Wednesday, September 23, 2020 — Edition: #6814
Bully For You!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Ellen DeGeneres opened Season 18 of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Monday by addressing the controversy that surrounded her this summer following several accusations of a toxic workplace at the long-running talk show. According to her, “There was an investigation. I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously and I want to say I’m so sorry to the people who were affected.” DeGeneres went on to say that she is a boss of 270 people and all she wants is “for every single one of them to be happy and to be proud to work here.”
-TheWrap
★ Chris Rock has revealed he was diagnosed with a learning disorder earlier this year, which may have led to his divorce in 2016 after 20 years of marriage. The 55-year-old comedian said in an interview that after lengthy testing, doctors diagnosed him with a condition called “non-verbal learning disorder”. Rock explained that he has difficulty with non-verbal signals which make up about 80 percent of communication. Quote: “By the way, all of those things are really great for writing jokes — they’re just not great for one-on-one relationships.” He is now in therapy to deal with his diagnosis.
-PageSix
★ Alex Winter says his experiences of child abuse when he began acting as a 12-year-old have left him with post-traumatic stress disorder. Explaining how it has scarred him for life, he said: “I had extreme PTSD for many, many years, and that will wreak havoc on you.” Winter won legions of fans on screen as ‘Bill S. Preston, Esq.’ in “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” in 1989, but says at the time he was coping with abuse he’d suffered as a child actor on Broadway while doing “There was The King and I.” He refuses to name his abuser, who he says has died.
-Canoe
★ Fans took to Twitter to blast the omission of Kelly Preston, Kobe Bryant, and Nick Cordero from the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards’ “In Memoriam” segment on Sunday. As usual, the Emmy Awards honored icons that the television world has lost over the past year, including Chadwick Boseman and Naya Rivera. But some fans were left disappointed that a few big names were noticeably absent. Emmy bosses acknowledged that not every celebrity who has died this year would be featured in their tribute, citing time constraints. An extensive In Memoriam tribute is listed on their website, with Cordero and Preston both included, but Bryant still notably absent.
-Canoe
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Riz Ahmed, Tim McGraw
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Millie Bobby Brown, Colin Quinn, Anitta featuring Cardi B & Myke Towers
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Jeff Daniels
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Sarah Paulson, H. Jon Benjamin
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Ken Jeong, Alicia Keys
• “Conan” (TBS): Michelle Obama
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Drew Barrymore, Brad Paisley
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Mark Kelly, Desus & Mero
• “The Talk” (CBS): Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Chace Crawford, Sunny Hostin, Rebecca Jarvis
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Alec Baldwin, SuperM
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Common
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Stephen Colbert, Judy Gold, Zainab Johnson
• “The Masked Singer” (FOX): Season 4 premiere
• “I Can See Your Voice” (FOX): Premiere. Music competition where contestants (with the help of a celebrity panel) attempt to guess whether singers are good or bad—based solely on their appearances. Ken Jeong hosts.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Billie Eilish — has announced a collection of action figures based on her singles ‘Bad Guy’ and ‘All the Good Girls Go To Hell’. Cost? $19.99 and $29.99. (Order HERE: https://tinyurl.com/y2guk58n )
• Niall Horan — joked he will ”knock on the door” of Madame Tussauds to get One Direction’s wax figures back on display. He lives nearby the London waxwork museum and quipped that he’ll be heading there to find out why the band were taken off display this month.
• Avril Lavigne — will host a virtual concert to benefit people suffering from Lyme disease. Tickets for the Oct. 24 show are on sale, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Avril Lavigne Foundation and the Global Lyme Alliance. She’ll be joined by special guests, with names to be announced.
• Amy Winehouse — The Amy Winehouse Foundation has teamed up with the new SNO BABIES movie to raise awareness of drug addiction. Sales of the soundtrack – which features artists including Slash, Nikki Sixx, Joe Elliott and Corey Taylor – and film will raise funds to support recovery for Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation, as well as the Amy Winehouse Foundation.
• Bruce Springsteen — wrote his new album on a guitar a fan gave to him last year after one of his “Springsteen on Broadway” gigs. Quote: “I just took a quick glance at it and it looked like a nice guitar, so I jumped in the car with it.” He recorded “Letter to You” (out Oct. 23) at his New Jersey home studio.
• Gord Downie – The late Tragically Hip singer’s final recordings will be released on Oct. 16. “Away is Mine”, a double album recorded just three months before he succumbed to brain cancer on Oct. 17, 2017, is comprised of electric and acoustic versions of 10 songs co-written with frequent collaborator Josh Finlayson.
• Rascal Flatts – will release “Twenty Years of Rascal Flatts the Greatest Hits” on Oct. 2. The album will contain 20 of the country trio’s biggest hits, from early smash ‘I’m Movin’ On’ to the more recent ‘I Like the Sound of That’. Thirteen of the songs were #1 hits, and seven others are fan favorites.
• Jon Pardi — says that he and his fiancée, Summer Duncan, have had to postpone their planned May wedding more than once. The pandemic has also impacted the kind of wedding the couple are planning. Quote: “The big wedding we wanted to have is not going to happen, so it’s just been heartbreaking telling people…because we just can’t have this many people.” They originally planned a destination wedding.
GREEN JEANS:
“Distressed” jeans are one thing, but Gucci is taking it to a whole new level. The Italian fashion house has unveiled their new $1,200 jeans, which are designed to look as though they have grass stains around the knee area. The light blue wide-leg denim pant is made from organic cotton “specifically treated for a stained-like, distressed effect,” according to Gucci’s website. The low-waist eco washed jean also features a vintage logo label above the back pocket. Gucci also launched a pair of overalls with the same stained-like effect. The price tag on those? $1,400. Both the jeans and the overalls are part of Gucci’s grunge-inspired fall/winter 2020 collection.
PICS: https://tinyurl.com/y5dbkwqt
(I’ve seen them. They look like something that your cousin who isn’t invited to family get-togethers would wear!)
(My advice? Get a Slip’N Slide, put on your old jeans, and have at ’er! You’ll save $1,200…AND you’ll have a Slip’N Slide!)
(We learned earlier in the week that you’re more active when you wear jeans. These things are so baggy and dirty looking that you’d swear dude’s been wearing them since the start of the pandemic!)
-People, Yahoo
HAPPY NEWS:
A new study has determined that we’re happier spending time with friends or relatives than we are when we’re with our partner or children – but there’s a catch. Southern Methodist University research shows that people report highest levels of happiness while spending time with friends. The surprising results also reveal being with a romantic partner actually creates the lowest levels of happiness. Why? According to Prof. Nathan Hudson, who oversaw the study, this doesn’t mean spouses and children don’t make us happy. The difference lies in the activities we’re sharing with others. The study found that the majority of time people spend with friends involves fun, social events. On the other hand, much of the time we spend with family involves unpleasant activities, such as chores. Fortunately for the future of mankind, when the study was statistically controlled for activities, the presence of children, romantic partners, and friends resulted in similar levels of happiness.
(But wine still beat them all…)
(Did they look into how happy people are when they’re with their friends’ spouses? Asking for a friend…)
-StudyFinds
WEEDING OUT THE BAD DRIVERS:
Can you be influenced by cannabis even when you’re not “under the influence”? A study by McLean Hospital has found that recreational marijuana use negatively affects driving ability even when users are not intoxicated by the drug. Researchers created a customized driving simulator to assess how marijuana users drive. All participants did not use cannabis in the 12 hours leading up to the test. In the study, heavy marijuana users exceeded the speed limit more often with the simulator, hit more pedestrians, made fewer stops at red lights, and crossed traffic lines into oncoming cars more than non-users. The report also determined that significant driving problems occur more frequently in those who start using marijuana before they’re 16 years-old.
(I’m pretty sure this explains why the Domino’s guy hits my garbage cans EVERY time!)
(Well, if they’re ever gonna speed, it’d definitely be when they haven’t smoked for 12 hours…)
-DrugandAlcoholDependence
THINGS THAT WERE ONCE NORMAL, THAT WE’LL FORGET ABOUT IN 10 YEARS:
➢ Looking up movie times in a newspaper (and only seeing movie trailers at a theater…)
➢ Only having access to song lyrics in an album’s liner notes
➢ Printing out directions instead of just keeping your phone handy (Also: using one of those foldy things in the glove box…)
➢ Having to change the TV to channel 3 to use the VCR (or to play a video game)
➢ TV Guide
➢ Having to hit a button 3 times just to create one letter when texting
➢ Only being able to access the internet while sitting in front of a computer
➢ Carrying binders full of burned CDs in the back seat of your car
➢ Taking a photo and having no idea how it will look until you have it developed
➢ Yup, using a payphone!
(Actually I had ALREADY forgotten about most of these…)
-BuzzFeed
DID YOU KNOW?
Singapore boasts a network of ATMs that dispense – salmon. Manish Kumar, founder and CEO of Norwegian Salmon Pte Ltd, says his goal is to make salmon available and affordable for everyone. By cutting out the cost of storefronts, staff, and distributors, he’s able to sell his 200-gram fillets from the fjords of Norway for the equivalent of US $4.25. The company decided on Singapore because of the country’s vending-machine culture. In the city-state, machines vend everything from ice cream to luxury cars.
-AtlasObscura
BS CHRONOMETER 09.23.20
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1943 [77] Julio Iglesias (de la Cueva), Madrid Spain, world music singer (w/Willie Nelson: ‘To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before’)/sold more than 100 million records in 14 languages, going gold or platinum more than 400 times/former pro football (soccer) player
1949 [71] Bruce Springsteen, Freehold NJ, rock singer-songwriter (20 Grammy Awards, including for ‘Dancing in the Dark’, ‘Tunnel of Love’”)/Academy Award (‘Streets of Philadelphia’)/Tony Award (“Springsteen on Broadway”)/2 Golden Globes/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1999)/Kennedy Center Honors (2009)/Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016)
1959 [61] Jason Alexander, Newark NJ, TV actor (‘George Costanza’ on “Seinfeld” 1989-1998)
1972 [48] Jermaine Dupri (Mauldin), Asheville NC, music producer/recording exec (Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Nelly, TLC, Usher)
1978 [42] Anthony Mackie, New Orleans LA, movie actor (“Captain America” movies, “The Hurt Locker”)
1987 [33] Skyler Astin, New York NY, movie actor (“Pitch Perfect” movies, “21 & Over”)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Celebrate Bisexuality Day”, initiated in 1999 and now observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA, and some European countries. A day for people to recognize and celebrate bisexual history, bisexual community and culture, and all the bisexual people in their lives.
• “Restless Legs Awareness Day”, to foster better understanding of this treatable condition. RLS (aka Willis-Ekbom Disease) is a neurologic disorder that causes an irresistible urge to move the legs, often accompanied by unpleasant sensations. About 3% of adults are affected. NET: https://www.rls.org/poster
• “Checkers Day” (also known as Dogs in Politics Day), is not named for the classic game. On Sept. 23, 1952, vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon gave a speech to address growing public concern about his use of campaign funds. He claimed that he had not misused funds, but he intended to keep one gift—a dog that the Nixon children named “Checkers”. The “Checkers speech” was a political triumph and the public responded with overwhelming support.
• “Innergize Day”, for all those who say, “I don’t have time to do the personal things I want to do for myself.” Today, set aside time to do whatever you want. (I think I just used it up while reading that…)
• “International Day of Sign Languages”, according to the World Federation of the Deaf, there are approximately 72 million deaf people worldwide. More than 80% of them live in developing countries. Collectively, they use more than 300 different sign languages.
COMING UP . . .
[Thurs] Kiss Day
[Thurs] Cherries Jubilee Day
[Fri] Binge Day
[Fri] National Comic Book Day
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1994 [26] “The Shawshank Redemption”, starring Morgan Freeman & Tim Robbins, opens in movie theaters (still on many film fans’ all-time favorite list)
2011 [09] The daytime drama “All My Children” airs for the final time on ABC after 41 years
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2010 [10] Katy Perry’s appearance on “Sesame Street” is edited out after viewers complain about her revealing dress
2011 [09] Following a Demi Lovato concert at the Nokia Theater in L.A., Justin Bieber takes his girlfriend Selena Gomez to The Staples Center, which he has rented out so they can enjoy a private showing of “Titanic” in the 20,000 seat venue
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
2002 [18] The first public version of the web browser “Mozilla Firefox” is released
2019 [01] Climate activist Greta Thunberg scolds world leaders “How Dare You” for not addressing climate change at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1980 [40] George Adrian of Indianapolis, Indiana sets a world record by picking 365.5 bushels of apples in 8 hours (15,830 lbs)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The television was invented only two years after the invention of sliced bread.
✓ When glass breaks, the cracks move faster than 3,000 miles per hour.
✓ Tipping is regarded as crass at restaurants in Japan.
✓ Baked beans are actually stewed, not baked.
✓ Ketchup was sold in the 1830’s as medicine.
✓ Bullfrogs do not sleep.
-TheFactSite, RandomFactGenerator
Best of BS . . .
BS SEQUELS NO ONE ASKED FOR:
• Snakes on a Train
• Found in Space
• Divorced Now, Actually
• Unforgiven 2: OK, I Forgive You
• The Breakfast Club 2: Lunch
• Home Alone 8: Child Protective Services Finally Intervene
• The Godfather III: An Offer They Should’ve Refused
• Dude, Where’s My Uber ?
• Saturday the 14th
• Most of them, honestly
• Green Lantern 2
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
GREAT THINGS ABOUT AUTUMN:
• You can start keeping beer in the garage again.
• At least 2 full-on turkey dinners and a few pies guaranteed over the next 3 months.
• Enjoying the fall color changes by opening the fridge and watching last week’s meatloaf.
• No more pathetically pasty shins sticking out of short pants.
• With the right cable package, you can watch 262 hours of football per week.
• Two words: bugs gone!
– Adapted from MikesTopFive
TODAY’S SLICE OF BS:
➠ Rumor has it that Taylor Swift and her boyfriend Joe Alwyn have discussed having children together. (Learn more about it on her next album.)
➠ Harry Potter fans are furious with J.K. Rowling for including a transphobic plot line in her new book. (Also infuriating Harry Potter fans? Broken inhalers, getting picked last in kickball, and a lifetime of virginity…)
➠ A U.K. football match was suspended when an alpaca ran onto the field. The video has gone viral. (No worries, nobody got hurt. . . it was just a false-a llama!)
➠ A Halloween company is selling a “sexy” Donald Trump costume. (Oh, so like we’re somehow supposed to believe it’s possible for Donald Trump to get even SEXIER? Yeah, right!)
➠ A report claims that from 2011 to 2017, 259 deaths worldwide have been attributed to people taking selfies in dangerous locations. (So, hey, who says there’s never any GOOD news?)
BS WEB GOODIE:
How to correctly fold a fitted sheet: https://tinyurl.com/yxgwoudl
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Onions make me sad. A lot of people don’t realize that.
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
What one-hit wonder sang the cheesy song?
• ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’
a) Blackstreet
b) B2K
c) Baha Men [CORRECT]
d) Nelly
• ‘Graduation (Friends Forever)’
a) Baz Luhrmann
b) Vitamin C [CORRECT]
c) Cassidy
d) TLC
• ‘Thong Song’
a) OMC
b) Sisqó [CORRECT]
c) Westlife
d) Elton John
-BuzzFeed
BS PHONE STARTER:
What item do you own that collectors would love to get their hands on?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Hurricanes aside – THIS is also most likely to occur in August & September. What is it?
Answer: Childbirth
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Be so good they can’t ignore you.
