagecoach.
✓ Because of the rotation of the earth, an object can be thrown farther if it is thrown west.
✓ Hearing is the fastest human sense.
✓ It takes a gallon and a half of milk to make a gallon of ice cream.
✓ Non-dairy creamer is flammable.
✓ Matt Groening named his show “The Simpsons” because he thought it was funny to have the word ‘simp’ (short for simpleton) in their name.
-DJTech, MentalFloss
Best of BS . . .
BS FAMILY VACATION DON’TS:
• Don’t play ‘Punch-buggy’ unless you are prepared to deal with the consequences.
• Don’t eat Mexican food the night before your scuba diving excursion.
• Don’t head toward the banjo music.
• Don’t sneak out of the hotel while your wife and kids are sleeping to go to a strip club next door and end up getting arrested and taken to jail. Just sayin’.
• Don’t ask if we’re there yet. I’ll say “You are” and kick you out of the car.
• Don’t pull Uncle Carl’s finger.
• Don’t tie Aunt Edna to the roof.
• Don’t ask for directions (applies to men only).
• Don’t let Jesus take the wheel. That’s just a figure of speech.
• Don’t make me stop this car!!
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
BS SIGNS YOU HAVE A DUMB DOG:
• Has suffered over 2 dozen concussions from toilet seat falling on his head.
• Requests her IQ test be reformatted so she can smell the questions and then eat them.
• Lengthy pause after ‘bow’ while he tries to remember ‘wow’.
• Countless bruises on nose from confrontations with the evil dog guarding the other side of the mirror.
• Thinks that flea and tick baths give you fleas and ticks.
• When you give him Alpo, he only eats the ‘meat byproducts’.
• Even after repeatedly watching the ‘Barking Phonics’ video, still pronounces ‘woof’ as ‘oops’.
• Buries tail, wags bones.
-First published in BS in 2012
BS WEB GOODIE:
How was work today? https://tinyurl.com/256cd3dk
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Just take my advice — because I’m not going to use it.
TRUTH OR BS?
• A cross between a horse and a zebra is called a ‘Hobra’. [BS. A male zebra and a female horse create a ‘zorse’, and a female zebra and a male horse create a ‘zonkey’.]
• Australia is wider than the moon. [TRUE. The moon’s diameter is 3,400km, while Australia is 4,000 km wide.]
• Meghan Markle’s first name is Rachel. [TRUE.]
• 50 Cent and Charlie Chaplin were alive at the same time. [TRUE. Chaplin died in 1977, when 50 Cent was about 2½ half years old.]
• The skull is the strongest bone in the human body. [BS. It is the femur, or the thighbone.]
• A snail can sleep for up to 1 month. [BS. A snail can sleep for up to 3 years.]
• Your nose produces almost one litre of mucus a day. [TRUE.]
-AhaSlides, Cosmopolitan
BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s popular – but you refuse to get into it? And why?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 5% of men say they’d be “freaked out” if their partner did THIS. What is it?
Answer: Made more money than they do
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
You can’t protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.
