Tuesday, July 25, 2023 – Edition: #7523

It’s Another Running Of The Bull!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ “Barbenheimer” just keeps on growing. Greta Gerwig’s very pink fantasy-comedy “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s extremely dark historical drama “Oppenheimer” powered to bigger opening weekends than originally reported. Barbie ended up with $162 million domestically in its first weekend of release, higher than Sunday’s already record-breaking estimate of $155 million. That ranks as the biggest opening weekend of the year — beating The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s $146 million. “Oppenheimer” also beat expectations with $82.4 million, slightly higher than Sunday’s huge $81.5 million projection.
-Variety
★ Tom Brady seems to have moved on from ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen. The former NFL star was photographed looking very flirty with another supermodel, Irina Shayk, over the weekend. Brady reportedly picked up Shayk from the Hotel Bel-Air Friday afternoon and then drove them to his LA home. A source says the duo didn’t emerge until 9:30 a.m. the following day when he dropped her back at the hotel. Brady then picked up Shayk — again Saturday afternoon in his black Rolls-Royce and they returned to his home. At one point, he was seen affectionately caressing Shayk’s face while stopped at a red light.
-NYPost
★ One of the last surviving Stormtrooper helmets worn in “Star Wars,” Luke Skywalker’s blaster from “The Empire Strikes Back,” and a treasure chest of other prized props from the film series are up for auction in Dallas. A memorabilia collector is selling his one-of-a-kind Star Wars props on Saturday, but online bidding has already begun. There are 31 items from the space film franchise, including Carrie Fisher’s Snowspeeder and a cache of prop weapons, including what the Heritage Auctions calls the “Holy Trinity” — 3 lightsabers from “The Phantom Menace,” used in the famous bridge fight scene with Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul.
-NYPost
★ Dan Aykroyd wants to appear in a “Ghostbusters” sequel after he dies. The 71-year-old shot to stardom after playing scientist ‘Ray Stantz’ in 1984’s “Ghostbusters”, and is currently filming a follow-up to its spin-off movie “Afterlife”. He told a reporter that he believes future filmmakers will use technology to resurrect his character in more sequels once he’s passed away. He said that once someone “comes up with a story” to incorporate his character, “as long as my family gets a healthy fee and it’s a good story, I’m fine with that.”
-ContactMusic
★ “Shark Tank” star Daymond John has been granted a permanent injunction against some former contestants on the show, after claiming they’ve been waging an online smear campaign against him. A New Jersey court granted the restraining order against three one-time contestants who posted about their “nightmare” experience after he agreed to invest in their business venture. Court docs say former NFL defensive end Al “Bubba” Baker, his wife and daughter — who appeared on Shark Tank in 2014 — were ordered to stop making public statements about John, and instructed to delete all “disparaging” posts about him and his relationship with their business, Bubba’s Q Boneless Baby Back Ribs.
-ETCanada
★ A rare first edition of “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien was recently discovered hidden in a backroom at a thrift shop in the UK — and sold for a staggering US$13,000. The book had been donated to the store, where the proceeds go to medical charities. There’s no way of knowing if the anonymous donor realized what they were giving away. The Hobbit was first published in 1937, and only 1,500 copies were printed. That makes this book incredibly rare, and the original illustrations by Tolkien make it a collector’s dream. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/ye278843
-PopCulture

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Duran Duran (R)
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Chance the Rapper, Maude Apatow (R)
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): John Krasinski, Sarah Polley (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Brendan Fraser, Roy Wood Jr (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Jim Gaffigan, Alex Moffat
• “The Talk” (CBS): James Corden, Krysten Ritter (R)
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Andrew Rannells, Jesse Palmer
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Alyssa Milano, Macklemore, Kranium (R)
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Lindsay Lohan (R)
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Ashley Park, Jabari Banks (R)
• “Jeopardy! Masters” (ABC): The top 6 highest-ranked current contestants, Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, Mattea Roach, Andrew He, Sam Buttrey and James Holzhauer, face off to win the grand prize.
• “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” (ABC): Sasheer Zamata, Jack Black and Kal Penn
• “America’s Got Talent” (NBC): Simon Cowell and host Terry Crews look back at the most memorable auditions in “America’s Got Talent” and “Britain’s Got Talent” history.
• “Raiders of the Lost Shark” (DSC): Shark expert Matt Dicken and Dickie Chivell embark on a quest to locate the elusive and colossal shark ‘Dutchess’, who mysteriously vanished from South Africa, years ago.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Travis Scott – gave fans an update on his long-awaited “Utopia” album during his headlining gig at Rolling Loud Miami. He ended his set by confirming Utopia will drop this Friday, and that he also plans to debut a movie called “Circus Maximus”. The confirmation came the day after he released the single ‘K-POP’ with The Weeknd and Bad Bunny. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/274zj75p
• The 1975 – have canceled shows in Indonesia and Taiwan after the band’s set was cut at a Malaysia music festival following Matty Healy‘s comments about the country’s anti-gay laws, and kissing his bandmate on stage. They were scheduled to perform at Jakarta’s We the Fest on Sunday and at the Taipei Music Center tonight.
• Roger Waters — will release “The Dark Side of the Moon Redux”, a reinterpretation of his former band Pink Floyd’s iconic 1973 album, on Oct. 6. He calls it “a work that can sit proudly alongside the original, hand-in-hand across a half-century of time.” He has already dropped his new version of ‘Money’. LINK:  https://tinyurl.com/2t6hadmt
• Bruce Springsteen — appears as a guest on a new song by the New Jersey rockers the Gaslight Anthem. ‘History Books’ is the first tune to be released from the band’s upcoming album, also titled “History Books”, out Oct. 27. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3evurev7
• Neil Young – has released a second preview of the upcoming “Chrome Dreams” album from his Archives series. ‘Hold Back the Tears’, recorded in the mid-70s, was eventually released in a different version on the 1977 “American Stars ‘N Bars” album. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yck27esu
• Tim McGraw – Friday, he released the new song ‘Remember Me Well’. The heartbreak tune is the latest preview of his 17th album, Standing Room Only, out Aug. 25. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/45t5emb7
• Jelly Roll – recently met with a terminal cancer patient who posted a TikTok video saying that meeting him and attending a concert was her dying wish. The James Bess Foundation, which grants a last wish to adults battling fatal illnesses, shared Nashville resident Suzanne Durham’s video, and later posted a video showing Jelly performing to a private audience of Durham, her family, and friends. LINK:  https://tinyurl.com/mr29dvcn
• Miranda Lambert – Vanilla Ice, of all people, poked fun at her “selfie controversy” during his show in Atlantic City NJ on Friday, encouraging the crowd to snap as many photos as they wanted. As fans joined him onstage after performing his hit ‘Ice, Ice Baby’, he said: “You can take all the selfies you want — this ain’t no Miranda Lambert concert.”

SHOOTING THE BULL

WEEKEND WORRIERS:
Interesting: A new study found that exercising only on weekends —being a “weekend warrior”—is still good for your heart. The study, which was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, determined that weekend warriors have similar heart health to those who work out more regularly. Data from more than 89,000 people was analyzed, and it was found that those who concentrated their exercise efforts on the weekend had the same lowered risk of a slew of heart conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. The researchers concluded: “Increased activity, even when concentrated within one to two days each week, may be effective for improving cardiovascular risk profiles.”
(Yesss! You know what this means? It means that I’m only working out 2 fewer times than I should each week!)
(It’s just odd that when my friends and I were about 20, we also called ourselves “weekend warriors”, and what we did definitely was NOT beneficial to the heart!)
-Prevention

HE ‘BLUE’ IT:
With Elon Musk’s announcement of his decision to change the logo of Twitter to an “X” with a black background (from the bird), you’ve got to wonder if he’s on the path to reviving his beleaguered social media site – or if he’s totally barking up the wrong tree. Why? A brand expert says there’s a reason why so many social media logos are blue. (Think Facebook, LinkedIn, Skype, and Telegram…and Twitter, up until now…) Katie Hart, a neuromarketing expert, explains that the color blue is now often associated with communication, and may help instill “feelings of security and safety” in users of those sites. And even the specific shade of blue can make a difference. Google changed the shade used for their links when a search comes up, and the company attributes the almost imperceptible adjustment to an advertising boost of $200 million per year. Hart says the color blue also calms us down, reduces our impulsive tendencies, and lowers our heart rate
(None of which have anything to do with what happens on social media…but it’s a nice thought…!)
(So, blue is associated with calmness…and what is “X” associated with? Besides alimony, of course…!)
-Twitter, NYPost

WEAR PROTECTION:
It used to be that when you knew you were going to be outside for a while on a sunny day, you grabbed the jar of sticky white lotion, and slathered it on. Case closed. But with the number of sun protection choices available now, some are calling it the “sunscreen boom”. Partially thanks to the fact that sunscreen formulas are fun — and designed for everyday life, sales are growing by 4% per year, and are expected to hit $30 billion annually worldwide by 2030. SPF is now available as sprays, brush-on powders, whipped mousses, and roller sticks. There are sun “patches” to warn us when it’s time to reapply. And there are special formulations for acne sufferers, allergy prone complexions and darker skin tones. There are also prestige sun care brands such as Supergoop and Coola, which have become status symbols – commanding premium pricing. And of course, there are celebs entering the market as well. Tennis star Naomi Osaka and pop star Pharrell have their own products. One dermatologist sees the prominence of sunscreen these days as a positive: Dr. Naana Boakye credits social media for amplifying the message about the importance of protecting skin from the sun’s rays, and says that influencers and social media health care professionals have helped a lot of younger people and men to pick up on the ‘skin protection’ message.
(As a very- light-skinned individual, I find it easy to get a healthy tan. I simply go sit beneath the full moon for an hour!)
(Remember the old days, when people used to put on ‘suntanning oil’ before heading to the beach? Crazy times! Yeah, they’re dead…)
-CNN

THINGS THAT PEOPLE THINK ARE THE SAME – THAT AREN’T (Pt. 3):
➢ Alligator & Crocodile: They have a number of differences. Here is one: alligators have wide, U-shaped snouts, while crocodiles have pointy, V-shaped snouts. (Bad joke alert: If you see it later, it’s an alligator. If you see it in a while, it’s a crocodile…groannnnn!)
➢ Holland & Netherlands: Part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Netherlands is a country divided into 12 provinces, including Noord Holland and Zuid Holland. Tourists become confused because the well-known cities Amsterdam and Rotterdam are located in North Holland and South Holland, respectively.
➢ Lotion & Moisturizer: Lotion has a higher water content than moisturizer, which allows it to work on the surface of the skin. Moisturizer is a thicker cream designed to bring moisture into the skin, which means it usually has sealing agents such as mineral oils or petroleum jelly.
➢ Memoir & Autobiography: While autobiographies follow chronological order and are heavily rooted in facts from the subject’s life, memoirs are less formal. They give authors a chance to speak their emotional truth and ‘pick and choose’ which events they want to discuss.
➢ Jelly & Jam: Both are fruit preserves. Jelly is smoother and translucent because it is made from fruit juice. Jam is made of crushed fruit or pulp cooked with sugar – which makes it looser than jelly.
➢ Grilling & Barbecuing: These 2 techniques achieve very different results. To grill, you should not use a lid. Grilling is done with direct heat on the bottom of the meat, while barbecuing requires heat all around it…with the lid closed.
➢Blizzard & Snowstorm: The difference is the strength of the wind, not the amount of snow. A snowstorm can involve snow, sleet, ice, or freezing rain. A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds sustained at 35mph (56kph) or more, causing low visibility and lasting a few hours.
➢ Disinterested & Uninterested: They are often used interchangeably, but shouldn’t be. Being disinterested in something means you don’t have an interest in it. That is, you are uninvolved. Being uninterested means you are bored. (“Disinterested & Uninterested” was the name of my first morning show. It didn’t fly!)
-Scene

DID YOU KNOW?
You may believe that cup of coffee (or 3) that you need to function each morning gives you extra energy, but the truth is – it only “lends” you an extra jump, and you pay for it later. Experts tell us that when your caffeine boost eventually ends, the drowsy feeling comes back – and sometimes in spades. Bottom line: The debt you owe to caffeine always needs to be repaid, and the only real way to repay it is to sleep. (So, that overwhelming urge to crash that I feel every afternoon ISN’T because of the 2 frosted donuts that I’ve just inhaled?)
-StudyFinds

BS CHRONOMETER 07.25.23

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Hot Fudge Sundae Day”, an annual excuse to indulge in this decadent hot n’ cold dessert. (And they couldn’t have arranged to have this on a ‘Sunday’?)
• “Merry-Go-Round Day” (or “Carousel Day”), the anniversary of the mechanical carousel’s first patent in 1871 by William Schneider of Davenport, Iowa. He didn’t invent it, though. Carousel rides may go back as far as 500AD. (I like to call it a ‘horse tornado’!) [***BS FUN FACT: In the UK, they usually turn clockwise, while in North America and Mainland Europe, they typically go counter-clockwise.***]
• “Wine and Cheese Day”. Oh, all right … if we must!
• “Culinarians Day”, a special day to salute anyone who cooks. (I cook. But no one would call me a culinarian!)
• “Thread the Needle Day”, a day for those who sew. The term “thread the needle”, is also a saying. It means to either walk a fine and difficult line between 2 things or issues, or to do something difficult.
• “Red Shoe Day”, founded in memory of Australian Lyme disease patient, Theda Myint, who died July 25, 2013. Red Shoe Day is an annual remembrance not only for Theda, but for all those lost to Lyme and other invisible illnesses.

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] All or Nothing Day
[Wed] Bagelfest Day
[Thurs] Bagpipe Appreciation Day
[Fri] Soccer Day
This Week Is…Shark Week
This Month Is…Horseradish Month

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1955 [68] Iman (Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid), Mogadishu Somalia, model/actress/TV host (“Project Runway Canada” 2007-09)/entrepreneur/widow of David Bowie

1965 [58] Illeana Douglas, Quincy MA, movie actress (“Cape Fear”, “To Die For”)/TV actress (“Goliath”, 2019)

1967 [56] Matt LeBlanc, Newton MA, TV actor (“Friends” 1994-2004, “Man With a Plan” 2016-20)/TV host (BBC’s “Top Gear” 2012, 2016-18)

1974 [49] Jay R. Ferguson, Dallas TX, TV actor (‘Ben’ on “The Connors” since 2018, ‘Stan’ on “Mad Men” 2010-15)

1985 [38] Shantel VanSanten, Luverne MN, TV actress (‘Julie Swagger’ on “Shooter” 2016-18, “One Tree Hill” 2009-2012)

2000 [23] Mason Cook, Oklahoma City, OK, TV actor (‘Ray DiMeo’ on “Speechless” 2016-19)

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1990 [33] Roseanne Barr sings a shrieking and legendarily bad version of the American National Anthem at a Cincinnati Reds-San Diego Padres game. President George Bush refers to it as “disgraceful” (And at the time, we thought it would be the low point of her career…)

2020 [03] 2-time Academy Award-winner Olivia de Havilland (“Gone With the Wind”) dies at age 104

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1980 [43] AC/DC releases its first album without singer Bon Scott, who died 5 months earlier. “Back in Black”, featuring new frontman Brian Johnson, goes on to sell an estimated 50 million copies, the second best-selling album in history

2014 [09] Weird Al Yankovic’s 14th album, “Mandatory Fun”, featuring parodies of songs by Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke, Iggy Azalea, Lorde and Imagine Dragons, becomes the first comedy album to hit #1 in more than 50 years

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1978 [45] The world’s first ‘Test Tube Baby’ is born (Louise Brown of Oldham UK, who had been conceived outside her mother’s body using the new technique of ‘in-vitro fertilization’)

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2010 [13] WikiLeaks publishes more than 76,900 classified documents about the war in Afghanistan, likely the largest leak in military history

BULL’S BITS

BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ It takes one 15-20-year-old tree to produce 700 paper grocery bags.
✓ When wolves howl together, they harmonize, rather than sing on one note — to give the illusion of greater numbers.
✓ Sea lions can dance to a beat.
✓ A study found that people interrupt close friends or family more than they interrupt strangers.
✓ Boys are more likely to be left-handed than girls are.
✓ Riding a roller coaster can help you pass a kidney stone.
-TotallyAwesomeUselessInformation, BestLife

Best of BS . . .
BS UNLIKELY ‘PERKS’ OF PARENTHOOD:
• A handy excuse to get out of any invitation.
• Use of the world’s most efficient alarm clock.
• Access to the Halloween stash after bedtime.
• The opportunity to watch and memorize every Pixar movie.
• Seeing yourself become your parents in front of your own eyes.
• Unlimited access to fruit snacks.
• Trying to deduct your cable bill as ‘child care’ on your tax return.
• The chance to regularly drink cold coffee.
• You can go to Chuck E Cheese for the pizza without looking like a weirdo.
• Unlimited use of the phrase “Because I said so”.
• If you like running errands….!
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019

BS LEAST POPULAR NEW CAR OPTIONS:
• Rear window fogger.
• Passenger airbag in trunk.
• Drifter in the backseat who says, “Hey, your door is open.”
• Hydraulic roadkill scoop.
• Intermittent steering.
• Pre-filled ashtrays.
• Ceiling fan.
• 37 smelly circus clowns.
-First published in BS in 2009

BS WEB GOODIE:
So true:  https://tinyurl.com/4m8fzrtn

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I like to refer to myself as a ‘free-spirit’. It sounds a whole lot classier than ‘’out-of-control wingnut’.

BS PHONE STARTER:
What movie is, to you, 100% perfect?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  A survey says that if you have 5 of THESE, you’re about average. What are they?
Answer:  Friends

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.